“Pray for so many of your brothers who never pray. Praise, bless, thank, and love the Lord even for those who do not know and love him. May the pleasing incense of your prayers rise to the throne of God as rose the fragrance of the prayers of Mary Most Holy, calling divine mercy down upon our land of exile. When you present yourself to God in prayer, you must implore the assistance of the Holy Spirit, since we cannot even conceive a good thought without him.” –Blessed Clelia Merloni (+ 1930)
Intention: Lord, please bless the world with peace on earth. I expect the earth to be at peace – true peace, like that which we experience on Christmas Day, in Jesus’ name and in His mighty power! I thank You God ahead of time for this!
Thursday: Fire of the Spirit
1st Luminous Mystery: The Baptism
of Jesus in the Jordan
Scripture:
I am baptizing you with water, for repentance, but the one who
is coming after me is mightier than I. I am not worthy to carry
his sandals. He will baptize you with the holy Spirit and fire.
—Matthew 3:11
Reflection:
Our baptism consecrates us to God in a special and enduring
way and fills us with the Holy Spirit. That Holy Spirit within
us can light up the whole world.
Prayer:
Holy Spirit, I know that You are flowing through me because
of my baptism. Please light the world ablaze with the fire of the
Spirit—the fire of truth and love, the fire of justice and peace.
Amen.
Thursday: Turn to Mary for Faith
2nd Luminous Mystery: The Wedding Feast at Cana
Scripture:
When the headwaiter tasted the water that had become wine,
without knowing where it came from (although the servers
who had drawn the water knew), the headwaiter called the
bridegroom.
—John 2:9
Reflection:
The water was turned into wine through Jesus’s miracle.
However, the waiters had to first fetch the water and fill the
jars. This demonstrates to us that miraculous things can happen
when we follow God’s commands for us.
Prayer:
Blessed Mother Mary, you told the waiters to do whatever Jesus
told them to do. You had complete faith in Him. And so, you
are the one to whom I should turn for help in increasing my
faith when it is weak. Please pray for me to strengthen my trust
in Jesus. Amen.
Thursday: Kingdom of God
3rd Luminous Mystery: The Proclamation
of the Kingdom of Heaven
Scripture:
Jesus went around to all the towns and villages, teaching in their
synagogues, proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom, and curing
every disease and illness.
—Matthew 9:35
Reflection:
Jesus proclaimed that the Kingdom of God is within us; this
means that Jesus is inside of us, closer to us than our own breath.
The Angel Gabriel told Mary that Jesus’s Kingdom would have
no end, and so it is also eternal.
Prayer:
I have the Kingdom of God inside of me, always there to help
me in my temporal needs. I must remember that it is there,
though, and respond to it responsibly and sincerely. Lord Jesus,
King of the Patriarchs, remind me to always pray in Your name.
Amen.
Thursday: Jesus in the Spirit
4th Luminous Mystery: The Transfiguration
Scripture:
As they were coming down from the mountain, Jesus charged
them, “Do not tell the vision to anyone until the Son of Man
has been raised from the dead.”
—Matthew 17:9
Reflection:
When Jesus was transfigured before Peter, James and John,
His face shone like the sun (see Matthew 17:2). He was beyond
beautiful in appearance. And then that astounding voice from
the cloud said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well
pleased; listen to Him” (Matthew 17:5). The transfiguration was
filled with beauty, wonder and awe.
Prayer:
How I wish that I could see my dear Jesus in His transfigured,
glorious state. Oh, to see not as through a mirror indistinctly,
but instead face to face, as St. Paul said (see 1 Corinthians 13:12).
Jesus, please give me a glimpse of You as You truly are in the
Spirit. Amen.
Thursday: With Us Always
5th Luminous Mystery: The Institution
of the Holy Eucharist
Scripture:
Then he took a cup, gave thanks, and said, “Take this and share
it amongst yourselves; for I tell you [that] from this time on I
shall not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of
God comes.”
—Luke 22:17–18
Reflection:
Jesus loved His own in the world, and He loved them to the
end (see John 13:1). He told them that He would be with them
always (see Matthew 28:20). Out of His enormous love for us,
He instituted the Holy Eucharist, so that we could eat and drink
His Body and Blood, and so, be nearer to Him.
Prayer:
I thank You, Jesus, The Mighty God, for giving Yourself
to me in the Blessed Sacrament. I confide these cares and
concerns to You, since I know that You are with me now:
________________________. Amen.
