The Rosary Handbook: A Guide for Newcomers, Old-Timers, and Those in Between

by Mitch Finley

Why has the rosary remained such a popular Catholic devotional prayer? In this upbeat and easy-to-read book, Catholic author Mitch Finley explains that the simplicity and depth of the rosary make it a prayer for all seasons. The rosary is perfect for those times when words can’t express our feelings, when we want to contemplate the basic truths of our faith, or when we simply want to enter into God’s presence. Finley includes a brief and accurate history of the rosary, explains why it is a Christ-centered prayer, and provides background on the individual prayers of the rosary and a short commentary on each of the twenty mysteries. This book will help Catholics who have prayed the rosary all their lives but want to know more about it—as well as those who want to begin anew or try it for the first time.

Mitch Finley, an award-winning Catholic writer and speaker, has authored more than 30 books, including The Joy of Being Catholic and The Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit. He is currently staff writer for the official newspaper of the Catholic Diocese of Spokane, Washington. Mitch resides in Spokane with his wife, Kathleen, who is an author and marriage counselor. They are the parents of three adult sons.

Genres: Catholic, Religion, Christian, Nonfiction, Christianity, Faith, Spirituality

140 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 15, 2007

Reviews

[booklady · Rating 1 out of 5]

There are not many Rosary books I do not finish, and I have read and collected quite a few books on the Rosary as my husband and I pray it every evening. But neither of us care for this book, or rather the author's tone which seemed rather flip. We got as far as page 104, but I was actually dreading reading the reflections rather than looking forward to them. Even the better ones were not especially inspiring. More like, cringeworthy. And there were some things in this book which I outright question. Not recommended!

[Valerie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just as we ask for another person‘s prayers in this world, so we should petition saints in heaven. The first among the saints is the blessed virgin Mary. Our prayer for Mary’s intercession is no different from our request for one another’s prayers. The only unique characteristic of prayer to Mary is WHO we are asking to pray for us. Just as we place a special value on the prayers of an especially holy person in this life, so we place and even greater value on the prayers of the saints, and first among them is Mary.

When we pray the rosary we are celebrating the reality of the communion of saints.

Mary’s "Yes!" to God is the model for all of us to say yes to whatever God‘s plan is for our lives.

Feminism means taking for granted that women and men are meant to complement each other while sharing equal dignity, equal rights, and equal humanity.

Vatican II never meant to do away with popular devotions such as the rosary but clarified that devotions should not compete with the Eucharist, but should support and lead to it.

Praying the rosary is a way to bring to mind the life and gospel of Jesus, and companionship with Mary.

By its nature the rosary calls for a quiet rhythm and a lingering pace, helping us meditate on the mysteries of the Lord as seen through the eyes of Mary. Without the contemplative element, the rosary becomes a “mechanical repetition of formulas, a body without a soul.“

When we pray in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, we are praying in the name of the Trinity.That is the great joy and dignity of our baptism. Through baptism we became members at the mystical body of Christ. “Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it“ 1 Corinthians 12:27. So to prayerfully make the sign of the cross and speak the words in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit is to speak of my membership in the body of Christ that St Paul talks about. Because we are “in Christ, “we can pray to God in his own name, since there is no distance between God and ourselves. When the Father looks at his Son, he cannot help but see us too.

Terminal illnesses, natural disasters, and the like spread pain and sorrow. They also provide us with opportunities to practice charity and act in “God like“ ways to one another. Our belief in an all-powerful God leaves both the mystery of God‘s love and the reality of evil and suffering intact.

The purpose of mentioning Pontius Pilate in the Creed is to emphasize the historicity of Jesus in life and death, to fix it at a precise time in human history.

“From whence he shall come to judge the living and the dead.“ This phrase echos the words of Jesus in Matthew 25:31-46. Jesus tells the story of the sheep and the goats at the last judgment. Jesus’s intention in telling the story is to teach his disciples the importance of feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, and so forth. So important are these works of mercy that our eternal destiny depends on whether we act in merciful ways toward others or not. The intention is to inspire us to live and act in compassionate ways.

The communion of saints refers to the entire community that is the church in time and space and eternity.





