The First Joyful Mystery- The Annunciation

The Angel Gabriel Announces the Birth of Jesus

These are some thoughts about the First Joyful Mystery, The Annunciation.

Our Father
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.

Mary, you are called Blessed.
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

Mary, you received the Angel’s message.
Hail Mary……

Mary, Thank you!
Hail Mary……

Jesus, the Holy Spirit gave you birth through Mary.
Hail Mary……

Jesus, I am so grateful.
Hail Mary……

Jesus, help me to know and love Mary more.
Hail Mary……

Jesus, your Name was announced by the angel.
Hail Mary……

“Jesus,” your Name means Savior.
Hail Mary……

Jesus, I love you!
Hail Mary……

Jesus, I adore You for You are God!
Hail Mary……

Glory Be To The Father
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost.As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end.
Amen.

Fatima Prayer
O my Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of hell, and lead all souls to Heaven, especially those in most need of Your Mercy.

The Joyful Mysteries

The Joyful Mysteries remind us to be happy for everything that we have. We thank God for all His blessings, for creating us and giving us life, for our families and friends. We should also remember to thank God for our parents bringing us to be baptized as Catholics and teaching us about Him.

There are five Joyful Mysteries. It begins with The Annunciation. The Angel Gabriel visits the Virgin Mary to tell her hat she is going to be the Mother of Jesus.

The second Mystery is the Visitation. Mary goes to visit her cousin Elizabeth. Elizabeth is filled with the Holy Spirit and her baby leaps for joy in the presence of Jesus.

The third Mystery is the Nativity- The Birth of Jesus in Bethlehem. Jesus is born in a stable in Bethlehem.

The fourth Mystery is the Presentation of Jesus in the temple. Joseph and Mary offer up Jesus to God.

The fifth Mystery is the Finding of Jesus in the Temple. When Jesus was a boy he got lost on a trip but His parents found Him.

How To Pray The Holy Rosary

The Rosary reminds us of the life of Jesus and Our Blessed Mother. These are the most important events in the lives of Jesus and Mary our Mother. We call the events Mysteries. There are four groups of Mysteries, The Joyful Mysteries, The Luminous Mysteries, The Sorrowful Mysteries and The Glorious Mysteries.


The Rosary is made up of tiny beads that go around a circle. The Rosary has a Cross on it to remind us of Jesus who loved us so much that he died on the Cross for us.

The beads in the circle are divided into five groups for each of the five mysteries. Each group has ten beads that tell you to say The Hail Mary prayer ten times. Each group begins with one bead that tells you to say The Our Father prayer once.

We begin by making The Sign of The Cross. Holding the crucifix, we say the Apostles Creed. On the first bead we say one Our Father. On the next three beads we say Hail Mary. We then say one Glory Be to the Father followed by the Fatima Prayer. We say these for an increase in faith, hope and charity.

On the next bead, recall the first Mystery to be said( Joyful, Sorrowful, Luminous or Glorious ) and recite the Our Father on the large bead. Say one Hail Mary for each of the ten small beads. On the next large bead, say the Glory Be to the Father and the Fatima Prayer.

Repeat for each of the remaining four decades. When the fifth decade is completed, we conclude by saying the Hail Holy Queen.

Please see previous post for the prayers of the Holy Rosary.

The Prayers Of The Holy Rosary

The Sign of the Cross

In the name of the Father of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen

The Apostles' Creed

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 Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried. He descended into hell; the third day He arose again from the dead; He ascended into heaven,and sits at the right hand of God, the Father Almighty; from thence He shall come to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Ghost, the Holy Catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting. Amen

The Our Father

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.

The Hail Mary

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

Glory Be To The Father

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost.As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.



Fatima Prayer

O my Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of hell, and lead all souls to Heaven, especially those in most need of Your Mercy.


The Hail, Holy Queen

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 worthy of the promises of Christ.

Additional Prayers said with the Rosary

O God whose only begotten Son has purchased for us the rewards of eternal life, Grant that we beseech Thee while meditating upon these mysteries of the Most Holy Rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary, we may both imitate what they contain and obtain what they promise, through the same Christ our Lord Amen.

