The Five Glorious Mysteries
The last five Mysteries of the rosary relate to the times after Jesus’ death, starting with the resurrection, therefore they are called the Glorious mysteries. It is the time when God’s glory appears on earth: in the resurrection, the ascension of Jesus, the Descent of the Holy Spirit, the assumption of Mary, and the coronation of Mary as Queen of Heaven.
The five Glorious Mysteries are all miraculous, supernatural acts, and not necessarily an interpretation of regular things or appearance of the spiritual light through earthly things acts as is the case in most of the other fifteen Mysteries that precede them. Here we are all in the realms of the spirit. After being exposed to the Mysteries of life, we are now exposed to the Mysteries of Eternal life, the Mysteries of the spirit.
According to John Paul II, the Glorious Mysteries are the eschatological goals of the church, a vision of what is to come in the last days. The thought about Jesus cannot stop at the crucified, as it appears in all the churches, but it must soar beyond that to the figure of the resurrected Jesus, it must contemplate the glory of Jesus. By reflecting on the resurrection and the ascension to heaven, the believer discovers the reasons for his faith and wins the belief, that is accompanied by joy. One can only imagine the joy of Mary and the disciples following the resurrection of Jesus, the witnessing of a new life born in him led to the birth of a new life within them as well.
The deep meaning of the Glorious Mysteries is the return of the world to its corrected state before the fall from Eden, the spiritual state, winning eternal life and victory over death. The fruits of the Glorious Mysteries are faith, hope, the Holy Spirit, union woth Mary and increase in virtue and grace.
In terms of the pilgrimage route of the rosary, the first Mystery of glory, the resurrection, is found in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher and is the other side of the last Sorrowful Mystery, the crucifixion. After that we go outside the walls of the old city to Mount of Olives, the highest place in Jerusalem, where the Ascension takes place, from there we continue to Mount Zion, where we have already been on our journey following the Institution of the Eucharist Mystery, but this time we will visit the mountain to connect with the descent of the Holy Spirit Mystery, and for this purpose visit the Dormition abbey and church. From mount Zion we will go to Miriam’s tomb in Jehoshaphat Valley, where the Assumption of Mary Mystery took place. To finish the route following the Rosary we will visit the Rosary Monastery in Agron Street in West Jerusalem, which is connected to the current Mary as the Queen of Heaven Mystery, and in which there is a representation of all the Original Fifteen Mysteries.
The Resurrection Mystery – the fruit is faith
The essence of Christianity is the resurrection of Jesus, an event that symbolizes the victory of life over death, return to the original spiritual state of Human. The ultimate Christian miracle is the resurrection. all the other miracles that Jesus performed are not sufficient to bring about the Kingdom of Heaven, what is important is the resurrection – the victory over death, otherwise there is no point in all the other things because everything is transitory. Resurrection (or in other word: Eternal life) is the main goal that man has been striving for throughout the ages, it answers a desperate human search that appears in all religions and cultures. According to John Paul II, the meaning of the Christian faith is the resurrection, as it appears in the verse: “And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain” (1 Corinthians 15:14).
Jesus was buried on Friday afternoon, and after that, during Shabbat, nobody visited the Tomb because it is forbidden according to Jewish law to visit a cemetery on sabbath, so only on Sunday morning does Mary Magdalene arrive at the tomb site and discovers that the capstone was removed from its place and the grave is empty. And so it is written in the New Testament: “In the end of the sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulchre. And, behold, there was a great earthquake: for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it. His countenance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow: And for fear of him the keepers did shake, and became as dead men. And the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified. He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay. And go quickly, and tell his disciples that he is risen from the dead; and, behold, he goeth before you into Galilee; there shall ye see him: lo, I have told you. And they departed quickly from the sepulchre with fear and great joy; and did run to bring his disciples word. And as they went to tell his disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, All hail. And they came and held him by the feet, and worshipped him. Then said Jesus unto them, Be not afraid: go tell my brethren that they go into Galilee, and there shall they see me.” (Matthew 28:1-10).
According to John, there is an intimate moment between Jesus and Mary Magdalene, when she meets him and does not recognize him: “And when she had thus said, she turned herself back, and saw Jesus standing, and knew not that it was Jesus. Jesus saith unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? whom seekest thou? She, supposing him to be the gardener, saith unto him, Sir, if thou have borne him hence, tell me where thou hast laid him, and I will take him away. Jesus saith unto her, Mary. She turned herself, and saith unto him, Rabboni; which is to say, Master. Jesus saith unto her, touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God.” (John 20:14-17).
