Franciscan Penance Library
Rosary Meditations for Mothers
These may be ordered in printed form at www.cfpholyangels.com
The Nativity by Corregio
The Joyful Mysteries
(Said on Mondays, Saturdays, Sundays of Advent, and Sundays from Epiphany until Lent)
First Joyful Mystery - The Annunciation of Gabriel to Mary
Think of the first inkling you had that you were going to be a mother, whether through pregnancy or adoption. Join the questions you had with those of Mary who asked the angel, “How can this be?”
Lord, my desire for motherhood comes from You Who are the best of all parents. Enable me to be the best mother I can to all in my care. Amen.
Read Luke 1:26
Second Joyful Mystery - The Visitation of Mary to Elizabeth
Think of your desire to share news of your baby with those who would understand your emotions. Thank God for these confidants. Ponder Mary visiting Elizabeth and how both supported each other at this critical juncture in their lives.
Lord Jesus, You told us that what we do to the least of humanity, we do to You. Help me to remember this as I care for my family and for others who come into my busy life. Amen.
Read Luke 1:39
Third Joyful Mystery - The Birth of Jesus
Recall the first time you saw and held your child. What sorrow, joys, and trials led up to that moment? Unite your experience with that of the Blessed Mother and St. Joseph in Bethlehem. Who there did and did not understood their situation? Who did and did not try to help?
Dearest Mother of Jesus, you had to bear your Son, God’s Son, in a stable. You know that my life is not as perfect or as easy as I’d like. Pray to your Son for me, so that He, through your intercession, may grant me the grace of patience and long suffering in my life. Amen.
Read Luke 2:1
Fourth Joyful Mystery - The Presentation of Jesus in the Temple
When was the first time you took your child to church? Sunday Mass? Baptism? For a special event? Think of your child’s reaction and the reactions of others. Unite yourself at that moment with Mary and Joseph as they presented Jesus to God in the Temple.
Heavenly Father, I adore You, praise You, love You. I beg from You the grace of making my child into Your child. Keep this child of mine always a child of yours. Amen.
Read Luke 2:22
Fifth Joyful Mystery - Finding Jesus in the Temple
What is the greatest fright your child has given you? Take time now to be one with Mary and Joseph as they thanked God for letting them find Jesus safe and sound, in the Temple. Offer your child to God now, for future safe keeping.
Dear Saint Joseph, how helpless you must have felt in searching for your Son Whom God had entrusted to you for safe keeping! Did you feel like a failure when you failed to find Him? Pray for me, St. Joseph, for I often feel like I am failing in regard to my children. Ask God to show me how to best care for my family. Amen.
Read Luke 2:41
The Luminous Mysteries
(Said on Thursdays throughout the year)
First Luminous Mystery - The Baptism of Jesus in the River Jordan
What sacraments has your child received? Do you thank God for the graces that come with these? What sacraments has your child yet to receive? Have you prayed for the worthy reception of them for your child? Do not neglect the sacraments of Reconciliation, Eucharist, and Anointing of the Sick in your prayers.
Holy Spirit, giver of every grace, send Your graces to my child and to me, as we receive each sacrament. Thank You for these marvelous gifts of love. Amen.
Read Matthew 3:17
The Second Luminous Mystery - The Wedding at Cana, Christ Manifested
Where in the life of your child have you seen the unmistakable power of God? At the wedding feast of Cana, Jesus worked His first miracle at the request of His Mother. You, as mother of your child, can request a miracle, too. What might you ask Jesus? Ask Him today. And then believe that God has heard and will act.
Blessed Mother of Christ, you asked Jesus to perform a miracle and He did. Intercede for my child in need. Your prayers are powerful with your Son. Join yours to mine as we pray for this child of mine and of yours. Amen.
Read John 2:11
The Third Luminous Mystery - the Proclamation of the Kingdom of God
As mother, you are the primary teacher of your child regarding the faith. As Jesus proclaimed the word of God to those of His time, so God expects you to be the first and best teacher of your child. Unite your words and example with Jesus as you share faith, morals, wisdom, and virtues with your child.
Lord Jesus, You have given me the daunting task of teaching this child about You and about the Kingdom of God. Strengthen my faith. Bolster my weakness. Give me the words to say and help me to set the right example so that my child will know that I love and serve You. Grant that my child may wish to do the same. Amen.
Read Mark 1:15
The Fourth Luminous Mystery - The Transfiguration of Jesus
Sometimes those we know well suddenly are revealed in a different light. This happened with Jesus at the Transfiguration. Suddenly the apostles saw the man Jesus as God. What startling insights has God given you about your child, that help you to see a new facet of this being entrusted to you? How can you foster the qualities He has shown you? Ask for guidance in doing so.
Lord God, my child is special in ways that I do not often recognize. Open my eyes now to the unique gifts my child offers. Help me to foster those. Thank You for them, Lord. Help me to help my child become all You desire. Amen.
Read Matthew 17:2
The Fifth Luminous Mystery - The Last Supper, the Holy Eucharist
The Eucharist is a great gift which we can receive daily. In the Eucharist, Christ becomes our spiritual food, bringing us to eternal life. Eucharist means thanksgiving. What are you thankful for as a mother? How can you spiritually feed your child? What sacrifices must you make to do so?
Precious and life giving Jesus, You become our sustenance in every Eucharist. Help me to receive You worthily and to teach my child to do the same. Grant that the graces of each reception of the Eucharist will bear fruit in my life and in the life of my child. Grant us a great love for this marvelous sacrament. Amen.
