Loss and Encounter

In the Fifth Joyful Mystery, we contemplate the loss and the finding of the Child Jesus in the temple.

From the Gospel of Luke (2:41-47)
Now every year his parents went to Jerusalem for the festival of the Passover. And when he was twelve years old, they went up as usual for the festival. When the festival was ended and they started to return, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but his parents did not know it.

Assuming that he was in the group of travellers, they went a day’s journey. Then they started to look for him among their relatives and friends. When they did not find him, they returned to Jerusalem to search for him. After three days they found him in the temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. And all who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers.

When his parents saw him, they were astonished; and his mother said to him, ‘Child, why have you treated us like this? Look, your father and I have been searching for you in great anxiety.’ He said to them, ‘Why were you searching for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?’

Commentary by Symeon the Metaphrast
The Virgin mentions Saint Joseph as an adoptive father, but Jesus takes the opportunity to refer to His true Father, who is God. This passage teaches that Mary’s gaze must rise from earthly things to heavenly ones. By remaining in the temple, Jesus shows that love for God must be stronger than the natural love we feel for our parents.

Meditation 1
“Why were you searching for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?” This was Jesus’ response to His mother after three anxious days of searching, when she found Him in the temple.

These are the first words of the Incarnate Word recorded in the Gospel. With them, Jesus sums up His person, life, and mission. They reveal His divine filiation and testify to His supernatural mission. Christ’s entire life will be a grand explanation of the meaning of these words.

Saint Luke goes on to tell us that Mary “did not understand what he said to her”. Although she did not grasp the full meaning, Mary knew that Jesus was the Son of God and therefore, she silently submitted herself to the divine will, accepting the sacrifice that her love required.

“Mary kept all these words in her heart,” where, as in a tabernacle, she adored the mystery contained in them, awaiting the light of understanding.

Meditation 2
How many have lost Jesus and do not live as afflicted as they should! Many believe in God’s existence but live as if He did not exist. There are no religious objects or images in their homes, and the thought of God never crosses their minds, let alone the love of God or neighbor. They live for themselves, as if they would never die, and they run the risk of dying without ever having truly lived.

The path to authentic human life is through Jesus, because He is the only Way, the Truth, and the Life. Only those who spread happiness around them are truly happy. Individual happiness is a reflection of good performance in society and personal fulfillment. Those who are not useful to others have no purpose.

A Catholic in name only is someone who has “lost Jesus in the temple”, in other words, has stopped participating in the Sunday Mass. Therefore, the place where he or she has lost Jesus is the place where He can be found again. Without the Eucharist, there is no Church; without the Church, Christ disappears from the face of the earth.

Prayer
Lord Jesus,
just as your anxious parents searched for You in the temple,
we too seek Your presence when we feel lost on the path of life.
Help us to remember that the real encounter with You
happens when we turn our hearts to Your house,
to Your Word, and to Your Eucharist.

Give us the grace not to live as if You were far away,
but to recognize You in every moment,
in every gesture of love and service to others.
May our love for You be stronger than any earthly attachment.
May we know how to listen to your voice and follow Your path.

Mary, Blessed Mother,
who kept the words of your Son in the silence of your heart,
teach us to accept God’s will,
even when we do not fully comprehend His plans.
May we, like You, always trust and keep the faith in every circumstance of our lives.

Lord, rekindle in us the desire to seek You always,
and that in finding You, we may be renewed
in the love, peace, and joy that only You can give us.
May we never lose the certainty that You are the Way, the Truth, and the Life,
and that only in You we find true happiness.

Amen.

Fr. Jorge Amaro, IMC

Presentation

In the Fourth Joyful Mystery, we contemplate the presentation of the Child Jesus in the temple.

From the Gospel of Saint Luke (2:22–32)
When the time came for their purification according to the law of Moses, they brought Him up to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord, as it is written in the law of the Lord: ‘Every firstborn male shall be designated as holy to the Lord,’ and they offered a sacrifice according to what is stated in the law of the Lord, ‘a pair of turtle-doves or two young pigeons’.

