The presence of Jesus is powerful. When he was walking the earth his presence demanded a response. Especially those moments that revealed his divinity. The Luminous Mysteries, often referred to as the Mysteries of Light, capture some incredible moments filled with Jesus’ divinity. They proclaim: “This is the chosen one, the one you have been waiting upon for so very long, this is the Messiah, this is the Son of God!” How will you respond?

The First Luminous Mystery: The Baptism of Jesus in the River Jordon

The Second Luminous Mystery: The Wedding Feast at Cana

The Third Luminous Mystery: The Proclamation of the Kingdom

The Fourth Luminous Mystery: The Transfiguration

The Fifth Luminous Mystery: The Institution of the Eucharist

Download the Luminous Mysteries of the Rosary PDF

The Luminous Mysteries are prayed on Thursdays.

Scripture: Matthew 3:13-17

Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to John, to be baptized by him. John would have prevented him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” But Jesus answered him, “Let it be so now; for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he consented. And when Jesus was baptized, he went up immediately from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and alighting on him; and lo, a voice from heaven, saying, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”

Reflection:  Jesus, the Son of God, went to John the Baptist to be baptized. John felt unworthy even to untie Jesus’ sandals, but Jesus stood in line with sinners and presented himself to John to be baptized. At that moment, as Jesus stood in the water, the heavens opened and God the Father said, “This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased”

Scripture: John 2: 1-12

On the third day there was a marriage at Cana in Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there; Jesus also was invited to the marriage, with his disciples. When the wine failed, the mother of Jesus said to him, “They have no wine.” And Jesus said to her, “O woman, what have you to do with me? My hour has not yet come. HIs mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.” Now six stone jars were standing there, for the Jewish rites of purification, each holding twenty or thirty gallons. Jesus said to them, “Fill the jars with water.” And they filled them to the brim. He said to them, “Now draw some out, and take it to the steward of the feast.” So they took it. When the steward of the feast tasted the water now became wine, and did not know where it came from (though the servants who had drawn the water knew), the steward of the feast called the bridegroom and said to him, “Every man serves the good wine first; and when men have drunk freely, then the poor wine; but you have kept the good wine until now.” This, the first of his signs, Jesus did at Cana in Galilee, and manifested his glory; and his disciples believed him. After this he went down to Capernaum, with his mother and brethren and his disciples; and there they stayed for a few days.

Reflection: This is it. Jesus’ first public miracle. And it takes place rather quietly at a wedding. When the bride and groom ran out of wine, Mary took their need to Jesus. And he turned water into wine, a wine that was far better than the wine they had already served, and more wine than they could ever drink. That our God is a God of abundance. Just as Jesus abundantly supplied more wine when it was in short supply at the wedding in Cana, he wants to provide abundantly for whatever is in short supply in our lives today.

Scripture: Mark 1: 14-15

Now after John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent, and believe in the gospel.”

Reflection:  When Jesus spoke about the kingdom, he perplexed people. They had a certain image of God and his ways, and Jesus turned them upside down and inside out. In our own ways, we too have images of God and ways of thinking about how God does things that he wants to turn upside down—which as it turns out will be right side up.

Scripture: Mark 9:2-8

And after six days Jesus took with him Peter and James and John, and led them up a high mountain apart by themselves; and he was transfigured before them, and his garments became glistening, intensely white, as no fuller on earth could bleach them. And there appeared to them Elijah with Moses; and they were talking to Jesus. And Peter said to Jesus, “Master, it is well that we are here; let us make three booths, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah.” For he did not know what to say, for they were exceedingly afraid. And a cloud overshadowed them, and a voice came out of the cloud, “This is my beloved son; listen to him.” And suddenly looking around they no longer saw any one with them but Jesus only.

Reflection: Jesus wants to show us what is possible. Too often our vision is too earthbound. He wants to open our hearts and minds to all that is possible far beyond our limited thinking. The disciples, like you and I, could only see Jesus in a very limited way because of their limits. Jesus took Peter, John, and James up on the mountain so God the Father could open their spiritual eyes wider than ever before and see Jesus in all his glory.

Scripture: Mark 14:22-25

And as they were eating, he took bread, and blessed, and broke it, and gave it to them, and said, “Take; this is my body.” And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, and they all drank of it. And he said to them, “This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many. Truly, I say to you, I shall not drink again of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God.”

Reflection: Do you know what happened at the Last Supper? Most of us would say yes, and then recite the facts and mechanics of that historic experience. But really, what we don’t know about the Last Supper dwarfs what we do know. What we don’t know about God makes what we do know about him look like a grain of sand in the Sahara desert.