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Rosary Meditations
Advanced Meditations with Greater Content
JOYFUL MYSTERIES
FEBRUARY 1, 1995
The Annunciation
- The Angel Gabriel appeared to Mary and asked her to be the Mother of
Jesus.
- Mary always complied with the will of the Father. She said, "...let
it happen to me as you have said." (Lk 1:38)
- Mary was filled with the Holy Spirit, and the Word became flesh.
- There was always great intimacy between Jesus and His Mother. From the
first moment of conception, she felt the life of Jesus, Son of God, grow within her womb.
- The Child Jesus is with us this day. He is in our brothers. He is in our
children. If the Child Jesus were here and we were about to hold Him, talk to Him, and be
with Him, we would treat Him with such joy and such kindness! Jesus is in our brothers.
Jesus is in our children. Jesus is here this day. Do we treat our brothers, our children,
and one another, with the same kindness that we would the Child Jesus?
- The invisible Jesus was inside of Mary's womb. He was there in His
divinity and His humanity. He was God from the first moment of conception. The invisible
Jesus remains with us today in the tabernacle. He is present there in His divinity and
humanity. We do not see Him, but He is no less present in the tabernacle than the day Mary
carried Him in her womb.
- God is love! He calls us to come to Him, to be close to Him. He truly
waits for us in the tabernacle. He is a prisoner awaiting those He loves, the precious
souls. So many forget Him day after day. He, the Son of God, waits and waits to share His
love with the precious souls that He came to this earth to save.
- "He came back to the disciples and found them sleeping, and he said
to Peter, 'So, you had not the strength to stay awake with me for one hour? Stay awake,
and pray not to be put to the test. The spirit is willing enough, but the human nature is
weak!" (Mt. 26:40-41)
- It was in the womb of the Blessed Virgin Mary that the Most Sacred Heart
of Jesus was formed. Jesus took on our human nature out of great love for us.
- Jesus was carried in Mary's womb. Her womb was a temple to hold the
precious child. She is the Mother of God!
The Visitation
- The angel had told Mary that her cousin, Elizabeth, had conceived a
child. Mary made haste to the hill country to visit her.
- Upon Mary's arrival at Elizabeth's house, Elizabeth was filled with the
Holy Spirit and cried out with a loud voice, "Of all women you are the most blessed,
and blessed is the fruit of your womb." (Lk 1:42)
- "Why should I be honoured with a visit from the mother of my
Lord?" (Lk 1:43) Usually the servant goes to the master. But Mary, with the Almighty
God within her womb, went to visit Elizabeth.
- Jesus waits for us this day. He is God and He waits in the tabernacle for
us to come and be with Him. He comes to us in the Eucharist. He is the Almighty God and He
waits for mere humans to come and share His love.
- We receive so much love from God! The Father loved us so much that He
sent His only begotten Son into this world so that we might be saved. Jesus waits this
very day for us to come and be with Him. It is out of great love that the Master waits for
us.
- When Mary and Jesus arrived at Elizabeth's house, the child in
Elizabeth's womb leapt for joy. John, who was to announce the good news that Jesus had
come to this earth, even before his birth, leapt with joy in the womb of his mother at the
presence of Jesus in Mary's womb.
- Should we not leap for joy? Jesus Christ, the Son of God, born of the
Virgin Mary, waits for us this day, no less present than the day He was carried in Mary's
womb to the home of her cousin, Elizabeth. We take His presence so lightly! We do not see,
so we do not realize that God, in His humanity and divinity, is truly present in the
tabernacle and waiting for us this very day.
- Mary was filled with the Holy Spirit and cried out, with a loud voice,
her Magnificat: "My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord and my spirit rejoices
in God my Saviour!" (Lk 1:46,47)
- "...because he has looked on the humiliation of his servant. Yes,
from now onwards all generations will call me blessed." (Lk 1:48)
- "...for the Almighty has done great things for me. Holy is his
name." (Lk. 1:49)
The Birth of Jesus
- The Father bridges the gap between divinity and humanity in the person of
Jesus Christ.
- Jesus came into this world. Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of the
Father, equal in every way to the Father, came into this world as a little baby, a
helpless little baby. If we realized the true majesty of God, if we saw Him in all His
majesty, we could not even stand to look at Him. But Jesus, clothed in flesh, comes as a
helpless little baby, born in a little crib in a stable in Bethlehem!
- Do we realize the immense love that the Father has for us that He sent
His only begotten Son into this world as a human in the person of Jesus Christ?
- Jesus, a Divine Person, unites His human nature and His divine nature in
His Person.
- Who are we that God loves us so much that He would take on a human
nature!
- We become brothers of God!
- He comes, the Son of God, in such quiet and such poverty! There is not a
roll of drums or a blare of trumpets. He comes in such quiet and a star shines on Him. Is
this not how it is when we receive Him in the Eucharist? We ascend the altar. There is not
a roll of drums. There is not a blare of trumpets. Quietly we approach the altar and we
truly receive God! He comes to us and enters our body in such love! Who are we that God
remains with us this day in such love and comes to us to be so closely united to us!?
- We see the consecrated Host. But within the consecrated Host is truly
God, in His divinity and His humanity.
