Joyful Mary

So a few weeks ago, I was saying a rosary, meditating on the joyful mysteries, when a thought popped into my head. Man. Some of these joyful mysteries don't seem so joyful.

Now, this rosary was not the first rosary I've ever said, nor was it the first time I meditated on the joyful mysteries. But I couldn't help but realize that some of the joyful mysteries overlap with the Seven Sorrows of Mary. I know that I am probably not the first person in the world to notice this overlap, but I was just surprised that it took me so long to REALLY think about what the joyful mysteries meant. When Joseph and Mary took Jesus to be presented at the temple, isn't that when Simeon told Mary that a sword would pierce her heart (referring to Christ's Passion)? All that Mary had to endure as a mother before her son was even born was exhausting, and now she had to hear about her pierced heart. What courage! And then some odd years later, LOSING your ONLY son who happened to be the Savior of the world...man! I mean, she and Joseph probably had to schlep all around Nazareth and who knows where else searching for Him, having no idea where to look. Just think of how difficult it would have been to find someone back then, with only word of mouth and your eyes to guide you. Yet, this, too, is part of the Joyful Mysteries. This is what really made me start to think. Obviously those responsible for compiling the different mysteries knew what they were doing. So, what can I derive from these mysteries, so sorrowful for Mary, being part of the Joyful Mysteries of the Rosary.

A few thoughts: First off, the Rosary is a way to meditate on Jesus' life--both of which these mysteries ARE joyful. Being presented at the temple fulfilled Simeon's patient heart completely (see canticle of Simeon!) In addition to fulfilling His role as a faithful Jew. Also, the fifth mystery is the "FINDING of the boy Jesus in the temple", not the "frantic search of Joseph and Mary all over creation looking for lost Jesus." Plus, my personal favorite, Jesus' response to his worry stricken parents was that He was in His Father's house--His rightful place. They found Him exactly where He was supposed to be. There is a lot of comfort for me in that simplicity. I guess in all of this wondering, I basically just realized how complicated life was for the Holy Family, and people in general in Jesus' time. I mean, they were people, just like me, and they had these feelings, just like me, and life was not static, but complicated, multi-faceted, and evocative. Each mystery of the rosary isn't just a scene frozen in time, but something that happened that effected many people, in many different ways, and continues to do so some 2,000 years later.

And as for our Lady's sorrows overlapping with joy, well, I think that just speaks even more of her holiness. I'm sure that even through the sorrow, she saw it as a way to be joyful in entrusting herself completely to God's will, giving her annunciation "yes" over and over again.

These are just some of my thoughts. I'm sure there are many people who have thought them before, but it was the first time for me. So I just figured I would share.