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Understanding the Mysteries of LightThe Five Luminous Mysteries of the RosaryThe RosaryThe traditional rosary as is attributed to St. Dominic is composed of three mysteries: the joyful mystery, the sorrowful mystery, and the glorious mystery. Each of these mysteries are composed of five mysteries each and are contemplated upon when praying the rosary. The joyful mystery is meditated and contemplated upon when praying the rosary on a Monday and a Saturday. The sorrowful mystery is meditated and contemplated upon during Tuesdays and Fridays. And the glorious mysteries are contemplated upon during Wednesdays and Sundays. The Mysteries of Light A year of the rosary was celebrated from October 2002 to October 2003. It was during this year that the Holy Father John Paul II instituted the 5 Mysteries of Light. These mysteries of light are suggested to be prayed and contemplated upon during Thursdays. The Holy Father explains that the traditional 15 mysteries of the rosary, composed of the joyful, sorrowful, and glorious mysteries, lacked decisive moments in Christ's public life. It is because of this felt need that the Pope included 5 mysteries of Christ's public ministry from the Baptism up to the Passion. These mysteries are called mysteries of light because Christ in His public life manifested Himself as the "mystery of light": "While I am in the world, I am the light of the world" [John 9:5] Formalization of the inclusion of the light mysteries in the rosary The Holy Father John Paul II formalized the institution of these mysteries of light with the publication of the Apostolic Letter Rosarium Virginis Mariae. This is an apostolic letter of the supreme Pontiff to the bishops, clergy and faithful "On the Most Holy Rosary". The following is a listing of the five mysteries of light with a short description of each and the biblical reference it was taken from: Jesus' Baptism in the Jordan [cf. Matthew 3:17] The baptism of Jesus at the Jordan river is the beginning of His public ministry. In this baptism, Jesus shows that even though He was the Messiah and the Son of God, He went through what the people were going through. The people at that time were listening to John the Baptist teach of repentance and turning away from sin. And baptism was the sign that the people had to undergo in order to be cleansed from their sin and be ready for the Kingdom of God. Though Jesus had no sin, He nevertheless saw it was proper and according to the Father's will that He also undergo the baptism of John. His baptism was eventful because when He was baptized, the heavens opened, the Holy Spirit descended like a dove upon Him, and a voice cried out from out of the heavens that said, "This is My Beloved Son, with Whom I am well pleased." Jesus' Self-manifestation at the Wedding of Cana [cf. Jn 2:1-12] Although the baptism of the Jordan signalled Jesus entry into public ministry, it was at the wedding at Cana that He performed His first sign or miracle. In this mystery, the presence of Mary is to be noted. We know that in this story, the wedding feast suddenly ran out of wine. Mary, being intuitive and very attentive, listened to the servants' plea and approached Jesus with the problem. Jesus knew that His time to perform miracles was not yet to be. But because the situation calls for it and because His mother intervened and interceded for the wedding guests, Jesus complied. Thus, as Jesus turned the water into wine, that miracle started to open the hearts of the people to the mystery of Jesus as the Christ. Jesus' Proclamation of the Kingdom of God [cf. Mk 1:15] When Jesus started preaching, His words were: "This is the time of fulfillment. The kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the Gospel." As Jesus proclaimed the kingdom of God, He did not do so only by preaching and through teaching. His words were accompanied by great signs and wonders. The most important signs were conversions and people asking for forgiveness. Also very important were the signs of healing He performed and the exorcising of evil spirits from those who suffered from them. And perhaps one of His most unforgettable miracles of what the Kingdom of God really is about is when He raised people back from the dead. The Kingdom of God is really about eternal life and to show the people that He was indeed the Resurrection and the Life: He brought back to life people from the dead. Jesus' Transfiguration [cf. Lk 9:35] The mystery of the Transfiguration of Jesus is when Jesus was transformed into a brightness wherein His face shown like the sun and His clothes were as dazzling light. Jesus wanted His apostles to experience the glory which He will receive and the glory that they too will one day receive if they all follow the will of God and 'deny oneself and take up the cross'. Jesus' Transfiguration was created to be magnificent so that it can help the apostles to undergo and finally realize the meaning of the experience of Jesus' passion and death. If the Transfiguration did not happen, then the apostles Peter, James and John, would not have realized that the passion and death of Jesus was not the end but only the beginning of a glorified life in the Spirit - one that will come in the Resurrection event. Jesus' Institution of the Eucharist as the sacramental expression of the Paschal Mystery [Jn 13:1] At the Last Supper, Jesus instituted the mystery of the Eucharist. This is a very important mystery because it is the sign of Jesus' love for us by His sacrifice on the Cross. As He gave to the apostles the bread and wine that were transformed into His Body and Blood, He was giving Himself totally in love to humanity and offering His whole self to be broken, bruised, scourged, crowned with thorns, insulted, spitted upon, mocked and finally nailed to the Cross for the salvation of the world. So whenever we celebrate the Eucharist, we remember and commemorate this great sacrifice of Christ as He is broken in the form of bread for us every Sunday at the altar. And when we share in His brokenness, we who are ourselves broken, are healed from our sinfulness and from the many ills that the world inflicts upon us. In the mystery of the Eucharist, we experience the salvation God promises us since the beginning. The 5 mysteries of light These 5 mysteries of light are contemplated upon when we pray the rosary on a Thursday. Traditionally, it was the joyful mysteries that were contemplated upon as the rosary was prayed on a Thursday. But with this new institution of the Luminous mysteries or mysteries of Light, the praying of the joyful mystery was moved from a Thursday to a Saturday and the luminous mysteries were not prayed every Thursday. Before, the glorious mysteries of the rosary were contemplated on three days: Wednesdays, Saturdays, and Sundays. But since the joyful mysteries was moved to a Saturday to make way for the luminous mysteries, the glorious mysteries of the rosary are now contemplated only on two days: Wednesdays and Sundays. For those who want to learn the basics of praying the rosary, please see the article written on it in How to Pray the Rosary. |