The virtue most commonly associated with the mystery of the Annunciation is humility. The world usually either bitterly opposes Christ, like Herod, or is indifferent to him, like the innkeepers. Christ’s religious life was that of a Jew obedient to the law (Catechism, 31). Mary had to have known what others would think, how people would look at her; for most people pride would prevent them from accepting God's Will. He will, of course, continue to obey His mother and His foster father, but today marks a turning point, a foreshadowing of His public ministry and even of His death on the Cross. Mary risked a lot because she had faith in God’s goodness. 2 Scriptural Rosary: Joyful Mysteries 10. I wrote these Meditations on the Joyful Mysteries of the Rosary. Hail Mary full of Grace, the Lord is with Thee. Like Elizabeth, we should be eager to recognize Christ in others. "Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it done to me according to thy word" (Luke 1:38). Christ can be quiet, almost imperceptible. Under the Old Law, a woman remained impure for 40 days after the birth of a child. Mary had conceived the Son of God as a virgin; she gave birth to the Savior of the World, and her virginity remained intact; through her piety and that of Saint Joseph, she would remain a virgin for her entire life. But here He is, "sitting in the midst of the doctors, hearing them, and asking them questions" (Luke 2:46). (Luke 1:43). In this moment, the Son of God "emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being made in the likeness of men, and in habit found as a man. "The Beatitudes," writes Fr. The Visitation John Hardon, S.J., in his Modern Catholic Dictionary, "are expressions of the New Covenant, where happiness is assured already in this life, provided a person totally gives himself to the imitation of Christ." General Items on the Rosary Mary needs your Rosary. Yet here are the Son of God and His Mother, both purer than any of us will ever be, abiding by the Law that Christ Himself came not to abolish but fulfill. He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give him the throne of David his father, and he will rule over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” But Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I have no relations with a man?” And the angel said to her in reply, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Rosary Meditations for the Joyful Mysteries. (Philippians 2:7-8). This encounter with Christ takes place in the Temple. Tom Hoopes, author of The Rosary of Saint John Paul II, The Fatima Family Handbook and What Pope Francis Really Said, is writer in residence at Benedictine College in Kansas. This is the moment of the Incarnation: The Word becomes flesh. The Annunciation. After they had completed its days, as they were returning, the boy Jesus remained behind in Jerusalem, but his parents did not know it. Find out more here. 4th joyful mystery - The presentation of Jesus to the Temple And when the days of her purification according to the law of Moses were accomplished, they brought Him to Jerusalem, to present Him to the Lord; And to offer a sacrifice according to that which is said in the law of the Lord, A pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons. A Rosary for Life: The Joyful Mysteries. The angel Gabriel is sent by the Father with a message to a young woman of Nazareth named Mary. Do you ever pray the Rosary and when you get to the end of a decade, you wonder if you even thought about the mystery at all? Baby Jesus had no words to offer, only his presence. The Finding in the Temple – Mary and Joseph find Jesus in the Temple. (Numbers other than the 10 Hail Marys refer to the numbers pointing to the beads in the above illustration.) Tom Le Goff/Getty Images. But the physical poverty is merely the outward sign of the inward grace in the souls of the Holy Family. A former reporter in the Washington, D.C., area, he served as press secretary of the U.S. House Ways & Means Committee Chairman and spent 10 years as executive editor of the National Catholic Register newspaper and Faith & Family magazine. As for Mary, she treasured all these things, and pondered them in her heart. “The presentation of Jesus in the Temple shows him to be the firstborn son who belongs to the Lord” (Catechism, 529). “The sword of sorrow predicted for Mary announces Christ’s cross” (Catechism, 529). The Visitation - The Second Joyful Mystery of the Rosary. For us, it happens in the Church. His work frequently appears in Catholic publications such as Aleteia and the Register. Rosary Reflections: The Joyful Mysteries. A stained-glass window of the Visitation in Saint Mary's Church, Painesville, OH. You can always find him in the tabernacle. The Joyful Mysteries For each of the mysteries below we have provided short meditations to go along with each Hail Mary that you pray. Mary does not hesitate, does not worry about her own situation; her cousin needs her. And this should remind us that each of us has the awesome gift of our very own guardian angel. A stained-glass window of the Presentation in Saint Mary's Church, Painesville, OH. Do we give our best time, best efforts, best talents? The meditations are simply meant as an aid to contemplation; they do not need to be read while praying the rosary. For he has looked upon his handmaid’s lowliness; behold, from now on will all ages call me blessed.”. When we think of that holy night, we tend either to idealize it—to imagine it as neat and tidy as the Nativity scenes on our mantels on Christmas Eve—or we think of the physical poverty that Jesus and Mary and Joseph endured. Trust in God’s promises sustained Simeon. (Lk 2:19) The Fourth Joyful Mystery The Presentation in the Temple When the day came for them to be purified as laid down by the law of Moses, the parents of Jesus took him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord. The humble recognize their giftedness and worth, which come from God. Joseph and Mary “do not understand” Jesus’ answer, and yet they accept it (Catechism, 534). “The Magi’s coming to Jerusalem in order to pay homage to the King of the Jews shows that they seek in Israel the … King of the nations” (Catechism, 528). . " We are not called as Christ was, but we are called to follow Him, to take up our own crosses in imitation of Him and in obedience to God the Father. He’s also the God of glory, angel choirs and supernovas. A fourth set, the Luminous Mysteries of the Rosary was introduced by Pope John Paul II in 2002 as an optional devotion.). In the hidden years of Jesus we learn the importance of: Silence, family life, work and the ordinary events of daily life (Catechism, 533). Or what we don’t want anyway? And it was enough to attract a