“Following Jesus means nothing other than reproducing his virtues in ourselves, in order to do all things well.” –Blessed Concepcion Cabrera de Armida (+ 1937)
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: Heavenly Place
1st Glorious Mystery: The Resurrection
Scripture:
As they approached the village to which they were going, he
gave the impression that he was going on farther. But they
urged him, “Stay with us, for it is nearly evening and the day is
almost over.” So he went in to stay with them. And it happened
that, while he was with them at table, he took bread, said the
blessing, broke it, and gave it to them. With that their eyes were
opened and they recognized him, but he vanished from their
sight.
—Luke 24:28–31
Reflection:
Jesus explained to the disciples on the road to Emmaus about
the Messiah and the revelations of the prophets, as it related to
Himself. Up until that point, they only recognized the human
side of Him. But then at table that night, He used expressions
and actions that reminded them of how He had acted before
the crucifixion (giving thanks, breaking bread and giving it to
them), and something in this opened their eyes to His Divine
Self as well. At that point, they realized that it had been Him
all along.
Prayer:
Dearest Jesus—You who care for me so – thank You for preparing
a heavenly place for me for all eternity. I love You. Amen.
Sunday: Believe in Ascension
2nd Glorious Mystery: The Ascension
Scripture:
I came from the Father and have come into the world. Now I
am leaving the world and going back to the Father.
—John 16:28
Reflection:
After Jesus had been resurrected and appeared to Mary
Magdalene, He spoke of His approaching ascension (when she
clung to Him). He said He was ascending to His Father and our
Father. Then, in Mark 16:19, we read the eyewitness accounts
of His ascension by the apostles: “After he had spoken to them,
he was taken up into heaven, and sat down at the right hand
of God.”
Prayer:
Accordingly, we believe in the ascension and affirm it in our
Apostles’ Creed when we say, “On the third day He rose
again from the dead, He ascended into heaven, and is seated
at the right hand of God, the Father almighty.” Dear Jesus, I
believe that You have ascended and sit at the right hand of the
Father. I ask You to intercede for me in the following matter:
_______________. Amen.
Sunday: Assimilate Faith
3rd Glorious Mystery: The Descent of the
Holy Spirit on Our Lady and the Apostles
Scripture:
Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them
in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the holy Spirit.
—Matthew 28:19
Reflection:
While at the Last Supper, Jesus told the disciples about the Holy
Spirit, Whom He promised to send them after He returned
to the Father. He said that the Holy Spirit would explain all
truth to them at such time as they were sufficiently ready to
receive it. Jesus said that the Holy Spirit would take what was
His, and declare it to them. Not only that, but He said that
all that the Father had was His (Jesus’s). Therefore, we see the
full reciprocation that exists between the three Persons of the
Trinity.
Prayer:
For this reason, again, we can see how what we profess in
church directly reflects what Jesus taught us about the Holy
Trinity. In the Nicene Creed we say, “I believe in the Holy
Spirit, the Lord the Giver of life, Who proceeds from the Father
and the Son; Who with the Father and the Son is adored and
glorified; Who has spoken through the prophets.” Dear Father,
assist me to assimilate the faith of Your church. Amen.
Sunday: Soar to Heaven
4th Glorious Mystery: The Assumption
Scripture:
Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes
in the one who sent me has eternal life and will not come to
condemnation, but has passed from death to life.
—John 5:24
Reflection:
We believe that Mary was exempted from original sin from the
moment she was conceived, and also, of course, spared from any
punishment because she never committed any sin. Part of why
we believe this is because it is only reasonable to believe that
God could never have united Himself to any human who had
the blemish of sin on their soul. When she passed away, she was
taken up body and soul into heaven to be with her Son, Jesus
Christ, forever.
Prayer:
When Jesus said to Martha, “I am the Resurrection and the
life; he who believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and
whoever lives and believes in me shall never die,” in John 11:25–
26, He was affirming that we will soar up to heaven someday,
if we believe and do our best to live His commandments. Dear
Jesus, God of Peace, please lift all the dearly departed faithful
into Your Heavenly Kingdom if they are not yet already there.
Amen.
Sunday: Clothed With the Sun
5th Glorious Mystery: The Coronation of our
Blessed Mother as Queen of Heaven and Earth
Scripture:
Daughters of kings are your lovely wives;/ a princess arrayed in
Ophir’s gold/ comes to stand at your right hand.
—Psalm 45:10
Reflection:
Mary was Mother of God and Spouse of the Holy Spirit, and
thus, perhaps it is only right that we call her Queen of the Angels
and the Saints. But, adding to this reasoning, we have the book
of Revelation, where John the Evangelist wrote that He saw “a
woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet,
and on her head a crown of twelve stars” (Revelation 12:1) –
immediately following his seeing the Ark of the Covenant –
inferring that they were one in the same things. This woman
gave birth to a baby boy, a little bit later in Chapter 12 of the
book of Revelation. The church naturally sees Mary in her and
believes that she was crowned Queen, having the crown of stars
above her head.
Prayer:
We see how we profess this when we say the Hail Holy Queen
prayer, “Hail, Holy Queen, Mother of Mercy, our life, our
sweetness, and our hope…” composed during the Middle Ages.
Mother Mary, Queen of Heaven, please pray for me in the
following urgent matter: __________________. Amen.
