Meditations on the Luminous Mysteries of the Rosary with references to Adam and Eve.

We can start the Rosary by reciting the “Apostles Creed” followed by the “Our Father”, three “Hail Mary’s” and the “Glory Be”.

Click here to see these opening prayers or here to hear them

Click here if you just want to hear the continuous five Luminous Mysteries.

The 5 Mysteries of Light

The Baptism of Jesus in the Jordan Mathew 3;13-17 Feast day 1st Sunday after the Epiphany (See also Mark 1; 9-11 Luke 3; 21-22)

A ) Human and Divine

Audio of the Baptism of Jesus decade of the Rosary

John the Baptist started baptising people on the “far side” of the Jordan river. The “far side” of the Jordan is where the wilderness is that Moses had led the Israelites for 40 years. John was trying to make the Jews understand that repentance of their sins is the real way to cross over to the real Promised Land which is Heaven. The Messiah was expected to be a powerful leader who would free the Jews from the Romans but Jesus is a powerless Messiah who was born in a stable. Jesus wants to bring all the children of Adam from the wilderness of their sins to the Promised land of Paradise. He will obtain the grace of Baptism for us in the Divine River of the Holy Spirit to wash away our sins. Very few people would have expected the Messiah to make His appearance out near the wilderness but this is where Jesus began to reveal Himself to the Jews. This part of the River Jordan is near the Dead Sea and it is one of the lowest places in altitude on Earth and so perhaps Jesus the eternal Son of God chose this place to be revealed here as the New Adam who really is a Son of man like all of us and who came to reverse the fall of Adam the first man. The voice of the Father in Heaven is heard saying “This is my Son the beloved, He enjoys My favour” Perhaps the Father is stressing the humanity of Jesus here as if He is saying “This is My Son, He is the New Adam” Later on in the Mystery of the Transfiguration Jesus will go up a high mountain and be revealed as the Divine Son of God. Jesus is Human and Divine, He is the God–Man. People were being baptised by John as a sign of their repentance for their sins but this baptism did not redeem them from their sins. Jesus the sinless “Lamb of God” did not need to be baptised but perhaps He wanted to show us that He is the New Adam and also a real “Son of Adam” and was tempted and would be tempted to sin in every way we are but as we know He never did sin. It was of course very possible for Him to sin since He took on a weak human nature but He prayed and mortified Himself continually during His whole life and His love for the Father made it impossible for Him to offend Him. He was reared and formed by the sinless Virgin Mary and her most holy husband Joseph. Jesus lived a life on Earth to show us how to be human and that means He was tempted to sin as we are. He underwent the test of temptation for us.

B ) Baptism

Audio of the Baptism of Jesus decade of the Rosary

The word “baptism” means “immersion” and the baptism of John was perhaps inspired by the prophet Isaiah (See Isaiah 1; 16-17 ) “Wash, make yourselves clean, do good” but Jesus came on Earth to undergo His “Baptism” of suffering on the Cross so that we could obtain the Baptism of the Holy Spirit to wash away our sins. He Himself now receives Baptism in the Holy Spirit who comes down from Heaven on Him like a dove and the Father’s voice is heard say “This is my Son the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased”. When God created the first Adam He breathed the breath of life into him to make him live and then Adam displeased God by obeying Satan and eating the forbidden food and so he was banished to the Wilderness on earth. Jesus the New Adam receives the Holy Spirit who is the Breath of Life and then banishes Himself to the Wilderness for the sake of Adam’s race to fast from food and drink for forty days and nights. At the end of which He like Adam undergoes a food test by Satan. Satan will test Jesus right up until the Tree of the Cross. The Holy Spirit appears in the form of a Dove because at the time of Noah (see Genesis 8 ; 11 and the Catechism no 701) the dove returned with an “olive branch” (wood) to show that the flood was receding. That event was a prophecy of the “wood” of Christ’s Cross which would stop the Flood of Divine Justice which the world deserves for sin and allow man to be Baptised “children of God” by the Holy Spirit. This mystery echoes the story of Creation but instead it is the story of the re-creation. This Mystery is the second revelation of the three Persons of the Trinity in the Gospels. Satan must not have known that Jesus was the Son of God.

