Until 2002 there were only three sets of reflections of the Rosary. The Joyful Mysteries prayed on Mondays, Thursdays, and Saturdays; the Sorrowful Mysteries prayed on Tuesdays and Fridays; and the Glorious Mysteries prayed on Wednesdays and Sundays. In the year 2002, Saint Pope John Paul II added the Luminous Mysteries to be prayed on Thursday with the promulgation of the Apostolic Letter, The Rosary of the Virgin Mary (Rosarium Virginia Mariae).
The mysteries are meditations given to us to centered upon experiences from the life of Christ to aid the people of God in our prayer. The Joyful Mysteries remind us of the annunciation of Jesus’ conception, Mary’s visitation to Elizabeth, the Birth of Christ, His presentation in the temple, and the His being found teaching in the temple. While the Sorrowful Mysteries point us toward the more tragic experiences of Jesus’ life: His agony in the garden, the scourging at the pillar, the crowning with thorns, carrying the Cross, and his ultimate crucifixion and death. The Glorious Mysteries were reminders of the ways Christ manifested the Glory of God on earth through reflections on the Resurrection, His Ascension, the Descent of the Holy Spirit, Mary’s assumption into Heaven, and her coronation as the Virgin Queen.
In his reasoning to add the Luminous Mysteries, Saint Pope John Paul II stated, “Of the many mysteries of Christ's life, only a few are indicated by the Rosary in the form that has become generally established with the seal of the Church's approval. The selection was determined by the origin of the prayer, which was based on the number 150, the number of the Psalms in the Psalter. I believe, however, that to bring out fully the Christological depth of the Rosary it would be suitable to make an addition to the traditional pattern which, while left to the freedom of individuals and communities, could broaden it to include the mysteries of Christ's public ministry between his Baptism and his Passion.” (Rosarium, 19) Thus, the Luminous Mysteries reflect on Jesus’ Baptism in the Jordan River by John, His first miracle at the Wedding at Cana, the proclamation of the Kingdom of God, the Transfiguration, and the Institution of the Eucharist.
Some may be surprised to learn that while the Rosary is dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary, the meditations offered to individuals and groups for prayer always point us back to Christ. The Rosary then is a reminder to us of the adage, Ad Jesum Per Mariam, to Jesus through Mary. Like any good and devoted son we know that Jesus can never despise the requests of His mother thus we pray and ask Our Lady to hear our prayers and intercede for each of us at her son’s throne of grace.