The Rosary
Tomorrow is the Feast of Our Lady of Sorrows.
Take time out of your busy life to spend time with Our Lady reciting the Rosary and reflecting on some of the most significant and poignant moments in the life of Our Lady as she journeyed through life with her most beloved Son, Jesus.
The Rosary
Pope John Paul II encouraged praying the Rosary during adoration of the Blessed Sacrament in Rosarium Virgine Mariae, issued in October 2002, initiating the Year of the Rosary. He also added five “mysteries” from Our Lord’s life on earth to this ancient devotion, which begins with the Apostles Creed, the Our Father (Lord’s Prayer), the “Glory be…” (Doxology), followed by the Hail Mary (Ave Maria) repeated ten times, one on each bead of the “decades” of a set of Rosary beads. Meditation on the mysteries of the Rosary is perhaps the most widely practiced private devotion among Catholics.
The Mysteries listed below are followed by the scriptural references.
Joyful Mysteries:
- The Annunciation (Luke 1:26-38)
- The Visitation (Luke 1:39-56)
- The Nativity (Luke 2:1-20)
- The Presentation (Luke 2:21-38)
- The Finding of Jesus in the Temple (Luke 2:41-52)
Sorrowful Mysteries:
- The Agony in the Garden (Matthew 26:36-46, Luke 22:39-46)
- The Scourging at the Pillar (Matthew 27:26, Mark 15:15, John 19:1)
- The Crowning with Thorns (Matthew 27:27-30, Mark 15:16-20, John 19:2)
- The Carrying of the Cross (Matthew 27:31-32, Mark 15:21, Luke 23:26-32, John 19:17)
- The Crucifixion (Matthew 27:33-56, Mark 15:22-39, Luke 23:33-49, John 19:17-37)
Glorious Mysteries:
- The Resurrection (Matthew 28:1-8, Mark 16:1-18, Luke 24:1. 1-12, John 20:1-29)
- The Ascension (Mark 16:19-20, Luke 24:50-53, Acts 1:6-11)
- The Descent of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:1-13)
- The Assumption of the Virgin Mary into Heaven
- The Coronation of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Heaven
Luminous Mysteries:
- Jesus’ Baptism in the Jordan (II Corinthians 5:21, Matthew 3:17, and parallels)
- Jesus’ Self-Manifestation at the Wedding of Cana (John 2:1-12)
- Jesus’ Proclamation of the Kingdom of God; His Call to Conversion (Mark 1:15, Mark 2:3-13; Luke 7:47-48, John 20:22-23)
- Jesus’ Transfiguration (Luke 9:35 and parallels)
- Jesus’ Institution of the Eucharist, the Sacramental Expression of the Paschal Mystery (Luke 24:13-35 and parallels, I Corinthians 11:24-25)