Looking at Jesus with Mary's Gaze. Meditation on the 20 Mysteries of the Rosary

Father Andrea Vena offers us a journey of meditation and beauty! An official at the Vatican Dicastery for Communication and a lecturer in spiritual theology at the Theological Faculty of Triveneto, now parish priest in Poffabro (Pordenone) and formerly the leader of the community of Bibione (Venice) for 17 years, the author offers readers an original journey: in addition to the biblical commentary and a more personal reflection accompanying each mystery, there are icons painted by his brother, iconographer Antonio Vena, and contemplated in depth: “The icon communicates and builds: it is an open door to the mystery it represents. Gestures, colors, positions, and background all have a meaning.” The author also includes testimonies from saints because, he says: “They tell us that living the Gospel today is possible.” Finally, a question or commitment is proposed as the focus of personal prayer. This is how Father Andrea explains the title of the book: “We must look to Jesus because he is the center, but do so in Mary’s arms, to listen to what she tells us about her Son and what she experienced of him, because she took part in Christ’s life in a unique way.” “With the gracious and reassuring companionship of Father Andrea Vena and the spiritual masters he invited to contribute to this book, we enter into the meditative, demanding, peaceful prayer of the holy Rosary” (Bishop Giovanni Cesare Pagazzi, from the Preface). Avvenire, the daily newspaper of the Italian Bishops’ Conference, presented the book in its Portaparola column and published an article about it; Il Popolo, the weekly newspaper of the Diocese of Concordia-Pordenone, also published a comprehensive article on the book.