The Rosary in a Year (with Fr. Mark-Mary Ames) - Day 100: Always Her Son

Episode Date: April 10, 2025

Drawing upon St. Bridget of Sweden’s work, Revelations, we meditate on the Scourging at the Pillar from Mary’s perspective. Fr. Mark-Mary reminds us that this is the fulfillment of Simeon’s prophecy to Mary, as she witnesses her son undergo his Passion. Today’s focus is the mystery of the Scourging at the Pillar and we will be praying one decade of the Rosary. For the complete prayer plan, visit https://ascensionpress.com/riy.

Hymn Father Mark Mary with Franciscan Friars to renewal and this is the Rosary in a Year podcast where we're through prayer and meditation. The Rosary brings us deeper into our relationship with Jesus and Mary becomes a source of grace for the whole world. The Rosary in a Year is brought to you by Ascension. This is Day 100. To download the prayer plan for Rosary in a Year, visit AscensionPress.com forward slash rosaryinayear or text R I Y the 33777.

You'll get an outline of how we're going to preach month and it's a great way to track your progress. The best place to listen to the podcast is in the Ascension app. Their special features will just for this podcast and also recording to the full Rosary. No matter what app you're listening in, remember to tap follow or subscribe for your daily notifications. subscribe for your daily notifications. Today we will be meditating upon and praying with the second sorrowful mystery, discouraging at the pillar with help from St. Bridget and her work, Revelations.

Begin with a little background on our author today. Our reading will come from St. Brigitte of Sweden. St. Brigitte was born in the year 1303, and she died in the year 1373. As a young girl somewhere between the ages of seven and ten, she had a vision, kind of like a dream vision of the man of sorrows of our Lord Jesus Christ with the wounds of His passion. Saint Bridget would get married and she would have eight children. One of these children would also become a saint, and she's known as Saint Catherine of Sweden. After her husband's death, Saint Briditte became a third order Franciscan. Here we go, Franciscans.

And she committed herself to a life of prayer, of penance, and of service. At one point, she would found a religious order, which is known as the Brigitteans. St. Brigitte is the co-patroness, or the co-patron saint, of Europe. In her work, Revelations is a collection of mystical experiences and insights that St. Brigitte attributes to God and her offer to us for our edification and prayer. And the point of emphasis today is going to be, always her son. I'm going to go ahead and begin actually today's episode with a little disclaimer. The writing from St. Brigitte and our meditation is going to really take us

into praying with some of the details of the scourging of our Lord. And if you, the listener, are particularly sensitive to that in a way which isn't going to be helpful, this may just not be an episode for you. I think of this is going to be kind of a prayerful, imaginative reflection on our Lord's passion, similar to what like the passion of the Christ does in film. And I understand that's just too much for a lot of folks out there. So again, if you're not comfortable with that, this may not be an episode for you. And that's actually okay. If hearing this, you might have like, what do you mean?

You have to like look at all of the intensity of what our Lord went through. I would just say, well, let's just go ahead and take a look at how the Holy Spirit inspired the gospel passages themselves, and with what like delicacy and modesty and tenderness, reverence, by which the scriptures themselves tell of the scourging of our Lord

without going into all of theitty-gritty detail. And so, again, I think this is helpful for a lot of people. This is helpful for me. But if it's not for you, that's okay. Now our reading from St. Bridget. The Blessed Virgin speaks. When the time of my son's passion arrived, Blessed Virgin speaks, When the time of my son's passion arrived, His enemies seized him, striking him on his cheek and neck, and spitting upon him. And spitting upon him, they mocked him. Then led to the pillar, he stripped himself, and himself stretched his hands to the pillar, which his enemies, pitiless, bound.

No one tied there, he had no clothing, but stood as he was born, and suffered the shame of his nakedness. Then his enemies rose up, for they stood on all sides, his friends having fled, and they scourged his body, pure from all spot or sin. At the first blow I, who stood nearest, fell as if dead, and on recovering my senses, I beheld his body bruised and beaten to the very ribs, so that his ribs could be seen. And what was still more bitter, when the scourge was raised,

his very flesh was furrowed by the thongs. And when my son stood thus, all bloody, all torn, So that no soundness could be found in him, nor any spot to scourge, Then one his spirit roused within him, asked, Will you slay him thus, unjudged? And he immediately cut his bonds. Then my son put on his clothes, and I beheld the spot where my son's feet stood, all full of blood, And I knew my son's course on his clothes, and I beheld the spot where my son's feet stood, all full

of blood, and I knew my son's course by his footprints. For wherever he went, the earth seemed stained with blood, nor did they suffer him to clothe himself, but they compelled and urged him to hasten." The end of the reading. Thanks be to God. My thought on today's meditation is that it's not so much a lesson to be learned, but a sorrow to be felt. As a prophecy is fulfilled, the prophecy being fulfilled through our Lord's passion is the prophecy of Simeon to our Lady, right?

That a sword would pierce her heart. And already this sword is piercing our mother's heart as she beholds her son. If you notice in the reading again and again, Our Lady says, my son, my son. She has this illusion to how he stood there in his nakedness as he was born. She rightly so looks at him and reminds us that he is pure from all spot or sin. The scourging of our Lord is sorrowful enough for all of us. But as you parents out there know, when someone is your son, when someone is your little baby and a boy or girl, they're always your little baby boy or girl. In Our Lady, Our Lady of Sorrows, as she beholds her son, she's reminded of the pure of the innocent child she first held in her arms in Bethlehem.

And this same son, still so pure and vulnerable and loving and good. It's him. It's her Son who is here scourged. And how deeply the sword of our Lord's passion here pierces our Mother's heart. I'm going to focus on this particularly what I find moving, powerful line. And I knew my son's course by his footprints, for wherever he went,

the earth seemed stained with blood. Wherever he went, the earth seemed stained with blood. These feet which have come so beautifully to bring good news, now in their wake, these These footsteps would surely, you know, Our Lady as a mother recognize when they came in and out of the house. These feet now are stained with blood. And now wherever Our Lord goes, you know it was Him because He has been so scourged, so rejected, so beaten, beaten that each and every step leaves the ground stained with the precious blood of the Lamb. As we pray today, I'm just going to invite you to remain in this place. Behold him completely and totally scourged. Behold his innocence, his purity.

And behold your mother. And as her heart is pierced, allow your heart to be pierced as well. And now together with our Lady, let us pray in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen. Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the

fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen. Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen. Hail Mary, full of grace, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen. Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and

at the hour of our death. Amen. Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed Amen. Blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen. Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen. Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee.

Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen. Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, mother of God, pray for us sinners. Now and at the hour of our death. Amen. Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, mother of God, pray for us sinners. Now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

Hail Mary, full of grace. The Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, mother of God, pray for us sinners. Now and at the hour of our death. Amen. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be world without end. Amen.

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Thank you so much for joining me and praying with me today. I look forward to continuing this journey with you again tomorrow. All right, Poco Poco friends. God bless y'all.