The Rosary: The Prayer That Saved My Life by Immaculée Ilibagiza

The Rosary: The Prayer That Saved My Life Reviews

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  booklady

  I finally got to meet the author, Immaculée Ilibagiza, in person! Way back in 2009, I first met Immaculée through her book,
  Left to Tell: Discovering God Amidst the Rwandan Holocaust, shortly after hearing of the 1994 massacre of over a million men, women and children. Learning she had survived by hiding 91 days in a 3 x 4 foot bathroom with 7 other women, Immaculée became my heroine; so enamored, I used her name for a long time as a password, hoping to meet her someday.
  
  I bought tickets to the OKC Catholic Women’s Conference (March 10, 2018) for myself, my two daughters and a very good friend. It was worth every penny! We each bought different books, plus the two I already have and now are going to share them around. You might think as a lifelong pray-er of the rosary I wouldn’t need yet another book on the Rosary. What else is there to know/learn?
  
  A great deal! Her talk of an hour and 45 minutes, with no break, held us all spellbound even though we knew the outcome. She was eminently kind, fascinating, compassionate, gentle and self-effacing; alternately encouraging, humorous, instructive, cautioning, and outright hilarious! She stole the conference and I would recommend her as a speaker for any forum. Her main themes are God, Forgiveness, Love, Hope, Prayer, and Family.
  
  In Rwanda, young people are given—or were anyway—oral exams on their faith along with all the rest of their studies. And the whole village, children, parents, extended family, really care(d) about the results, even/especially for religion. Parents worked hard for the betterment of their children and believed in learning and doing your best. And there was even a specific test on the Rosary.
  
  Immaculeé describes her earliest memories of praying with her family, how she learned to memorize the order of the Mysteries, her test experience, the
  15 promises associated with the Rosary, and eventually how it was put to the REAL test during the genocide. Then it was not Immaculée’s knowledge that passed, but her Faith in God. She saw the Truth of all she had been taught.
  
  The book concludes with Immaculée’s reflections on the 20 Mysteries of Rosary, which I do not plan to read, but to pray.
  
  This is not ‘just another Rosary book’, nor is the Rosary ‘just for Catholics’ as Immaculée likes to say! It is a prayer about the life of Jesus and it brings peace to all who say it.
  
  Although technically I’m not finished with this book—and suspect I never will be—I’m not sure what else I could add except, ‘Read/pray it!’
  
  *This makes three deeply admired Catholic authors I have met in person—
  Thomas Dubay,
  Jacques Philippe and Immaculeé—each time fearing I might be disappointed and each time walking away in a sense of awe. My somewhat laconic 26-year old daughter said this is the first time she felt like she’d met a living saint. Not the first time for me, but concur about the saint part.
• 
  Bridget

  What a powerful and inspirational book.
  
  Being a Catholic myself, I found it easy to identify with the author's love of her faith and religion. I have always had a special interest and love for Mary, but never could quite get into praying the Rosary, no matter how many times I tried. But after reading just the first few pages of this book, I decided to pick up my Rosary beads and give it another try. Why? Because the author inspired me. She inspired me with her story of praying the Rosary each day as she sat in a tiny bathroom in Rwanda just hoping to stay alive. Her faith brought tears to my eyes as I imagined what that experience must have been like for her. Her situation was extreme and terrible and almost impossible to imagine, but I think many of us have had some life experience that has either caused us to move closer to or farther away from God. Rather than believe that God had abandoned her in that bathroom, she picked up her beads and prayed with all her might. In spite of everything awful going on around her, she decided to dig her heels in and draw strength from her source. That is what inspired me.
  
  Before reading this book, the mysteries of the Rosary intimidated me because I didn't really take the time to understand each one and meditate on them. In the book, the author explains an easier way to remember each mystery as one is praying the Rosary and I found that to be incredibly helpful. While praying the Rosary, I struggled less with the "rules" of how to say the Rosary and could focus more on the meaning of the words I was praying. There was a sense of calm and serenity that descended on me as I finished, and it was then that I understood the words the author had written early in the book. The author states that the Rosary has "enormous power", enough to change the world and bring lasting peace to our hearts. I can honestly say that I feel more peaceful after saying the Rosary, and I have only been saying it for about four days now. I felt more peaceful, thus I went out to face my day in a state of peace, hopefully bringing and spreading peace throughout my day. From that I understand the other part of what the author said, that it has enough power to change the world. Imagine if more people prayed this powerful prayer instead of watching the disturbing news headlines before going out into the world each day. As Gandhi said, we have to be the change we want to see. If we want more peace, we have to be more peaceful ourselves. I think the Rosary is a wonderful first step to making that happen.
  
