Saturday: Woman
1st Joyful Mystery: The Annunciation
Scripture:
I rejoice heartily in the Lord,/ in my God is the joy of my soul;/
For he has clothed me with a robe of salvation,/ and wrapped
me in a mantle of justice,/ Like a bridegroom adorned with a
diadem,/ like a bride bedecked with her jewels./ As the earth
brings forth its plants,/ and a garden makes its growth spring
up,/ So will the Lord God make justice and praise/ spring up
before all the nations.
—Isaiah 61:10–11
Reflection:
Sin was introduced to humanity through the temptations of
our first parents. It is fitting, then, that a woman, the Blessed
Mother, should play a pivotal role in the restoration of God’s
people.
Prayer:
God gave a critically important role in salvation history to a
woman. Dear Blessed Mother, Virgin Rightly Renowned, use
me in your mission to bring peace on earth. Amen.
Saturday: Exaltation of Humble
2nd Joyful Mystery: The Visitation
Scripture:
His mercy is from age to age/ to those who fear him./ He has
shown might with his arm,/ dispersed the arrogant of mind
and heart./ He has thrown down the rulers from their thrones/
but lifted up the lowly./ The hungry he has filled with good
things;/ the rich he has sent away empty./ He has helped Israel
his servant,/ remembering his mercy,/ according to his promise
to our fathers,/ to Abraham and to his descendants forever.
—Luke 1:50–55
Reflection:
Mary’s canticle, the Magnificat, predicts that her Son would be
full of justice and truth, and that the lowly would be lifted up,
while the rulers would be thrown down from their thrones.
This is similar to what Jesus said when He proclaimed that the
humble would be exalted, and that the first would be last.
Prayer:
Dearest Jesus, I trust that through my littleness on earth, You
will lift me up to the heights in heaven, by (as St. Therese
said) Your heavenly elevator. Mold me into one of Your little,
humble children. Amen.
Saturday: Jesus’s power
3rd Joyful Mystery: The Nativity
Scripture:
And the Word became flesh/ and made his dwelling among
us,/ and we saw his glory,/ the glory as of the Father’s only
Son,/ full of grace and truth.
—John 1:14
Reflection:
Jesus’s divine nature entered the human race incorrupt, through
being born of the Immaculate Virgin. He was not tempted by
the evil in the world—not even once. He exists outside of the
evil that exists in our short, earthly lives; therefore, He is allpowerful against it.
Prayer:
Dearest Jesus, I praise You and bless You for being born, and I
ask for Your powerful protection for myself, my family and my
friends. Amen.
Saturday: Accepting Jesus
4th Joyful Mystery: The Presentation in the Temple
Scripture:
My eyes have seen your salvation,/ which you prepared in sight
of all the peoples,/ a light for revelation to the Gentiles,/ and
glory for your people Israel.
—Luke 2:30–32
Reflection:
The wise old man Simeon, upon holding the Baby Jesus in his
arms, saw ahead to a life that would cause men and women
to either to accept or reject Him. Even though He came to
redeem every person on earth, some would reject Him and all
He stands for.
Prayer:
Jesus asks if I accept Him or reject Him. Heart of Jesus,
Sacred Temple of God, I do choose to accept You wholly and
completely. Remove every part from my being that would seek
to reject You or Your life in me. Amen.
Saturday: Slavery
5th Joyful Mystery: The Finding of
the Child Jesus in the Temple
Scripture:
When his parents saw him, they were astonished, and his mother
said to him, “Son, why have you done this to us? Your father
and I have been looking for you with great anxiety.”
—Luke 2:48
Reflection:
The Child Jesus might have seen St. Joseph in the Jerusalem
temple during His childhood, offering the Pascal lamb, and its
being prepared for the sacrifice by running two skewers in the
shape of a cross through its body.
Prayer:
Enslaving a person to another is a form of killing the innocent.
Lord Jesus, I pray for the abolition of all forms of slavery in our
world. Amen.
