The Joyful Mysteries - Meditations of St. John Paul II
The Annunciation
Mary expresses her full consent with mind and heart to the mysterious will of God and is ready to welcome, first by faith and then in her virginal womb, the Son of God. ”Behold, I am!”. Mary encourages us to believe in the fulfillment of God's promises. She calls us to have a spirit of humility within us, the right internal attitude of the creature toward the Creator. She invites us to place secure hope in Christ, who realizes the salvific plan in its entirety even when events seem dark and difficult to accept.
The Visitation
The meeting with Elizabeth has the character of a joyful salvific event, and so it is not merely a spontaneous expression of kindness that Mary shows to her relative. Into the house of Zechariah, who had lost his speech because he was ashamed of his own unbelief, Mary unexpectedly brings all the joy of her open faith that is ready for service. In visiting St. Elizabeth, Mary, as it were, prefigures the mission of Jesus, and by cooperating from the very beginning of her motherhood with the redemptive work of her Son, she becomes a model for those members of the Church who set out on the road to carry the light and joy of Christ to people of all nations and all times.
The Nativity of Jesus
To the oppressed and suffering nation that walked in darkness, a ”great light” has appeared. If the first creation began with the creation of light, then all the more radiant and great is the light that gives rise to the new creation: it is God Himself who became man. The news of the birth of the Son of God consoles and, at the same time, makes demands. Faith allows us to feel that God surrounds us with His tender love, while simultaneously binding us to an active love of God and our brothers.
The Presentation of Jesus in the Temple
”Lord, now You are letting Your servant depart in peace, according to Your word; for my eyes have seen Your salvation that You have prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to Your people Israel.” Christ is the light of human life. He is the light because He dispels its darkness. He is the light because He illuminates its mysteries. Because He answers questions that are both fundamental and ultimate. He is the light because He gives meaning to life. He is the light because He convinces man of his great dignity.
The Finding of Jesus in the Temple
When, after a three-day search, they found Jesus in the temple among the teachers, Mary gently reproaches Him: ”Son, why have You treated us so?” God's designs are often difficult to understand; they require consent, faith, and humility. Mary is for us the model of a person who, submitting to the guidance of the Holy Spirit, receives and keeps in her heart-like a good seed-the words of revelation, striving to understand them as best as possible in order to penetrate deep into the mystery of Christ.