“If we wish to love with all the intensity of our being, then we must be ready to sacrifice all things which prevent us from being loving every moment of the day.”  –Ronda Chervin

Intention: Lord, I call in healing and righteousness for America.

Monday: Trust in Holy Spirit
1st Joyful Mystery: The Annunciation
Scripture:
He is the image of the invisible God,/ the firstborn of all
creation.
—Colossians 1:15
Reflection:
Mary gave her fiat to God in a pure way; she did not question
or laugh at the angel when he asked her to become the mother
of God. From her, we learn how important it is to surrender to
God’s desire for us in an uncomplicated and trusting manner,
free of doubts and anxieties.
Prayer:
Jesus, please help me to enter into the unfamiliar territory to
which You lead me in life. Help me to trust in the grace of my
baptism into the Holy Spirit, knowing that that same Spirit will
be there for me to aid me in all my needs. Amen.

Monday: Praise From Holy Spirit
2nd Joyful Mystery: The Visitation
Scripture:
God mounts the throne amid shouts of joy;/ the Lord, amid
trumpet blasts./ Sing praise to God, sing praise;/ sing praise to
our king, sing praise.
—Psalm 47:6–7
Reflection:
Elizabeth and Mary, with their as-yet-unborn children John
and Jesus, came together to form an association of joy that
was fueled by a burst of praise from the Holy Spirit. This was
expressed with holiness in Mary’s Magnificat.
Prayer:
Lord Jesus, You give us Your love, joy and light every day, and
we can be aware of these blessings when we take the time to
pray and listen to You. Assist me in letting go of any guilt that
may linger after my sin has been confessed and I have received
absolution. Amen.

Monday: Empty Ourselves
3rd Joyful Mystery: The Nativity
Scripture:
Have among yourselves the same attitude that is also yours in
Christ Jesus,/ Who, though he was in the form of God,/ did not
regard equality with God/ something to be grasped./ Rather,
he emptied himself,/ taking the form of a slave,/ coming in
human likeness;/ and found human in appearance,/ he humbled
himself,/ becoming obedient to death,/ even death on a cross.
—Philippians 2:5–8
Reflection:
The Child Jesus was born in a lowly stable amongst the animals,
yet Mary and Joseph realized that He was the Son of God.
They teach us that no situation is a cause for feelings of gloom,
because God is still in control, even when we cannot see it.
Prayer:
Dearest Jesus, help me to empty myself of pride and self-interest,
and embrace the power of Your gospel message, that I may live
it out and share it always. Amen.

Monday: God is Love
4th Joyful Mystery: The Presentation in the Temple
Scripture:
[The Lord] said: They are indeed my people,/ children who
are not disloyal;/ So he became their savior/ in their every
affliction./ It was not a messenger or an angel,/ but he himself
who saved them./ Because of his love and pity/ he redeemed
them himself,/ Lifting them and carrying them/ all the days
of old.
—Isaiah 63:8–9
Reflection:
Mary accepted Simeon’s foreboding message without cringing,
because it came through him from God—Who is Love. She
seemed to understand that Divine Love would always find a
way to make joy out of sorrow and hope out of despair.
Prayer:
Heart of Jesus, King and Center of All Hearts, please inspire me
to dedicate myself to Your redeeming purpose in the world, so
that I may be Your arms, hands and legs in carrying out Your
grand plan of salvation for my brothers, my sisters and myself.
Amen.

Monday: God’s Mysterious Ways
5th Joyful Mystery: The Finding of
the Child Jesus in the Temple
Scripture:
Yet we do speak a wisdom to those who are mature, but not a
wisdom of this age, nor of the rulers of this age who are passing
away. Rather we speak God’s wisdom, mysterious, hidden,
which God predetermined before the ages for our glory, and
which none of the rulers of this age knew, for if they had known
it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.
—1 Corinthians 2:6–8
Reflection:
Mary and Joseph must have been on an emotional roller coaster
for the three days searching for Jesus and then finally finding
Him in the temple. Yet still, they managed to keep saying “yes”
to God in all His unusual and incomprehensible ways.
Prayer:
Dear God, You are mysterious in the way You permit or allow
things to happen in our lives, and in how Your wisdom unfolds
in our lives. Please give me the strength to hang onto the
emotional roller coaster of life while trusting in You—trusting
that You are accomplishing something incomprehensibly
worthwhile in my life. Amen.

“We should give all for the pearl of great price, which is Christ. Just as all married couples are called to love each other for their whole lives, no matter the sacrifices involved, so it is the teaching of the Church that every man is called to become a saint.”  –Ronda Chervin

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 me to do.

