[ ^Table of Contents || < Previous Section ||  Next Section || logotiny.gif (188 bytes) Home ]

Rosary Meditations
Short Meditations for School Children

THE JOYFUL MYSTERIES
DECEMBER 25, 1994

The Annunciation

  1. The Angel Gabriel appeared to Mary and asked Mary to be the Mother of Jesus.
  2. Mary always complied with the will of the Father. She said "yes" to the angel.
  3. She was filled with the Holy Spirit and the Word was made flesh.
  4. Song: Come Holy Ghost
  5. There was such intimacy between Mary and Jesus from the first moment of conception.
  6. She felt the life of the Child Jesus grow within her womb.
  7. It was in her womb that the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus was formed through the Holy Spirit.
  8. It is in realizing this connection between the Hearts of Jesus and Mary that we will grow in greater union with God.
  9. The Holy Spirit forever transforms us more and more into the image of Jesus.
  10. The womb of the Virgin Mary is the holy dwelling place of our beloved Savior.

The Visitation

  1. Mary, being pregnant herself, heard through the angel that Elizabeth had conceived a child in her old age. She made haste to the hill country to be with her cousin, Elizabeth.
  2. When she arrived, the child in Elizabeth's womb leapt for joy.
  3. Mary was filled with the Holy Spirit and cried out in a loud voice the Magnificat.
  4. Mary said, " ...'My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior;' " (Lk. 1:46-47)
  5. "...because he has looked upon the humiliation of his servant. Yes, from now onwards all generations will call me blessed," (Lk. 1:48)
  6. "for the Almighty has done great things for me. Holy is his name," (Lk. 1:49)
  7. Jesus is no less present this day in the Eucharist than He was in Mary's womb.
  8. How He waits and yearns for us to come and to be with Him because He loves us so much!
  9. If we realized how much He loves us, we would never fear.
  10. Song: "O come, O come, Emmanuel, and ransom captive Israel, that mourns in lonely exile here, until the Son of God appears. Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to you O Israel."

The Birth of Jesus

  1. Think of the glorious night when Jesus was born in a stable. The angels sang and the shepherds watched.
  2. The cows and the sheep were there to keep them warm.
  3. This is truly Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who humbled Himself to share in our humanity.
  4. Song: "Angels we have heard on high, sweetly singing o'er the plains. And the mountains in reply, echoing their joyous strains."
  5. Song: "Gloria in excelsis Deo, Gloria in excelsis Deo."
  6. Song: "Away in a manger, no crib for a bed, the little Lord Jesus laid down His sweet head. The stars in the sky looked down where He lay, the little Lord Jesus asleep on the hay."
  7. Song: "O come let us adore Him, O come let us adore Him, O come let us adore Him, Christ the Lord."
  8. Song: "What child is this who lay to rest, on Mary's lap is sleeping? Whom angels greet with anthem sweet, while shepherds watch are keeping."
  9. See Jesus, Mary, and Joseph in the stable. See the tenderness in the eyes of Mary as she gazes on her newborn baby child, Who is truly God!
  10. The birth of Jesus is at the heart of salvation history.

The Presentation in the Temple

  1. Mary and Joseph took the Child Jesus to the Temple.
  2. While they were there, the prophet Simeon prophesied the sufferings of Jesus and Mary to come.
  3. Simeon said to Mary, "and a sword will pierce your soul too-so that the secret thoughts of many may be laid bare." (Lk. 2:35)
  4. As he prophesied the sufferings of Jesus and Mary, he also prophesied how many souls would be saved through Jesus.
  5. Mary gazes so tenderly on her precious child. From this moment on, every time she looked at Jesus, she remembered the prophesy of Simeon.
  6. She had a constant ache in her heart since the prophecy of Simeon.
  7. Song: See the Eyes that Look at Mary
  8. She looked at the Baby Jesus. She held Him in her arms. All through their life together, she knew His Heart. There was such love from the moment of conception between her and her Son. There was such intimacy between the Heart of Jesus and the heart of Mary.
  9. Dear Mary, you knew the Heart of your beloved Son Jesus. Please lead us to closer intimacy with Him. It is in loving Him through your pure and tender heart that I too will love Him more tenderly.
  10. Let us love, through your heart, our beloved Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

The Finding of the Child Jesus in the Temple

  1. How the heart of Mary knew the Heart of Jesus! How the heart of Mary suffered at every sorrow. How she suffered when they lost the Child Jesus in the temple.
  2. Mary wants us to pray for her little lost children of the world.
  3. "It happened that, three days later, they found him in the Temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them, and asking them questions; and all those who heard him were astounded at his intelligence and his replies." (Lk. 2:46-47)
  4. When His parents saw Him "...his mother said to him, 'My child, why have you done this to us? See how worried your father and I have been, looking for you.'" (Lk. 2:48)
  5. "He went down with them then and came to Nazareth and lived under their authority. His mother stored up all these things in her heart." (Lk. 2:51)
  6. She was His Mother. She took care of Him. She knew Him with a deep, motherly love in her heart.
  7. We must pray to the Child Jesus. He will answer our prayers.

  8. She begs us to pray for her lost children so that they will not be condemned to hell for their sinfulness and willfulness. Mary says at Fatima,

"I am the Lady of the Rosary. I have come to warn the faithful to amend their lives and to ask pardon for their sins. They must not offend Our Lord any more, for He is already too grievously offended by the sins of men. People must say the Rosary. Let them continue saying it every day." 21

  1. We must spread the love of Jesus to the world and help spread the rosaries about the Hearts of Jesus and Mary to the children and the adults.
  2. Hail Mary...

[ ^Table of Contents || < Previous Section ||  Next Section || logotiny.gif (188 bytes) Home ]

SofC LogoCopyright © 1998 Shepherds of Christ Publications
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written permission of the publisher. For information contact Shepherds of Christ Publications
First Printing: November, 1998