Of course, you will immediately recognize the original prayers of the Rosary, as we have always known it. But then you will see that there is more here than than the familiar four sets of mysteries. Now there are mysteries for each day of the week, and they tell about more aspects of Jesus' life with us.
Joyful Mysteries (Monday)
It's time for the Messiah to come!
1. Annunciation to Mary
"... and you shall name him Jesus."
- Luke 1:26-38 ~ "acceptance"
2. Visiting with her cousin Elisabeth
"Blessed art thou among women"
- Luke 1:41-45 ~ "encouragement"
3. Birth of Jesus
"... and laid him in a manger."
- Luke 2:4-7 ~ "humility"
4. Presentation of the First Born
"for my eyes have seen your salvation."
- Luke 2:22-35 ~ "fulfillment"
5. Discovery at the Temple
"I had to be in my Father's house"
- Luke 2:45-49 ~ "belonging"
Luminous Mysteries (Tuesday)
His mission is authorized by the Father.
1. Baptism in the Jordan
"This is my beloved Son"
- Matthew 3:16-17 ~ "beginning"
2. Wedding at Cana
"Fill the jars with water."
- John 2:5-7 ~ "joining"
3. Proclaiming the Kingdom
"The Kingdom of God is at hand."
- Mark 1:14-15 ~ "newsflash"
4. Transfiguration
"and his face shone like the sun"
- Matthew 17:1-8 ~ "revealed"
5. Beginning the Eucharist
"This is my body which is given for you."
- Luke 22:14-20 ~ "sacrifice"
Believing Mysteries (Wednesday)
And Jesus did miracles among them:
1. Healing the Sick.
- a woman healed by touching His robe
"Who touched me?"
- Luke 8:43-48 ~ "healing"
2. Including the Despised
- the samaritan woman at the well
"He told me everything I ever did."
- John 4:4-42 ~ "inclusion"
3. Forgiving the Broken
- telling a cripple to rise up & walk
"Which is easier, to say ..."
- Matthew 9:2-8 ~ "forgiving"
4. Power over Nature
- walking on water & calming the storm
"Why did you doubt?"
- Matthew 14:22-34 ~ "reassuring"
5. Promising Resurrection
- raising Lazarus from the dead
"...if you believe, you will see the glory..."
- John 11:1-44 ~ "promises"
Theological Mysteries (Thursday)
How the disciples came to know him:
1. Rebirth into the Kingdom
- baptism of repentance and renewal
"... being born of water and Spirit."
- John 3:3-8 ~ "transformed"
2. Establishing the Church
- Jesus quizzes the disciples.
"Who do you say that I am?"
- Matthew 16:13-17 ~ "identity"
3. Demanding our Trust
- Jesus released the doubters.
"To whom shall we go?"
- John 6:53-69 ~ "dividing"
4. Revealing his Identity
- Jesus reveals His identity in public.
"I and the Father are one."
- John 10:22-42 (v.30) ~ "trinity"
5. Our Connection to Jesus
- Jesus is our connection to God.
"If you abide in me, and my words ..."
- John 15:1-10 ~ "abiding"
Sorrowful Mysteries (Friday)
He suffered for our sins.
1. Agony in the garden
"let this cup pass from me"
- Matthew 26:36-45 ~ "agreement"
2. Scourging at the pillar
"... and had him scourged"
- Mark 15:15 ~ "rejection"
3. Crowned with thorns
"Hail, King of the Jews!"
- John 19:2-3 ~ "mockery"
4. Carrying the cross
"carrying his own cross"
- John 19:17 ~ "suffering"
5. Crucified to death
"Father, forgive them. They know not ..."
- Luke 23:32-34 ~ "intercession"
Holiness Mysteries (Saturday)
He taught us the Way of mercy:
1. The Greatest Commandments
- Love the Lord with all your self.
"On these two commandments depend.."
- Matthew 22:36-40 ~ "devotion"
2. Impurity of Speech
- "What you eat does not defile you,
but what comes out of the mouth ..."
