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Meditations on the Mysteries of Light in the Rosary Author: Benedict M. Ashley, OP
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"While I am in the world I am the light of the world." These words of Jesus from the Gospel of St. John gave impetus to the addition, by Pope John Paul II in the year 2002, of five new mysteries of the Holy Rosary. His purpose in doing so was not to innovate but to help us pay serious attention to aspects of the life of Jesus that were not included in the traditional fifteen mysteries of the Rosary but which are especially instructive for our troubled times. These Mysteries of Light focus, in a special way, on the sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation, Matrimony, Priesthood and the Holy Eucharist: Jesus' Baptism at the hands of John the Baptist, the Marriage Feast at Cana, the Public Life and Miracles that attended the preaching of the Lord, his Transfiguration along with Moses and Elijah in confirmation of his unique role in our salvation, and the institution of the Eucharist. It is the author's hope that these meditations will bring fresh life and renewed interest in the Rosary and its place within Christian sprituality as a doorway into the Heart of Christ, ocean of joy and of light, of suffering and of glory. |
 Benedict M. Ashley, OP is Professor of Theology Emeritus at the Aquinas Institute of Theology in St. Louis, Missouri. A graduate of the University of Chicago with a doctorate from the University of Notre Dame, he is a Master of Sacred Theology, an honor conferred by the International Order of Preachers, and the recipient of the medal Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice conferred by John Paul II. He is the author of many books and articles including two works also publsihed by ST PAULS / Alba House: Living the Truth in Love: A Biblical Introduction to Moral Theology and Choosing a World View and Value System.
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Romano Guardini wrote in his book The Rosary of Our Lady that we all need a "place of holy tranquility," and he added, "We are always in need of this place, especially when the convulsions of the times make clear something that has always existed, but which is sometimes hidden by outward well-being and a prevailing peace of mind: namely, the homelessness of our lives." The Rosary, he explains, is that place where we can "find the core of things." Father Benedict Ashley's new book on the Luminous Mysteries explains how these "new" mysteries, just as the old, get to the core of things -- and he does so with much wisdom, sound biblical scholarship and clear exposition of the documents of Vatican II. His book is less devotional in nature than Guardini's; he discusses the Luminous Mysteries in a more theological way, explaining what we know from the Bible and Vatican II about them and reassuring those who are more traditional that although the Rosary and the way Mass is done have changed over the years in response to changing times, they are still the same. For instance, he points out that when the practice of the Rosary became widespread in the 15th century, there was no "fixed list of mysteries." Father Ashley, especially when writing about the Fifth Luminous Mystery, the institution of the Eucharist, spends much space addressing the concerns of traditionalists and does so in a balanced but firm way, neither denying abuses nor jettisoning Vatican II. "While it is certainly reasonable to criticize the details of how this simplification [of the Mass] has in fact been done in the present missal," he writes, "the principles stated by the Council were certainly sound." But he does address the reader's devotional concerns. "The Dark Nights of the Soul and of the Spirit may sometimes overshadow us as we regularly say the Rosary meditatively. Sometimes we are spiritually 'dry' and it seems that we are just routinely fingering the beads, and sometimes doubts and temptations against faith may be raised by the mysteriousness of the mysteries. This must not discourage us or lead us to give up Rosary meditation, but should encourage us as a sign that we are making progress but must try harder. Mountain climbers know that the way does not get easier as you get nearer the top but seemingly harder." For those who were disturbed when John Paul II introduced these new mysteries and have never taken to saying the Luminous Mysteries on Thursdays, Meditations on the Mysteries of Light in the Rosary might convince them to give them another try, in order to ponder with Mary these things in their hearts and to keep dwelling in the place where they can find the "core of things." --Franklin Freeman in the National Catholic Register, December 6, 2009 Meditations on the Mysteries of Light in the Rosary brings us Benedict M. Ashley, O.P.'s devout professorial attention to Pope John Paul's five new luminous mysteries. The rosary's relevance to the world at large seems best hinted at by the fact that the "beads" on anyone's bracelet or necklace get their very name from the "prayers" said on rosary beads by Chaucer's pilgrims on their way to Canterbury. The Middle English spelling "bede" is cognate with the German beten, "pray," and Gebete, "prayers." Every bead anywhere yearns to bloom into a prayer again. --Philip C. Fischer, S.J. in Review for Religious, 68.4 2009 Light: "While I am in the world I am the light of the world." These words of Jesus from the Gospel of St. John gave impetus to the addition, by Pope John Paul II in the year 2002, of five new mysteries of the Holy Rosary. These Mysteries of Light -- and therefore the sections in Meditations on the Mysteries of Light in the Rosary -- focus in a special way on the sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation, Matrimony, Priesthood, and the Holy Eucharist: Jesus' Baptism at the hands of John the Baptist, the Marriage Feast at Cana, the Public Life and Miracles that attended the preaching of the Lord, his Transfiguration along with Moses and Elijah in confirmation of his unique role in our salvation, and the institution of the Eucharist. Written by Benedict M. Ashley, OP -- Professor of Theology Emeritus at the Aquinas Institute of Theology in St. Louis, Missouri -- the meditations are aimed at bringing fresh life and renewed interest in the Rosary and its place within Christian spirituality as a doorway into the Heart of Christ, ocean of joy and of light, of suffering and of glory. --Crux of the News, June 8, 2009 |