stursula.com 412.486.6700
October 2016
Saint U News
Volume 4, Bonus Issue 4
Continuing the Mission
The Rosary Series:
3937 Kirk Avenue + Allison Park + Pennsylvania + 15101
the
Luminous Mysteries
This issue of the Saint U News is the final installment of the Rosary Series, just in time for
October, the month of the rosary! The Luminous Mysteries presented in this issue are a relatively new addition,
introduced by St. Pope John Paul II in his 2002 Apostolic Letter, Rosarium Virginis Mariae. We commemorate
these Mysteries when praying the Rosary on Thursdays.
In addition to the Luminous Mysteries, this issue provides a little background on the Catholic Church’s newest
saint, St. Teresa of Calcutta, who was canonized on September 4, 2016.
18 year old Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu
St. Teresa of Calcutta
“Be faithful in small things because it is in them that your strength lies.”
“Every time you smile at someone, it is an action of love, a gift to that person, a beautiful thing.”
“Good works are links that form a chain of love.”
“I am a little pencil in the hand of a writing God who is sending a love letter to the world.”
“If you judge people, you have no time to love them.”
“Peace begins with a smile.”
“The hunger for love is much more difficult to remove than the hunger for bread.”
“We are all pencils in the hand of God.”
“We shall never know all the good that a simple smile can do.”
other Teresa of Calcutta was born Gonxha (Agnes) Bojaxhiu on
M
August 26, 1910 in Skopje, Yugoslavia. Agnes had an older sister, Aga,
and a brother, Lazar. When she was eight years old, her father, a
businessman, died under mysterious circumstances. Some believe he was
poisoned because of his political involvement in the Church. The Bojaxhiu
were devout Catholics and Agnes’ mother instilled in her a deep
commitment to charity.
Agnes left home in September 1928 for the Loreto Convent in Dublin,
Ireland where she was admitted as a postulant and received the name of
Teresa, after her patroness, St. Thérèse of Lisieux (The Little Flower).
She was never to see her mother again.
Shishu Bavan Sources: thecatholicthing.org/2016/07/13/motherteresasformativeyearsintheperiphery/, thecatholicthing.org/2016/07/13/motherteresasformativeyearsintheperiphery/
In January 1929 she was ordered to go to Calcutta, India. There, she
made her final profession on May 24, 1937 and thereafter was called
Mother Teresa. During the 1930s and 40s, she taught in Calcutta.
On September 10, 1946 Mother Teresa received what she termed the “call within a call,” which was to give rise to the Missionaries of
Charity family of Sisters, Brothers, Fathers and Co-Workers. The mission of her new institute was to labor at the salvation and
sanctification of the “poorest of the poor.” Throughout the years, Mother Teresa expanded her Missionaries of Charity to 139 countries.
After a summer of traveling to Rome, New York and Washington, in poor health, Mother Teresa returned to Calcutta in July 1997.
On September 5th, Mother Teresa died, at the age of 87, at the Motherhouse. She received a state funeral, with dignitaries from
many countries in attendance. Mother Teresa was canonized one day (September 4th) before the 19th anniversary of her death.
© 2016 St. Ursula Parish Communications Committee
The First Luminous Mystery: The Baptism in the Jordan
John (the Baptist) is baptizing in the river Jordan proclaiming a
baptism of repentance: I am the “voice of one crying out in the desert,
‘prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths’.” (Mt 3:1-3) “I am
baptizing you with water, for repentance, but the one who is coming after
me is mightier than I ... He will baptize you with the holy Spirit and fire.”
(Mt 3:11) “And a voice came from the heavens, saying, ‘This is my beloved Son,
with whom I am well pleased.’ ” (Mt 3:17)
Carl Heinrich Bloch (1876) Sermon on the Mount
The Second Luminous Mystery: The Wedding at Cana
Jesus, His Mother and disciples were invited to a wedding in Cana.
During the wedding feast the wine ran short. Mary turned to Jesus, saying,
“They have no wine.” Jesus replied, “Woman, how does your concern affect
me? My hour has not yet come.” Mary said to the waiters, “Do whatever
he tells you.” ( Jn 2:1-5)
Julius Schnorr von Carolsfeld (1819)
Francesco Trevisani [public domain]
Why the Luminous Mysteries?
St. Pope John Paul II explained that he added these Mysteries because he
believed “that to bring out fully the Christological depth of the Rosary it would be suitable to make an addition
to the traditional pattern which...could broaden it to include the mysteries of Christ’s public ministry between his
Baptism and his Passion.” And further, “It is during the years of his public ministry that the mystery of Christ is
most evidently a mystery of light: ‘While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.’( Jn 9:5).” 1
The Third Luminous Mystery: The Proclamation of the
Kingdom of God “This is the time of fulfillment. The kingdom of God is at hand.
Repent, and believe in the gospel.” (Mk 1:15) “My kingdom does not
belong to this world.” ( Jn 18:36) “Verily, verily I say unto thee, unless
a man be born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the Kingdom
of God.” ( Jn 3:5) “I have come to call sinners, not the just.” (Mk 5:32)
was praying his face changed in appearance and his clothing became dazzling
white.” (Lk 9:29) This was to fortify their faith to withstand the coming tragedy
of the Passion. Jesus foresaw the ‘scandal of the cross,’ and prepared them for it
by this manifestation of His glory.
Phillipe de Champaigne (1648)
The Fifth Luminous Mystery: The Institution of the Eucharist “He said to them, ‘I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you
before I suffer,’ ” (Lk 22:15) Jesus “took bread, said the blessing, broke it, and
gave it to them, and said, ‘Take it and eat; this is my body.’ ” Then he took a
cup, “This is my blood of the covenant, which will be shed for many.” (Mk 14:22-24)
“Jesus knew that his hour had come to pass from this world to the Father. He
loved his own in the world and he loved them to the end.” ( Jn 13:1)
Sources: (1) Pope John Paul II, Rosarium Virginis Mariae, §19, Libreria Editrice Vaticana, (2) Catechism of the Catholic Church (1992), (3) The Family
Rosary [Online] Available http://www.familyrosary.org/TheRosary/HowToPrayTheRosary/Mysteries%20of%20The%20Rosary.aspx, (4) New Advent
Catholic Encyclopedia [Online] Available http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/10662a.htm. (5) Catholic Online. [Online] Available https://www.catholic.
org/prayers/mystery.php?id=1#1, (6) Meditations on the Luminous Mysteries of the Rosary [Online] Available http://www.marystouch.org/More/LuminousMysteries.html October 31, 2014, (7) The Scriptural Rosary [Online] Available http://www.scripturalrosary.org.
© 2016 St. Ursula Parish Communications Committee
Carl Heinrich Bloch
The Fourth Luminous Mystery: The Transfiguration
Jesus took Peter, James and John up a high mountain to pray. “While he