“Jesus warns that he may come suddenly and find [the disciples] sleeping — which is just what will happen during his agony in Gethsemane. To be asleep signifies spiritual torpor and self-indulgence; to be awake is to be alive in faith.” –Mary Healy
Intention: Please make of America a nation that becomes like a shining city on a hill for the rest of the world, and inspires the world to become more just, kind, peaceful, free, and resistant of Communism. I thank You God ahead of time for this.
Saturday: God’s Call
1st Joyful Mystery: The Annunciation
Scripture:
And the angel said to her in reply, “The holy Spirit will come
upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow
you. Therefore the child to be born will be called holy, the Son
of God.
—Luke 1:35
Reflection:
Mary found grace, which enabled her to say “yes” to God’s
request, and to go forward without fearing the things that
would normally have made her fearful. We, too, must say “yes”
to God’s call, and let faith help us to go forward without any
fear of the future, with full confidence that God will arrange
things to turn out in the best way possible.
Prayer:
Mother Mary, Faithful Virgin, intercede for those who suffer
from anxiety or mental illness, so that they may feel sure in
going forward on the path that God’s will calls them to follow.
Amen.
Saturday: The Magnificat
2nd Joyful Mystery: The Visitation
Scripture:
The Mighty One has done great things for me,/ and holy is
his name.
—Luke 1:49
Reflection:
The Magnificat is the amazing prayer that Mary sings to God
after Elizabeth greets her. In it, Mary teaches us to praise God
above all else, for His compassion for us, for saving us, for
providing for us and for fulfilling His covenant of love toward us.
Prayer:
Father, You inspired Mary to sing Your praises in the Magnificat.
Stir within all the brokenhearted and lonely a song to lift their
hearts and souls up to You, also. Amen.
Saturday: Jesus Came to Save
3rd Joyful Mystery: The Nativity
Scripture:
But the Pharisees and scribes began to complain, saying, “This
man welcomes sinners and eats with them.”
—Luke 15:2
Reflection:
The meaning of Christmas is that Jesus became incarnate for
the sake of illuminating humanity and redeeming every single
person. He did not come to accuse sinners but to save them –
to save us.
Prayer:
Jesus, I appreciate that You did not come to denounce me for
my sins but to rescue me from them, and to be with me forever.
Touch the hearts of all non-believers at Christmastime, bring
them to Your church and give them the joy of community
worship and fellowship. Amen.
Saturday: Jesus’s Light
4th Joyful Mystery: The Presentation in the Temple
Scripture:
He [Simeon] came in the Spirit into the temple; and when
the parents brought in the child Jesus to perform the custom
of the law in regard to him, he took him into his arms and
blessed God.
—Luke 2:27–28
Reflection:
Simeon prophesied that Jesus would be a sign that would be
contradicted, and so He was. He was so opposed that powerful
men sought to kill Him, to try to put out the light that He
brought.
Prayer:
Jesus, Simeon’s prophecy about You was indeed borne out to
be correct. But Your death did not put out Your light on earth.
No, it continues on in all of us, through Your Holy Spirit.
Hallelujah! Amen.
Saturday: Peace in the Family
5th Joyful Mystery: The Finding of
the Child Jesus in the Temple
Scripture:
He went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was
obedient to them; and his mother kept all these things in her
heart. And Jesus advanced [in] wisdom and age and favor before
God and man.
—Luke 2:51–52
Reflection:
Jesus Christ was the Son of God, and yet most of His life on
earth, He spent in relative obscurity in obedience to Mary and
St. Joseph in Nazareth.
Prayer:
Jesus, You lived in peace with Your mother and father for a long
time. Assist me in creating peace in my family, which is a sign
that the joy and love of the Holy Spirit is present. Amen.
