“How unnatural it is not to speak to him, to ask him to help us, to express our sorrow if we offend him, to admire his goodness, to thank him for his benefits…. Our Lord, who is God, showed that he wished people to lay their requests before him. He let people ask him, and then he granted their requests. Moreover, he tells us to ask and keep on asking…. ” –Canon Francis J. Ripley (+ 1998)
Intention: I pray for Your help, Lord, today, in carrying out the work that You have given me to do.
Thursday: Baptism
1st Luminous Mystery: The Baptism
of Jesus in the Jordan
Scripture:
I prayed to the Lord, my God, and confessed, “Ah, Lord, great
and awesome God, you who keep your merciful covenant
toward those who love you and observe your commandments!”
—Daniel 9:4
Reflection:
Our gracious God accepts us just as we are, and through the
Sacrament of Baptism, affirms His merciful covenant with us.
The Father professes His love for us (His children) in baptism.
Prayer:
We each yearn to hear from the Father the same words He said
to Jesus at His baptism: “You are my beloved Son; with you I
am well pleased” (see Matthew 3:17). Lord, heal me all of my
childhood wounds, from any time I felt unwanted, abused or
neglected when I was a youngster. Amen.
Thursday: Generosity and Kindness
2nd Luminous Mystery: The Wedding Feast at Cana
Scripture:
Then the king will say to those on his right, “Come, you who
are blessed by my Father. Inherit the kingdom prepared for you
from the foundation of the world. For I was… thirsty and you
gave me drink.”
—Matthew 25:34–35
Reflection:
Giving a drink to those who are thirsty was one of Jesus’s
directives in Matthew 25 – a corporal work of mercy. Blessed
Mother Mary seemed to recognize this instantly at the wedding
feast of Cana when the wine ran short there.
Prayer:
Those who have asked Blessed Mother Mary to go to her
Son on their behalf are aware of how much generosity and
kindness she has for us all, because they have experienced such
a blessing as a result. Lord Jesus, Son of the Virgin Mary, may
Your Blessed Mother once again become loved and cherished
throughout the world. Amen.
Thursday: Listen
3rd Luminous Mystery: The Proclamation
of the Kingdom of Heaven
Scripture:
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,/ because he has anointed
me/ to bring glad tidings to the poor./ He has sent me to
proclaim liberty to captives/ and recovery of sight to the blind,/
to let the oppressed go free,/ and to proclaim a year acceptable
to the Lord.” Rolling up the scroll, he handed it back to the
attendant and sat down, and the eyes of all in the synagogue
looked intently at him. He said to them, “Today this scripture
passage is fulfilled in your hearing.”
—Luke 4:18–21
Reflection:
When we counsel the uncertain and educate the ignorant with
gentleness and kindness, we are performing spiritual works of
mercy. In this, we are allowing the Holy Spirit to use us as a
tool of the divine in diminishing the cloud of darkness that
surrounds the world.
Prayer:
When we listen to others faithfully and sincerely, we are giving
them the gift of Jesus’s ear and Jesus’s heart. Dear Jesus, True
Light, inspire the leaders of large corporations to listen with
Your heart to the needs of those affected by their business
activities in the world. Amen.
Thursday: Vessels of Hope and Love
4th Luminous Mystery: The Transfiguration
Scripture:
Behold, I tell you a mystery. We shall not all fall asleep, but we
will all be changed, in an instant, in the blink of an eye, at the
last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised
incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
—1 Corinthians 15:51–52
Reflection:
The transfiguration teaches us that everything and everyone is
adaptable to grand and holy change. Divine mercy desires our
transformation into vessels of hope and love for one another.
Prayer:
Dear Lord, bless all the holy souls in Purgatory with the
enlightenment of the mind and heart of Jesus Christ. Amen.
Thursday: Remember Him
5th Luminous Mystery: The Institution
of the Holy Eucharist
Scripture:
Then the king will say to those on his right, “Come, you who
are blessed by my Father. Inherit the kingdom prepared for you
from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you
gave me food.”
—Matthew 25:34–35
Reflection:
While His sacrifice on the Cross was imminently near, Jesus
instituted the Holy Eucharist, that by the memorial of His
suffering, death and resurrection, we would remember Him
and stay close to Him. It was a corporal work of mercy, as well
as a spiritual one, for us.
Prayer:
There is no telling how much our lives have been extended and
how much disaster has been averted, because of Jesus’s generosity
in providing the Holy Eucharist to us. Lord Heavenly Father,
cause the Blessed Sacrament to be more and more loved and
adored throughout the world, so that people may live lives that
are more joyful, more productive and more protected against
evil. Amen.