This text has given rise to modern theories arguing that Mary Magdalene and Jesus were married, since she calls him “Rabboni” (name for husband), and he tells her “touch me not” (meaning she used to touch him). According to this interpretation, Mary Magdalene eas Jesus closest disciple, and should have been the one to continue Christian spirituality after him, and this is expressed in the sentence: “go tell my brethren that they go into Galilee, and there shall they see me”. This assertion also appears in external Gnostic literature, and especially in the Gospel according to Philip and the Gospel according to Mary Magdalene, where it is mentioned that Jesus used to kiss Mary Magdalene on the mouth (a symbol of the passage of the spirit, pneuma, in ancient times), and that he revealed secrets to her that he did not reveal to others.
According to John, Jesus appeared to the disciples that evening in their home and breathed the Holy Spirit into them. One of the disciples who was not present at the event is “doubting Thomas”, he refuses to believe that Jesus has risen from the dead, so Jesus appears to them a second time after eight days and tells Thomas to lay his hand on the wounds in his hands and side. Thomas exlaims “My Lord and my God” (John 20:28) and Jesus says in response: “Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed”. The fruit of the Resurrection Mystery is faith, and the root of faith is the possibility of reaching it even without seeing, because it exists within us.
The question is what did Jesus do in the time between his burial on Friday and his meeting with Mary Magdalene on Sunday morning (Christians consider it to be three days)? According to hints in the New Testament, he went down to the Underworld, broke the gates of Hell and rescued the souls of the righteous who were imprisoned there. And so Peter writes: “For this cause was the gospel preached also to them that are dead, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit.” (1 Peter 1 4:6).
In the ancient world there were people such as Orpheus or Hercules who went down to the Underworld and came back by this they achieved the secret of eternal life and tried to help others along the way and when they came back, but no one did it for the sake of the entire human race. Before the crucifixion even the purest souls went down to the Underworld and there was no possibility of reaching heaven. When Jesus descends to the Underworld, he breaks down the gates of Hell, and there are various references to the fact that in the days after his death many people were resurrected and were seen in the streets of Jerusalem “And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose, And came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many.” (Matthew 27:52-53). The resurrection of Jesus is also the resurrection of the entire human race, not only in the present but also in the past. There are many paintings in which Jesus is seen at the time of the resurrection rescuing Abraham and Sarah, or Adam and Eve from the Underworld. Breaking the gates of Hell or lifting the lids of coffins.
The question is why was Mary not present at the resurrection, and the honor was given to Mary Magdalene? And the answer I can think of is that Mary already had the faith in her heart and she knew that Jesus would be resurrected, so she did not need to be physically convinced of his resurrection. She may or may not have been present in the house of the apostles when resurrected Jesus first appeared before them, but either way Jesus was always a living presence for her.
The resurrection of Jesus helped to strengthen the faith among the disciples, and you readers too, if you would have met someone who rose from the dead you would believe. But there is another meaning of the resurrection, which is much greater than the personal resurrection of Jesus. It can be said that the resurrection is a prefiguration of the future, A vision for the resurrection of the dead that will come at the end of time, and it heralds the possibility that exists for all people to return to their spiritual state and reach Eternal life. It confirms the main points of the Jewish faith in the coming of the Messiah and redemption, it is the summation of hundreds of thousands of years of human faith. The resurrection carries with it the promise of eternal life, and in the meantime we can only believe.
The place to connect to the Resurrection Mystery and the fruit of faith is the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem, and if you don’t believe that Jesus indeed resurrected, go there and see for yourself the empty tomb.
read the article about – The Church of the Holy Sepulchre
The Ascension Mystery
The fruit of the Ascension Mystery is hope, Desire to Ascend to Heaven
After Jesus resurrected in Jerusalem, he appears in various places around the country and meets the disciples for 40 days. During this time, he strengthens their hearts and faith, teaches them the subtleties of the Christian way, crowns Peter as the leader of the community after him, and takes them through a process at the end of which they are able to receive the Holy spirit. After finishing his mission, it is time to return home and he ascends back to Heaven.
According to Mark, Jesus ascended to heaven: “So then after the Lord had spoken unto them, he was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God.” (Mark 16:19). According to Luke, the event took place in the area of the Mount of Olives: “And he led them out as far as to Bethany, and he lifted up his hands, and blessed them. And it came to pass, while he blessed them, he was parted from them, and carried up into heaven” (Luke 24:50-1).