- Matthew 15:11,15-20 ~ "purity"
3. Corporal works of mercy.
"Whenever you did it to one of these,
my brothers and sisters, you did it to me."
- Matthew 25:34-40 ~ "kindness"
4. Preaching to the Crowds
- The Sermons on the Mount and Plain.
"Be merciful, even as your Father..."
- Luke 6:17-49 ~ "bearing"
5. Claiming our First Concern
- Jesus casts off our worries.
"Seek first the Kingdom of God"
- Matthew 6:19-34 ~ "trusting"
Glorious Mysteries (Sunday)
His Kingdom is established in Heaven.
1. Jesus' Resurrection from the dead
"He is not here. He has risen."
- Mark 16:5-7 ~ "vindication"
2. His Ascension to Heaven
"He was lifted up while they were looking"
- Acts 1:9-11 ~ "amazed"
3. The Descent of the Holy Spirit
"tongues as of fire"
- Acts 2:1-4 ~ "empowered"
4. Mary's Assumption to Heaven
"Blessed is the womb that carried you..."
- Luke 11:27, 28 ~ "praise"
5. Mary's Coronation as Queen of Heaven
"and on her head a crown of 12 stars"
- Revelations 12:1 ~ "glory"
And yet these new days' mysteries are never meant to be obligatory. The Church has not given any official recognition or approval of them. They are extras, to be added only if you wish to do so. They are being offered only for two purposes: to teach more about the life of Jesus, and to simply bring more flowers to my Blessed Mother. Perhaps they don't look as pretty as the other roses. You may call them wildflowers.
If we pray and meditate on these extra mysteries, we must not think that they are any improvement of the Rosary that others still pray. These prayers have been slowly developing for over a millennium, and it took 500 years for the practice to take an official form. Then recently, our Saintly Pope John Paul II chose to add a fourth set of mysteries. He knew that we all need encouragement to pray, and the Rosary is a simple thing to memorize for those who feel that they don't know what, or how, to pray. If you feel that adding three more sets of mysteries serves only to increase the burden, then don't add them. They are merely wildflowers, and not even grown from private revelations, but from an act of asking directly how more episodes could teach about Jesus. There are so many in the world who know so little about Him.
The idea of adding to the Rosary came from its traditional use as a teaching tool by friars in the Middle Ages. As they wandered from place to place, they would teach the poor how to pray, and spread the Gospel, by pointing to the beads on their Rosary. Then, our Pope set us his own example, with his own great devotion to our Mother Mary. By his authority, he gave us the Luminous mysteries, and recommended them to us, to remind us of important points in the Gospels. And that wonderful act yet served only to point out an emptiness. Four sets of mysteries would repeat irregularly in a week. Why would there not be an equally beautiful set of mysteries for each and every day of the week? And the question prompted its own answer. Just do it. Find the episodes that speak to your heart, and try them out.
It was not an act of pride or vanity. These wildflowers may not mix well with your bouquet of roses. They are a poor offering, brought by a silly child who saw others bring special flowers to our Mother. Sister Faustina, who was declared a saint by John Paul II, also devised her own prayers to say on her Rosary. Of course, aspiring to imitate the saints is akin to trying to imitate Jesus, but anyone can seek to take refuge with the Holy Mother.
All we have to do to come to Mother Mary is to desire to please Her, and listen to Her when she wants to teach us. She promises to help us to grow in obedience, so that we won't get our nice clothes dirty so often. And She takes care of us when we get scrapes and bruises, teaching us how to avoid them, or to call for help. Then She brings us to Jesus, and speaks for us, recommending us to his care. And that is where we want to be, as that is how we become his disciples. Up until that time, we were merely believers standing back in the crowd to hear Him talk.
So far, Mother Mary has been accepting of my poor offering. But Jesus admonished that adding so many new mysteries might seem too heavy a burden for those who already feel that their prayers are a chore. If that is indeed how you feel, then ignore them. Or only use them occasionally, as few as you wish. Surely, if you pray one set per day, you can decide to keep only the official ones, or you can bring wildflowers to our Mother once in a while.
No comments:
Post a Comment