If Dominicans were known for anything it would have to be that they are celebrated down through the ages as good preachers with a solid devotion to the Rosary. Today, the celebration of the regular Sunday Liturgy takes precedence over the feast. However, I'm taking some liberty to speak on my own take on the Rosary as a meditation on life.

Hindu mystics would divide life into four twenty year segments: 20 years as a youth; 20 years as a warrior; 20 years as head of a household; and twenty years in search of the spirit.

I've taken this concept and revised it to parallel the mysteries of the Rosary.

The Joyful Mysteries are the beginning of our lives as youths. We become aware of life: "The Annunciation." After that we begin to grow and take our first steps out into the world: "The Visitation." Then we come to the realization of what life is to be: "The Nativity."

After that we have to come back to our roots and see the value of things, especially the Church: "The Presentation." And, lastly, before we step out to become a warrior, we need to see the wisdom of the elders: "Jesus, found with the teachers and doctors of the Law in the Temple."

The second phase: 20 years as a warrior are our "Sorrowful Mysteries."

Our eyes, like the eyes of Adam and Eve, are opened and we see the result of our seeking independence: "The Agony in the Garden."

Still we keep at it and find that we are caught coming up against the powers of this world. It is a painful experience: "The Scourging at the pillar."

Then there is a slight respite: we find a way to have both worlds. We can follow the Spirit and, at the same time follow our own pursuits. We see ourselves as demi-Gods: "The Crowning with thorns."

Then comes the realization that all of this has been a false pursuit and must come to an end: "The Crucifixion."

The third phase of life: Head of a Household brings us back to our roots. There is a "Resurrection from the Dead" and all is not lost. We are given a second chance. Then we are taken up the mountain – "The Ascension" and given a new vision of what are lives could be. But we are told, "Don't stand here looking up to the sky..." and so, we come back to our roots that are most perfectly held in the life of the Blessed Virgin Mary. She, the most perfect of our race, is taken up into Heaven and we two come to understand that God promises never to leave us and that we will never die and this gives us hope that "life is changed, not ended ... and we begin to see God as He is."

The Fifth Glorious Mystery reminds us that the crown – or honor – that we seek mustn't come from ourselves (like the Crown of Thorns) but must be an honor that God gives us: The Crowning of the BVM as Queen of Heaven and Earth.

The Fourth Phase: "In pursuit of the Spirit" gives us reflection on the Luminous Mysteries and is a kind of reflection of our entire lives. We have to be aware of where we began and we have to see the hand of God present to us even when we didn't know it. "The Baptism of Jesus in the Jordan River." The most important part of this "mystery" is to be able to grasp that God really does love us. The Voice of God booms out of the clouds, "You are my beloved... [and worth being listened to]"

From there we go out into the world. But this time we are not going on our own steam. We have been renewed and the result is that we see miracles happening. "The Wedding Feast at Cana" where the ordinary water turns into great wine! From there we become aware of the real source of our greatness and we go out proclaiming the Good News: "The Proclamation of the Gospel."

But our quest for the "Spirit" is not yet completed. We still need to be reminded that the good that we do does not come from just inside ourselves but from God: "The Transfiguration" shows us that we must be rooted in that connection with the divine or we will sink back into "doing our own thing."

Then we come to the essence of this entire reflection: "The Eucharist." If we are not rooted in the Eucharist we will just be a noisy gong a shadow reflection of what we should be. The Eucharist is what sustains us forever and ever and if we are not connected to the real presence of Jesus all of the above will just fall apart.

There you have it! I hope that you can gain some deeper insight into our lives as Christians who strive to follow Jesus by way of the Rosary. Amen!

Br. Daniel Thomas, OP