Now there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon; this man was righteous and devout, looking forward to the consolation of Israel. (…) It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah. (…) Simeon took the Child in his arms and praised God, saying, ‘Master, now You are dismissing your in peace, according to Your word, for my eyes have seen Your salvation, which You have prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory for Your people, Israel.’

Commentary by St. Athanasius
The Word, taking upon Himself what was ours, offered it as a sacrifice and destroyed it by His death. Then, He clothed us with His condition.

Meditation 1
Jesus does not break from the ancient traditions, but submits Himself to the laws of the land where He lives and of the people into which He was incarnated as a man. Yet, in obeying or fulfilling these laws, He passes them through His moral conscience, because the law was made for man, not man for the law.

Mary, being the purest of living beings alongside Jesus, also submits to the tradition of ritual purification. When referring to this second part of the mystery, it is necessary to include the word “ritual”, because Mary was always pure, before, during, and after childbirth.

The Son of God subjected Himself to the Law and its precepts! In the life of the Holy Family, respect for the Law is born from the certainty that God is at its foundation. Therefore, the routine fulfillment of what is established, of what is apparently unchangeable, also becomes a place for the revelation of God.

Meditation 2
The Presentation of Jesus in the Temple is an opportunity for us to contemplate the Holy God, who takes on the rhythm of human beings: He is the God of Love, who reveals Himself in human history without imposing Himself. How much truth and how much revelation of God there is in faithfully fulfilling our daily duties!

Simeon, upon seeing Jesus, recognizes that the Christ, for whom he had been waiting, has arrived, according to God’s promise. He raised his eyes to heaven in gratitude, but also warns Mary that her heart will be pierced. Despite this, Mary continues to trust in God, not knowing what the future holds. May our prayer ask for trust in God’s plan and the patience to wait for it to unfold.

On the day of the Presentation, God received infinitely more glory than in all the sacrifices and holocausts offered in the temple until then. On this day, it is the Son of God himself who is presented to Him, offering the Father an infinite homage of adoration, thanksgiving, atonement, and supplication.

This offering, so pleasing to God, is received from the hands of the Virgin, full of grace. Mary’s faith is perfect. Filled with the wisdom of the Holy Spirit, she has a clear understanding of the value of the offering she is making to God at that moment. The Holy Spirit harmonizes her soul with the inner dispositions of her Divine Son’s heart.

Just as Mary gave her consent on behalf of all humanity when the angel announced to her the mystery of the Incarnation, so on this day she offers Jesus to the Father on behalf of the whole human race. She knows that her Son is “the King of Glory, the new light that came before the dawn, the Master of life and death.”

Prayer
Lord Jesus,
You who revealed Your salvation to Simeon in the Temple,
give us eyes to recognize Your presence in the simplicity of daily life
and open our hearts to accept Your will, like Mary and Joseph.

May we, like the Holy Family, live in obedience to Your laws,
but also, with the awareness that the true Law is born from Your Love.
Help us to fulfill our daily duties with joy and faith,
knowing that Your presence and Your will are manifested in them.

Lord, give us the confidence of Mary,
who, even when she heard about the sword that would pierce her heart,
continued to trust in You without hesitation.
May we, like her, offer You the best of ourselves,
knowing that You are the foundation of our hope.

On this day of Presentation,
we remember that Your Son Jesus
offered himself to the Father out of love for all humanity.
May we also, in our lives, be an offering of love and adoration,
bearing witness to Your glory and Your salvation,
a light for all nations.

Amen

Fr. Jorge Amaro, IMC

The BIrth of Jesus

In the Third Joyful Mystery, we contemplate the birth of Jesus.

From the Gospel of John (3:16; 1:14)
"For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him may not perish but may have eternal life. (...) And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen His glory, the glory as of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth."

Commentary by Saint Gregory of Nazianzus:
The Son of God became man for love of man. Whoever gives his wealth to others becomes poor. He asks me to give Him my human nature so that He can give me His divine nature.

