The John-Henry Westen Show - First Saturday： 15 minute mediation on the mysteries of the rosary

00:00:00.000 Hello and welcome to this special episode of the John Henry Weston Show, where I propose

00:00:04.100 to give you 15 minutes of meditation on the 15 mysteries of the Holy Rosary, because that's

00:00:09.160 what Our Lady demanded of us as she put forward to us in 1925 first, the practice of the first

00:00:15.860 Saturdays.

00:00:16.400 I would encourage you to do that devotion, but it includes 15 minutes of just meditation

00:00:20.880 on the mysteries of the Rosary, apart from saying the Rosary itself.

00:00:23.840 I couldn't find that online, so I wanted to offer you my 15-minute meditation.

00:00:29.000 So please stay tuned for that, and do me a favor, share it with your friends and family,

00:00:33.900 and I pray that it might be a help to some of you, especially to practice that devotion

00:00:38.260 on the first Saturday of every month.

00:00:59.000 Let's begin, as we always do, with the sign of the cross.

00:01:02.060 In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.

00:01:04.980 Amen.

00:01:05.760 Remember that the Blessed Virgin Mary was conceived without original sin in the womb of her mother,

00:01:10.640 Saint Anne.

00:01:11.640 From the first moment of her life, she was devoted to God.

00:01:15.260 Her intellect was not darkened from the effects of original sin, so she loved and adored the

00:01:20.120 Creator from her first moments.

00:01:22.000 She grew up praying for the coming of the promised Messiah.

00:01:24.940 Her love for God was greater than all the world together.

00:01:28.600 Her humility was like a shining beacon to the Almighty.

00:01:32.280 When the angel Gabriel came to visit her, he knelt, addressing her with the angelic salutation,

00:01:37.680 Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with thee.

00:01:40.420 She was startled by the angel's greeting, but when reassured that it was a divine request

00:01:45.740 since her promise of virginity would be intact, she responds with her fiat,

00:01:50.040 Behold the handmaid of the Lord, be it done to me according to thy word.

00:01:54.900 And the Holy Ghost descended upon her, and she conceived in her womb Jesus, the second 0.80

00:02:00.040 person of the Holy Trinity.

00:02:01.640 It was the Incarnation.

00:02:03.000 God became man.

00:02:04.200 She was the living tabernacle of the Most High, the Ark of the New Covenant.

00:02:09.400 But rather than pay attention to herself, Our Lady, still a young girl of no more than

00:02:13.360 sixteen, set out to visit her elderly cousin Elizabeth, who was thought to be barren.

00:02:18.120 St. Gabriel, during the Annunciation, informed Mary that Elizabeth was pregnant and in her

00:02:23.640 third month.

00:02:24.480 So Mary, bearing the Christ child in her womb, traveled to the hill country of Judea to visit

00:02:29.440 Elizabeth.

00:02:30.560 When she heard Mary's greeting, Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost, and despite

00:02:35.060 being Mary's superior by age, she recognized in her young cousin, the Theotokos, the God-bearer,

00:02:42.260 and said, Who am I that the mother of my Lord should come to me?

00:02:46.860 Elizabeth testified to Mary that at the child in her womb leapt as the sound of Mary's greeting

00:02:54.540 reached her.

00:02:56.000 The as-yet-unborn St. John the Baptist recognized the presence of the unborn Christ present in

00:03:01.220 the living tabernacle of his aunt, the Blessed Virgin Mary.

00:03:04.160 Mary responded with her Magnificat, saying, My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices

00:03:11.060 in God my Saviour, for he has regarded the humility of his handmaid.

00:03:15.220 For behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed, for the Mighty One has

00:03:19.960 done great things to me.

00:03:22.620 Mary remained there to help her cousin until the birth of the Baptist, after which she went

00:03:27.380 home.

00:03:27.640 And there Joseph was confronted with the knowledge of Mary's pregnancy, and suffered, thinking

00:03:33.180 at first to call off their marriage.

