I am not sure if there is a thread like this one...But I'd like to have a place to share and read other members' ideas and inspirations occurring in their Rosary reflections. Most ideas will not be original, but there is joy in sharing. Hopefully I am not alone? Here are two reflections to start: Both the Our Father and The Hail Mary prayers have Christ in the middle...Give us this day our daily bread, and Blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. This is fairly obvious. A more intriguing idea is that The Lord's Prayer is like a breath: the first half is inspiration (oxygen breathed in, as we acknowledge our need of Him), the centre of the prayer is the Eucharist wherein we ask for, and receive him (as in the respiratory system, where blood-air gas is exchanged), and the remainder of the prayer is like our exhalation, (wherein we ask for release of our impurities, with His help.) What do you think? Is this analogy too belaboured?
I ahve never though of this before Mary, I must take it away in prayer. Though it is true in the Jesus prayer the end point is that prayer should be unceasing like the breath we take like our heart beat. 1 Thessalonians 5:17 pray without ceasing,
I don;t know if you have seen this yet or not , it is a baby seeing Our Lady during an appartion at Medugorje. If we could see Our Lady as we say the Rosary, we should be like this child; very joyful and fervent: https://www.gloria.tv/media/zg3mPcxTTPs
I heard a speaker once say that when we hold the rosary beads we are holding Mary hy the hand. I wear mine around my neck and immediately thought that she has me by the neck, and boy do i need that kind of firm hand!
Wow! Sometimes when grappling with this life of faith, I feel like that child...responding, but barely conscious why. It is not intellectually that we are saved. What a mystery!
The disciples asked----"Lord, teach us to pray, [Luke 11: 1], He said to them, when you pray, say, 'Our Father Who art in Heaven, Hallowed be Thy Name; He asks us to humble ourselves and praise and worship the God of all who is over all. #1 Commandment “Love the Lord your God with all your Heart, with all your Soul, with all your Mind, and with all your Strength.” “Thy Kingdom Come; Thy Will be Done on Earth, as It is in Heaven!" Where is His Kingdom on earth that is like heaven? IN OUR HEARTS - OUR “TABERNACLE” & The Church(people of God) This doesn't ask that we do His Will in Heaven, rather that we do It now while on the earth, and DO IT AS IT IS DONE IN HEAVEN! How do we do God’s Will? He finishes His Recipe for success and tells us how in the rest of the prayer! Give us this day our daily bread Matthew 6:25, 33 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat [or drink], or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? But seek first the kingdom [of God] and his righteousness, and all these things will be given you besides.” So, seek first the first commandment then all will be given to you. (Jesus)“My food is to do the will of God who sent me, and to fulfill his work to its depth.”John 4:32-34 We are asked to receive Jesus as the bread of Life. Receive Him in your heart & then receive Him in the body, blood soul and divinity of the Eucharist. Become All He IS: His suffering, His joy, His compassion, His forgiveness, His mercy and Grace, His Love and His obedience to His Father to do His Will. And forgive us our trespasses When we fall and when we fail ask for forgiveness and go to confession. Then find the right path again in life and go and Live the Eucharist! “Go and love and serve the Lord” “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:9 …as we forgive those who trespass against us. 2nd Greatest commandment - "Love your neighbor as yourself" “If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him; and if he sins against you seven times in the day, and turns to you seven times, and says, ‘I repent,’ you must forgive him.” Luke 17:3-4 Colossians 3:13 says we are called to forgive each other "as the Lord has forgiven [us]." And lead us not into temptation, Ask, not to be caught up in the material pleasures and worldly ways. Matthew 26:41 "Watch and pray that you may not undergo the test.” but deliver us from evil. Amen Keep turning to the Lord in praying for help and guidance to stay close to His side. If we truly say and act upon the Our Father this is our life: The two greatest commandments are being followed which of course take care of all ten commandments in our life. "If" they are followed we place our selves in following Gods Will for us, the Spiritual and corporal works of mercy are part of our lives, we open our souls for only Him who is Love and our prayer life is full and in sink with Him who taught us how to not only to pray, but live in what OUR FATHER wills for us.