Meditation 1
God the Creator is incarnate in a creature. For many religions, it seems impossible that God could be incarnate in a human being, just as it seems impossible for the sea to fit into a small puddle of water. If we think only of God's transcendence, yes, it seems impossible, illogical, improbable. However, for God, nothing is impossible.

God is not only transcendent; He is also immanent, already present here and now in the heart of every thing and every person. The expression "God is closer to me than I am to myself" applies to everything; God is at the heart of both material beings and spiritual beings. Therefore, when we think of His immanence, it becomes easier to understand why He took a human form.

God "camped" among us, set up His tent among us, just as He once did when He accompanied His people for 40 years in the desert after liberating them from Egypt. That tent, where Moses met with God in dialogue, representing the people of God, was called the "tent of meeting." Jesus of Nazareth, Emmanuel, "God with us," is the new Tent of Meeting, for in Him, God and man meet. Through Jesus, God comes to man; through Jesus, man goes to God.

Meditation 2
"God became Man so that Man could become God." – St. Irenaeus
As they were leaving Jericho, a large crowd followed him (Jesus). Matthew 20:29

Jericho is both the oldest city in the world, with 8,000 years of existence, and the lowest city on Earth, some 500 meters below sea level. In the Bible, Jericho symbolizes sin. In the parable of the Good Samaritan, Jerusalem represents grace, while Jericho symbolizes sin.

The man who fell among robbers fell into disgrace because he was descending from Jerusalem, 800 meters above sea level, to Jericho. He was traveling from grace to sin; as people say, "He who forgets God lacks all good." To save humanity from sin, Jesus also descends to Jericho, but He does not stay there. He leaves Jericho, and a great crowd follows Him, ascending with Him from the sin of Jericho to the grace of Jerusalem.

The Son of God is born in utter poverty: in unexpected circumstances, without a place, without comfort. To God's poverty, Mary responds with her own poverty: offering the best of herself, enveloping and cradling the fragility of the Infant God, so that He does not lack the most important thing — Love.

The Birth of Jesus is an opportunity to contemplate the Holy God, who gives Himself in weakness: He is the Poor God who always brings out the best in us. How much fragility and powerlessness there is in our lives and in the lives of those around us! How many opportunities we have, like Mary, to offer what we have and to focus on Love! How do I face the difficulties and weaknesses of life? Do I see them as an opportunity to give the best of myself?

Prayer
Lord God,
You sent Your Son to be born among us in humility and poverty.
Grant that, like Mary, we may offer the best of ourselves,
welcoming Your love in every situation of our lives.

Help us to recognize Your presence in fragility and difficulties,
and to see every challenge as an opportunity to grow in Your love.
May we, like Mary, know how to focus on the essential,
offering what we have with generosity and simplicity.

Lord, just as Jesus was born in a humble stable,
make our hearts a worthy dwelling place for Your Son,
full of peace, love, and hope.

May we never forget the greatness of Your plan,
where even in the most unexpected and difficult circumstances,
You manifest Yourself in love and mercy.
May we, like the great crowd that followed Jesus,
rise from the darkness of sin into the light of Your grace.

Amen.

Fr. Jorge Amaro, IMC

Visitation

In the Second Joyful Mystery, we contemplate the visit of the Blessed Virgin Mary to her cousin, Saint Elizabeth.

From the Gospel of Luke (1:39-42, 45):
In those days, Mary set out and with haste to a Judean town in the hill country, where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the child leapt in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and exclaimed with a loud cry, ‘Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! (...) Blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfilment of what was spoken to her by the Lord.’

Commentary by Saint Ambrose
“Blessed are you who have believed," says Elizabeth. But you too are blessed because you have heard and believed: every soul that believes and does the will of God conceives and brings forth the Word of God, recognizing His works.

Meditation 1
If in the Annunciation, Mary is in prayer, in the Visitation, Mary is in action; if in the Annunciation, Mary listens to the word of God, in the Visitation, she puts that word into practice, as her Son often suggests; if in the Annunciation, Mary loves God above all things, in the Visitation, she loves her neighbor as herself.