C ) Meeting of Two Adams

Audio of the Baptism of Jesus decade of the Rosary

As mentioned earlier St John the Baptist symbolised the first Adam who was banished out of Paradise into the wilderness where thorns and thistles would grow and he wore a garment made of skins. St John said of himself that he was the “voice of one crying in the wilderness” which we can understand as the voice of Adam crying in the wilderness. The name “John” means “God has favoured”. John was the son of Zecharia who was a priest and according to Jewish law John could have become a Priest in the Jewish Temple like his father but God did not call John to the vocation of sacrificing Lambs in the Temple, John was called to sacrifice himself and to show the Jews that Jesus the New Adam and the Messiah would be a greater Priest too because Jesus will be both Priest and Sacrifice. He is the “Lamb of God” who will atone for the sins of the world. In this Mystery Jesus takes over John’s mission. Jesus allows Himself to be baptised by John “to fulfill all righteousness” because it seems right that a successor should be blessed and approved by their forerunner. The voice of the Father confirms that Jesus is the New Adam. Jesus then banishes Himself to the wilderness to fast from food and drink for 40 days and to be tempted by Satan. It seems He was imitating Adam who was banished to the wilderness. Satan did not defeat Jesus the New Adam with his temptation to eat food. Perhaps the first sin of Adam had similar threefold aspects of putting God to the test, wanting to make himself the Lord of all and of course disobeying God’s will.

D ) Jesus is the New Joshua

Audio of the Baptism of Jesus decade of the Rosary

God kept the Israelites in the desert for forty years before letting them pass over the River Jordan into the promised land. God did not let Moses bring them over because he had lost faith in God’s power at the rock of Meribah. Instead God chose Joshua the son of Nun to bring the Israelites across the Jordan into the Promised land. The name ’Joshua’ which means “God saves” is the old version of the name ’Jesus’. Joshua prefigures Jesus because Jesus is the only one who can bring all mankind into the eternal Promised land which is Heaven. God performed the great miracle of stopping the flow of the River Jordan so that the Israelites could pass over to the Promised land. God told Joshua to lead them over and so Joshua then told the Israelites to get ready for “within three days ye are to pass over this Jordan, to go in to possess the land, which the Lord your God gives you to possess.” They crossed the Red Sea out of the slavery of Egypt and then crossed the River Jordan out of the Penitental or Repentance school of the Wilderness into the Promised Land. John the Baptist called the Jews back out to the River Jordan to be baptised there. So perhaps John was trying to get the Jews to re–enter the promised land again with a heart of repentance. It would be nice to think that John picked a shallow part of the River Jordan and made them actually cross over the Jordan again into the Promised Land while “confessing their sins”. John was showing the Jews that when Joshua lead the Israelites across the Jordan that it also symbolised their crossing from this life to the Promised Land of Heaven but that repentance was needed for that. It is worth noting that the miracle of the River stopping happened for Joshua and the Israelites when the “soles of the priests” touched the water and we know that Jesus at the Last Supper washed the feet of His new priests before He endured His suffering and death which would allow us to cross over from this life to Heaven through His merits. So when Jesus our High Priest came to be baptised in the Jordan He was immersed in the River and when he came up the Heavens opened instead of the River parting because as the new Joshua he came to help us cross over to the Promised Land of Heaven.

