“We thank you [Almighty, most high and sovereign God] because your Son is to come again in majesty to judge those who have refused to repent and acknowledge you; while to all who have acknowledged you, worshiped you, and served you in penitence, he will say: Come, you blessed of my Father, take possession of the kingdom prepared for you from the beginning of the world.”–Saint Francis of Assisi (+ 1226)
Intention: Lord, please bless all the Jews and Christians in the world, and keep them safe. God bless Jerusalem, and all of Israel! I pray for peace for Jerusalem!
Thursday: Holiness
1st Luminous Mystery: The Baptism
of Jesus in the Jordan
Scripture:
On coming up out of the water he saw the heavens being torn
open and the Spirit, like a dove, descending upon him.
—Mark 1:10
Reflection:
When Jesus rose up from the water in His baptism, it was as
if the sun rose with Him—so bright was His luminosity and
the radiance of the Holy Spirit. It is a joy-filled event for us to
ponder, because the Son of God was now truly united with us,
after our long night as a human race.
Prayer:
The saints reflect Christ’s light in their holiness; I pray to
become like them in my holiness. O Lord, grant that all the
virtues might live inside of me in an easy and effortless way.
Amen.
Thursday: Divine Design
2nd Luminous Mystery: The Wedding Feast at Cana
Scripture:
Let us rejoice and be glad/ and give him glory./ For the wedding
day of the Lamb has come,/ his bride has made herself ready.
—Revelation 19:7
Reflection:
Jesus showed a love and generosity at the wedding at Cana that
showered divine light and favor upon the wedding party there.
Prayer:
Jesus’s presence at this wedding gives marriage a purpose that is
by divine design. I pray for married couples—that Jesus would
be present as a “third person,” in all their marriages. Amen.
Thursday: Heal Our Souls
3rd Luminous Mystery: The Proclamation
of the Kingdom of Heaven
Scripture:
And there people brought to him a paralytic lying on a stretcher.
When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Courage,
child, your sins are forgiven.”
—Matthew 9:2
Reflection:
Christ came to heal people’s physical illnesses and maladies,
but also to heal their souls – as when, for example, He forgave
their sins.
Prayer:
Lord Jesus, people’s faith was an important factor in whether or
not You could perform miracles for them. I have faith in You!
Please reach out to me with Your healing hand when I suffer.
Amen.
Thursday: Illuminate Me
4th Luminous Mystery: The Transfiguration
Scripture:
Peter and his companions had been overcome by sleep, but
becoming fully awake, they saw his glory and the two men
standing with him.
—Luke 9:32
Reflection:
Jesus was an ordinary human being to His disciples; He walked
the dusty roads, He healed the sick, and He became tired and
hungry every day as they did. Then one day, up on a mountain,
He showed them His true glory: He became filled with light
and radiated the Holy Spirit in a supreme and brilliant way.
Prayer:
If God’s light were shining in me luminously, would I see the
pride and egocentricities that still linger inside? Lord Jesus,
Brightness of Eternal Light, please illuminate me so that I may
see myself objectively, and help me to make corrections. Amen.
Thursday: Jesus’s Presence
in the World
5th Luminous Mystery: The Institution
of the Holy Eucharist
Scripture:
With bread from heaven he filled them.
—Psalm 105:40
Reflection:
The Blessed Sacrament’s residence in all our Catholic Churches
gives the world little bits of Jesus’s presence in the world—
Bread from Heaven—keeping the world from descending into
degeneration, disaster and war. Thank God!
Prayer:
Millions of people celebrate Mass every day and receive the
Blessed Sacrament, spreading Jesus’s presence across the world,
and creating unity amongst the members of the church. Lord,
bring new members into Your church, and so increase Your
presence here. Amen.