00:03:35.080 But after being reassured by the angel of the Lord, he took her as his wife, knowing that

00:03:40.600 the child to be born of her was of the Holy Spirit, and that she was to remain a virgin

00:03:46.280 forever.

00:03:47.480 He became the foster father of our Lord, and the head of the Holy Family.

00:03:51.460 They were then required by the emperor's decree to go to the city of Bethlehem for the census,

00:03:58.640 and made the journey despite Our Lady's advanced pregnancy.

00:04:02.580 When they arrived, they could find no place in an inn for the birth of the Messiah.

00:04:07.080 They were grateful even to be allowed to make use of a stable where the King of Kings would

00:04:12.180 be born.

00:04:13.600 Joseph cleaned that stable to prepare for his coming.

00:04:16.980 Meanwhile, shepherds in the fields nearby were told by angels of the birth of the Savior,

00:04:21.460 and went to find him, given the sign that he was to be found lying in a manger, a feeding

00:04:27.440 trough, where would be found the bread of heaven.

00:04:30.980 They adored him, faces to the ground, in an act of adoration, recognizing in a tiny baby,

00:04:36.940 God Almighty, the Messiah, the Holy One of Israel.

00:04:40.660 And when he was only eight days old, Mary and Joseph took the baby Jesus to present him

00:04:45.540 in the temple, where he would be circumcised.

00:04:48.300 And there, Simeon, who was really, really ancient, would recognize the child as the promised

00:04:54.060 Messiah, and utter that promise of the Lord that he would not die before he would see the

00:04:58.920 Messiah had come to pass, and that the Lord might now dismiss his servant in peace, since

00:05:04.720 his eyes had beheld the Lord's salvation.

00:05:07.660 Simeon would also prophesy that the child would be for the rise and fall of many in Israel, 0.74

00:05:14.120 and that a sword would pierce the heart of Mary his mother, that the thoughts of many

00:05:18.540 hearts might be revealed.

00:05:20.480 Anna the prophetess also recognized him in the temple and spread the news of his being

00:05:25.260 the Messiah.

00:05:26.760 From there, the Holy Family returned to Nazareth. 0.88

00:05:29.100 And what glory and joy must have filled those days for Joseph and Mary, as they held in their

00:05:34.220 arms the baby king of the universe, and even Gentiles, the wise men from the east, visit

00:05:39.500 with gifts.

00:05:40.960 But their joy was to be mingled with pain.

00:05:44.120 The angel warned St. Joseph to flee with the mother and child to Egypt because of King Herod's

00:05:50.640 attempt to kill him.

00:05:52.080 And the Holy Family lived in exile in Egypt, knowing of the massacre of the holy innocents.

00:05:56.980 But they would travel every year to the temple in Jerusalem.

00:06:02.200 And when his parents took him, when he was 12 years old, to the temple, but having reached

00:06:07.200 the age where he would be able to travel with the men rather than with the women, as did

00:06:11.880 young children, Jesus was left behind accidentally.

00:06:15.320 The sorrow of Joseph and Mary in searching for him for days was alleviated at their finding

00:06:20.860 him in the temple, asking the learned men of the temple questions which astounded those

00:06:25.980 wise men and taught them.

00:06:28.760 After this, Jesus went home with them to Nazareth and was a good, holy, and obedient child.

00:06:34.820 Oh, the joy of that household!

00:06:36.900 A joy, though tinged with suffering, because St. Joseph would die.

00:06:41.860 Of course, a happy and holy death between Jesus and Mary, but definitely for Jesus and 0.93

00:06:46.560 Mary, tinged with suffering.

00:06:48.160 At 30 years old, Jesus would begin his public ministry, going for baptism to his cousin John

00:06:55.020 the Baptist, and from there to fasting in the desert, choosing his apostles and preaching

00:06:59.540 and teaching and performing miracles, slowly revealing himself to Israel as the Messiah.

00:07:05.340 After three years, he would have the Last Supper with his apostles, establishing the Blessed Sacrament,

00:07:10.440 and directly after that, enter the Garden of Gethsemane, where he commenced his agony.