The Miracle at the Wedding Feast of Cana in Galilee John 2 ; 1-11 Feast day, Weddings

A ) The Bride and Groom

Audio of the Miracle at the Wedding feast of Cana decade of the Rosary

After His victory over Satan in the Desert Jesus settles in Capernaum and is invited to a wedding in Cana with His Mother and a few disciples. It is very appropriate that Jesus performed this His first miracle at a wedding feast because He is the New Adam and as such He wants to be the Heavenly Bridegroom and Spouse of all Mankind. He came on earth not just to attend a human wedding but also in order to begin the Divine Wedding of God and mankind so that God and man could become “One Divine Flesh” and One Spirit. God wants all mankind to be assembled into the Catholic Church. The Catholic Church is itself called the New Eve and the Spouse of Jesus the New Adam. The word Catholic means “Universal” or “All” and Church means “Assembly”. The Catholic Church is called the “Mystical Body of Christ” because Christ the Bridegroom and the Church the Bride are “One Flesh”. They are one Flesh because Christ gives His Flesh to the Church in the Sacrament of Holy Communion. The Church is also called the “People of God”. Anyone who has Jesus Christ dwelling in their heart and soul is in some way part of the “People of God”. The “people of God” includes all people who are truly searching for God in their lives even if they have never heard of Jesus and have not deliberately rejected Him or His Church. Dr Scott Hahn pointed out that St Paul calls the Church (See 1 Timothy 3;15 ) “the pillar and bulwark of the Truth” and only later he says (See 2 Timothy 3;16-17 ) that Scripture is inspired by God and is useful. It seems he put the Church before Scripture. The whole Church includes all the saints in Heaven, all the souls in Purgatory and all those people who have Jesus in their heart on earth. People who do not know Jesus may have Him in their Heart by being true to their conscience. The “Church” is called the “New Eve” and Mary the sinless Mother of Jesus is the Most perfect member. Mary is called the New Eve too because she helped reverse the damage the first Eve did.

B ) His Hour

Audio of the Miracle at the Wedding feast of Cana decade of the Rosary

At this wedding Mary says to Jesus “They have no wine” and He replies “Woman, why bother me, My Hour has not yet come”. He calls Mary His Mother “Woman” because perhaps He wants to show us that she is the New Eve to replace the first “Woman” and also that her job after His “Hour” comes will be to “bother” Him with requests for His followers!. Perhaps Eve had “bothered” Adam to take the fruit! Mary’s job is to “bother” Jesus on our behalf till the end of time!. Eve bothered Adam to take the fruit, Mary bothers Jesus to give us graces from Himself!. He also wants to use her statement “They have no wine” to show that He does later intend to begin the Royal Wedding between Himself (the New Adam) and the “Church” the (New Eve). He will do that when He establishes the New Covenant of His Body and Blood at His Last Supper. He will give His newly forming Church the “New Wine” of His Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity in the “Blessed Sacrament” and later on He will give Her His “Holy Spirit” at Pentecost. Jesus wants to make the Church Divine by giving Himself to us in Holy Communion. The Hour Jesus mentions here is the HOUR of His Passion Death and Ressurection which He makes present in the Eucharist.

C ) Six

Audio of the Miracle at the Wedding feast of Cana decade of the Rosary

We see that there are “six” jars of water, which are used for purifications, and they may be a symbol for all mankind or in other words, for all the race of Adam who himself was created on the sixth day. Jesus who is the New Adam and the Heavenly bridegroom wants to change all mankind into children of God so that they can live forever with Him at His eternal Wedding banquet in Heaven. Jesus can change us by Baptism and the other Sacraments of the Church into better members of His Mystical Body. The Church is the New Kingdom of the New Adam.

The Preaching of the Gospel Feast days; Most Sunday and weekday Masses (See all four Gospels)

A) The Preaching of the Good News by Jesus

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From His youth Jesus “grew in Wisdom” (see Luke 2; 52) of the Holy Spirit up until He received the fullness of the Holy Spirit at His Baptism. He then went into the wilderness to be tested and perhaps also to pray for His mission and His future disciples and followers. Mark (1, 14 -15) says, “after John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, “The time is fulfilled and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe the gospel”. The word Gospel means “GoodNews” and the Good News is that the Heart of Jesus burns with Infinite Love for every Human being on the Earth and He Loves and wants to save the Good and the evil equally.

