“Angelic guardianship is something natural, something normal, as normal as the great powers of the physical cosmos. The spirits have not received a mission to interfere with man’s free action; they have received a mission to save man from the results of his own evil deeds as far as is compatible with the higher dictates of God’s justice. When an angel shows his protecting power manifestly, as when he delivered Peter from the prison (Acts 12:3-19), you have a miraculous intervention that ought not be taken as the criterion of the ordinary working of spirit tutelage. There can be miracles of angelic intervention, as there can be miracles of divine intervention; but they are exceptions; God and his angels work unceasingly for man’s welfare…” –Dom Anscar Vonier, O.S.B. (+ 1938)
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!
Sunday: Belief in Resurrection
1st Glorious Mystery: The Resurrection
Scripture:
Thomas answered and said to him, “My Lord and my God!”
Jesus said to him, “Have you come to believe because you
have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and have
believed.”
—John 20:28–29
Reflection:
The resurrection of Jesus is mysterious in such a deep and
profound way that we cannot really fathom it with the mind;
we have to ponder it from the heart.
Prayer:
Heavenly Father, help me to believe fully in the resurrection,
though I may not understand the entire mystery of it. Amen.
Sunday: Eternal Destiny
2nd Glorious Mystery: The Ascension
Scripture:
We too believe and therefore speak, knowing that the one who
raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus and place us
with you in his presence.
—2 Corinthians 4:13–14
Reflection:
If we are faithful, we are destined to follow Jesus after our death,
and arise into heaven to experience new life there, through
Jesus’s power. Although we are supposed to focus our attention
on loving God and our neighbor while we are here on earth,
it is important to also remember that our ultimate destiny is
for a grand place beyond space and time, where we will be one
with God.
Prayer:
Dear Holy Spirit, please show me how can I attend to my
responsibilities, and to loving God and my neighbors, but not
get so caught up in daily life that I forget my eternal destiny in
heaven. Teach me to be more detached. Amen.
Sunday: Positivity out of Negativity
3rd Glorious Mystery: The Descent of the
Holy Spirit on Our Lady and the Apostles
Scripture:
God is able to make every grace abundant for you, so that in all
things, always having all you need, you may have an abundance
for every good work.
—2 Corinthians 9:8
Reflection:
The apostles shared an intense experience in the upper room,
one that ignited their faith into a flame, and encouraged them
to want to proclaim Jesus Christ to the whole world, for the
rest of their lives. This intense faith-experience was an action
of God working through them: the Father, the Son and the
Holy Spirit.
Prayer:
Heart of Jesus, In Whom Are All Treasures of Wisdom and
Knowledge, whenever I am faced with a difficult situation in
my life, help me to assure others that I have faith that God will
make something positive come out of my negative situation.
That is one of the most compelling ways that I can witness to
my faith. Amen.
Sunday: Long-time Tradition
4th Glorious Mystery: The Assumption
Scripture:
When the dragon saw that it had been thrown down to the
earth, it pursued the woman who had given birth to the male
child. But the woman was given the two wings of the great
eagle, so that she could fly to her place in the desert, where,
far from the serpent, she was taken care of for a year, two
years, and a half-year. The serpent, however, spewed a torrent
of water out of his mouth after the woman to sweep her away
with the current. But the earth helped the woman and opened
its mouth and swallowed the flood that the dragon spewed out
of its mouth.
—Revelation 12:13–16
Reflection:
Belief in the assumption of Mary started in apostolic times
and was passed down as oral tradition. St. Thomas Aquinas,
in the 13th century, declared it to be a valid tenet of the faith.
The Orthodox Church has also always believed in Mary’s
assumption. Consequently, when Pope Pius XII declared the
dogma of her assumption in 1950, it had actually been part of
the Tradition of the church for a very long time.
Prayer:
Lord Jesus, help me to believe in the dogma of the assumption,
despite those voices who would dispute it. Lord, I do believe;
help my unbelief. Amen.
Sunday: Dignity and Sacrifice
5th Glorious Mystery: The Coronation of our
Blessed Mother as Queen of Heaven and Earth
Scripture:
The king loved Esther more than all other women, and of all
the virgins she won his favor and benevolence. So he placed the
royal diadem on her head and made her queen in place of Vashti.
—Esther 2:17
Reflection:
The coronation of Mary has been contained in church documents
for centuries also. Prefigured by the experience of women like
Esther, this mystery reminds us of Mary’s stateliness, splendor
and majesty.
Prayer:
Dear Jesus, You are celebrated as the King of Heaven, and so
Mary, being Your Mother, is acknowledged as the Queen of
Heaven. Please convey to her how much I honor her for her
dignity and her sacrifice. Amen.
