The Rosary for everyday life

 by Steve Minarik

The gospel message is timeless. What those who lived in the time of Jesus were able to learn and take away from his teaching and example as well as the example of his mother Mary we too can learn, take away and apply to our lives today. The mysteries of the Rosary are the Gospel message and as such are a timeless, eternal message for our lives even today. How can we apply those mysteries to ourselves? What impact can those events have in our lives today? How can we live the message of the Rosary and invite others to share in the hope and joy of Jesus? Read through the mysteries and the corresponding Bible verses. Contemplate how you are able to relate to each passage and mystery and how they fit into your life. Through meditation and reflection on these Mysteries we all can grow to realize how each helps us to live and understand our faith better, working in cooperation with God to return our world to the way it was “in the beginning” when “He found it very good” (Gen. 1:31).

“But when the fullness of time had come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to ransom those under the law, so that we might receive adoption. As proof that you are his children, God sent the spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying out, ‘Abba, Father!’ So you are no longer a slave but a child, and if a child then also an heir, through God”. (Galatians 4:4-7)

The Joyful Mysteries

The Annunciation, Lk. 1:26-38 – The angel Gabriel is sent to bring God’s message to Mary that God wishes for her to bring Jesus to the world. God offers us this same opportunity to welcome Jesus into our lives every day. He tells us that he wants us to receive Jesus in our very being; that “Christ might make his home in our hearts” (Eph. 3:17) so that through faith in Him we might make our home in heaven (Jn. 3:16; Mt. 25:23). We look to Mary as our example to follow in this mystery because of her response to God’s request, “May it be done to me according to your word” (Lk. 1:38). When God calls us to welcome Jesus into our daily lives do we give the same response as Mary? How often do we shy away, or reject God’s request because of how uncomfortable it might make us feel, or because of the way we think others will look at us – or because we may be ashamed of ourselves (Lk. 5:8)? Let us make the effort when we meditate on this mystery to be more open to receiving Jesus in our lives, trusting his Word even if we don’t completely understand (Lk. 1:34) and having the courage to say when God calls us as Mary did, “May it be done to me  according to your word”.

The Visitation, Lk. 1:39-56 – Mary has accepted God’s invitation to dwell and grow within her as a living tabernacle. As a result she becomes filled with joy and grace. She goes to visit her cousin Elizabeth who recognizes the grace and gift God has bestowed on her through the reaction of the child she carries in her womb who “leaped for joy” upon her greeting. Mary, filled with grace and joy, cooperating with the divine life of God within her then professed her canticle: “My soul proclaims the glory of the Lord…” (Lk. 1:46-55), the beginning of which recalls Psalm 19 and the Glory of the Lord revealed in his creation through his Word. When we accept God’s invitation to receive Jesus into our lives we become more joy-filled. We become filled with the urge to reveal to others the joy we have and our “reason for hope” (1Pt. 3:15) in God’s Word, Jesus. Let us make the effort when we meditate on this mystery to recognize the joy and grace God brings to our lives when we welcome him and be anxious to tell others of how our souls “proclaim the glory of God”. Maybe, by our efforts others will recognize the joy of the Lord we have and see His promise in us as Elizabeth did in Mary.

The Nativity, Lk. 2:1-14 – Love aches to make itself known to its beloved and so “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us” (Jn. 1:1,14); Mary gave birth and brought Jesus into the world to be known. Her “yes” to God’s request is made visible to others. She lives her faith nurturing the Son of God, preparing him to go out into the world, aware of the responsibility, the “passion” that comes with her faith; her “yes”. This nativity is re-presented at every Mass. Jesus, waiting for us in the tabernacle, is birthed by our mother the Church and introduced to us through the words of the priest: “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world” (Jn. 1:29). We then have the opportunity through our “yes”/”amen” when we receive Jesus in Holy Communion to not only receive His divine life, uniting His Being with our being, but we then also have the opportunity to become living tabernacles with the Lord substantially, actually dwelling in our hearts; in our personhood waiting for us to make him visible and show Him to the world as Mary did. Let us make the effort when we meditate on this mystery to make Jesus more visible to the world in our words and deeds, nurturing and maturing our faith as Mary nurtured the child Jesus to maturity (1 Pt. 2:2-3), preparing ourselves so that people truly see Jesus made visible in us by how we live our lives. Let us make Jesus visible to the world in our very essence, bringing Him out into our daily encounters so that just as those who encountered Jesus two thousand years ago might have said, “He has his mother’s eyes and his mother’s smile”, might today say to us, “I see the face of Christ in you”.