B) The Samaritan woman at the Sixth hour

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One of the first people Jesus meets in His public ministry is the Samaritan woman who He meets at Jacob’s well at the sixth hour. I would not be surprised if there was a tree at this well because in this story we have Jesus the New Adam asking a great sinner Woman to give Him physical nourishment which reminds me of Adam and Eve but it is He who wants to give her the spiritual nourishment of His Holy Spirit. Their conversation turns to her five past husbands and Jesus tells her that the sixth one she now has is not hers. Jesus the New Adam wants to be the spouse of both her soul and ours for eternity. This mystery woman is referred to as “ Woman” in this incident and perhaps she is a symbol of Eve who is now being called with her “husband” (See John 4: 16, “Call your husband” may be a reference to Adam) from the thirsty wilderness to the Eternal Life giving waters of Jesus’ Heart. Jesus reveals His identity as the Messiah and Saviour to this Woman. This whole incident is as if Jesus was meeting Eve who He then tells to call Adam because He has come to satisify their thirst for Eternal Life. Scripture scholars believe she is a symbol of the Samaritan people as a whole who in the past began to worship other Gods apart from the true God of the Jews. Perhaps Jesus as the New Adam is showing again that He is the Heavenly Bridegroom of His Church the New Eve and that He wants all people to be gathered together into the Church. He wants to give us all the “Water of eternal Life” which is His Spirit. For three years by the power of the Holy Spirit Jesus preached about the kingdom, cured the sick, performed many miracles including raising the dead and casting out devils. By all His signs and preaching He was preparing men to become members of His Spouse the New Eve (the Church). Jesus always prayed to the Father to perform the signs and wonders He did in His life and we know the Father sent the Holy Spirit to perform most if not all of them or in some few cases maybe the Holy Spirit authorised Angels to do the work but using His graces. Jesus the New Adam to some degree left His Divinity in Heaven and remained just a “Son of Adam” or the “Son of Man” as He often referred to Himself. Perhaps the only miracle He worked by His own Divine Nature was when the Trinity raised Him from the dead on Easter Sunday.

C) Everyone called to be an Apostle

Audio of the Preaching of the Gospel decade of the Rosary

Jesus picked twelve Apostles for Himself (the early Church) near the start of His Ministry and He gave them some of His own authority and then sent them out preaching in six pairs, (see Mark 6; 7). See also (Luke10; 1) where Jesus “appointed seventy-two disciples and He sent them out in pairs” (72 is 6 x 6 pairs.) preaching and healing. Jesus first sent His Hierarchy (Apostles) and then later His Lay People (disciples) to preach. Eve brought bad words to Adam but Jesus the New Adam has given the New Eve the Church the responsibility of preaching and bringing Him the Eternal Good Word to mankind. The Church received authority from Jesus to preach the Gospel but we are all called to quietly preach the Gospel by first living it and then by words. There are organizations in the Church (e.g. Legion of Mary) that allow Lay people to share the Gospel with others in an active way. Jesus said (Luke10; 2) “the Harvest is rich but the labourers are few”.

The Transfiguration Mathew 17;1- 21 Feast day; 6th August (See also Mark 9;2-29 Luke 9;28- 43)

A) The Son of God

Audio of the Transfiguration decade of the Rosary

The Transfiguration occurred “six days” after Peter had proclaimed his belief that Jesus was the “Son of God” and the Messiah. At that time Jesus had also spoken about Himself as the “Son of man” who will return with His angels in the Glory of His Father to Judge the World. When He returns in Glory He will be glorious as the “Son of God” and He has every right to Judge us because He became a “Son of Adam” like us. In this mystery Jesus brings Peter, James and John up a high mountain and in their presence He is transfigured by Light and some of His Glory as the Eternal Son of God who is the Second Person of the Trinity is revealed to them. It was a great miracle that Jesus could hide His infinite glory for 33 years!. This event is a sneak preview of the Resurrection and is designed to strenghten the Apostles faith.This mystery is similar to the Baptism of Jesus in the river Jordan but this time Jesus the “Son of Adam” is revealed high on the mountain in glory as the Divine New Adam who is the Eternal “Son of God”. The Face of Jesus Shines in glory and it is as if the Father is saying again “Let there be light” (Genesis 1; 2), the Light of Christ thus re-echoing the story of Creation. Jesus came to Earth so that He could one day Transfigure all the children of Adam and Eve into Sons and Daughters of God.

