The Rosary is a prayerful reflection of the Gospels. It is comprises 20 Mysteries or significant events in the life of Jesus and Mary. These events are organized into four sets of Mysteries. The Five Glorious Mysteries of the Rosary are recited on Wednesdays (except during Lent), and the Sundays from Easter to Advent.

In Mary’s Touch Program 2.39, Mike shares his journey of faith, which was nurtured by our Blessed Mother and by praying the Rosary. His love for Mary now inspires him to write contemplative prayers. Here, he shares his Meditations on the Glorious Mysteries of the Rosary. To open a printer-friendly version of these meditations, click here.

The Resurrection (MT 28:1–10)

We pray for
Conversion of Heart.

After the Sabbath and towards dawn on the first day of the week, Mary of Magdala and the other Mary went to visit the Sepulcher. And all at once, there was a violent earthquake, for the Angel of the Lord, descending from heaven, came and rolled away the stone and sat on it. His face was like lightning, his robe white as snow. The guards were so shaken, so frightened of him, that they were like dead men. But the Angel spoke; and he said to the women, “There is no need for you to be afraid. I know you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here, for He has risen as He said He would. Come and see the place where He lay, then go quickly and tell His disciples, ‘He has risen from the dead and now He is going before you to Galilee; it is there you will see Him’. Now I have told you.” Filled with awe and great joy, the women came quickly away from the tomb and ran to tell the disciples.

And there, coming to meet them was Jesus. “Greetings,” He said. And the women came up to Him and, falling down before Him, clasped His feet. Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers that they must leave for Galilee; they will see me there.”

There was much fear and anxiety about the resurrection. The Chief Priests were afraid that Jesus’s followers would steal His body to make it appear as if He had risen. Some were even afraid He would actually rise from the dead. His disciples were lost—they were afraid He would not rise as He had promised. They were afraid of what would happen to them.

The Resurrection of Christ is about hope. It is the fulfillment of God’s Word. Everything that had ever been prophesied about Him, everything He had ever said or done is fulfilled in His resurrection. Jesus conquered death and sin. He completed His mission to redeem us with the Father so that we can follow Him into eternal life. Christ’s resurrection is the fulfillment of our faith. It is beyond our comprehension. It defies all that we know of our world—of nature itself. It is truly a miracle. The resurrection is proof that all things are possible in Christ.

Do I have faith that God will fulfill His promise to me in my life?

I pray that each day my faith grows and is strengthened through the power and mystery of Christ’s resurrection.

The Ascension (LK 24:44–53)

We pray for a Desire for Heaven.

Then He told them, “This is what I meant when I said, while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of Moses, in the prophets and in the Psalms, has to be fulfilled.” He then opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, and He said to them, “So you see how it is written that the Christ would suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that, in His name, repentance for the forgiveness of sins would be preached to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are the witnesses to this.”

“And now I am sending down to you what the Father has promised. Stay in the city then, until you are clothed with the power from on high.”

Then He took them out as far as the outskirts of Bethany, and lifting up His hands He blessed them. Now as He blessed them, He withdrew from them and was carried up to heaven. They worshipped Him and then went back to Jerusalem full of joy, and they were continually in the Temple praising God.

Jesus remains on earth for forty days. He must finish His work here so that we might understand. He must prove to us that He has truly risen because our faith is weak. When His time here is complete, He tells us we will not be left orphans. On the Cross, He made us children of Mary. Now He promises to send the Holy Spirit to enlighten and strengthen us. He blesses His disciples and ascends body and soul into heaven.

As witnesses to this glorious miracle, Jesus’s disciples gain the hope and belief that they will follow Him into heaven. In the same way, Jesus’s ascension gives us hope that we too might follow Him into heaven to be with God the Father. After all, we were created to be with God. All of our faith points us in this direction. Jesus loves us and wants us to follow Him.

Do I use Jesus’s ascension into heaven to strengthen my faith and hope each day? Do I allow the Holy Spirit to come to me to guide and direct my life?

I pray that I find faith and hope in Christ’s ascension so I too might follow Him to the Father.

The Descent of the Holy Spirit (JN 14:15–21)

We pray for the Gifts of the Holy Spirit.

I shall ask the Father, and He will give you another Advocate to be with you forever, that Spirit of truth whom the world can never receive since it neither sees nor knows Him; But you know Him, because He is with you, He is in you. I will not leave you orphans; I will come back to you. In a short time, the world will no longer see me; but you will see me because I live, and you will live. On that day, you will understand that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you. Anybody who receives my commandments and keeps them will be one who loves me, and anybody who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I shall love him and show myself to him.

