Linking your Beads

This Lent I am trying to do more spiritual reading and engage in less mindless vegetating (an easy habit for me to fall into). It is going fairly well.

Linking Your Beads: The Rosary's History, Mysteries, and Prayers is an excellent introduction to the rosary. It begins with the history of the rosary and continues with thorough explanations of each of the prayers. Near the end of the book, the reader is introduced to rosary variations and chaplets. Many books contain the history and prayer so the rosary, but Patricia A. Kasten writes with a remarkable devotion to the rosary and a sense humor, providing noteworthy examples. Chapters are short, many 3 to 5 pages, making this book easy to pick-up and read bits in spare moments (a definite plus).
A few of my favorite components of this book . . .

• Throughout the book, Kasten emphasizes that although the rosary is a Marian devotion, it is about Christ. She confronts head-on the confusion common among Protestants and Catholics that about devotions and no. I believe that this confusion keeps many from embracing this prayer and that explanation of devotions given in this book might help dispel the myths and allow people to embrace Marian devotions.
  
  
• St. Joseph is introduced as an everyman and a model of contemplative prayer.
  
  
• Kasten’s explanation of the Luminous mysteries clearly explains their place among the three more traditional sets of mysteries. I admit that these mysteries have not frequently made their way into the rotation of mysteries when I pray the rosary, but that might change.

"The Mysteries of Light, shining forth in everyday life—at a wedding, at a meal of bread and wine, on a mountain top, or in the depths of a river like the Jordan—transform that everyday life into something extraordinary. Reflecting upon the mysteries can transform us into people energized to do extraordinary things." (p 82)

Overall I enjoyed the author’s writing style, was intrigued by some of the anecdotes, and learned some new things about the prayers of the Rosary. But I must say that this book is neither a scholarly tome nor did it provide me much fodder for meditations or inspiration to persevere in this devotion, such as Mary’s promises to those who pray the rosary. The blend of scholastic and spiritual writing, leaves me wondering who truly is the ideal audience for this book—perhaps those who are seeking an introduction to this wonderful Marian prayer. I will keep St. Louis Marie de Montfort’s classic Secrets of the Rosary at-hand for visits to the chapel and add Linking Your Beads to my general library.

I was provided with a complimentary review copy of this book in exchange for my honest review as part of the Catholic book reviewer program from The Catholic Company. Visit The Catholic Company to find more information on Linking Your Beads:The Rosary's History, Mysteries. They are also a great source for baptism gifts.