  There was another description that the author gave that will stay with me for a long time. She referred to Rosary beads as a rope hanging down from Heaven. It's comforting to think that there is something right there for us to grab onto that will strengthen our connection to the source that created us.
  
  Many people today are moving away from God, are not into prayer, and have let go of religion. Yet, the world is in such a state of chaos and disrepair. Something from the book that resonated with me is that prayer is so powerful because our minds latch onto the words that we repeatedly say and we begin to believe those words. If that is true, and I believe that it is, why wouldn't someone want to say this prayer of beautiful words? Thoughts and words have the power to transform lives, so why not choose the words we say and think more carefully?
  
  I am sincerely glad that the author chose to write this book because it has a powerful message that is capable of transforming hearts and lives, and that can only be good.
  
  Thank you, Immaculee Ilibagiza, for sharing this book with all of us.
  
  FTC Disclosure: I received this book for free from Hay House Publishing for this review. The opinion in this review is unbiased and reflects my honest judgment of the product.
• 
  7jane

  This book is a companion piece to the two books Ilibagiza has written about her survival during 1994 Rwanda genocide when Hutus went after Tutsis (her family among the latter), and she survived only because she was hidden for months in a small bathroom of a priest along with a couple of other women.
  
  This book focuses on how the rosary helped her, and was also part of her life before and after this gruesome time. It saved her life and soul, kept from suicidal thoughts, fear, despair and anger - and gave her inner peace, greater love for the rosary and the ability to forgive and move on once she was free again.
  
  Before, it was a part of her life from birth, since her family practiced rosary prayer daily. We get to learn how rosary works as she describes how she learnt to pray it for her confirmation. It also gave her confidence at school and helped to secure a place in further education.
  
  During the hiding-memories part, we learn about the mysteries more, and how Ilibagiza sensed Mary's presence as she prayed and imagined each mystery scene. She also tells us what each mystery meant to her - you really get close to how she was feeling back then. Luminous Mysteries weren't established yet at that time, but they are included in this book with great comments from her.
  
  Finally there's a short description of her life after, with some experiences on rosary from other people. You get to see how it made her find a way to continue living, and made her survive mentally, make her much more at peace, a better believeer.
  
  So if you've already read many rosary-instruction books, this is still something that might add more to it, add more motivation. And even if you haven't read much books on the rosary, this is a nice introduction. It was a really good and worth readying kind of a read. :)
  
  
  Note: On the few times she mentions 'racism', this is what Wiki says:
  
  (Early 20th Century,) both the Germans and the Belgians promoted Tutsi supremacy, considering the Hutu and Tutsi different races.
  
  (that is, they considered the Tutsis as 'European' despite having the same skin color and origin as the Hutus, and gave them more rights) This favoritism from these Europeans is what really got Tutsis in trouble later: the genocide of 1994 was not the first time Hutus had stated killing Tutsis.
• 
  Anne

  I have read other books by Immaculee ("Left to Tell" and "Our Lady of Kibeho"), and stand in awe of her strength in both surviving the Rwandan holocaust and forgiving those who murdered her family and subjected her to such suffering. I expected this book to be excellent, but even so I was unprepared for the power and beauty of her reflections on the rosary. She takes an Ignatian approach in putting herself (and the reader) in the moment of each mystery, and her reflections and prayers for each mystery are brimming with honesty and poignant insight. I am a Catholic who prays the rosary daily, but I don't think you need to be Catholic to read and benefit from this book. Highly recommended.
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  Camille

  As a practicing Catholic who prays the rosary this book has opened my eyes and heart to a new found love. I am now inspired to pray my rosary daily and have a better understanding of the powers of the rosary and the love of the blessed mother towards us. I would recommend this book 100% to anyone who wants to get closer to the blessed mother and have a deeper understanding of the mysteries.
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  Liz

  One of the another set of books that reminded me that I just go back to basics - The Rosary.
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  Laura

  This book about the rosary is beautifully written, inspiring, and filled with faith. I am so impressed with this author and her life story. She is a wonderful example to all Catholics.
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  Linda

  Inspirational. This book led me to the daily practice of saying the Rosary.
  
