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Roman Catholics around the world honor Mary as the Mother of Jesus, hand chosen by God to be the Queen of Heaven and an example of feminine joy and strength for men and women alike. The Prayers of the Rosary are recitations of the Hail Mary prayer, the Our Father prayer, and the Glory Be to God prayer, in a specific order, to honor fifteen events of Mary's life and to meditate on the lessons we can learn from them.
Each group is prayed upon in rotation, so that meditation is equally divided between the events in the life of Jesus and his mother. This allows a person who regularly uses the rosary prayers to meditate equally upon the lessons we can learn from each as they apply to our own lives.
These events are divided into three groups by Spiritual focus. First are the five Joyful Mysteries* (the young Jesus in his family), followed by the Sorrowful (the end of Jesus' life) and, finally, the Glorious Mysteries, which commemorate the events immediately following the Crucifixion of Jesus.
The Glorious Mysteries are
• The Resurrection - Jesus rises from the dead.
• The Ascension - Jesus ascends into Heaven.
• The Descent of the Holy Spirit upon the apostles.
• The Assumption - The Virgin Mary is taken up to Heaven.
• The Coronation - Mary is crowned Queen of Heaven and Earth.
The Rosary is said, or prayed, with the focus on these Glorious Mysteries on Wednesdays and Saturdays throughout the year, on Sundays from Easter to Advent (the fourth Sunday before Christmas) and on other occasions during the ecumenical year when a spirit of worship and awe is appropriate.
The first of the Joyful Mysteries of the Roman Catholic rosary is the RESURRECTION, when Jesus arises from the dead three days after being crucified.
This event is the cornerstone of the Christian faith, exemplifying Jesus' special status as the Son of God who conquers the darkness of death, and is celebrated all over the world on Easter Sunday.
During the saying of this decade* of the rosary, meditations can take the form of:
--gratitude for the promise of life after death, whether viewed as literal, or more figuratively as the promise of joyousness following deepest depression;
-- celebration of a spiritual faith that professes belief in a life of the soul or Spirit after the human body has died;
-- faith in God to keep the promises he made in the Old Testament about the Savior overcoming the terrors of death.
The second Glorious Mystery is the ASCENSION. This celebrates Jesus being taken to Heaven as a living human, forty days after he had risen from the dead.
He had gone with a small group of his disciples to the Mount of Olives, where He told them to go out to the whole world and spread His spiritual message of love and hope for the world. As He was finishing His speech, he was lifted up on a cloud to Heaven. As the followers gazed after Him, two angels appeared to the group and assured them that Jesus would come again, in the same manner as He had ascended.
Meditations about the Ascension can focus on:
-- praying for missionaries and people in authority, that they do good work in the world;
-- remembering to honor the holy people among us;
-- patience and prayer for direction, acknowledging the need to wait for spiritual guidance in our lives before we move forward.
The third glorious Mystery is the DESCENT OF THE HOLY SPIRIT, celebrating the wisdom bestowed on the apostles as they gathered in Jerusalem. Catholics and others of the Christian faith celebrate this event as the Pentecost. Roman Catholics recognize this event as the foundation for the dogma* of infallible spiritual wisdom of the Pope.
Jesus' followers were despondent, confused and uncertain about their future after the death, resurrection, and ascension into Heaven of Jesus, whom they had been devoted to and dependent upon for three years. They were gathered in a room in Jerusalem, locked behind closed doors and huddling in fear of reprisals from those who had put Jesus to death, when a sudden wind filled the room and tongues of fire appeared over each one's head.
The effect was a release of fear and uncertainty, and strength grounded in their faith in Jesus' fulfillment of the prophecy: "The Spirit of the Lord will descend upon all flesh." Led by Peter, the Apostles left the room and began to teach.
Meditations about the Pentecost, the Descent of the Holy Spirit can bring focus to:
-- accepting and acknowledging the truth and power of our spiritual beliefs;
-- praying for the world's spiritual leaders, that they will lead and teach with true wisdom;
-- release of fear and mistrust, and replacing it with courage and wisdom.
The fourth Joyful Mystery is the ASSUMPTION of Mary into Heaven. About thirty years after the death of Jesus, at the end of Mary's life, she was taken bodily into heaven. Catholics believe that she is only human absolutely guaranteed to be in Heaven because of this mystery.
Meditations on the ASSUMPTION can focus on:
-- the belief that our life goes on after our body's physical death;
-- living courageous, spiritual lives so that any fear of death is diminished;
-- remembering the value of our mothers, regardless of our relationship with them, in the life they have given us.
The fifth Joyful Mystery is the CROWNING OF MARY as Queen of Heaven and Earth. Traditions among those who honor Mary as the Mother of Jesus and a guiding spiritual light since the death of Jesus respect this mystery as God's way of honoring her special role in spirituality.
Marian societies are popular not only among Roman Catholics, but among many peoples who respect her strength and her example in the way she served humanity as the mother of Jesus. Many rely on her as an intermediary between their humanity and God, just as women frequently are between their men and the people who come to them requesting favors.
Meditations on the CROWNING OF MARY can focus on:
-- the value of mothers in the history of the world as they have trained the leaders;
-- trusting Mary, as the mother of God, to intercede for us;
-- recognizing the honor Jesus held for his own mother, and duplicating that in our own lives.
Definitions:
Decade: One section of the rosary beads, made up of one bead slightly separate, and the group of ten that follow it.
*Mystery: Basics of the Roman Catholic belief that are accepted on faith rather than on scientific evidence
*Dogma: Teachings that professed Catholics agree to accept without question as the Word of God
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