The Rosary traditionally has consisted of three sets of Mysteries – the Joyful, the Sorrowful, and the Glorious Mysteries.
The Luminous Mysteries, or the Mysteries of Light, were
first suggested by Blessed Pope John Paul II in his encyclical “Rosarium
Virginis Mariae”, and were heartily taken up by the majority of Catholics.
One reason for the Holy Father’s suggestion was that it was fitting to include meditations on the
ministry of Christ, given that the traditional Rosary jumped from His Infancy
to His Passion...and there is so much that can be gleaned from meditating on
the ministry of Our Blessed Lord.
It was no mistake that the Pope suggested calling these the
“Mysteries of Light” because they reveal the Lord Jesus Christ (who is the
Light) and His Kingdom in a special way.
The First Luminous Mystery
– the Baptism of Our Lord
In His Baptism, the Lord Jesus teaches us total resignation
to the will of God. When Jesus came to be baptised, John the Baptist wanted to
prevent it. John’s message was one of penance (or repentance) i.e. turning away
from sin and self; and turning towards God. We know that Mary and Elisabeth
were kinswomen (Lk 1:36); so it is very likely that Jesus and John the Baptist
knew each other. This means that John would have known what kind of person
Jesus was; which makes sense of his response to Jesus’ request for baptism: “I
need to be baptised by you, and do you come to me?” (Matt 3:14). John’s message
was about turning from sin, and he knew Jesus well enough to know that he, a
sinner, had need to be baptised by the One whom he had never seen given to sin.
But Jesus’ response to John was “Suffer it to be so now; for
it is proper for us in this way to fulfil all righteousness” (Matt 3:15). This
is an interesting response in light of the fact that John’s message was about
righteousness – and here is Jesus, the living example of true righteousness,
which is total abandonment to doing the will of His Heavenly Father. The Father
Himself attests to this when, after Jesus’ baptism, He declares “This is my
Beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased”.
As we meditate upon this first Mystery, we ask Our Lady to
pray for us so that we can be Christ-like in being totally committed to doing
the will of God. And when we imitate Him in this way, we are assured of God’s
promise that He will be well-pleased with us, those whom He makes His beloved
sons and daughters through the waters of baptism. Jesus tells us that when we
do what God desires, His words to us will be:
“Well done, good and faithful servant...enter into the joy
of your Lord” (Matt 25:23)
The Second Luminous
Mystery – Our Lord turns water into wine
Many theologians regard the Lord’s Baptism as the start of
His public ministry – and it is, to a degree. His Baptism was His commissioning
by His Heavenly Father. But still His public ministry hadn’t yet begun, because
He first had to undergo the forty day Temptation in the Wilderness.
So, what was the starting point of Jesus’ public ministry
then? It was the performance of His first miracle at the wedding in Cana of
Galilee – when He turned water into wine. It is no mistake that this miracle
was performed at the request of His Blessed Mother. God, in His Divine Wisdom,
saw it fit that the Lord Jesus would begin His public ministry with the
commissioning of His Heavenly Father and
the request of His Blessed Mother.
The narrative of the Lord turning water into wine (Jn
2:1-11) is an instructive one, because it shows us the nature of Mary’s role in
the life of the Christian. Firstly, she sees the needs of her children, the
children that God has given to her (Jn 19:27), and intercedes on their behalf.
Secondly, she always points us to Jesus and tells us to “do whatever He says”
(Jn 2:5). And thirdly, she reveals the glory of her Son so that people might
believe in Him. Whilst it is true that Jesus performed this first sign to
reveal His own glory (Jn 2:11), we must remember that He performed it at the
request of His Blessed Mother. She knew that by this request, her relationship
with her Son would be changed. Yet she requested it anyway – for the sake of others,
and so that Jesus’ glory could be revealed.
As Mary points us to Jesus and tells us to follow Him, she
does so by the example of her own willingness to say “Yes” to God in her Fiat.
She is also our example in glorifying God, when we echo her words “My soul
magnifies the Lord” (Lk 1:46).
As we imitate Our Lady, we can be assured that we, like her,
will be conformed into the image of her Divine Son. Jesus’ promises to change
us, just as He changed water into wine.
The Third Luminous
Mystery – the Proclamation of the Kingdom
After performing His first miracle, Jesus went out and
started proclaiming the Gospel. His message was a call to repentance for the
Kingdom of Heaven was at hand (Matt 4:17; Mk 1:14-15).
As already mentioned in the First Luminous Mystery,
repentance is turning away from sin and self; and turning towards God. But
Jesus doesn’t just call us to repentance; He also gives us the means that we
need to accomplish it. We cannot approach God in our own strength, for in our
own strength we often stumble and fall. Rather, Christ calls us to embrace Him
and His free gift of grace so that we might have our sins forgiven and be
reconciled with our Heavenly Father.
It has often been said that Jesus promised the Kingdom but
gave us the Church. But the truth is that the Church is the sacrament of the
Kingdom:But what does the Church have to do with repentance and grace? It was to the Church that the Lord Jesus Christ gave the power to forgive sins (Jn 20:23; Matt 18:18). And it is through the Church that the Lord pours out His grace – specifically by the means of the Seven Sacraments.