Have you really looked into what is in the luminous mysteries and contrast this special gift of light to our present time we are living in? In my meditation during the rosary on Thursday I saw how these mysteries are intertwined in our present joys and struggles in a world that seems to be falling apart. These mysteries are not “merely” five important events during Christ's Ministry, but they also have a special meaning when taken as a whole in today’s world. Not only the luminous, but also the glorious, sorrowful and joyful mysteries which accentuate the luminous mysteries. Even the title has me wondering. From Christs light in the world came the title, The Luminous Mystery’s or the Mysteries of Light. Illumination of conscience or the warning is a personal and powerful time where Christ’s light comes to fullness upon our soul. It is as though the luminous mysteries brings our knowledge and heart into Christs light and is a preparation of mercy from God before we see all truth come to us through the Illumination of conscience. We will see, feel and recognize how we have hurt and abused our lord during our journey of life and we fall to our knees and ask for His mercy. How well planned that the luminous mysteries are placed between the Glorious and sorrowful mysteries. The Glorious mysteries lead us through the Resurrection, ascension and gifts of the Holy Spirit. It is as though it is a foreshadowing of the days ahead. How many will be taken before and during this coming tribulation and will be taken to heaven with the resurrected Christ. How many more will later receive even more fully the gifts of the Holy Spirit as the disciples received, to go forward and proclaim the good news to those who see the beauty, wonders and mercy that God has given and of course the love of His grace poured out upon those whom He loves. C.C.1287 “This fullness of the Spirit was not to remain uniquely the Messiah's, but was to be communicated to the whole messianic people.” Gods last effort to show all of Himself and His love to us as if the cross was not enough! Total Knowledge of truth; full understanding of the Lord and neighbor; fear of the Lord and how we have hurt Him tremendously; fortitude to move forward without fear; counsel to direct to the right path; piety to the fullness of love Himself; wisdom to know what is right. What has been done in the upper room will be repeated for the holy ones of God more fully if they believe and choose to follow Him. As we get to the assumption and the crowning of Mary Queen of Heaven and of Earth we find our direction in and through Mary and this then leads into the luminous mysteries, for how can we walk in this journey without going to Christ through His Holy Mother and ours? Pope John Paul II said this about the luminous mysteries, "ocean of joy and of light, of suffering and of glory" in the lives of Jesus and Mary.” The two hearts that are one. Following the luminous mysteries we take up the cross and follow Jesus in the sorrowful mysteries on Fridays. So it will be in the days ahead also. From the Illumination of conscience, to the great miracle and following Christ by carrying the crosses of religious hatred. We will only be able to take on these crosses by receiving our Lords overwhelming grace the gifts of the Holy Spirit. The Luminous Mysteries are not only the stories of the past, but our direction for the future. They are the examples for us of what it takes to come back to our Lord, prepare for the times ahead, and to help us recognize the signs and wonders of our God:
The Joyful Mysteries The formative years of Jesus with his mother Mary... The Mysteries of Light The formative years of the disciples with Jesus... The Sorrowful Mysteries A time of suffering and separation from Jesus... The Glorious Mysteries Time of promised togetherness with his disciples and mother Mary...
The Luminous Mysteries - What is so illuminating about them? In every mystery there is a wondrous, glorious and miraculous happening that is performed by our Lord. First mystery Holy Spirit descent upon Jesus and a voice, "and the Holy Spirit descended upon Him in bodily form like a dove, and a voice came out of heaven, "You are My beloved Son, in You I am well-pleased."Luke 3:22 In the second mystery the changing of water into wine. The third mystery the Kingdom of Heaven. The fourth mystery the changed appearance of Jesus and in the 5th the change from bread and wine to the body blood soul and divinity of our Lord Jesus. This is NOT where the BRILLIANT LIGHT shines forth in looking into the mystery. If all you see are these magnificent and glorious miracles of God, as being the light of each mystery, we are seeing with our human eyes and not with the eyes of God. After all what else did you expect when it comes from God? The true miracle is in the lowly servants of God. This is what God see's! Asking - Trusting & Believing - obedience First mystery - The Baptism of Jesus Jesus is the example for us always. He begins His mission by following the will of His Father in heaven to be the example for us of the importance of the sacrament of Baptism. Before Jesus started His earthly journey he set the example (even though He did not need to be baptized) of the importance for us to be cleansed and free of all sin so that we could take this journey. To be open to Him who is love. As with Jesus the Holy Spirit descended upon us through the faith of our parents. God must have said, You are My beloved Son/daughter, in You I am well-pleased." This is the first sacrament of initiation followed by the Eucharist and confirmation. When our will is in sink with God's this is the true "LIGHT" from God! Second mystery - Wedding at Cana Asking - Trusting & Believing - obedience In the first mystery Jesus gave us the example. In this mystery after seeing Jesus's example for nearly 30 years Mary sets the example for us to follow by following Gods will obediently. She asks Jesus for help for her and for those hurting from embarrassment of lack of wine for the wedding. "Ask and you shall receive knock and the door