Today I want to share with you something from Ronald L. Conte Jr on the Rosary.
The Rosary is a mediation on the mysteries of Christ's life. But the Virgin Mary is the most perfect disciple and the most perfect imitator of Christ, and her life, from its very beginning, was a reflection of the mystery of Christ. Therefore, in meditating also on the life of the Virgin Mary, we learn about Christ ever more deeply. For Mary is nothing without Christ. Her whole life and her whole self is patterned after Christ.
The events described within the traditional mysteries of the Rosary each include some participation by the Virgin Mary, whether explicitly, as in the mystery of the Incarnation, or implicitly, as in the mystery of the Resurrection. The meditation on the deeds of God in salvation history prior to the Incarnation, beginning with the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary is what is known as the “Hidden Mysteries of the Rosary".
These are:
1. The Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary
Mary was preserved from original sin at her conception so that Christ, the Savior of all, would be fittingly born of a sinless virgin. Mary was kept free from original sin for the sake of Christ. Mary was kept free from original sin, so that the human nature of Christ would begin from a pure source. The mystery of the Immaculate Conception is therefore a mystery about Christ.
2. The Birth of the Virgin Mary
Mary's birth is like Christ's birth because Mary's life is a perfect imitation of Christ's life. Her birth from the womb of St. Ann foreshadowed Christ's birth from her own womb. And although Mary's life began before Christ's human life, it is only by the life of Christ and by the graces that flow from His suffering and death that Mary was able to be conceived and born, and later become the Mother of Christ.
3. The Service of the Virgin Mary in the Temple
The Gospel of Matthew calls Mary a virgin, not only because she was a true and perfect Virgin, but also because she was one of the virgins dedicated to the service of the Temple of Jerusalem. Mary's service as a Temple Virgin was a foreshadowing of that later time when she would serve God and all humanity by allowing God Incarnate to dwell within her womb, from the time of the Incarnation to the time of the Birth of our Savior. In her early days as a child, Mary served God in the Temple of Jerusalem because that Temple itself was a figure and symbol of the Messiah, Jesus Christ
4. The Virginal Marriage of Joseph and Mary
The marriage of Joseph and Mary preceded the Incarnation, so that Christ could truly be the Son of David, not only according to the flesh, through Mary, who was of the house of David, but also according to the Law, through Joseph, who was the lawful husband of Mary, his betrothed virgin, and who was also of the house of David.
5. The Annunciation to Zechariah
The Annunciation to Zechariah foreshadowed the Annunciation to Mary, just as the preaching of John the Baptist foreshadowed the preaching of Jesus the Christ. At the time of the Annunciation to Zechariah, he and his wife Elizabeth were miraculously made able to conceive a child, despite their advanced age. The Annunciation to Zechariah is worthy of meditation by all the faithful, through the holy rosary, because the mystery of this event contains, prepares for, and points to several other important events in salvation history: the conception of John the Baptist, the Annunciation to Mary, the Visitation of Mary with Elizabeth, and the Ministries of John and of Jesus Christ.
In the Luminous mysteries of the Rosary are hidden also the sacraments.
To Be Continued…
Mary, Seat of Wisdom, Pray for us!!
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