“[God] much prefers us to accept [the cross] willingly and even to desire it because it is the only means that makes us like Christ crucified and therefore, in time, like Christ glorified. And if we are brave in taking it up, it becomes a burden of love.” –Father Bonaventure Perquin, O.P. (+1970)
We know well that Jesus told us to pick up our cross and follow Him; yet still, we tend to resist surrendering to God out of our human nature and our fear. We need to keep reminding ourselves that God has our best in mind, and that He will always make good come out of any circumstance, in order to achieve this surrender.
Intention: Please, Lord, 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.
Sunday: Jesus’s Peace
1st Glorious Mystery: The Resurrection
Scripture:
On the evening of that first day of the week, when the doors
were locked, where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews,
Jesus came and stood in their midst and said to them, “Peace
be with you.”
—John 20:19
Reflection:
Once one is informed of the story of Jesus—how meek He
was and how He was unjustly accused, condemned, scourged,
mocked and crucified—one can’t help but respond with gladness
to what happens next in the story: Jesus was risen and came to
the anguished disciples and said, “Peace be with you” (Luke
24:36). What a victory for righteousness!
Prayer:
Dear Jesus, what would we do as a human race without Your
teachings of love, peace, kindness and forgiveness? Where
would we be without them? Please create more peace among
all nations and tribes. Amen.
Sunday: Ruler of the Universe
2nd Glorious Mystery: The Ascension
Scripture:
And you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, throughout Judea
and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.
—Acts 1:8
Reflection:
When we say that Jesus went up into heaven to sit at the Father’s
right hand, we mean that He has entered fully into the Father’s
life of creation, as Ruler of the Universe.
Prayer:
Heavenly Father, Your Son, Jesus Christ, is King of the Universe,
and nothing transpires without His creating it or allowing it.
His intentions for me are all benevolent. Make me more faithful
in return. Amen.
Sunday: Gifts and Fruits
3rd Glorious Mystery: The Descent of the
Holy Spirit on Our Lady and the Apostles
Scripture:
Peter [said] to them, “Repent and be baptized, every one of
you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins;
and you will receive the gift of the holy Spirit. For the promise
is made to you and to your children and to all those far off,
whomever the Lord our God will call.”
—Acts 2:38–39
Reflection:
Saint Paul said that the fruits of the Spirit are: love, joy, peace,
patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control (see Galatians 5:22). Isaiah said that the gifts of the Spirit
are: a spirit of wisdom and of understanding, a spirit of counsel
and of strength and a spirit of knowledge and of fear of the Lord
(see Isaiah 11:2). We who have been baptized can lay claim to
all these fruits and gifts of the Holy Spirit, as God sees fit to
give them to us.
Prayer:
Holy Spirit, I know that You are inside of me and that You want
to benefit me. Shower me with your gifts and fruits today as I
navigate all of today’s challenges and joys. Amen.
Sunday: Mary’s Faith
4th Glorious Mystery: The Assumption
Scripture:
At the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in
marriage but are like the angels in heaven. And concerning the
resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was said to you
by God, “I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the
God of Jacob”? He is not the God of the dead but of the living.
—Matthew 22:30–32
Reflection:
In the Magnificat, Mary sang, “He has helped Israel his
servant,/ remembering his mercy,/ according to his promise to
our fathers,/ to Abraham and to his descendants forever” (Luke
1:54-55). The Magnificat is a song of praise to God for all that
He has done for us—including Mary’s assumption—and for all
that He will do in the future.
Prayer:
Our lives are filled with periods of stress, sadness and darkness.
Our lives also contain moments of tranquility, joy and light.
Lord Jesus, Author of Life, please give me Mary’s deep faith in
all circumstances, which can lessen the suffering of my own
death to come someday. Amen.
Sunday: Mary’s Immaculate Heart
5th Glorious Mystery: The Coronation of our
Blessed Mother as Queen of Heaven and Earth
Scripture:
When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple there whom he
loved, he said to his mother, “Woman, behold, your son.” Then
he said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother.” And from that
hour the disciple took her into his home.
—John 19:26–27
Reflection:
Mary’s Immaculate Heart was open to taking us as her children;
it was open to giving up Jesus on the Cross; and, it was (and is)
open to love for all mankind, as Jesus was in love with mankind.
Mary followed in Jesus’s footsteps. That is why consecration
to the Immaculate Heart of Mary necessitates carrying one’s
cross – to follow Jesus.
Prayer:
Dear Mary, Morning Star, your Immaculate Heart knows that
the world, the flesh and the devil are no match for the power
of Jesus’s salvific action on the Cross. Thank you for beckoning
to me to come nearer to you, so that you can show me the way
to Jesus. Thank you for coming close to me in the prayer of the
Rosary. Amen.