B) Law and Prophets fulfilled

Audio of the Transfiguration decade of the Rosary

He is seen talking to Moses and Elijah about His “Passing which He was soon to accomplish at Jerusalem”. Moses is believed to have written the Jewish Law, which is mainly in the first five books of the bible. God called to Moses from the midst of the “Burning bush” (See Exodus 3;1-6). Perhaps this burning bush or tree was a symbol of the Cross of Jesus which He is now soon to climb because of His Burning Love and desire to sacrifice Himself for Mankind. The Bush was sacrificed in a sense by fire but not consumed or destroyed like Jesus in His passion who sacrifices Himself because of the Fire of Divine Love in His Heart for sinners but He is not destroyed and He rises from the dead. The Jewish Law that Moses wrote also includes the revelation of the Story of Creation and the history of Adam and Eve. The story of Adam and Eve was also prophetic. The presence of Moses shows that the Law is now going to be fulfilled. Elijah is the greatest of the prophets and his presence also fulfills the prophecy “that Elijah must come” even though that prophecy referred mainly to John the Baptist. It was a sign that all the prophecies about the Messiah are about to reach their fulfillment through Jesus in Jerusalem. Moses and Elijah both had a vision of God up a Mountain and now Peter, James and John see the glory of the Man-God up this Mountain. The Father’s command “Listen to Him” seems urgent because the time Jesus has on earth to prepare them for His Passion is short. By saying “Listen to Him” the Father may have been confirming here that Jesus is His own Eternal “Word”. Jesus now goes in the direction of Jerusalem.

The Institution of the Eucharist (or Mass) Mathew 26;26-29 Feast days; Holy Thursday and every Mass (See Mark 14; 22-25, Luke 22; 15- 19, John 6;35- 37, 48- 63 Revelation Chapters 1- 21)

A) “Take and Eat”

Audio of the Institution of the Eucharist decade of the Rosary

The first Adam was told by God “Do not take and eat” God’s fruit from the tree but now Jesus the God-Man as the New Adam gives mankind the Divine Fruit from the Tree of the Cross to Eat which is Himself. The first Adam must have told Eve not to eat the fruit from the tree ( She was not created when God told Adam not to eat from the tree ) but now the New Adam tells the Church which is the New Eve to “Take and Eat” the New Fruit which we call Holy Commuinion.

B) The Two Suppers & the Washing of feet

Audio of the Institution of the Eucharist decade of the Rosary

On Holy Thursday the evening before the Passover Feast Jesus celebrated His Last Supper with His Apostles in the Supper room in Jerusalem. Our modern days begin and end at twelve o’clock midnight but Jewish days began and ended at six pm (See Genesis 1: 4 “Evening came, Morning came the first day”). We can believe that this Last Supper was celebrated after six pm, (when Judas leaves “it was night” John 13;30) which means that the Thursday evening was the beginning of the sixth day of that Jewish week. The “Last Supper” and Calvary were all on that one single Sixth Day and they are both the same offering and Sacrifice of Jesus. The Last Supper of Jesus is the New Passover meal of mankind from the slavery of sin and satan, and in it the New Lamb (of God) is sacrificed and eaten. The name “Jesus” comes from the name “Joshua” and it was Joshua who lead the people of Israel into the Promised Land as it is Jesus who leads us into Heaven. Jesus the New Adam recreated Man on the Sixth Day. In John’s Gospel (John 12; 1-3) we see that six days before the Passover Jesus went to Bethany (which means House of Hospitality) where they made a supper for Him. This supper may be a prelude to His Last Supper because there are some similarities between the two. Lazarus who Jesus raised from the dead is present and at the Last Supper Jesus will give His followers Himself “risen from the dead” under the form of Bread and Wine. Martha’s sister Mary anoints the feet of Jesus with “Costly (fragrant) ointment, which may be a symbol of the future presence of the Holy Spirit in the Church the Body of Christ and it may also confirm our belief that Jesus Anointed His Apostles as “Priests” and “Bishops” at His Last Supper. This woman Mary washes and anoints His feet but at the Last Supper Jesus will wash His Disciples feet and His washing is not just an act of service but is also a symbol of His Passion in which He will Spiritually Wash all those who want to become members of His Body the Church.

