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Saint Bernadette
prays the Rosary
The
Mysteries of Light
Recent mosaics of the Mysteries of Light on the facade of
the Rosary Basilica
At the font in which Saint Bernadette was baptised
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... we pray the first Mystery of Light
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The Baptism of Our Lord
Then Jesus
appeared: he came from Galilee to the Jordan to
be baptised by John. John tried to dissuade him.
'It is I who need baptism from you' he said 'and
yet you come to me!' But Jesus replied, 'Leave
it like this for the time being; it is fitting
that we should, in this way, do all that
righteousness demands'. At this, John gave in to
him.
As soon as Jesus was baptised he came up from
the water, and suddenly the heavens opened and
he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove
and coming down on him. And a voice spoke from
heaven, 'This is my Son, the Beloved; my favour
rests on him'.
Matthew 3:13-17
Meditating on these words of Scripture we pray a
decade of the Rosary
Lord, through
baptism, you brought me into your kingdom.
In Bernadette's life, this same baptism bore the
fruit of holiness.
In this Jubilee Year of the apparitions, may my
spiritual pilgrimage
to this font renew the grace of my own baptism.
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At the cachot,
a disused prison cell, where the Soubirous family
lived at the time of the apparitions ...
... we pray the second Mystery of
Light
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The Marriage at
Cana
There was a
wedding at Cana in Galilee. The mother of
Jesus was there, and Jesus and his disciples
had also been invited. When they ran out of
wine, since the wine provided for the
wedding was all finished, the mother of
Jesus said to him, 'They have no wine'.
Jesus said, 'Woman, why turn to me? My hour
has not come yet'. His mother said to the
servants, 'Do whatever he tells you'. There
were six stone water jars standing there,
meant for the ablutions that are customary
among the Jews: each could hold twenty or
thirty gallons. Jesus said to the servants,
'Fill the jars with water', and they filled
them to the brim. 'Draw some out now' he
told them 'and take it to the steward.' They
did this; the steward tasted the water, and
it had turned into wine. Having no idea
where it came from - only the servants who
had drawn the water knew - the steward
called the bridegroom and said, 'People
generally serve the best wine first, and
keep the cheaper sort till the guests have
had plenty to drink; but you have kept the
best wine till now'.
This was
the first of the signs given by Jesus: it
was given at Cana in Galilee. He let his
glory be seen, and his disciples believed in
him.
John 2:1-11
Meditating
on these words of Scripture we pray a decade
of the Rosary
Lord, you
looked upon the humility of your servant,
Mary,
and chose her to give birth to your Son.
This unknown woman from Nazareth
became the Mother of God.
In order to remind us of the message of the
Gospel,
you chose Bernadette in the cachot -
a place of misery in the eyes of the world.
May my spiritual visit to the cachot change
the way I look upon the poor
and allow me to enter into the spirit of the
Sermon on the Mount.
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Entering
the Domaine through St Michael's Gate ...
... we
pray the third Mystery of Light
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Jesus
proclaims the Kingdom of God
'I must
proclaim the Good News of the kingdom of
God to the other towns too, because that
is what I was sent to do.' Luke
4:43
Seeing
the crowds, he went up the hill. There
he sat down and was joined by his
disciples. Then he began to speak. This
is what he taught them:
'How happy are the poor in spirit:
theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Happy the gentle: they shall have the
earth for their heritage.
Happy those who mourn: they shall be
comforted.
Happy those who hunger and thirst for
what is right: they shall be satisfied.
Happy the merciful: they shall have
mercy shown them.
Happy the pure in heart: they shall see
God.
Happy the peacemakers: they shall be
called sons of God.
Happy those who are persecuted in the
cause of right: theirs is the kingdom of
heaven.
Happy are you when people abuse you and
persecute you and speak all kind of
calumny against you on my account.
Rejoice and be glad, for your reward
will be great in heaven; this is how
they persecuted the prophets before
you.'
Matthew
5:1-12
Meditating
on these words of Scripture we pray a decade
of the Rosary
Lord
Jesus, you are the door.
You are the one who gives access to the
kingdom of heaven and eternal life.
Help me to live joyfully my meeting
with Mary
in my spiritual visit to the grotto where she appeared to
Bernadette.
Prepare my heart to hear her call to
conversion.
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As we
stand before the grotto ...
... we
pray the fourth Mystery of Light
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The Transfiguration
Jesus took with
him Peter and John and James and went up the
mountain to pray. As he prayed, the aspect of
his face was changed and his clothing became
brilliant as lightning. Suddenly there were two
men talking to him; they were Moses and Elijah
appearing in glory, and they were speaking of
his passing which he was to accomplish in
Jerusalem. Peter and his companions were heavy
with sleep, but they kept awake and saw his
glory and the two men standing with him. As
these were leaving him, Peter said to Jesus,
'Master, it is wonderful for us to be here; so
let us make three tents, one for you, one for
Moses and one for Elijah'. He did not know what
he was saying. As he spoke a cloud came and
covered them with shadow; and when they went
into the cloud the disciples were afraid. And a
voice came from the cloud saying. 'This is my
Son, the Chosen One. Listen to him.' And after
the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone. The
disciples kept silence and, at that time, told
no one what they had seen.
Luke 9:28-36
Meditating
on these words of Scripture we pray a decade
of the Rosary
Mary, conceived
without sin, since you appeared to Bernadette
at this grotto one hundred and fifty years ago,
a spring of water has flowed as a symbol of joy
and of life
and lighted candles have accompanied the
pilgrims' prayers.
May the grace of this Jubilee enlighten my life!
May it renew in me the desire to be a light for
others
in imitation of Jesus, your Son, who is the
light of the world.
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As we visit
the chapel in which Bernadette received
her First Holy Communion ...
... we pray the fifth Mystery of Light
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The Institution of the Holy Eucharist
When the
hour came he took his place at table, and
the apostles with him. And he said to them,
'I have longed to eat this passover with you
before I suffer; because, I tell you, I
shall not eat it again until it is fulfilled
in the kingdom of God'.
Then taking
a cup, he gave thanks and said, 'Take this
and share it among you, because from now on,
I tell you, I shall not drink wine until the
kingdom of God comes'.
The he took
some bread, and when he had given thanks,
broke it and gave it to them, saying, 'This
is my body which will be given for you; do
this as a memorial of me'. He did the same
with the cup after supper, and said, 'This
cup is the new covenant in my blood which
will be poured out for you'.
Luke
22:14-20
Meditating
on these words of Scripture we pray a decade
of the Rosary
Lord, renew
my love for the Eucharist
and my commitment to serve those who are in
need.
May Bernadette pray for me.
She united the Eucharist with her service of
others
throughout her entire life.
She is now with you in your eternal light.
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