Visual Rosary: The Glorious Mysteries
Visual Rosary
Glorious Mysteries
The Visual Rosary (Glorious Mysteries) is on Sundays and Wednesdays. You can follow along with classic paintings. Bible and Catechism of the Catholic Church quotes are in drop-down menus.
The Glorious Mysteries of the Rosary
FIRST GLORIOUS MYSTERY
The Resurrection
FRUIT OF THE MYSTERY:
FAITH
MATTHEW 28:1-6
After the sabbath, as the first day of the week was dawning, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. And suddenly there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord, descending from heaven, came and rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow. For fear of him the guards shook and became like dead men. But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid; I know that you are looking for Jesus who was crucified. He is not here; for he has been raised, as he said.
CCC 638, 643-44, 653
The Resurrection of Jesus is the crowning truth of our faith in Christ. It is the central truth handed on as fundamental by the first Christian community and tradition. New Testament documents are an essential part of the Paschal mystery, along with the cross. The faith of the disciples in the Resurrection was born under the action of divine grace and confirmed the truth of Jesus’ divinity.
THE SECOND GLORIOUS MYSTERY
The Ascension
FRUIT OF THE MYSTERY:
HOPE
ACTS 1:9-11
When he had said this, as they were watching, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. While he was going and they were gazing up toward heaven, suddenly two men in white robes stood by them. They said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking up toward heaven? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.”
CCC 659, 661-2
Christ’s body was glorified at the moment of his Resurrection. But during the forty days when he ate and drank familiarly with his disciples and taught them about the kingdom, his glory remained veiled under the appearance of ordinary humanity. Jesus’ final apparition ended with the irreversible entry of his humanity into divine glory, symbolized by the cloud and by heaven, where he was seated from that time forward at God’s right hand.
Only Christ can open to humanity such access that we, his members, might have confidence that we too shall go where he has preceded us. There Christ permanently exercises his priesthood, for he always lives to make intercession for those who draw near to God through him.
THE THIRD GLORIOUS MYSTERY
The Descent of the Holy Spirit
FRUIT OF THE MYSTERY:
LOVE OF GOD
ACTS 2:1-4
When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. And suddenly from heaven, there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability.
CCC 731, 733-4
On the day of Pentecost when the seven weeks of Easter had come to an end, Christ’s Passover is fulfilled in the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, manifested, given, and communicated as a divine person: of his fullness, Christ, the Lord, pours out the Spirit in abundance. “God is Love” (1 John 4:8) and love is his first gift, containing all others. “God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.” (Romans 5:5) Because we are dead or at least wounded through sin, the first effect of the gift of love is the forgiveness of our sins. The communion of the Holy Spirit in the Church restores to the baptized the divine likeness lost through sin.
THE FOURTH GLORIOUS MYSTERY
The Assumption
FRUIT OF THE MYSTERY:
GRACE OF A HAPPY DEATH
LUKE 1:46-49
And Mary said, My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant. Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed; for the Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name.
CCC 966, 968-70
The Immaculate Virgin was preserved free from any stain of original sin. God took her up, body and soul, into heavenly glory and exalted her as Queen over all things. With that, she was more fully conformed to her Son, the conqueror of sin and death. Her role concerning the Church and all humanity goes further. Mary is a mother to us in the order of grace. She cooperated in the Savior’s work of restoring souls through her obedience to God’s will, faith, hope, and charity. The Blessed Mother continues to help us through her intercession.
THE FIFTH GLORIOUS MYSTERY
The Coronation of Mary as
Queen of Heaven and Earth
FRUIT OF THE MYSTERY:
TRUST IN MARY'S INTERCESSION
REVELATIONS 12:1
A great portent appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars.
CCC 967-971
By her complete adherence to the Father’s will, to his Son’s redemptive work, and to every prompting of the Holy Spirit, the Virgin Mary is the Church’s model of faith and charity.
She is a mother to us in the order of grace. The liturgical feasts dedicated to the Mother of God and Marian prayer, such as the Rosary, an epitome of the whole Gospel, express this devotion to the Virgin Mary. Mary’s function as mother of humanity in no way obscures or diminishes the unique mediation of Christ, but rather shows its power. The Church honors her with special devotion. This very special devotion differs essentially from the adoration which is given to the incarnate Word and equally to the Father and the Holy Spirit, and greatly fosters this adoration.”
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CREDITS
The LOGO image of Our Lady of Grace is original artwork by Martin Lariviere, 2009. We have the artist’s permission (my son). It is our exclusive trademark logo image.
A beautifully photographed sky by Donald Tong inspired the website’s colour scheme. Cropped portions of it are the background for the footer Bible verse. He shared it as a free download on pexels.com.
The source of the Bible passages is the Catholic Edition of the Revised Standard Version.
The references to CCC (The Catechism of the Catholic Church) are in the 1994 edition. However, there are re-ordered sentences from the various sections as well as minor edits for easier reading. Please refer to the general sections for the complete, original text.
The fruits of the Rosary Mysteries have many different versions. We chose the ones from Calloway, Donald H., MIC, Champions of the Rosary, Stockbridge MA: Marian Press, 2016.
Our information is from general knowledge, experience, and shared internet sources. We’d like you to use it as a starting point for your research to verify facts and build a reference list.
Art
Carl Heinrich Bloch painted The Resurrection in 1881.
Benvenuto Tisi painted The Ascension circa 1510-1520.
Adriaen Van der Werff painted Outpouring of the Holy Spirit (Pentecost) in 1711.
Guido Reni painted The Assumption of the Virgin Mary on silk circa 1638-1639.
Paolo Veronese painted The Coronation of the Virgin in 1555.
Raphael painted The Sistine Madonna circa (1513-1514). We made circular cut-outs from the original image.