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Rosary Meditations
From Junior Shepherds of Christ Associate Meetings
JOYFUL MYSTERIES
NOVEMBER 30, 1995
The Annunciation
- Jesus loves us with a Heart that is filled with burning love. See the
picture of Jesus with His white tunic and red robe and the children under His feet. He
loves to teach the children about His love. He wants the children close to His Heart. The
Angel Gabriel appeared to the Virgin Mary and asked Mary to be the Mother of God.
- This is a mystery that the Almighty God came to this earth and was
conceived in the womb of a human person. Let us think about this.
- The sin of Adam and Eve was passed on to all people for they were our
first parents. The Blessed Virgin Mary was born sinless. Jesus was incarnate in her womb
through the power of the Holy Spirit.
- The Baby Jesus was formed in the womb of His Mother. We are formed in the
spiritual womb of our Mother Mary. We must pray to the Holy Spirit to change us into the
image and likeness of God.
- As we mature in our spirituality, we become more and more like God. We
were created by the Father in His own image and likeness.
- The Child Jesus grew within the womb of Mary. How graced was the womb of
Mary? We say in each Hail Mary, "Hail Mary, full of grace." Within her womb, she
carried the Son of God.
- If we looked at Mary and we saw Mary carrying the Child Jesus in her
womb, we would just be in awe. But Jesus comes to us in the Eucharist and we carry this
presence within us. He is no less present when we receive Him in the Eucharist than He was
in the womb of the Virgin Mary.
- He says to us, "Shoulder my yoke and learn from me, for I am gentle
and humble in heart," (Mt. 11:29) God came to this earth in the womb of the Virgin
Mary and He remains with us this day in the Holy Eucharist. He gives Himself to us.
- When we are in the state of grace, He remains with us in His divinity. He
lives in our hearts.
- Meditate on the Child Jesus being formed within the womb of Mary through
the Holy Spirit and think of His Sacred Heart being formed within her womb.
The Visitation
- Jesus is a Person and He is alive this day. He wants to be so close to
us. He loves us so much. When we are in the state of grace, He lives in our hearts in a
very special way.
- When we are in the state of grace, the Father, the Son, and the Holy
Spirit live within our hearts.
- Mary went to visit her cousin, Elizabeth. When she arrived, the child in
Elizabeth's womb leapt for joy at the presence of Jesus within Mary's womb.
- Should we not leap for joy when we receive Jesus in Holy Communion? He is
truly present in His divinity and humanity? He is no less present than when Mary carried
Him in her womb.
- There was such intimacy between Mary and the Child Jesus for Their Hearts
both beat in the body of the Virgin Mary. Jesus wants such oneness with us. He wants to be
so close to us that all of our actions are performed in union with Him.
- Carry His presence in your heart with such joy for we are never alone.
The Almighty God is in us, longing and waiting for us to talk to Him.
- Do we realize that Jesus is not far off, that Jesus is a Person, that He
is with us, that He is alive, and that He is longing for our love?
- When we go to Mass, let us meditate on the mystery of God's love for us,
that He gave His only Son. He came into this world in the womb of the Virgin Mary, a human
person.
- Let us meditate on the mystery that God took on flesh.
- We are human persons. He elevates us to such heights. Through Baptism, He
allows us to share in His divine life. Let us treasure all the gifts that He gives to us.
He gives us the gift of grace which is the sharing in His divine life.
The Birth of the Child Jesus in the
Stable in Bethlehem
- Joseph traveled from house to house to find a place for the Child Jesus
and the Virgin Mary. There was not room for them. Jesus was born in a little stable in the
town of Bethlehem.
- This day Jesus is rejected by so many of the hearts that He loves so
much. He stands at the door of our hearts and He knocks. He wants to be so close to us and
so many send Him away.
- But He waits, and waits, and waits for He wants us to be with Him forever
in heaven. Some of His beloved souls ignore Him their whole lives. He still waits because
He loves each soul so personally.
- If we meditate on this mystery, we see the Child Jesus wrapped in
swaddling clothes and lying in a manger surrounded by cows and sheep. This is the Son of
God. He does not come adorned in gold and silver, but He comes in such poverty.
- He comes and He is laid on wood in Bethlehem and He dies on a bare wood
cross.
- How tenderly He loves each one of us and wants us to talk to Him all
through the day.
- Many mothers abandon their children through abortion in this world today.