"Mystery": we can experience it but we can’t fully grasp it intellectually. The heart can know it better than the intellect, although the intellect can know something about it. We need to be able to trust both brain and heart. Authentic Christian faith includes both the mind and the heart. Mystery is defined as a religious truth that one can know only by revelation and cannot fully understand.

"Thy kingdom come“ paraphrased could be “may your divine presence permeate all of creation right now“.

God’s will refers to his ultimate plan for all creation; the redemption and subjecting of all things to the Father’s will, specifically in the person of Jesus.

“Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee.“ When we greet Mary in this way, we acknowledge the special grace that God bestowed upon her and asking her to be the mother of his son.

Mary is mother of Mercy and a double sense – both because she is merciful, and because Jesus, her son, is the fullest expression possible of God’s mercy.

Reflecting on the first joyful mystery, the annunciation, we see a fairly simple idea: humility means openness to God‘s will and trusting acceptance of his call, no matter what demands it makes up on us.

No matter what happens to us, and no matter what happens in our life, we can always make Mary’s final words to the angel our words too: here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.

Sometimes we forget that Jesus' divinity did not override his humanity as he carried his cross. He had to rely on faith which meant for him, just as it does for us, his trusting relationship with his Father in heaven as he walked his path to suffering. To trust in his loving Father‘s care he had to abandon himself and trust that God‘s love was trustworthy. That is exactly what we must do as well.

We must unite are suffering, whatever form it takes, to Jesus as he carries his cross, confidently trusting in the love his Father. As we keep moving, we can make the human faith of Jesus our faith too. As we pray this mystery we can give ourselves up to God‘s love no matter what is going on in our life. In doing this, we carry our crosses united to Christ.

Belief in the assumption of Mary goes back to at least the third century. In 1950 Pope Pius XII declared the assumption a doctrine of the church. It was not a new idea; it had been around for many centuries as part of the church's sacred tradition. Just as tradition gave birth to the New Testament, so tradition gave birth to the doctrine of the assumption of Mary.

Christians and church documents have referred to Mary as queen since the fourth century. It has been a part of the rosary since at least the 12th century. It comes from sacred tradition.

In Matthew's gospel, the baptism of Jesus segues right into his account of the temptation of Jesus in the desert. In effect, Matthew follows up an affirmation of Jesus divinity with an affirmation of his humanity.

At the wedding feast of Cana, the Gospel of John is clear about this: the mother of Jesus has influence with her son. Although he may be inclined one way, she can sway him another way.

Repentance means, from now on, your perspective on yourself, others, and the earth, must be that of Christ. It’s a lifelong project.

The only appropriate response to the gospel is to turn away from self in order to focus more on God and neighbor.

The main purpose of the rosary is to nourish your intimacy with the triune God.

[Edward Welsch · Rating 1 out of 5]

A modernist treatment of the Catholic rosary, a tradition of the devout, seems like a contradiction in terms. And yet, this miserable little volume by Mitch Finley exists. The signs of Finley's modernist, lukewarm, and relativistic faith are sprinkled subtly through out his book, and yet it only takes a little leaven to work its way through the dough.

Recommending at one point the "modern history of Catholic Scripture scholarship," Finley reminds us that "there is nothing helpful about a naive, simplicistic, or overly literal approach to the Bible." He suggests that Luke fabricated the story of an angel comforting Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane "for his own theological reasons." Elsewhere, he councils that when we read of Christ's resurrection, his ascension into heaven, and the existence of heaven itself, "we need to be open to the likelihood that we're reading metaphors..." Furthermore, Finley approvingly quotes Fr. James Martin without mentioning that Fr. Martin is the Church's leading advocate for normalizing homosexuality and same-sex marriage in the Catholic Church.

Finley goes on to write in the appendix that there's "considerable doubt" that the miracles of Fatima, which are intimately tied to the rosary, happened. This is ironic, as the miracles of Fatima warned in part that a great apostasy would infiltrate the Church during the 20th century as modernist theology like that preached by Finley infected the hierarchy. A devout praying of the rosary is meant to ask God to cure the Church of this sickness. One can only speculate what kind of confused mind and motives would lead a modernist like Finley to bother writing a book about the traditional Catholic prayer practice that stands in opposition to his corrupt beliefs.

