Praying The Rosary

 
Please come early to Mass and join us
in praying the Rosary!
at
at
St Ignatius Loyola Church
Sunday, 9:20 a.m.
and
One-half hour before
weekday Masses 		Or pray the Rosary at home with your family or in private. Immaculate Conception Church
Saturday, 3:30 p.m
The Rosary is a contemplative prayer, enabling one to focus fully on the Gospels and the lives of Jesus and Mary. Both Pope Paul VI and Pope John Paul II have strongly encouraged renewed emphasis on the use of the Rosary among Catholics. In the words of Pope John Paul II, "The Rosary ... goes to the very heart of Christian life; it offers a familiar yet fruitful spiritual and educational opportunity for personal contemplation, the formation of the People of God, and the new evangelization." And again he said, "To recite the Rosary is ... to contemplate with Mary the face of Chirst."
In his October 2002 Apostolic Letter, "Rosarium Virginis Mariae," Pope John Paul II also offered a new set of mysteries for meditation in addition the familiar Joyful, Sorrowful, and Glorious mysteries in the life of Jesus and Mary. These new mysteries are the "Mysteries of Light" or Luminous Mysteries. They focus on Jesus' public ministry, i.e., His baptism by John, the wedding at Cana, the proclamation of the kingdom of God, the Transfiguration, and the Last Supper. They are called the Luminous Mysteries because Jesus transforms our lives through His signs and miracles, His preaching, and the gift of Himself through the Eucharist, just as light transforms a darkened room.


When to Use Which Mysteries of the Rosary
If you incorporate the Luminous Mysteries in your praying the Rosary, the Holy Father suggests the following:
Joyful Mysteries on Mondays and Saturdays
  1. The Annunciation to Mary (Luke 1:26-38)
  2. The Visitation with Elizabeth (Luke 1:39-56)
  3. The Birth of Our Lord (Luke 2:1-21)
  4. The Presentation in the Temple (Luke 2:22-38)
  5. The Finding in the Temple (Luke 2:41-52)
Sorrowful Mysteries on Tuesdays and Fridays
  1. The Agony in the Garden (Matthew 26:36-56)
  2. The Scourging at the Pillar (Matthew 27:26)
  3. The Crowning with Thorns (Matthew 27:27-31)
  4. The Carrying of the Cross (Matthew 27:32)
  5. The Crucifixion of Our Lord (Matthew 27:33-56)
Luminous Mysteries on Thursdays
  1. The Baptism of Our Lord in the Jordan (Matthew 3:13-16)
  2. Our Lord's Self-Manifestation at the Wedding at Cana (John 2:1-11)
  3. Jesus Proclaims the Kingdom of God and Calls Us to Conversion (Mark 1:14-15)
  4. The Transfiguration of Our Lord (Matthew 17:1-8)
  5. Our Lord's Institution of the Eucharist at the Last Supper (Matthew 26:26)
Glorious Mysteries on Wednesdays and Sundays
  1. The Resurrection of Our Lord (John 20:1-29)
  2. The Ascension (Luke 24:36-53)
  3. The Descent of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:1-41)
  4. The Assumption of Mary into Heaven
  5. The Coronation of Mary as Queen of Heaven and Earth

Actually, any set of mysteries may be used on any day if it is more fitting for the particular occasion on which you are praying the Rosary. As many Catholics prefer, for example, it is fully acceptable to meditate only on the Sorrowful Mysteries during Lent. In the words of Pope Paul VI (in Marialis Cultus), "The rosary is an excellent prayer, but the faithful should feel serenely free in its regard. They should be drawn to its calm recitation by its intrinsic appeal."
Following Pope Paul VI's lead, the American bishops issued their own pastoral on the rosary, Behold Your Mother, and said, "Besides the precise rosary pattern well-known to Catholics, we can freely experiment.... New sets of mysteries are possible." Here are two sets of rosary mysteries for contemplation, as suggested by Father M. Basil Pennington in his book, Praying By Hand, 1991:

The "I AM" Mysteries of Jesus' Self-Identity
  1. "I am the Bread of Life" (John 6:35)
  2. "I am the Gate" (John 10:9)
  3. "I am the Good Shepherd" (John 10:14)
  4. "I am the Way and the Truth and the Life" (John 14:6)
  5. "I am the True Vine" (John 15:1)
Jesus' Resurrection Mysteries
  1. Jesus Appears to Two Disciples on the Road to Emmaus -- "We were hoping He was the one." (Luke 24:13-35)
  2. Jesus Appears on Easter Night in the Locked Room -- "Have you anything here to eat?" (Luke 24:36-43)
  3. Jesus Appears a Week Later when Thomas Is Present -- "Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe." (John 20:24-29)
  4. Jesus Appears to the Apostles by the Sea of Tiberias -- "Come and eat your meal." (John 21:1-23)
  5. Jesus Appears with the Eleven on Olivet -- "He blessed them and instructed them to tell all creation that he will return." (Luke 24:50-53)


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