lot of attention. “Even the closest of human relationships are challenged by the absolute demands of the Kingdom” (John Paul II, Rosarium Virginis Mariae, 20), Jesus’ obedience to his mother and legal father fulfills the fourth commandment perfectly and mirrors his obedience to his Father in heaven” (Catechism, 532). Mary is quick to aid Elizabeth; she will be quick to aid me. We have also included a Spiritual Fruit … We can count on God’s answers to our prayers, but often in unexpected ways – a stable instead of a room. Mary said yes. Yet in announcing this to her, the angel Gabriel also revealed that Mary's cousin Elizabeth is six months' pregnant. The virtue most commonly associated with the mystery of the Visitation is love of neighbor. And this will be a sign for you: you will find an infant wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger.” And suddenly there was a multitude of the heavenly host with the angel, praising God and saying: “Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace to men of good will.”. I should present Christ in the “temple of the Holy Spirit,” my body. He wants to use me in the same way. Heavenly Father, as we offer you this mystery, we pray for the virtues of humility and purity of heart, so that we can become like Mary and say: "I am your faithful servant O Lord, let it be done to me according to your Divine Will." Imagine being all-powerful God – and limiting yourself to the abilities of a baby. (Lk 2:22) 1. Mostly, our Christian life means small things done with love. God makes our redemption dependent on Mary’s free decision (Catechism, No. There will be plenty of time to think of herself and her Child later; for now, Mary's thoughts lie only with her cousin, and with the child who will become the Forerunner of Christ. Homilies on prayer . "The Law is made for man, not man for the Law," Christ Himself would later say, yet here is the Holy Family fulfilling the Law even though it does not apply to them. The Church recommends we pray the Joyful Mysteries of the Rosary … Yet now—what had they done? For us he’s a short drive away, in the tabernacle. Joseph’s offering was a poor man’s alternative to a lamb. I imagine her kneeling in wonderment at the angel Gabriel, his hands encompassing hers, his forehead pressed against hers as he tells her of God’s great plan. Traditionally, Catholics meditate on the Joyful Mysteries while praying the rosary on Monday and Thursday, as well as on the Sundays from the beginning of Advent until the beginning of Lent. (The other two are the Sorrowful Mysteries of the Rosary and the Glorious Mysteries of the Rosary. Mary says Yes to God without knowing the whole picture – what will happen and how it all will end. Simeon was content after one glimpse of Christ. Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?” But they did not understand what he said to them. Short Rosary Meditations taken from: Rosaries from the Hearts of Jesus and Mary* TheApostlesÕ Manual Rosary Meditations for Little People and Elderly by Shepherds of Christ Publications * Unless otherwise noted in the rosary headings, the following medita-tions are taken from Rosaries from the Hearts of Jesus and Mary. How could they ever endure it if something had happened to Him? Yet the Annunciation is not only about the humility of the Virgin Mary. Some pray the Joyful Mysteries every day during Advent and Christmastide as a devotion. Meditations on the Glorious Mysteries of the Rosary, Meditations on the Sorrowful Mysteries of the Rosary, The Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Chronology of the Birth and Life of Jesus Christ, Prayers for May, the Month of the Virgin Mary, The Feast of the Presentation of the Lord, Enjoy the Complete Christmas Story of the Birth of Jesus. I was praying, thanking God for all of His goodness and mercies. I hope these will make your praying of the Rosary more fruitful. The First Joyful Mystery. She whispers “yes” knowing that her life is forever changed and possibly going to be mu… Mary’s first Christian apostolate was doing household chores. Luke 2:41-51 – Each year his parents went to Jerusalem for the feast of Passover, and when he was twelve years old, they went up according to festival custom. After three days they found him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions, and all who heard him were astounded at his understanding and his answers. God knows I'm sorry for my sins"; "Fasting and abstinence are manmade laws"; "If I miss Mass one Sunday, God will understand." The Joyful Mysteries. The First Joyful Mystery of the Rosary is the Annunciation of the Lord, when the angel Gabriel appeared to the Blessed Virgin Mary to announce that she had been chosen by God to bear His Son. Of course, these responses are fictional. (For more on Rosary meditation see my blog Making the Rosary More Meaningful). The First Joyful Mystery The Annunciation of Our Lord How, then, can we refuse God anything He asks of us? He came in the Spirit into the temple; and when the parents brought in the child Jesus to perform the custom of the law in regard to him, he took him into his arms and blessed God, saying: “Now, Master, you may let your servant go in peace, according to your word, for my eyes have seen your salvation, which you prepared in sight of all the peoples, light for revelation to the Gentiles, and glory for your people Israel.” The child’s father and mother were amazed at what was said about him; and Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, “Behold, this child is destined for the fall and rise of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be contradicted – and you yourself a sword will pierce, so that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.”. Mary’s “Amen” Mary Full of Grace Joseph and Mary assumed Jesus was with members of their close-knit extended family in which cousins were “brothers.”. I have provided this link to my non-Catholic family members to introduce to them the powerful prayer of the Holy Rosary. What Eve lost through disobedience, Mary gained again by obedience (Catechism, No. 494). It can be challenging sometimes to focus well when praying the Rosary. While meditating on the mysteries, Catholics also pray for those fruits or virtues. It is Christ in her that makes Mary attractive and that draws people’s attention. And then those wondrous words emerge from His lips, "Did you not know that I must be about my father's business?". As you pray the rosary more often, you will develop your own meditations on each mystery. To begin to understand the joy that Mary and Joseph felt on finding Jesus in the Temple, we must first imagine their distress when they realized He was not with them. 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