http://rosaryinvisualart.com/

1. Meditations on the Baptism
Recommendation: Please read the contents of one
of the 20 mysteries meditations before you start your
prayer. Some of these presentations (e.g. The Fifth
Sorrowful Mystery: The Crucifixion) contains over 60
slides. With so much spiritual food that it is best to
read and contemplate on a few of the slides each
time.
We welcome biblical scholars, theologians,
lecturers and professors of theological institutions
and seminaries and lay people around the world to
contribute precious pearls in the form of pictures
and words to accompany specific scenes in the
Rosary in Visual Art. You can contribute through the
BLOG on our website.

2. First luminous Mystery
The Baptism in the Jordan
After Jesus was baptized, he came up from the
water and stood there praying; and behold, the
Heaven was opened.
The Holy Ghost came down upon him like
a dove. And a voice came from Heaven saying
“This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well
pleased.”
Spiritual fruits: Submission to God’s will.
Gratitude for the gift of Faith.
(St. Louis de Montfort)

3. 1. John is baptizing in the Jordan proclaiming a
baptism of repentance.
The Jordan river
connects to the
stories of Israel’s
entry into the
Promised land
with Joshua, &
to Israel’s crisis
and call for
renewal by
Elijah and Elisha.
The river
symbolized a new
exodus, a new
beginning.
Nicolas Poussin, The Baptist baptizes the crowd. 1632. Louvre Museum. Paris

4. 2. Behold the lamb of God.
2. Behold, “He should become
the lamb of God. more and more and I
should become less
and less”
Total opposite to 21st
century philosophy:
I am the most
important, my
freedom, my rights.
The highest value of
all values is Jesus in
my life.
Dieric Bouts, 1415-1475. Ecce
Agnus Dei. Alte Pinakothek
Munich. Germany.

5. 3. St. John the Baptist is a challenging personality. He
challenged people to change, and opposed powers of this
world. He paid for the truth with his head.
Freedom is
not the first
value. The
1st value is
the Truth.
Jesus said,
I am the
Truth. The
Truth will
set you
free.
Peter Rubens, The Feast of Herod, National Gallery of Scotland. Edinburgh.

6. 4. He took on our sins
“He allows himself to
be numbered among
sinners. He is already
‘the lamb of God who
takes away the sins of
the world’. Already he
is anticipating the
‘baptism’ of his bloody
death.” (Cathechism)
Jusepe de Rubera. 1643
Naples. Italy.

7. 4. He took on our sins
As Christ descends
into the waters The
innocent one became
“sin” for our sake.
Jesus’ baptism
changed the world by
rending open the
heavens, allowing the
Holy Spirit to descend
in a powerful way.

8. 5.*The Theophany
of our Lord.
When you O Lord,
were baptized in
the Jordan, the
worship of the
Trinity was made
manifest.
Through baptism
we all enter into
an awareness of
this great mystery
that God is three,
How to pray with icons. By Miroslaw Tataryn and yet one.

9.  When saint John had finished baptizing our Lord, the heavens
opened and the Holy Ghost descended visibly in the form of a
dove upon his head and the voice of his Father was heard: "This is
my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased" (Matth. 3, 17). Many
of the bystanders heard this voice, namely, those who were not
worthy of such a wonderful favor; they also saw the Holy Ghost
descending upon the Savior. This was the most convincing proof
which could ever be given of the Divinity of the Savior, as well on
the part of the Father, who acknowledged Him his Son, as also in
to the nature of the testimony given; for without any reserve was
Christ manifested as the true God, equal to his eternal Father in
substance and in perfection. The Father himself wished to be the
first to testify to the Divinity of Christ in order that by virtue of his
testimony all the other witnesses might be ratified. There was also
another mystery in this voice of the eternal Father: it was as it were
a restoration of the honor or Son before the world and a
recompense for his having thus humiliated Himself by receiving
the Baptism of the remission of sins, though He was entirely free
from fault and never could have upon Him the guilt of sin. (Heb.
7, 26).-----Mystical City of God Mary of Agreda.

10. 6. The Holy Spirit at
our baptism
“ I have baptized you with water.
He will baptize you with the Holy
Spirit.”
As the Holy Spirit descended
on Jesus at His baptism, so
He descends on us at our
baptism and inspires us to a
loving union with God, and
transforms us with His
supernatural life. We become
new creations.
We are adopted as sons or
daughters of our Heavenly
Father. We too become
heirs.

11. 7. We die to our old selves
Through baptism we die to
our old selves and are born
into Christ. To continue our
journey we must renew our
baptismal promise to die
and rise with Christ.
“Do you not know that all of us
who have been baptized into
Christ were baptized into his
death?”–St. Paul
How are we to continue to
bury sin in our lives?

12. 8. Wash at the fountain
“Go and wash at the
fountain!
Wash yourselves at the
spring of living water
which flows from the
pierced Heart of my son
Jesus, through the
sacrament of
reconciliation.
I want you pure in mind,
heart and body.” (Gobbi)
Reni Guido, Baptism of Christ, Kunsthistorisches Museum. Vienna.

13. 9. The Holy Spirit descends on Him to invest Him
with the mission which he is to carry out.
In our baptism
we are anointed
as Christians.
This means we
are followers
of Christ. Just
as Christ faced
the cross and
embraced it,
we too will
have suffering
& crosses in
our lives.
Pietro Perugino, The Baptism of Christ, 1490, Musee des Beaux-Art, Rouen

14. 10. In this heavenly manifestation is instituted
the sacrament of baptism. We pray for a
deeper
awareness
of the adoption
we received at
our baptism,
when we
became sons
& daughters of
our Father in
heaven. Help
us in dying to
sin and in living
to holiness and
the life of
grace. Amen.
Joachim Patinir, The baptism of Christ, 1515. Kunsthistorisches Museum. Vienna.

15. The ( National ) Rosary For the Evangelization of
(Nations)
1. Fatima Prayer: To Eucharistic Jesus, source of all
evangelization.
“O my Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of
hell, lead all souls to heaven, especially those who are in
most need of thy mercy.”
2. Invocation of the Holy Spirit: Principal agent of
evangelization.
“Come, Holy Spirit! Fill the hearts of the (National) people
and enkindle in them the fire of your love! Come by means
of the powerful intercession of the Immaculate Heart of
Mary, your well-beloved Spouse.”
3. Prayer to Our Lady of ( Nation ): Star of the new
evangelization.
“Hail Holy Queen, Mother of (Nation), come and present the
(National) people to Jesus, the fruit of thy womb.
Look upon them continually with mercy and through your