What are the mysteries on a 5 decade rosary?

Answer 1

Great question!

Traditionally, there have been three groups of mysteries with each group containing five mysteries. They are as follows:

Joyful Mysteries

1. The Anunciation (Lk 1:26-38)
2. The Visitation (Lk 1:39-56)
3. The Nativity (Lk 2:1-20, Mt 1:18-25)
4. The Presentation of Jesus in the Temple (Lk 2:22-38)
5. The Finding of Jesus in the Temple (Lk 2:41-52)

Sorrowful Mysteries

1. The Agony in the Garden (Mt 26:36-56, Mk 14:32-42, Lk 22:39-46, Jn 18:1-2)
2. The Scourging of Jesus (Isaiah 53:4-5, Jn 19:1)
3. The Crowning with Thorns (Mt 27:27-31, Mk 15:16-20, Jn 19:2-5)
4. The Carrying of the Cross (Jn 19:17)
5. The Crucifixion & Death of Jesus (Mt 27:32-56, Mk 15:21-41, Lk 23:26-49, Jn 19:17-37)

Glorious Mysteries

1. The Resurrection (Mt 28, Mk 16:1-18, Lk 24:1-49, Jn 20, 21)
2. The Ascension (Mk 16:19-20, Lk 24:50-53, Jn 20:17-18, Acts 1:6-11)
3. The Descent of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:1-13)
4. The Assumption of Mary (Rev 12:1)
5. The Coronation of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Rev 12:1)

The traditional order of praying the mysteries is as follows:

• Joyful - Mondays & Thursdays
• Sorrowful - Tuesdays & Fridays
• Glorious - Wednesdays, Saturdays & Sundays

So, for example, on Mondays, the first 10 Hail Mary's are prayed while contemplating The Anunciation of the archangel Gabriel to Mary. The second 10 Hail Marys are prayed while reflecting on The Visitation of Mary to Elizabeth. The third 10 Hail Marys are prayed while reflecting of The Nativity and birth of Jesus. The fourth 10 Hail Marys are prayed while reflecting on The Presentation of the baby Jesus in the Temple. The fifth 10 Hail Marys are prayed while reflecting on the Finding in the Temple of Jesus by Mary and Joseph.

The same pattern is followed on the remaining days according to the five mysteries for the given day.

Of particular note are Fridays and Sundays. The Sorrowful mysteries on Fridays call to mind the crucifixion of Jesus on Good Friday. The Glorious mysteries on Sundays call to mind the resurrection of Jesus on Easter Sunday.

A Method to Praying the Decades of the Rosary

When we place ourselves as beloved disciples at the foot of the Cross, Jesus invites us to let the words He spoke to the first beloved disciple at the foot of the Cross find an echo in our hearts. As beloved disciples, He invites us to consider Mary our spiritual Mother when His words find an echo in our own hearts: "Behold, your mother." (Jn 19:27) Just as the original beloved disciple took Mary into his own home (cf. Jn 19:27), we too can make room for Mary in the home of our hearts.

By making room for her in our own hearts, we can begin to ponder what the life of Jesus looked like from her perspective. By making an effort to view the life of Jesus through the lens of her perspective, the Hail Mary prayers gradually become much more of a help than a hindrance as we reflect on all the mysteries of the life death and resurrection of Jesus. Because Mary "pondered all these things in her heart," (cf. Lk 2:19, 51) we can begin to participate in her own pondering the significance of her Son's life, death, resurrection and ascension into heaven. As Bl. Pope John Paul II writes: Mary lived with her eyes fixed on Christ, treasuring his every word: "She kept all these things, pondering them in her heart" (Lk 2:19; cf. 2:51). The memories of Jesus, impressed upon her heart, were always with her, leading her to reflect on the various moments of her life at her Son's side. In a way those memories were to be the "rosary" which she recited uninterruptedly throughout her earthly life.

Even now, amid the joyful songs of the heavenly Jerusalem, the reasons for her thanksgiving and praise remain unchanged. They inspire her maternal concern for the pilgrim Church, in which she continues to relate her personal account of the Gospel. Mary constantly sets before the faithful the "mysteries" of her Son, with the desire that the contemplation of those mysteries will release all their saving power. In the recitation of the Rosary, the Christian community enters into contact with the memories and the contemplative gaze of Mary. (Rosarium Virginis Mariae, no. 11)

A New Group of Mysteries

In 2002, Bl. Pope John Paul II gave to the faithful his Apostolic Letter Rosarium Virginis Mariae, in which he introduced a fourth group of mysteries called the Luminous Mysteries. These mysteries are intended to help us reflect more deeply on the public ministry and life of Jesus. They are as follows:

Luminous Mysteries

1. Jesus' Baptism in the Jordan (Mt 3:13-17, Mk 1:9-11, Lk 3:21-22, Jn 1:29-34)
2. The Wedding Feast at Cana (Jn 2:1-12)
3. The Proclamation of the Kingdom of God (Mt 4:12-25, Mk 1:14-15, 2:1-12, Lk 7:36-50, Jn 20:22-23)
4. The Transfiguration (Mt 17:1-13, Mk 9:2-10, Lk 9:28-36, 2 Pt 1:17-18)
5. The Institution of the Eucharist (Mt 26:26-29, Mk 14:22-25, Lk 22:14-20, Jn 6:52-59, 1 Cor 10:16, 1 Cor 11:23-29)

With the new group of mysteries, Bl. John Paul II offers the Christian community a new, alternative order in which to contemplete the mysteries of Christ. This new order is not meant to replace the old order of praying the rosary, but is simply offered as a new addition or alternative for enriching one's prayer life. The new order of praying the rosary proposed by Bl. John Paul II is as follows:

• Joyful - Monday & Saturday
• Sorrowful - Tuesday & Friday
• Glorious - Wednesday & Sunday
• Luminous - Thursday

A continuity with the old traditional order remains in two ways:

1. the Sorrowful mysteries prayed on Friday still recall the sorrowful Passion of Christ Jesus on Good Friday
2. the Glorious mysteries prayed on Sunday still recall the glorious Resurrection of Christ Jesus on Easter Sunday

A New Correspondence in the Triduum

By praying the Luminous mysteries on Thursdays, we are now additionally invited to recall and contemplate upon the institution of the Eucharist on Holy Thursday.

REFERENCES

Ignatius Catholic Study Bible New Testament, Second Catholic Edition, RSV. (San Francisco, CA: Ignatius Press, 2010).

The Holy Bible, Revised Standard Version, Second Catholic Edition. (San Francisco, CA: Ignatius Press, 2006).

Pope John Paul II. On The Most Holy Rosary, Rosarium Virginis Mariae. (Boston, MA: Pauline Books and Media, 2002.)