The presentation of Jesus in the Temple, Lk. 2:22-38 – In this mystery Mary, with Joseph, takes Jesus to the temple to fulfill the requirements of the law (Ex. 13:2, 12). Even though Mary knows that she has given birth to the very Son of God she remains obedient to the requirements of the Temple; her faith. She wishes to give to God what is due to God and not presume any favoritism upon herself even though the angel told her that she had been favored by God (Dt. 6:4-9; Phil. 2:12-13). In this mystery we see the example of humility Mary and Joseph provide for us. In living our faith do we live as the holy Family did, living in obedience to what God and his Church ask of us? Do we live our faith humbly, not presuming our own salvation simply because we are members of his holy Catholic Church? Let us make the effort as we meditate on this mystery to be more obedient to our faith, “not regarding equality with God something to be grasped …, but rather humbling ourselves, becoming (more) obedient” to God’s word and instruction (Phil. 2:6).

The Finding of Jesus in the Temple, Lk. 2:41-52– In this mystery the Holy Family heads to Jerusalem to celebrate the Jewish Passover. In their routine of things, they head home at the completion of the Passover celebration, but lose track of Jesus who is still in the temple. Returning to Jerusalem they find him still in the temple having conversation with the teachers of the faith on the third day. After seeking him and finding him they bring him home with them. In this mystery we see the joy we have of finding, or rediscovering Jesus in our lives whom we thought was lost. We also see in this mystery how difficult it can be to hold on to our faith at all times. So often we become distracted, or pulled away from our faith, our relationship with Jesus, that we too abandon Him and leave him behind. Far too often we bring him to church with us, or bring him to catechism class with us, but leave him there, abandoning him for the rest of the week, sometimes even intentionally. Let us make the effort when we meditate on this mystery to hold on to Jesus and bring him with us every day, wherever we go. Let us make the effort to receive Him at Mass and bring him with us, making him visible to all we meet until we receive him again at the next Mass, when we can make the effort to bring Him with us again.

The Sorrowful Mysteries

The Agony in the Garden, Mt. 26:36-46– “Peace be with you”, Jesus says. “Do not let your hearts be troubled” (Jn. 14:27). This is the testing of our faith. Jesus prepares himself for the sacrifice he must make for our salvation. The Apostles with him become increasingly frightened and confused. Upon the arrest of Jesus they begin to fear what their faith may cost them. Very often these days our faith is met with people who fear it and even become hostile to it, wishing to eliminate truth and not face God. Jesus asked his apostles to pray in the garden that they might not be put to the test (Mt. 26:41), the same petition we pray in the “Our Father” prayer: “Lead us not into temptation”. He asked them as he asks us to pray for the strength to stand firm in our faith and not surrender to the temptation to abandon our faith when trials come, or fall prey to the “spirit of the times” (1 Jn. 2:15-17) that encourages abandonment of faith and a Godless society, deeming faith in God unnecessary (Mt. 24:24; 2 Pt. 2:1-2). Let us heed the words of St. Peter when Jesus asked his Apostles, “Do you too wish to go?”, responding as Peter did, “To whom shall we go? You have the words of everlasting life” (Jn. 6:67-68). Let us make the effort when we meditate on this mystery to pray for the strength we need to stand up for and stand firm in our faith when tests, trials and opposition to our faith confront us (2 Tim. 3:10-15).

The Scourging at the pillar, Lk. 23:18-25– In this mystery Jesus is tortured for proclaiming God’s truth. He is beaten and whipped by those who are afraid of God. They mistakenly believe that they can silence truth through force. They mistakenly believe they – the world – will be better off by trying to silence Truth. This mystery points out the physical difficulties we may face as a result of living our faith (Mt. 10:16-22; Acts 5:27-29, 40). We may encounter those who tease, taunt, ostracize and even bully those of us who express our faith, looking for ways to silence us because they fear facing God and his truth. The truth of God is love (1 Jn. 4:8) which we must be willing share with others at any cost (Jn. 13:34) – it is the only way humanity will find happiness. Let us make the effort when we meditate on this mystery to continue to pray that God gives us the strength we need to proclaim his truth in both word and deed even if we may face these trials, proclaiming His truth in love so that one day no one will fear Him and his truth.