The Hail Mary

Mary was chosen by God from all eternity to be the Mother of Jesus, our Savior. God knew that the Mother of His Beloved Son had to be someone very special. From the moment of her Immaculate Conception, God filled her with grace.

He sent the Angel Gabriel to Mary and he greeted Mary saying:

Hail Mary,


He told her God loved her very much and that she was

full of grace,

God was with her and He wanted her to know this so he told her

the Lord is with you

She was going to be the Mother of His Son Jesus. After the angel left her, Mary went to visit her cousin Elizabeth.


The Holy Spirit filled Elizabeth and let her know how good God was to Mary. She said

Blessed are you among women

Elizabeth knew that Mary was going to be the Mother of Jesus Christ and said,

and blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus

We pray to Mary because she very close to God and to her Son, Jesus Christ. And so we pray,

Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners

Mary is a good mother and always hears us when we call to her. She hears us now, at this very moment and when we come to the last moment of our life. So we pray,

Now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

Hail Mary, full of grace.The Lord is with thee.Blessed art thou amongst 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.

Mary Is Taken To Heaven

Mary spent her last days on earth very close to the Blessed Sacrament. Saint John celebrated Mass everyday and Mary received Jesus in Holy Communion.

The love Mary had for Jesus increased and she longed to be with Jesus in Heaven. Jesus returned for Mary. He took her body and soul to Heaven.


At the Annunciation Mary received Jesus on earth, at the Assumption, Jesus took Mary to Heaven.


A throne was prepared for Mary in Heaven next to Jesus’ throne. Jesus put a beautiful crown on her head and all the Angels and Saints praised her as their Queen.


She is our Queen and Mother.


Mary shares in the glory of Jesus because she has a part in the important work of saving our souls. She obtains graces for us through her prayers.


Mary loves us very much. We should love her with our whole hearts as Jesus loved her. Remember to pray to Her each and everyday. She will keep us from sin, protect us, guide us and lead us to Her Son, Jesus our Savior.

Jesus Is Alive!!

Jesus rose by His Divine power just as He said He would. He would have appeared to His Mother first. From her He had received the body that was now so glorious! Mary shared in all His sufferings and she would share in all the joy and glory of His victory.




The Risen Jesus prepared Mary for her role as the Mother of all and the Church He founded. The Resurrection of Jesus is the greatest sign that Jesus was God and the Church He began is the one True Church.

Jesus also appeared to the Apostles, disciples and holy women who were with Him while He did His work on earth.



Mary was present when Jesus Ascended from the earth and went to Heaven.



Mary returned to Jerusalem with the Apostles and prayed and waited with them for the coming of the Holy Spirit that Jesus had promised. Ten days after Jesus ascended, there was a sound like a great gust of wind. Tongues of fire rested on each of them and they were filled with the Holy Spirit.


The Holy Spirit came down on our Blessed Mother as He had at the Annunciation when He made her the Mother of God. Now she was made the Mother of us all on this the birthday of our Church.

Mary teaches us to love Jesus with our whole hearts in joy and in pain.

Jesus' Life

Jesus preached and performed miracles for three years before He was captured by the Jews. He was condemned to death. He would be beaten and crowned with thorns before he was killed.

Mary remembered everything she had been told about Jesus. It had to be. What pain she must have felt seeing Her Beloved Son, beaten and mocked and then killed. Through it all Mary was at Her Son’s side.



Mary followed as Jesus took up His Cross and carried it, the Cross that He would be Crucified on. While Jesus was carrying His Cross, He reached out to His Mother. What pain and what grief for Mary.


She looked on as they Crucified Jesus. He was nailed to the Cross and raised between two thieves. Jesus gave Mary to us to be our Mother when He told John “Behold your Mother.” We are Mary’s children.



Mary heard the last words of Jesus and watched as He bowed His head and died. She saw the soldiers pierce His side with a spear.


When Jesus was taken down from the Cross, He was placed in the arms of His sorrowful Mother.

Mary helped prepare Jesus’ body before it was placed in a tomb near Calvary.

The Wedding Feast In Cana

By this time Jesus was thirty years old. He and His Mother Mary had been invited to a huge wedding feast in Cana. There were many people and lots of foods and wines. It came to Mary’s attention that the wine had run out. Mary came and told Jesus that the wine had run out. She turned to the servants and told them to do whatever He told them to do.


