Understanding the Rosary

Understanding the Rosary by Fr John Flader published by CTS

This is a very useful booklet on the Rosary which covers all the basics you need to know to understand the devotion (Of course, fully to understand the Rosary will need more than a lifetime of meditation - which is precisely one of the reasons it is so rich!).

Fr Flader starts, after some introductory remarks, by trascing the origins of the rosary, and the fact that not only popes, but Our Lady herself has encouraged this devotion.

He continues to consider the richness and power of the prayer, andhow it may be sued in different situations, particularly in the family. 

There is then a helpful chapter on different ways of saying the Rosary, including meditating on the mysteries, meditating on the words, considering the intention for each mystery, praying a Scriptural Rosary, and adding words after the Holy Name in each Hail Mary, relevant to the mystery being said (as recommended by St Louis de Montfort, that great champion of the Rosary).

Fr Flader then considers and answers some common objections to the Rosary, and then lays out a schema, showing each mystery,with five possible topics for meditation, and five possible intentions for each,  This provides a huge richness for a meditative approach to the Rosary (he points out one should select only one of the five for each time one says the prayer).

There is a brief section on how to say the Rosary, in case the reader is not fully familiar with the prayers and structure of the devotion, and ends with a conclusion and a quotation from St Alphonsus, as relevant tot he 21st century as to his own time.

All in all an excellent booklet, and highly recommended.