30th Sunday of Ordinary Time
All the Children, the Youth and all the individual Family Members of the Parish of Epiphany of the Lord
Celebrating the Gospel of Life: The Mysteries of Light (Mysteria Luminosa)
In proposing to the Christian community five significant moments –
Luminous Mysteries – during this phase of Christs life, I [Saint John
Paul II] think that the following can be fittingly singled out: (1) Jesus’
Baptism in the river Jordan, [Matthew 3:13-17], (2) Jesus’ self-
manifestation at the wedding feast of Cana [John 2:1-11], (3) Jesus’
proclamation of the Kingdom of God, with his call to conversion,
[Mark 2:3-12], (4) Jesus’ Transfiguration [Matthew 17 1-9], and finally,
(5) Jesus’ institution of the Eucharist, as the sacramental expression
of the Paschal Mystery [1 Corinthians 11: 23-29].
(Saint John Paul II, Rosarium Virginis Mariae, Paragraph 21.)
The Luminous Mysteries, often referred to as the Mysteries of Light, capture some incredible moments filled with Jesus’ divinity and the Gospel of Life. 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! These mysteries are prayed on Thursdays.
Moving on from the infancy and the hidden life in Nazareth to the public life of Jesus, our contemplation brings us to those mysteries which may be called in a special way Mysteries of Light. Each of these mys-teries is a revelation of the Kingdom now present in the very person of Jesus. Certainly, the whole mys-tery of Christ is a mystery of light and life: For He is the light and the author life 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.
The Baptism in the Jordan is first of all a Mystery of Light. Here, as Christ descends into the waters, the innocent one who became sin for our sake (2 Corinthians 5:21), the heavens open wide and the voice of the Father declares him the beloved Son (Mathew 3:17), while the Spirit descends on him to invest him with the mission which he is to carry out. In praying this decades, we are reminded that all baptized Christians will be open to the Holy Spirit and bear witness to the sanctity of life.
Another Mystery of Light is the first of the signs, given at Cana (John 2:1- 12), when Christ changes water into wine and opens the hearts of the disciples to faith, thanks to the intervention of Mary, the first among believers. In meditating on this mystery, we pray for all husbands and wives, that they treasure the priceless gift of married love by generously accepting children through procreation and adoption.
Another Mystery of Light is the preaching by which Jesus proclaims the coming of the Kingdom of God, calls to conversion (Mark 1:15) and forgives the sins of all who draw near to him in humble trust (Mark 2:3-13): the inauguration of that ministry of mercy which he continues to exercise until the end of the world, particularly through the Sacrament of Reconciliation which he has entrusted to his Church (John 20:22-23). This decade reminds that those who pray and work for greater respect for human life will be guided by the Beatitudes and reveal the face of Christ to others.
The Mystery of Light par excellence is the Transfiguration, traditionally believed to have taken place on Mount Tabor. The glory of the Godhead shines forth from the face of Christ as the Father commands the astonished Apostles to listen to him (Luke 9:35) and to prepare to experience with him the agony of the Passion, so as to come with him to the joy of the Resurrection and a life transfigured by the Holy Spirit. This decade enables us to rest assured that our world will be transfigured by the witness of faithful Christians so that all may understand the priceless value of every human being. A final Mystery of Light is the institution of the Eucharist, in which Christ offers his body and blood as food under the signs of bread and wine, and testifies to the end his love for humanity (John 13:1), for whose salvation he will offer himself in sacrifice. This concluding decade offers us a creative hope that through our worthy reception of the Eucharist and frequent Eucharistic Adoration, Jesus will teach us to love sacrificially the least and the neediest in the Parish of the Epiphany of the Lord.
We wish you a meaningful and fruitful reflection and mediations on the Mysteries of Light. Let us celebrate the Gospel of life of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Fraternally Yours,
Fr. John Peter Lazaar SAC & Fr. Clement Sahaya Anand SAC