Read Matthew 26:26
The Sorrowful Mysteries
Christ Crucified by Cimabue
(Said on Tuesdays, Fridays, and daily from Ash Wednesday until Easter Sunday)
First Sorrowful Mystery - Agony of Jesus in the Garden
What is your greatest fear as a mother? Bring it to Jesus Who cried out to His Father in the Garden of Gethsemane. Ask God to give you strength for what may lie ahead.
Lord, God, You know where my heart is breaking as regards to this child of mine. I lift to You this great struggle within me. Help me to know what I can and should do and to know where I am powerless. May Your Will be done, Lord. Give me grace to accept that. Amen.
Read Matthew 26:36
Second Sorrowful Mystery - Jesus is Scourged at the Pillar
How often have you felt beaten down, flogged, exhausted with life’s blows? Motherhood is difficult. It can be devastating at times.
Lord Jesus, scourged at the Pillar, give me strength to withstand the assaults coming at me from society, from others, from my relatives, and even from my own children. Help me to be a good mother and to foster in my children the values You uphold. Amen.
Read Matthew 27:26
Third Sorrowful Mystery - Jesus is Crowned With Thorns
When someone insults, mocks, accuses, threatens, or harms your child, you suffer deeply as well. Think of Jesus, God Himself, laughed at and ridiculed. Did something like this happen to your child? Pray for those who harmed your son or daughter.
Lord, grant me the grace of forgiveness of those who hurt my child. Grant me, too, the strength to stand by my child in all adversity. My God, give me the right words of comfort and empathy so that I may counteract, with Your grace, the evil slung at my child. Amen.
Read Matthew 27:27
Fourth Sorrowful Mystery - Jesus Carries His Cross
Motherhood can be a cross. When you are tired, you cannot sleep. When you want comfort, you must give presence. When you are hungry, you must wait. When your child needs something, you must go without. Meditate on Jesus carrying His cross and you carrying yours beside Him.
Lord Jesus, no one told me that motherhood would be this difficult. I realize now that it is both a joy and a suffering. Yet You desire to make me into a saint through this vocation. Give me the grace to carry my crosses well, Lord, in union with Your Own. Amen.
Read Matthew 27:32
Fifth Sorrowful Mystery - The Crucifixion of Jesus
Jesus never got to lay down His cross. He died on it. So mothers die on the cross of their motherhood, for once a mother, always a mother. Your child’s sufferings and joys shall be yours, as long as you live. And if your child precedes you in death, that will be its own suffering. No cross, no crown applies to mothers as well as to other saints.
Dearest Mary, you stood by the cross of Jesus and watched His life ebb away. You had carried the cross of motherhood with Him until the very end. And now, in heaven, you are mother still to us all, having now not one child but endless trillions over the centuries. Pray for me that I will be willing and able to support my child wherever and however life turns out. Amen.
Read Matthew 27:33
The Glorious Mysteries
The Ascension of Jesus
(Said on Wednesdays, and Sundays throughout the year)
First Glorious Mystery - The Resurrection of Jesus
When did something that seemed hopeless turn around for the good for your child? The Resurrection of Jesus gives us hope that good can and does come from sorrow. Thank God for the resurrections in the life of your child.
Lord, I am in need of a Resurrection now. You know the struggles I am facing in my vocation as mother. You know what good can come from these. I cannot see it, but You can. Give me faith in the future and in Your merciful love. Amen.
Read John 20:1
Second Glorious Mystery - The Ascension of Jesus
Every good thing must end, often for something better. What endings have you experienced in your child’s life? Are you facing any endings now? How did the disciples feel when Jesus was taken from them in the Ascension? Can you identify with them? Can you see an ending as also a beginning of the next phase of life?
Holy Spirit of God, of Love, of Desire, I fear the endings in my life. Grant me the serenity to understand that every end is a new beginning for what will follow. Grant me the grace to not look back but to embrace that gifts that lie ahead. Amen.
Read Luke 24:36
Third Glorious Mystery - The Descent of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost
This totally unexpected event brought great gifts to the apostles and to the world. What surprises have you experienced with your child? Can you see the good that came from them?
Holy Spirit of Fire and Power, come upon me in my vocation as mother. Make me aglow with love of God and zeal for the good of others. Let this zeal be focused first on my family and then on neighbor. Oh, Lord, if I am aflame with love, how my family will benefit! Make this flame glow in my soul, my Lord! Amen.
Read Acts 2:1
Fourth Glorious Mystery - The Assumption of Mary into Heaven
What are your thoughts about death, your own and those of your child and of others whom you love? God promises us eternal life. Embrace that truth and move forward in hope, even as death may be near for someone close to your heart. The Assumption of Mary into heaven shows us that life after death exists. May we all join her in eternity some day.
Dear Saint Joseph, you are the patron of a happy death. I pray for those who are dying now, especially for (name) and I ask the grace of a good and happy death for me and for all the members of my family. Intercede for us, Saint Joseph, so that we will fall into the arms of Christ when comes our time to depart this world. Amen.
Read Revelations 12:6
Fifth Glorious Mystery - The Coronation of Mary as Queen of Heaven and Earth
Have you taught your child that Mary is your child’s queen mother? What joy to have a queen and mother in heavenly places! Imagine your child in Mary’s presence, sharing love with her.
Glorious Queen of Heaven, I do not deserve to be your child and yet I am. Pray that I may be granted innocence, holiness, and purity so that I can be your precious daughter. Help me to honor you as Queen and Mother and pray that I may serve Your Son as He would desire. Amen.
Read Revelation 12:1