Jesus told the servants to fill the huge wine jars to the top with water. The servants must have found this very strange to fill the wine jars with water. When they had done what Jesus told them to do they returned to Him. He told them to draw out from the jars and carry it to the master. The master tasted what the servants brought before him, the water had been changed into wine! The finest of wine!


Jesus shows us by this first miracle that He will not refuse His Mother anything. This is how Jesus began the work that He was sent to do. He preached, healed the sick and performed miracles.

The Holy Family

An Angel appeared to Joseph in a dream one night. He was told to arise now and take the Child and His Mother and go to Egypt. They were to remain there until it was safe to leave.

King Herod wanted to kill the Child! He ordered that all boys in Bethlehem that were two years or younger were to be killed.

Joseph woke up and did as the Angel had told him to do. He took Jesus and Mary and left for Egypt that very night.


There they remained until the Angel told Joseph that Herod had died and to return to Nazareth. Joseph and Mary settled here and this is the town Jesus grew up in.

Mary and Joseph took very good care of Jesus. They loved Him very much. Mary was very happy spending time with her little Boy whom she knew was the Son of God. She adored Him.


When Jesus was twelve, He went with His parents to the Temple when there was a great feast. Jesus remained in the Temple. Joseph and Mary found Jesus in the Temple. He was questioning and speaking with the teachers of the Law. Mary asked Him “Son why have you done this to us?” Jesus replied “Did you not know that I had to be in My Father’s House?” Jesus returned with Mary and Joseph to Nazareth.


The Holy Family worked and prayed and shared their joys together.


Joseph was a carpenter and when Jesus was older He helped Joseph in the workshop. Joseph taught Jesus to be a master carpenter.

Jesus Is Born- The Nativity

The time for Jesus’ birth was drawing near. The Emperor ordered that all people had to be registered in the town where they were born. Joseph and Mary had to leave Nazareth and go to the city of David called Bethlehem.

Many people had returned to Bethlehem to be registered. All the rooms were taken so Joseph and Mary could not get a room. The only place available was a stable. A stable is a place where animals were kept.



What a glorious night it was for Jesus was born. Mary wrapped Him in soft cloth and laid him in a manger. A manger is a wooden box used for feeding the animals. Mary and Joseph adored this beautiful Child. He was the Son of God who had come to save the world from sin.

The Angels in the heavens rejoiced and a bright star shone over the stable. Nearby in the fields, some shepherds were keeping watch on their flock. An Angel appeared to them to give them the great news. The Savior had been born in Bethlehem. They would find Him in a stable, lying in a manger. A chorus of Angels could be heard singing “Glory to God in the highest Heaven and on earth peace to men of good will.”

The shepherds followed the star and found the baby Jesus just as the Angel had told them. They knelt down in adoration before the Infant King Jesus. How happy and blessed they were to see their Savior!


Forty days after the birth of Jesus, Joseph and Mary took Him to the Temple in Jerusalem to offer Him to God. They offered a pair of young pigeons as a sacrifice to God. in the Temple they met an old man. Simeon was his name. God had promised him that he would not die before he saw the Messiah. Simeon took Jesus in his arms and prayed “You may take me out of this world my God for I have seen the Messiah.”


He turned to Mary and said “Because of this Child a sword of sorrow will pierce your heart.” Mary remembered that her Son would one day die to save the world. She offered Him to God as the Savior of the world.


The birth of the Messiah had been foretold many years before. The wise men knew that there would be a sign, a brilliant star in the sky when the Savior had born. The wise men followed the star which led them to baby Jesus.


The wise men, also called Magi, were kings from far away lands. They bowed down before the Infant King. The wise men came bearing gifts for their Messiah. The gifts ere gold, incense and a type of perfume called myrrh.

Mary Visits Her Cousin Elizabeth- The Visitation

Mary left Nazareth to go and help her cousin Elizabeth very soon after the Angel Gabriel had visited her. On seeing her beloved cousin Mary, the baby in Elizabeth’s womb leapt for joy. The Holy Spirit had let Elizabeth know that Mary was to be the Mother of God.


Elizabeth greeted her cousin Mary saying “Blessed are you among women and blessed is the fruit of your womb.”

