When praying the rosary it is ideal to have a short meditation for each mystery, so that one may contemplate the significance of the mysteries as the prayers are recited. Below, we have compiled a short meditation for each mystery of the rosary. Also included, is the spiritual fruit embodied within each mystery. As you pray each decade, it is a wonderful time to ask God for help in those areas of your life where a particular fruit is especially needed.
The First Joyful Mystery – The Annunciation
Spiritual Fruit: Humility
The Angel Gabriel declares Mary as the handmaid of the Lord. She will conceive by the Holy Spirit, and bear a son who will be called the Son of the Most High. Mary accepts this honor, while also accepting, without fully understanding, the pain and sorrow that would accompany its fulfillment. This mystery teaches us that even the purest joy we experience in this life necessarily entails suffering. It is with full reliance and trust in God that we are able to accept our suffering in order to fulfill our mission and forward God’s plan of salvation with humility and love.
The Second Joyful Mystery – The Visitation
Spiritual Fruit: Charity and Love
Mary visits her cousin Elizabeth, who learns that she has conceived a child in her old age. Their visit is marked by happiness and thanksgiving as they rejoice in the wonderful gifts of God. Mary, with the Holy one inside of her, makes Elizabeth’s unborn child leap within her womb. Though such a simple visit, both are moved with God’s love and strengthened by His Grace. This mystery teaches us that we are to cherish our encounters with others. Each person God puts in our path is an opportunity to love, and share in the blessings God has bestowed upon us.
The Third Joyful Mystery – The Nativity
Spiritual Fruit: Poverty in Spirit
The time for the birth of Christ has come. Joseph and Mary travel to Bethlehem where they find there to be no room at the inn. Mary is left to give birth to her Son in a modest and meager stable. Along with the interminable glory of Christ’s birth, Christ’s entrance into the world is marked by poverty and suffering. This mystery teaches us the virtue of poverty in spirit. Christ calls us to continual detachment from earthly things, and in so doing; we move closer to Christ and join our sufferings with His.
The Fourth Joyful Mystery – The Presentation
Spiritual Fruit: Purity of Mind and Body
In observance of the law of Moses, Joseph and Mary take the child Jesus to be presented in the temple to God. Although not subject to this law, Jesus submits in obedience, and in like manner, Mary, not subject to the law of purification, humbly submits herself to it. It is at this time also, that the old man Simeon beholds the Son of Man. Simeon immediately recognizes the child as the King and Savior foretold, and declares the fate of Jesus as a sign that will be contradicted. This mystery teaches us the importance of purity in thought and deed. It is in humility that we are able to see our weaknesses and failings, while we recognize our constant need of God’s mercy and grace.
The Fifth Joyful Mystery – The Finding of Jesus in the Temple
Spiritual Fruit: Obedience to God
At twelve years of age, Jesus goes with his parents to Jerusalem for the feast of the Passover. It is on their return journey home that Joseph and Mary realize that their son is missing. Joseph and Mary seek Him endlessly. On the third day, they find Jesus preaching in the temple amongst teachers, who were at once astonished at his wisdom. Despite their grief and anxiety, Jesus assures His parents that all is well, as He is doing is Father’s work. Although Joseph and Mary do not fully understand this at the time, they will see that this event foreshadows the mission of ministry and sacrifice that Jesus will fulfill in obedience of His Heavenly Father. This mystery teaches us that submission to God our Father comes before all else. There is always joy to be found when we seek Jesus in the spirit of obedience.
Click here to view other mysteries of the rosary:
Sorrowful Mysteries
Glorious Mysteries
Luminous Mysteries
To visit the Vatican's scriptural meditations on the Joyful Mysteries, clickhere.
Image Credits: The Embrace of Elizabeth and Mary, Eastern Christian fresco of the Visitation in Saint George Church in Kurbinovo, North Macedonia.