The deep meaning of the ascension to heaven is the existence of the connection between the worlds, and the possibility of each person becoming a god after death. It is not enough to be resurrected in this world, but it is necessary to reach better worlds, and the promise is that there are such worlds. Jesus defeated death in this world and in the underworld, but in order to complete the victory he had to return home to his Father, ascend to heaven as a being of light who sits at God’s side and among the angels.
The ascension is related to the new-old role of Jesus as sitting next to God and ruling over heaven and earth, and for this he needs to return to his natural place as part of the Godhead, to ascend to heaven. When he sees the disciples in Galilee, he tells them: “All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.” (Mathew 28:18).
Throughout the ancient world there were various traditions of people who died and were resurrected, the other part of the story was their becoming gods. In ancient Thrace for example (today’s Bulgaria) there was a teacher named Sabazius who became a god and was resurrected after his death; In Greece Dionysus, born to an earthly mother and a divine father, was resurrected after the Titans tore him to pieces and became a God; Judaism also has a tradition of people who ascended to heaven and became god like beings, especially Enoch who became Metatron, God’s deputy. The tradition of ascension appeared during the Roman Empire as the belief in Apotheosis, a person become god after his death, and this was attributed to emperors.
The ascension of Jesus is noted in Mark and Luke, but appears in full only in the book of Acts, where it is said that Jesus appeared to the disciples for 40 days and spoke to them about the kingdom of God, that is, he taught them the “little” Mysteries and after that ascended to Heaven. And so it is written: “And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight. And while they looked stedfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel; Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.” (Acts 1:9-11). The text reveals to us the Jesus will return from heaven at the end of times, to the same place and in the same way in which he ascended.
Tradition has suggested that the two men were Moses and Elijah, the same men who appeared beside Jesus at the Mount Tabor, some traditions suggest that these were two angels, like the one seen at the resurrection. The ascension took place from the Mount of Olives because this is the place from which Messiah will come at the end of time, the place from where Jesus first entered Jerusalem and many miraculous things happened. According to the prophecies of Zechariah, Which are the among the last prophesies of the old testament: “And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south.” (Zechariah 14:4).
In chapter 1 of the Acts of the Apostles, Mary is mentioned for the last time in the New Testament: “Then returned they unto Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is from Jerusalem a sabbath day’s journey. And when they were come in, they went up into an upper room, where abode both Peter, and James, and John, and Andrew, Philip, and Thomas, Bartholomew, and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon Zelotes, and Judas the brother of James. These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brethren.” (Acts 1:12-14). We can learn from this that Mary was present at the ascension, and that she was part of the inner group of Disciples, if not the leader in it.
According to John Paul II, Jesus ascends to heaven to be at the right side of God, and Mary receives the same status a few years after him, and this is a kind of precursor to the resurrection of the dead on Judgment Day. The fruit of the ascension Mystery is hope. Hope and faith are the two pillars of the temple of religion, two feminine qualities personified in Christian literature and art. The hope is for the return of Jesus at the end of days and the Institution of the kingdom of heaven on earth, for the redemption of the human race and the return of humans to their spiritual Paradise state. The belief stems from the fact that it already happened in Miniature, at the time of Jesus’ appearance in the world, his resurrection and ascension to heaven. Since Jesus ascended to heaven from the Mount of Olives, this is also the most appropriate place to connect with the Mystery of ascension and receive the fruit of Hope, especially the open spaces at the Place of ascension and the covenant of Our father in Heaven
Read about this places in the article – Christian site on Mount of Olives
The descent of the Holy Spirit Mystery
the fruit of the descent of the Holy Spirit Mystery is the gifts of the Holy Spirit, Love of God, Holy Wisdom, Divine Charity
The Glorious Mystery that follows the miraculous events of the resurrection and the ascension are the descent of the Holy Spirit on the disciples at Shavuot (Pentecost). Before his ascension to heaven, Jesus tells the disciples: “And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me. For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence.” (Acts of the Apostles 1:4-5).
Indeed, ten days after the Ascension, on the holiday of Shavuot, the disciples gather at Markus’ house (the Last Supper room) for a festive meal during which tongues of spiritual fire descend on them lnd they are filled with the Holy Spirit. And so it is written: “And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.” (Acts 2:1-4).