The Crowning With Thorns, Mk. 15:16-20 In this mystery Jesus’ suffering continues. They place a crown of thorns on his head symbolizing the mental struggles we face in living out our faith. The words of Jesus on the cross are all too familiar to us when we face difficulties and trials: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me”? These words also begin Psalm 22 and continue, “Why so far from my call for help, from my cries of anguish”? These words of desperation can be so often on our lips. Think of how Mary dealt with facing her son’s arrest, torture and execution. Do you not think these words may have entered into her mind too? Yet we see her remaining obedient to God and trusting in him, following him all the way to the cross. We should look to her as an example of how we can trust God in our struggles with anxiety and despair – when things seem hopeless. Let us make the effort when we meditate on this mystery to trust that God will not abandon us as he did not, nor could not abandon Jesus on the cross; just as he did not, nor would not abandon Mary who was there at the foot of the cross, living out in faith the fulfillment of the words she spoke to the Angel Gabriel – in union with Jesus’ words in the Garden of Gethsemane, “Be it done to me according to thy word” (Lk. 1:38; Mt. 26:39). He will deliver us as Psalm 22 promises at its conclusion as he delivered his people through Moses from Egypt at the Passover and as he has done for all those who hold on to and proclaim his Word.

The Carrying of the Cross, Lk. 23:26-32– Jesus said, “Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross and follow me” (Mk.8:34). Here Jesus leads the way. He carries his cross; he lives out the faith he preached for the world to see. He could have resisted his executioners, or collapsed half way through his agonizing walk to Calvary at each time he fell, or found other ways to spare himself whatever humiliation he could, but instead he stood and embraced his cross as he asked his followers to do long before his arrest, preparing them for what would come. How do we embrace the crosses that we receive in life; those difficulties that make our faith a sacrifice? Do we live life humbly enough to face our shortcomings and imperfections and say to ourselves and maybe even to others that we need to perfect ourselves and then make the effort to improve? To have faults and failings is not what is disappointing in God’s eyes, it is refusing to acknowledge them and not trying to correct them that saddens him. When we embrace our cross we become stronger, and Jesus wants us to call on him to help us carry our cross just as Simon helped Jesus carry his. Let us make the effort when we meditate on this mystery to humble ourselves, to acknowledge and face our shortcomings and imperfections, asking God for the grace to overcome them and seek to perfect ourselves as God intends (Mt. 5:48). His Sacrament of Reconciliation is there to help relieve the burden of your cross (Mt. 11:28-30).

The Crucifixion, Jn. 19:17-30 – Jesus is nailed to the cross. What appears to be tragedy becomes triumph. Jesus has triumphed over sin; over death. He has “made all things new” (Rev. 21:5). This is the end result of embracing our cross as well; our lives too will be made new. The sin and failures we have carried and brought before God along our “way of the cross” meet their end here. Many times we are tempted to turn away from the crucifixion because there is pain and uncertainty in letting go of our old ways and habits; we see the cross as a negative. Look more closely though; is it not a positive? The beams of the cross intersect as a “plus” sign, where the horizontal beam of death is contradicted by the vertical beam of life upon which the cross stands. To accept our crucifixion is to die to our old self in and with Jesus so that we may rise to new life with him where “He shall wipe away all tears from [our] eyes: and death shall be no more…, nor sorrow shall be any more, for [our] former [selves] are passed away” (Rev. 21:4). Let us make the effort when we meditate on this mystery to see the cross as a positive; to see beyond the pain of change to the resurrection that is on the other side – where the horizontal death of our old, sinful selves gives way to the vertical new life in Jesus that raises us upward to heaven.