will be open unto you." She continued by telling the servants, "Do what ever he tells you." She shows us her trust or belief in Him and love in her son and our savior. This is where our God see's the LIGHT in the reflection of His own beauty by following Gods will. Third mystery - The Kingdom of God Asking - Trusting & Believing - obedience Now after seeing the examples in the first two mysteries we now are on our own with Gods grace and mercy to guide us to continue upon our journey. Being created in Gods image and likeness we desire this love in our lives and we need to place God in our own hearts to create this "kingdom here on earth as it is in heaven" by making our own "fiat". To do this we must give over ourselves to God with a full heart, cleansed soul, open mind and all of our strength that God has given us. God would certainly be in all His glory and radiance when we no longer look at our own will and submerge our total being in Gods Will. "Thy Kingdom come thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven." Fourth mystery - The Transfiguration Asking - Trusting & Believing - obedience Christ showed to three disciples what he meant when he said I am the light of the word. In the third mystery we ask to be in His Will. There will be a change within us that we can not come close to explaining, but know it is God. It will be an illuminating change where God will lead us to deeper understanding of his church and his love for us. It will be a time of oneness a time of fulfillment and discovery. We are being transformed and open to love and begin to truly know how to love. We begin to see and feel glimpses of His Glory, power, suffering, majesty and most of all his love. This can happen here on earth or in our total understanding in heaven. "After six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John his brother, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. And he was transfigured before them; his face shone like the sun and his clothes became white as light....This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.”" Matt.16 Fifth mystery - The Eucharist Asking - Trusting & Believing - obedience He is our source and summit of our faith. We continue to climb over all obstacles that keep us from receiving more from our Lord. We never quite we continue to persevere to the goal which is the summit of the mountain of our Lord. He wishes that we not only live in his divinity but, he wants us to continue making room in our hearts for him and receive his body, blood, soul, and divinity through the Eucharist. This should be our constant desire for if we follow His will this is His only desire, to love us. "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me. John 14:6
I had a thought yesterday while praying the rosary. In the middle of it I thought of my Grandmother who passed last August. I would go down and sit with her from time to time while she was pretty much in a comatosed state and say the scriptural rosary to her out loud. I have to think that this did wonders for her. I also said the chaplet a couple of times before she passed. Now after her death and after some time she eventually came to me in several dreams and in those moments I felt she was home with God. So I was thinking of Grandma yesterday and this thought came to me. Since heaven and God are outside of time I wonder if in those moments that our deceased loved one's come to us is it any indication of where we will find ourselves after our own deaths. So would a love one come visit us with so much joy and love or even be able to if that person was to ultimately end up in hell. You follow? Their coming to us now in our earthly timeline could be to let us know they are all right, warn us for our own soul state, or ask for prayers because they may still be in Purgatory. I am in no way saying or thinking that getting visitors from beyond the grave is a sure fire guarantee of our own final judgement but it did make me wonder??
I have read in the past the writing of at least one mystic who claimed that when we pray for a soul, whether or not it be in purgatory or heaven that soul is at once aware of it. ..and us. It seems to me that it must be so as it goes so wel lwith the Church's Teaching on the Communion of the Saints . http://www.vatican.va/archive/ccc_css/archive/catechism/p123a9p5.htm 947 "Since all the faithful form one body, the good of each is communicated to the others. . . . We must therefore believe that there exists a communion of goods in the Church. But the most important member is Christ, since he is the head. . . . Therefore, the riches of Christ are communicated to all the members, through the sacraments."480 "As this Church is governed by one and the same Spirit, all the goods she has received necessarily become a common fund."481 948 The term "communion of saints" therefore has two closely linked meanings: communion in holy things (sancta)" and "among holy persons (sancti)." I think prayer is like opening a door. A door to God and the things of God. Whether or not we aware of the door being opened or how wide the door is open , opened it still is. This reminds me of the words of Jesus: Revelation 3:20 Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me. But notice here Jesus does not say simply that He wil lcome into our hearts but that He wil lcome in and eat with us. Communion deep sharing. I would expect very often when this door is open to the other side for a while that to some extent it never really fully closes. In fact the end point of prayer is that it never ceases: 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 16 Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. ....and so Jesus , instead of visiting the house of the heart and then leaving makes the souls heart His own permanent home and our hearts become our heaven, which we too never leave. The Eternal Feast being the Eternal sharing with the Lord. THis Eteranl Feast is Heaven but we can share it on Earth with this Gft of Unceasing Prayer: John 14:23, "If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him."