If in the Annunciation, Mary has a personal experience with God as a disciple, in the Visitation, as she sings her Magnificat and bears witness to her experience of God, she acts as a missionary, sharing and testifying to all that God has worked in her.

In these two Joyful Mysteries, we find the path of the entire Christian life. For this reason, Mary is for us a model of both disciple and missionary. All the virtues that a Christian should cultivate are concentrated in her. Mary is, therefore, not only the Mother of Jesus and our Mother but also an example of how to follow Christ.

Meditation 2
"Blessed are you because you believed," were the words of Elizabeth to Mary. These words remind us that faith is a choice, a commitment, a decision we make freely after exhausting our reason. Faith is a leap into the unknown, and only after we take this leap will we know if we were right. Mary found happiness in her faith in the Word of God spoken by the angel. We too will be happy if we believe and unhappy if we do not.

Mary traveled from Nazareth to Ein Kerem, covering about 150 km to help her cousin. However, Elizabeth recognizes something more in her than just her cousin Mary, as she was already pregnant with the Son of God. In response to Elizabeth's words, Mary, through her Magnificat, demonstrates what it means to be a missionary. It is not exactly about preaching doctrines; doctrine comes second.

Like Mary in the Magnificat, the missionary must testify to the great works that God has done in their life. Just as history is divided into before and after Christ, our lives change when we encounter Christ, as happened with Paul.

In the Magnificat, Mary recounts the great things the Almighty has done in her life. In the same way, Jesus’ project is not just individual but also social, calling us to make this world the Kingdom of God.

The missionary, as Mary describes in her Magnificat, is the one who helps to bring down the mighty from their thrones and lift up the humble; the one who faces the injustices of this world, striving to establish the Kingdom of God here in a more just, peaceful, and fraternal society.

Prayer
Lord our God,
just as Mary rose in haste
to serve and bring Your presence to Elizabeth's house,
we too, moved by Your Spirit,
wish to respond promptly to Your call.

Make us faithful disciples
who listen to Your Word with open hearts,
and generous missionaries
who put it into practice through service and love for others.

May we, like Mary,
recognize and bear witness
to the great wonders You work in our lives,
and announce with joy Your Kingdom of justice, peace, and brotherhood.

Lord, help us tear down the barriers that separate us from others,
exalt the humble, and combat the injustices
that prevent Your peace from reigning in the world.
May our faith be firm and trusting in You, as Mary's was,
and may we find true happiness
in believing in Your promises.

As Mary sang her Magnificat,
we praise and bless You,
for You are faithful and merciful,
and in You, we place all our trust.

Amen.

Fr. Jorge Amaro, IMC

Annunciation

In the First Joyful Mystery, we contemplate the angel's annunciation to the Virgin Mary.

From the Gospel of Luke (1:26-31):
In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin's name was Mary. And he came to her and said, ‘Greetings, favored one, the Lord is with you.’ But she was much perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. The angel said to her, ‘Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus.’

From the Acts of the Council of Ephesus:
The word we pronounce and use in dialogue is incorporeal, impossible to be grasped by sight or touch. However, when it is dressed in letters and external forms, it becomes visible and accessible to sight and touch. In the same way, the Word of God, which by nature is invisible, became visible; being incorporeal by essence, He assumed a tangible body.

Meditation 1
As the letter to the Hebrews tells us (1:1-2): Long ago God spoke to our ancestors in many and various ways by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by a Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, through whom he also created the worlds.

The communications of the prophets in ancient times were always imprecise, imperfect, and incomplete. That is why God decided to intervene directly in human history, as he did so many times throughout Israel's history. Jesus of Nazareth reveals both the true nature of God and the true nature of humanity, teaching how God relates to man and how man should relate to God.

Meditation 2
When Mary appeared pregnant after visiting her cousin Elizabeth, she had to face her parents, Joseph, and the people of her village alone. The miraculous conception, the work of the Holy Spirit, was a unique event in history, without precedent, which would have sounded far-fetched to the people of that village.

