Rosary Meditation:

The Mysteries of the Rosary are events that occurred during the lives of Jesus and Mary. When praying the rosary, the Mysteries are the visuals that we meditate on as we recite each rosary decade (a group of 10 Hail Mary prayers). Meditation is what makes the rosary such a powerful devotion. With meditation, we add substance to our prayers and better align ourselves to a Higher Power. Rosary prayers must include meditation! When you first learn how to pray the rosary, you may be more concerned about memorizing the prayers than you are about remaining focused on your meditation. This is perfectly normal. However, once you understand the basics of how to pray the rosary, it becomes time to focus your attention towards improving your ability to meditate on the Mysteries of the Rosary during prayer. Rosary recitation without meditation is not nearly as effective than with meditation. To experience the full benefits and potential of praying the rosary, meditation on the Mysteries of the Rosary is absolutely essential.
There are 20 total Mysteries broken out into four different groups: Joyful Mysteries, Sorrowful Mysteries, Glorious Mysteries, and Luminous Mysteries. Most people limit their rosary prayers to one set of Mysteries per day by following the typical rosary schedule. However, if you can meditate on more than five Mysteries a day it would be great! The more you pray the better - but obviously not everyone has time to meditate on all 20 Mysteries a day. Therefore, pray the rosary and meditate on at least five Mysteries a day. Once you see the benefits of praying the rosary with meditation, you may want to meditate on all 20 Mysteries of the Rosary!

THE SORROWFUL MYSTERIES

The first sorrowful mystery is the agony in the garden of gethsemane

when Christ, having celebrated the Last Supper with His disciples on Holy Thursday, goes to the Garden of Gethsemane to pray and to
prepare for His Sacrifice on Good Friday.

The virtue most commonly associated with the mystery of the Agony in the Garden is acceptance of God's Will.

Meditation on the Agony in the Garden:

"My Father, if it be possible, let this chalice pass from me. Nevertheless not as I will, but
as thou wilt" (Matthew 26:39). Jesus Christ, the very Son of God, the Second Person of the Holy Trinity, kneels before His Father in
the Garden of Gethsemane. He knows what is coming—the pain, both physical and spiritual, that He will suffer over the next
several hours. And He knows that it is all necessary, that it has been necessary ever since Adam followed Eve down the path of
temptation. "For God so loved the world, as to give his only begotten Son; that whosoever believeth in him, may not perish,
but may have life everlasting" (John 3:16). And yet He is truly Man, as well as truly God. He does not desire His own death, not because His Divine Will is not the same as His Father's, but because His human will desires to preserve life, as all men do. But in these moments in the Garden of Gethsemane, as Christ prays so intensely that His sweat is as drops of blood, His human will and His Divine Will are in perfect harmony. Seeing Christ this way, our own lives come
into focus. By uniting ourselves to Christ through faith and the sacraments, by placing ourselves inside His Body the Church,
we too can accept God's Will. "Not as I will, but as thou wilt": Those words of Christ must become our words, too.

The Second Sorrowful Mystery of the Rosary is the Scourging at the Pillar

when Pilate orders our Lord to be whipped in preparation for His Crucifixion.

The spiritual fruit most commonly associated with the mystery of the Scourging at the Pillar is mortification of the senses.

Meditation on the Scourging at the Pillar:

"Then therefore, Pilate took Jesus, and scourged him" (John 19:1). Forty lashes, it was commonly believed, were all that a man
could stand before his body would give out; and so 39 lashes was the gravest punishment that could be imposed, short of death. But the Man standing at this pillar, arms embracing His Destiny, hands bound on the other side, is no ordinary man. As the Son of God, Christ suffers each blow not less
than another man would, but more, because each stinging lash is accompanied by the memory of the sins of mankind, which led to
this moment. How Christ's Sacred Heart aches as He sees your sins and mine, flashing like the glint of
the rising sun off the metal ends of the cat o' nine tails. The pains in His Flesh, as intense as they are, pale in comparison with the pain in His Sacred Heart. Christ stands prepared to die for us, to suffer the agony of the Cross, yet we
continue to sin out of love of our own flesh. Gluttony, lust, sloth: These deadly sins arise from the flesh, but they take hold only when our souls give in to them. But we can mortify our senses and tame our flesh if we keep Christ's Scourging at the Pillar before our eyes, as our sins are before His in this moment.