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.

“Only Luke was Mary’s secretary, so to say. He alone writes of the circumcision, the presentation in the Temple, the visitation of Elizabeth. He alone records Mary’s Canticle [the Magnificat], that she found the boy Jesus in the Temple, and Luke alone gives us some indication of what the Blessed Mother did after Christ’s Ascension into heaven, when he says that she persevered in prayer (cf. Acts 1:14).”  –Saint Lawrence of Brindisi (+ 1619)

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!

Saturday: Anger and Bitterness
1st Joyful Mystery: The Annunciation
Scripture:
Do you not know that you are the temple of God, and that the
Spirit of God dwells in you?
—1 Corinthians 3:16
Reflection:
If Mary had contained some blemish of sin in her, the angel
could not have told her that she was “full of grace.” Mary had
the Spirit of God within her, or else the angel could not have
told her, “The Lord is with you.” This is the same woman who
Jesus gave to us on the Cross. How blessed we are!
Prayer:
If we live with of the merits of Jesus who gives us forgiveness
and mercy, and live a virtuous life and have the benefit of the
grace of God, we will be living examples of the scripture,
“[My Father] will give you another counselor, to be with you
forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive,
because it neither sees him nor knows him; you know him, for
he dwells with you, and will be in you” (John 14:15–17). Holy
Spirit, come heal us of all anger and bitterness as a result of our
political differences. Amen.

Saturday: Living Sanctuary
2nd Joyful Mystery: The Visitation
Scripture:
From his fullness we have all received, grace in place of grace.
—John 1:16
Reflection:
This encounter between Our Lady and her cousin Elizabeth at
the visitation reveals to us Mary’s strong belief in God and her
profound humility: “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit
rejoices in God my Savior, for he has regarded the low estate of
his handmaiden” (Luke 1:46–48). It is the most superb hymn
of glory to God, Who gave her grace.
Prayer:
Mary is the living sanctuary of the Holy Trinity, where divinity
abounds. Dearest Mary, Mother of Good Counsel, pray for us
to be saved from our petty desires and demands, which get in
the way of our living together in peace on this planet. Amen.

Saturday: Believe, Adore,
Hope and Love
3rd Joyful Mystery: The Nativity
Scripture:
When [the shepherds] saw this, they made known the message
that had been told them about this child. All who heard it were
amazed by what had been told them by the shepherds.
—Luke 2:17–18
Reflection:
Christ Jesus came from God because He is God; He came down
from heaven and became a man, yet still retained His divinity.
He shined His light into the shadows of our dark world. He
can still be found in His words, in the Sacraments of the church
and inside of men, women and children across the earth. We
can look into the faces of one another, and see His face, if we
have the eyes to see.
Prayer:
After Jesus was born, the angel appeared to the shepherds,
who then came to Jesus and adored and believed in God. In
like manner, we can say to God, “My God, I believe, I adore,
I hope and I love Thee, and I beg pardon for all those who do
not believe, do not adore, do not hope and do not love Thee.”
Amen.

Saturday: Faithful to God
4th Joyful Mystery: The Presentation in the Temple
Scripture:
When eight days were completed for his circumcision, he was
named Jesus, the name given him by the angel before he was
conceived in the womb.
—Luke 2:21
Reflection:
By offering Jesus in the temple, Mary was fulfilling the Old
Law, and yet at the same time, she was fulfilling her role as
Co-Redemptrix of humanity.
Prayer:
Our Blessed Mother gives us a model of obedience to follow
in her compliance to the Old Law. Heart of Jesus, In Whom
the Father Was Well Pleased, inspire me to also follow Mary
by honoring and being faithful to God in His church. Amen.

Saturday: Add Prayers
5th Joyful Mystery: The Finding of
the Child Jesus in the Temple
Scripture:
We should not stay away from our assembly, as is the custom of
some, but encourage one another, and this all the more as you
see the day drawing near.
—Hebrews 10:25
Reflection:
Joseph, Mary and Jesus provide a wonderful model of Christian
devotion. It mattered not the long distance, nor the lack of
transport to Jerusalem. They were eager to add their prayers
to the prayers of all the other people who had gathered there.
Prayer:
We are so fortunate to have a church to which we can go—a
church that feeds us with the word of God and the Body and
Blood of Christ. Lord Jesus, Our God, lead me to Your church
every Sunday, that I can worship You together with my brothers
and sisters in Christ. Amen.

