Rosary meditation on the mysteries of light - Sr Salezja Molik
Meditations on the Luminous Mysteries
1. The Baptism of the Lord Jesus in the River Jordan
From the Gospel of St Matthew:
“Let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfil all righteousness”. And behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming upon him. And a voice from heaven said: “This is my beloved Son, listen to him!”
Jesus goes down into the waters of the Jordan, obedient to the ministry of John the Baptist. In the sign of water he desires to wash us clean of our sins. That complete washing takes place in the sacrament of baptism, which priests administer by the power of the words of Jesus:“Go into all the world and baptise them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit”.
Through this sacrament we become children of God and can draw on all the gifts that lead us to salvation in the Church.
2. Jesus works his first miracle at the wedding in Cana of Galilee
From the Gospel of St John:
“When the wine ran short, the Mother of Jesus said to him: «They have no wine left», and she said to the servants: «Do whatever he tells you»”.
A wedding is a joyful event in the life of a family. It should be joined to the sacrament of marriage, because only then does a new family come into being, blessed by God:“That is why a man leaves his father and his mother and is joined to his wife”.
Man and woman have received from God the gift of passing on new life, the gift of bringing into the world a child who is not their property but a child of God, destined for a joyful life in eternity with him.
Let us ask Mary, the Mother of all humanity, to protect our families and to help us shape them after the pattern of the Holy Family of Nazareth.
3. The proclamation of the Kingdom of God and the call to conversion
From the Gospel of St Matthew:
“When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain. And when he sat down, his disciples came to him. Then he opened his mouth and taught them: «Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy»”.
The mission Jesus received from the Father in heaven was to announce to people the most beautiful news: God loves each one of us and has prepared for every person a place for all eternity in his Kingdom.
The Church continues this task through the ministry of priests, who proclaim to us the Gospel, the Good News of salvation.
Let us pray that we may never lack priests to administer the holy sacraments to us, to explain the Gospel of Christ and to teach us how to become children of God.
Mother of Priests, obtain for us from your Son holy priests.
4. The Transfiguration of the Lord Jesus on Mount Tabor
From the Gospel of St Mark:
“Jesus took with him Peter, James and John and led them, by themselves, up a high mountain. And he was transfigured before them”.
This extraordinary event filled the three Apostles with fear. They did not know what was happening, and at the same time they experienced an extraordinary peace and happiness. Peter exclaimed:“Rabbi, it is good that we are here; let us put up three tents”.
The life of a Christian is a continual transformation of our heart and our thoughts in the light of faith. In this transformation priests come to our aid, reconciling us anew with God and with others in the sacrament of penance and reconciliation, in the name of Jesus.
Lord, we ask you, endow priests with the power of the Holy Spirit, so that they may shape their own hearts after the pattern of your Merciful Heart.
5. The Lord Jesus institutes the sacrament of Love, the sacrament of the Eucharist
From the Gospel of St Mark:
“While they were eating, he took bread, said the blessing, broke it and gave it to them, saying: «Take it, this is my body». Then he took a cup and, when he had given thanks, gave it to them, and they all drank from it. And he said to them: «This is my blood of the covenant, which will be shed for many»”.
A few words, a few moments were enough to work the greatest miracle, the Miracle of Love.
Think of it: he gave himself to us entirely as Food and Drink. He remained with us, living and true, to strengthen us with himself on the way to heaven.
The Eucharist is closely bound to the priesthood. There would be no Eucharist if Jesus had not instituted the sacrament of the priesthood. We need priests to bring Jesus down from heaven to earth and to bring the Kingdom of Heaven near to us. Already here on earth we can live, work and serve others in the closeness of Jesus.
Let us pray for new and holy priestly vocations, so that those whom Jesus calls may become witnesses of God's Love.
Amen.
Meditations prepared by Sr Salezja Molik CSFB