C) From dust you shall return!

Audio of the Institution of the Eucharist decade of the Rosary

By washing the dust off His disciple’s feet He was showing us that He was spiritually making them into members of His Mystical Body. Jesus is the “Head” of His Body the Church and we are the lowest members of that Body and we are best symbolised as the “dust” on the soles of His feet. The reason for that is because we are made from “dust” (See Genesis 3- 19). Since the feet were the part of the body in frequent contact with the “dust” Jesus really humbles Himself by washing the dust off His Apostles feet. Jesus removes the dust of the earth from the bodies of Man because on the Last Day He wants to remove the bodies of Man from the dust of the earth. Jesus is showing us that the children of Adam will no longer just be “dust” but that by His passion we will become children of God. We will all return to dust when we die but because of His passion and death we hope to be raised from the dead at the last Day. The Evil one cannot strike Jesus the Head of the Church but He was told he would strike us because we are like the “Heel” of the Mystical Body of Christ. In Genesis (3; 15) God says to the serpent, “He (Christ, or the Church or Mary the New Eve) will crush your head, you will strike His Heel”. When Mary washes and anoints the feet of Jesus at Bethany she is perhaps a symbol of the New Eve the Church because her actions show us what Jesus by His Passion wants to do to the Church (All the People of God). At this supper given to Him by His friends Jesus the “Son of Adam” or Jesus the Man receives hospitality from men, but at His Last Supper Jesus the New Adam and the Son of God provides Inconceivable Hospitality for all Mankind when He offers Himself as the Passover “Lamb of God” to His Heavenly Father to atone to Divine Justice for the sins of the whole Human race and then makes Himself Truly Present “risen from the dead” Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity under the appearance of Bread and Wine (which we call Holy Communion) for His followers to receive Him into their hearts.

D) The Bread of Life

Audio of the Institution of the Eucharist decade of the Rosary

At the Last Supper Jesus said, “This Is My Body” and “This Is My Blood”. Jesus is the real “Bread which has come down from Heaven” to give Life to the World. The “Manna” that Moses gave the Israelites was only a symbol of Jesus the “true Bread from Heaven”. Jesus gives us Himself to try and bring us into Communion with Himself. Blessed Anne Catherine Emmerich explains that after God made the first Adam fall into a deep sleep He opened His side and took a rib of which He made Eve who is the “mother of all the living” and He brought her to Adam who said “This is bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh . . . . . . .a man shall leave his father and mother and cling to his wife and the two shall be two in one flesh”. Jesus the New Adam and the Son of God underwent the sleep of death on the cross and allowed His side to be opened and from which came Blood and Water of which the Church the New Eve and the Spiritual Mother of all the Living is formed. At the Last Supper He gave the Church the Blood of Redemption and the Water of Purification and later He will give Her His Spirit at Pentecost. By giving the Church His Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity in Holy Communion Jesus and the Church become “Two in One Flesh”. Jesus uses the Church to Unite Himself in a profound way to Mankind. The Mass or the Eucharist is the Royal Wedding Feast of the Lamb of God and Mankind. The Church is also called the “New Jerusalem”. See chapters 21 and 22 of the Book of Revelation for a description of the Church because it is the New “City of Peace” for the New “People of God”. With God there is no time restrictions so He Gave Himself “Risen from the Dead” in Holy Communion to His Apostles in advance of His Passion, Death and Resurrection. Saint Faustina says in her Diary that she saw Jesus totally offer Himself to the Father in Sacrifice at the Last Supper (See Diary paragraph no. 684) and all that remained after that offering was the actual and external carrying out of all those sufferings from Gethsemane till His death on the Cross.

