A Rosary for Marriages
Reflections on the Luminous Mysteries,
inspired by Pope John Paul II’s Theology of the Body
By By Nancy L. Hilker

The Holy Father summons the faithful to take up the weapon of the rosary to defend families from the triple threat of the world, human weakness and the plans of the Evil One. The family, the Holy Father writes, is “increasingly menaced by forces of disintegration.” The Luminous mysteries, prayed in response to the crisis of the family, are powerful in renewing marriages. This series of prayers offers meditations on the graces needed for the cycles of growth in the marriage relationship.

Opening Prayer:
Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and enkindle in them the fire of your love. Send forth your Spirit, and they shall be created, and you shall renew the face of the earth. Lord, your people are suffering the pain of disharmony in marriage, disunity in the family and the disaster of divorce. Come with your Spirit to renew our love for one another and heal our lives. Jesus, grant that we may experience an outpouring of the grace for happy, holy marriages and family life.

Apostle’s Creed
Our Father

Prayer: Lord, forgive me for all my thoughts words, and actions, that destroy unity, just as I forgive my spouse. Lord, keep us far from distrust, anger, envy, lust, addiction, infidelity, greed, jealousy, bitterness, selfishness, despair and all evils that threaten our marriage covenant.

Three Hail Mary’s for an increase in:
Faith – in you, Lord, and in your work in my heart and in my marriage
Hope – in you and in your promise, as we begin today, to “make all things new”
Love – for you and for unconditional unwavering love for my spouse

The First Luminous Mystery
The Baptism in the Jordan: A Time of Beginning

“And was Jesus 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.’” (Matt 3:16-17)

“Husbands love your wives, just as Christ loved the Church, and gave Himself up for her, to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the Word, and to present her to Himself without stain or wrinkle, or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. Each one of you must love his wife as he loves himself and the wife must respect her husband.” (Eph 5:25-27, 33)

Prayer for the graces to fulfill our vocation:
Jesus, in your baptism, you were given anew the gift of the Holy Spirit, which is yours from all eternity. By this gift of the Father, you were entrusted with the mission of loving your Bride, giving yourself for her, washing her with your word to make her beautiful. We thank you Lord for the holy sacrament of matrimony, the sign of your union with your Bride the Church. Thank you for the gift of a spouse- for the wonderful bonding that occurs between a husband and wife so that we are able to make a mutual gift of ourselves to each other. Thank you for the newness of love, for the discovery of a person with whom we share a beautiful complementarity, someone to whom we entrust ourselves.

“I am my beloved’s and he is mine.” (Songs 2:16) Thank you for the gift of masculinity and femininity. Help us to appreciate our differences and affirm and welcome the other. Help us always to remember and relive the wonder of new love. Give us the grace to begin again, to renew our commitment to rekindle our love, to believe in the power of love. Help us to recognize the voice of your beloved Son and listen to Him.

Our Father, 10 Hail Marys, Glory Be

The Second Luminous Mystery
The Wedding Feast at Cana: A Time of Disillusionment

“When the wine was gone, Jesus’ mother said to him, ‘They have no more wine.’ He mother said to the servants, ‘Do whatever he tells you.’ Jesus said to them, ‘Fill the jars with water,’ and they filled them up to the brim.” (John 2:3,5,7)

Prayer for the grace of perseverance:
Lord, we have no more wine! Our hearts are dry, and we need to be refilled with your grace. Our lives are too busy, too crowded, and too distracted to pay enough attention to the things that are truly important. We have taken each other for granted; we are annoyed, irritated and petty. We fail to be thankful, we have trouble controlling our tempers and resentment has built up. We do not see clearly, we are stressed and we do not love each other, as we should. Where has the joy gone? Where is the delight in one another? We are burdened with duties, responsibilities, and we have forgotten how to laugh. We need the new wine of your Holy Spirit to refresh our love and restore our passion. Give us the humility to approach the sacrament of reconciliation. We ask you to show us what we must do, and we ask for the grace, as Mary says, to “do whatever He tells you.”

Our Father, 10 Hail Marys, Glory Be

The Third Luminous Mystery
Proclamation of the Gospel and the Call to Conversion: A Time to Change

“Jesus went into Galilee proclaiming the good news of God, ‘The time has come,’ He said, ‘the Kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!’” (Mark 1:14-15)

Prayer for the conversion of heart:
Lord, thank you for the blessing of being able to see my own sin, to recognize when I am whining, when my tone is complaining or overly critical. Lord, let me speak with wisdom and build my house, not be foolish and with my own hands tear it down. I want to change; I repent of my self-righteousness, my pride and my anger. I need your grace even to desire to repent, to let go of my issues, my agenda, and my list of all the changes my spouse needs to make. I hear your call to conversion; please remove the obstacles in my heart. Help me not to blame my spouse, help me to be the first to change. Give me new eyes, Lord. I want to see my love in a new way. Help me see my spouse’s strengths, qualities, and help me appreciate all the little things. Let me speak with tenderness. Help me to take one day at a time, and keep returning to you to obtain the grace I need.

Our Father, 10 Hail Marys, Glory Be

The Fourth Luminous Mystery
The Transfiguration: A Time for Transformation

“And as he was praying, the appearance of His face changed, and His clothes became as bright as a flash of lightning. Peter said to Him, ‘Master, it is good for us to be here’ … A voice came from the clouds saying, ‘This is my Son, whom I have chosen, listen to Him.’” (Luke 9: 29,33,35)

Prayer of gratitude:
Lord,“It is good for us to be here.” You have transformed us. We accept each other; we do not hold unrealistic expectations for each other. We forgive each other more quickly and more easily. We are able to listen to each other in a deeper way. The competition is over and seems ridiculous. We can laugh again. We have hope again. We can enjoy each other in a new way. Our love is deeper, more mature, we have softened. We appreciate our differences. Our marriage has been transformed by your love. We have been filled with your light. “The love of God has been poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit.” (Rom 5:5) Thank you for your work in us.

Our Father, 10 Hail Marys, Glory Be

The Fifth Luminous Mystery
The Institution of the Eucharist: A Time for Full Communion

“And He took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, ‘This is my body, given for you, do this in remembrance of me.’ In the same way, after supper, He took the cup saying, ‘This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.’” (Luke 22:19-20)

“Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices holy and pleasing to God-this is your spiritual act of worship.” (Rom 12:1)

Prayer for holiness, unity and fruitfulness in Christ:
Lord, you emptied yourself. You gave up your glory and took the form of a slave, being born in human likeness. You humbled yourself and became obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross, all for love. Out of love you said, “This is my Body, this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many, for the forgiveness of sins.” (Matt 26:28) True communion of persons is impossible without the emptying of self. I cannot love my spouse if I am full of my self-importance, seeking my own way and centered on my own needs. Help me to be of one mind with my spouse, to have the same love, to be in full accord, doing nothing from selfish ambition or conceit. Grant me the humility to regard the needs of my spouse as more important than my own, and to look to the interests of my spouse first. The Eucharist is the pure gift of yourself to me. Let me receive you with gratitude, and be transformed into a pure gift for my spouse. Give me the courage to trust that self-giving is the way to happiness.

Lord, Thank you for the gift of new life. Help us to put our marriage at the service of life in our own families and in the world. Let our unity be strong so we can be a light and a refuge for others. Help us to be generous in accepting the sacrifice of our lives for the sake of new life.

Our Father, 10 Hail Marys, Glory Be