The Rosary in a Year (with Fr. Mark-Mary Ames) - Day 139: Gold in Our Halos

Episode Date: May 19, 2025

In today’s painting by Vicente Masip, Judas is pictured with a gold and black halo. Even as Judas leads the soldiers to arrest Jesus, Fr. Mark-Mary explains that this halo shows Judas has the chance to return to Jesus. We too can always return to Jesus, seeking his forgiveness as Peter does. Today’s focus is the mystery of the Agony in the Garden and we will be praying one decade of the Rosary. All of the Sacred Art we’ll be meditating with can be found in the Rosary in a Year Prayer Guide, for free linked in the complete prayer plan, or for free in the Ascension App. 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 139. 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 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 sorrowful mystery, the agony in the garden.

And our prayer will be aided by the painting of Jesus in Gethsemane by Vicente Massip. It's in a cathedral in Valencia, Spain. All right, now a brief introduction to our artist and artwork. Our artist is Vicente Massip. He was born in the year 1475 and he would die in 1545. He was born in Andes, Spain, but spent much of his professional life in Valencia.

The time period of this painting is its Renaissance. And the art style is the Quattro Centro style, which is situated in the early Renaissance art period in Italy during the 15th century. And it's characterized by a renewed interest in classical antiquity with a focus on realism, naturalism, and the use of perspective. And now a description of our artwork. In a gilded frame, a painted scene shows the outskirts of a city at night. At the center, Jesus kneels with a golden halo, elevating his hands in prayer and pleading

his eyes pointed up towards the sky. A small angel in pink descends towards him. And in garden, around Jesus, three disciples lean against rocks slumped over in sleep. These are Peter, James, and John, and their heads are also encircled in golden halos. And the distant soldiers make preparations outside of a white city, heads are also encircled in golden halos. And the distant soldiers make preparations outside of a white city. And along a path towards the town,

a group of soldiers marches, with Judas leading the way and painting towards Jesus. Judas also has a halo, but his is half gold and half black. So what really caught me with today's painting and the detail we're going to stick with for today's meditation is the halo of Judas. And I think again, this just points to the beauty of the rosary and that there's so many

little details and so many ways in which we can come to these various mysteries. And then these artists can help us really kind of see these different details, which we may not have thought of on our own. And so in the painting, right, our Lord, He has a full halo. Peter, James, and John, although they're sleeping, all of their halos are pure gold. But then there's Judas. And Judas, he has a halo, but his as mentioned is half gold and half black. And in my own reflection, in prayer with this,

like what the half halo speaks to me, it's as if the artist is saying, like, hey, Judas, even now there's still time to repent. Even now as he's already leading the soldiers toward the garden, there's time to repent and to become a great saint, like the other apostles. I find it to be a really moving and beautiful artistic portrayal of the battle happening for his soul. Even here, even now.

Like he has lost his way. And it's true. And he's actively seeking to betray Jesus, but there's still hope. And I believe I'm pretty confident it's Pope Benedict XVI who draws the comparison between Peter and Judas. Judas, of course, as we know, he betrays Jesus. But Peter also, like Peter will soon abandon and deny him in his time of greatest need and vulnerability. One is remembered though, as the most pitiable of men, and one is remembered as a great apostle and saint. And the difference is not that they didn't fall.

The difference is that after their fall, Peter trusted in and sought Jesus' mercy, and he received it. Judas, on the other hand, he gave into despair. He rejected the potential of reconciliation and restoration with God, and he took his own life. As long as there's breath in our lungs, there's potential for gold in our halos. To quote the prophet Joel, Slow to anger and abounding in mercy. And I do believe that this is one of the great sorrows that Jesus experiences in the garden.

Even here, He's praying for all of us to be saved. Even here, He's praying to the Father for Judas and for all future sinners to receive the gift won by the shedding of His blood, to see His goodness revealed through this passion, and to know that we can always return to Him with confidence in His mercy. And how piercing to Jesus's heart here in the garden to know that many will not receive this gift. And that this man that He loved, that He called, will not return but will be conquered by despair. As we pray today, let us ask for the grace of confident

and complete repentance. If our proverbial halos have been darkened by our sin and if the light of hope has been slowly dimmed in the clouds of despair, let us look to Jesus. See his pleading on your behalf. See his tears and hear his cries as he prays to the Father on your behalf That you may receive the grace of repentance And that you may never give up on his ability to save you and to forgive you And as we pray can you hear him say to you at this moment, return to me, return to me with all your heart,

for I am gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in mercy. Together 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, 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. 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 everybody, 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 a poco friends. God bless y'all.