E) Fruit Returned

Audio of the Institution of the Eucharist decade of the Rosary

Eve stole God’s fruit from the tree and offered it to Adam. So in reverse, Jesus the New Adam offers His sacrifice of God’s Divine Fruit (Which is Himself ) on the New Tree of His Cross at Calvary back to the Father and He gave this One Sacrifice to the Church which is the New Eve in the Mass. In that Sacrifice of the Mass the Church (the New Eve) offers that One Sacrifice of Jesus the Divine Fruit to the Father through time until His return. The Mass or Eucharist reverses Eve’s stealing of the fruit and offers atonement for mankind’s sins. The Church offers the Sacrifice of Christ to the Father in atonement for her own sins and for the sins of the world. God in His Mercy accepts this only acceptable sacrifice from sinful man and then gives man the Risen Fruit of His Divine Son in the Bread of Life in Holy Communion. In the old Testament sacrifices were offered to God and then they were eaten and so also in the Eucharist there is a sacrifice and then a banquet. It is easy to believe that Mary the New Eve at the foot of the Cross also offered the sacrifice of Her Divine Son Jesus to the Father on our behalf. At the Mass we are Present at His Passion, Death and Resurrection at Calvary and in the Tomb of the Garden. The Mass is the most powerful prayer on Earth because it is the Sacrifice and prayer of Jesus to His Father on our behalf. At the Mass we can offer ourselves, prayers, works, good deeds and sufferings in union with Jesus and Jesus in His Mercy will grant us graces.

F) Supernaturalism in the John 6 discourse and Superman!

Audio of the Institution of the Eucharist decade of the Rosary

In the Bread of Life discourse in John 6: 25-71, Jesus drops quite a few hints to His supernatural origin.
• He made the mysterious miraculous crossing of the lake which they could not understand,
• He tells them that He can give them the food that endures to eternal life,
• He tells them that the Father has set His seal on Him,
• He tells them that He was sent by God,
• He tells them that He is the true bread from Heaven, the Bread of God, the Bread of Life that gives eternal life to the world,
• He says that whoever comes to Him will never be hungry and whoever believes in Him will never be thirsty,
• He tells them that the Father gives Him human souls,
• He plainly tells them that He has come down from Heaven,
• He tells them four times that He will raise up souls on the last day,
• He told them that no one but He Himself had seen the Father.
• He told them plainly that He is the living bread that came down from Heaven,
• He told them that His flesh will give eternal life to the world.
• He told them that no one can come to Him unless the Father draws them to Him, He was telling them that the Father in Heaven was trying to draw them to Him. The Jews believed in God and Jesus told them that their God (the Father) wanted to draw them to Him because He was the Messiah that the Father had sent them. This is why Jesus told Simon-Peter that “It was not flesh and blood that revealed this to you but My Father who is in Heaven” that revealed to him that Jesus was the, “Christ and the Son of the living God”.
• He said that those who eat His flesh and drink His blood will abide in Him and He in them,
• When His own disciples were confused about His teaching (John 6: 60-63) He asked them what if they should see Him ascend back to where He was before and of course that would be a supernatural thing to do and also having a pre-existence in Heaven would also be a supernatural quality about Him. The Jews thought He was talking about cannibalism, many Christians think He is talking about symbolism but the Catholic and Orthodox Churches always believed He was teaching Supernaturalism.