Jesus promises us that He will never abandon us. "Can a woman forget her baby...Even
if these were to forget, I shall not forget you." (Is. 49:15)
- Let us meditate on the presence of the Almighty God, Father, Son, and
Holy Spirit dwelling within our hearts at this moment. Think of God within us.
- Let us pray to the Holy Spirit. We must talk to Him and tell Him of our
love. The more we pray to the Holy Spirit, the more our hearts will burn with the love of
God.
- The gift to this world from the Father is the gift of His beloved Son,
Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
The Presentation of Our Lord in the
Temple
- Jesus was taken to the temple by Mary and Joseph to be presented to the
Father.
- They brought an offering of two turtle doves. Jesus Christ, the Son of
God, was sacrificed on Calvary to the Father. This sacrifice is sacramentally made present
at every Mass. What a great gift that the sacrifice of Calvary is sacramentally made
present at every moment all over the world. We should unite to the Holy Sacrifice of the
Mass and offer this sacrifice to the Father, for this is the most powerful prayer that we
can offer to our Father.
- The Holy Spirit led the old man, Simeon, to the Temple and he took the
child in his arms and he said, "Look, he is destined for the fall and for the
rise of many in Israel, destined to be a sign that is opposed---" (Lk. 2:34)
- And he told Mary that, "...a sword will pierce your soul too-so
that the secret thoughts of many may be laid bare." (Lk. 2:35)
- Mary, from this point on, had a constant ache in her heart for she knew
of the sufferings to come. She knew that many would be saved through the life of her Son.
- It is through His Son that the Father gives us a sharing in His divine
life.
- It is through His Heart that the sacramental life of the Church is
formed.
- Jesus' Heart was pierced with a lance and what came forth was blood and
water. Water is a symbol of Baptism, our sharing in His life. Blood is the symbol of the
Eucharist where by we are fed.
- We are given life and we sustain our lives here through our food. We are
given a sharing in His divine life in Baptism. We are fed through His Body and Blood. We
are given a greater sharing in His life in the sacraments.
- Jesus gives us Himself in the Eucharist to feed the life in our souls.
The Finding of the Lord, Jesus, in the
Temple
- When He was twelve years old, the Child Jesus was taken up to the Temple
by Mary and Joseph for the feast of the Passover.
- When it was over, Mary and Joseph left with the caravan not realizing
that Jesus had been left behind.
- When they realized that Jesus was not with them, they returned to
Jerusalem in search of Him. Their hearts were in such sorrow for they longed to find the
Child Jesus.
- After searching for Him several days, they found Jesus in the Temple. He
was speaking to the doctors and answering their questions and Mary said to Him,
"...'My child, why have you done this to us? See how worried your father and I have
been, looking for you.'" (Lk. 2:48)
- He told her that He had to be about His Father's business.
- Think of the Child Jesus living as a normal little child with Joseph and
Mary. Jesus is the Son of God. He humbled Himself. He walked the earth and He lived and
grew as a little boy.
- It is so powerful to pray to the little Child Jesus especially for
health.
- There is such suffering and so many illnesses in our world today,
spiritual illnesses. We pray to You, little Child Jesus, to come and to heal this world
with the gift of Your divine love.
- We pray to You, little Child Jesus, to help us to feel Your tender love
in our hearts and to know and love You more, to give our love to You freely, and to
receive Your love in our hearts, that we may share this love with others in this world.
- Many in this world today have lost their way. They have wandered far from
their source, which is God. God controls their very breath. Let us pray with all our
hearts for our brothers that have wandered from the source, which is God. Let us pray that
they will receive a grace, cooperate with the grace, and return to the burning Heart of
Jesus. He will bathe them in His tender love.
Let us focus on the presence of Jesus with us
and realize that we are never alone. He is a Person that is waiting and longing for us to
talk to Him, far more than we realize. He truly listens and cares for our every need.
During this season let us see the Child Jesus in
the crib. Let us see the star above His bed. He is the Almighty God. We must stay close to
Him. We realize that He is within us. He has all the power. He is with us in our struggles
and trials. He is as close as our breath and our heartbeat. He wants to help us. He wants
to love us and care for us. When we go to the Eucharist, let us thank Him for the great
gift of Himself and outpour our love to Him, the Father, and the Holy Spirit.
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Copyright © 1998 Shepherds of Christ
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First Printing: November, 1998