“I shall consider everything that happens to me, joyful or painful things, elevating or depressing, in the light of eternity. In my patience I will possess my soul. By neither word nor deed will I sin, and I will do everything out of love, and out of love I will suffer everything.”  –Blessed Bernhard Lichtenberg (+ 1943)

Intention:  Lord, please make of America a nation that becomes like a shining city on a hill for the rest of the world, and inspires the world to become more just, kind, peaceful, free, and resistant of Communism. I thank You God ahead of time for this.

Friday: Your Will Be Done
1st Sorrowful Mystery: The Agony in the Garden
Scripture:
Do you think that I cannot call upon my Father and he will not
provide me at this moment with more than twelve legions of
angels? But then how would the scriptures be fulfilled which
say that it must come to pass in this way?
—Matthew 26:53–54
Reflection:
Jesus was true God and true man and, on account of His
humanness, He chose to prepare for His passion through intense
prayer—which we know of as His agony in the Garden of
Gethsemane. His Father needed Him to be a sacrificial victim
to atone for human sins. Although it was abhorrent to His
human nature, He chose to sacrifice Himself for us, to make
satisfaction for the sins that we had committed.
Prayer:
Even if my distress is at its highest possible level, it could never
be as extreme as Jesus’s anguish, because He took on the sins
of all humanity in His sacrifice on the Cross. Heavenly Father,
help me to remember to pray Jesus’s prayer to You when I am
suffering and in distress: “Father, if you are willing, take this
cup away from me; still, not my will but yours be done” (Luke
22:42). Amen.

Friday: Infinite Value
2nd Sorrowful Mystery: The Scourging at the Pillar
Scripture:
Pilate questioned him, “Are you king of the Jews?” He said
to him in reply, “You say so.” The chief priests accused him
of many things. Again Pilate questioned him, “Have you no
answer? See how many things they accuse you of.” Jesus gave
him no further answer, so that Pilate was amazed.
—Mark 15:2–5
Reflection:
Jesus took on our human nature so that He could sacrifice
Himself at the pillar and on the Cross to make amends for
our sins, and thus accomplish our Redemption. The animals
sacrificed under the Old Law had only been of partial merit.
But Jesus, being wholly divine, as well as wholly human, had
infinite value in His sacrifice.
Prayer:
Jesus predicted what was going to happen to Him and could
have avoided it if He had wanted to. We can see this, because
He spoke of His passion a few times before it happened. Dear
Father, when I am facing a tough situation and doing the right
thing seems difficult, give me Your strength to follow Jesus’s
example and do Your will anyway. Amen.

Friday: Last Drop of Cup
3rd Sorrowful Mystery: The Crowning With Thorns
Scripture:
All who want to live religiously in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.
—2 Timothy 3:12
Reflection:
The soldiers ridiculed, scourged, and pierced Jesus with thorns.
And Pontius Pilate, though he thought Jesus was innocent,
submitted Him to all this and also to the ultimate suffering of
the crucifixion.
Prayer:
Even though the soldiers left Jesus in a pathetic state, and
Pilate proclaimed His innocence, the crowd insisted on Jesus’s
crucifixion, and Pilate capitulated. Lord Jesus, Angel of Great
Counsel, if I am ever persecuted by unjust powers-that-be, give
me Your tenacity and poise to endure until I drink every last
drop from the cup. Amen.

Friday: Faith, Hope and Love
4th Sorrowful Mystery: The Carrying of the Cross
Scripture:
So faith, hope, love remain, these three; but the greatest of these
is love.
—1 Corinthians 13:13
Reflection:
After Pilate handed Jesus over to carry His Cross, the soldiers
forced Him to trudge down the road to Golgotha. All the
while, in His weakened state, He had to endure the abusive
name-calling of the people who had lined the road to jeer
at Him.
Prayer:
Jesus dragged His Cross for our sake with the infinite faith, hope
and love of His divinity. Father, assist me in following in His
footsteps by giving me some of His faith, hope and love while I
carry my own cross in life, blessing anyone who disparages me
along the way and ignoring their detractions. Amen.

Friday: Heal Hearts
5th Sorrowful Mystery: The Crucifixion
Scripture:
Likewise the chief priests, with the scribes, mocked him among
themselves and said, “He saved others; he cannot save himself.
Let the Messiah, the King of Israel, come down now from the
cross that we may see and believe.” Those who were crucified
with him also kept abusing him.
—Mark 15:31–32
Reflection:
Jesus’s suffering and death were foretold by the prophet Isaiah
who said, “He was like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and
like a sheep that before its shearer is dumb and opened not his
mouth” (Isaiah 53:7). Jesus came, partly, to fulfill the scriptures.
Prayer:
Isaiah also foretold that Jesus would come to make reparation
for the sins of the people when he said, “He poured out his soul
to death, bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the
transgressors” (Isaiah 53:12). And then He forgave those who
had wounded and killed Him, too. Holy Spirit, come into our
land and heal those who have been wounded by people in the
church. Heal their hearts, Holy Spirit. Amen.

