Are the luminous mysteries legitimate? Revisited.

[DidymusMD]

Being that I am a new Catholic, the addition of the Luminous Mysteries to the Rosary was not something that rose to my attention when it happened. Today I read an article at Seattle Catholic’s website that was critical of Pope John Paul II’s suggestion that the faithful add the five mysteries to their practice of Marian devotion. The article offered some persuasive points, among them that having 20 mysteries takes the Rosary out of line with the structure of the Psalter of David and that it makes Mary’s request at Fatima that we pray a third of the Rosary each day untenable. My question is twofold: does the Seattle Catholic publication have an inordinate history of taking dissenting views from those of the Holy See? And what is the official Catholic view about the legitimacy of the Luminous Mysteries?

 

[Fr.Vincent_Serpa]

Hi,

The reason for the rosary is prayerful union with God. The mysteries of the rosary were incomplete. They jumped from the finding of the boy, Jesus in the temple to His agony in the garden without any mention of His public life. So Pope John Paul filled in the gap—as was his right! Who cares if it is less tidy! Nothing was ever more UNtidy than God becoming incarnate and suffering and dying on Good Friday! I doubt that our Lady is upset because by praying only one set of mysteries each day, they don’t make up a third. Who cares if it isn’t in line with the structure of the psalms! The point of the Rosary is prayer.

The article is full of inaccuracies and narrow interpretations. The author’s quote of St. Louis de Monfort’s reference to St. Dominic as having received the rosary from our Lady is based on statements from a Dominican who is not recognized as a reliable historian. There is no—absolutely no evidence that St. Dominic received the rosary from our Lady. The “Hail Mary” as we know it didn’t even exist when St. Dominic lived.

I don’t live in Seattle and therefore do not read the local Catholic paper. I am not aware of it being reactionary in the way this article sounds. As popular as the rosary is, it is still a private devotion—not Liturgy. The pope has the right to add to it if he sees a good reason for it. The Dominican Order has been given the honor of maintaining and supporting this devotion in the Church. As a Dominican myself, I have not heard the slightest negative murmur within the order regarding the Luminous Mysteries. We recognize the pope’s authority in these matters and we embrace it.

Fr. Vincent Serpa, O.P.

P.S. Since writing this answer I have learned that website mentioned is NOT in any way connected with the Archdiocese of Seattle.