The Glorious Mysteries

The Resurrection, Mt. 28:1-10 – Jesus fulfills the promise God first makes to us in Genesis when he declares that the seed of the woman (Jesus) shall crush the head of the serpent and restore our relationship with God (Gen. 3:15). The resurrection is the gateway that has been opened for us to be in union with God again. It is here we begin our new life. It is here we can show others the victory we can have over sin; the victory we can have over our faults and failures by trusting in God’s promise to us. Through our own “resurrections” in overcoming our daily crosses we can bring the Good News of God’s truth to others, opening their minds to it as Jesus did for those disciples he met on the road to Emmaus (Lk. 24). We can show others the victory that is possible through Jesus. Let us make the effort when we meditate on this mystery to bring the Gospel message to others, in particular to those who suffer through the pain of their own crosses. Let us be the ones to show them the resurrection that awaits their embrace of their cross (Lk. 15:21-23).

The Ascension, Acts 1:6-12 – Jesus completes his time and purpose on earth and ascends to heaven to sit at God’s right hand. Before ascending, Jesus spent time with his disciples opening their minds to receive “all truth” through the Holy Spirit (Lk. 24:45; Jn. 16:12-15). He comforted them and reassured them of God’s promise to those who seek Him (Mt. 7:7-8). He gave them courage, peace and authority to continue His mission. We too are asked to pass on the teaching of Jesus to others; to echo God’s Word back faithfully (or in Greek, to catechize). We should be willing to comfort, reassure and prepare those we know to live in God’s truth. Part of our duty as Christians is to carry out the Great Commission Jesus gave to his Apostles before ascending into heaven: to “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations”, assuring them that He is “with you always, until the end of the age” (Mt. 28:19,20). Let us make the effort when we meditate on this mystery to echo back faithfully Jesus to others, “teaching them to observe all that [Jesus has] commanded” (Mt. 28:20), making disciples of all those whom we meet, living the hope that we may all one day join Jesus with God in heaven, our true home, which God desires all people to enter in to (Jn. 3:16-17).

The Descending of the Holy Spirit on the Apostles, Acts 2:1-13 – Before Jesus suffered and died he promised his Apostles that they would not be left alone and on their own; that he would send the “Advocate to guide them to all truth” (Jn. 14:26). On the feast of Pentecost that promise was fulfilled. After Jesus’ ascension the Apostles gathered together and for nine days they prayed until the Holy Spirit came upon them “appearing as tongues of fire”. Through receiving the gift of the Holy Spirit the Apostles became better equipped to take the Gospel message out into the world. We too are given the opportunity to receive the Holy Spirit through the Sacraments of Baptism and more fully in Confirmation. We should not take this gift for granted, but instead prayerfully and anxiously await and receive the Holy Spirit’s “advent” in our lives. Let us make the effort when we meditate on this mystery to better prepare ourselves to receive and be a more worthy host to the Holy Spirit who will be our guide (1 Cor. 3:16), aiding us with his 7 gifts of: wisdom, understanding, knowledge, right judgment, fortitude (courage), piety (reverence) and fear of the Lord (wonder and awe); to have the courage to call upon Him to be our advocate in spreading the truth of God to all.

The Assumption of Mary, Rev. 12:6 – Mary is the model of our faith and so it is fitting that we return our focus to her for how to live the Gospel message. Because of her “yes” to God when he called upon her (Lk. 1:38), she was assumed, body and soul into heaven. Through her example we can be assured that our own daily “yes” and faithfulness to God will lead us to heaven as well. We should heed this message of hope and pass it on to others; that we all can look to Mary as an example as she directs us to Jesus with her instruction, “Do whatever He tells you” (Jn. 2:5). Following Mary’s instruction, with great hope and anticipation we can then await Jesus’s response, “Well done, good and faithful servant…, enter into the joy of your master” (Mt. 25:23). Let us make the effort when we reflect on this mystery to let others know that heaven awaits those who hear and follow Jesus, where we will find complete and eternal happiness in the joy of our Father’s house (Lk. 15:11-32).

