Visual Rosary: The Luminous Mysteries
Visual Rosary
Luminous Mysteries
The Visual Rosary (Luminous Mysteries) is on Thursdays. You can follow along with classic paintings. Bible and Catechism of the Catholic Church quotes are in drop-down menus.
The Luminous Mysteries of the Rosary
THE FIRST LUMINOUS MYSTERY
The Baptism of Jesus
FRUIT OF THE MYSTERY:
OPENNESS TO THE HOLY SPIRIT
MARK 1:9-11
In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. And just as he was coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens torn apart and the Spirit descending like a dove on him. And a voice came from heaven, “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you, I am well pleased.”
Jesus’ public life began with His Baptism by John in the Jordan. The Baptist hesitated, but Jesus insisted and received Baptism. Then the Holy Spirit, in the form of a dove, came upon Jesus and a voice from heaven proclaimed, “This is my beloved Son.” This is the manifestation of Jesus as the Messiah of Israel and Son of God. The Father’s voice responded to the Son’s acceptance (of his will), proclaiming his entire delight in his Son.
THE SECOND LUMINOUS MYSTERY
The Wedding at Cana
FRUIT OF THE MYSTERY:
TO JESUS THROUGH MARY
John 2: 3, 7, 9
When the wine gave out, the mother of Jesus said to him, “They have no wine.” Jesus said to them, “Fill the jars with water.” And they filled them up to the brim. When the steward tasted the water that had become wine, and did not know where it came from (though the servants who had drawn the water knew),
John 2: 10-11
the bridegroom and said to him, “Everyone serves the good wine first, and then the inferior wine after the guests have become drunk. But you have kept the good wine until now.” Jesus did this, the first of His signs, in Cana of Galilee, and revealed His glory, and His disciples believed in Him.
CCC 1613
On the threshold of his public life, Jesus performed his first sign (at his mother’s request) during a wedding feast. The Church attaches great importance to Jesus’ presence at the wedding at Cana and sees in it the confirmation of the goodness of marriage and the proclamation that from then on marriage would be an efficacious sign of Christ’s presence.
THE THIRD LUMINOUS MYSTERY
The Proclamation of the Kingdom of God
FRUIT OF THE MYSTERY:
REPENTANCE AND TRUST IN GOD
MARK 1:14-15
Now after John was arrested, Jesus came to Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God, and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news.”
CCC 541, 543, 547
To carry out the will of the Father, Christ inaugurated the kingdom of heaven on earth. Everyone is called to enter the kingdom. To enter it, one must first accept Jesus’ word. Jesus accompanies his words with many mighty works and wonders and signs, which manifest that the kingdom is present in him and attest that he was the promised Messiah. By freeing some individuals from the earthly evils of hunger, injustice, illness, and death, Jesus performed messianic signs. Nevertheless, he did not come to abolish all evils here below, but to free us from the greatest slavery, sin.
THE FOURTH LUMINOUS MYSTERY
The Transfiguration
FRUIT OF THE MYSTERY:
DESIRE FOR HOLINESS
MATTHEW 17: 2, 5-6
He was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became dazzling white. While he was still speaking, suddenly a bright cloud, overshadowed them, and from the cloud a voice said, “This is my Son, the Beloved; with him, I am well pleased; listen to him!” When the disciples heard this, they fell to the ground and were overcome by fear.
CCC 555
For a moment, Jesus disclosed his divine glory. The whole Trinity appeared: the Father in the voice; the Son in the man; the Spirit in the shining cloud.
“You were transfigured on the mountain, and your disciples, as much as they were capable of it, beheld your glory, O Christ our God, so that when they should see you crucified they would understand that your Passion was voluntary, and proclaim to the world that you truly are the splendor of the Father.” (from the Feast of the Transfiguration)
THE FIFTH LUMINOUS MYSTERY
The Institution of the Eucharist
FRUIT OF THE MYSTERY:
ADORATION
Matthew 26: 26-28
While they were eating, Jesus took a loaf of bread, and after blessing it he broke it, gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; this is my body.” Then he took a cup, and after giving thanks he gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you; for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.
CCC 1380
“The Church and the world have a great need for Eucharistic worship. Jesus awaits us in the sacrament of love. Let us not refuse the time to go to meet him in adoration, in contemplation full of faith, and open to making amends for the serious offenses and crimes of the world. Let our adoration never cease.” (St. John Paul II)
CCC 1336-1337, 1381
Knowing that the hour had come to leave this world and return to the Father, Jesus instituted the Eucharist as the memorial of his death and Resurrection and commanded his apostles to celebrate it until his return. He, therefore, constituted them priests of the New Testament. To receive in faith the gift of his Eucharist is to receive the Lord himself.
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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 Baptism of Christ, by Carl Heinrich Bloch, was painted circa 1856-1879.
Carl Heinrich Bloch painted The Wedding at Cana in 1870.
Sermon on the Mount, by Carl Heinrich Bloch, was painted in 1877.
The Transfiguration of Jesus, by Carl Heinrich Bloch, was painted in 1872.
Carl Heinrich Bloch painted Supper at Emmaus circa 1834-1890.
Raphael painted The Sistine Madonna circa (1513-1514). We made circular cut-outs from the original image.