Extra Mysteries for Carmel

In the monasteries and convents following the tradition of the Discalced Carmelites and St. Brigit of Sweden, the monks and nuns often add a sixth mystery and decade to their rosary every day. Although that tradition does not specify any particular mysteries for their meditation, and their whole Rosary is focused on remembering the life of Mary, I thought I might offer a selection of mysteries from the life of Jesus to balance their six decade Rosary. None of these are obligatory, but on my own Rosary, I add a last bead for an Our Father after the fifth decade, as well as a separate bead after the central Medal for the Our Father of the first decade. Thus there are seven Our Father beads, for Mary's seven sorrows, and Jesus' seven last words on the cross. Of course, you may pray as you like, and use your own regular beads if you wish.

The alternate enumerations are given for those who say a 6th mystery each day, so you may put them in their proper sequence. 

For the Joyful mysteries: 

5. The Visit of the Magi 

     "We saw his star when it rose ..."

     Matthew 2:1-12 

According to the Gospel of Matthew, in the days of King Herod, wise men came from the East, looking for the baby King of the Jews. They claimed to have seen his portent among the stars, one who was prophesied to do great things, and they wanted to honor him. Now, the rival of Rome at the time was Persia, and they did not believe in the pantheon that the Romans worshipped. The Persians were Zoroastrians, a religion so old that Abraham met one of their priests, Melchizadek, when he reached the Promised Land. They believed that the world was locked in a struggle of Good versus Evil, but that Good would gain the upper hand when a Saviour was born. He would be the annointed representative of the Good God. And that Saviour would be the King of his chosen people, the Jews, indeed He would be the King of all Kings. So they watched the stars to know when the tide would turn in this era of struggle, and they calculated the paths of the planets to see what signs they might give. So, when these astronomer priests saw that Jupiter, the King of planets, was about to reach a close conjunction with Regulus, the King of stars, in about 3 BCE, they figured that the time had come. They traveled to Jerusalem, and asked to see the new King.

Nowadays, we have heard how Herod was not happy to hear that he had a rival. He knew that he was merely a puppet, serving Rome. But he was appointed to keep the peace, and rumors of a "Messiah" always meant trouble. So He consulted as to where the child was to be born, and when the star had been seen, and sent these Magi onward to find the child and return word. And just as the Magi arrived in Bethlehem, Jupiter paused in its path, as it always does when the faster Earth passes its slower orbit, and they knew that they would find Him there. 

It's a long and tiresome journey, especially with a baby, from Bethlehem to Nazareth. So Mary and Joseph were staying in a hostel, letting her nurse Jesus and regain a bit of strength. We don't know how the Magi found them, but led by the Holy Spirit, they came to see the baby Jesus, and gave Him the gifts they had brought from so far away in Persia. And they told Joseph that they had spoken with Herod, and it might not be safe to stay openly in Bethlehem. Herod seemed erratic in his moods, and had a reputation for cruelty, as they had just recently heard. So they chose not to return with a report to the palace.

And it was just as well they did not. Joseph was told in a dream to flee with the child to Egypt, and stay until Herod would die. And just in time, as Herod had learned that the Magi were leaving in secret, and sent a centurion with his men to seek and kill any male child they would find in Bethlehem under the age of two years. But Jesus was long gone, safely away by then, and He would return a handful of years later, when they got news that Herod had passed.

For the Luminous mysteries: 

6. Feeding the Multitudes 

     "He said the blessing over them ..." 

     Luke 9:11-17 

One of the things we often forget in these latter days is how unexpected Jesus' signs and wonders were for his contemporaries. Even when He is demonstrating how He is fulfulling the Scriptures for the profile of the Messiah, it seems like everything He does needs to be understood in hindsight. His disciples have seen it dozens of times. They even saw Him transfigured and talking to Moses and Elijah, and they still act surprised.

Today, the crowds have been following Jesus in such numbers that He wants to get away for awhile. And these are not just the ones who believe; many just want to see Him do miracles. He wants to winnow out the ones who would spread doubts. So now, Jesus makes a plan. He wants to show how the Kingdom transcends the way of this world, and yet He creates a parallel with the history of Israel, something they should all know, about how God guides and provides for his people. When God called them out of Egypt, He led them into a place where they would have to depend on Him. 