I think too that with this door of our hearts ajar we might expect to see more than Jesus enter. In the first place of course with the entrance of Jesus comes the Trintiy and so there is a permanent anointing of the Holy Spirit and Etranl Pentecost with all the Gifts in Blazing Fire: "If I do not go, the Advocate will not come to you. But if I go away, then I will send him to you" (John 16:7) .and a deeper and deeper Embrace of the Father an entrance into the very Heart of Trinity , which make sour hearts His THrone. Galatians 3:26 Sons Through Faith in Christ 26For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. 27For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.…
..and so as Jesus enters I would often expect as Andy mentions things like his gandmother visiting. For with Jesus the whole Court of Heaven enters too. Not only a new awareness of God and Heaven all around us, but often too an awareness of the angles, the Holy Souls and even of demons and the existence of hell , for a St Paul tells us , God has placed all things under His feet: Ephesians 1:22 Prayer for Spiritual Wisdom …21far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. 22And He put all things in subjection under His feet, and gave Him as head over all things to the church, 23which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.
A thought about the Gospel from last week's liturgy concerning the unfruitful fig tree: I always found this troubling, fearing that that fig tree is me. During my Rosary this morning, it occured to me that it is Our Lady who intercedes for us in that parable...."let us dig around it, and it may yet bear fruit after a season." She is the one asking for more time and mercy on our behalf. Although the parable is concluded without indication whether the fig tree did in fact bear fruit with this extra care by the gardener, I think it does. I believe Our Lord hears Our Lady and grants us, through her gentle advocacy, the grace to please Him. How lucky we are to have her intercede for us!
Vey nice and gentle reflection of the servant and Mother! Never saw this until your post touched my heart of understanding.
I am wondering.... St. Louis Marie de Montfort says in True Devotions to Jesus Through Mary, that we can never say enough about the beauty and mysteries of our Lady. Is it possible that Our Lord, in His hidden life, was preparing to incorporate what He lived in His mother's modest home in Nazareth into the Gospel? She was and is the first and only sinless disciple. I wonder which other Gospel passages could be referred to Our Lady in this way (fig tree parable, see my note above.)
The beauty of our Lady is in the mystery of her hidden life. It is like finding a most precious jewel whilst digging in a field & the joy and surprise lasts for eternity. Truly, discovering our Lady was like that for me. A complete surprise since there is so little in the Gospels. But the richness of the Rosary brought forth the jewel that is our Lady into my life. Ave Maria. To truly know and understand Jesus one must become acquainted with His mother
The most wonderful book I ever read about the Blessed Mother was The Mystical City of God by Venerable Mary of Agreda. It is 4 volumes long and has enriched my rosary meditations. I highly recommend it.
I have prayed the Rosary every day for the last 12 years (after my 'conversion'). I have prayed the full Rosary (at least all 4 mysteries) every day for the last six or seven years. Sometimes I do it out of love and sometimes out of habit but I have committed my will to doing it as an act of love and devotion to our Lady. Sometimes I have prayed the full Rosary three even four times in one day as the spirit allows. At the minute I am struggling to get two full Rosaries done in the day so I am going through a dry spell, lol. I actually think I will continue doing it in heaven because it has become part of me. I love the rhythm of the Rosary. I love the way it fits into the rhythm of my life. There are times when a particular mystery fits perfectly into my life. Today it is the first sorrowful mystery because I am stressed about our finances so last night I accompanied Jesus in the garden. Please say a wee prayer that God will give me the strength to endure the agony in the garden to persevere in hope that God will bring some relief to us so that I can carry this cross and eventually get through to the other side. Then I can pray the Joyful mysteries with joy. The Rosary really helps put life into perspective as we all have moments of joy and sorrow and even illumination. But we are all guaranteed to triumph if we persevere in life's journey accompanying our Lord and will share in his resurrection.
Well can hardly believe it. A mini miracle came in the post this morning - the means to pay a bill that was causing me great stress. Now I can pay the bill today. Thank you to our Blessed Lady who is our constant hope. All praise and thanksgiving to the Holy Trinity; the thrice Holy God. And all praise and honour to Jesus Christ my Lord and Saviour. And thanks too for the intercession of the saints and the holy angels. I am going to get a Mass said for the Holy Souls as well.
