Customer Reviews

Glories of Mary

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

This is one of the richest and most vivid Marian texts I have read in a long time. I highly recommend this text to anyone interested in Marian theology or anyone devoted to the Rosary and Marian piety. It is a classic.

It includes meditations on the mysteries of the Rosary, sermons on the primary liturgical feasts of Mary and prayers to Mary. It is thorough. Each expositional section concludes with a prayer and example.

If you enjoyed Thomas A Kempis' Imitations of Christ, you will love this book.

This is the most complete book I've ever read about the Mother of God. Saint Alphonsus Liguori analyses with great detail and precision, but always using a perfectly clear language, the decisive role of Saint Mary in the salvation of human souls and her essential contribution to keep them away from sin and eternal condemnation. It is deplorable that the post-Vatican II modernist Church has almost forgotten these fundamental teachings.

St. Alphonsus Liguori (1696 - 1787) uses very intense language in this long love letter to the Blessed Virgin Mary. It's a work of beauty and devotion, with stories and legends meant for the edification of people from another place in time; parts of "The Glories of Mary" may not resonate with some modern ears, but it resonated with mine. Although there are serious (and very excellent) Church teachings scattered throughout, it is not fundamentally a theologic or apologetic work: it was written more to move the heart than the mind.

There are 7 parts to the unabridged edition I'm reviewing (Liguori Publications; Revised edition October 1, 2000):

1. Line by line commentary on the Salve Regina
2. Prayers to Our Lady (including The Rosary of Our Lady's Sorrows, covered in more depth in Part 4)
3. Sermons on the Principle Feasts of Our Lady
4. The Sorrows of Mary
5. The Virtues of the Blessed Virgin Mary
6. Practices of Devotion in Honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary
7. Further Examples

St. Alphonsus follows a four-step formula in covering most of the material: (1) theme, (2) exposition, (3) example, and (4) prayer. He introduces a topic, develops it in depth using the devotional writings and sayings of the Fathers, Doctors, and saints of the Church, and then provides a story or two to illustrate his point, and a specific prayer for Our Lady's grace pertaining to the particular topic.

As mentioned earlier, this is primarily a work of devotion and therefore not the book I'd give a Protestant to explain the Catholic veneration of Mary; just as I would not give "The Imitation of Christ" to an atheist to explain the rational underpinnings of Christianity. This is the book you read after the light goes on and you realize that for Christ to be King, His mother Mary has to be Queen. That's the way God chose to do it.

If you're Protestant and want to try reading this book with an open mind, you have to have a proper rational foundation for the veneration Catholics give Mary. It's vital to understand that there are three modes of veneration or worship we, as creatures, can render. According to the Catholic Encyclopedia, these are latria, dulia, and hyperdulia. Latria is addressed directly to God. It is superior, absolute, supreme worship, "the sovereign worship due to God alone"; addressed to a creature it would become idolatry. When worship is addressed indirectly to God - when its object is the veneration of martyrs, angels, or saints - it is called dulia. Veneration of the Blessed Virgin, who has a "supereminent" rank among saints, is called hyperdulia. Dulia and hyperdulia are given, therefore, with the knowledge that we are offering it *to* God *through* the creature: praising God's creation in this framework has always and forever been but praise for God Himself.

For those outside the Church who put little stock in its whole Deposit of Faith, and choose to use only a part of it - the holy books chosen and approved by that same Church, otherwise known as the Bible - there absolutely is a basis for venerating Mary. I'll explain just one of them here, but if you really have a heart to find out more, there are plenty of books and resources on the subject.

