Why Not the Luminous Mysteries?
Donald P. Goodman III
20 Jan 1209

We are sometimes asked why our devotional materials regarding the Holy Rosaryânamely, our brief guide to the Holy Rosary and our Rosary devotionalâdo not include the âluminous mysteriesâ proposed by Pope John Paul II in 2002. This little post attempts to explain why. It goes into the origins of the Holy Rosaryâincluding its likely origin with St. Dominic himself, along with what we can know about its origins historically apart from thatâand its structure. Focusing on the nature of the Rosary as âOur Lady's Psalterâ, we conclude that the luminous mysteries were not a good addition to the Holy Rosary, and should for that reason be rejected. (As a part of the Rosary; as a separate devotion, they are perfectly salutary.) At the close of the post, we go over the common supports for the luminous mysteries as proposed to those faithful to the traditional Rosary, and why those supports do not work. Read more