The Rosary as a Ladder of Perfection

In March of last year I added a Seven-Day set of Rosary Mysteries to the Devotions section of this website.  The intention was to offer a different set of Mysteries for each Day of the Week, and to include the full story of the Life of Christ.  Recently, as I have been working on a book about Ladders of Perfection in the writing of Dame Julian of Norwich, I realized that these Mysteries of the Rosary are not only about the Life of Christ.  They also serve as a Ladder of Perfection – a Guide to the Journey of the Soul – for the individual Christian.  Used daily, these Mysteries offer a Ladder of Ascent to a life of Holiness.

Monday – Mysteries of Creation

I am marvelously made by God, and United to Him in Christ in that Making

1. The Pre-Existence of Christ
2. The Joining of Christ and the Soul
3. The Creation of the World
4. The Re-Creation After the Flood
5. The Giving of the Covenant

Tuesday – Mysteries of Incarnation (The Joyful Mysteries – Traditional)

Christ is actually present in my life, body and soul, through God’s act of Incarnation

1. The Annunciation to Mary
2. The Visitation to Elizabeth
3. The Nativity of Jesus
4. The Presentation of Jesus
5. The Finding of the boy Jesus in the Temple

Wednesday – Mysteries of Sanctification

Christ working in my through healing and teaching leads me into a Holy life

1. The Baptism of Jesus
2. The Healing Miracles of Jesus
3. The Teaching of Jesus
4. The Transfiguration of Jesus
5. The Road to Jerusalem

Thursday – Mysteries of Oblation

Thus Sanctified, I offer myself to God

1. The Triumphal Entry
2. The Washing of the Disciples’ Feet
3. The Last Supper
4. The Prayer in the Garden
5. The Betrayal of Jesus

Friday – Mysteries of Purification (The Sorrowful Mysteries – Traditional)

God accepts my Offering, and Purifies my Soul for a Life in Him

1. The Scourging
2. The Crowning with Thorns
3. The Bearing of the Cross
4. The Crucifixion
5. The Death Upon the Cross

Saturday – Mysteries of Transformation

In the womb-like silence of God I am Transformed into a New Creation

1. The Taking Down from the Cross
2. The Arms of His Mother
3. The Lying in the Tomb
4. The Descending to the Dead
5. The Bringing of Spices

Sunday – Mysteries of Resurrection (The Glorious Mysteries – Traditional)

As God’s New Creation, I Rise with Christ, a Citizen of Heaven in the full Image of God

1. The Resurrection of Christ
2. The Ascension of Christ
3. The Coming of the Holy Spirit
4. The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary
5. The Coronation of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Please use this as you wish, and pass it on.  I would very much appreciate your thoughtful comments.

~ Will, ObJN