“Illumination of man’s mind is the most direct and most constant effect of the angelic tutelage; according to Saint Thomas Aquinas, it is not too much to say that the human race is kept in mental equilibrium through the unceasing watchfulness of the good spirits…. Then there is that extremely important office of the protecting angels to ward off the darkening influence of evil spirits…. The spirits fight for us to a great extent without our knowledge, their mission is essentially one of guardianship of a lower being…. Man’s destiny being eternal happiness, it is not too much that it should be watched over by one whose nature is unchangeably great.” –Dom Anscar Vonier, O.S.B. (+ 1938)
Intention: Thank You, God, that You’re in control. Thank You that You’re working behind the scenes. Thank You that You’re arranging things in our favor. Thank You that we are full of Your wisdom. Thank You that we are well able to do what You have called us to do.
Monday: Godly Values and Virtues
1st Joyful Mystery: The Annunciation
Scripture:
Rejoice heartily, O daughter Zion,/ shout for joy, O daughter
Jerusalem!/ See, your king shall come to you.
—Zechariah 9:9
Reflection:
Imagine the beauty and innocence of the Blessed Virgin Mary
as she said “yes” to the angel. What a gift from God she is to
us—this angelic girl who is so full of love and joy, and was
willing to give herself to us in this way!
Prayer:
Dear Blessed Mary, Virgin Rightly Praised, if you were so
full of the love and joy of the Holy Spirit when you were alive
on earth, I can hardly imagine how powerful you must be in
heaven, acting on our behalf! Please pray for all writers, artists,
musicians, producers, directors and actors, that they would
produce art that reflects godly values and virtues. Amen.
Monday: Powerfully Helpful
2nd Joyful Mystery: The Visitation
Scripture:
I trust in your faithfulness./ Grant my heart joy in your help,/
That I may sing of the Lord,/ “How good our God has been
to me!”
—Psalm 13:6
Reflection:
The two women, Mary and Elizabeth, must have been so
radiant to watch when they met—both carrying very blessed
children in their wombs, both quietly aware that they were
participating in God’s divine plan in a glorious way and both
trusting in His plan.
Prayer:
Dear Blessed Mother, Queen of Confessors and Virgins, you
were not only graced with the love and joy of the Holy Spirit
but also with the desire to share what little you had with others,
as evidenced by your hurrying to go and assist Elizabeth. Again,
I imagine how powerfully helpful you must be in our world,
right now! Please pray for many young men and women to have
vocations to the priesthood and religious life, and to act on those
vocations. Amen.
Monday: Heavenly Events
3rd Joyful Mystery: The Nativity
Scripture:
You formed my inmost being;/ you knit me in my mother’s
womb.
—Psalm 139:13
Reflection:
The birth of Jesus reveals to us that the conception of a child
is not just a physical event. It reaches into the dimensions of
the divine, with God showering the soul with goodness and
blessings.
Prayer:
Dear Guardian Angel, I understand that my own birth was
a heavenly event, as well as a physical one. Please pray for all
lawmakers to remember the sanctity of human life, in their
lawmaking efforts. Amen.
Monday: Godly Upbringing
4th Joyful Mystery: The Presentation in the Temple
Scripture:
Train a boy in the way he should go;/ even when he is old, he
will not swerve from it.
—Proverbs 22:6
Reflection:
Jesus was presented in the temple as a normal babe, and yet
He was the King of kings. He was consecrated to God there.
Afterward, He grew up with an extended family of St. Joseph
and the Blessed Virgin Mary, and also probably many aunts and
uncles—as mother and father figures. He also had many cousins
whom the gospels record as His brothers and sisters (there was
no word for “cousin” in Jesus’s time).
Prayer:
Dearest Jesus, between Your consecration to God as a Babe,
and how You grew up in Your village surrounded by relatives,
You were given a loving, well-rounded, faith-filled—albeit
poor—upbringing. Help me to be a loving influence on all the
children in my life. Amen.
Monday: Enthusiasm
5th Joyful Mystery: The Finding of
the Child Jesus in the Temple
Scripture:
I give praise to you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, for
although you have hidden these things from the wise and the
learned you have revealed them to the childlike. Yes, Father,
such has been your gracious will.
—Matthew 11:25–26
Reflection:
Jesus was probably a teenager who was handsome, confident,
enthusiastic and intelligent, with a funny sense of humor. The
other boys and girls in His village probably loved being around
Him, because He was so full of life and the Holy Spirit.
Prayer:
Lord Jesus, Most Amiable, through Your assistance help me to
become more uplifting, honest and enthusiastic with others.
Amen.