“The three-day death of the Lord announced through the prophets was predicted and promised and fulfilled. For the prophet Hosea says: After two days he will raise us from the dead; on the third day we will come, and we will find him as if he were made ready even before the light (6:3), showing that we will rise in him, because he deigned to take from us the flesh in which he died.” –Saint Quodvultdeus of Carthage (+ 450)

Intention:  Lord, please give us fair and honest elections.

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.

“Holiness is a disposition of the soul, of the heart, and, above all, of the will, toward God; the senses may play a role, but that is not necessary. Little Thérèse writes that dryness was her daily bread, but that she was nevertheless the happiest of creatures. She defined sanctity as ‘a disposition of the heart which makes us humble and small in the arms of God, conscious of our weakness, and confident to the point of audacity in the goodness of our Father.'”  –Father Jean du Cœur de Jésus d’Elbée (+ 1982)

Intention:  Lord, please 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.

Wednesday: New Possibilities
1st Glorious Mystery: The Resurrection of Our Lord
Scripture:
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who
in his great mercy gave us a new birth to a living hope through
the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance
that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for
you who by the power of God are safeguarded through faith, to
a salvation that is ready to be revealed in the final time.
—1 Peter 1:3–5
Reflection:
Because of Jesus’s resurrection, divine mercy comes into our
world, and our sins, inadequacies, mistakes and misgivings
do not have the power to remain within our beings, if we so
choose. Because of divine action, the unmanifest world of new
possibilities comes into the manifest world.
Prayer:
Dear Heavenly Father, because of the resurrection of Your Son,
divine grace replaces the past with the new possibility of a future
filled with love and fellowship. Strengthen our political leaders
to view one another with new eyes that see beyond political
parties, and encourage dialogue, harmony and reconciliation
with one another. Amen.

Wednesday: Holy and
Beautiful Blemishes
2nd Glorious Mystery: The Ascension of Our Lord
Scripture:
May your kindness, Lord, be upon us;/ we have put our hope
in you.
—Psalm 33:22
Reflection:
When Jesus rose into heaven through His ascension, He took
with Him the wounds from His torture on the Cross as holy and
beautiful blemishes, which symbolized the fact that kindness
and charity had won out over vengeful justice.
Prayer:
Divine mercy frees society from its blind addiction to instinctive
greed and opens up the potential for positive contributions to
one another. Heart of Jesus, Abode of Justice and Love, inspire
the wealthy of the world to freely give of their surplus treasure
to people and organizations who desperately need it. Amen.

Wednesday: Holy Spirit
Transforms Us
3rd Glorious Mystery: The Descent of the
Holy Spirit on Our Lady and the Apostles
Scripture:
[Peter said,] “God raised this Jesus; of this we are all witnesses.
Exalted at the right hand of God, he received the promise of the
holy Spirit from the Father and poured it forth, as you [both]
see and hear.”
—Acts 2:32–33
Reflection:
Divine love and benevolence flow down from the Heavenly
Father, through Jesus, and then connects us to the Divine
Person of the Holy Spirit.
Prayer:
The Holy Spirit approaches us and transforms us, and in so
doing, makes us more merciful ourselves. Dear Jesus, send Your
Spirit to all the peoples of the Earth, to make us kinder and
more merciful, one to another, and turn us from destruction
and war to make our planet a place of peace. Amen.

Wednesday: Caress Us
4th Glorious Mystery: The Assumption
of Our Blessed Mother
Scripture:
And when this which is corruptible clothes itself with
incorruptibility and this which is mortal clothes itself with
immortality, then the word that is written shall come about:
“Death is swallowed up in victory./ Where, O death, is your
victory?/ Where, O death, is your sting?”
—1 Corinthians 15:54–55
Reflection:
The hands of the Blessed Mother nestled Jesus as a Babe and
embraced Him tenderly after He died. These same hands will
also caress us someday, in heaven. We can hope for that – and
immortal life in paradise—with those who love us dearly.
Prayer:
Our Blessed Mother is in heaven awaiting us, which is a favor
provided for us by the Heavenly Father. Dearest Jesus, Lover of
Chastity, please make our Earth more merciful by abolishing
abortion. Amen.