In Chapter 1 of Luke, we have the Annunciation: Mary is full of grace; she is highly favored by the Lord. So highly favored in fact that the Holy Spirit will come upon her and the Son of God will be incarnate in her womb. The implications of this are staggering:

* All of Jesus' humanity - his DNA - comes from Mary.
* Jesus, the ultimate source of all grace, whom God could have formed from the dust as he did Adam for his human nature, instead comes to us through Mary - she was chosen to be the channel through which comes all grace.
* God honors Mary like no other creature; as He must: it is his own Commandment (the fourth.)
* Remember what Jesus' saliva mixed in mud did for the blind man; Mary's very blood coursed through the Son of God, thereby consecrating her as no other creature, not even the Angels in Heaven.
* She was without Original Sin, protected by the Fall at the moment of her conception: she had to be, as the Son of God could not be made of flesh that was at any time held captive by Satan. Why would any Protestant want to refute this point? It only impugns Christ to say or think otherwise.
* The Holy Spirit is married to Mary in a mystical but very real manner (unless you would prefer to believe He would impregnate her out of wedlock), and the Song of Songs is to be read, on one level, in this light.
* The Mother of God is a Queen; for who else gives birth to a King but a Queen?

There are many more conclusions you could draw from this one scene in Luke on the fact of the incarnation. There are other scenes, especially the Wedding Feast at Cana in John. Once you begin to follow these threads you will, with prayer, eventually be led to the truth of the Catholic understanding of Theotokos.

This book is a great source of meditation on the BVM. Unfortunately, it is an abridgment of Liguori's full work. Nevertheless, it does not disappoint, and provides a useful and complete mediation upon the Hail Holy Queen.

This book will satistfy your spiritual thrist to understand the Blessed Virgin Mary. This book is a little difficult to read if you are new to Marian Devotion. This book is great if you are interested with the theological side of Marian Devotion (like myself). It is filled with devotions and prayers.

Reading this book brought me back to the Church. This book made me a devoted son of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

If you want to read a masterpiece and don't mind the theological part. Buy this book!

Maria Numquam Satis

This was one of the most fascinating books I have ever read on our Immaculate Queen, The Blessed Virgin Mary. St. Alphonsus Liguori crafted The Glories of Mary as if he were speaking to Mary as he wrote this magnificent creation. Mary comes alive in this book as St. Alphonsus quotes the many Saints who speak so glowingly and lovingly about the "treasure" we have in our Blesed Mother.

Mary, the Immaculate One is the most powerful Saint in Heaven who has saved, from eternal damnation, countless individuals who were devoted to her during their life times. You must read this book to discover how our Blessed Lady protected her loved ones. This book is for those who know little about Mary Immaculate and for those who would like to know more about our Immaculate Queen, the greatest Advocate in Heaven and on earth. I hard such a difficult time putting this book down to complete other duties. When I was reading this book, I felt such peace and joy that continues to remain with me.

I underlined so many important events, quotes from Saints, incredible descriptions of how our Blessed Lady saved her children. St. Alphonsus mentions in several locations the importance of praying the holy rosary to become closely attachd to Mary, the Mother of God! More than a great book, a masterpiece!

If you are looking for great spiritual reading, you just can't do better than St. Alphonsus Liguori. And for all of his fantastic writings, you just can't do better than The Glories of Mary. Profound meditative fodder abounds on every page of this book! The Hail Holy Queen prayer, while beautiful, is a little obscure and hard to understand in our day, but you can count on St. Alphonsus to make this beautiful prayer fill your heart with love for Our Lady. He also writes about the Sorrows of Mary, the Virtues of Mary, the Marian Feasts, and also some prayers and special devotions to the Blessed Mother. This book is a treasure!

This is the most beautiful book ever written on the Holy Mother. I've worn out two copies of the book - it can never be read enough. It has continued to inspire, lead and comfort me for over forty years. Together with my Bible there is no book I hold more dear or more precious. I am not Catholic, yet I love Mary. Sip at this sweet nectar and it will only get sweeter with each sip and more, it will nourish your soul with the deepest love of Our Lady.

This is a beautiful book explaining the prayer Hail Holy Queen. It is a beautiful devotional and has many references of Mary by many saints.

This volume is excellent in its content. The condition is also excellent. The packaging and delivery were also excellent. I am most satisfied dealing with AMAZON. wrgop