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  Anthea Piscarik

  Her story is a testimony to miracles of faith, prayer and the rosary!
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  Andrea

  Customer Review
  
  4.0 out of 5 stars Powerful and inspirational, show how prayer really works., December 18, 2013
  By
  Andrea B. "Andy"
  
  This review is from: The Rosary: The Prayer That Saved My Life (Hardcover)
  Nothing more adequate than a wonderful book exalting the power of prayer during this special time of year. And that's what this is, a powerful, compelling testimony of a strong human being, one that has lived through unimaginable suffering and horrors during the Rwandan genocide. I became aware of Immaculle Ilibagiza years ago when I was watching a PBS Wayne Dyer special. He introduced her to the audience and talked about the book she had just then launched, which told of the amazing ordeal she went through to survive the genocide, against all odds. I remember her immense faith when she related how she clutched to her rosary, the last and only belonging she had left, during those 3 months of agonizing imprisonment, believing in a miracle, believing in forgiveness, believing in salvation. And it came. And she credited it all to her faithful praying of the rosary.
  
  With great satisfaction I found out she had written this book, describing in more detail her intimate relationship with praying the rosary, and how it continues to make a tremendous difference in her life. From her teenager years before the genocide, during and after her ordeal, and how it still has a great impact in strengthening her faith and easing her sorrows, it is truly amazing to read the testimony of this special person, and how she humbly devotes herself to this glorious prayer. This uplifting story, that describes her own personal experience, is a powerful motivational book that shows how prayer is still the best answer to our questions.
  
  FTC Disclosure: I received this book for free from Hay House Publishing for this review. The opinion in this review is unbiased and reflects my honest judgment of the product.
  
  
  
  
• 
  Matthew

  I bought this book after attending a talk given by the author at the Catholic University of America. Immaculée Ilibagiza is one of those rare, extraordinary people who leaves a lasting impression long after meeting her. Her talk on the Rwandan genocide is perhaps one of the best talks I have ever experienced. Her genuine love and tenderness born of the intense prayer life she led while hiding away in the cauldron of death that was Rwanda during 1994 spills over into her writing, and due credit must go to Steve Erwin, the ghostwriter, for capturing that aspect of her personality.
  This book is an exploration of the mysteries of the Rosary as the foundation for her faith in God that ultimately got her through the genocide and helped rebuild her life afterward. Highly recommended.
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  Margo Brooks

  This is the story of how saying the rosary while in hiding, helped Immacule Ilibagiza keep her sanity and save her life during the Rwandan genocide. Left to Tell, her first book tells the story in greater detail, and sometimes the references she made to her other books was annoying. So much so, in fact that I put this book down so that I could read Left to Tell and learn what was being left out. Despite that, and whether or not you believe everything Immacule says, it is a powerful example of how to pray the rosary and the benefits that come from the practice.
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  Brandy

  What an incredibly powerful book. I highly recommend this book not only to any fellow Catholics but anyone who is looking to heighten their prayer life. I pray the rosary multiple times each week and this book has helped me immensely to better understand the mysteries of the rosary. I now have a better grasp of my meditations of the mysteries rather than just saying the prayers. The way Immacule explains her own meditations is so comforting that I feel at peace even reading it. I will continue to use this book when I feel I need a little boost of understanding of the mysteries.
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  Julie Thomas

  Really enjoyed this. I'm not catholic but it has inspired me to learn to pray the Rosary. Very in awe of the depth of her faith & her ability to forgive the horrible atrocities committed by people she knew. The only thing that bothered me were the multiple times she mentioned that she wouldn't go further into a subject because it was covered in another book of hers. Of course, now I'll get the other books. But it felt jarring every time she added that teaser.
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  Trish

  very helpful for really "feeling" the mysteries... It's easy to read them and understand what they are, but I feel as though reading Immaculée's descriptions of her meditations really brought into my heart the meanings of these mysteries.
  There were several moments I'd found myself crying while reading this book.
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  Maureen

  I think she does a wonderful job at showing how the point of it is to meditate on the life of Christ. It isn't just rote prayer as some people seem to think. That being said, this is probably my least favorite of her books.
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  Tatiana

  Extremely powerful and enlightening read. I would highly recommend this to anyone curious about Catholic faith, namely the power of the rosary, or to Catholics like myself seeking a phenomenal read.
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  Suzi Martin

  Of the 3 books that I have read by this author, I thought this was the best. Scripturally and spiritually it was amazing to hear her story of how praying the rosary and visualizing the biblical stories with each decade helped her during a very difficult time in her life.
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  Maddalena Paglia

  It took me a while to get through this book because I was super busy, but I really liked it and I feel like it changed the way I think about the rosary and made me think about it in a much deeper way.
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  Christine Blythe

  As a child, living in Quebec, I went to french Catholic school....and practicing the Catholic religion faithfully. ...This has reminded me that faith is important, I picked up my rosary today.....
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  Mary

  After having read this book, I've never felt more connected to the rosary and the Blessed Mother!