The Coronation of Mary, Rev. 12:1– Mary’s example one more time shows us the glory of what awaits us in heaven as she is crowned Queen of Heaven and Earth. In the “Our Father” prayer we pray that “God’s kingdom come”, affirming that God is indeed king of all that is and that we call ourselves his children. As his children, when we arrive home in heaven we not only share in the joy and eternal happiness that is present, but we become heirs to his kingdom (Rom. 8:14-17); we have a share in His royalty along with our Lord Jesus, who through our baptismal adoption is also our brother (Jn. 14:1-3). Let us make the effort when we meditate on this mystery to remember that we have been called to share in God’s royal kingdom and to live our lives worthily and respectfully of that distinction. Let us also make others aware of the kingdom that awaits them as being heirs to; of inheriting the kingdom of heaven that awaits all who truly seek and follow God’s truth as fulfilled in Jesus through his Holy Church, our mother. “Pray for us, holy Mother of God, that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ”.

The Luminous Mysteries

The Baptism of Jesus; Mt. 3:13-17; Jn. 1:29-34 – John the Baptist trusted that he was doing God’s will by baptizing the people as he called on them to repent, preparing them for the coming of the Lord. Jesus confirmed John’s work by asking to be baptized by him. John was humbled and felt unworthy, but he did as our Lord asked, and by cooperating with Jesus he helped to make the Sacrament and the waters of Baptism holy and for our salvation (1 Pt. 3:18-22). Many times, when living out our faith, we can wonder if what we are doing does any good; if our efforts really are worth it. Jesus shows us in this Mystery that when we promote God’s kingdom in truth and humility that it will not go unnoticed, and that all we do for Him will make a difference (Isaiah 55:10-11, Heb. 11:4-6) so long as we seek to live as Jesus would (Gal. 2:20), causing others to see more of Jesus in all we do (Jn. 3:30). Let us make the effort when we meditate on this Mystery to have perseverance in our faith, trusting that when we cooperate with Jesus in truth and humility, what we do is appreciated by God and does make a difference in bringing about God’s will “on earth as it is in heaven”, making the world a more holy place.

The miracle at the wedding feast; John 2:1-11 – In this Mystery, we look again to the example of Mary. She understands that only by following her son will we be saved; only through him can we expect to receive the Holy Spirit (Jn. 14:15-17; Acts 2:1-4) which the wine at the feast is a symbol of. Jesus points us to Mary as an example of faith in his exchange with her over the lack of wine. Mary points out the crisis: “They have no wine” (Jn. 2:3), to which Jesus awaits Mary’s solution on how to fix the problem: “Do whatever he tells you” (Jn. 2:5), symbolically inviting us to be baptized and receive the Holy Spirit (Mt. 28:19-20); that through the water we will receive the overflow of Wine (Acts 2:1-13). Here Mary points out, as we recognize in our world today, that there is no wine; that the Holy Spirit is missing in our world. How do we heal a world that we see is breaking? How do we fill the world with God’s love we see lacking? Jesus challenges us to exercise our faith in confidence and example in the same question he asked his mother, “What is that to me and to you” (Jn. 2:4)? What is our response? What do we wish for the world we and our beloved live in? Let us make the effort when we meditate on this Mystery to have the confidence to live our faith with bold assurance, being an example of faith in Christ for the world, to “do whatever He tells us”, inviting others to follow us in His instruction to fill the world with His Spirit.

The proclamation of the Kingdom; Mt. 4:12-17 – Jesus’ proclamation that the “Kingdom of God is at hand” fulfills the forewarning preaching of John the Baptist; it is in fact a declaration of war – not a war against people, but against the devil as God first spoke in Genesis, 3:15; against the same evil spirits who “rule this present age of darkness” (Eph. 6:12). This is the reason he begins his public ministry with the word “Repent”, because he does not wage war on those who sin, but he desires to rescue those who sin (Jn. 3:16-17) and come to the defense of those who have had war waged on them by the father of lies (Rev. 12:17). Jesus came into the world to defeat evil; to conquer death, the consequence of our sin (Gen. 2:15) and to free us from its prison (Lk. 4:18; Ps. 102:20-23). Let us make the effort when we meditate on this Mystery to recognize the war that is waged for our soul. Let us pray to seek Truth and repent (Jn. 14:6; 18:37), casting out lies and sin that separate us from the love of God (Jn. 18:38). Let us pray to be clothed in the armor of God (Eph. 6:13-17), armed with the great weapon of the Rosary as St. Padre Pio used to say, to ride as soldiers with Jesus and Mary as our General and Captain into battle victoriously against the gates of hell which shall not prevail (Mt. 16:18; Rev. 12)!         “¡Viva Cristo Rey!”