The promise of Jesus is fulfilled with the coming of the Holy Spirit. The apostles are once again locked in a room together. Even though they have seen the risen Christ with their own eyes, they are still confused and afraid. They have been given their own missions but don’t know where to begin. They lived with Jesus every day. They heard Him speak and saw His works, but they still don’t fully understand. Like us, they were weak and afraid. Like us they were incapable of living God’s will without the help of His grace. Jesus knew this would be the case for He knew and loved His disciples. As always, Jesus was patient. He knew them and knew what to do. He sent the Holy Spirit to strengthen them and to enlighten them. They accepted the Holy Spirit, and it gave them strength and wisdom. They now understood what they must do. They were no longer afraid. They were willing to die, if they must, to fulfill their missions—just as Christ did.

Like Christ’s disciples, it is up to us to accept this gift into our lives. When we do, the confusion and fear about where and how to begin our personal missions melts away and certainty replaces it. The Holy Spirit, once accepted into our lives, speaks to us in many ways. He comes into our thoughts. He speaks through our conscious and through signs all around us. He gives us guidance and direction, strength, and grace to carry out God’s will.

Do I accept the Holy Spirit into my life to give me strength and wisdom to live and die as Christ did? Do I listen and follow the Holy Spirit’s instructions?

I pray that I accept the Holy Spirit into my heart and into my life. I pray that I follow His direction to become an instrument of God in this world.

The Assumption of Our Lady into Heaven (Catholic Catechism #966)

We pray for Devotion to Mary.

Finally the Immaculate Virgin, preserved free from all stain of original sin, when the course of her earthly life was finished, was taken up body and soul into heavenly glory, and exalted by the Lord as Queen over all things, so that she might be the more fully conformed to her Son, the Lord of Lords and conqueror of sin and death.508 The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin is a singular participation in her Son’s resurrection and an anticipation of the resurrection of other Christians:

In giving birth, you kept your virginity; in your dormition, you did not leave the world, O Mother of God, but were joined to the source of life. You conceived the Living God and, by your prayers, you will deliver our souls from death.509

… She is our Mother in the Order of Grace.

Mary had spiritual perfection—she was fully human; yet she was full of grace. Although she was spared original sin, she, like us, always had free will to choose. She said yes to becoming the Mother of God even though it might mean her own pain and suffering. She experienced the joy in Jesus’s life, and she painfully and lovingly endured His passion—the brutal killing of her Son—because He said it must be so…and yet, she never lost faith in God’s will. Her life was the model of discipleship to Jesus. She even forgave those who murdered Him.

While He hung, on the Cross, Jesus asked her to once again be a mother— this time to His infant Church. Again, she said yes. She chose God’s will. She is our model. Each day we can choose to follow our mother, Mary, to her Son Jesus Christ.

Mary, without sin, was taken, body and soul, directly to God. Because she was without sin, her body was not allowed to be corrupted. If we follow Mary’s example, we too can share in the resurrection.

Do I try to follow Mary’s example by saying yes when I am called upon to do God’s will? Is my faith and hope strengthened by Mary’s assumption, body and soul, into heaven?

I pray that I am given strength and grace each day so that I am prepared to say yes when I am called to do the will of God.

The Coronation of the Blessed Virgin as Queen of Heaven and Earth (Catholic Catechism #966)

We pray for Eternal Happiness.

“A great sign appeared in heaven; a woman clothed in the sun, the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars.” Mary is exalted as Queen of Heaven. There is great joy in heaven shared by the angels, the saints, and by Jesus at the Coronation of Mary as Queen of Heaven.

The Coronation of Mary as the Queen of All Creation is something to celebrate—a joyous event. Once again, Mary shows us that, through the grace of God, all things are possible. Mary could rest on her accomplishment. She could rejoice in the presence of God for the rest of eternity. But she is our mother, and she understands God’s will for us. He does not want any one of us to be left behind. So, Mary like the perfect mother she is, accepts her position in heaven humbly, but immediately sets out once again to serve God in shepherding us to Him. Like the Visitation, Mary comes to us to help us; to lead us to God through Christ. For she will not rest as Queen of Creation until all of God’s children are with Him in heaven.

Do I follow Mary’s example each day? Do I open my heart to receive the grace of God through the Holy Spirit?

I pray that I might follow Mary’s example each day, and with the help of her intercession, be brought to Christ in heaven to share fully in God the Father’s presence for eternity.