I thoroughly enjoyed reading Mysteries of the Virgin Mary: Living Our Lady’s Graces by Fr. Peter John Cameron, O.P. One of the greatest treasures of the Catholic faith which has been passed on to me from both of my grandmothers and my parents is a very strong devotion to Our Blessed Mother. I have read a number of books on Marian prayer, apparitions, devotion, etc., yet I still found this book very enlightening and enriching.The wide variety of quotes gathered from poets, popes, theologians, philosophers, saints…regarding the importance of Mary as Mediatrix of all graces from above are quite impressive. Not only has the author gathered together a number of very powerful statements made by holy men and women across the centuries about the role of Mary, but he has also managed to organize them in such a way that each insight compliments those that have come before it. The prose continues smoothly even with all of the citations.
I picked up this book on a Saturday morning and reading it made me feel like I was on a mini retreat. I’m sure not having anywhere I had to be or anything I had to do by a certain time added to that sense, but not all spiritual or religious books make me as meditative and peaceful just by reading them as this one did.
I knew much of the contents in the book would resonate with what I’ve learned through reading and prayer when I discovered that much of the wisdom about Mary is taken from the writings of St. Louis Marie de Monfort. When I was in my late teens, I read and did Preparation for Total Consecration according to Saint Louis Marie de Monfort. Over a year ago, a friend in my Cursillo group reunion suggested we each buy a copy of St. Louis de Monfort’s True Devotion: Consecration to Mary and go through it at the same time. I was surprised and delighted when I found a manila envelope in my mom’s attic with the original copy of my personal Consecration which I’d written out and signed ten years earlier.
I highly recommend this book for those who have read a great deal about Mary as well as those who are just beginning to learn about the importance of Our Blessed Mother as Mediatrix of all graces.
This review was written as part of the Catholic book reviewer program from The Catholic Company. Visit The Catholic Company to find more information on Mysteries of the Virgin Mary and be sure to check out their great selection of Mary statues while you are there. I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
