+JMJ+ Greetings, y’all! We’ve been exploring and learning to pray the Rosary and using art to help us. Last week we prayed the Second Joyful Mystery, the Visitation. This week we’ll continue the Joyful Mysteries with the Nativity and I’ll give you some ideas about and helps for putting yourself into the scene while you meditate on the life of Christ.

Why put yourself into the scene

The object is to understand more about what the Gospel says, what it reveals to us about Jesus. We want to love Jesus more deeply so we need to know Jesus more deeply. One way the Church gives us is to meditate on His Life in Scripture. The Rosary is one way to do that. It’s a prayer form that makes use of your heart, your mind, and your senses especially the sense of touch. Use your heart and mind and imagination to see the Gospel story and imagine being there to witness what takes place. Realize that you are part of the story of salvation that continues down to our own day and will continue until the end of time. 

You and I have our own role to play in that story. We have the role that every disciple of Christ has, to evangelize others and be salt and light in the world; and we have our own specific role. You have a role which is yours alone and one for which the Lord made you especially. One thing you could pray for is that He would give you the grace to know His Will for you, or that you will do His will—even if you don’t know for sure what it is.

Another point about putting ourselves into the scene: Remember that the Mass is a way of re-presenting Christ’s sacrifice on Calvary, making it present to us now as if we were there then. Meditating on the Gospel is another way of helping us to connect to the Lord’s life, and helps us to learn to imitate Him. The Church offers these wonderful means to help us on our way because, like a good mother, she loves us, and like a wise mother, she knows what we need even when we do not, or do but don’t want to admit it.

Alright, on to the Rosary. We’ve been praying the Our Father, the Hail Mary, and the Glory Be at the opening of our Rosary. (Maybe next week we’ll add another one, we’ll see.)

(Announce the Mystery) The Third Joyful Mystery, the Nativity.

(Announce the fruit of the meditation and prayer) Fruit of the Mystery: Poverty of Spirit, Detachment from the things of the world.

(Pray) Our Father, Hail Mary (10x), Glory Be.

(Meditate) Look at the artwork here (or use art that you prefer, whatever helps hold your attention) and imagine yourself in the scene. You can do this before, while or after you pray. And if you find that you are not visually inclined, don’t fret. You might try it this time and find it easier than before, or maybe you can just pray the way you’re used to. What we’re after is a way to help you enter into the Gospel story in a deeper way, we’re not trying to get in your way. 

Maybe you can listen to Gospel scenes instead. The Truth & Life Dramatized Audio Bible New Testament (more links at the end of the post) is one way to enter into the story. I’ve had the app version of this one for many years. Highly recommended.

Here’s an oldie but goodie: the Family Rosary. Remember Fr. Peyton? “The family that prays together, stays together.” (Well, we certainly have seen what happens when families don’t pray together or any other time, either, haven’t we?) Here’s the Nativity from the Family Rosary.

Video, the Third Joyful Mystery, by Discerning Hearts. Video begins at the Third Mystery.

Below are some images of the Nativity you may find helpful. Also see the Third Joyful Mystery, available in the Rosary Project here on the blog, available 24/7/365, for many more images. (I may begin updating those soon. The same ones have been there for a while now.)

I hope you are finding something helpful in this series. If so, let me know. If not, let me know that, too, so I can try something else. In any case, thanks for visiting the blog and reading and maybe even commenting. May we grow in holiness and virtue during this month of devotion to the Sacred Heart, and, by His grace, become united with Christ, becoming the saints He always meant for us to be. God bless you, and may His peace be always with you. +JMJ+

“The Rosary is the ‘weapon’ for these times.” — Padre Pio

Join me on Fridays for the Rosary Project Live on X (formerly known as Twitter) at 8pm ET, 7pm CT, at the pinned thread on my profile page, to cultivate a culture of Light, Life, Love, Truth, Beauty, and Goodness, for the conversion of sinners, and for the salvation of souls. Optional Preparation thread begins at 15 minutes before. There’s also a Rosary here on the blog that you can use anytime, 24/7/365.

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Notes and Links

• The Truth & Life Dramatized Audio Bible New Testament is an Audio Bible and a Study Bible. Highly recommended. CD set (Amazon affiliate link, see Full Disclosure below) or the app version.
• The Nativity from Fr. Peyton and his Family Rosary.
• The Third Joyful Mystery, video by Discerning Hearts. (Video begins at the Nativity.)
• Scriptural Rosary App: for iPad, iPhone, M1 Macs.
• You might also want to enroll in the Rosary Confraternity. Pray for others and let them pray for you, and gain spiritual benefits, too.
• The Rosary is an indulgenced prayer. About indulgences.

Images used in the post:

• In the banner, a photo from Pixabay.
• Adoration of the Shepherds, by Bartolomé Esteban Murillo, via Wikimedia Commons, public domain.
• The Nativity, by Federico Barrocci, Museo del Prado, via Wikimedia Commons, public domain.
• The Adoration of the Shepherds, Francisco de Zurbarán, via Wikimedia Commons, public domain.
• The Nativity, Madonna and child, Antonio da Correggio, Wikimedia Commons, public domain.
• The Nativity, by Gentile da Fabriano, 1423. Uffizi Gallery, Florence, Italy, via Wikimedia Commons, public domain.

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