Jesus leads them off the beaten track to a remote place, between the sea and the hills, and climbs up the side of a high hill. Here, He cures the sick, and teaches them how He interprets the Law of Moses. This is probably a repetition of the Sermon on the Mount. So He talks, and heals, until everyone's food supplies begin to run out. Even the disciples are getting worried, and come asking Him to send them away to buy food. But Jesus says to them, "Why should they have to go? You give them some food to eat." "We have only five loaves and two fishes, and not enough money to buy food for so many," they reply. "Bring what you have to me. Then ask them all to sit, in groups of about fifty." When this was done, He took the loaves and fishes, looked up to Heaven, said the blessing, and broke them. Putting the food in baskets, He gave them to the disciples to distribute. They did this, and the food replenished until all the people had enough to eat. When Jesus told them to gather the remnants, they collected enough to fill twelve baskets. 

We don't have a record of the reactions to what people saw on this afternoon. Neither the words of the disciples nor those of the crowd are kept for us. We can only imagine. But what would you say? A thoughtful person might conjecture that Jesus is demonstrating a new way of sharing, where those who have much will share with the needy. As for the disciples, they were dumbfounded. They saw up close how the baskets never ran dry, no matter how many pieces they passed out. It was another sign, but of what? The power of God to provide for his people? That's already an old story. No one quite understands this yet. Maybe, they will figure it out later. 

For the Believing mysteries: 

5. Giving sight to the Blind: 

     Revealing the fullness of vision 

     "Jesus, Son of David, have pity on me!" 

     Mark 10:46-52 

One of the hallmarks of Jesus' time with us was to heal the blindness that plagued his people, both physically and spiritually. Thus, when He did any miracle, it came with a subtext, as a sign that his mission was authorized by his heavenly Father. But there were still those who scoffed, asking for a sign, to prove beyond a doubt that He was the annointed one, not so they could believe, but so they could pick it apart and question it. To them, Jesus said He would give only the sign of Jonah, the return of one presumed lost and swallowed up, who came to call sinners to repent. He knew who would respond. He had seen how it was those who begged to be healed that would be made whole. 

 But Jesus never wanted to say aloud anything that would sound like a claim to be the Messiah. Before rumors began to spread, when He healed someone, He would tell them not to say who had done it. He usually spoke of Himself as the Son of Man, even when explaining his mission to his disciples. It was a cryptic name from a popular text, the Book of Enoch, for an apocalyptic figure who told about a vision of Heaven. Jesus wanted to be a mystery, at least until his disciples figured it out. There were two good reasons for this: to claim to be the Son of God would have been blasphemy, if it wasn't true, and He didn't want to be the spark for a civil war.

Then one day, when He heard the cry of a blind beggar, sitting by the way outside the city of Jericho, "Jesus, Son of David, have pity on me!" He was moved. "Bring him to me," Jesus said. And when the man had been brought near, He asked, "What do you want Me to do for you?" "I want to see," he answered. So Jesus healed his eyes. 

Now, there are three ways in the Gospels for Jesus to heal the blind. To some, only a word was enough, "Your faith has saved you. Receive your sight." For another, He would spit in his hand, maybe make some clay, and rub it on the eyes. When this was cleaned off, they could see. But on one occasion, at first the healing was only partial. "I see men, but they look like trees walking." That time, Jesus gave him a second touch, and his sight was clear. In order to follow Him, we each have our own needs, even when we do believe, and Jesus understands us. 

Yet, not everyone who was healed became a follower. Only those who truly wanted to know Him, and what He was about, would come. To these, Jesus would eventually reveal his whole message and his mission to save Israel and the world. Their eyes would be truly opened. But we have to want to see. We can't just stand at the back of the crowd, and ask for a sign that we can examine in order to see proof of his claims. Jesus wants us to come with faith. 

For the Theological mysteries: 

3. The Words of Eternal Life. 

      We trust whatever Jesus says.

      "To whom shall we go?"

      - John 6:57-69 ~ dividing 

In the 6th chapter of John's gospel, Jesus declares something completely outrageous and unacceptable to Jewish orthodoxy. "Unless you eat my flesh and drink my blood, you have no life in you." And many in the crowd concurred with the opinion, "This saying is too hard. Who can listen to it?" Many of his curious followers drifted away, presumably thinking He was mad. Then Jesus turned to his handpicked disciples and said, "Do you too wish to go?" But Peter spoke up, "Master, to whom should we go? You have the words of eternal life." They stayed with Him, but there is no clear explanation given in the Gospel for his teaching. We must either have faith enough to accept it until we figure it out, or we will wander away. 

