First Luminous Mystery: The Baptism In The Jordan

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."

Matthew 3:16-17

According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, "Jesus' public life begins with his baptism by John in the Jordan. John preaches 'a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins' (Luke 3:3)" (CCC, 535).

While meditating on the baptism of Jesus in the Jordan, say one Our Father, ten Hail Mary's, and a Glory Be (see "How to Pray the Rosary" if you are unfamiliar with any of these prayers).

Blessed Married Couples Watch Over Synod

Saint John Paul II isn't the only one the Church is calling upon for prayers during the Synod on the Family. 

The relics of Blesseds Louis and Zelie Martin, parents of St. Thérèse of Lisieux, and Blesseds Luigi and Maria Beltrame Quattrocchi, beatified by St. John Paul II in 2001, were venerated by Pope Francis during the opening Mass on Sunday, and they are to be on display throughout the duration of the Synod. 

May these and all married couples in heaven look down upon on us with favor, interceding for the Synod and for all families making their way on this earthly pilgrimage. 

The Mysteries Of Light

October 7 is the feast of Our Lady of the Rosary, and for this reason October is traditionally set aside as the month of the Holy Rosary. We will celebrate here on Open Wide the Doors by meditating on the Luminous Mysteries, which were introduced by Saint John Paul II himself.

The late Holy Father reflected on these "mysteries of light" in his letter Rosarium Virginis Mariae:

Certainly the whole mystery of Christ is a mystery of light. He is the “light of the world” (John 8:12). Yet this truth emerges in a special way during the years of his public life, when he proclaims the Gospel of the Kingdom. In proposing to the Christian community five significant moments – “luminous” mysteries – during this phase of Christ's life, I think that the following can be fittingly singled out: (1) his Baptism in the Jordan, (2) his self-manifestation at the wedding of Cana, (3) his proclamation of the Kingdom of God, with his call to conversion, (4) his Transfiguration, and finally, (5) his institution of the Eucharist, as the sacramental expression of the Paschal Mystery.

Each of these mysteries is a revelation of the Kingdom now present in the very person of Jesus…

In these mysteries, apart from the miracle at Cana, the presence of Mary remains in the background. The Gospels make only the briefest reference to her occasional presence at one moment or other during the preaching of Jesus (cf. Mark 3:31-5; John 2:12), and they give no indication that she was present at the Last Supper and the institution of the Eucharist. Yet the role she assumed at Cana in some way accompanies Christ throughout his ministry. The revelation made directly by the Father at the Baptism in the Jordan and echoed by John the Baptist is placed upon Mary's lips at Cana, and it becomes the great maternal counsel which Mary addresses to the Church of every age: “Do whatever he tells you” (John 2:5). This counsel is a fitting introduction to the words and signs of Christ's public ministry and it forms the Marian foundation of all the “mysteries of light.”

The Luminous Mysteries, typically recited on Thursdays, are fitting for meditation this month as we prepare for the feast of Saint John Paul II.

Family, The Way Of The Church

The Synod on the Family is finally here! Bishops, priests, religious, and lay faithful joined Pope Francis for the opening Mass yesterday. They will be meeting for the next two weeks in order to discuss the synod theme: “The Pastoral Challenges of the Family in the Context of Evangelization.”

According to the preparatory document for the synod, those gathered will discuss the “Gospel of the Family,” challenges to this Gospel in the modern world, and openness to life and raising children.

In his homily for the Synod’s opening Mass, Pope Francis said:

Synod Assemblies are not meant to discuss beautiful and clever ideas, or to see who is more intelligent… They are meant to better nurture and tend the Lord’s vineyard, to help realize his dream, his loving plan for his people. In this case the Lord is asking us to care for the family, which has been from the beginning an integral part of his loving plan for humanity.

Let us pray for the Bishops gathered, that they may care for families and show them how to be the “way of the Church.” Let us also ask St. John Paul II, the "pope of the family," to guide and sustain this Synod with his prayers from heaven.

The American St. Thérèse

Today we are overjoyed to celebrate the first beatification to ever be held in the United States! Soon-to-be blessed Miriam Teresa Demjanovich will be beatified today at the Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart in Newark, New Jersey.

The “American St. Thérèse” died in 1927 at the age of 26. Her life was short, but she lived it with great love. She prayed often, served much, and she wrote and taught as a Sister of Mercy.

Blessed Miriam Teresa is a beautiful model for young people attempting to discern God’s will, and so we ask her to pray for those who seek the Lord’s guidance, that they may hear His call and have the courage to follow it.

The Pilgrim’s Way

Last spring, Columbia Magazine published a story about developments at the Saint John Paul II National Shrine. The story includes the diagram above, displaying the thematic path that pilgrims will take through our permanent exhibit on the life and teachings of St. John Paul II, scheduled to open this fall.

Pray for us as we complete the finishing touches, that we remain true to the blessed legacy of our beloved Holy Father.

Little Flower, Pray For Us

Today we celebrate the feast of St. Thérèse of the Child Jesus and the Holy Face, who was proclaimed a Doctor of the Universal Church by St. John Paul II in 1997. In his proclamation letter, the late Holy Father wrote:

Through spiritual childhood one experiences that everything comes from God, returns to him and abides in him, for the salvation of all, in a mystery of merciful love. Such is the doctrinal message taught and lived by this Saint.

As it was for the Church's Saints in every age, so also for her, in her spiritual experience Christ is the center and fullness of Revelation. Thérèse knew Jesus, loved him and made him loved with the passion of a bride. She penetrated the mysteries of his infancy, the words of his Gospel, the passion of the suffering Servant engraved on his holy Face, in the splendor of his glorious life, in his Eucharistic presence. She sang of all the expressions of Christ's divine charity, as they are presented in the Gospel…

St. Thérèse, please pray for us today, that we may experience the love of God as His children.