The rosary is a beautiful, ancient, meditative prayer that takes you through the life and meaning of Jesus’ miraculous entrance into our world. Using Scripture, the rosary follows the life of Jesus from before He was born to after He completes His redemptive mission on earth and returns to Heaven.
Though the rosary originated from the Catholic faith, many others find it beautiful and pray it often, feeling that it brings them closer to God. The prayers are beautiful, but the focus is meditation on the Incarnation of Jesus Christ and His merciful redemption of humanity. It illustrates that prayer, reaching out to God, and God in love and compassion reaching back, goes beyond mere words.
THE MYSTERIES
There is a pattern to the progression of the mysteries that head each decade of prayers. If you pray the rosary every day, within a week you will have meditated on nearly every important event in Jesus’ life.
I used to have trouble remembering the mysteries until I realized that the rosary is a series of meditations on Jesus’ life, death and resurrection. It is easy to follow if you do it in chronological order.
So, let’s start with the JOYFUL MYSTERIES (Mondays and Saturdays), because it starts at the beginning.
The first Joyful Mystery is the Annunciation, the Angel Gabriel’s announcement to Jesus’ precious mother, Mary that she would conceive and bear the Son of God, and her humble and eloquent acceptance of that miraculous mission.
Luke 1:26-28
Her response (The Magnificat):
Luke 1: 46–55 My soul magnifies the Lord
And my spirit rejoices in God my Savior;
Because He has regarded the lowliness of His handmaid;
For behold, henceforth all generations shall call me blessed;
Because He who is mighty has done great things for me,
and holy is His name;
And His mercy is from generation to generation
on those who fear Him.
He has shown might with His arm,
He has scattered the proud in the conceit of their heart.
He has put down the mighty from their thrones,
and has exalted the lowly.
He has filled the hungry with good things,
and the rich He has sent away empty.
He has given help to Israel, his servant, mindful of His mercy
Even as he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his posterity forever.
The second Joyful Mystery is the Visitation of Mary to her elderly cousin Elisabeth, who is also, miraculously pregnant. Elisabeth’s unborn baby, John, who would be the “voice crying out in the wilderness, prepare the way of the Lord,” jumps for joy at the sound of Mary’s voice. Luke 1:39-45
The third Joyful Mystery is Christmas! The beautiful, exciting, miraculous entrance of Jesus into human history–into our world! Think of what you would do if you were the Creator of the universe—would you be born in a stable, not even a house, among the poorest of the poor? And what kind of God would do that? Why would He do that? What does this tell you about Him? About what is important to God? About what is important in life?
Luke 2:4–14
So then what happens next?
The fourth Joyful Mystery is the Presentation in the Temple. Luke 22:40
The Presentation of Jesus to the community, to be a part of the Jewish faith, God’s chosen people. You will see many, many, many references to the Old Testament, references that show that Jesus is the fulfillment of all of the prophecies –that He is the Messiah, the Saviour, the Christ, the One they were waiting for.
The fifth and final Joyful Mystery, which completes the rosary for Monday, is the Finding in the Temple. Luke 2:41-52
Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s House?
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The next set of Mysteries (in chronological order) goes through the miracles and important milestones when Jesus began His mission on earth. These are called
The Luminous Mysteries. (Thursday)
The first Luminous Mystery is at the very beginning of Jesus’ ministry. Do you remember the Scripture verse where his cousin John, who was the “one crying in the wilderness,’ baptizes Jesus in the Jordan river? Matt. 3:13-23
“This is My beloved Son in Whom I am well pleased.”
The second Luminous Mystery is The Miracle at Cana
The Wedding party at Cana was the first to ask for Mary’s intercession and help from her Son, Jesus. It was not yet time for Jesus to begin His ministry, but at the request of His dear Mother, He did his first public miracle and turned jars of water into a remarkable wine.
(Note that Catholics continue to ask for Mary’s intercession and she lovingly responds!):-)
John 2:1-12
The third Luminous Mystery is Jesus’ Proclamation of the Kingdom of God. Mark 1:14-15
The fourth Luminous Mystery is the Transfiguration Matt 17:1-9
The fifth and final Luminous Mystery is the Institution of the Eucharist Mark 14:22-25
Jesus breaks the unleavened bread saying, “Take, eat, this is My body.” And taking the wine He said, “Take, drink, this is my blood.”
The bread, Himself, broken for you, the wine, His blood, poured out for you.
This is the new covenant. In the old covenant a lamb was slain–an unblemished lamb, for forgiveness of sins. In the NEW covenant, the Lamb of God, Jesus, was slain for the forgiveness of sins. This was prophesied throughout the Old Testament. The Messiah, the “Suffering Servant,” would come not to save the Jews from the Romans, but to save them, and all mankind, from their sins.
In the next Mystery we meditate on the suffering and death of our Savior. You already know that this is not the end of the story. There is one more mystery to go–the culmination of and victory at the end of the story—which is just the beginning for us!
The Sorrowful Mystery (Tuesday and Friday)
Jesus has to go through suffering and death by torture, by crucifixion. The Lamb of God Who takes away the sins of the world, sacrifices Himself, and suffers and dies for our sins in order to reconcile us with God.
One time at a funeral of someone whom I cared deeply about I saw a crucifix. Through the eyes of grief, I saw Jesus on the cross, contorted in agony. Our God knew human suffering–intense suffering. He made Himself human, like us in every way but sin. He didn’t have to do this. God suffered and died out of love to save us. When we sinned and separated ourselves from God, He came to rescue us out of love for us, took our punishment on Himself, and took our place.
John 3:16–“For God so loved the world that He gave His One and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
What kind of God would do this? What does that say about the heart of God?
The Agony in the Garden–-Matt. 26:36-46
The Scourging at the Pillar—Matt: 27:26
The Crowning of Thorns—Matt:27:28-31
The Carrying of the Cross—Matt 27:32
The Crucifixion—27:33-54
So what happens next?
The Glorious Mystery (Wednesday and Sunday)
Jesus is Resurrected from the Dead!–Matt 28-5-20
Jesus Ascends into Heaven–Act 1:6-11s
The Descent of the Holy Spirit on the Apostles–Acts 2:1-13
The Assumption of Mary— How did the Church determine the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary? – Catholic Exchange, https://catholicexchange.com/how-did-the-church-determine-the-assumption-of-the-blessed-virgin-mary/
Crowning of Mary Queen of Heaven–Revelation 12:1-6
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