“If we Christians do not want to be behind the times, we must put love into everything we do. And we need to be especially vigilant that we are not lacking in love when life proves most difficult and painful…” –Servant of God Chiara Lubich (+ 2008)
Intention: Lord, please preserve our rights to meaningful representation in government, the right for free speech, the right for freedom of religion, the right for freedom of assembly, the right to bear arms, and having a country with firm borders.
Saturday: Angels Minister to Me
1st Joyful Mystery: The Annunciation
Scripture:
God commands the angels/ to guard you in all your ways./
With their hands they shall support you,/ lest you strike your
foot against a stone./ You shall tread upon the asp and the
viper,/ trample the lion and the dragon.
—Psalm 91:11–13
Reflection:
Angels present themselves at important times in Jesus’s history:
at the annunciation, to St. Joseph to reassure him about the
Blessed Virgin Mary, to the shepherds to announce that Jesus
had been born, after Jesus was tempted in the desert for forty
days, in the Garden of Gethsemane when Jesus was feeling
sorrowful and fearful about His forthcoming passion and at
His tomb to enlighten the holy women that He truly had been
raised from the dead.
Prayer:
Lord Jesus, please ask the holy angels to minister to me whenever
I encounter difficult crises in my life, or when I haven’t a clue
of which way to turn. Amen.
Saturday: Elation
2nd Joyful Mystery: The Visitation
Scripture:
[Jesus] said in reply to the one who told him, “Who is my
mother? Who are my brothers?” And stretching out his hand
toward his disciples, he said, “Here are my mother and my
brothers. For whoever does the will of my heavenly Father is
my brother, and sister, and mother.”
—Matthew 12:48–50
Reflection:
The elation that Mary and Elizabeth felt as they embraced and
shared their strikingly similar stories foreshadowed the elation
that Jesus’s followers felt, as they learned to follow His Way and
their whole lives were transformed.
Prayer:
Mary’s Magnificat, which she sings during the visitation, models
for us the themes of humility, gratitude and generous praise to
Almighty God. Lord, motivate me to model myself after Our
Wonderful, Sweet and Blessed Mother. Amen.
Saturday: Long-awaited Messiah
3rd Joyful Mystery: The Nativity
Scripture:
A prophet like me will the Lord, your God, raise up for you
from among your own kinsmen; to him shall you listen.
—Deuteronomy 18:15
Reflection:
When Pharaoh ordered the killing of all the little Hebrew baby
boys in Egypt, it prefigured when Herod ordered the murder of
all the little Hebrew baby boys in Bethlehem. God saved Moses,
just as He saved the Baby Jesus (the New Moses).
Prayer:
Dear Jesus, I believe that You are the long-awaited Messiah who
came to lead us to the promised land of heaven. Never allow me
to sin, but always show me how to please You. Amen.
Saturday: Imitate Jesus
4th Joyful Mystery: The Presentation in the Temple
Scripture:
The Jews said, “This temple has been under construction for
forty-six years, and you will raise it up in three days?” But he
was speaking about the temple of his body. Therefore, when he
was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had
said this, and they came to believe the scripture and the word
Jesus had spoken.
—John 2:20–22
Reflection:
Because He was the fullness of God’s unceasing omnipresence,
the Baby Jesus was naturally taken to be presented at the Temple
in Jerusalem, which had been considered to be God’s dwelling
place up until that time.
Prayer:
Jesus, You raised up Your “temple” in three days, so I recognize
that You can do all things. Help me to imitate You more and
more, for the rest of my life. Amen.
Saturday: Mass
5th Joyful Mystery: The Finding of
the Child Jesus in the Temple
Scripture:
The feast of the Dedication was then taking place in Jerusalem.
It was winter. And Jesus walked about in the temple area on
the Portico of Solomon. So the Jews gathered around him and
said to him, “How long are you going to keep us in suspense?
If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly.” Jesus answered them, “I
told you and you do not believe. The works I do in my Father’s
name testify to me.”
—John 10:22–25
Reflection:
The mystery of the Finding of the Child Jesus in the Temple
foreshadows the sadness of losing Him at Calvary, and also the
joy of finding Him again at the resurrection.
Prayer:
The temple was important to Jesus all throughout His short
earthly life. Lord, please remind me of this when I am tempted
to skip Mass in favor of frivolous pastimes. Amen.
