The Rosary
The
Rosary is the singular emblem and weapon of the Mother of God, the Blessed
Mary Ever Virgin, who, having received from God an Apostolic Mission
to the world, prays for us and exhorts us to pray, even as she directs
our spiritual combat. Thus, early in the thirteenth century, according
to a tradition, she appears to Saint Dominic and to him gives the Rosary
in its present form.
The Joyful Mysteries
The
Annunciation--When Gabriel told Mary she was to be the mother
of Jesus, she said: "Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it done
to me according to thy word." When she assented, "the Word
was made flesh"; the work or our redemption had begun. God merely
invited Mary; but an invitation, no a command, was all she needed from
God. Our lives are full of invitations from God. Meeting a poor man
is an invitation to give alms. Sickness is an invitation to accept suffering
patiently. The unchristian world we live in (our offices, factories,
neighborhoods) is a pressing invitation to transform it into a Christian
world.
The
Visitation--Learning from the angel that her elderly cousin
Elizabeth was to bear a child, Mary made the perilous journey to Judea
to congratulate her and to relate her own joyful tidings. When the two
women met, both Elizabeth and her unborn child sensed the Divine Presence
and rejoiced at the miracle that had been wrought in Mary. Our Lady
risked a dangerous journey to share her joy with and to help her aged
cousin. Do we ever make visits out of charity? Do we ever really inconvenience
ourselves to spend a little time with the sick and lonely--with the
elderly friendless people whom the self-seeking world prefers to ignore
and neglect?
The
Nativity--When the time came for Mary to give birth, she and
Joseph were at Bethlehem, their ancestral city, to register for a census.
Finding no room in the inn of the town, they took refuge in a cave on
the hillside. There, in poverty and isolation, the King Of Kings was
born. The conventional illustrations of the Nativity are pretty and
picturesque. But the poverty of the cave in which Christ was born was
not pretty. The cave was cold; the accommodations were primitive. Looking
at the scene should make us question our love of ease and comfort. Why
should we be so attached to comfort, when our Redeemer rejected it?
The
Presentation--Forty days after the birth of Jesus, Mary came
to the Temple for the rite of purification and to offer her child to
God, according to the custom of the Jews. This was the first formal
offering of Christ to the Father. His whole life was hereby dedicated
to God, a dedication climaxed by Calvary. At Baptism, we too were presented
to God and dedicated to His service. Do we remember to give ourselves
completely to Him? Today, for example, is all our work and recreation
done for the glory of God? Or are we giving Him a few minutes in the
morning and evening, while ignoring Him the rest of the day?
The
Finding of Jesus in the Temple--When Jesus was twelve years
old, He accompanied Mary and Joseph to Jerusalem for the Passover. At
the end of the Passover His parents unwittingly left for home without
Him, and it was only after three days of sorrowful searching that they
found Him in the Temple, "in the midst of the teachers, listening
to them and asking them questions." The joy of finding outweighed
the temporary loss; but what must have been their agony during the days
of separation. Since it was required that these dearest friends of Christ
should suffer so, how can we, unworthy sinners, complain of the little
trials God sends us?
The Luminous Mysteries
The
Baptism of the Lord --John is baptizing in the Jordan proclaiming
a baptism of repentance. After Jesus' baptism a voice from Heaven: "This
is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased." The Spirit descends
upon Jesus in the form of a dove. In this heavenly manifestation is
instituted the sacrament of baptism.
The
Wedding of Cana--Jesus, His Mother and disciples were invited
to a wedding in Cana. During the wedding feast the wine ran short. At
Mary's request, Jesus turns water into wine; His first miracle. By His
presence, Christian marriage was raised to the dignity of a Sacrament.
The
Proclamation of the Kingdom--"Repent, for the kingdom
of God is at hand. You are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My
church. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven."
The
Transfiguration--Jesus took Peter, James and John up a high
mountain to pray. Jesus was transfigured before them.
"His face became as dazzling as the sun, his clothes as radiant
as light." Jesus foresaw the 'scandal of the cross,' and prepared
them for it by this manifestation of His glory.
The
Institution of the Eucharist--Jesus
took bread, blessed it: "Take and eat, this is My Body." Taking the
wine: "This cup is the new covenant in my Blood, shed for you."
At that eucharistic meal, Jesus celebrated the first Mass.
The Sorrowful Mysteries
The
Agony in the Garden --After the Last Supper our Lord led the
disciples out of Jerusalem to Gethsemani, the olive grove where He had
spent so many nights in prayer. Agonized by the thought of what He was
to suffer for the sins of men, He prostrated Himself and prayed for
strength to face the coming ordeal. Do we pray, like Christ, for help
to overcome specific difficulties; or do we offer prayers that are vague
and unconnected with our lives? Christ taught us to pray daily and for
our daily needs. If we realize the power of prayer, we will ask God
each morning for help in facing the problems that will arise that day.
The
Scourging at the Pillar--Thinking to placate the blood lust
of the mob, Pilate ordered his soldiers to scourge Jesus. They stripped
our Lord to the waist, chained Him to the low shipping post, and then
set to mangling His body, lashing His naked back with leather thongs
weighted with metal. If Pilate had not been a moral coward, if he had
had the courage of his convictions, Christ would have been spared at
least this brutal torture. Are we ever guilty of the sin of Pilate?
