The Recovery Rosary: Reflections for Alcoholics and Addicts
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About this ebook
“The Recovery Rosary: Reflections for Alcoholics and Addicts” takes a time-honored prayer and brings it into a useful format for people to pause and reflect on their recovery, their relationships with others, and ultimately with Jesus Himself. Whether people are still struggling with their addictions, or have been clean and sober for a few weeks or months, or many years, the reflections for each Mystery of the Rosary will help them meditate on the spiritual growth they have achieved so far. Over the years, their thoughts on each meditation may change, depending on “where they’re at” in their recovery journey.
Paul Sofranko
A former aspiring writer now perspiring to write. Since 2007 I have blogged at Sober Catholic (see blog site in the websites) and now am finally turning my attention to expanding my efforts through the wonderful opportunities that Smashwords offers. While at first I will be writing devotional booklets for Catholics and other Christians who are affected by alcoholism and addictions, I am also planning on novels and shorter works in the speculative fantasy genre that explore the borderlands between life and death. If that sounds strange, it is just a development of an interest of mine in dying, death, grief and the afterlife that started in the aftermath of my Mom's passing in 2005.
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The Recovery Rosary - Paul Sofranko
The Recovery Rosary:
Reflections for
Alcoholics and Addicts
Paul Sofranko
Photographer: Rose Santuci-Sofranko
*** Photos taken at St. Joseph's Church, Oneida, NY ***
Smashwords Edition
Copyright 2012 Paul Sofranko
Smashwords Edition, License Note
This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of the author.
Dedication
To my beautiful wife, Rose
A thousand rose petals fall from Heaven each time you smile and say I love you.
Table of Contents
Introduction
How to Pray the Rosary
The Joyful Mysteries of the Rosary
The Luminous Mysteries of the Rosary
The Sorrowful Mysteries of the Rosary
The Glorious Mysteries of the Rosary
For Further Information
About the Author
Introduction
The Rosary is an ancient devotion prayed by Catholics. It has been around since the year 1214, when St. Dominic, as a means of converting sinners, instituted the Rosary in its present form. According to legend, St. Dominic had received it from the Blessed Virgin Mary during an Apparition in order to combat sin and heresy.
The Rosary is not about the Blessed Virgin Mary as is commonly believed by those that are unfamiliar with it. It is about Jesus. In Catholic teaching, Mary points the way to Jesus. We received Him through her: the first prophecy of Him during His life was after Simeon took Him from Mary's arms during His presentation in the Temple; His first public miracle was after her prodding (wedding feast at Cana); and she became our Mother after He gave her to his disciple John on Calvary. Mary is the path to Jesus.
It is Scriptural. The Bible is the Word of God, Jesus is the Word of God made flesh (Incarnate), therefore the Bible is about Jesus and Jesus is about the Bible.
It is also Twelve Step-friendly. The 11th Step of Alcoholics Anonymous reads:
Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God (as we understand Him), praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry it out.
(from Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th edition, New York: Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc., 2001. Also known as The Big Book
)
You want to know God's will for you? The Bible is a good place to start looking. You want a great role model for following the will of God? His own Mother is perfect. By saying the Rosary you will be meditating on the Scriptural passages that each section of the Rosary is based on. You can nicely combine Mary's submission to God's will with direction from Sacred Scripture.
There are four groups of Mysteries
of the Rosary. A Mystery is something Divine that we cannot fully understand with our limited human intellect.
The first are the Joyful Mysteries.
These relate to Jesus' birth. The five Joyful Mysteries are the Annunciation. The second Joyful Mystery is the Visitation. The fourth is the Presentation of Jesus in the Temple. And the last Joyful Mystery is the Finding of Jesus in the Temple.
The Luminous Mysteries, which concern the life of Jesus, are next. The first Luminous Mystery is the Baptism of Jesus in the River Jordan by John the Baptist. The next is the Wedding Feast at Cana. The third Luminous Mystery is the Proclamation of the Kingdom of God. The fourth is the Transfiguration, in which Moses and Elijah appear with Jesus on Mount Tabor. The last is the Establishment of the Eucharist (the Last Supper).
The next group of Mysteries are the Sorrowful, which concern the