19 hours 16 min. (18 CDs / MP3)

Join Dr. Steven Smith of Mount St. Mary's Seminary, the author of The Word of the Lord: 7 Essential Principles for Catholic Scripture Study, for an adventurous study of Scripture! Do you pray the Rosary? Do you long for a deeper experience rooted in the Gospels? This intensive study and set of meditations will strengthen your knowledge of the mysteries of Jesus and His Mother, as it relates to the Rosary. For starters, you'll learn the historical and theological development of the Rosary, perhaps the most uniquely Catholic prayer: from the praying of the psalms in the synagogues of ancient Judaism ... to the Gospel passages themselves ... to the desert fathers, St. Dominic and Blessed John Paul II. You'll tune in to an important conversation among seminarians about "Mary, the Rosary and apologetics." Discover the OT origins of the Lord's Prayer - as each petition is explored. And this is just the "introduction!"

• Learn more about Jewish hopes for the "messiah" - and how Jesus Christ fulfilled -- and surpassed those expectations.

• Was Nazareth a "seedbed of messianic expectation," awaiting "the Man called Branch?" What was unique about Miriam of Nazareth? What do we learn about her meaning, her faith in Scripture?

• Explore the OT origins of the "Hail Mary" itself -- and how Mary is the true "Daughter of Zion."

• All 20 mysteries of the Rosary are explained step-by-step, beginning with the Annunciation, and moving in turn through each of the Joyful, Luminous, Sorrowful and Glorious mysteries.

• Insights from Scripture and Tradition, including lesser known Church fathers, mystics, as well as papal and magisterial documents.

• 100-plus page complimentary study guide (available free at www.TheGodWhoSpeaks.com.)
  
  

All of this is woven together in Dr. Smith's upbeat and engaging balance of "robust depth" with a "light, conversational touch" style of presentation. Your meditations of the Rosary will have a more biblical basis - and your experience of the Gospels may forever echo with the Rosary after this series!