As we meditate upon this Mystery, may we hear the voice of
the Lord Jesus in the Holy Catholic Church calling us to a life of continual conversion
and growth in holiness – because when we hear the Church, we hear Jesus (Lk
10:16). And as we listen to the Church, and make ourselves available to the
Sacraments, we will grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
[For another reflection on the Third Luminous Mystery, click
here.]
The Fourth Luminous
Mystery – the Transfiguration
The episodes in Christ’s life that we meditate upon in the
Luminous Mysteries are those where Christ revealed His glory. In this Fourth
Luminous Mystery, we meditate upon that very visible display when His face
shone like the sun and His clothes became dazzling white (Matt 17:2). As His
three closest disciples gazed upon His unveiled glory, He was accompanied by
the two great Old Testament Saints, Moses and Elijah. To the Jewish people,
these men were the “icons” of the entire Old Testament Scriptures – Moses, the
Law; and Elijah, the Prophets.
Peter, not knowing what to say, made the suggestion that
three tents (or tabernacles) be erected – one for Jesus, one for Moses, and one
for Elijah (Mk 9:5-6). At this point, a cloud overshadowed them, and a voice
from heaven proclaimed “This is my Beloved Son; listen to Him!” (Mk 9:7). The
disciples became so afraid that they fell to the ground; but Jesus came to them
and touched them saying, “get up and do not be afraid”. When they looked up,
they saw that Moses and Elijah had disappeared, and Jesus was standing alone
before them.
One interpretation that the Church has given this passage is
that the “disappearance” of Moses and Elijah was God’s way of saying that the
Law and the Prophets are fulfilled in the Lord Jesus Christ (e.g. Lk 24:27).
There was no need to make tabernacles for Moses and Elijah, because all that
they had spoken about was fulfilled in the Lord Jesus Christ, when He made His
tabernacle amongst men (see Jn 1:14 – where the word translated as “dwelt” or “lived” is in fact
means “to tent or tabernacle”).
It is interesting that the words spoken by the Father to the
disciples were “Listen to Him!”; because just a few days prior, Jesus had
prophesied His Passion and they would not believe Him (see Matt 16:21-22; Mk
8:31-32). The disciples overheard Moses and Elijah speaking to the Lord about
His Passion (Lk 9:31). Now, the Father is basically saying to them: “You are
prepared to listen to Moses and Elijah. There is one greater than Moses and
Elijah here. Listen to Him!”
In the Second Luminous Mystery, Jesus revealed His glory
through His first miracle, and we hear His Mother’s words “Do whatever He
says”. Now, Jesus reveals His physical glory, and we hear His Father’s words
“Listen to Him!”
If we listen to Jesus and do whatever He says, we can be
sure that we will meet with persecution. After all, if the world persecuted
Him, we can expect that it will persecute us. Moses and Elijah spoke with Jesus
about His Passion. Listening to Jesus means that we will somehow be called to
share in His Passion, for He tells us that if we want to be His disciples, we
must deny ourselves, take up our cross, and follow Him (Matt 16:24). But that
is not where the story ends. After His Passion, Jesus rose again in glory – and
this is His promise to us – that if we suffer with Him, we will be glorified
with Him (Rom 8:17).
The Fifth Luminous
Mystery – the Institution of the Eucharist
In this Mystery, Christ reveals to us how He will remain
with His Church until the end of the ages (Matt 28:20). Whilst the Fourth
Luminous Mystery is about Christ unveiling His glory, this Fifth Mystery is
about Christ continuing to dwell amongst His people with His glory veiled under
the appearance of bread and wine.
The Luminous Mysteries really come to a climax in the Fifth
Luminous Mystery, because the Eucharist is the source and summit of our faith. Ultimately,
this Mystery is about faith.
If we believe that Jesus turned water into wine, as we have
already seen in the Second Luminous Mystery, then it shouldn’t be hard for us
to believe that He can turn wine into His own Blood.
If it is by faith that we believe that the world was framed
by the word of God (Heb 11:3), then it is by faith that we believe the words of
Institution change the substance of the bread and wine into the Body and Blood
of Christ. If God says “Let there be light”, then there is light. In the same
way, if God says “This is my Body” – then the bread that He holds becomes, by
the word of God, His very Body.
As we meditate upon this Mystery, we are called to increase
our faith in our Eucharistic Lord, who gives His flesh for the life of the
world (Jn 6:51). And for all those who worthily share in the communion of the
Lord’s Body and Blood, He assures that they will have eternal life (Jn 6:54) –
because He is Life.
Obtaining the
Promises through Jesus Christ
The Luminous Mysteries are about revelation – specifically
the revelation of the glory of the Lord Jesus. That is why these Mysteries are
called “Luminous” – because they are about giving light. Jesus said “I am the
Light of the world” (Jn 8:12); but He also said that the Church is the light of
the world (Matt 5:14). This is because His glory is not something that He keeps
to Himself. His desire is to share His glory with His Bride and Body, the
Church.
As we meditate upon these Luminous Mysteries, may we grow in
our desire to share in Christ’s glory, mindful of the promise that we too will
shine as bright as the Son (Matt 13:43).
POST-SCRIPT:
For related posts on this topic, click the links below:Reflections on the Rosary - Introduction
Reflections on the Rosary - Part III (The Sorrowful Mysteries)
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