"The 5 Resolutions of the Luminous Mysteries."

For almost 500 years, the Rosary has consisted of 15 mysteries. (Hopefully everyone here can name those traditional 15!) But this all changed on October 16, 2002, when our Holy Father, Pope John Paul II instituted 5 new ones—the "Luminous Mysteries" (or the "Mysteries of Light").

So this is the first New Year’s Day in almost 5 centuries when the world has new, officially-sanctioned mysteries of the Rosary. A rather distinctive moment in Christian history!

New Year’s Day, of course, is traditionally a time to make resolutions. Consequently, I have a proposal to make. I propose that our most serious resolutions for the coming year (in other words, the ones we work hardest at keeping) be resolutions that are rooted in these 5 new mysteries of the Rosary.

Let me explain what I mean.

The first luminous mystery is the Baptism of Jesus. That event, certainly, should remind us of our own baptism—of that moment when we received the Holy Spirit and became adopted children of God. But it also points to something else. The Baptism of Jesus (which we will celebrate a week from this Sunday) was the moment when our Lord’s public ministry began. For thirty years he had lived in seclusion, under the authority of Mary and Joseph; now he went forth (as he would later put it) "to serve and not to be served."

Resolution #1, therefore, is the resolution to serve our brothers and sisters. On that note, how much time do you devote to works of charity? (Not how much money do you give to charity, but rather how much of your precious, valuable time do you give? Time can be just as valuable as money, as we all know.) There are so many opportunities to serve others in the Church (the Legion of Mary, the St. Vincent de Paul Society, teaching CCD, singing in the choir, doing pro-life work, etc.), and there are so many opportunities to serve in the community at large—no one should have a problem fulfilling this resolution. And I especially want to challenge the young people in this regard. Aside from what you’re required to do, how much time to you give to charity? At least a tenth of the time you give to your favorite sport?

Our president has encouraged more "volunteerism" in our nation; I think he would heartily approve of this resolution.

The second luminous mystery is the Wedding at Cana. Thanks to Mary’s intercession, the wedding party was saved!

Now it’s not stated explicitly in the story, but Mary must have been a very close friend of the bride and groom—otherwise she wouldn’t have been at the celebration!

This brings us to resolution #2, which is the resolution to deepen our relationship with the Blessed Mother during the coming year (perhaps by saying the Rosary every day; perhaps by some other means). And of course, if we follow through on this resolution we will quite naturally draw closer to Jesus and become more committed to the Catholic Church (even in these days of crisis). Why? Because true devotion to Mary always leads us to Jesus! What Mary said to the stewards at Cana, she says to all of us: "Do whatever [Jesus] tells you!" And since Jesus speaks to us through his one, holy, Catholic and apostolic Church, keeping this resolution will ultimately make us better, more faithful Catholics.

The third luminous mystery is the Proclamation of the Kingdom, with an accent on the call to conversion. Do you remember how Jesus began to proclaim the Kingdom of God during his ministry? He began with these words: "This is the time of fulfillment. The Kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel." If Jesus is going to reign in our hearts and in our lives, we must continually repent of our sins. As sin goes out, the kingdom comes in (so to speak).

Resolution #3, therefore, is the resolution to examine our consciences well and often, and to go to Confession regularly (how about once a month or so?—just a suggestion!).

The fourth luminous mystery is the Transfiguration. We know the story: Jesus took Peter, James and John up Mount Tabor, and he revealed his glory to them by being transfigured before their eyes.

These men broke away from their daily routines to spend time with Jesus on the mountain, so that our Lord could strengthen them in faith.

We all need to do the very same thing periodically in our lives. This is why every priest is obliged to make a retreat once a year. The Church knows that a priest needs to get re-energized spiritually if he’s going to do the Lord’s work faithfully.

How many of us "break away" from our daily routines to make special time for God either by going on a retreat or a day of recollection? If we want to be strong in the "valleys of life," we need to "go up the mountain with Jesus" as these men did—at least once a year! This is why I tell teenagers who’ve already been to the Steubenville youth conference, "You need to go every year you can—or you need to do something comparable—or the fire of your faith might easily be extinguished by the world!"

So resolution #4 should be the resolution to make a retreat or at least a day of recollection this year—and every year thereafter. (And, praise God, those of us in Westerly don’t have to travel very far at all to fulfill this resolution! We’ve got a great retreat center less than 10 miles away on Enders Island.)

The final luminous mystery is the Eucharist. Need I say more? The new Catechism calls the Eucharist "the source and summit of the Christian life." The sacrament of the Body and Blood of Christ is to be at the very center of our spiritual lives as Catholics. Jesus said, "Unless you eat my flesh and drink my blood, you have no life in you."

Which brings us to resolution #5: to attend Mass more often (how about at least one day a week other than Sunday?). The second part of this resolution is to spend at least one hour per week in Eucharistic Adoration. If you’re already doing that, consider increasing it to two Holy Hours a week! Just think, you’ll get double the graces!

So there they are: what I would call "the 5 resolutions of the Luminous mysteries." To review them quickly: #1, to serve; #2, to draw closer to Mary, and to obey her Son who speaks through his Church; #3, to examine our consciences often and to go to Confession frequently; #4, to attend at least one retreat or day of recollection this year; and #5, to attend Mass more frequently, and to make at least one Holy Hour per week.

If, perchance, you forget any of them, just think back to the mysteries—that should help to trigger your memory. But if that doesn’t work, don’t worry, I plan to print them in the bulletin this coming Sunday!

Of course, knowing the resolutions is the easy part—carrying them out is the real challenge.