Rather than writing a reflection on today’s Gospel, I wanted to share these unique rosary meditations. These meditations are the Joyful Mysteries as perhaps they would have been experienced by St. Joseph.
Download these meditations in a PDF format for free. Sharing is highly encouraged – Merry Christmas!!
The Annunciation
Matthew 1:18-21 When Mary told me she was with child I didn’t know what to say. I didn’t know what to think. I felt betrayed and angry yet I did not want her to receive the punishment called for by the Law. Later that evening I decided to divorce her quietly when an angel appeared and spoke to me. I was amazed and thought I was dreaming. The next day I told Mary about the dream. Only then did she tell me her side of the story. She told me how an angel had appeared to her also and told her things that were similar to what the angel had told me in my dream. I asked her why she didn’t tell me this before. She said that she knew the Lord would provide my answer in His own way and she didn’t want to interfere. That is just like her, always leaving everything to the Lord.
The Visitation
Luke 1:46-55 When Mary told me she was going to visit her cousin in the hill country I was slightly worried. She told me not to worry and that I could visit when I had the time. Mary stayed with her cousin for about three months. I remember her coming home after that time and being so excited. She told me of how her cousins’ child had leapt in the womb when she first arrived and at the sound of her greeting. She composed some poetry too while she was there and recited it for me while I worked on a table for our neighbor. I can’t remember all the words but it was uplifting. I remember looking up from my work as she was reading. It was as if she were glowing. Her eyes were closed and it seemed as if she were speaking to God and not to me. Maybe she was.
The Nativity
Luke 2:8-9, 12 It was the most difficult time in my life but also the most joyous. I was dealing with so many emotions I didn’t know where to turn. I felt like the smallest man on the earth that night and then later on, the greatest. We had to go back to the homeland for the census. When we arrived it was horrible. There were families everywhere and no room for more.
Mary was expecting Jesus at any time and her riding on the mule wasn’t slowing the process any. I felt defeated when I couldn’t even find a comfortable room for her. We wandered most of the night until I found an old cave that was being used as a stable. It was dark and smelly but I managed to find some clean bedding and fixed a place for Mary to lay down. Of course, of all the times to have a child, this had to be the night. I did all I could to help with the birth. After He was born and Mary was nursing the baby I found a feeding trough and placed some clean bedding in it for a crib and placed it beside Mary and Jesus. I was exhausted by then and I had just sat down when the owners of the stable returned. They weren’t upset. Actually they said that they hadn’t planned on coming back for a few days but they had been told to come back. They said angels had appeared to them. I knew exactly how they felt. We watched as Mary and Jesus slept peacefully
The Presentation
Luke 2:28-32 I accompanied Mary to the temple for the purification that day. We were just about to enter the temple when an older gentleman approached. He asked us if he could hold the baby. He looked like a respectable man, a priest maybe, so we allowed him to hold Jesus. His gray eyes glowed as he lifted the child from his mother’s arms. He just held Jesus up at arms length and stared at Him for a very long time. I saw tears begin to form in his eyes as his beard broke open to reveal his smile. He began to speak about Jesus to us yet he never took his eyes off the child. He said some things that I thought might upset Mary but she just took it all in and smiled quietly.
The Finding in the Temple
Luke 2:48-52 We had been going to the Passover Feast every year but He had never done anything like this before. We had been traveling home with all of our relatives when we discovered that Jesus was missing. We thought He was with the other children in the group but they said that they hadn’t seen Him since we left Jerusalem. No one else had seen Him either so we headed back to Jerusalem. I was upset and worried but Mary was just determined. She had no doubt that we would find Him. We did find Him, yet it was a confusing situation. He was in the temple listening to the teachers of the Law and asking them questions. When Mary finally caught His attention and called Him over to question Him, He mentioned something about being in His Father’s house. I felt the eyes of the Temple on us, I felt like they all knew that Jesus wasn’t my child. I was confused but remained silent. In my heart He was always my child. I loved Him as if He were my own.
These meditations are taken from my book Rosary Meditations for Real Life. Get the book here (get a free rosary when you order the book) or download more free meditations here.
James M. Hahn, Author 