At that time, Mary ran the risk of being seen as an adulteress, since she was already betrothed to Joseph, and the punishment for adultery was stoning, as we know from the episode of the adulterous woman presented to Jesus to be stoned. Surely Jesus remembered his mother at that moment.

Mary suffered silently from slander throughout her life, something that is hinted at in various passages of the Gospel. For many at the time, Jesus was seen as the son of an unknown father, which was a source of shame for both Him and Mary, especially in a patriarchal society. Mark refers to Jesus as the "son of Mary," while Matthew says he is Joseph’s son. Luke decides not to call him either.

Prayer
Lord God,
You who chose Mary, a humble servant,
to be the Mother of Your Son,
teach us to have the same trust and faith
that she showed when she heard Your call.

Give us the courage to say "Yes" to Your will,
even when we do not understand Your plans,
just as Mary accepted with humility and surrender
the divine plan that would change the history of humanity.

Lord, as the angel Gabriel greeted her with grace,
we too ask for Your blessing,
that we may be bearers of Your presence and love in the world,
and like Mary, we may bring Your light
and testify to Your Son, Jesus.

Help us, Lord, to face the adversities
and misunderstandings that arise on our path
with the same patience and silence of Mary,
who knew how to suffer with resilience
and kept everything in her heart, fully trusting in You.

May we, like Joseph, act with justice and mercy,
avoiding hasty judgment
and welcoming others with love and understanding.

O Father, teach us to follow the example of Jesus,
who did not seek to condemn,
but to bring reconciliation and the hope of new life.
May we also be instruments of Your restorative justice,
always desiring the conversion
and life of the sinner, not their downfall.

Lord, make us understand that just as Mary and Your Son
bore the weight of slander and suffering,
we too must persevere through difficulties,
trusting that You are always with us,
even when the world judges and condemns us.

We praise You, O God, for Your unconditional love
and the promise of salvation,
trusting in You today and always.
Amen.

Fr. Jorge Amaro, IMC

Contemplating the twenty mysteries of the Holy Rosary

"Pray the Rosary every day to bring peace to the world and an end to the war."
(May 13, 1917 – Apparition of Our Lady in Fatima)

What is the Rosary
Our Lady did not request the daily recitation of the Rosary only during her first apparition; she insisted on this request in all subsequent apparitions until the last one. The Rosary and Fatima are inseparable, but the Rosary is also inseparable from other Marian apparitions.

The term "Rosary" comes from the 150 (now 200) Hail Marys divided in groups of 10 with the Our Father and the Glory Be prayers, alongside meditations on the mysteries of Jesus’ life and our redemption, thus forming a "crown of roses" offered to Mary, Mother of the Lord and our Mother.

The twenty mysteries of Christ's life are divided into four sets of five mysteries each. In each Rosary, only one of these sets is prayed, which are: the Joyful Mysteries, related to Jesus’ birth and childhood; the Luminous Mysteries, which reflect Jesus as the light of the world during His ministry; the Sorrowful Mysteries, focusing on Christ’s Passion and death; and finally, the Glorious Mysteries, which contemplate Jesus’ Resurrection and Ascension into Heaven.

Inspired by chapter 12 of the Book of Revelation, which refers to Mary wearing a crown of 12 stars, I conceived 12 Marian mysteries, reflecting on how Mary's life is intertwined with her Son's, from her conception to her Assumption and coronation in Heaven. Like the mysteries of the Holy Rosary, these Marian mysteries also contemplate Jesus’ life, but through the perspective of His Mother.

The Importance of the Rosary in Our Spiritual Life
Praying the Rosary allows Mary to guide us in meditating on the mysteries of her Son's life. This practice helps keep our hearts and minds focused on the Gospel teachings, strengthening our faith in God and His presence in our daily lives.

The repetitive and meditative rhythm of the prayers brings calm and introspection. Many people find inner peace and comfort when praying the Rosary, especially in times of difficulty, anxiety, or distress.

In the Most Holy Rosary, repeating the Hail Marys 50 times (10 times per mystery) serves to prevent the mind from being distracted from contemplating the mystery. The aim is not to focus on each Hail Mary and Our Father, but to use these prayers as mantras, allowing the mind to reach a state of contemplation of the divine.

