The Rosary in a Year (with Fr. Mark-Mary Ames) - Day 148: Daughter, Mother, Spouse

Episode Date: May 28, 2025

The Coronation of Mary can be seen in a distinctly Trinitarian sense, highlighted in Diego Velázquez’s painting, The Coronation of the Virgin. Fr. Mark-Mary explains Mary’s relationships to each member of the Trinity as daughter, mother, and spouse. Today’s focus is the mystery of the Coronation of Mary 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 148. 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 pray each 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 fifth glorious mystery, the coronation of Mary as Queen of Heaven and Earth with help from the painting entitled The Coronation of the Virgin by the artist Diego Velázquez. Okay, brief introduction to our artist and artwork for today. The artist Diego Velázquez was born in the year 1599. He died in the year 1660, and he was one of Spain's greatest painters and a leading artist

of the Baroque period. Born as De Vil, he began his artistic training at age 12 as an apprentice. Velásquez became a court painter to King Philip IV of Spain in the year 1623, a position he held for the rest of his life, and he developed a unique style characterized by loose, expressive brushwork and masterful use of light and color. The Coronation of the Virgin, the painting we're looking at today, was done in the year 1645. In its style, it is of Baroque style characterized by dramatic realism and emotional intensity, dynamic use of light and shadow, which is called chiaroscuro and rich of vibrant colors. There's a sense of movement and tension,

grandeur and ornate detailing. And now the visual description of our painting. The beautiful, rose-cheeked, blessed Virgin Mary casts her eyes down in complete humility, draped in fine purple and blue robes and a simple white veil. She's enthroned in an environment of cloud and light. Little cherubs attend at her feet. Jesus and God the Father depicted as men with brown and gray hair respectively sit symmetrically

to each other above her, wearing fine purple robes, together hold a crown of roses that they move to place atop her glowing head. The Holy Spirit in the form of a dove triumphantly spreads its wings between them, emitting a circular radiant aura of light. The brightest beam flows directly to the coronation of roses, to the crown of Mary's head. Now, today, I'd like us to pray with Mary's coronation of Queen of Heaven and Earth from the perspective of Mary's. We call her three identities.

Mary is a daughter. She's the daughter of God, the daughter of the father. She's also mother of Jesus, like mother of God. Theotokos, Mary is mother. And Mary is spouse of the spirit. Mary is daughter, Mary is mother, Mary is spouse of the Spirit. Mary is daughter, Mary is mother, Mary is bride. Now I realize Mary is spouse of the Spirit, maybe new to some, but it does have a long tradition.

And his general audience entitled the Holy Spirit and Mary Model of the Nuptial Union of God with Humanity given on May 2nd, 1990. Pope John Paul II, he wrote this referring to the Annunciation. In this divine espousing of humanity, Mary responds to the announcement of the angel with the love of a bride capable of responding and adapting perfectly to the divine election. As a result of all of this, from the time of St. Francis of Assisi, the Church calls the Virgin the Spouse of the Holy Spirit. Only this perfect

nuptial love, profoundly rooted in the complete virginal self-giving to God, can enable Mary to become the Mother of God in a conscious and worthy way in the mystery of the Incarnation. in a conscious and worthy way in the mystery of the incarnation. Now I invite you to feel free to look up the audience three more if it's a topic of interest to you. But for our purposes, I simply just wanted to share this brief papal quote to give us all some confidence in this being an acceptable title for our prayer. Now, as we look at Mary's coronation in our painting today by Velasquez,

we see all three persons of the Most Holy Trinity depicted. And he does it in such a way that for my prayer, my interpretation, at least, the coronation of Mary, it's clearly an act of the Most holy Trinity. And here's what I want to zoom in on. Mary's coronation, like it's a relational reality. At her coronation, Mary is a daughter

being crowned by her father at her coronation. Mary is the mother crowned by her son at her coronation. Right. Mary is the mother crowned by her son at her coronation, right? Mary is a bride crowned by her spouse. God is love. In the most holy Trinity is the most intense and deep of love, the Father and Son and Holy Spirit. They love Mary with a love which we can only begin to comprehend.

So imagine this moment, imagine the love, the joy, like the delight of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. And also now like imagine Mary, right? Imagine the love, the joy, the overwhelming power of this moment for her as daughter and mother and bride. Mary's coronation as queen of heaven and earth, like it's glorious and it's powerful

and it's theologically super important. But at its depths, like at its core, like it's a mystery of the most profound love and joy and celebration. It calls the mind, right, Jesus's baptism where the heavens parted, the spirit descended and the Father said, you are my beloved son with whom I'm well pleased.

Like here at the coronation, can we like prayerfully imagine like the same sentiment being expressed to Mary, daughter of the father, like behold, you are my beloved daughter with whom I'm well pleased. And what beautiful words are shared by Jesus, the son, by Holy Spirit, the Spouse, as they crown her. So I'm going to invite you to contemplate, like to behold, to enjoy the beauty of this

moment, and also to meditate on the Father, the Son, the Holy Spirit, what they may have spoken to Mary at this moment. Then imagine Mary and how full her heart must have been. We want to like really just hone in on like the fullness of the joy and the love of this moment. We don't forget all that Mary went through. But let's remember the end here. Let's remember the end here.

Let's remember the end. Now, you and I, like we're not called to be the queen of heaven, but we are already now like invited to share in this beautiful intimacy with the most holy Trinity. A relationship that through baptism, we already share it in a way. And you and I are not called to be the Queen of Heaven

and we don't have the same relationship particularly that Mary has to all the persons of the Trinity. But we are called to share in this most beautiful intimacy and love with the Holy Trinity. As we reflect on their love of Mary love with the Holy Trinity. As we reflect on their love of Mary today, may we also reflect on their love of each of us. And now, with Mary, daughter of the Father, mother of the Son, spouse of the Spirit, Queen

of Heaven and Earth. 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. Thanks so much for joining me and praying with me again today. I look forward to continuing this journey with you again tomorrow. Poco Poco, friends. God bless y'all.