Ponder and Magnify: A Rosary Podcast

S3, E13 - The Rosary with Meditations on the Luminous Mysteries, Week 4

• John and Jessica Helling • Season 3 • Episode 13

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The mission of the Ponder and Magnify Podcast is to seek an encounter with Jesus through praying the rosary, relying on the grace of the Holy Spirit and the intercession of Mary. Tune in to join us in praying the rosary with meditations on the Luminous Mysteries intended to engage your imagination as you pray! May we all be in Heaven together one day! Praise be to God!

Jessica:

Hello and welcome to the Ponder and Magnify Podcast, where our mission is to seek an encounter with Jesus through praying the rosary, relying on the grace of the Holy Spirit and the intercession of Mary. I am so happy that you are here. In this episode, we're going to be praying the rosary while meditating on the luminous mysteries of the rosary. Before each decade, you'll be given something to imagine related to the mystery that we're praying. However, if the Holy Spirit leads you somewhere different as you are praying, definitely follow that prompting instead. Before we start, let's pause and reflect on what we are bringing to prayer. What are your joys in this moment? What feels heavy right now? Is there anything that you're afraid of? What are you desiring? Whom do you wish to pray for? In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Jesus, we ask you to speak directly into our present circumstances. Mary, thank you for praying with us and for us now. Holy Spirit, please anoint the gift of our imagination so that we might come to encounter Jesus more deeply through it. I believe in God, the Father Almighty, creator of heaven and earth, and in Jesus Christ, his only Son our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended into hell. On the third day he rose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven. He is seated at the right hand of God, the Father Almighty. From there he shall come to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Holy Catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting. Amen. Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen. For an increase in faith, Hail Mary full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death, amen. For an increase in hope. Hail Mary full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death, amen. For an increase in love, Hail Mary full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed are thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death, amen. Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end, amen. O my Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of hell. Lead all souls to heaven, especially those in most need of thy mercy. The first luminous mystery is the baptism of Jesus, a reading from the Gospel of Matthew. Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan to be baptized by him. John tried to prevent him, saying, I need to be baptized by you, and yet you are coming to me? Jesus said to him in reply, Allow it now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness. Then he allowed him. By the grace of the Holy Spirit, John the Baptist saw Jesus for who he was. What a gift. The side effect of this for John was that he then felt unworthy and incapacitated to serve Jesus, doubting he had anything to offer Jesus, questioning why Jesus would ask him to participate in this baptism in the first place. Jesus pulled John the Baptist out of this thinking with his tender response, thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness. Jesus was not asking John to do anything for Jesus on his own, but to work together with him to bring this important moment in salvation history to fullness. We have a God who desires to work with us, and when we work with him, he compensates for every weakness in us. Our weaknesses do not disqualify us, but become the places where God is given room to work in and through us. As we pray this decade, ask Jesus how he wishes you to work with him to forward the salvation of souls in your present circumstances. Perhaps he is calling you to work with him for the salvation of a parent, a sibling, a spouse, a child, a friend, a coworker, a client, or a member of your community by being a consistent witness to his tender, unfailing love. Ask him how he wants this to look. Where you feel weak or incapacitated to fulfill what he is asking of you, hear Jesus assuring you that he will be working with you to make it possible. Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen. Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed are thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death, amen. Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed are thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death, Amen. Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed are thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death, Amen. Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed are thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death, Amen. Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed are thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death, Amen. Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed are thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death, Amen. Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed are thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death, Amen. Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed are thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death, amen. Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed are thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death, amen. Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed are thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death, amen. Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end, amen. O my Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of hell. Lead all souls to heaven, especially those in most need of thy mercy. Amen. The second luminous mystery is the wedding feast at Cana, a reading from the Gospel of John. Then Jesus told the servers, draw some out now, and take it to the head waiter. So they took it, and when the head waiter tasted the water that had become wine, without knowing where it came from, although the servers who had drawn the water knew, the head waiter called the bridegroom and said to him, Everyone serves the good wine first, and then when people have drunk freely an inferior one, but you have kept the good wine until now. At the wedding feast at Cana, we are reminded that the good wine the Lord has prepared for us is yet to come, that is eternal peace and joy to be experienced in heaven in union with God. How easy it is to lose sight of this and think the good wine is to be experienced here on earth, in an ideal relationship, a miraculous cure, affirmation from others, perfect health, a great career, financial security, a certain vocation, etc. Even in the moments where we do receive these things, we still have not tasted the good wine the Lord desires to give us. This mystery reminds us that even in our best moments on the earth, the good wine the Lord has prepared for us is actually still to come. So then too in suffering, the good wine the Lord has prepared for us is still to come. As we pray this decade, ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you the longings of your heart that lead to only temporary happiness on earth. Imagine Jesus sharing with you how he wishes to give you so much more in the promise of your eternal joy and peace. Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen. Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed are thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death, amen. Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed are thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death, amen. Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed are thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death, amen. Hail Mary full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed are thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death, amen. Hail Mary full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed are thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death, amen. Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed are thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death, amen. Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed are thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death, amen. Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed are thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death, amen. Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed are thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death, amen. Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed are thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death, amen. Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end, amen. O my Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of hell. Lead all souls to heaven, especially those in most need of thy mercy. Amen. The third luminous mystery is the proclamation of the kingdom. A reading from the Gospel of Mark. After John had been arrested, Jesus came to Galilee proclaiming the gospel of God that this is the time of fulfillment. The kingdom of God is at hand. Repent and believe in the gospel. Can you hear the desperation in Jesus' voice as he speaks? Repent and believe in the gospel. He is desperate for your healing and salvation, and he knows this is the path to it. In Jesus' invitation to repent, Jesus is begging you to reflect on your life, to see where you are bound by past hurts, fear, shame, resentment and or dissatisfaction. In his invitation to believe in the gospel, Jesus is begging for you to trust in the Father's love for you and his provision that flows from that love. God wants to give you so much. He wants to set you free. As we pray this decade, ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you how a past hurt, fear, shame, resentment, or dissatisfaction has a grip on you, preventing the fullness of joy you were meant to experience in Jesus. Allow Jesus to explain to you what the kingdom of God means for you personally in this area. Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come, they will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen. Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed are thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death, amen. Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death, amen. Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed are thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death, amen. Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed are thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death, amen. Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed are thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death, amen. Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed are thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death, amen. Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed are thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death, amen. Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed are thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death, amen. Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed are thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death, amen. Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed are thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death, amen. Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end, amen. O my Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of hell, lead all souls to heaven, especially those in most need of thy mercy, amen. The fourth luminous mystery is the transfiguration of Jesus. A reading from the Gospel of Mark. Jesus took Peter, James, and John, and led them up a high mountain apart by themselves, and he was transfigured before them, and his clothes became dazzling white, such as no fuller on earth could bleach them. Then Elijah appeared to them along with Moses, and they were conversing with Jesus. Then Peter said to Jesus in reply, Rabbi, it is good that we are here. Let us make three tents, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah. He hardly knew what to say, they were so terrified. Then a cloud came, casting a shadow over them. Then from the cloud came a voice, This is my beloved son. Listen to him. In this mystery, Peter is terrified, and his response is to assess the situation according to what he thinks is best and proceed. Scripture tells us that Peter spoke without hardly knowing what to say. Peter could not understand his circumstances, and thus he began to act out of desperation for some sort of control. How often we try to find security and control, thus making it an idol. The Father interrupts Peter's spiral and invites him to consult and listen to Jesus instead. As we pray this decade, consider where in your life you may be acting out of what you think is best, rather than out of union with the Lord. In whatever area this may be, hear the Father's gentle invitation. This is my beloved Son, Jesus. Listen to him. Follow the Father's invitation, and ask Jesus where the path to peace is to be found. Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come, they will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen. Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed are thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death, amen. Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death, amen. Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed are thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death, amen. Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed are thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death, amen. Hail Mary full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed are thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death, amen. Hail Mary full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed are thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death, amen. Hail Mary full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed are thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death, amen. Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed are thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death, amen. Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed are thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death, amen. Hail Mary full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed are thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death, amen. Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end, amen. O my Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of hell, lead all souls to heaven, especially those in most need of thy mercy, amen. The fifth luminous mystery is the institution of the Eucharist. A reading from the Gospel of John I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats this bread will live forever, and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world. In becoming a human being, God so reduced himself that from heavenly glory he entered into the suffering of the world, accepting the limitations, temptations, and lack of control that comes with being fully human. All this was to show us how he loves us, to reveal his gentle heart, humbled before us in love. In the Eucharist, our God reduces himself even further, veiled now under the appearance of bread and wine. He is fully present in his glory, his heart on fire and fully yearning for us, and yet he wishes to come off as least intimidating as possible, giving us complete freedom in his profound humility to reject or accept him. He makes himself seem littler than us so that we might have the courage to approach him. See in the Eucharist that we do not have a God who wishes us to be afraid of him or what he will do, but rather a God who wishes to invite us to him in order to love us. As we pray this decade, imagine the Eucharist in your hands. As you hold it, see it as your personal invitation to enter more deeply into your relationship with God. He is so eager to reveal to you the beauty that He has planned for you. Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen. Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death, amen. Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death, amen. Hail Mary full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed are thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death, amen. Hail Mary full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed are thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death, amen. Hail Mary full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed are thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death, amen. Hail Mary full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed are thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death, amen. Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed are thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death, amen. Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed are thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death, amen. Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed are thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death, amen. Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed are thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death, amen. Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end, amen. O my Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of hell. Lead all souls to heaven, especially those in most need of thy mercy. Hail, Holy Queen, Mother of Mercy, our life, our sweetness and our hope. To thee do we cry, poor banished children of Eve, to thee do we send up our sighs, mourning and weeping in this valley of tears. Turn then, most gracious advocate, thine eyes of mercy toward us, and after this our exile, show unto us the blessed fruit of thy womb, Jesus. O Clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary, pray for us, O holy Mother of God, that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ. Amen. O God, whose only begotten Son, by his life, death, and resurrection, has purchased for us the rewards of eternal life. Grant we beseech thee that by meditating upon these mysteries of the most holy rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary, that we may imitate what they contain and obtain what they promise through the same Christ our Lord. Amen. In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, Amen. I'm so thankful to be able to pray with you. Please, please count on our continued prayers, praying for all the graces that you need to encounter the heart of Jesus and the heart of Mary more deeply. And we ask you humbly to be praying for us. May we all be in heaven together one day. Praise be to God.