Hi friends! Today we’re talking about mysteries… mysteries of the Rosary! The mysteries of the Rosary are events from the lives of Jesus and Mary, drawn from Scripture and the Church’s tradition, that help us think about Jesus and his mother Mary. When we pray the Rosary, we think about these stories so we can remember how much God loves us. There are four sets of mysteries: The Joyful Mysteries, The Sorrowful Mysteries, The Glorious Mysteries, and the Luminous Mysteries. Today we’re playing through the Luminous Mysteries! I have this Rosary Pray and Play set from Saintly Heart, and I’m going to use the little pieces to show you what each mystery is. If you want to pray along, you can pause after each mystery and pray one decade of Hail Marys. If not, that’s okay too. You can just play along with us!
The Luminous Mysteries are about moments in Jesus’ life when he shows us who he really is. The word “luminous” means light. So these mysteries help us see the light of Jesus! There are five Luminous Mysteries. Let’s play through them together.
The first Luminous Mystery is The Baptism of Jesus. This is when Jesus went to the Jordan River, and John the Baptist baptized him. In Matthew 3, it says that after Jesus was baptized, the heavens opened, the Spirit of God came down like a dove, and a voice from heaven said: “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” That means God the Father was showing everyone that Jesus is his Son.
Okay, here’s John the Baptist. And here comes Jesus! John might say: “Wait… you want ME to baptize YOU?” And Jesus says: “Yes, John. This is part of God’s plan.” Then splash! Jesus is baptized! Wait… what’s that? A dove? And a voice from heaven? “This is my beloved Son!” Whoa. That’s a big moment. The fruit of this mystery is being open to the Holy Spirit. When we think about Jesus’ baptism, we remember that God loves us too, and he wants us to live as his children.
You can pause here and pray one decade of the Rosary while thinking about Jesus being baptized in the Jordan River.
The second Luminous Mystery is The Wedding at Cana. This is when Jesus, Mary, and the disciples were at a wedding. But then something happened. They ran out of wine! Mary noticed the problem and told Jesus. In John 2, Mary says to the servants: “Do whatever he tells you.” Then Jesus told the servants to fill jars with water, and he turned the water into wine. This was Jesus’ first miracle!
Okay, everybody is at the wedding. Yay! Wedding party! Wait a second. Uh oh. The wine is all gone. Mary notices right away because Mary is always paying attention. Mary says: “Jesus, they have no wine.” And then she tells the servants: “Do whatever he tells you.” Jesus says: “Fill the jars with water.” Water? For a wedding? Okay… if Jesus says so! And then… Whoa! It’s not water anymore! It’s wine! The fruit of this mystery is going to Jesus through Mary. Mary helps us listen to Jesus. She always points us to him.
You can pause here and pray one decade of the Rosary while thinking about Mary telling us, “Do whatever Jesus tells you.”
The third Luminous Mystery is The Proclamation of the Kingdom. That means Jesus went around teaching people about God’s Kingdom. He healed people. He forgave sins. He told people to turn back to God. He taught them how to love, pray, forgive, and follow him. In Mark 1, Jesus says: “The kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.” That means Jesus is inviting everyone to come close to God.
Here comes Jesus! And here are the people. Some people are sick. Some people are sad. Some people made bad choices. Some people don’t know what to do. And Jesus says: “Come follow me.” He says: “God loves you.” He says: “Turn back to God.” He says: “Love one another.” Wait, should we make the people follow Jesus? Come on, everybody! This way! No pushing in the crowd, little disciples. The fruit of this mystery is repentance and conversion. That means we ask God to help us turn away from sin and follow Jesus with our whole hearts.
You can pause here and pray one decade of the Rosary while thinking about Jesus teaching people about the Kingdom of God.
The fourth Luminous Mystery is The Transfiguration. This is when Jesus took Peter, James, and John up a mountain. And while they were there, Jesus’ face shone like the sun, and his clothes became bright white. Moses and Elijah appeared with him. Then a voice from heaven said: “This is my beloved Son. Listen to him.” The disciples got to see Jesus’ glory.
Okay, Jesus says: “Peter, James, John, come with me up the mountain.” Up, up, up they go. That is a big climb. Maybe Peter says: “Are we there yet?” And then suddenly… Whoa! Jesus is shining! His face is bright! His clothes are bright! Everything is bright! Peter says: “This is amazing!” And then God the Father says: “This is my beloved Son. Listen to him.” So what should we do? Listen to Jesus! The fruit of this mystery is a desire for holiness. That means we want to become more like Jesus.
You can pause here and pray one decade of the Rosary while thinking about Jesus shining with glory on the mountain.
The fifth Luminous Mystery is The Institution of the Eucharist. This is when Jesus gave us the Eucharist at the Last Supper. Jesus was with his apostles, and he took bread and wine. In Luke 22, Jesus says: “This is my body, which will be given for you; do this in memory of me.” At every Mass, we remember this moment. The bread and wine become Jesus’ Body and Blood. Jesus gives himself to us in the Eucharist because he loves us so much.
Okay, here is Jesus at the table with his apostles. It’s the Last Supper. Jesus takes the bread. He says: “This is my body.” Then he takes the cup. He says: “This is my blood.” The apostles might not understand everything yet. Maybe one of them says: “Wait… this is very important, isn’t it?” Yes. Very important. Jesus is giving us the Eucharist. And we still receive Jesus in the Eucharist at Mass today. The fruit of this mystery is love of the Eucharist. When we think about this mystery, we remember that Jesus wants to be close to us.
You can pause here and pray one decade of the Rosary while thinking about Jesus giving us the Eucharist at the Last Supper.
And those are the five Luminous Mysteries! The Baptism of Jesus, The Wedding at Cana, The Proclamation of the Kingdom, The Transfiguration, and the Institution of the Eucharist. These mysteries help us see the light of Jesus and remember who he is. Next time you pray the Rosary, you can think about these stories and play them out in your imagination. If you want your own Rosary Pray and Play set, check out the special link and promo code in the description. And don’t forget to subscribe to Juice Box for more fun Catholic videos for kids. See you next time, friends. Bye!