What I'm Reading This Month
By Donne Puckle
July 2006
This is not an easy read, but is well worth the time and effort: Five for Sorrow, Ten for Joy: Meditations on the Rosary by J. Neville Ward (an English Methodist minister). It is published by Seabury Classics, Church Publishing Co., New York. I was rather taken back for a moment given the author's background. But I discovered that by taking a deep and serious look at the fifteen mysteries of the rosary he forces us to pay attention "so that we can more readily move into God's presence." Praying the rosary is not just a vain repetition of words, but deliberate meditations focusing on the life of Jesus and his mother Mary. These meditations can lead us into a fuller life of grace in Christ. The prayers help to create a rhythm to allow that focus, to avoid the distractions which might otherwise hinder us. He commends the use of the rosary to all Christians, not just Roman Catholics. Everyone can benefit from this religious exercise, regardless of "denomination."
These meditations do not include the five "luminous" mysteries added to the rosary devotions by the late Pope John Paul II. These were included long after Ward's book was published.
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