Which Mystery of the Rosary doesn't resonate with you?

[Cari]

Is there a Mystery of the Rosary that you just don’t like/resonate/understand?

My personal pick is the Ascension. Whenever I try to picture the scene for meditation, all I can see are a bunch of betoga-ed people, staring slack jawed at the sky, while Our Lord zooms ever upward on a cloud. The whole thing is so full of campy B-movieness (in my mind, this is in no way a comment on the actual Ascension) that I find it almost impossible to glean any spiritual fruits from it.

What about you? What Mystery is a stumbling block for you and why?

 

[water]

I like all of them.

For the Ascension, you can also think of how Jesus’ resurrection & ascension would bring other holy souls to Heaven? and that helps motivate you to pray for the Holy Souls in purgatory. That is one of the reasons that keeps me praying the rosary daily.

God bless.

 

[mommyof4]

I like all of them.

 

[baltobetsy]

Well, I’ve never really gotten on board with the Luminous mysteries. They all just feel weird to me.

I truly like all the others, but the Visitation makes me feel really guilty. There goes Mary, young and in the early stages of pregnancy, probably throwing up every morning, setting out for the hill country *in haste *to help Elizabeth. I feel like a total slacker.

As for the Ascension, I sum it up as, “God’s in His heaven and all’s right with the world.” The Trinity is back together again. The right order of things is restored.

Betsy

 

[PhilotheaZ]

I can’t really say which is my least favorite (nor my “most favorite”). Different ones appeal to me at different times, depending what is going on in my life.

I, too, didn’t get much from the Ascension mystery until I stopped looking at the “betoga-ed” people (I love your word!), and started meditating on John 14:1–4:

"Do not let your hearts be troubled. You have faith in God; have faith also in me.

In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places. If there were not, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you?

And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back again and take you to myself, so that where I am you also may be.

Where I am going you know the way."

Now, *that’s *something to meditate on!

 

[Cari]

Good answers! (Particularly the one about the Visitation. While meditating on that one while in my miserable first trimester, I too, had the “Good grief, this Immaculate Conception thing must have covered EVERYTHING!” )

 

[LilyM]

The one I have problems with is one of the Luminous ones - the Proclamation of the Kingdom. It’s so vague as a concept, and I’m a fairly visual type so I like to have little picture stories running through my head while saying the Rosary. I just end up with a mishmash of statements that Christ made about the Kingdom of Heaven - from the Sermon on the Mount and other places.

Although I found one that I like - ‘the Kingdom of Heaven is like a mustard seed, the smallest of all seeds, but when it is planted it grows into the greatest of trees, so large that birds can nest in its branches’. That always gets me thinking about the little things I can do to increase my faith

 

[PaulaB52]

Scourging at the Pillar. I feel so guilty every time I pray this decade. And then I heard that some of the fruits of this mystery is sexual purity, it makes my past all the painful! Yikes!

That darn Mel Gibson really giving me a visual.

 

[mariam1976]

I am not comfortable with praying the Luminous as I did not grow praying it!! so I end up never doing it… I however feel very hurt when I am doing the Sorrowful mysteries so dread doing it… although I do it every 3rd day as part of the 54-day novena…

 

[cecilia97]

The one I have problems with is one of the Luminous ones - the Proclamation of the Kingdom. It’s so vague as a concept, and I’m a fairly visual type so I like to have little picture stories running through my head while saying the Rosary. I just end up with a mishmash of statements that Christ made about the Kingdom of Heaven - from the Sermon on the Mount and other places.

I have the same issue with the Proclamation of the Kingdom…no one image you can point your brain at. I often end up meditating about how dirty the Apostles’ feet must have gotten tromping around Galilee in sandals. sigh…today’s Thursday and I’ll have to try again.

 

[Roselander]

I’ve always thought that the 4th Joyful Mystery (Presentation of Our Lord in the Temple) wasn’t all that joyful. Here’s Our Lady, a happy young mother bringing her Baby to the temple, and Simeon gives her the news that a sword is going to pierce her soul. But then, I started focusing on the joy of the two old folks, Simeon and Anna, who have finally seen the Messiah.

 

[water]

I’ve always thought that the 4th Joyful Mystery (Presentation of Our Lord in the Temple) wasn’t all that joyful. Here’s Our Lady, a happy young mother bringing her Baby to the temple, and Simeon gives her the news that a sword is going to pierce her soul. But then, I started focusing on the joy of the two old folks, Simeon and Anna, who have finally seen the Messiah.

That is a good thought - and how much this relates to us asking Virgin Mary to help us closer to Jesus.

Thanks for sharing.

This thread is good - I like it. We can help each other sharing how we meditates on each mystery.

 

[ElizabethAnne]

I have always had trouble with the 5th Joyful Mystery, Finding Jesus in the Temple. I can picture myself as Mary, frantically searching for my son. It must have been awful! And then Mary finds Jesus and all He says is, “Of course I’d be in my Father’s house.” He was 12 years old and ran off without any human person knowing where He was!

 

[water]

I have always had trouble with the 5th Joyful Mystery, Finding Jesus in the Temple. I can picture myself as Mary, frantically searching for my son. It must have been awful! And then Mary finds Jesus and all He says is, “Of course I’d be in my Father’s house.” He was 12 years old and ran off without any human person knowing where He was!