[Elizabeth W. Gage · Rating 5 out of 5]

A good way to start or return

I have started to say the rosary many times. I found this book an insightful guide to help me on my way. I would recommend this to anyone who has tried and tried but for whatever reason not been able to continue. May this help you as it did me.

[Marla J. Ahne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful amounts of knowledge

Now to preface this, I am not a catholic...yet. So to me it told me WHY and how the rosary is prayed. We learn our religion, mostly, thru our family, and parents. But we must explore why we pray or sing hymns or use the wording our religion does. This book explains a lot. ☺

[Overbooked ✎ · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Dina (ReviewTime) · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Rosary Handbook is a wonderful book, it has a surprising amount of information to be only 141 pages. I love how this book shows the depth and meaning of each prayer. I also like the section that explains the mysteries of the Rosary which includes Bible verses and thoughts for mediation. I recommend this book to anyone who is interested in learning more about the Rosary. Reading this book has has given me a greater appreciation of the Rosary.

Contents

Introduction
The Rosary and you-A Perfect Match

The introduction section tells the author's story of how he came to know and love the Rosary, why he wrote The Rosary Handbook, and answers the question of who can Pray the Rosary. Which of course is anyone, but the author has a very interesting way of showing this point.

Chapter 1
What's in It for Me: Why You Should Pray the Rosary

This section is devoted to enplaning how the Rosary is a balanced, comprehensive, Christ-Centered prayer which is Spiritually nourishing.

Chapter 2
Separating Fact from Myth: The Origins and History of the Rosary

This section separates the facts from the myths, showing the historical origin of the Rosary and how over the centuries the Rosary developed into the prayer we have today.

Chapter 3
More Than Just a String of Beads: The Prayers of the Rosary

In this section the author brakes down each prayer of the Rosary to show the true meaning and depth behind each prayer. Showing the depth and meaning within the Lord's Prayer, the Apostle's Creed, and other prayers of the Rosary.

Chapter 4
Moments for Mediation: The Twenty Mysteries of the Rosary

This section explains the meaning and depth of each of the twenty Mysteries (or Scared Events) of the Rosary. These events center around the Life, Death, And Resurrection of Jesus. The author includes Bible verses and thoughts to contemplate for each Mystery.

Chapter 5
Getting Down to Basics: How to Pray The Rosary

This section enplanes how to pray the Rosary in a easy to follow way.

Appendix
Putting It into Practice: Making the Rosary Your Own

This section is about how to making the Rosary your own and how to put the practice of praying the Rosary into our life.

A Quote From The Rosary Handbook by Mitch Finley
"In a very real since, the Rosary has everything that is most basic to a Christian outlook on life and the world around us."

[John Lucy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Finley's book is certainly not exhaustive, but it doesn't try to be. It is, indeed, a guide for newcomers, old timers, and those in between. If you have any interest in praying the rosary, forgot why you are praying the rosary, or never knew why you pray the rosary, this is a great little book. You won't get lost in the details nor come across any esoteric language. The book is straightforward.

Since the book is not exhaustive, you can guess it's not thorough either. But again, it doesn't try to be. You will learn the basic history of the rosary, including why Catholics started praying it in the first place. You'll also find a good line-by-line reflection on each prayer said during the rosary. I can guarantee that after reading this book you won't pray the rosary and not know why or not what the words mean. Rather, you'll come away with a good appreciation of the spiritual intention behind each prayer and the rosary itself.

For newcomers, the end of the book has a very easy to understand walk-through of how to pray the rosary. When I bought this book at the National Cathedral, I remember looking at all the books on the rosary and only this one had any explanation of how to actually pray the rosary. That doesn't mean you won't find it elsewhere, but it does mean that this is an excellent resource in every regard.

[Graham Cammock · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing!

