Different perspectives on rosary mysteries

[lilly_rose]

I thought I’d start this thread so we can share different ways we reflect on the mysteries of the rosary. I am hoping for some new insights into the different mysteries.

I know in my own experience, I sometimes find it hard to focus because I’m just reflecting on the same mysteries again and again. It isn’t enough for me to just think about the story behind each mystery, I feel the need to go deeper into it and consider the implications.

I’ll start with a few of my own reflections:

The Third Sorrowful Mystery, the Crowning with Thorns: Thorns are something I associate with death, and for me thinking of a king as a conqueror isn’t a far stretch. Therefore, when that crown was placed on Our Lord’s head, they effectively and perhaps inadvertantly crowned Him as the conqueror of death.

The Fifth Joyful Mystery, the Finding of Jesus in the Temple: When I think of how Mary and Joseph got very far before they realized Jesus was missing, I wonder how long it would take me to notice if I didn’t have Jesus with me. It serves as a reminder to me that I must keep Him as the focus of my life.

I hope I made my intentions for this thread clear, and I hope that others besides me will benefit from it. Thank you in advance for any comments.

 

[bcuster]

Thank you for making this post. I have also tried to see the Mysteries of the Rosary in various ways to make them more personal. I have also asked the Lord and in particular Mother Mary to teach me about the Mysteries as I pray them. Since, Mother Mary is faithful, I believe that she has been able to teach me (even with my dull and distracted brain) lessons that I need in my life.

For example,in the Finding of Jesus in the Temple, I have always wondered if Jesus was a bit uncaring for his Mother and St. Joseph by staying behind. In fact, the opposite is true. It cost Jesus, in other words, he suffered personal pain in following his Father’s will to stay behind in Jerusalem. This highlights for me the importance of following God’s will even when it seems that I may be uncaring toward other’s opinions or wishes.

 

[Belle10]

The Fifth Joyful Mystery, the Finding of Jesus in the Temple: When I think of how Mary and Joseph got very far before they realized Jesus was missing, I wonder how long it would take me to notice if I didn’t have Jesus with me. It serves as a reminder to me that I must keep Him as the focus of my life.

I’ve never thought of it this way (as a parent, I usually think of Mary and Joseph’s relief at finding their missing child), so thank you for sharing this!

The Third Sorrowful Mystery, the Crowning with Thorns: since I read that the virtue of this mystery is moral strength, I usually think about how Jesus didn’t defend himself as they mocked Him and how He didn’t try to get out of this suffering. The physical suffering He endured was obviously awful beyond words, but so was the emotional suffering – yet He kept quiet as they mocked Him, He continued to love them. I try to keep this in mind in situations in my life when I am treated with cruelty.

The Fourth Sorrowful Mystery, the Carrying of the Cross: I think about how Jesus kept falling and kept getting back up, embracing His cross, and continuing on despite wanting to give up. I have a situation in my life that I don’t want to keep walking, so I’m trying to view it as my cross and keep going like Jesus did. I often picture the scene from “The Passion of the Christ” when He falls and Mary goes to His side…it is described so well here (this review captures my feelings very well):

…
There is a powerful scene in the soon to be released Mel Gibson masterpiece “The Passion of the Christ”. In it, Mary, the Mother of the Lord, is runs to her wounded Son who has just fallen for the third time, from the weight of the Cross. There is a flash back to an earlier day when that same son, as a child, is seen playing in the dusty streets of Nazareth and is about to fall. With the tender love of a mother, Mary reaches out to her Son.

Then the viewer sees her hand touch the wounded face of the Savior who looks at her, and through words addressed to her speaks to every human person, from the beginning of time until the end: “Behold, I make all things new.” I was reminded of the scene this morning as I prayed the Liturgy of the Hours, took stock of 2003 and offered myself afresh to the Lord for 2004.

…

However, of all the scenes, that encounter between mother and Son was the one that grabbed me, at the core of my heart, and shook me to tears. They were tears of sorrow and joy co-mingled. It was so human and yet so divine, so full of promise and hope. The wounds on the Saviors sacred head, that had in the earlier scenes seemed so brutal, painful and hard to view, seemed to, almost in an instant, become beautiful. It all became clear that they were wounds of love, freely and redemptively embraced by the Savior, to “make all things new” for the entire human race.

source: catholic.org/featured/headline.php?ID=610

Thanks for this thread – I’m looking forward to reading other responses.

 

[lilly_rose]

I just remembered another one from the other night

The Second Luminous Mystery, the Miracle at Cana:
Jesus not only set the example of obediance to His mother. He showed us that we should go above and beyond when helping our neighbors. Everyone had food, water, and all their basic needs, but he performed the miracle of turning the water into wine for the comfort of others. Therefore, when I’m helping those in need I should go beyond what their basic needs are and give them things for comfort and enjoyment too.

Also, this mystery foreshadows the Eucharist. In both the Eucharist and the Miracle at Cana, Jesus takes something good and makes it into something even better. He makes water into wine so the guests at the wedding can have drink, and he allows the wine at mass to become His blood so we can have salvation. In both cases, he is allowing the changing of one liquid into another to symbolize something great that is to come.

 

[water]

Thank you for creating this thread. Today is the Feast day of Our Lady of the Rosary!

 

[lilly_rose]

Thank you for creating this thread. Today is the Feast day of Our Lady of the Rosary!

Really? Funny that I pick today to create the thread.

One more reflection to add:

The Fourth Glorious Mystery, the Assumption: reminds me of how one day, if we follow the example of Mary (obediance to God, avoiding sin, etc.), we have the opportunity to enter the kingdom of heaven with our bodies and souls united. Unlike the Resurrection of Jesus, the Assumption is closer to what we experience because it is a case of a human becoming united with God and the Trinity, and it can happen because God conquered death.

We can look forward to the Resurrection of the body, but we will die first, unlike Mary, who did not die before she went to heaven. Looking at it this way, her Assumption is somewhat in between what happened when Jesus was resurrected (she was taken to heaven before the final judgement, body and soul) and what we would experience (like us, she is a human who achieves unity with God after life on earth). This highlights her role as an intecessor because her “resurrection” is in-between ours and Christ’s.

Sorry if that’s a little long-winded or hard to follow, I was typing this as I was realizing the connection between the Resurrection and the Assumption

 

[water]

Really? Funny that I pick today to create the thread.

It must be the work of the Holy Spirit!
God bless you for sharing!

 

[TrueDevotionMar]

Thank you for sharing!!

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.