Glorious Mysteries of the Holy Rosary

"They nourish in believers hope in the eschatological goal toward which they are journeying as members of the pilgrim People of God in history. This will necessarily impel them to give courageous witness to that 'joyful proclamation' which gives meaning to their whole life." St. John Paul II in the encyclical Rosarium Virginis Mariae.

The Five Glorious Mysteries

On Wednesdays and Sunday we pray the Glorious Mysteries. For the Joyful Mysteries which contemplate the Annunciation and the infancy of Jesus are reserved for Mondays and Saturdays. Tuesday and Friday are reserved for the Sorrowful mysteries and the Luminous mysteries are prayed on Thursdays. The Glorious mysteries of the Holy Rosary unite earth and heaven, from the Resurrection of Christ to the Coronation of Mary in Heaven.

Jesus Christ cannot be reduced to his crucified image. He is the Risen One! The Rosary has always expressed this conviction of faith.The Passion of Christ, inviting us to contemplate the Passion and then to fix our attention on the glory of Christ, on his Resurrection and Ascension. Contemplating the Risen Jesus, we discover anew the reasons for our faith, we relive the joy of the Virgin Mary, who experienced in an intense way the new life of the glorified Son.

In the first of the Glorious Mysteries we meditate on the resurrection of the Lord

• Mark 16:6-8: As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, dressed in a white robe, and they were frightened. But he said to them, "Do not be frightened. You are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, the Crucified One; he is risen, he is not here. See the place where they laid him. But go and tell his disciples and Peter that he is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him, just as he told you." And they fled from the tomb, for great fear and trembling had seized them, and they said nothing to anyone because they were afraid.

Christ lives

Jesus is Emmanuel, God with us, Jesus is risen! He is not in the tomb. This is the great truth that fills our faith with content. He appeared to the Virgin Mary, to Peter and to the other apostles. He also comes to meet us who are his disciples.

Because Jesus is alive, he has the power to change our lives, and he calls us to a personal relationship with him. The Easter season is a time of joy, a joy that is not limited to this time of the liturgical year, but is always present in the heart of the Christian. Because Christ lives. He remains in his Church: in her sacraments, in her liturgy, in her preaching, in all her activity. In a special way Christ continues to be present among us, in the daily self-giving of the Holy Eucharist. That is why the Catholic Mass is the center and root of Christian life.

Also in the light of his resurrection we contemplate, united to Christ, all the souls who were dearest to us. Whose mourning we share. We remember them in the sacrifice of the crucified and risen Lord and they form part of our prayer.

In the second Glorious Mysteries, we meditate on the Ascension of the Lord.

• Matthew 28:18-20: Jesus came to them and spoke to them in this way:
  "All power in heaven and on earth has been given unto me. 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, and teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, even to the end of the age."
  And when he had said this, he was lifted up before them, and a cloud hid him from their eyes. And while they were gazing steadfastly into heaven as he went away, there appeared to them two men clothed in white, who said to them:
  "Galileans, what are you doing there looking up to heaven? This one who has been taken away from you, this same Jesus, will thus come just as you have seen him ascend into heaven."

Christ has ascended into heaven

The Second Glorious Mystery of the Rosary teaches us to trust in the Lord's will. 

Jesus goes to the Father. It is right that the Holy Humanity of Christ should receive the homage, acclamation and adoration of all the hierarchies of angels. The Father is pleased with the surrender of the Son, he has accepted his sacrifice, and now Jesus, the Messiah, forever occupies his position as Lord over all creation..

As long as we are on Earth, we will no longer see him. Our first reaction is to feel like orphans. We miss him. But this is a false impression. In reality, he is not gone. He stays with us in another way. "He is closer to you than you are to yourself." said St. Augustine.

The great mission we received, in the Baptismis co-redemption. The charity of Christ urges us to take upon our shoulders a part of this divine task of rescuing souls.

"The human family is constantly being renewed; in each generation we must continue our efforts to help people discover the greatness of their vocation as children of God.In this way, it is necessary to inculcate the commandment of love for the Creator and for our neighbor". St. Josemaría

Let us know how to bear witness, by example and word, to the faith we profess.

In the third of the Glorious Mysteries we meditate on the coming of the Holy Spirit

• Acts 2:1-4: "When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. Suddenly there came from heaven a sound like the rush of a mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting.
  And there appeared to them tongues as of fire, which parted and rested on each of them; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance."

The grace of the Holy Spirit

The divine virtue that infuses receiving the gifts of the Holy Spirit in the Christian soul is a great support of hope, a powerful force, the only true help for human life. We are referring to the grace that sanctifies us, which in reality is preceded and followed by effective graces. What is truly important is that the spirit of man be renewed from within, being born to new life.

The coming of the Holy Spirit is a profound reality, which the Bible makes known to us. It is not a memory of the past. It is, over and above the miseries and sins of each one of us, the reality also of the Church of today and of the Church of all times. Let us have recourse to his graces, let us have recourse through prayer to the Holy Spirit to thank him or ask for favors.

"Jesus has kept his promises: he is risen, he has ascended to heaven and, in union with the Eternal Father, he sends us the Holy Spirit to sanctify us and give us life. To live according to the Holy Spirit is to live in faith, hope and charity; to let God take possession of us and change our hearts from their roots, to make them conform to his measure," St. Josemaría said.

In the fourth of the Glorious Mysteries we meditate on the Assumption of the Virgin Mary.

• Catechism of the Catholic Church, 974: "The Blessed Virgin Mary, having completed the course of her earthly life, was taken body and soul to the glory of heaven, where she already shares in the glory of the resurrection of her Son, anticipating the resurrection of all the members of her Body".

Mary is taken to heaven

Assumpta est Maria in coelum: gaudent angeli: Mary has been taken by God, body and soul, to heaven, and the angels rejoice! Thus sings the Church. The place of the Virgin Mary was in Heaven, where her Son awaited her. For she is full of grace. The intensity and nature of her graces are different throughout her life; one is the grace at her Conception, another at the Incarnation. And different is the grace she receives at the Assumption of Mary to heaven. For, in the latter the Virgin Mary receives the fullness of holiness.

And we as Christians can contemplate in this Glorious Mystery of the Holy Rosary this marvel.

In the fifth of the Glorious Mysteries we meditate on the crowning of Mary as Queen and Mistress of all creation

• Revelation (11-12): "And there appeared a great wonder in heaven. And the sanctuary of God in heaven was opened, and the ark of his covenant appeared in the sanctuary, and there were lightnings and rumblings and thunderings and an earthquake and a great hailstorm.
  A great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and a crown of twelve stars on her head."

Mary in heavenly glory

Mary, Queen of the Universe, repaired the fall of Eve, and has trampled, with her immaculate sole, the head of the infernal dragon. Daughter of God, Mother of God, Spouse of God. The Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit crown her as Empress of the Universe. And angels and patriarchs, prophets and apostles, martyrs, confessors and virgins honor her. All saints and all sinners. You and me. The reflection must be on ourselves; on our vocation by which one day we will be associated with the angels and the saints and whose sanctifying graces anticipate already from this life the mysterious and consoling reality.

The Church invites us to have recourse to her, to the Virgin Mary, our Mother and our Queen, in all our needs. Being Mother of God and Mother of mankind is the solid foundation of filial trust in her powerful intercession, which comforts us and urges us to rise from our falls.

It is the synthesis of the whole Rosary, which thus closes in joy, in glory.