Since January 2021, inspired by St. Cuthbert, my local patron Saint in the north east England, I have discovered and researched the Saints and Catholicism. I have read 8 books since then on the Saints and Catholicism, and progressively I have become a more convinced Catholic convert (from the Church of England). This book was the final nail in the coffin, I am now definitely a devout Catholic, (although obviously I need to formalise that or make that official). The Rosary itself is profound, powerful and deep, and instantly you realise that Protestantism does not offer you anything of the sort. Protestantism has no substance or material. I obviously have more research to do, however, already (largely due to this book) I am convinced Catholicism is the true and only western Christian religion. Having been a Protestant for 40 years, from experience, I can tell you the difference between Catholicism and Protestantism is the difference between something and nothing, Catholicism is something (or everything) while Protestantism is nothing. I highly recommend to anyone questioning their Protestant faith to buy a rosary, read this book and get a rosary app on your smart phone or tablet. You will not regret it! Amen.

[Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a great overview of the Rosary, if not a little bit dry.

I like the book for converts and for people not familiar with the Rosary, especially, as it provides a lot of historical information to the Catholic Rosary in particular, but also the general practice of using beads to count prayers. This has happened across faiths as well as across the ages.

The Rosary Handbook then goes on to provide a spiritual reflection for each of the Mysteries. I always like the reflection aids. Looking at new ones always refreshes the devotion for me.

Finally, The Rosary Handbook provides some information on Marian apparitions and also different ways to pray the Rosary, which I wasn't familiar with before.

I received a complimentary copy of this with the hope I would provide a (favorable) book review. Complimentary copies of books don't necessarily make good books, though. My opinions are my own.

All in all a good book and recommended, as I mentioned above, for those new to the Rosary or trying to understand the Catholic Rosary.

[Argum · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mitch Finley sets a simple and bounded goal. He explains what the Rosary is, how it developed, and its scriptural roots all with a goal of inspiring the reader to take up the Rosary in their prayer life. In all of these objectives there is enough information to achieve without overwhelming the reader. It gets you started down the path without bogging you down, but still proves the point that contrary to common antiCatholic misconceptions the Rosary is Christ centered, Biblical, and ancient using Mary as a means to bring this about, much like the Church itself.

[Kevin · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Rosary Handbook is worth the read for anyone interested in the prayer form, whether they have been praying it for years or are just beginning. I particularly enjoyed learning about the histories of the Rosary and the individual prayers. I've also begin to use the book as a reference for the mysteries, as that chapter contains Biblical passages related to them as well as supplemental information. This was some of the best spiritual reading I have done in some time. Highly recommended.

[Jonina · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm not much of a Christian anymore but from a reader's point of view anyway, I thought this was a really good read back when I was devout. I liked his close-readings of the prayers and the different ways a rosary can be a great form of meditation. I think Catholics think the rosary is this very rigid prayer but it can be versatile and it can be more than the words one recites.

[Stacy · Rating 2 out of 5]

The beginning about men saying the rosary, was so true! I loved that part.
Find a man who will say the rosary, say's a lot about a man!
The part I wasn't all that comfortable with was when he wrote.. his psychic suffering's, why not just his agony? anyway I knew most of this already, so i couldn't finish the book i was that bored, sorry.

[Jo Nipper · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent

Very precise, clear, easy to understand. All of the five mysteries fully discussed, most informative to understand background. Wonderful for new or old Catholics or anyone wanting to be closer to God.

[Richard Fitzgerald · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice Introduction to Praying the Rosary

This book gives background, theology, and practical instruction for this form of contemplative prayer. It is readily accessible to most people. The theology, of resurrection though is very weak.

[Crista Huff · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good explanation of the intricacies of the Rosary's prayers.

[Keith J Roberts · Rating 5 out of 5]

Was lost as to how to use rosary

Clear consisted an d giving a good final basic p picture of a rosary and each prayer for each bead also the options of th we or you etc

[Ernest · Rating 3 out of 5]

Historical and theological review of the Rosary. Good book for confirmation students. Sometimes the author injects his personal views with no source documentation.

[Duncan · Rating 4 out of 5]

One to dip into over and over again

[Tony · Rating 3 out of 5]

Accessible, contemporary, (includes the Luminous Mysteries), a useful addition to the small shelf of Rosary books.

[Tasha]

Another book I doubt I will read.

[Cheri McLelland · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredibly helpful, I am so glad I read it. Definitely gave me a new appreciation for the rosary.