- We look for those things that are visible. Are not the true treasures
found in those things that are invisible? The reality is that this is God's world! We see
the things in front of our face and we do not realize how the world of Jesus and Mary
truly is. We do not realize how they are with us this very day. Jesus Christ, the Son of
God, remains with us this day in His divinity and humanity in the Eucharist. We are
surrounded by His presence in one another. He dwells and lives in each one of us when we
are in the state of grace. In every blade of grass, the life that is there comes from God.
Yet we are so blind! We see so little! Holy Spirit, open up our eyes. Where we are blind,
let us see. Let us see more and more the invisible world. Let us know more and more the
presence of God all around us. Help us to see Jesus in each other. Help us to be more
aware of Jesus Christ, Who is truly present with us in the tabernacle.
- Open our eyes to see beyond what is visible, Lord. Holy Spirit, help us
to see beyond the consecrated Host and see Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
The Presentation of Jesus in the Temple
- The Holy Spirit told Simeon that he would not die until he saw the child
of God. The Holy Spirit led him into the Temple. Jesus, Mary, and Joseph came to the
Temple and the old man was overjoyed at the sight of the Child Jesus. He held Him with
such joy in his arms and said that now he was ready to die for he had seen God.
- Holy Spirit, enkindle in us the fire of Your love so we may see more
clearly Jesus Christ, Who is with us this very day. May we see that He is God and, out of
great love for each one of us, remains with us, waits for us, longs for us, and wants us
to open our hearts wide so that He may enter into our hearts. Remove the blinders from our
eyes, dear Holy Spirit, and lead us ever closer to intimacy with Jesus Christ, our beloved
Savior.
- Song: "Come Holy Ghost, Creator blest, and in our hearts
take up Thy rest. Come with Thy grace and heavenly aid to fill the hearts which Thou hast
made, to fill the hearts which Thou hast made."
- Simeon told Joseph and Mary of the great sufferings that Mary and Jesus
would have to undergo and he said to Mary, "...and a sword will pierce your soul
too." (Lk. 2:35)
- Think of how it would be for Mary to look at her small Child Jesus and
know that He would experience great suffering. From this point on a sword pierced Mary's
heart. Each time that she beheld her child, she remembered the prophecy of Simeon and she
suffered.
- How Mary suffered! The swords pierced her heart so many times through
Jesus' life! The sword pierced her heart on the way to Calvary as she peered into the eyes
of her beloved Son. This gaze show us the great intimacy between the Son and His Mother,
that heart that knew her Son so well!
- Her heart was pierced with a sword as she stood beneath His cross and
watched Him suffer in such anguish for three agonizing hours. She held the precious child
in her arms in the Temple when Simeon told her, "...and a sword will pierce your
soul too." (Lk 2:35)
- Song: See the Eyes that Look at Mary
- Mary, just as you presented the Child Jesus in your arms in the Temple,
tuck us into the Heart of Jesus. Present us to our loving Father so that we may be ever
closer and closer to the Heart of Jesus and the Father. Lead us closer to your beloved
Spouse, the Holy Spirit.
- Holy Spirit, the more we unite with Mary, our Mother, transform us more
and more into the image of Jesus and lead us ever closer to the Father.
The Finding of Jesus in the Temple
- When Jesus was twelve years old, He was taken up to the Temple for the
feast of Passover.
- When it was over, Mary and Joseph left Jerusalem but the Child Jesus
remained there.
- They had gone a day's journey before they realized that the Child Jesus
had been left behind.
- With great sorrow in their hearts, they returned and searched for the
Child Jesus.
- They found Him in the Temple where He was teaching the doctors.
- Jesus, as you taught the doctors in the Temple, teach us Your divine
truths. Holy Spirit, open our hearts so that we may more and more receive Your gifts to
know, love, and understand God so that we might grow in greater love and knowledge of our
beloved God!
- The Holy Spirit came upon them and filled their hearts full of wisdom,
knowledge, and joy to know more and more the divine truths that the Savior came to give
us. He imparts this life to us abundantly in the Eucharist whereby He feeds our life. When
we come to the Eucharist, He outpours this life, this life of grace. He wants to give us
His very life, His Body and His Blood, to nurture and feed our life! We stumble. We wander
around and complain! This good God, Who came to this earth, was born a human, gave His
flesh and blood, died for us, and rose on the third day to give us His life. He remains
with us this day with His very own flesh and blood to feed this life! He gives us His Word
to feed us and we take it so lightly! We imagine Him calling ever so gently in His tender
voice and with His burning Heart, "Come to me, all you who labour and are
overburdened, and I will give you rest." (Mt. 11:28) But in our blindness we
turn away and we do not realize the true treasure that is here! This is the Son of God,
Who remains with us this day, truly present. He is the same as the day He was in the
Temple, the same as the day He hung on the cross, and the same as the day He rose from the
tomb and ascended into heaven!
- Song: A Song from Jesus
- Dear Mary, if we ever lose our way from the Most Sacred Heart of your
Son, lead us back quickly.
Song: I Love You Jesus
- Song: Teach Me to Love with Your Heart
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Copyright © 1998 Shepherds of Christ
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First Printing: November, 1998