00:07:16.500 He begged his apostles to pray with him, but they fell asleep.

00:07:20.240 Let us at least now keep him company as he sweats blood in the garden, alone, before one of

00:07:26.140 his own beloved apostles comes to betray him with a kiss.

00:07:29.680 Judas comes with the temple guards, and Jesus asks them whom they are seeking, and when they

00:07:34.800 reply Jesus of Nazareth, he responds, I am he, and they all fall down.

00:07:41.960 Jesus performs this miracle even in the midst of his capture, demonstrating his power so

00:07:46.720 that we might know that he surrendered himself of his own free will.

00:07:52.820 When the apostle Peter draws his sword and strikes at the servant of the high priest, cutting

00:07:57.280 off his ear, Jesus heals Malchus' ear and is taken away by the guards as all his apostles 0.96

00:08:03.860 run away, one of them in such a fright that he runs away, leaving his clothing behind as

00:08:08.540 a guard has grabbed his outer garment.

00:08:12.320 Jesus is brought bound before the governor Pilate, and he questions him, but finds no fault 0.82

00:08:17.800 in him whatsoever.

00:08:18.780 But the Jews demand his death, and Pilate thinks to have him scourged so as to set him free without 0.99

00:08:24.560 having to kill him. 0.98

00:08:26.180 And he is scourged brutally. 0.99

00:08:29.120 By his stripes we are healed.

00:08:31.500 As Isaiah prophesied,

00:08:34.680 After this savage scourging, he is mocked and crowned with thorns by the soldiers who

00:08:40.040 spit in his face and beat him on his thorn-crowned head with a reed driving those thorns into his 1.00

00:08:45.860 skull. 0.99

00:08:47.040 The man of sorrows is brought back to Pilate, and Pilate resolves to release him, but the

00:08:52.480 Jews threaten to denounce Pilate to Caesar. 1.00

00:08:54.840 And Pilate then washes his hands of the matter before them all and hands Jesus over to be 0.81

00:09:01.220 crucified.

00:09:02.800 Jesus takes up his cross himself, despite his mortal injuries, but is nonetheless beaten

00:09:08.180 as he makes his way to the top of Calvary, shouldering the heavy burden of our sins.

00:09:15.380 His meeting with his Holy Mother on the way of the cross reminds us that she will be there

00:09:20.040 for us too as we carry our crosses.

00:09:22.920 So that he would not die on the way, soldiers ask Simon of Cyrene to carry the cross after

00:09:28.420 him.

00:09:29.200 May we, like Simon, grow to love to take up our crosses and follow him.

00:09:33.700 In the midst of his unspeakable suffering, he comforts the women who are bewailing him,

00:09:39.220 telling them not to cry for him, but to cry for themselves and for their children.

00:09:44.260 Arriving at the top of Calgary, called Golgotha, Jesus is nailed to the cross.

00:09:48.560 Heavy nails are driven into his hands and feet, and the cross is mounted where he is to hang

00:09:55.120 for three hours as he suffocates for love of us, and to open the gates of heaven, closed

00:10:01.260 to us sinners.

00:10:02.780 He shows us the example of forgiveness as he begs the Father for the salvation of his very

00:10:07.860 tormentors.

00:10:09.400 He offers one of the thieves who were crucified beside him salvation, as Dismas begs him,

00:10:15.280 remember me when you come into your kingdom.

00:10:18.560 He says, this day you will be with me in paradise.

00:10:23.360 And before giving up his spirit to the Father, Jesus gives us one last great gift, giving us

00:10:28.940 his mother for ours.

00:10:30.920 Son, behold your mother.

00:10:33.080 Mother, behold your son.

00:10:35.840 With St. John, let us from this hour take Mary into our homes.

00:10:39.600 Then Jesus dies.

00:10:42.880 Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit.

00:10:47.520 There is an immense earthquake.

00:10:49.340 The veil of the temple is torn in two.

00:10:51.440 Bodies rise from the graves, and pandemonium strikes.

00:10:56.100 Later Jesus' body is taken down from the cross and laid in a tomb.

