Personal Advent mysteries that may be spiritually beneficial

The Rosary is a grace filled way to meditate upon the life of Christ and our faith. In 2001, “Directory on Popular Piety and the Liturgy,” issued by the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Sacraments, urged that we use the Rosary as part of our prayer and to remember its value. A year later, Pope John Paul II published his beautiful Apostolic Letter on the Rosary.
In his Apostolic Letter, “The Rosary of the Blessed Mary,” Pope John Paul II wrote, “The Rosary, precisely because it starts with Mary's own experience, is an exquisitely contemplative prayer. Without this contemplative dimension, it would lose its meaning, as Pope Paul VI clearly pointed out: ‘Without contemplation, the Rosary is a body without a soul, and its recitation runs the risk of becoming a mechanical repetition of formulas, in violation of the admonition of Christ: “In praying do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do; for they think they will be heard for their many words” (Mt 6:7). By its nature the recitation of the Rosary calls for a quiet rhythm and a lingering pace, helping the individual to meditate on the mysteries of the Lord's life as seen through the eyes of her who was closest to the Lord. In this way the unfathomable riches of these mysteries are disclosed’” (Apostolic Letter, #12).
The Vatican’s “Directory on Popular Piety and the Liturgy” explained that there may be a certain amount of flexibility in choosing the mysteries when we pray the Rosary: 
The Rosary is such that, on particular days, it can appropriately substitute meditation on a mystery so as to harmonize this pious practice with the liturgical season. Hence, the faithful act correctly when, for example, they contemplate the arrival of the three Kings on the Solemnity of the Epiphany, rather than the finding of Jesus in the Temple. Clearly, such substitutions can only take place after much careful thought, adherence to Sacred Scripture and liturgical propriety. (Directory on Popular Piety and the Liturgy, #200)
In his Apostolic Letter, Pope John Paul II shared with us his own personal mysteries of the Rosary, which he offered to the Church as the “Mysteries of Light.” He wrote: 
In effect, the Rosary is simply a method of contemplation. As a method, it serves as a means to an end and cannot become an end in itself. All the same, as the fruit of centuries of experience, this method should not be undervalued. In its favor one could cite the experience of countless Saints. This is not to say, however, that the method cannot be improved. Such is the intent of the addition of the new series of mysteria lucis to the overall cycle of mysteries and of the few suggestions which I am proposing in this Letter regarding its manner of recitation. These suggestions, while respecting the well-established structure of this prayer, are intended to help the faithful to understand it in the richness of its symbolism and in harmony with the demands of daily life. Otherwise, there is a risk that the Rosary would not only fail to produce the intended spiritual effects, but even that the beads, with which it is usually said, could come to be regarded as some kind of amulet or magic object, thereby radically distorting their meaning and function. (Apostolic Letter, #28)
As we approach the Season of Advent, allow me to share my own Advent mysteries of the Rosary which I find to be spiritually beneficial during this holy season. Each mystery meditates on events in the Gospel which occurred prior to the birth of Jesus.
First, Gabriel appears to Zechariah (Lk 1: 5-21). Zechariah is unprepared for God’s message, even though it is a message of blessing, and refuses to believe it can be done. How welcoming are we to God’s promptings in our lives, His blessings, and His challenges, and refuse to believe in what He is doing, or that with God’s help, we can do what He is asking? 
Second, Gabriel appears to Mary (Lk 1:26-39). Mary welcomes the seemingly impossible message of the angel and asks what she must do to cooperate with God’s plan. Are we more like Zechariah who felt what God promised was impossible or like Mary who believed that “Nothing will be impossible with God?”
Third, Mary visits Elizabeth (Lk 1:39-56). Upon being blessed by God, Mary’s first impulse is to help others. When we are blessed, do we focus upon ourselves or do we seek to help others?
Fourth, the angel speaks to Joseph in a dream (Mt 1:18-25). “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit” (Mt 1:18-25). What trust Joseph shows in immediately responding to God’s plan. We can only speculate how difficult it was for Joseph to do this. He probably did not understand all of what God was doing, he may have been humiliated by neighbors, or unsupported by family, but regardless, he responded to what God was asking.
Fifth, Mary and Joseph travel to Bethlehem (Lk 2:4-7). This must have been a difficult journey for them. Mary was pregnant and soon to give birth. We might ask whether God could have chosen an easier time for this to happen. If Mary and Joseph are trying to do God’s will, why would God make it difficult for them to do so? In our lives too, how many times do we question why God isn’t making things easier for us when we are trying to do His will?
For public recitation of the Rosary, it is better that we use the mysteries of the Rosary recommended by the Church, but in our private recitation of the Rosary, I offer my personal Advent mysteries as a way to make Advent more spiritually beneficial.