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Mysteries of The Rosary (Part I)

by Lois Donahue

As I mentioned last time, the two concerns about the rosary expressed by Shirley and Catherine have to do with 'explanation' and 'meditation' and let me remind you that I am not an 'authority' on either. However, in an attempt to be of at least some help, I will go through the mysteries one by one. 

First I will offer what I consider to be the most basic and authentic 'explanation' of them by listing at least some of the Bible references showing where any of us can find the inspired specifics of each. When it comes to 'meditation' I confess that I don't consider what I do when praying the rosary as 'meditation' in the sense that my thoughts are really neither "deep" nor "extended". They are honest and heart-felt but they don't linger in my mind. I think of them for maybe a minute or two before starting the Our Father but once I begin saying the traditional rosary prayers, it is the words in those prayers that I think about. I tell you all this because the thoughts I am going to include with each mystery are merely thoughts which have at some time crossed my mind and are in no way meant to be anything other than that. One more thing about 'meditation' before we go further. For me, with few exemptions, the events referred to in the Mysteries are the kind of happenings to which most all of us, as humans, can relate in at least some way. For example-- being part of a family, having a baby, going to a wedding, knowing pain, having a meal with friends etc. Therefore, I like to think a loving God who is responsible for our humanity would in no way be offended if, when praying the Rosary, we did not always dig deep looking for spiritual meaning -- which is no doubt there -- but instead we chose to think of Mary and Joseph as the human beings they were. The few exemptions I referred to above are, without question, beyond our understanding and even though they could happen in surroundings similar to those we might encounter, they are indeed 'mysteries' --- the truth of which God expects us, in faith, to believe.

(Please note - It is not unusual to occasionally run across very slight differences in the name given to a mystery.) Now let's get on with it ----

THE JOYFUL MYSTERIES

THE ANNUNCIATION Luke l:26-38
God sent His Angel, Gabriel to 'announce' to a young girl in Nazareth that He had chosen her to be the mother of His Son. To say the least, Mary was surprised and "troubled". However she felt comfortable enough with one of God's angels to ask how such a thing could happen. The Angel told her that everything was possible with God and assured her that she had no reason to be afraid. That satisfied Mary. With deep faith she believed and consented. So was taken the first step in God's plan for our salvation.

THE VISITATION Luke l:39-45
Before Gabriel left Mary, perhaps to give her a sign that God does indeed work in 'miraculous' ways, he told her that Elizabeth, a relative of hers who was well past the childbearing age, was six months pregnant. It didn't take long for Mary to leave for the "hill country" of Judah to visit Elizabeth. Some think she did so to 'verify' her own pregnancy. Others say she "visited her kinswoman to offer assistance and seek advice". Whatever the reason, we can well imagine that the mother of Jesus and the mother of John the Baptist had much to talk about. Beyond that, I do enjoy thinking of Mary as part of an extended family.

THE NATIVITY Luke 2:l-7
The word 'nativity' is defined as 'birth'. This makes it obvious why this great event in Mary's life should be one of the "Joyful" mysteries. After all, when Mary gave birth to and, for the first time, held Jesus in her arms, there is no doubt that the questioning, the puzzlement, the long journey and the less than desirable accommodations of the stable were forgotten and she was filled with 'joy'. Whether or not we have personally known the joy which is part of having a child, our God-given instinct to love would no doubt help us imagine it. On that first Christmas Mary did know that joy and Joseph, in his own way, shared it with her.

THE PRESENTATION IN THE TEMPLE Luke 2:22-38
Joseph and Mary had to wait for some time after Jesus was born to present him in the Temple. The reason being, according to Mosaic Law, for forty days after the birth of a son a woman was not allowed to enter the Temple because she was 'legally impure'. Therefore, it took that long before this believing and practicing Jewish couple could fulfill their obligation to follow Jewish Law which said that every first-born son must be taken to the Temple and be "consecrated to the Lord". Having finally been able to do what they felt God wanted them to do must have indeed made 'The Presentation In The Temple" a very 'joyous' occasion for Joseph and Mary and I like to think of their joy being much like the joy we feel when we take our children to Church to be baptized.

THE FINDING OF JESUS IN THE TEMPLE Luke 2:41-52
It isn't difficult for us to imagine how Joseph and Mary, on their way home to Nazareth, felt when they first realized their twelve year old son, who had gone with them to Jerusalem for the feast of Passover, was missing. It was not possible for them to pick up a telephone and get help from whatever back then was equivalent to our Police Department. They couldn't hop into a car and speed back to the place where they'd last seen Jesus. They had to endure the long hours of travel and searching -- all probably filled with self-blame, with imagining the worst, with prayers and with tears. Then it happened. They went into the Temple and there he was - "sitting in the midst of the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions". Only then came the relief and the prayerful 'thank you's'. In our own lives I don't think there are a great many things more 'joyful' than finding a lost child.

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"Nothing should
frighten or grieve you.
Let not your heart be troubled. Am I, your Mother,
not here with you?"

"Nothing should
frighten or grieve you.
Let not your heart be troubled. Am I, your Mother,
not here with you?"

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