The Glorious Mysteries announce the power of God as these take shape in the life of Christ and of the blessed Virgin Mary, who is the first participant in the fruits of her Son’s resurrection. Similarly, St. Dominic consigned a twofold way of life to his followers. the Friar Preacher is committed to ponder prayerfully “the glory of Christ,’ and then to share the fruits of this contemplation with others. By observing these exercises, St. Dominic wanted to prepare his friars to spread confidence in the power if the Word of God and to cultivate reverence fir the divine majesty. In other words, St. Dominic wanted to kindle the light of Christ’s glory in his preachers, and so ensure a continuous announcement of the resurrection miracle: “If any one is in christ, he is a new creation; the old has passes away, behold, the new has come” (2 Cor 5:17).

The mysteries of the glorious Christ give us a foreknowledge of the Church as it will be; we see the triumph of “the Lamb who was slain” (Rv 5:12). But this vision comes with faith. “We don’t have faith,” lamented St. John Marie Vianney, “if we had faith, then we would see what the saints see: heaven everywhere, the angels, the good God.” Our meditation on the glorious mysteries helps us see what the saints see. Because St. Dominic always saw the glory of the risen Christ in the world, he abominated every form of sin, even though he labored unselfishly for the conversion of sinners. Indeed, he frequently was heard to exclaim, “Lord, what will become of sinners!” Fra Angelico, it is true, painted St. Dominic as a witness to the mysteries of Christ’s infancy and passion, but there is every reason to prefer seeing him in front of the empty tomb. 0 lumen Ecclesiae! As a light for the Church, St. Dominic serves also as a father in faith. Since the glorious mysteries enact our own transformation, only faith allows us to enter into these mysteries of the glorious Christ. With St. Dominic to guide us, the glorious mysteries progressively reveal “the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ” (2 Cor 4:6).

The above is an excerpt from Perpetual Angelus: As the Saints Pray the Rosary by Fr. Romanus Cessario, O.P.

The Glorious Mysteries

First Glorious Mystery: The Resurrection
“After the Sabbath, as the first day of the week was dawning, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to see the tomb. And behold, there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven, approached, rolled back the stone, and sat upon it.” Matthew 28:1

Second Glorious Mystery: The Ascension
“I dealt with all that Jesus did and taught until the day he was taken up, after giving instructions through the holy spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen. He presented himself alive to them by many proofs after he had suffered, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God.” Acts 1:1-3

Third Glorious Mystery: The Descent of the Holy Spirit
“While meeting with them, he enjoined them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for ‘the promise of the Father about which you have heard me speak; for John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’ ” Acts 1:4-5

Fourth Glorious Mystery: Assumption of Mary into Heaven
“Who is this that comes forth like the dawn, beautiful as the white moon, pure as the blazing sun, fearsome as celestial visions?” Song of Solomon 6:10

Fifth Glorious Mystery: Coronation of Mary
“A great sign appeared in the sky, a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars.” Revelation 12:1

We Invite You to Pray the Glorious Mysteries with Us