The Third Sorrowful Mystery of the Rosary is the Crowning With Thorns

when Pilate, having reluctantly decided to proceed with Christ's Crucifixion, allows his men to humiliate the Lord of the Universe.

The virtue most commonly associated with the mystery of the Crowning With Thorns is contempt of the world.

Meditation on the Crowning With Thorns:

"And platting a crown of thorns, they put it upon his head, and a reed in his right hand. And bowing the knee before him, they mocked him, saying: Hail, king of the Jews" (Matthew 27:29). Pilate's men think this is great sport: This Jew has been turned over to the Roman authorities by His own
people; His disciples have fled; He will not even speak in His own defense. Betrayed, unloved, unwilling to fight back, Christ makes the perfect target for men who wish to work out the frustrations of their own
lives. They dress Him in purple robes, place a reed in His hand as if it were a scepter, and drive
deep into His head a crown of thorns. As the Sacred Blood mingles with the dirt and
sweat on Christ's face, they spit in His eyes and strike His cheeks, all the while pretending to offer Him homage. They do not know Who stands before them. For, as He told Pilate, "My kingdom is not of
this world" (John 18:36), but yet He is a king —the King of the Universe, before Whom "every knee should bow, of those that are in heaven, on earth, and under the earth: And that every tongue should confess that the Lord Jesus Christ is in the glory of God the
Father" (Philippians 2:10-11).
The regalia with which the centurions adorn Christ represents the honors of this world, which pale before the glories of the next.
Christ's Lordship is not based on the robes and scepters and crowns of this world, but on His acceptance of His Father's Will. The
honors of this world mean nothing; the love of God is all.

The Fourth Sorrowful Mystery of the Rosary is the Way of the Cross

when Christ walks the streets of Jerusalem on His way to Calvary.

The virtue most commonly associated with the mystery of the Way of the Cross is patience

Meditation on the Way of the Cross:

"But Jesus turning to them, said: Daughters of Jerusalem, weep not over me" (Luke23:28. His sacred feet shuffle through the dust and stone of the streets of Jerusalem,
His body bowed under the weight of the Cross, while Christ walks the longest walk ever made by man. At the end of that walk stands Mount Calvary, Golgotha, the place of skulls, where, tradition says, Adam lies buried. The first man's sin, which brought death into the world, draws the New Man to
His Death, which will bring life to the world. The women of Jerusalem weep for Him, because they do not know how the story will end. But Christ knows, and He urges them not to weep. There will be tears enough to cry in the future, when the final days of the earth approach, for when the Son of Man returns, "shall he find, think you, faith on earth?" (Luke 18:8 Christ knows what awaits Him, yet He moves ever forward. This is the walk He was preparing for 33 years earlier, when the Blessed Virgin held His tiny hands and He took His first steps. His entire life has been marked by the patient acceptance of His Father's Will, the slow but steady climb toward Jerusalem, toward Calvary, toward the death that brings us life. And as He passes before us here on the streets of Jerusalem, we see how patiently He bears His Cross, so much heavier than ours because it bears the sins of the entire world, and we wonder at our own impatience, at how quickly we set aside our own cross each time we fall. "If any man will
come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me" (Matthew 16:24). In patience, let us heed His words.

The Fifth Sorrowful Mystery of the Rosary is the Crucifixion

, when Christ died on the Cross for the sins of all mankind.

The virtue most commonly associated with the mystery of the Crucifixion is forgiveness.