00:11:00.740 It is sealed tight, and the Jews demand a retinue of soldiers to guard it, assuming that his followers 1.00

00:11:06.020 may steal away his body.

00:11:07.140 As Easter Sunday dawns, the Christ rises from the dead.

00:11:12.300 The angels roll back the stone, protecting the tomb, and the soldiers lie there like dead men.

00:11:17.780 He appears to his mother, to Mary Magdalene.

00:11:20.920 But the apostles do not believe it, even when they see the empty tomb.

00:11:25.560 But Jesus finally appears to them, chiding them for their unbelief.

00:11:29.820 And since Thomas was not there on that first appearance in the upper room, and remained

00:11:34.220 incredulous, Jesus appears again, telling Thomas to put his fingers into his wounds.

00:11:39.180 And Thomas falls to his knees, exclaiming,

00:11:42.020 My Lord and my God, just as we do when we see our Lord elevated in the Holy Eucharist.

00:11:48.940 Jesus gives them the power of forgiving sins and confession.

00:11:52.220 He eats with them to prove his reality.

00:11:54.380 He appears even to 500 people at one time.

00:11:57.000 He consoles and strengthens and teaches them to get them ready to continue his church.

00:12:03.880 Forty days after his resurrection, Jesus tells the apostles to meet him on the Mount of Olives,

00:12:09.180 where he gives them the Great Commission, telling them to go into all the world and make disciples

00:12:14.200 of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

00:12:20.060 And while he is still speaking, he ascends into heaven, and they look up until a cloud obscures

00:12:26.560 him from sight.

00:12:28.200 He now sits at the right hand of God, from where he will come to judge the living and the dead.

00:12:35.000 Meanwhile, the apostles remain afraid.

00:12:37.440 They gather with Our Lady in the upper room, where they had this last supper, to pray.

00:12:42.460 And they pray fervently for nine days with Our Lady.

00:12:45.780 It is the first novena, and then comes the Holy Spirit.

00:12:49.120 The Holy Spirit descends down on each of them, and they are filled with the Holy Spirit.

00:12:55.180 Fear is cast out, and they begin to proclaim the wondrous works of God.

00:12:59.080 They go out to the assembled people who had heard the great noise, and Peter proclaims

00:13:03.840 the truth of Christ crucified, and his resurrection, and his proclamation is supported by the miracle

00:13:09.200 of his speaking, so that all men from different lands could understand him in their own languages.

00:13:15.760 And that day, three thousand are baptized.

00:13:19.120 This launch of the Church continues, but even here, this glorious time, it is the sting

00:13:26.480 of hardship, and even martyrdom, as the Church faces persecution, with the first martyrdom

00:13:32.460 of St. Stephen, and more and more to come.

00:13:35.920 Years later, the Mother of God is to go to her eternal rest, to her true home, to the everlasting

00:13:42.340 loving embrace of her Son.

00:13:43.620 She is assumed into heaven by angels, and while the home of St. John is without her physical

00:13:49.620 presence, and I am sure his heart broke, the truth is that she was then able to be, for

00:13:55.960 all of us, the Advocate with her Son.

00:13:59.560 Show thyself a Mother.

00:14:01.680 May the Word Divine, born for us thy infant, hear our prayers through thine.

00:14:06.700 And finally, we see, in her assumption and coronation, our own final destiny.

00:14:14.280 Our bodies, too, at the last day, will rise from the dead and join our souls in everlasting

00:14:19.660 glory, should we stay true to the love of Jesus.

00:14:23.400 The King of Kings crowns His Holy Mother, the Queen of Heaven and Earth, of men and angels,

00:14:29.700 of patriarchs and prophets, of apostles and martyrs.

00:14:32.680 I am all thine, my dear mistress, with all that I have.

00:14:37.780 I take thee for my all.

00:14:40.080 Please give me thy heart, O Mary.

00:14:44.860 For LifeSite News, this is John Henry Weston, and may God bless you.

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The John-Henry Westen Show - March 31, 2021

First Saturday： 15 minute mediation on the mysteries of the rosary

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