When we hear gossips, racists, and bigots attacking innocent people,
do we defend justice, or do we side in with the mob, to avoid offending
prejudice?
The
Crowning With Thorns --After the soldiers had scourged Jesus,
they placed on His Head a crown made of thorn twigs, clothed Him in
a purple mantle, and put a reed in His hand as a scepter. Then, crying,
"Hail, King of the Jews," they struck Him and spat upon Him.
Behold now the Man of Sorrows; His skin torn open by the scourge, His
face stained with blood, dirt, and spittle. We are revolted by this
desecration of Christ's beauty. But many of us are, like Pilate's soldiers,
inclined to destroy and mock the good and beautiful. Have we the habit
of disparaging virtue and achievement? Is our criticism always destructive?
The
Carrying of the Cross --Condemned to be crucified, Jesus is
presented with the Cross, which He is to carry to the place of execution.
Meekly He shoulders the cruel burden and begins the journey to the little
hill outside the west gate where He is to die. The great cross cuts
into His shoulder; the mob jeers and derides. Each of the thousand steps
to Golgotha is a separate agony. To be worthy of Christ, we must take
up our cross and follow Him. We must accept patiently our frustrations,
poverty, ailments and disfigurements, welcoming them as trials of our
love and loyalty, while the world mocks and derides our faith in Christ.
The
Crucifixtion--The executioners have stripped Him, nailed His
hands and feet to the planks, and hoisted the heavy cross into position.
As the soldiers begin their terrible vigil, every fiber of Christ's
body cries out for rest and relief. For three long hours His agony continues.
then spirit and flesh are parted; the price of our redemption has been
paid. What Christian does not wish they had been there with Christ on
Calvary, to speak a word of consolation and compassion. Yet, when the
Sacrifice of Calvary is renewed each day in the Mass, how many of us
come to take part in it and to assure our Redeemer of our love and devotion?
The Glorious Mysteries
The
Resurrection--It is the dawn of the third day, and the body
of Christ lies silent and lifeless within the tomb. Suddenly the sepulcher
is filled with light; the shrouded figure stirs, casts off the winding
sheet, strides forth radiant and omnipotent. The great stone blocking
the entrance is hurled aside by an angel and the Roman guards lie stunned
and terrified. "He is risen as He said. Alleluia!" Christ's
glorious resurrection, His incontestable triumph over death, is the
pledge of our own resurrection and of a life beyond the grave. In moments
of discouragement, let us think of His and our resurrection, "where
death is swallowed up in victory."
The
Ascension--On the fortieth day after the Resurrection our Lord
supped with His disciples in the Cenacle. Then He led them out of Jerusalem
to Mount Olivet, and after bidding them farewell He "was lifted
up before their eyes, and a cloud took him out of their sight."
Considering the mystery, we may be inclined to grieve with the disciples
for their loss of the Master's presence. But Saint Luke tells us that
"they returned to Jerusalem with great joy." For Christ remained
with them. And He remains with us in Holy Communion. Christ will always
be the strength of his followers, if they will come to Him in the Eucharist.
The
Descent of the Holy Spirit--After the Ascension the disciples
returned to the Cenacle to await the Paraclete promised by Christ. On
the morning of the tenth day a sound like a great wind filled the room
and tongues of flame appeared over the heads of all present. Filled
with the Holy Spirit, the disciples went out and preached boldly, converting
some three thousand souls that very day. The Apostles went out of the
Cenacle as new men. The Holy Spirit had changed them; now they not only
believed but wanted to make others believe also. In Confirmation, we,
too, received the Holy Spirit. How many have we brought to belief in
Christ?
The
Assumption--Upon the death of the Blessed Virgin her body was
miraculously preserved from corruption and, after being united to her
immaculate soul, was carried by angels into heaven. It was most fitting
that our Lord should exempt from corruption the body of His holy Mother,
that virginal body in which He had assumed human flesh. Our bodies,
too, are sacred. They are sanctified by our reception of Christ in the
Sacrament of the Eucharist and through our union with Him in His Mystical
Body. Let us, therefore, strive to preserve our bodies as temples of
holiness, undefiled by sin.
The
Coronation--Upon her assumption into heaven our Blessed Mother
was received by her Son and crowned as Queen of Heaven in the presence
of the angelic choirs and all the saints. She is waiting there for us,
ready to welcome us when we, too, shall have fought the good fight and
come to receive the victor's crown, the reward of spiritual valor. We
also have a crown to offer Mary--the Rosary, the precious chaplet of
prayers in which we celebrate her excellence and plead for her intercession.
Let us seek to make this crown worthy of our Lady, praying devoutly.
Let us offer her no withered or imperfect roses.
The Joyful, Sorrowful, and Glorious Mysteries information taken from The Family Holy Bible edited by Monsignor John P. O'Connell, 1965.
The Luminous Mysteries information taken from The Rosary Center Web site, http://www.rosary-center.org/luminous.htm