Twelve Great Mysteries that Belong to the Holy Childhood of the Blessed Virgin

In this chapter St. John Eudes lists twelve mysteries of Mary's childhood.
Asst. Ed.

The first mystery of Mary's Childhood is her eternal predestination.

The second contains the promises which Divine Mercy has made to us concerning her, together with the oracles of Holy Scripture which have announced her coming.

The third comprises the types and figures which the Holy Ghost has placed before us in the Old Law.

The fourth is her Immaculate Conception.

The fifth, her sojourn and holy occupations within the blessed womb of her mother, St. Ann.

The sixth, her marvelous birth.

The seventh, her glorious name of Mary, brought from heaven, and the great and incomparable wonders it implied.

The eighth, her dwelling for three years in the house of her parents.

The ninth, her leaving her parents' home.

The tenth is her Presentation in the Temple.

The eleventh is her dwelling in the Holy of Holies, the most sacred spot in the Temple.

The twelfth is her occupations and exercises in the Temple.

Let us consider these twelve mysteries in order to render them suitable honor, and to derive from them efficacious lessons.

This article was excerpted from St. John Eudes, The Wondrous Childhood of the Most Holy Mother of God (Albany, NY: Preserving Christian Publications, Inc., 2000), part I, chapter 4. St. John Eudes is a spiritual father of the Order of the Sacred and Immaculate Hearts of Jesus and Mary, a contemplative community of lay and religious dedicated to serving the Hearts of Jesus and Mary through Eucharistic Adoration, contemplation, and corporal works of mercy. For more information on the order, visit heartsofjesusandmary.org.