The descent of the Holy Spirit is of great importance, because if the Holy Spirit was present with Jesus alone (it descended on him at the time of baptism), then with his death it would have disappeared from this world. The Descending of the Holy Spirit on the disciples meant that is work could continue through them, the Christian influence and spirituality could continue after Jesus’ death. In fact, this is a spiritual rebirth of Jesus in the hearts of men. That is why Mary appears at the head of the Shavuot table during the Descending of the Holy Spirit (in some places), even though she does not appear in the description of this event in the book of Acts. The argument that this is what happened rests on Maria’s appearance in the previous episode as someone who perseveres in prayer with the disciples in one heart. therefore, it is impossible for her not to participate in the holiday meal, especially in light of what happened with her son (and the fact that someone needs to cook the Meal).
The descent of the Holy Spirit enables the disciples to speak in tongues (different languages) they do not know, to perform miracles, to heal, influence people, be filled with faith and confidence. Human limitations are removed, the “thing” becomes alive, accessible and usable for believers. The meaning of the descent of the Holy Spirit is that we (those who receive it) can become a vessel for something greater and higher than ourselves, to gain the fruit of the gifts Love, Wisdom, Truth, and all the other gifts of the Holy Spirit. The meaning of this Mystery is the establishment of the church as an entity that continues the way of Jesus because it receives the guidance and blessing of the Holy spirit.
According to John Paul II, the descent of the Holy Spirit is a kind of icon of the Church, Pentecost is a time when the believers sit with Mary like a family, the Holy Spirit Descends on them and they are ready to go out and preach the gospel to the world. The Descending of the Holy Spirit on the believers is a very great miracle that should arouse among Christians appreciation for the church and their situation, and this connects with the Marian dogma of Mary as the mother of the church.
And there is another thing here: the receiving of the Holy Spirit is not an active act, in fact the description of this Mystery as a descent alludes to passive reception, which is feminine in nature, and there were also those who therefore identified the Holy Spirit as a female divine being. Because of this, I chose the Church of the Dormition, adjacent to the room of the Last Supper, as a place where one can contemplate the descent of the Holy Spirit Mystery. In the past, it was part of the Mother of All Churches complex, the place of the Last Supper, and in its basement we recognize the place of Mary’s sleep before burial and assumption to Heaven.
Read about the Dormition Abbey and Church in the Article – Christian Sites in Mount Zion
The Assumption of Mary Mystery
the fruit of the Assumption of Mary Mystery is Mary’s way to Jesus, Union with Mary and True Devotion to Mary
The New Testament does not tell what happened to Mary the mother of Jesus after the crucifixion, and there is no mention of her death and what happened afterwards. Over the years, traditions and legends began to appear about her life after the crucifixion, about what happened at her death, and starting from the 5th century also about her assumption to heaven. These traditions were accepted as official circles by the church and became common knowledge in the 7th century, and perhaps even earlier.
Mary’s assumption to heaven is a natural development stemming from the course of her life, starting with the Annunciation during which she was filled with the Holy spirit and received God into her Body, continuing with the miraculous birth and the accompanying of Jesus during his life, and ending with her role in the crucifixion, the establishment of the Christian community and the Descending of the Holy spirit. Mary conceived without sin, has given birth without sin, her body and soul were sanctified and purified, therefore when her time to die comes death cannot get a hold on her, and she only falls asleep for three days, at the end of which she ascends to heaven.
Mary nourishes the believers and raises them up, she takes care of Jesus and supports him, she is keeping his teachings in her heart, until she is consumed by divine love. Because of all that Her body could not rot and was taken to heaven with her Baby soul – Jesus descends from heaven and gathers her in his arms, raising her to the spiritual world. Mary demonstrates to us a path available to humans who want to reach God, or as Athanasius (Patriarch of Alexandria in the 4th century) said: “Jesus is God appearing in man to show man the way to become God.” The Human who first Became God, the one who is showing the way is Maria.
The Assumption is one of the four dogmas of the Catholic Church regarding Mary (the other three being the Immaculate Conception, Virginity before and after birth, and Mother of God). This dogma, although widely believed in, was officially accepted only in 1950. Mary’s assumption to heaven has a dimension of apotheosis, a person becoming God after death, but there is more to it: Before her there were people who ascended to heaven, such as Enoch who became Metatron, God’s deputy. The special thing about Mary’s assumption is that she ascended with her body, and not only with her soul, her body was purified, sanctified and refined during her life to the point that the substance of the body became spiritual. But then the question arises: what happened to her body when it reached heaven, did she for example stop wanting to eat, were there no more secretions? Has the material been transformed? And if so, then why did her body need to be brought up to Heaven?