The Transfiguration; Mk. 9:2-8 – We face difficulties being soldiers of Christ in this spiritual war. Jesus knows the certainty we demand in life and also the craftiness of his adversary in trying to create doubt and despair from uncertainty. Jesus offers a glimpse of his divinity in the Transfiguration, providing assurance to the Apostles who accompany him, preparing them for what they will face living through Jesus’ passion and death just foretold to them. Just as then, the world today constantly seeks to plant doubt in us as disciples of Christ, but just as Jesus gave a glimpse of his divinity to Peter, James and John, he also gives us a divine glimpse as well through Scripture, Tradition and the visible, historical lineage and teaching of the Church. It is through the exercise of our faith that we recognize this, that the Son of Man has come in his kingdom just as he said at the beginning of his ministry (Mt. 4:12) and blessed are we who did not stand with the Apostles on that mountain, yet still stand with them in proclaiming boldly, “I believe” (Jn. 20:24-29)! Let us make the effort when we meditate on this mystery to always seek to strengthen our faith accompanying Jesus just as Peter, James and John, finding assurance in the glimpse of divinity Jesus provides us in our Church. Let us go out with Peter and the other Apostles in the boldness of our own Pentecost, on fire with the Holy Spirit, proclaiming the Gospel with the Spirit’s heat and light, passion and truth (Lk. 12:49) looking for ways to pass on that fire to others (2 Pt. 1:16-21)! “And God said, ‘Let there be light’” (Genesis 1:3, John 1:1-5)!

The Institution of the Eucharist; Lk. 22:14-20 – “The days are coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant…” (Jer. 31:31-34). “This is my body which will be given for you” (LK. 22:19) are the words of the Word (Jn. 1); the Bread of Life (Jn. 6); the High Priest (Heb. 5), Jesus, at the Last Supper. They are the new covenant words of Jesus through his priest at every Mass (1 Cor. 11:23-25), the action of our redemption by the blood of the Lamb (1 Pt. 1:18-21).           “Behold, I make all things new”. (Rev. 21:1-6)

Mary was the first to receive “the body of Christ”; the first to cooperate so intimately with God incarnate as the living tabernacle (Lk. 1:31-33,35), welcoming her “passion” in union with Jesus by her “Yes” to God (Lk. 2:33-35). Mary profoundly recognizes the great vocation and strength she has been given, declaring it in her Magnificat (Lk. 1:46-55), announcing to the world as St. Paul declares, “I can do all things in Christ who strengthens me” (Phil. 4:13). This is the magnitude with which we should receive Christ in the Holy Eucharist. Do we?  Do we even come before the tabernacle “which bears the name of the Lord of hosts” (2 Sam. 6:2) with half of the joy and enthusiasm King David did, dancing before the Lord in the ark (2 Sam. 6:14-15), confident that “If God is for us, who can be against us” (Rom. 8:31)? Through communion with God we are given the foundation to stand strong and secure in our faith (Mt. 7:24-25), built up and fortified in His Truth.  In receiving Jesus fully through this Sacrament we can have the courage to say, “though an army encamp against me, my heart does not fear; though war be waged against me, even then do I trust” (Ps. 27:3). This is the power of the Eucharist; the divine life of God poured into us (Jn. 6:51). It is the marriage of heaven and earth; God uniting with us, offering himself as “bone of our bone and flesh of our flesh” (Gen. 2:23), calling us to join him in the “wedding feast of the Lamb” (Rev. 19:9).  Let us make the effort when we meditate on this mystery to realize the magnitude of receiving Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, following and seeking to mirror the example of Mary. Let us turn our hearts more confidently to God when we receive Him and boldly cooperate with Christ “filling up what is lacking in [His] afflictions” (Col. 1:24), heeding his words of assurance: “Fear not, I am with you… I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you” (Is. 41:10) and “I am with you always, even until the end of the age” (Mt. 28:20).