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Praying the Rosary: A Complete Guide to the World's Most Popular Form of Prayer

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Internationally acclaimed author Megan McKenna gives this Catholic tradition enriched modern relevance in a completely up-to-date guide to praying the Rosary, designed for general readers and incorporating the recent additions made by Pope John Paul II.

As a speaker, teacher, and bestselling Catholic author, Megan McKenna has informed and inspired audiences both in- and outside of the Catholic tradition with her warmhearted, contemporary approach to spirituality. Now she turns her attention to the Rosary, revealing the universality of this ancient practice and how it can enrich lives today.

Praying the Rosary—the act of counting off prayers with a string of beads in a rhythm of focused spiritual contemplation—is a practice that has existed for centuries and is common to many faiths. For the world’s one billion Catholics it has become the most popular form of devotion. Though strongly associated with the Virgin Mary, the prayers of the Rosary are ultimately meant to bring those who say them closer to Jesus Christ, whose life and teachings are central to all branches of the Christian faith. This gives the Rosary an ecumenical dimension that is in sync with today’s emphasis on the common bonds, rather than the divisions, among all Christians. In 2002, Pope John Paul II updated the Rosary by adding a new section on the teachings of Jesus, further emphasizing the centrality of Christ and the biblical Gospels at the heart of the prayers.

Embracing this ecumenical attitude in Praying the Rosary , Megan McKenna explores the Rosary and explains how to pray it, incorporating the Pope’s recent additions and revealing its relevance to a new generation. She breaks down the Rosary into its twenty components, prefacing each with a selection from Scripture that identifies the prayer’s source in the Bible. Combining practical instruction with meditative reflections on the prayer’s spirituality, she reveals the Rosary’s richly contemplative nature and shows how praying the Rosary can inspire peaceful, calm attitudes, and an awareness of the universal spiritual mystery that connects all Christians.

272 pages, Hardcover

First published April 6, 2004

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Megan McKenna

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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
960 reviews
August 14, 2016
This struck me as a modern take on the mysteries of the rosary. This is a book to use with praying the rosary. There are many deep theological thoughts here. There was more emphasis on Jesus and less on Mary than in some of the older books on the rosary. However this is definitely a Catholic book and those from other faith traditions may still find too much Mary.
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779 reviews17 followers
April 28, 2012
I find the Rosary a difficult prayer to say and hoped this book would help me to meditate on the mysteries better. Unfortunately, she goes too deep in the topics and I get lost and bored. Recommended for someone who likes more theology than I do.
224 reviews5 followers
June 27, 2014
A wonderful illumination of Scripture as it relates to the 5 mysteries of the rosary.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews

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