Visual Rosary: The Joyful Mysteries
Visual Rosary
Joyful Mysteries
The Visual Rosary (Joyful Mysteries) is on Mondays and Saturdays. You can follow along with classic paintings. Bible and Catechism of the Catholic Church quotes are in drop-down menus.
The Joyful Mysteries of the Rosary
THE FIRST JOYFUL MYSTERY
The Annunciation
FRUIT OF THE MYSTERY:
HUMILITY
LUKE 1:30-31, 38
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.
Then Mary said, “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.” Then the angel departed from her.
CCC 484, 490, 492, 973
The Annunciation to Mary inaugurated the time of the fulfillment of God’s promises and preparations. She was chosen by God, before the foundation of the world, to be entirely holy and “full of grace”. By pronouncing her “fiat” at the Annunciation and giving her consent to the Incarnation, Mary was already collaborating with the whole work her Son was to accomplish.
THE SECOND JOYFUL MYSTERY
The Visitation
FRUIT OF THE MYSTERY:
LOVE OF NEIGHBOUR
LUKE 1: 43-44
And why has this happened to me, that the mother of my Lord comes to me? For as soon as I heard the sound of your greeting, the child in my womb leaped for joy.
CCC 495, 966, 2677
Called in the Gospels “the mother of Jesus”, Mary was acclaimed by Elizabeth, at the prompting of the Spirit and even before the birth of her Son, as “the mother of my Lord”. She is our mother in the order of grace. Because she gave us Jesus, her Son, Mary is the Mother of God and our mother. We can entrust all our cares and petitions to her: she prays for us. By entrusting ourselves to her prayer, we abandon ourselves to the will of God together with her: “Thy will be done.” (Matthew 6:10)
THE THIRD JOYFUL MYSTERY
The Birth of Jesus
FRUIT OF THE MYSTERY:
POVERY OF SPIRIT
LUKE 2:6-7
While they were there, the time came for her to deliver her child. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger because there was no place for them in the inn.
CCC 51, 74, 458, 525
Jesus was born in a humble stable, into a poor family. Simple shepherds were the first witnesses to this event. In this poverty, heaven’s glory was made manifest. The Word became flesh so that we might know God’s love. “God sent His only Son into the world so that we might live through Him.” (1 John 4:9). It pleased God, in his goodness and wisdom, to reveal himself and to make known the mystery of his will. God desires that all of humanity be saved.
THE FOURTH JOYFUL MYSTERY
The Presentation
FRUIT OF THE MYSTERY:
OBEDIENCE
Luke 2: 22, 34-35
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. Then Simeon blessed them and said to his mother Mary, “This child is destined for the falling and the rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be opposed so that the inner thoughts of many will be revealed—and a sword will pierce your own soul too.”
CCC 529, 523
The presentation of Jesus in the temple showed him to be the firstborn Son who belongs to the Lord. With Simeon and Anna, all of Israel awaited its encounter with the Saviour, the long-expected Messiah, the light to the nations, and the glory of Israel. When the Church celebrates the liturgy of Advent each year, she makes present this ancient expectancy of the Messiah, for by sharing in the long preparation for the Saviour’s first coming, the faithful renew their ardent desire for his second coming.”
THE FIFTH JOYFUL MYSTERY
The Finding of Jesus in the Temple
FRUIT OF THE MYSTERY:
JOY IN FINDING JESUS
Luke 2: 46-47, 49, 51
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. He said to them, “Why were you searching for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?” Then He went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was obedient to them. His mother treasured all these things in her heart.
CCC 531, 534
The finding of Jesus in the temple is the only event that broke the silence of the Gospels about the hidden years of Jesus. Here Jesus lets us catch a glimpse of the mystery of His total consecration to a mission that flows from His divine sonship. Mary kept all these things hidden in her heart during the years Jesus remained hidden in the silence of ordinary life. During the greater part of his life, Jesus shared the condition of the vast majority of human beings: a daily life spent without evident greatness, a life of manual labour. From this whole period, he “increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man.” (Luke 2:51-52)
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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
The Annunciation, by Carl Heinrich Bloch, was painted in 1890.
Carl Heinrich Bloch painted The Meeting of Mary and Elisabeth in 1866.
Philippe de Champaigne painted the nativity scene in 1645.
Aert de Gelder painted Simeon’s Song of Praise circa 1700-1710.
Heinrich Hofmann painted Jesus Among the Doctors in 1884.
Raphael painted The Sistine Madonna circa (1513-1514). We made circular cut-outs from the original image.