Imagine if Superman had a little son (the son doesn’t know that his dad is Superman or anything about his supernatural powers) and imagine if Superman brought the kid to see the Grand Canyon and then told the kid, ‘Son, I can fly across this great canyon!’. Well the son would not believe him and then in order to convince him Superman might reply, ‘Does this offend you? Then what if you were to see me ascending up to the top of this great big tree here beside us?’

Flying to the top of a tall tree would be a supernatural thing for anyone to do as would Jesus ascending back to Heaven where He had existed before He came to earth. In John (6: 61-63) Jesus asked His disciples that question about seeing Him ascending back to Heaven because that would be a supernatural thing to do and implied that His teaching on eating His flesh and drinking His blood is supernatural. Jesus can make the Bread and Wine into His living Body and Blood because He is God. He said in John (6: 63) that the “flesh (in the Eucharist) has nothing to offer” us in a physical way, it is not meant to be physical food like other food, He said it is His divine “Spirit (in the Body and Blood of the Eucharist) that gives us (divine) life”.

The Concluding prayers

We conclude these five Decades of the Rosary by saying the “Hail Holy Queen” prayer and the short concluding prayer.

Audio of Concluding prayers

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 valley of tears. Turn then most gracious advocate your eyes of mercy towards us and after this our Exile show to us the Blessed Fruit of thy womb; Jesus. Oh clement, Oh loving, Oh sweet Virgin Mary, pray for us O Holy Mother of God that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ

Let us pray;

O God whose only begotten Son by His Life, Death and Resurrection has purchased for us the Reward of Eternal Life, Grant we beseech you that meditating on these Mysteries of the most Holy Rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary we Imitate what they contain and Obtain what they promise through the same Christ our Lord. Amen.

The Hail Holy Queen prayer is a very appropriate prayer to say at the end of the Rosary because it seems to address Mary in the sense of the New Eve. Then in the concluding prayer we pray that we may be made worthy of the promise of Eternal Life by the “life, death and resurrection” of Jesus Christ our Saviour.

The Opening prayers of the Rosary.

The Sign of the Cross

We begin and end these prayers by making the sign of the Cross with our right hand on ourselves from our forehead to our belly button and from left shoulder to right shoulder while saying “In the name of the Father (touch forehead) and of the Son (touch belly button) and of the Holy (touch left shoulder) Spirit (touch right shoulder) Amen.” We then usually say the “Apostles Creed” followed by the “Our Father”, three “Hail mary’s” and the “Glory be”. We can then begin the Joyful, Light, Sorrowful, or Glorious Mysteries. Each group of Mysteries takes about fifteen to twenty minutes to recite.

The Apostles Creed

I believe in God, the Father Almighty,
Creator of Heaven and Earth,
and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord,
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
born of the Virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried;
He descended into hell;
on the third day He rose again, from the dead;
He ascended into Heaven,
and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty;
from there He will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the Holy Catholic Church,
the communion of Saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the Resurrection of the body
and Life Everlasting. Amen.

The Our Father

Our Father,
Who art in Heaven,
Hallowed be Thy name,
Thy Kingdom come,
Thy Will be done on earth as it is in Heaven,
Give us this day our daily bread,
and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us,
and lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil. Amen

The Hail Mary

Hail Mary,
Full of Grace,
The Lord is with you,
Blessed are you among women,
and Blessed is the Fruit of your womb, Jesus,
Holy Mary,
Mother of God,
Pray for us sinners now
and at the hour of our death. Amen.

There may be a Trinity aspect to the Hail Mary prayer because the first three lines of the Hail Mary were addressed to Mary by the Archangel Gabriel who was sent by the Father in Heaven, the second two lines were said by Elizabeth who was inspired by the Holy Spirit and the last four lines were inspired by the Church which although sinful is called to be the Mystical body of Jesus Christ.

The Glory be

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.

Short prayer Our Lady at Fatima in 1917 asked to be said after each Decade of the Rosary

Oh my Jesus,
Forgive us our sins,
Save us from the fires of hell,
and lead all souls to Heaven,
especially those who are in most need of your Mercy. Amen.

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