Meditation on the Crucifixion:

"Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do" (Luke 23:34). The Way of the Cross is at an end. Christ, the King of the
Universe and the Savior of the world, hangs bruised and bloodied upon the Cross. But the indignities that He has suffered since His betrayal at the hands of Judas are not yet at an end. Even now, as His Sacred Blood works the salvation of the world, the crowd taunts Him in His agony (Matthew 27:39-43): And they that passed by, blasphemed him, wagging their heads, And saying: Vah, thou that destroyest the temple of God, and in three days dost rebuild it: save thy own self: if thou be the Son of God, come down from the cross. In like manner also the chief priests, with the scribes and ancients, mocking, said: He saved others; himself he cannot save. If he be the king of Israel, let him now come down from the cross, and we will believe him. He trusted in God; let him now deliver him if he will have him; for he said: I am the Son of God.
He is dying for their sins, and for ours, and yet they—and we—cannot see it. Their eyes are blinded by hatred; ours, by the attractions of the world. Their gaze is fixed on the Lover of Mankind, but they cannot get past the dirt and the sweat and the blood that stains His body. They have something of an excuse: They do not know how the story will end. Our gaze, however, too often wanders away from the Cross, and we have no excuse. We know what He has done, and that He has done it for us. We know that His Death has brought us new life, if only we unite ourselves to Christ on the Cross. And yet, day after day, we turn away. And still He looks down from the Cross, on them and on us, not in anger but in compassion: "Father, forgive them." Were sweeter words ever spoken? If He can forgive them, and us, for what we have done, how can we ever withhold forgiveness from those who have done us wrong?

THE GLORIOUS MYSTERIES

The First Glorious Mystery of the Rosary is the Resurrection,

when Christ, on Easter Sunday, rose from the dead as He had
claimed He would.

The fruit most commonly associated with the mystery of the Resurrection is the theological virtue of faith.

Meditation on the Resurrection:

"Why seek you the living with the dead? He is not here, but is risen" (Luke 24:5-6). With those words, the angels greeted the women
who had come to Christ's tomb with spices and ointments, to care for His body. They had found the stone rolled back, and the tomb empty, and they did not know what to make of it. But now the angels continue: "Remember how he spoke unto you, when he was in Galilee, Saying: The Son of man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again" (Luke 24:6-7). And Saint Luke simply
says, "And they remembered his words." Unless Christ rose from the dead, Saint Paul tells us, our faith is in vain. But He did rise
from the dead, and faith—the substance of things hoped for; the evidence of things not seen—is not vain, but a virtue. We know
that Christ's sacrifice on the Cross
accomplished our salvation, not because we know that He died, but because we know that He lives. And in living, He brings new life to all who have faith in Him.

The Second Glorious Mystery of the Rosary is the Ascension of Our Lord,

when, 40 days after His Resurrection, Christ returned to His
Heavenly Father.

The virtue most commonly associated with the mystery of the Ascension is the theological virtue of hope.

Meditation on the Ascension:

"Ye men of Galilee, why stand you looking up to heaven? This Jesus who is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come, as you
have seen him going into heaven" (Acts 1:11). Just as the angels announced Christ's Resurrection by reminding the faithful women of His words, so now they remind
the Apostles, standing on Mount Olivet, looking up into the clouds into which Jesus had ascended, that He had promised to come again. "Art thou the Christ the Son of the blessed God?" the high priest had asked (Mark 14:61). And Christ had answered, "I am. And
you shall see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of the power of God, and coming with the clouds of heaven" (Mark 14:62). His answer had enraged the high priest and the Sandhedrin, and gave them a reason to put Him to death. For those who believe in Christ, though, the answer brings not rage, nor fear, but hope. In ascending to Heaven, Christ has left us for a little while, though He has not left us alone, but in the loving embrace of His Church.
Christ has gone before us to prepare the way, and when He returns, if we have been faithful to Him, our reward will be great in
Heaven.