"Eat my flesh, and drink my blood" shocks us as a total mystery, totally contrary to the teachings of Moses. It is impossible to think of this literally without saying that Jesus was a false prophet. Jesus Himself even brought Moses into the conversation, to compare the saying with the manna in the wilderness. But they didn't want to listen. Jesus was in the habit of teaching those who couldn't readily understand by using simple parables and metaphors. This time, however, it seems to be different. He wants to tell us something beyond our capacity to grasp, and He knows that we may never get it. This time, He just wants us to have faith, to trust Him. 

The incident begins just a few days after Jesus miraculously fed a huge crowd with only five loaves of bread and a couple of fish. He had taken his followers out, far away from the towns into a lonely place. There, He had brought them to a mountain, and He taught for three whole days, until their food was running out. The disciples wanted to send the people away, but Jesus has another agenda. When Moses had brought the children of Israel out of Egypt and into the wilderness, he fed them with manna to sustain their travels. Here, Jesus wanted to draw a parallel between Himself and Moses. But this wasn't a bread that spoils before tomorrow. This will be the Bread of Eternal Life, if only we look to Jesus with faith. Jesus wants to lead us all out of the corrupted civilizations of this world, and into the Promised Land of the Kingdom of Heaven. And He will feed us, and give us drink to sustain us along the way. This was a lesson taught in more than just words. Jesus was trying to awaken the people to his own identity. He is the new Moses that they say they are waiting for!

When Moses raised the bronze serpent on a pole in the desert to cure those who were bitten, there were those who were offended, but the ones who trusted were saved. It was remembered as a miracle, but it was simply a demand for trust. When we trust God, that is the "faith" He keeps asking us for, and He accounts it to us as righteousness. If it is hard, just remember how we followed Him for forty years through the desert, but those who trusted Him finally arrived in the promised land. 

Over and over, Jesus is making a point that seems too hard for most of us: We have to keep our eyes on Him, all of the time, or we may miss what's truly happening. And if we miss it, we won't understand what comes next. 

For the Sorrowful mysteries: 

5. Commending Mary to John 

     "Behold your mother." 

     John 19:25-27 

While Jesus is on his cross, He can look far out to the horizon. In his mind's eye, He can see all of Judaea, from the Jordan to the great Sea, and from Galilee to the Sinai. Even further, He can imagine Rome, all of its tributary nations, and all of the places where his name will become known. But now, He is rejected. His own people, whom He loves without reserve, have denied his message of salvation through forgiveness. They don't want his mercy. They only want freedom, from Rome in particular, but freedom to follow their own will, rather than obedience. They didn't even listen to his message about God's love and his Kingdom. Some did ... the poor, the despised, the sick, the slaves, the ones who were already marginalized ... those listened. But not the rich and powerful, the ones who are satisfied with their lives, they didn't care. They didn't want any Messiah to come and overturn the order of the world. Who needs God, when you're in charge? 

But Jesus knew the answer to that question: We all do. Without God there can be no foundation, no order, no conscience ... and no grace. Without God's generosity, we have no assurance that our effort and plans will come to fruition. We need his promises, so that we can move forward with our lives, hoping confidently that He will prosper our work because we offer it to Him. Jesus knows that we need his grace. And God needs a way to share his love with us. He can only do that if we love Him in return, yet He cannot stay here to show us how. We need as perfect an example as possible, to show us the way of unconditional love, a love without reserve which would suffer all things to keep Him in our hearts. 

And then He draws his attention back to his own situation, his pain and suffering on the cross, and the imminent prospect of his death. But He hears a sobbing cry, a painful, inconsolable mourning pouring out from a broken heart, a woman's cry, as of one who has lost her only child. Looking down from the cross, I see three women, and a man. It takes a moment to focus, for the recognition to come back, and then I know them for who they are. My mother, yes, and two of my friends, and my best friend, John, who is holding her shoulders to comfort her. Now, here is the example I can give for them. I know that John will do as I ask, and my mother will share her love with my friends. "John. Behold your mother." And to her, "Woman, behold your son." John looks up at me with tears in his eyes, and I know that he understands. He hugs her just a little tighter. She nods her head, and looks to his face, then back to me. They don't move right away, but I know they will care for each other. It is good. 

If it wasn't for his mother, Mary, Jesus would not have come into this world. Someone had to put her own dignity aside, to bear the apparent shame of being pregnant with a child that wasn't even that of her betrothed. She was innocent of such accusation. Indeed, she had always been an obedient child, and loved God from her heart. Mary, in her perfect love for Jesus, would now be a perfect conduit for his grace. Anyone who wants to truly know Jesus, what He has done and who He is in his heart, can come to her and she will tell. And she will pray for those who ask, trusting that Jesus will hear and respond. 

