Opening Prayers for the Luminous Mysteries of the Rosary
- “In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, amen.
Come, Holy Spirit,
come by means
of the powerful intercession
of the Immaculate Heart of Mary,
Thy well beloved spouse,
and Queen of the Holy Rosary.
Help us to “contemplate the face of Christ” with Mary,
treasuring and pondering these mysteries in our hearts.
Allow us to accompany you, O Sacred Virgin.
Let us “learn Christ” from you in your “school of prayer,” the rosary. *
Receive from us these “bright yellow roses”** of prayer,
this garland of the Luminous Mysteries
as we ponder this “compendium of the Gospel.” *
Help us to pray it from the heart.
Through our prayers, and our meditation,
on the life of Christ,
may we scatter the petals of the Gospel
along the path of every person on earth,
to lead each one
in the way of Jesus.
Here begin the rosary in the usual way, using these brief reflections at the start of each of the Luminous mysteries, praying the dedication to Mary at the end of each decade.
First Luminous Mystery: The Baptism of the Lord
Jesus, as St. Elizabeth affirmed your mother’s purpose and ministry at the time of the Visitation, now John witnesses to Your truth in the presence
of the Holy Spirit,
coming down from Heaven,
and the Father speaks
to show us
Jesus.
We marvel at this profoundly humble encounter,
this kindly revelation
of who You are.
With your baptism, Lord, you dedicated yourself to your mission and to the Father.
We dedicate and consecrate our lives to the Father in union with You. In deep humility, as we pray…
We place these bright yellow roses of the Baptism of the Lord, into your hands,
Mother of Jesus,
Mother of the Church.
May all of your children
live every day
in the love of Jesus,
and give Him
to everyone
in all that we do.
May we be filled with the Holy Spirit
in every word we speak.
Second Luminous Mysteries: The Wedding at Cana
Jesus, at Cana,
responding to your mother’s confident nudge,
you performed your first miracle at a wedding reception that was running out of wine,
turning water reserved for ritual washing
into
the best of wines.
In your compassion, give our souls the deepest joy of believing in you.
Give us this wine forever,
and grant us the grace of beautiful Christian lives
full of the happiness of true love,
given and received every day.
We pray…
Mother of Good Counsel,
we offer you these bright yellow roses
of the Miracle at the Wedding at Cana,
humbly fastening them to your veil.
May all your children bring you constant joy by hearing the voice of Jesus,
doing whatever He tells us,
with the simple trust
that draws Him to work miracles.
Third Luminous Mystery: The Proclamation of the Kingdom of God
Jesus, you are the pearl in the field.
You yourself are our prize,
our treasure,
our peace,
our way to the Kingdom.
We ponder your love,
your teachings,
your parables,
your miracles,
your healing of the sick and broken.
We savor the Beatitudes,
and the shining truth of You as we pray….
Mary, our humble queen mother,
we place these bright yellow roses of the Proclamation of the Kingdom of God
at your rough and calloused feet
that followed your Son
so faithfully.
May we follow, too, with ready feet,
and with
the little ones,
enter the Kingdom.
Fourth Luminous Mystery: The Transfiguration of the Lord
Jesus, even though they fell asleep in prayer,
Peter, James and John were sill given the grace of awakening to the vision of You in glory,
then given the highest gift of inner prayer:
to, “look up and see only [you,]”
Just you,
on a quiet day.
We ponder, we immerse ourselves, we gaze on your beauty
in simplicity of heart
as we pray…
Mary, Mother of Prayer,
we offer you these bright, yellow roses of the Mystery of the Transfiguration of your Son,
surrounding you with their light.
Like you, may we be so pure of heart,
that all we see
is God wherever we look.
Guide all of your children
to be children of prayer
and of light.
Fifth Luminous Mystery: The Institution of the Eucharist
Jesus, with your dearest friends, you desired to announce a New Covenant,
a New Commandment,
a new Passover.
We long to receive You in Holy Communion with one another at mass.
Since we can not now physically receive You in the Holy Eucharist,
we ask humbly that You come spiritually into our hearts.
Bind us together and to You in Your Body.
Make us holy, and fill us completely
with the simple knowledge
of Your presence.
Allow us to live in You,
and come now,
live in us.
We praise You,
we bless You,
we adore you,
we glorify You.
We pray….
Mother of he Eucharist,
we offer you these bright yellow roses of the Institution of the Eucharist
to adorn the alter in Heaven.
May your children always receive Jesus in the Eucharist
with faith, love, and reverence, with thanksgiving.
May His true presence with us be praised,
adored and loved
always and at every moment
in every mass,
and in every tabernacle in the world,
as He is in Heaven.
Closing Prayers for the Luminous Mysteries
Holy Mother, allow us to embrace you tenderly,
and to rest with you
in the goodness of the Luminous Mysteries of the Rosary,
in the beauty of he Gospel,
in the wonderful truth of Jesus,
of all that He is.
And we thank you
for this beautiful time with you.
Together with Your loving Son,
give us
blessing
and help us
to bless the world.
Amen.
*Pope St.John Paul II in Rosarium Virginis Mariae
** In the book, Rosary Novenas to Our Lady, the authors, Charles V Lacey and John R Brokhoff refer to the Hail Marys of the Luminous Mysteries as “bright yellow roses.”
If you don’t know how to pray the rosary, here is a quick guide. 🙂