The Third Glorious Mystery of the Rosary is the Descent of the Holy Spirit

on Pentecost Sunday, ten days after the Ascension.

The fruit most commonly associated with the mystery of the Descent of the Holy Spirit is the gifts of the Holy Spirit.

Meditation on the Descent of the Holy Spirit:

"And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they began to speak with divers tongues, according as the Holy Ghost gave
them to speak" (Acts 2:4). After the Ascension, the Apostles had gathered with the Mother of God in the upper room. For nine days they had prayed, and now their
prayers are being answered. The Holy Spirit, like a mighty wind, like tongues of fire, has come upon them, and just as at the Annunciation, when the Spirit of the Most High overshadowed Mary, our world is forever changed. Christ had promised not to leave them—us—alone. He would send His Spirit, "the Spirit
of truth," to "teach you all truth" (John 16:13). Here in this upper room, the Church is born, baptized in the Spirit and endowed with the truth. And that Church becomes for us not only Mother and Teacher, the certain measure of truth, but the conduit of the
Spirit. Through Her, through the Sacraments of Baptism and Confirmation, we receive the gifts of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit
descends upon us as He did upon them, through the Church that He gave birth to on that day.

The Fourth Glorious Mystery of the Rosary is the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary,

when, at the end of her earthly life, the Mother of God was received, body and soul, into Heaven.

The fruit most commonly associated with the mystery of the Assumption is the grace of a happy death.

Meditation on the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary:

"And a great sign appeared in heaven: A woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet . . . " (Revelation 12:1). This
holy vessel, this Ark of the Covenant, she whom all generations will call blessed because of the great things God has done for her, has completed her life on earth. Mary wants nothing more than to be once
again with her Son, and she expects nothing more than to leave this life behind. How could God honor her more than He already has by choosing her to be the Mother of God? And yet He has one final gift in this life for
His most humble of servants. Mary's body shall not suffer the corruption of death, but
shall become the first fruits of Christ's Resurrection. Her body, as well as her soul, will be assumed into Heaven and be a symbol for us of the resurrection of the
body. Every Sunday at Mass, we recite those words in the Nicene Creed: "I look forward to the
resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come." And in the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, we get a glimpse of
what they mean. Though we know that, at our death, our body will suffer decay, we can still look forward with hope because we
know that Mary's life in the world to come will one day be ours as well, so long as we unite ourselves to her Son.

The Fifth Glorious Mystery of the Rosary is the Coronation of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

The fruit most commonly associated with the mystery of the Coronation is final perseverance.

Meditation on the Coronation of the Blessed Virgin Mary:

" . . . and on her head a crown of twelve stars" (Revelation 12:1). While the Assumption was God's final gift to Mary in this life, He had another to bestow on her in
the next. "The Almighty has done great things to me"—and now He does one more. The humble servant of the Lord who became the Mother of God is crowned the
Queen of Heaven. Twelve stars: one for each of the 12 tribes
of Israel, whose entire history led to that moment, that first Joyful Mystery of the Rosary, the Annunciation. When Mary submitted herself to the will of God, she had no idea what He had in store for her—neither the heartaches and sorrows, nor the
glory. At times, as she pondered all of these things in her heart, she must have wondered where it all might lead. And perhaps she even wondered if she could bear the burden, and persevere to the end.
Yet her faith never wavered, and she did persevere. And now the crown is placed upon her head, a symbol of the crown of sainthood that awaits each one of us, if only
we follow her example, by following her Son.

damerry: If you wish to obtain a favor:-

pray THE "54-DAYS ROSARY NOVENA"

27 DAYS OF PETITION;
27 DAYS OF THANKSGIVING.

For Origin of the novena + general guidelines on how to to go about the novena click

www.prayerflowers.com/54DayNovena.htm

damerry: “Never be afraid of loving the Blessed Virgin too much. You can never love her more than Jesus did.” Saint Maximilian Kolbe