The Joyful Mysteries - Meditations of Bl. Card. Wyszyński - Version 3

The Annunciation

We stand in the face of the great ”designs of the Heavenly Father,” who from eternity decreed that the Son of God should be born of the Virgin Mary. In Nazareth, the Angel of the Lord appears to Her and announces: You will conceive and give birth to a son (Lk 1:31). Mary, supported by God's grace, understands the meaning of the Annunciation and expresses Her consent: I am the Lord’s servant (Lk 1:38). She is for us a model of obedience and submission to God's designs.
Let us commend our hearts to God, so that they may always be ready ”to do what God expects of us.”

The Visitation

Mary begins to fulfill Her task. She is to carry Christ to people. She carries Him first to the Lord's Forerunner – John, who is to prepare the way for Christ. John will be the first to come into contact with the One who is coming to save the world.
When Mary entered the house of Zechariah, the child leaped in Elizabeth's womb. She, in turn, reveals Mary's secret as the Mother of the Lord. Mary, in response, proclaims Her program and life's task in the ”Magnificat.” This is the so-called ”little Revelation” of God's affairs to the human Family.
We adore Your Mother, Lord Jesus Christ, in ”Her service to” Elizabeth and to all humanity. We desire to help Her in this ministry.

The Nativity of Jesus

The Lord Jesus is with us on earth; He counts – according to the earthly calendar – nearly twenty centuries. In Bethlehem, He was small and tiny, clothed in a child's Body. Back then, He could fit in a manger. Today, He has grown so much in His Church that He fills the whole world with Himself, and feeds peoples and nations with His Body.
We rejoice, Lord Jesus Christ, that ”Your Mother laid You in a manger,” like a grain of wheat in the soil, so that You might become Bread. A mother exists to feed. ”She feeds us” with Your Body – with You. That is why She placed You in the manger, so that we might draw Your Body and Blood from it without fear. We praise You, Christ, Your Mother in Her Bethlehem ministry. We desire to nourish ourselves as often as possible with Your Body, taken from Mary.

The Presentation of Jesus in the Temple

Mary brings the Father's gift, Her Son, to the temple in Jerusalem and there presents Him to the Father. By this, She not only fulfills the precept of the Old Covenant, but also makes the presentation of the Lord Jesus in the temple a sign for us that Christ is in the Church and is offered to the Heavenly Father in every Holy Mass.
Lord Jesus, we thank Your Mother for bringing You to the temple. We thank You for being with us in our churches. It is Your Mother who brings us to You. From now on, we are together. And we desire to always be with You.

The Finding of Jesus in the Temple

From the moment Mary brought Her Son to the temple, we know where to look for Him. The Lord Jesus gave a commentary on the fact of His being lost: Didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s house? (Lk 2:49). The living, sanctifying Christ, who fills us with peace, is in the Church of God. There He fulfills the matters entrusted to Him by the Father. The Second Vatican Council reminded us of this.
Christ lives in each of us, because after all, ”we are the temple of God,” ”our bodies are consecrated to God,” ”the Spirit of God dwells in us.” It is also enough to direct our steps to the church, to the house of God, to find Christ there.
We thank You, Lord Jesus, that Your Mother taught us the way to the temple. Teach us, following Her example, to show people the way to You.