The Rosary is a form of prayer used especially in the Catholic Church named for the string of knots or beads used to count the component prayers. The Rosary prayer focuses on the life of Christ from the Scriptures...it is partly a history lesson. To that end, the beads of the Rosary are divided into five decades (sections) and each decade represents an event from the life of Christ. These five events are grouped into a set of Mysteries, each with five events. The four Mysteries (Joyful, Sorrowful, Glorious, Luminous) focus on an important part of the life of Christ.
Looking for a special way to pray the Rosary? Try bringing a Living Rosary to your sport team. This beautiful prayer service takes some preparation and practice, but many find it makes for a powerful and prayerful tradition. A living rosary is when people are used to represent each bead of the rosary. Each person leads one prayer of the rosary. Gather your athletes (61 spots in all) to embody the Rosary. If you have fewer than 61 people, you may double-up duties.
Play Like a Champion has sports themed reflections based on the mysteries of the rosary. Consider praying either a single decade or an entire rosary with your team and reflecting on how God is speaking to you individually and as a team.
The LUMINOUS MYSTERIES of the Rosary:
These "Mysteries of light,” were added by Pope St. John Paul II and focus on the life and ministry of Jesus Christ. They are prayed on Thursdays throughout the year.
2. The Wedding Feast at Cana (John 2:1-11)
On the third day, a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there, and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. When the wine was gone, Jesus’ mother said to him, “They have no more wine.” “Woman, why do you involve me?” Jesus replied. “My hour has not yet come.” His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.”
Nearby stood six stone water jars, the kind used by the Jews for ceremonial washing, each holding from twenty to thirty gallons. Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water”; so they filled them to the brim. Then he told them, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet.” They did so, and the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine. He did not realize where it had come from, though the servants who had drawn the water knew. Then he called the bridegroom aside and said, “Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now.” What Jesus did here in Cana of Galilee was the first of the signs through which he revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him.
Reflection: How will you “reveal your Glory”? God, who endowed us with gifts and attributes to serve our teams and our communities in order to bring about His Kingdom, uniquely creates each of us. What distinctive gifts “reveal your glory” as an athlete playing for the greater glory of God?