Wednesday: Comfort and Console
5th Glorious Mystery: The Coronation of Our
Blessed Mother as Queen of Heaven and Earth
Scripture:
His mercy is from age to age/ to those who fear him./ He has
shown might with his arm,/ dispersed the arrogant of mind and
heart./ He has thrown down the rulers from their thrones/ but
lifted up the lowly.
—Luke 1:50–52
Reflection:
In her Queenly function as Co-Mediatrix of Graces, Our
Blessed Mother dispenses the divine mercy that comes from
Jesus to those of us who are wholly undeserving of it, but who
are hopefully thankful for it.
Prayer:
We lowly humans so often feel remorse and anxiety, but we
can be sure that Our Blessed Mother and Queen is always
there to comfort and console us. Dear Blessed Mother, Queen
of all Saints, please pray for all those who are struggling with
addiction of any kind, that they may be released from their
struggle. Amen.

“The struggle goes on against the Spirit of Evil, known as Beelzebul. Do not fear. By whatever name man may insult you, your innocence, your faith, and your piety will yet be revealed, not only at the Last Judgment but also in this present life. Virtue is, as it were, smothered by the smoke of envy and malice, but in the end it catches fire and bursts into the flame of truth, glorifying the just man. This is what Jesus has told us.”  –Saint John XXIII (+ 1963)

Intention:  Lord, please give us a society that becomes more religious again, and has a Christian revival. I thank You God for the revival that is already started.

Tuesday: God’s Gentleness is Grace
1st Sorrowful Mystery: The Agony in the Garden
Scripture:
His disciples realized what was about to happen, and they asked,
“Lord, shall we strike with a sword?” And one of them struck
the high priest’s servant and cut off his right ear. But Jesus said
in reply, “Stop, no more of this!” Then he touched the servant’s
ear and healed him.
—Luke 22:49–51
Reflection:
When we suffer cruelty, our best recourse is to throw ourselves
into God’s arms and into His benevolence. His gentleness is
grace.
Prayer:
Guardian Angel, let me know if there is anyone in my
environment who is suffering, so that I may comfort them for
a little while, and help them endure it. Amen.

Tuesday: Refuse to Whip
2nd Sorrowful Mystery: The Scourging at the Pillar
Scripture:
For [Pilate] knew that it was out of envy that they had handed
him over. While he was still seated on the bench, his wife sent
him a message, “Have nothing to do with that righteous man.
I suffered much in a dream today because of him.”
—Matthew 27:18–19
Reflection:
Jesus endured a scourging, which was a vicious punishment
that was invented by those who enjoyed inflicting harm upon
others.
Prayer:
Dear Lord Jesus, Eternal Wisdom, for all the times that I refuse
to whip others with my tongue, please use it for the sake of
peace on earth. Amen.

Tuesday: Teach Through Silence
3rd Sorrowful Mystery: The Crowning With Thorns
Scripture:
Once more Pilate went out and said to them, “Look, I am
bringing him out to you, so that you may know that I find no
guilt in him.”
—John 19:4
Reflection:
It sometimes takes some wee little suffering on our part – such
as to bear a little disrespect – in order to teach others who
are ignorant of God’s laws. In our silence, we can sometimes
instruct more than words could ever do. For example, the
centurion and guards who were keeping watch over Jesus said,
“Truly, this was the Son of God!” (Matthew 27:54) after He
bore His passion with such silent suffering.
Prayer:
“King of the Jews” was the ironic truism that Pontius Pilate
had inscribed above Jesus’s head on the Cross. Jesus, You are the
legitimate King of Heaven and Earth! Inspire in me how I can
help to bring others to You. Amen.

Tuesday: Yoke Me to Jesus
4th Sorrowful Mystery: The Carrying of the Cross
Scripture:
Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and
humble of heart; and you will find rest for yourselves.
—Matthew 11:29
Reflection:
Jesus’s fervor while carrying His Cross seems to be almost a
crime; why would He adore it so much? It seems that no matter
what His torturers did to Him, He still yearned to complete
His mission.
Prayer:
Dearest Jesus, You went to Your death for the benefit of sinners.
Enlighten those who despise Your Cross as mere folly. Yo k e
me to Yourself as I carry my cross to the finish line. Amen.

Tuesday: Divine Mercy
5th Sorrowful Mystery: The Crucifixion
Scripture:
Those passing by reviled him, shaking their heads and saying,
“Aha! You who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three
days, save yourself by coming down from the cross.”
—Mark 15:28–30
Reflection:
Everything that Jesus did on the Cross, such as absolving His
executioners, promising heaven to the “good thief” and giving
His mother to us as our mother, reveals a divine mercy inside of
Him that is hard for mortal men to fathom. Jesus quotes Psalm
22, which at its end praises God and declares that all the ends of
the earth will turn to Him – even while He is in the throes of
His most agonizing passion. There was never a truer devotion;
nor, a more divine mercy!
Prayer:
Jesus Christ, out of Your pierced side came the Blood and
Water of Your divine tenderness. Pour out Your goodwill over
everyone who thinks only of themselves, their occupations and
their daily lives, so that they may be converted, repent, receive
Your Holy Spirit and come to faith in You. Amen.