When comes to this mystery, I pray for myself, my family members and for all others to find joy, love, and patience in finding Jesus in their lives, lives of other people.

I also pray for those to be able to believe in Jesus being present in the Eucharist and love to go to Eucharistic Adoration, to daily mass to receive His Body and Blood.

With those devotions, one can find Jesus being with him/her at all time.

 

[Cari]

The one I have problems with is one of the Luminous ones - the Proclamation of the Kingdom. It’s so vague as a concept, and I’m a fairly visual type so I like to have little picture stories running through my head while saying the Rosary. I just end up with a mishmash of statements that Christ made about the Kingdom of Heaven - from the Sermon on the Mount and other places.

This was the other one I was going to put! I have the same problem wrapping my mind around it- it seems to vague.

Lately, I’ve been meditating on Jesus and the woman caught in adultry for this one- to my mind, it’s such a great example of a) people’s hardness of heart b) Jesus’ quick wit coupled with great love c) our undeserved gift of redemption and d) the concept of redemption coupled with repentance.

Originally posted by Roselander
I’ve always thought that the 4th Joyful Mystery (Presentation of Our Lord in the Temple) wasn’t all that joyful. Here’s Our Lady, a happy young mother bringing her Baby to the temple, and Simeon gives her the news that a sword is going to pierce her soul. But then, I started focusing on the joy of the two old folks, Simeon and Anna, who have finally seen the Messiah.

I like focusing on Our Lady’s obedience to the Law and total humility. Here she is, the Immaculate Conception, going to be purified for bearing the Incarnation! And yet, not a whisper of indignation. Totally a lesson for my whiny self!

 

[PhilotheaZ]

Well, I’ve never really gotten on board with the Luminous mysteries. They all just feel weird to me.

I am not comfortable with praying the Luminous as I did not grow praying it!! so I end up never doing it…

My reaction to the Luminous Mysteries was exactly the opposite. All my life I wondered why the mysteries of the Rosary skipped from Jesus’ childhood all the way to His Passion and missed all the good stuff (public ministry) that happened in between. Then JPII came along and added the Mysteries I had been “missing” all those years. I find them a wonderful way to meditate on the sacraments (Baptism, Marriage, Reconciliation, Eucharist) since four of the Luminous Mysteries are related to those sacraments.

I must admit I had a little trouble with the “Proclamation of the Kingdom” because it is more general; I do better with it when I think about a specific act in Jesus’ ministry (a physical healing, moment of forgiveness, etc.).

 

[mommyof4]

I have always had trouble with the 5th Joyful Mystery, Finding Jesus in the Temple. I can picture myself as Mary, frantically searching for my son. It must have been awful! And then Mary finds Jesus and all He says is, “Of course I’d be in my Father’s house.” He was 12 years old and ran off without any human person knowing where He was!

The “mother” in me often wants to scold Jesus for running off with out telling anyone where he went. I’ll probably spend some extra time in purgatory for telling Him that he shouldn’t have done that!

 

[jmcrae]

My reaction to the Luminous Mysteries was exactly the opposite. All my life I wondered why the mysteries of the Rosary skipped from Jesus’ childhood all the way to His Passion and missed all the good stuff (public ministry) that happened in between. Then JPII came along and added the Mysteries I had been “missing” all those years. I find them a wonderful way to meditate on the sacraments (Baptism, Marriage, Reconciliation, Eucharist) since four of the Luminous Mysteries are related to those sacraments.

That’s exactly how I felt, too.

I must admit I had a little trouble with the “Proclamation of the Kingdom” because it is more general; I do better with it when I think about a specific act in Jesus’ ministry (a physical healing, moment of forgiveness, etc.).

The image I use in my mind for that one is Jesus proclaiming the Beatitudes on the Mount. I picture him sitting up there with all the disciples and followers below him on the mountain-side (kind of like a Mozart on the Mountain presentation, except without the violins, if you’ve ever been to something like that) looking up at Him in awe.

 

[Em_in_FL]

My reaction to the Luminous Mysteries was exactly the opposite. All my life I wondered why the mysteries of the Rosary skipped from Jesus’ childhood all the way to His Passion and missed all the good stuff (public ministry) that happened in between. Then JPII came along and added the Mysteries I had been “missing” all those years. I find them a wonderful way to meditate on the sacraments (Baptism, Marriage, Reconciliation, Eucharist) since four of the Luminous Mysteries are related to those sacraments.

I must admit I had a little trouble with the “Proclamation of the Kingdom” because it is more general; I do better with it when I think about a specific act in Jesus’ ministry (a physical healing, moment of forgiveness, etc.).

I’ve found the luminous mysteries to be my absolute FAVORITES lately… they really just FLOW so well in my heart… describing Christ’s total revelation of His divinity… just beautiful!

I hate to say “dislike”… but I guess I’m less touched by “The Presentation at the Temple”…

 

[Em_in_FL]

The image I use in my mind for that one is Jesus proclaiming the Beatitudes on the Mount. I picture him sitting up there with all the disciples and followers below him on the mountain-side (kind of like a Mozart on the Mountain presentation, except without the violins, if you’ve ever been to something like that) looking up at Him in awe.

I tend to think about all the times Jesus starts his teachings with “The Kingdom of God is like…”