The Rosary in a Year (with Fr. Mark-Mary Ames) - Day 103: Pilgrimage of Faith

Episode Date: April 13, 2025

Mary was preserved by special grace from sin, but Mary was also human, requiring her to journey on the same spiritual pilgrimage we all undertake. Here, on Calvary, we see Mary reach the conclusion of her pilgrimage of faith, as we are led by a reading from St.  Alphonsus Liguori. Fr. Mark-Mary tells us that at this moment, Mary fully understands her son’s mission. Today’s focus is the mystery of the Crucifixion and we will be praying one decade of the Rosary. For the complete prayer plan, visit https://ascensionpress.com/riy.

Hi, I'm Fr. Mark Mary with the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal and this is the Rosary in a Year podcast, where through prayer and meditation, the Rosary brings us deeper into relationship with Jesus and Mary and becomes a source of grace for the whole world. The Rosary in a Year is brought to you by Ascension. This is day 103. To download the prayer plan for Rosary in a Year, visit ascensionpress.com forward slash rosary in a year or text R-I-Y to 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 this podcast is in the Ascension app. There are special features built just for this podcast and also recordings of the full Rosary. No matter what app you're listening in, remember to tap follow or subscribe for your daily notifications. Today we will be meditating upon and praying with the fifth starful mystery, the crucifixion, with help from an excerpt from a writing of Saint Alphonse's Ligure. It's entitled On the Fifth Dolor, and it's found in his broader work

called The Glories of Mary. And the focus of our meditation is going to be Mary reaches the conclusion of her pilgrimage of faith. And we've already had an opportunity to introduce our author, Saint Alphonsus Liguri. So let's go ahead and begin with our reading. We have now to witness a new kind of martyrdom, a mother condemned to see an innocent son and one whom she loves with the whole affection of her soul, cruelly tormented and put to death

before her own eyes. There stood by the cross of Jesus, his mother. St. John believed that in these words he had said enough of Mary's martyrdom, consider her at the foot of the cross in the presence of her dying son, and then see if there can be sorrow like under her sorrow. Let us remain for a while this day on Calvary and consider the fifth sword which in the death of Jesus transfixed the heart of Mary.

The end of the reading. Thanks be to God. Now we know that Mary, by the immaculate conception, right, by unique grace, was preserved from all sin. We certainly know and see throughout Mary's life that while being preserved from sin, she's certainly not preserved from suffering. She's certainly not preserved from suffering. And also, like each of us, she was not preserved from having to make a pilgrimage of faith, an ongoing journey of a deepening faith, particularly a deepening understanding.

As we came across earlier, looking at the joyful mysteries, particularly the finding of Jesus in the temple. Towards the end of our prayer and discussion, it talks about how Mary, she doesn't totally understand yet, but she continues to keep these things, pondering them in her heart. So there's these clues, these evangelical clues, these clues from the gospel that marries on this pilgrimage of faith, of ongoing understanding of who her son is and what his mission is, and in light of this, what her own mission is as mother of Jesus. If you recall during an earlier episode, or earlier day of the Rosary in your podcast where we discussed the second Luminous Mystery, the wedding at Cana, we looked at the interpretation, the understanding that as Mary comes to Jesus and as Mary herself initiates Jesus to work

His first public sign, therefore beginning His public ministry, which is going to lead to the cross, like that already there, Mary's assenting to it. There we have these signs that Mary's come to a really deep and profound understanding of Jesus and his mission. My proposal is here at Calvary, obedient to St. Alphonse's prompting, like, look at Mary, be there with Mary. What we see here at Calvary is Mary reaching the high point of the pilgrimage of her faith. I believe by Mary's presence

that we see that she understands. She understands and ascends to who her son is, what type of Messiahiah he is. The nature of his mission. Notice how Mary, she doesn't tell him to come down. She doesn't tell the guards to stop. How difficult must this have been for her? But I believe in Mary's silence we see ascent. She already here understands why it must be this way. And she doesn't run away.

Mary remains with her heart absolutely broken, but her eyes absolutely locked on her son. In my own prayer and reflection, I can't help but imagine Mary's lips continuing to whisper the prayers, the Psalms that have been her consolation throughout her whole life. My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord. He has cast down the mighty from their thrones and lifted up the lowly. He has remembered his promise. Let it be done to me according to your word.

One of Mary's titles is The All Beautiful One. My brothers and sisters, behold at Calvary. The All Beautiful One. My brothers and sisters, in this moment, is there a more beautiful, a more dignified, a more strong, more profound, a deeper example of faith or femininity and maternity than we see here in the Blessed Mother, the All-Beautiful One, who has reached the end, who has reached the high point, the culmination of her own pilgrimage, the high point of her God-given vocation as Mother of God. Take a moment here again and behold your Mother.

Behold your Mother beholding her Son. And by the work of grace in us, by faith and by our own love, let us too be transfixed by this moment. Let us too be held by the beauty of this moment. And now with Mary, 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, 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.

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. All right. 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 you all.