“The more I meditate on Christian prayer, the more I find that it is essentially a preparation to receive God’s grace and the kingdom which is coming. When my prayer is sincere, I ardently desire the coming of the Lord and I receive the Holy Spirit—that most sublime gift of the Father. The gift of the Father’s love is the kingdom of heaven, and to receive the kingdom is to be forgiven, on the condition that we know how to forgive our own brothers and sisters.” –Venerable Francis Xavier Nguyên Văn Thuân (+ 2002)

Intention:  Lord, please bless us with a President and Justice Department which are non-partisan in their actions. I thank You God ahead of time for this.

Monday: Quantum Leap
1st Joyful Mystery: The Annunciation
Scripture:
In the lifetime of those kings the God of heaven will set up
a kingdom that shall never be destroyed or delivered up to
another people; rather, it shall break in pieces all these kingdoms
and put an end to them, and it shall stand forever.
—Daniel 2:44
Reflection:
When the angel came to Mary, it was like a quantum leap
forward in human evolution, inserted into a previously grim
world experience. The angel announced a new Kingdom that
would never end. Human evil has been transformed little by
little ever since, into human virtue.
Prayer:
Dear Lord, no matter what I may have done that was sinful in
my past, help me to come to Your forgiveness with repentance,
but also with determination and assurance, and bestow upon
me Your compassion, which endures forever. Amen.

Monday: Merciful
2nd Joyful Mystery: The Visitation
Scripture:
Be merciful, just as [also] your Father is merciful.
—Luke 6:36
Reflection:
Mercy lives in Mary and in her Divine Babe, which we can see
reflected in her merciful action at the visitation of Elizabeth.
Mary’s charity was a divine connection between God and the
human race.
Prayer:
Heart of Jesus, Fountain of Life and Holiness, thank You for
Your forgiveness. Please give me Your love, to become more
merciful toward others and myself. Amen.

Monday: Visit the Imprisoned
3rd Joyful Mystery: The Nativity
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… in prison and
you visited me.”
—Matthew 25:34–36
Reflection:
For humanity, which was caged in its sin, Jesus’s birth was
one of the labors of mercy that He talked about in Matthew
25: visiting the imprisoned. We were imprisoned in our sins
before Jesus came. With God incarnate visiting us, we came
to experience His love and forgiveness in a way that we could
never have fathomed, had He not come down to meet us in
the flesh.
Prayer:
Dear Lord, without You I can do nothing. Break me out of
the jail of sin and death, and give me the grace to follow You.
Amen.

Monday: See You in Me
4th Joyful Mystery: The Presentation in the Temple
Scripture:
As to what is within, give alms, and behold, everything will
be clean for you.
—Luke 11:41
Reflection:
Just as Jesus’s parents presented Him to the temple in an act of
mercy, we participate in this hallowed action by offering our
acts of mercy to the underprivileged and destitute. Just as we
have received Jesus, we should give back to Him—in the faces
of the poor.
Prayer:
Lord, Our Lover, give me the ability to present every charity
that I give to others as a representation of Yourself. Let them
see only You in me. Amen.

Monday: Comfort of His Presence
5th Joyful Mystery: The Finding of
the Child Jesus in the Temple
Scripture:
Learn from the way the wild flowers grow. They do not work
or spin. But I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor
was clothed like one of them. If God so clothes the grass of the
field, which grows today and is thrown into the oven tomorrow,
will he not much more provide for you, O you of little faith?
—Matthew 6:28–30
Reflection:
As St. Joseph and the Blessed Virgin Mary anxiously searched
for Jesus, they were afflicted with the loss of His comforting
presence.
Prayer:
Dear Holy Spirit, as I seek Jesus every day, remind me to reach
out to others in kindness, who may be afflicted and seeking
Him too (whether they realize it or not). Amen.

“I come to you, O Lord, not only because I am unhappy without you, not only because I feel I need you, but because your grace draws me on to seek you for your own sake, because you are so glorious and beautiful. I come in great fear, but in greater love. Oh, may I never lose, as years pass away, and the heart shuts up, and all things are a burden, let me never lose this youthful, eager, elastic love of you.”  –Saint John Henry Newman (+ 1890)

Intention:  Lord, please bless us with a Constitution that functions as it was intended to function. I thank You God ahead of time for this.

