The Epiphany of the Lord
5 January 2003
Praised be Jesus Christ! Now and Forever!
Dear Friends in Christ,
The Solemnity of the Epiphany recalls the manifestation to all nations of Jesus Christ, the Light of the World. And in this new Year of Grace, the Church has given us yet another means of adoring the Word made flesh and of drawing others into the light of His love. I refer to the five new mysteries for contemplation in the holy Rosary: the Luminous Mysteries or Mysteries of Light.
To commemorate the beginning of the 25th year of his pontificate, Pope John Paul II published on 16 October 2002 an Apostolic Letter entitled "The Rosary of the Virgin Mary" (Rosarium Virginis Mariae). You can read the full text of that letter on the website of the Holy See. Go to www.vatican.va and follow the links to the English page; then click on the heading for "Latest" and scroll down to the words Rosarium Virginis Mariae. In the first paragraph, the Pope explains that "The Rosary, though clearly Marian in character, is at heart a Christocentric prayer. With the Rosary, the Christian people sit at the school of Mary and are led to contemplate the beauty of the face of Christ and to experience the depth of His Love." Later in the text, the Pope explains that to the customary fifteen Mysteries of the Rosary (divided into the three groups of the Joyful, Sorrowful, and Glorious Mysteries) he is adding a new group of five called the Luminous Mysteries or Mysteries of Light. These are 1. The Baptism of Jesus in the Jordan, 2. The Wedding at Cana, 3. The Proclamation of the Kingdom of God, 4. The Transfiguration, and 5. The Institution of the Eucharist. The Holy Father proposes that the Joyful Mysteries be recited on Monday and Saturday, the Luminous Mysteries be recited on Thursday, the Sorrowful Mysteries be recited on Tuesday and Friday, and the Glorious Mysteries be recited on Sunday and Wednesday.
Also in his Apostolic Letter, the Pope teaches that for the Rosary to be a true form of contemplative prayer, it must be constantly accompanied by Lectio Divina – the meditative reading of Sacred Scripture. Indeed, the medieval origin of the Rosary was a means for the laity to join monks and the clergy in the daily praying of the Psalms in the Divine Office or Liturgy of the Hours. In this Year of the Rosary, we can all enter more deeply into the Paschal Mystery by cultivating the prayerful reading of the Holy Bible and the devout use of the Holy Rosary.
Our Lady of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, pray for us.
Father Jay Scott Newman