The Rosary in a Year (with Fr. Mark-Mary Ames) - Day 113: Spoiler Alert

Episode Date: April 23, 2025

Spoiler alert: Jesus is Lord! While the mystery of the Finding in the Temple is not the climax of Jesus’ story, for the first century man or woman, this is an attention grabbing moment. Fr. Mark-Mary, reading from St. Cyril of Alexandria, reminds us that this is when Jesus first begins to reveal his divinity. Today’s focus is the mystery of the Finding 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 with 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 113. To download the prayer plan for Rosary in a Year, visit ascensionpress.com forward slash rosary in a year or text RcensionPress.com forward slash rosary in a year or text R-I-Y to 33777.

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Today we will be meditating upon and praying with the fifth joyful mystery, the finding of Jesus in the temple with help from Saint Cyril of Alexandria and his writing, Homily 5, from his commentary on the Gospel of Saint Luke. And the emphasis of our meditation is going to be Jesus is Lord. All right, we've already had a chance to introduce our author, Saint. Cyril of Alexandria. So let's get right into the reading. And when he was twelve years old, they went up to Jerusalem according to the custom of

the feast. After the evangelists had said that Jesus advanced in wisdom and grace with God and men, he next shows that what he says is true. For he carries him to Jerusalem in company with the Holy Virgin upon the summons of the feast. And then he says that he remained behind and was afterwards found in the temple, sitting in the midst of the doctors, both asking and answering questions regarding those things as we may feel sure which were spoken of old by the law, and that he was wondered at by all for his questions and answers.

Thou seest him advancing in wisdom and grace by reason of his becoming known unto many as being what he was. Thy father and I have sought thee sorrowing. His mother certainly knew that he was not the child of Joseph, but she so speaks to avoid the suspicion of the Jews, and upon her saying that, thy father and I have sought thee sorrowing, the Savior answers, did ye not know that I must be at my father's? Here then first he makes more open mention of him who is truly his father, and lays bare his own divinity."

The end of the reading. Thanks be to God. Again, we're going to be focusing our meditation on Jesus is the Lord. So I'm sure most of y'all listening to this episode and this podcast are quite aware of the phenomena of spoiler alerts and the extra effort that's being made

through a variety of different mediums to announce, like when a spoiler's coming, when there's something about the story is gonna be revealed, right? Okay, spoiler alert. We all know that Steve's the thief, right? Or, you know, like, hey, hey, hey, hey, no one mentioned anything about the game.

I'm gonna watch it when I get home. Like that type of thing, right? And why do we have these spoiler alerts? What's that all about? Well, obviously, if you're watching some sort of like mystery show and you find out who the thief is or the killer is. You know, there's going to be a bunch of debates about who it is, but you already know the answer, so it's not going to draw you in.

In short, it takes out the mystery, the conflict, the tension, because you already know the answer. And so the result is it just makes the rest of the show kind of fall flat. So I'm guessing, I'm guessing that 99.9% of the listeners to this podcast, not everybody, but the vast majority, grew up hearing that Jesus is the Lord, that He was crucified and He rose from the dead. So I highly doubt that anyone who heard us go through

the fifth sorrowful mystery for the first time, our Lord's crucifixionion wasn't able to sleep that night because of the tension, the suspense of what would happen next. And then when we get to the first glorious mystery, the resurrection, as I hear about it, they're blown away with surprise and joy because I just didn't know it was going to happen. Like Jesus rises from the dead. We already know the story.

Of course, the fact that the truth about Jesus and who he is and his story being so widespread, it's absolutely like a good thing. But I do think it's helpful and advantageous for us when we're coming to the scriptures to remember that what we know isn't what those in the Gospels at the time of Jesus knew. Our author today is St. Cyril of Alexandria.

Again, he's one of the great champions of the divinity of Christ. And although he lived a couple hundred years after the life of Jesus, he's still very much in the midst of the debate of who Jesus is, the true identity of Jesus, as being one divine person with a human and divine nature. And so he is so much more aware than us of the intensity and the suspense and the stakes around the question, like, Jesus, who are you? And it's a question that even the Blessed Mother and St. Joseph didn't have perfect clarity and understanding about. And so St. Cyril kind of hones in on this conflict and this question when he's looking at the finding of the child Jesus in the temple,

referring to Jesus, he notes, didn't you know that I must be in my father's house? These are St. Cyril's words. Here he makes more open mention of him who's truly his father and lays bare his own divinity. Kind of harkening back to the opening of this episode, how Jesus' life was put in a movie, this deeper revelation,

it may not be the absolute climax of the movie, but it's a profound development that I think sometimes we miss because we already knew the answer. At the time, for some, this would be shocking. And for others, Jesus revealing who his father is and laying bare his own divinity would be the answer to the deepest longing of their heart. At the moment, Mary herself isn't able to fully grasp it, but she continues to ponder it, to treasure it in her heart. And as I said before, there's a reason that the evangelist highlights this moment in the life of Jesus, really the only insight we have into his life from the time of his presentation

until he's about 30 years old going into his public ministry. Why? Because of the importance of this moment, the importance of Jesus here revealing his true identity. He is God. He is the Son of the Heavenly Father. And for those of us who grew up knowing the fullness of the truth about Jesus, the tension, the impact of this moment, it might fall a bit flat.

But for the first century Jewish man or woman, this is the type of moment that just brings you to the edge of your seat, that catches your attention, that gets your heart beating faster. Jesus wasn't just some genius 12 year old. Jesus is the longed for Messiah. Jesus is Lord. So as we pray now, let us ask for the grace to receive anew the breadth and the depth of this revelation as Jesus lays bare his divinity.

Jesus says, I am the Lord and that God became man and dwelt among us. And if we're not totally capable to receive the fullness of the gift, like that's okay. Let us continue with Mary pondering this truth in our hearts. 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 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. 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, 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.

Alright, thanks so much for joining me and praying with me again today. I look forward to continuing this journey with you again tomorrow. Alright, Poco Poco friends. God bless you all.