How the Rosary is Prayed in Fatima
While making the sign of the cross, one says:
God, come to our assistance. / Lord, make haste to help us.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. / As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

• Proclamation of the mystery of Christ's life to be contemplated.
• Proclamation of the biblical text related to the mystery.
• Pause for an appropriate period of time.
• Recitation of 1 Our Father and 10 Hail Marys.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. / As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

O Mary, conceived without sin, /pray for us who have recourse to thee.

O my Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of hell; lead all souls to Heaven, especially those most in need of Thy mercy.

At the end of the fifth mystery, 3 Hail Marys are prayed for the intentions of the Pope.

Hail Holy Queen
Hail, Holy Queen, Mother of mercy, hail, our life, our sweetness, and our hope. To thee do we cry, poor banished children of Eve. To thee do we send up our sighs, mourning and weeping in this vale of tears. Turn then, most gracious Advocate, thine eyes of mercy toward us, and after this, our exile, show unto us the blessed fruit of thy womb, Jesus. O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary. Pray for us, O Holy Mother of God, that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ. Amen.

Distribution of the Mysteries of Christ throughout the Week

• Sunday and Wednesday: Glorious Mysteries.
• Monday and Saturday: Joyful Mysteries.
• Tuesday and Friday: Sorrowful Mysteries.
• Thursday: Luminous Mysteries.
• Saturday: Marian Mysteries.

Joyful Mysteries
We meditate on the beginning of humanity’s redemption, from the Annunciation to Mary and the incarnation of the Son of God to Jesus' adolescence.

Luminous Mysteries
The Luminous Mysteries, introduced by Pope John Paul II in 2002, aim to fill the gap between the Joyful and Sorrowful Mysteries, but they end up leaving out an essential part of Jesus' life, where He reveals Himself as a model of Humanity, the Way, the Truth, and the Life. He is the one with whom we must measure ourselves to be authentic and genuinely human, and at the same time, He is our salvation, the source of our spiritual health here and now, as well as the way to the Father.

The life of Jesus can be summarized in the miracles He performed and the teachings He delivered, with the Kingdom of God as the primary purpose of His coming. Therefore, I propose, in the third mystery, to replace the “Proclamation of the Kingdom of God” with “The Kingdom of God in the words and miracles of Jesus.”

Indeed, Jesus not only proclaimed the coming of the Kingdom but also demonstrated that it is already present among us through His teachings and miracles. The Kingdom of God began with the coming of Jesus into the world; it is among us, though not yet in its fullness. It is up to us, His disciples, to carry on His mission of transforming this world into the Kingdom of God.

This adjustment in the third Luminous Mystery offers a more complete vision of the public life of Jesus and is aligned with the original purpose of the Luminous Mysteries.

Sorrowful Mysteries
We meditate on the process of Jesus’ Passion and Death, from the agony in the Garden of Gethsemane to His last breath on the Cross. When we say that Jesus died for our sins, we understand that He paid the debt we could not settle, reflecting the sin of all humanity.

Glorious Mysteries
We meditate on Jesus' triumph over death through His Resurrection. Death has been defeated, as has the sin that caused it. Now death is a passage to eternal life, and the life of Jesus, which began with Mary's "yes," culminates in the glorification of the one who is an example of Christian life for all of us.

Marian Mysteries
We meditate on how Jesus' life is reflected in Mary’s life, which begins before her Son’s and continues after His Ascension.

Note – In the following articles, one for each of the 20 mysteries, I present material to help with the meditation of each mystery. This material, to be used after the proclamation of each mystery and before the recitation of the 10 Hail Marys, consists of the following:

• The biblical text relating to each mystery
• A meditation from the Church Fathers
• A personal meditation
• A prayer inspired in all the texts

Depending on the time available, the person leading the recitation may choose just the biblical text, the text from the Church Fathers, one of the two meditations, the prayer, or all of them when time permits.

Fr. Jorge Amaro, IMC