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Sunday, December 25, 2016

For Christmas Day: The Seven Joys of Mary


My sister gave me a copy of The Seven Joys of Mary by Romanus Cessario, OP, published by Magnificat as one of my birthday presents. I noticed that the King's College Cambridge 2016 Nine Lessons and Carols included a carol about Mary's Seven Joys, with a different list:

The first good joy that Mary had,
It was the joy of one;
To see the blessed Jesus Christ
When he was first her son:
When he was first her son, good man,
And blessed may he be,
Both Father, Son, and Holy Ghost
To all eternity.

The next good joy that Mary had,
It was the joy of two;
To see her own son, Jesus Christ,
To make the lame to go:
To make the lame to go, good man:
And blessed may he be,
Both Father, Son, and Holy Ghost
To all eternity.

The next good joy that Mary had,
It was the joy of three;
To see her own son, Jesus Christ,
To make the blind to see:
To make the blind to see, good man:
And blessed may he be,
Both Father, Son, and Holy Ghost
To all eternity.

The next good joy that Mary had,
It was the joy of four;
To see her own son, Jesus Christ,
To read the Bible o’er:
To read the Bible o’er, good man:
And blessed may he be,
Both Father, Son, and Holy Ghost
To all eternity.

The next good joy that Mary had,
It was the joy of five;
To see her own son, Jesus Christ,
To bring the dead alive:
To bring the dead alive, good man:
And blessed may he be,
Both Father, Son, and Holy Ghost
To all eternity.

The next good joy that Mary had,
It was the joy of six;
To see her own son, Jesus Christ,
Upon the crucifix:
Upon the crucifix, good man:
And blessed may he be,
Both Father, Son, and Holy Ghost
To all eternity.

The next good joy that Mary had,
It was the joy of seven;
To see her own son, Jesus Christ,
To wear the crown of heaven:
To wear the crown of heaven, good man:
And blessed may he be,
Both Father, Son, and Holy Ghost
To all eternity.

The traditional list of the Seven Joys of the Blessed Virgin Mary is:

The Annunciation.
The Nativity of Jesus.
The Adoration of the Magi.
The Resurrection of Christ.
The Ascension of Christ to Heaven.
The Pentecost or Descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles and Mary.
The Coronation of the Virgin in Heaven.

The Franciscans pray the Crown Rosary, meditating on a slightly different list of joys:

The Annunciation
The Visitation
The Nativity of Jesus
The Adoration of the Magi
The Finding of Jesus in the Temple
The Resurrection of Jesus
The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Rejoice and be glad: Have a Mary, Merry Christmas!

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