The Rosary in a Year (with Fr. Mark-Mary Ames) - Day 124: Newness of Life

Episode Date: May 4, 2025

 We were buried with Christ by baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead, we too might walk in newness of life. Fr. Mark-Mary, with a reading by St. Augustine, explains the integral connection between baptism and the mystery of the Resurrection. Today’s focus is the mystery of the Resurrection and we will be praying one decade of the Rosary. For the complete prayer plan, visit https://ascensionpress.com/riy.

Amen. Father Mark Murray with the Franciscan Friars with Renewal and this is the Rosary in a Year podcast where we throw prayer and meditation. The Rosary brings us deeper into relationship with Jesus and to 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 124. 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. 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 with myself and other friars 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 first glorious mystery, the resurrection, with help from a writing from Saint Augustine in his sermon number eight. All right, now we'll get right into our reading from St. Augustine. I'm speaking to you, newly born infants, little children in Christ, new sons and daughters of the

church. Grace of the Father, fruitfulness of Mother Church, a holy branch, a new swarm of bees, the flower of our ministry, and the fruit of our labor. my joy and crown all who stand in Christ. I address you with apostolic words, the night is far gone, the day is at hand. Let us then cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us conduct ourselves becomingly as in the day, not in reveling in drunkenness, not in debauchery, in licentiousness, not in quarreling and jealousy, but put on the Lord Jesus Christ and make no provision for the flesh to gratify its desires, that you may put on the life of Him whom you have put on in this sacrament. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ, there is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free,

there is neither male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. Such is the power this sacrament holds, for it is the sacrament of new life, a life which begins in this world by the remission of past sins and which will be perfected in the resurrection of the dead. We were buried, therefore, with him by baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life." The end of the reading. Thanks be to God. Thanks be to God. Now there's a story told about Pope St. John Paul II that I've used a lot, but to be totally honest I've done a decent amount of searching online and I haven't been totally able to confirm it, but I still feel comfortable sharing it because even if the details of the story aren't exactly

what happened, what transpired, I believe the sentiment expressed remains absolutely true. And before sharing the story, I think like what's most important to remember about Pope John Paul II, now Pope St. John Paul II, is that he lived one of the most extraordinary lives that has ever been lived by anyone ever. He grew up and eventually pursued the priesthood under communist persecution in Poland. He was consecrated a bishop at the young age of 38 years old. He became pope at 58.

He spoke several languages, played a significant role in the fall of communism in Europe. He was the pope for 26 years and in his 26 year long reign, he visited 129 countries, wrote 14 encyclicals. He survived two different assassination attempts and was a source of renewal and hope for a whole generation of Catholics. Pope St. John Paul II, he truly changed the world. And to be honest, he totally changed the trajectory of my own personal life.

Now, towards the end of his life, he did an interview. And the interviewer asked him, Pope John Paul II, you lived a tremendous life, had a global impact, which will affect a whole generation of people. Like in your estimation, what was the most important day or event in your life? The one day that you hold most dear. Estimation, what was the most important day or event in your life? The one day that you hold most dear? John Paul II took a brief moment to reflect, and then he looked at the interviewer and said, well, that day I was baptized.

Now, again, I haven't been able to confirm the full details of this story. There's confirmation that he called the canonizing of St. Faustina the happiest day of his life. But like the sentiment again expressed remains true. The most important day of Pope St. John Paul II's life was the day he was baptized. Why? Well, as the catechism of the Catholic Church,

the catechism by the way that he promulgated in paragraph 1213 says, the holy baptism is the basis of the whole Christian life. Paragraph 12-54 says, baptism is the source of new life from which the entire Christian life springs forth. Nothing that he would have done would have happened if he had not first been baptized. Now, in our reading today from St. Augustine, he's addressing the newly baptized and he also makes the link between baptism

and our Lord's resurrection, the glorious mystery that we are reflecting on praying with today. St. Augustine, he writes, for it is a sacrament of new life, a life which begins in this world by the remission of past sins, and which will be perfected in the resurrection of the dead. Then quoting St. Paul in his letter to the Romans, he continues, we were buried therefore with him

by baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. In other words, by baptism, we are born into new life, like life in our risen Lord, life in Christ. We are baptized into his death so that we may share in his resurrection, which we already have a foretaste of now, but which is our final end and our ultimate hope. A share in this new life that we enter into through baptism

was made possible through His resurrection. Paragraph 654 of the Catechism says, the Paschal Mystery has two aspects. By His death, Christ liberates us from sin, and by His resurrection, He opens for us the way to new life. This new life above all is justification that reinstates us in God's grace, which we are given to share in through baptism. So in summary, we can say that Jesus' resurrection,

it opens to us a doorway into a new life, a share in his own life, a share in his own relationship with the Father, a share in his own resurrection. And we enter through this door, through our own baptism. Again, for this reason, baptism is the source of that new life from which the entire Christian life springs forth.

For this reason, the most important day in Pope John Paul II's life is, in fact, the day of his baptism. The most important day for each of us, therefore, is the day of our baptism. Now, I realize this is a little bit more heady of an episode than maybe we're used to, and I'm taking some extra effort to try and make the theological connection between baptism and resurrection. But I'll invite you to pray with today,

however, a proposed is quite focused and simple. You and I, we have access to grace, to life in Christ, to the Holy Spirit, to calling out Abba, Father, to Mary as our mother, to being washed in the blood of Jesus for the forgiveness of our sins, like to hope in the resurrection. We have access to all of this. Why? Because Jesus Christ is risen from the dead.

And then we are given a share in this new life and all that comes with it through our own baptism. So let's pray today with renewed gratitude for the gift of our own baptism in the most important moment in our life, which has already happened for most of us listening here. And the basis of the whole Christian life, which was made possible through the Paschal mystery, Jesus' death and His resurrection. And we'll end with the final quote from St. Paul in his letter to the Romans.

We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. With hearts full of gratitude and with our Lady, let us now 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 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. Noun 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. The name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. All right. Thanks for joining me and praying with me today. I look forward to continuing this journey with you again tomorrow.

Poco Poco friends. God bless y'all. Thank you for listening to this episode of the Rosary in the Year. If you've been enjoying this journey with me, I encourage you to check out my new book, Eight Promises of God, Discovering Hope Through the Beatitudes. We all want to know, like, what can I expect my life to look like when I'm following Jesus? How do I know I'm doing it right? My brothers and sisters will believe that the answer to these questions is found in the Beatitudes. In this book, we'll learn from the example of the

truly blessed ones, our Lord and our Lady, and how they practiced and lived the Beatitudes. And all this is going to bear fruit with the deepening of our trust in God's promises in any and all circumstances. You can get your copy today at ascensionpress.com forward slash promises.