Part of the answer is that the assumption Mystery has dimension of fulfillng the prophecies about the resurrection of the dead at the end of times, which involves transition into another type of body, a distillation of human nature on the way back to its natural state, and needless to say there is something miraculous and wonderful about it. It is worth clarifying in this context that there is a difference between Jesus’ ascension, which is using the word Ascension and its fruits are hope, and Mary’s assumption, which is using the word Assumption and its fruit is union with Mary and true worship of Mary. These are different words that indicate two slightly different actions, and if we understand the difference between them, we will understand the entire Gospel.
The meaning of Mary’s assumption is the final correction of Eve’s original sin and a return home to the paradise state of existence of the human race. Mary, who made possible the arrival of Jesus into the world, makes possible by this act of the assumption for humans to reach heaven. The assumption is a prefiguration of the resurrection of the dead on the day of judgment, even more than the ascension of Jesus. And there is another thing here: the assumption to heaven is a kind of reward for Mary’s doings in this world, she raised Jesus into the physical world, and he raises her into the spiritual world. The good news is that there is justice in human life and a reward for good deeds.
According to tradition, Mary ascended to heaven from Marys Tomb Church in the Jehoshaphat Valley, therefore we will make our way to this place to reflect and connect with the assumption of Mary Mystery, hoping to reach Jesus through Mary
Read about Marys Tomb Church in the Article – Christian sites in the Mount of Olives
The Coronation of the Virgin Mystery
the fruit of the Coronation of the Virgin Mystery is the grace of perseverance, Perseverance and an Increase in Virtue (Trust in Mary’s Intercession)
The Coronation of the Virgin Mystery is the last of the twenty Mysteries of the Rosary. After Mary ascends to heaven, she is crowned as the queen of heaven, the angels recognize her and she becomes the one who mediates in heaven for humans, thus fulfilling her destiny and role. After suffering during her earthly life and dying with Jesus on the cross, she gives birth to Jesus spiritually at Pentecost, and is united with him in heaven after her death and resurrection.
The Belief in her coronation as Queen of Heaven is based on John’s vision (Revelations 12:1), where it is said: “And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars.” This woman was identified with Mary, and therefore she appears in art with 12 stars around her head and the moon under her feet, and later in John’s vision, it is told how the woman (Mary) gives birth to a son and there is a struggle of the angels led by Michael against the Serpent (Dragon) that tries to harm her son.
In artistic representations of Mary, Queen of Heaven, she appears as a queen crowned with the sun and stars, the moon under her feet, crushing the serpent. According to John Paul II, Mary is the queen of angels and saints, and she deserves to be in this position that will sustain until the end of times. She anticipates the resurrection of the dead on the Day of Judgment and will advocate for them. Mary is a person who became God, higher than the angels, recognized in glory. The fruit of the Coronation of the Virgin mystery is perseverance and icrease in virtue, in the same way that Mary did throughout her life.
Mary is a queen of Heaven because of the unique role she played in the life of Jesus on earth, in heaven she has another role to be a mediator and intercessor for the Human race, and to do so especially at the time of redemption and day of judgement. It is a very important meaningful job. Jesus is a king by virtue of being from the house of David, according to Jewish law the king’s mother is a queen, therefor Mary is a Queen. But queen is not just a title but a vocation. Mary is the mother of the universe (and the church), and it can be said that heavens and the earth are created through her, in the same way that Jesus was. a bit like the female Divine entity that appears in Gnostic literature (Sophia) or in Kabbalah (Sefirat Malchut, or the Shekinah).
Jesus himself places the crown on Mary’s head. As a queen she is allowed to interfere in the affairs of the kingdom and she does so, tipping the scales in the direction of mercy. As a queen she also has a right with the king, and she uses it to intervene and intercede for people.
Mary is the queen of heaven, but as such she has ruling power in the land as well, and she intervenes in the actions of humans on earth through visions, appearances, apparitions, instructions and miracles performed in her name. In the next Articles, you can read about Mary’s apparitions in Israel and around the world, one of which led to the construction of a special church in Jerusalem that is an embodiment of the Rosary Prayer practice, the Rosary Sisters Church in Agron Street.
To this Church we will make our way, it will be the last stop on the pilgrimage route following the rosary, a place to reflect the Coronation of the Virgin Mystery, and the whole journey we Have done Following the Mysteries of the Rosary.
Read an article about – the Rosary Church
