The Rosary in a Year (with Fr. Mark-Mary Ames) - Day 112: All My Time is Free

Episode Date: April 22, 2025

 Mary gave consent to Jesus’ sacrifice in the mystery of the Annunciation, but in the mystery of the Presentation, God asks her to recommit to this solemn sacrifice. Fr. Mark-Mary tells us that in every moment, God is asking us to recommit ourselves to him and be faithful, as Mary does at Jesus’ Presentation. Today’s focus is the mystery of the Presentation of Jesus in the Temple and we will be praying one decade of the Rosary. For the complete prayer plan, visit https://ascensionpress.com/riy.

I am Father Mark Mary with 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 112. To download the prayer plan for Rosary in a year, visit ascensionpress.com forward slash rosary in a year or text R I Y the 33777. You'll get an outline of how we're going to pray each month and it's a great way to track

your progress. The best place to listen to podcasts 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 fourth Joyful Mystery, the presentation of Jesus in the temple, with help from Saint Alphonsus Liguri and one of his writings from his work, The Glories of Mary. And the point of emphasis for a meditation will be,

Mary's fiat is renewed. So we've already had a chance to be introduced to our author, Saint Alphonse Liguri. So let's get straight into the reading. The eternal father had already determined to save man who was lost through sin and free him from eternal death. But because he wished that, at the same time, his divine justice should not be defrauded

of a full and due satisfaction, he did not spare the life of his own son, already made man in order to redeem man, but he required that he should pay, to its most rigorous extent, the penalty merited by men. He that spared not even his own son, says the apostle, but delivered him up for us all. He sent him therefore on the earth to become man, destined for him a mother, and chose the Virgin Mary. But as he did not wish his divine word to become her son before she accepted him by her express consent, so he did not wish that Jesus should sacrifice his life for the salvation of men without the concurrence of the consent of Mary, that together with the

sacrifice of the life of the son, the heart of the mother might be sacrificed also. St. Thomas teaches that the relation of mother gives it a special right over her children. Hence, Jesus being innocent in himself and not deserving any punishment for his own sins, it seemed fitting that he should not be destined to the cross as the victim for the sins of the world without the consent of his mother, by which she should voluntarily offer him to death. But although Mary, from the moment she was made mother of Jesus, gave her consent to his death, yet the Lord wished her on this day to make in the temple a solemn sacrifice of herself, by offering solemnly her son and sacrificing to the divine justice his precious life.

Hence, St. Epiphanius called her a priest, Virginum Apello Velut Sassurdotem. Now we begin to see how much the sacrifice cost her and what heroic virtue she was obliged to practice when she had herself to sign the sentence of condemnation of her dear Jesus to death. Now behold Mary, actually on her way to Jerusalem to offer her son, she hastens her steps towards the place of sacrifice and she herself carries her beloved victim in her arms. She enters the temple, approaches the altar and there, filled with modesty, humility and devotion,

she presents her son to the Most High. At this moment, Saint Simeon, who had received the promise from God that he should not die before seeing the expected Messiah, takes the Divine Child from the hands of the Virgin, and enlightened by the Holy Spirit, announces to her how much sorrow this sacrifice must cause her, the sacrifice which she was about to make of her son, with whom must her blessed soul also be sacrificed. The end of the reading. Thanks be to God. Again, our focus is gonna be on Mary's fiat being renewed.

There's an anecdote I've heard. I haven't totally been able to confirm it. Nonetheless, the substance of it makes me take it as credible. So apparently someone who's interviewing Pope John Paul II asked him, Hey, Holy Father, what do you like to do with your free time? The Holy Father looked the reporter in the eye and answered, all my time is free. All my time is free.

If it's true, if he really said this, which I think he did, it's one of the greatest lines in the history of spoken words. All my time is free. What does he mean by this? The Holy Father here, he means that no matter what is happening, he's free to say yes to God. He's free to receive it from the Father and free to make it an offering back to the Father.

He's never just being dragged through life. But through grace, He freely ascends and accepts life as it unfolds, receiving all from the Father, returning all to the Father. All my time is free. We've seen this lived and see it live at the highest levels by our Lord and our Lady. In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus says yes to the Father's will.

Your will be done. Throughout His Passion, Jesus remains free. He keeps this disposition. I receive all. I return all to the Father. Our Lady's first great act of freedom we encounter right at the Annunciation, where she offers her fiat. Let it be done unto me according to your word. St. Alphonse de Ligure, he sees at the presentation of Jesus in the temple

a renewal and a deepening of this yes of Mary, this fiat of Mary. These are the words we just read. But although Mary, from the moment she was made mother of Jesus, gave her consent to his death, yet the Lord wished her on this day to make in the temple a solemn sacrifice of herself by offering a solemnly her son. One of the founders of the Franciscan friars, the renewal of my religious order, Father Andrew Apostoli, he'd often say to us, he who heard you say yes doesn't now want to hear you say no.

The idea being that at the moment of our religious consecration, we gave a whole and entire yes to God. And all that would happen in our life, our whole present, but also our whole future, we say yes and offer to God. But each new opportunity or difficulty that comes our way, it's a chance for us to be faithful to this yes, to renew this yes, to go deeper with this yes.

But also, we can say no, we can pull away, we can withhold. And unfortunately, we often do that. And unfortunately, like we often do that. Mary, right at the Annunciation, she says yes to being the mother of Jesus. And in doing so, she says yes to all of it, to being the mother of Jesus and all that is going to unfold in the life of her son, including his passion. In the presentation of the temple, however, it becomes clear what she said yes to, including his passion. In the presentation of the temple, however, it becomes clear what she said yes to, what the future would hold. And Mary, who had received her most beautiful baby boy, Jesus the Lord, would also be asked to consent to his sacrifice, to his death.

And before this most difficult and painful requests, Mary says yes, uniting the sacrifice of her own motherly heart to the bloody sacrifice of her son. In our prayer today, let us first recognize the depths of this sacrifice and the cost of her renewed fiat. You know, it's true, like many people came to love Jesus and many people would have suffered at the sight of him and his passion. Jesus had many people who loved him, but he only had one mother. There's only one mother whose heart was pierced by Jesus's death on the cross.

Secondly, let's recognize this movement in the heart of Mary. I receive my son freely. And I return him to you freely. I offer him back to you freely. Yes, he's my Son, but first and foremost, Heavenly Father, He is your beloved Son. I present Him here in the temple to solemnly offer Him back to you. And lastly for today, for those of us who have said yes to a vocation to kids, and we may be

running into some difficulties, like we said yes, but man, I didn't know I was saying yes to this, right? Like it can get tough and there can be this temptation to be like, hey, I just didn't know that this was part of it. Like I didn't think I was saying yes to this. What is asked for wisdom and prudence and courage that we may in fact be renewed in the freedom proper to the sons and daughters of God and say yes again to our spouses, our kids, our religious orders,

our priesthood, etc. Be it done unto me according to your will. Be it done unto me according to your will. And now with Mary, let us continue to ponder all of these things in our hearts and 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, 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 never shall be, world without end. Amen. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, be, world without end. Amen. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Thanks so much for joining me and praying with me today. I look forward to continuing

this journey with you again tomorrow. Poco a Poco friends. God bless y'all.