For the Holiness mysteries: 

6. Love one another as I have loved you. 

     If you love me, keep my commandments 

     "This is my commandment ..."

     John 15:9-17

At first, it sounds like a simple task to keep such a commandment. There's only this one rule to remember. But this is another one of those extreme overreaching rules that Jesus likes. He even spells it out: "Greater love than this hath no man, but that he gives his life for his friends." This is more than merely "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." This is a command to live always not for oneself, but thinking first of what will be good for others. It does not make a list of things we should not do, but says we should seek to bring benefits to our friends, even at our own expense. Love does these things not with pride, or for merit, but humbly, just because it is expected of us. And whatever we do, it's never enough, because there will always be a tomorrow. Indeed, this is the kind of love that Jesus learned from his mother. 

But how do we know what true love is? It is not an emotion of affection or attachment, but an attitude and a commitment to seek what is best for one's friend. It is the crucial ingredient in a good relationship. As St. Paul wrote to the Corinthians, love is kindness, not envious or prideful. Love is humble and not selfish, and presumes the other's good intentions, so as to avoid getting angry. Love is sad to see the friend doing wrong, and glad to see him doing good. Whenever needed, love is helpful, always hopeful, and accepts any sacrifice or suffering that may support the friend to grow in faith and virtue. And true love never gives up. 

We can also know love from watching Jesus' example. It is forgiving, and does not provoke to anger, speaking gently to teach wisdom. It goes out of its way to help, or to promote better ways to relate to and understand God. Love always reminds us of what is most important, so that we won't be distracted by the values and temptations of this world. And it leads by it own example, warning us of coming troubles, because if we don't conform to the world, the world will say that we don't belong. 

And yet, why did Jesus give us such a hard command, if He knows it will get us into trouble? Because when we love, we always wish to emulate our beloved. Over and over, Jesus tells us to try to be like the Father, who loves us like his own children, whether we behave rightly or not. Of course He will discipline us, but He wants what is best for us, and always provides for our needs. And He does that so we will learn and grow. 

In the same way, the Father loves Jesus, and Jesus loves the Father. So Jesus tells us that He loves us, and if we love Him we will do the same, by keeping this commandment to love one another. Doing this is our way of staying close to Him, of abiding in his love. 

For the Glorious mysteries: 

2. Recalling the Fishermen 

     "do you love me more than these?" 

     John 21:1-19 

After their meeting with the Risen Jesus in that upper room in Jerusalem, the disciples began their journey back to Galilee. Jesus had asked them to gather as many followers as they could find and bring them to meet with Him by the lakeshore. The hill where Jesus fed so many with a mere basket full of food was known to most of them, so that place was chosen, and a day was planned for the gathering. It has been difficult to explain that Jesus is going to be there, yet hundreds of people have promised to come.

Now, that meeting is planned for tomorrow. Peter and Andrew, James and John, and Thomas and Nathaniel are already waiting on the shore, so they can direct the arrivals where to set up for the meeting. It's hot, and Peter is getting a bit nervous. What if Jesus doesn't come? There are a couple of fishing boats here. Maybe it will be good to have a decent catch of fish, just in case. So Peter announces that he's going fishing, and they take a boat out on the lake. 

All night long, they cast their nets and catch nothing. A fisherman's life is hard. As the morning comes, they head back to shore. Now, someone is standing there on the beach. "Friends! Did you catch anything?" "Nothing," said Peter. "Cast your net there, on the right side of the boat," He said, and they did. This time the net filled, with so many fish they had a hard time pulling it in. Amazed, Peter suddenly recognized the voice. It's Jesus! He's here! And he immediately dove into the water to swim to shore. 

When the boat was brought in, full of fish, Jesus had a small fire going and was grilling some fish. A couple pieces of bread were close by, sitting on a rock. Jesus invited the rest to come and have a bite to eat. He said to Simon Peter, "Bring me some of the fish you've just caught." So Peter went to the boat and hauled the heavy net ashore. 

It's odd how difficult it is to see Jesus clearly enough to recognize Him, now that He is risen. Even John, who had known it was He while far from shore, and Peter too, were confused to look at his face. It would have been easy to say, "I don't know him." But no one wanted to ask, as they knew in their hearts who He was. Then, after they had eaten, Jesus turned to Peter saying, "Simon son of John, do you love me?" "Yes, Lord, you know I love you." And Jesus said, "Feed my sheep." Three times, Jesus asked him, and each time He received the same answer. So Peter was restored to his place as shepherd to the Church. He never even considered denying our Lord again.