Mysteries of the Rosary

Whether you are Catholic or not, I believe there is still a lot to be gained by reflecting on the Mysteries of the Rosary.

The Joyful Mysteries
(Said on Mondays, Saturdays, Sundays of Advent, and Sundays from Epiphany until Lent)
1. The Annunciation of Gabriel to Mary (Luke 1: 26-38)
2. The Visitation of Mary to Elizabeth (Luke 1: 40-56)
3. The Birth of Jesus (Luke 2: 6-20)
4. The Presenation of Jesus in the Temple (Luke 2: 21-39)
5. The Finding of Jesus in the Temple (Luke 2: 41-51)

The Sorrowful Mysteries
(Said on Tuesdays, Fridays, and daily from Ash Wednesday until Easter Sunday)
1. The Agony in the Garden (Matt 26: 36-46)
2. The Scourging at the Pillar (Matt 27:26)
3. The Crowning With Thorns (Matt 27:29)
4. The Carrying of the Cross (John 19:17)
5. The Crucifixion (Luke 23: 33-46)

The Glorious Mysteries
(Said on Wednesdays, and Sundays throughout the year)
1. The Resurrection of Jesus (Luke 24: 1-12)
2. The Ascension of Jesus (Luke 24: 50-51)
3. The Descent of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost (Acts 2: 1-4)
4. The Assumption of Mary into Heaven (Revelation 12)
5. The Coronation of Mary as Queen of Heaven and Earth (Revelation 12: 1)

The Luminous Mysteries
(Said on Thursdays throughout the year)
1. The Baptism in the Jordan River (Matthew 3: 13-17)
2. The Wedding at Cana (John 2: 1-11)
3. The Proclamation of the Kingdom of God (Matthew 4:17 - 5: 1-16)
4. The Transfiguration (Luke 9: 28-36)
5. The Institution of the Eucharist (Luke 22: 19-20)
Meditations on the Luminous Mysteries

It is important to note that the rosary is not meant to be merely a meditation of prayers, as is often claimed. It is meant to be a meditation upon the mysteries of the Rosary. This is what makes the Rosary so powerful.

From catholic.com:

First we must understand that they are meditations. When Catholics recite the twelve prayers that form a decade of the rosary, they meditate on the mystery associated with that decade. If they merely recite the prayers, whether vocally or silently, they’re missing the essence of the rosary. It isn’t just a recitation of prayers, but a meditation on the grace of God. Critics, not knowing about the meditation part, imagine the rosary must be boring, uselessly repetitious, meaningless, and their criticism carries weight if you reduce the rosary to a formula. Christ forbade meaningless repetition (Matt. 6:7), but the Bible itself prescribes some prayers that involve repetition. Look at Psalms 136, which is a litany (a prayer with a recurring refrain) meant to be sung in the Jewish Temple. In the psalm the refrain is "His mercy endures forever." Sometimes in Psalms 136 the refrain starts before a sentence is finished, meaning it is more repetitious than the rosary, though this prayer was written directly under the inspiration of God.

It is the meditation on the mysteries that gives the rosary its staying power.