Sunday: My Resurrection
1st Glorious Mystery: The Resurrection
Scripture:
Very early when the sun had risen, on the first day of the week,
they came to the tomb. They were saying to one another, “Who
will roll back the stone for us from the entrance to the tomb?”
When they looked up, they saw that the stone had been rolled
back; it was very large. On entering the tomb they saw a young
man sitting on the right side, clothed in a white robe, and they
were utterly amazed. He said to them, “Do not be amazed! You
seek Jesus of Nazareth, the crucified. He has been raised; he is
not here. Behold, the place where they laid him. But go and
tell his disciples and Peter, ‘He is going before you to Galilee;
there you will see him, as he told you.’”
—Mark 16:2–7
Reflection:
Even when we mourn our dead, we need to think of the
resurrection that we anticipate for them, and then sing,
“Alleluia!”
Prayer:
Lord, help me to hope in my own resurrection, which is
promised by the resurrection of Jesus Christ—if I live Jesus’s
commandments and believe in Him. Amen.

Sunday: Walk With Holy Spirit
2nd Glorious Mystery: The Ascension
Scripture:
While meeting with [the apostles], [Jesus] enjoined them not
to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for “the promise of the
Father about which you have heard me speak; for John baptized
with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the holy
Spirit.”
—Acts 1:4–5
Reflection:
A priest, religious or layperson in love with God brings
compassion and holiness to others wherever they go, because
they walk with the Holy Spirit so much.
Prayer:
Dear Jesus, Infinite Goodness, assist me to rise above the
negativity in the world, and to freely throw myself into Your
arms, as I embrace Your will for my life and Your Holy Spirit.
Amen.

Sunday: Enliven the Church
3rd Glorious Mystery: The Descent of the
Holy Spirit on Our Lady and the Apostles
Scripture:
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing,
so that you may abound in hope by the power of the holy Spirit.
—Romans 15:13
Reflection:
In the upper room at the Last Supper, Jesus promised the
disciples that the Holy Spirit would come. Later on, after Jesus
was crucified, in the same upper room with Mary present, the
promise was fulfilled, and the disciples became apostles: they
were filled with the power, love, joy and peace of the Spirit –
Jesus’s Spirit.
Prayer:
Mother Mary, Virgin Most Powerful, pray for the church in
this modern time, that the Holy Spirit would enliven Her and
encourage Her to grow and flourish across the globe. Amen.

Sunday: Shower Me
4th Glorious Mystery: The Assumption
Scripture:
For see, the winter is past,/ the rains are over and gone./ The
flowers appear on the earth,/ the time of pruning the vines
has come,/ and the song of the dove is heard in our land./ The
fig tree puts forth its figs,/ and the vines, in bloom, give forth
fragrance./ Arise, my beloved, my beautiful one, and come!
—Song of Songs 2:11–13
Reflection:
The assumption image of Mary that the Oriental Christians
prefer is her dormition: that sweet sleep of death where Jesus
is nearer to her heart and soul than anyone else could be, in
heaven. Western Christians prefer the image of her dying, then
rising up to heaven, body and soul, the most beautiful creature
God ever made. Either way, let us follow her up to heaven when
our time comes, with joy, and with trust in the process.
Prayer:
Dear Mother Mary, thank you for going up to heaven first.
You paved the way for me to follow. When I get there, Lord,
please welcome me with open arms and shower me with Your
love. Amen.

Sunday: Supernatural Peace
5th Glorious Mystery: The Coronation of our
Blessed Mother as Queen of Heaven and Earth
Scripture:
Jerusalem, take off your robe of mourning and misery;/ put
on the splendor of glory from God forever:/ Wrapped in the
cloak of justice from God,/ bear on your head the mitre/ that
displays the glory of the eternal name./ For God will show all
the earth your splendor.
—Baruch 5:1–3
Reflection:
The coronation of Mary is the fusion of the whole Rosary
into one. From the grand mission that God entrusted to Mary
at the annunciation, and through every other mystery we
have considered, God’s everlasting plan of salvation has shone
through. In this one, we are reunified with the majesty of
heaven.
Prayer:
Oh, Mother Mary, Queen of Angels, your experience highlights
for us the glory that awaits us in heaven, where there is no
misery, but where we will experience supernatural peace! Please
pray for us to go there after we pass from this life. Amen.

