"And it came to pass whilst He blessed them, that He departed from them and was carried up into heaven." - Luke 24:51
As we recite this second decade of the Glorious Mysteries let us strive to picture that scene on the hill of Bethania. Jesus instructs and commissions His Apostles and disciples to go into the whole world as witnesses of His words and works; and He promises them that He will be with them through all time even to the consummation of the world. He who by His passion and death redeemed the world and by His resurrection proved Himself to be God, now blesses His faithful followers, and while blessing them, ascends - before their very eyes - to heaven. And is Mary to accompany Him? No! A new sacrifice is asked of her, the sacrifice of fifteen years of separation from Her Divine Son; that she may remain to guide and direct by her example and prayer the Infant Church.
And now the friends of Jesus come
With wistful yearning eyes,
To gaze on their dear Savior's form
Ascending to the skies.
He mounts in robes of light arrayed;
And Mary stands behind
For fifteen years to teach them all
That upward path to find.
Friday - The Sorrowful Mysteries
Saint Michael, Archangel, defend us in battle. Be our defense against the wickedness and snares of the devil. May God rebuke him, we humbly pray. And you, Prince of the heavenly host, by the power of God, thrust into Hell Satan and the other evil spirits who prowl the world for the ruin of souls. Amen. – Pope Leo XIII
To thee, O blessed Joseph, do we come in our tribulation, and having implored the help of thy most holy Spouse, we confidently invoke thy patronage also. Through that charity which bound thee to the immaculate Virgin Mother of God and through the paternal love with which thou embraced the Child Jesus, we humbly beg thee to graciously regard the inheritance which Jesus Christ has purchased by his Blood, and with thy power and strength to aid us in our necessities. O most watchful Guardian of the Holy Family, defend the chosen children of Jesus Christ; O most loving father, ward off from us every contagion of error and corrupting influence; O our most mighty protector, be propitious to us and from heaven assist us in our struggle with the power of darkness; and, as once thou rescued the Child Jesus from deadly peril, so now protect God’s Holy Church from the snares of the enemy and from all adversity; shield, too, each one of us by thy constant protection, so that, supported by thy example and thy aid, we may be able to live piously, to die holy, and to obtain eternal happiness in heaven. Amen.
- text taken from The Rosary Devotions for Every Day by Father Mark J Smith, SJ, International Catholic Truth Society, 1924; audio is from Rosary Army