5 Reasons Why It's Now Absolutely Absurd To Ignore The Luminous Mysteries

The mysteries of the rosary cover the life of Our Lord's birth, death, and Resurrection. In 2002, Pope John Paul II Great added the 5 Luminous Mysteries to the Most Holy Rosary. After all, it only made sense that while meditating on the life of Christ, you meditate on the gigantic part in the middle where Jesus, you know, actually lived.

With the humility of His birth we learn about God's grace and the extraordinary lengths that he will go through to accomplish the salvation of man. His death and Resurrection are the fulfillment of this accomplishment!

Despite this, some insist that the originals were enough. And I felt, for the longest time, that while it didn't make sense to me, their prayer preferences were their own business. Personally, the Glorious are my favorite! But the fact is we are in trouble in a myriad of ways and the Luminous Mysteries have much that we need.

Even if you pray the Rosary, and the Luminous Mysteries occasionally, there are some compelling reasons why you shouldn't skip Thursday!

1. Our Current Crisis of Faith: 

Fearfully, Awkwardly Avoiding the Gay: My Experience With SSA

What were your early impressions of the word "Gay?"

At a young age, I suppose I didn't understand it. I was a bookworm and a recluse, preferring my family, social only in so far as I was dragged by sibling into street hockey and kickball at first, and then later social among only extremely comfortable friends. As a home-schooler, I was outside of mainstream school culture, and understood words not by their slang meanings, but dictionary definitions. Gay was very much still slang when my generation was growing up, so as a non-insider, I'd hear the word 'gay' and assume it meant "merry."

My first introduction to another possible definition was on the basketball courts near my home. My older brothers' friends constantly teased me, as part-and-parcel of their duty and loyalty to my elder bros. Something which I accepted in stride (while pugnaciously fighting it back.) Smack talk was passed back and forth as much as the basketball, and amidst it, someone called me "gay," asking if I was a "lesbian."

Finally Letting Go of Grudges: Our Bitterness Hurts Us, Too.

There aren't many things to talk about at work for me, as I'm finding I don't have a whole lot in common with my co-workers. Mostly, talk about high school, smoking, and PlayStation and Xbox, when I'm more of an "oh-my-Lord, thank you for giving me lungs" and "oh look, Nintendo!" kinda gal. So when a topic floats up that I can relate to, like bizarre customer behavior, I go all in. But their attitudes were little different than mine.

I don't need to talk; my finger tells you I'm angry

Empty Cup

an original poem by Helena Noel Long has the romance of the night Out-bloomed the morning rose, And kiss that midst of Winter warmed Has hearts, in Summer, froze. This, 'cause light of lover's heart Is easy to behold When Nature sings out dirges of The truth of dark and cold.

To Glimpse our King

an original poem by Helena Noel

Thy steadily rocking arms with sleeping child,
Thy peaceful contemplation of His face,

Reflecting Thee

 An original poem by Helena Noel

O burnish now the silver of my soul

And scour it with Thine everlasting Love!