“Don’t yield to the trickery of Satan.  Don’t stop at the sight of obstacles but always be generous and ready to begin the battle again, and don’t set down your arms until your last breath. Offer part of your struggle for those who live in God’s disfavor, so that you might obtain by your sufferings, bathed in the most precious blood of Jesus, the conversion of many sinners.”  –Blessed Clelia Merloni (+ 1930)

Intention:   Lord, please bless us with a society that seeks Your face and prays to You earnestly. I thank You God ahead of time for this.

Saturday: Redeemed
1st Joyful Mystery: The Annunciation
Scripture:
He had to become like his brothers in every way, that he might
be a merciful and faithful high priest before God to expiate the
sins of the people.
—Hebrews 2:17
Reflection:
Mary accepted the call to divine maternity, becoming the
mother of God, so that all of us could become adopted children
of God through her Son Jesus Christ, through His sacrifice on
the Cross.
Prayer:
Dear Blessed Mother, I shall be ever grateful to you, who
sacrificed the quality of your life so that we could be redeemed
through your Son. Pray for me to acquire the virtues of charity
and humility, and so follow in your footsteps and in the footsteps
of Jesus. Amen.

Saturday: Reunion
2nd Joyful Mystery: The Visitation
Scripture:
Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, heartfelt
compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience,
bearing with one another and forgiving one another, if one
has a grievance against another; as the Lord has forgiven you,
so must you also do. And over all these put on love, that is, the
bond of perfection.
—Colossians 3:12–14
Reflection:
As we meditate on this mystery, we may realize that in emulating
Mary’s charitable visit to Elizabeth, we too are called to reunion
with everyone with whom we have ties – ties of being our
relatives, ties of being our neighbors, ties of being in the same
nation and ties of even just being in the same world. We are
called to unity and charity with everyone, even those who
consider themselves our “enemies.” Even if we never even speak
to them again in this life, we can at least pray for them.
Prayer:
Heart of Jesus, Full of Goodness and Love, help me to attain
the lofty and worthwhile goal of having universal charity for
everyone—through forgiveness if necessary—and of praying for
them (even my enemies). Amen.

Saturday: Jesus Seeks Us
3rd Joyful Mystery: The Nativity
Scripture:
Then Herod called the magi secretly and ascertained from them
the time of the star’s appearance. He sent them to Bethlehem
and said, “Go and search diligently for the child. When you
have found him, bring me word, that I too may go and do him
homage.” After their audience with the king they set out. And
behold, the star that they had seen at its rising preceded them,
until it came and stopped over the place where the child was.
They were overjoyed at seeing the star.
—Matthew 2:7–10
Reflection:
The magi represent all the peoples of the earth – Europeans,
Americans, Asians, Africans, Australians – all who seek Jesus
from afar to come bend their knees to his manger in adoration,
as He seeks them afar with his eyes as a Babe, as if looking
deeply into the future and deeply into the past, to envelop them
all with His love and to give them the gift of His forgiveness
and redemption.
Prayer:
Dear Jesus, please be with all the babies in the world, and
give them Your joy and love. Give their parents the grace of
knowing You and loving You, so they can bring their children
up with Christian values. Amen.

Saturday: Jesus Came for All
4th Joyful Mystery: The Presentation in the Temple
Scripture:
Devote your hearts and souls to seeking the Lord your God.
—1 Chronicles 22:19
Reflection:
In this mystery, we contemplate the Baby Jesus being offered
at the temple in accordance with Jewish Law. It was as if the
Old Testament was meeting the New, that day. He came
for the Israelites as well as the Gentiles, kings as well as
peasants—everybody.
Prayer:
Lord, I pray for all people who are seeking You but do not know
how to find You. Aid them in locating You, Jesus—their true
answer in life. Amen.

Saturday: Wisdom and Knowledge
5th Joyful Mystery: The Finding of
the Child Jesus in the Temple
Scripture:
You shall not bear hatred for your brother in your heart.
Though you may have to reprove your fellow man, do not incur
sin because of him. Take no revenge and cherish no grudge
against your fellow countrymen. You shall love your neighbor
as yourself. I am the Lord.
—Leviticus 19:17–18
Reflection:
Jesus, only twelve-years-old, disappeared and was found three
days later amongst the doctors of the Old Testament Law. They
probably discussed the above scripture from Leviticus and many
other critical passages from the scrolls of the Law and Prophets.
It was a considerable honor to hold discussions with the doctors
of the Law at that time, and so all the more special for a twelve-year-old boy to be holding them. In those days, wisdom and
knowledge were held in very high esteem.
Prayer:
Lord, I pray for all those involved in research and education of
intellectual fields of study, that their efforts may lead to a kinder,
healthier and more humane society. Amen.