What the Church Needs Now are Steady Servants
Praying the Mysteries of Hope
Photo By: Flickr/Lawrence OP
This past spring, I attended a one day Secular Franciscan retreat locally and they gave us the "Mysteries of Hope," which are intended for private devotion with the Rosary to strengthen our hope by meditating on Jesus' words and deeds.
The Mysteries of Hope were written by Deacon Jerry Patterson and published in The Spirit of Medjugorje.
Lately, I've been praying these Mysteries of Hope on Saturdays, and I notice the more I pray them, the more graces of hope keep coming into my life. Hope is more frequently coming to mind, and God is prompting me to focus more on hope and what gives me hope.
I wanted to share them with others since they have begun to have a meaningful impact on my faith life and giving me hope in despair. The mysteries are:
- Jesus feeds 5,000 (Matthew 14:16-21) > Hope for Provision
- Jesus calls Peter to walk on the water (Matthew 14: 16-21)> Hope for Help
- Jesus restores Bartimaeus' sight (Mark 10: 51-52) > Hope for Healing
- Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead (John 11: 21-23; 25-26) > Hope for Heaven
- Jesus welcomes the Good Thief into His kingdom (Luke 23: 42-43) > Hope for Mercy
I pray that these mysteries bear the fruit of hope in your life, like they have for me, especially if you are in a season of despair or discouragement. May God instill in you new hope by meditating on all the ways that Jesus has provided for and healed others.
About the Author
Katie Zalany lives in Cleveland Ohio. She is a Third Order Secular Franciscan (OFS), spiritual director, benefits/wellness leader, and certified health and life coach. She volunteers with St. Vincent de Paul Society serving the poor, is an active mentor to many individuals, and a prolific writer. Her writing interests and focus areas include spiritual development, reflections on the Gospel life, Franciscian spirituality, prayer, and integration of faith and work/daily living. She is the published author of Called to Corporate: Lessons of Growing in Faith and Holiness from the Corporate Cubicle.
