The Fifth Joyful Mystery // The Finding of Jesus in the Temple
Fruit of the Mystery // Piety
Reflect
Last summer, my husband and I loaded our preschooler son and baby daughter into the car to make the short drive to the beach. We could hardly wait to see family members and soak in a beautiful new environment after months of quarantine.
A few days into our trip, I was sitting in our beach house bedroom, nursing the baby while everyone else was down by the pool. Out of nowhere, I felt my heart rate quicken and a cold sweat break out over my forehead. What if everyone is too distracted to keep an eye on my son and he gets hurt? I thought.
I fixated on this terrible idea, feeling helpless as I sat there feeding my daughter, fighting the urge to unlatch her and run outside to make sure everything was okay. I tried to steady my breath and began to pray the fifth Joyful Mystery of the Rosary.
I’m now half a year into therapy for the anxiety that frequently plunged me into panic attacks like this about my children. Through this journey, this mystery has become one of my very favorites. My heart breaks for our Blessed Mother as she and Saint Joseph searched for Jesus. What must have gone through her mind during those painfully long days?
Had I been in her shoes, I know what I would have told myself. I would have spent three days and nights hurling accusations at my anxious heart: how could I let this happen? I am a terrible mother. God made a mistake by entrusting me with this Child. I am bad at this. I have failed.
Technically, piety is the Fruit of this Mystery because it illuminates the importance of the Church, the Sacraments, and devotions. But I can’t help but feel that piety also refers to Our Lady. Her piety is what protected her from the types of self-deprecation I imagine I would have fallen victim to in a moment like this one. It is what gave her complete faith and trust in God, even in the face of her own anxiety (Luke 2:48).
Finally, after three painfully long days of searching, Our Lady finds her precious Son in the temple, the place of worship. Of course that is where He would be. That is where—even in the depths of our own worst fears—we can always find Him, too.
Let Us Pray
Come, Holy Spirit. In our fears, in our anxieties, in our doubts, in our pain, bless us with the gift of piety. Help us to imitate Mary as she searched for Jesus—present and aware of our emotions, but filled with hope and trust. Amen.
For Discussion
Have you ever prayed through a moment of fear or panic? What happened?
How have the Sacraments brought you comfort in difficult moments?
Praying the Rosary
Throughout the Prayer Pledge and beyond, we really encourage you to pray the Rosary! Since we will be looking at the fruits of the Mysteries of the Rosary, it only makes sense to actually pray it!
Here is a guide on how to pray the Rosary.
I like this podcast and this podcast for praying the Rosary.
Hallow also has a marvelous Rosary meditation.
And if you want to go even deeper in to the Rosary, check out Mystery!
By Their Fruits: The 2021 Prayer Pledge // Day 8 #BISblog #prayerpledge //Click to tweet
Lisa Kirk is a regular contributor to the BIS blog. New York City-born and internationally raised, she now lives in Raleigh, North Carolina with her study-abroad-crush-turned-husband and their two children. A former wedding magazine editor and fashion copywriter, she now writes primarily for Something Pretty, the Catholic living and classic style blog she began in 2010. She loves learning about the Saints, wandering the city with coffee in hand, and making new friends on Instagram. Read all of Lisa's posts here.
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