Mary replied “My soul praises the Lord. All people shall call me blessed for God has done great things for me.”

Mary stayed with Elizabeth until her son John was born then returned to Nazareth.

Mary and Joseph

When Mary was very young she was married to a carpenter. His name was Joseph. He was a kind and humble man who loved God.

God had chosen Mary to be the Mother of His Son. She was a pure and holy virgin. He wanted Saint Joseph to be the foster father of Jesus and the head of the Holy Family.

God sent the Angel Gabriel to Mary with a very special message. He greeted Mary as follows “Hail full of grace, the Lord is with you. Blessed are you among women. Mary do not be afraid. You are going to become a mother. You will have a Son and you ill call him Jesus. He is the Son of God and King of all His people.”

“How can that be?” Mary asked.

The Angel answered “The Holy Spirit will come upon you and by His power the Child to be born of you will be the Son of God.”

Mary replied “I am the handmaid of the Lord. May all that you have said be done in me.”


An Angel appeared to Joseph in a dream and told him to marry Mary even though she was with child. He was told that the child she had in her womb was the Son of God and to not be afraid. So Joseph took Mary as his wife and they were married.



And so it was. The Angel also told Mary that her cousin Elizabeth was to also have a child. Elizabeth was old but God blessed her with a son. This child was John the Baptist.

Mary – Her Early Years

Mary’s parents, Saint Joachim and Saint Anne took her to the temple in Jerusalem when she was very young. Before she was born, they had promised God that if they were given a child they would offer the child up to Him.

Mary had a great love for God and gave her whole heart and life to Him. God was very pleased with Mary and filled her with grace. She was filled with the Holy Spirit. Mary was very humble, kind and obedient.



Saint Joachim and Saint Anne were very good parents to Mary. They taught her to pray and read to her from the Holy Books. Mary was taught about God’s chosen people and the Messiah that was to come. The Messiah that would save the world.


Mary never believed that she could be the one to be the Mother of God’s Beloved Son. But she was the chosen one, she would become the Mother of the Messiah and the Mother of the world.

The Birth of Mary- The Immaculate Conception

Saint Anne and Mary

The parents of our Blessed Mother were Saint Joachim and Saint Anne. They did not have Mary until they were old. God gave them a daughter, who they named Mary. Mary means “Star of the sea” and “Lady”.

Mary’s soul was filled with grace and a great love for God. She wanted to serve Him and do whatever He told her to do.

We call her The Immaculate Conception because she never had original sin, the first sin that was committed by Adam and Eve. We are all born with original sin but she was spared original sin.

God chose Mary to be the Mother of Jesus, our Lord and Savior from the beginning of time.

We celebrate Mary’s birthday, the feast of The Immaculate Conception on December 8.

Mary Our Mother, The Immaculate Conception

Thank you God for the gift of our Holy Mother who said yes to You and gave birth to Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior.

Amen

Our Blessed Mother and The Holy Rosary

Mary is Jesus’ mother. He gave her to us to be our mother as well. Mary gave here entire life to God. Through her, Jesus came into the world. Jesus told us she is our Mother before he died on the cross. Mary prays for us and brings us closer to Jesus. She loves us and protects us. Mary always leads us to Jesus, her Precious Son.

The Holy Rosary is one of the most treasured prayers of our Catholic faith. It reminds us of the lives of Jesus and Mary and the love they had and still have for us. The Holy Rosary is like a rope that attaches us to Mary, who leads us to Jesus.

When we pray the Rosary, we say certain prayers, like the Our Father and Hail Mary.

The Rosary is made up of tiny beads that go around a circle. The Rosary has a Cross on it to remind you of Jesus who loved you so much that he died on the Cross for you.

The beads in the circle are divided into five groups for each of the five mysteries. Each group has ten beads that tell you to say The Hail Mary prayer ten times. Each group begins with one bead that tells you to say The Our Father prayer once.

The Rosary tells the story of Jesus in four parts, we call these stories " mysteries". The Joyful Mysteries are about Jesus' birth and early life. The Luminous Mysteries tell us about Jesus' ministry among the people. The Sorrowful Mysteries tell of the suffering and death of Jesus. The Glorious Mysteries lead us to his resurrection and the glorious life that awaits us in heaven.