Rosary Luminous MysteriesFor centuries
we Catholics have prayed the Holy Rosary with three sets of
meditations or
mysteries: the Joyful Mysteries, the Sorrowful Mysteries and
the Glorious
Mysteries. These were written by a Dominican monk in the
fifteenth century.
However, on October 16, 2002, during the twenty-fifth
year of his reign, the
Holy Father, Pope John-Paul II saw fit to add a
fourth group of mysteries
to the rosary, a group he named the ³Luminous
Mysteries² or ³Mysteries
of Light² ³in order to bring out fully the
Christological depth
of the rosary.² 1 John Paul felt that something was
missing between the
Joyful Mysteries proclaiming the hidden life of Christ
and the Sorrowful Mysteries
about His Passion, that mysteries about Christ¹s
public ministry were
needed in order to make the Rosary ³more fully a
compendium of the Gospel²
2 He called these Mysteries the Luminous
Mysteries or Mysteries of Light because
³it is during the years of his
public ministry that the mystery of Christ
is most evidently a mystery of
light.² 3 Remember, Christ said ³I
am the light of the world ³ (John 9:5).
The Luminous Mysteries are as
follows: the mystery of Jesus¹ Baptism in the
Jordan, the mystery of
the miracle at the wedding in Cana, the mystery of
the proclamation of the
Kingdom of God, the mystery of the Transfiguration,
and the mystery of the
institution of the Eucharist. It is interesting to
note that luminous, in
Webster¹s Dictionary, means both emitting steady or
glowing light and
bathed in steady light; for, as Jesus is luminous with His
message so we are
luminous in its reception as we hear and accept the
message. The Holy Father
suggests that the Luminous Mysteries could be said
on Thursday in lieu of
the Joyful Mysteries which could be prayed instead on
Saturday, a day traditionally
devoted to Mary. The Glorious Mysteries which
are normally said on Saturday,
would then be reduced in times of meditation
to twice a week, on Wednesday
and Sunday. I was delighted to hear of the
Luminous Mysteries and to add them
to my meditations. I agree with the Holy
Father that they fill a gap in the
gospel line of the rosary and bring the
light of Jesus¹ ministry shining
into this most well-known, much-loved
method of prayer.
1-3
³Rosarium Virginis Mariae² Apostolic Letter of the Supreme Pontiff
John Paul II to the bishops, clergy and faithful on the most Holy Rosary.
2002.
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