The Rosary in a Year (with Fr. Mark-Mary Ames) - Day 152: St. Joseph’s Offering

Episode Date: June 1, 2025

We continue our series focusing on St. Joseph’s presence with the Presentation in the Temple. In today’s art, we see Joseph offering the turtle doves, artistically representing what also is happening interiorly, Fr. Mark-Mary says. St. Joseph’s heart was surely sorrowful when Simeon prophesied that a sword would pierce Mary’s heart, and yet he said yes to the Father alongside her. Today’s focus is the mystery of the Presentation in the Temple 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 in the Ascension App. For the complete prayer plan, visit https://ascensionpress.com/riy.

Father Mark Murray with Franciscan Friars 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 152. To download the prayer plan for Rosary in a Year, visit AscensionPress.com forward slash rosaryinayear or text R-I-Y-2-3-3-777. 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 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. On behalf of myself and the whole team here at Ascension, we wanted to take this opportunity to thank everyone who's helped support this podcast financially. Your generosity is so appreciated and helps us to reach as many people as possible.

And if you haven't already, please consider supporting us at ascensionpress.com forward slash support. Today we will be meditating upon and praying with the fourth joyful mystery, the presentation of Jesus in the temple, with help from a painting of the presentation at the Church of St. Hovel in Prague. Now a brief introduction to our painting. The artist is unknown, and the time period is actually uncertain.

It's probably from the 17th or the 18th century. The church itself was built in the year 1232, but over its long history, it's added a collection of sacred art. So we don't have much background actually for the painting today. So now we can go ahead and move into our description. At the center of the painting, Mary in a fine blue toga

bears in her arms the infant Jesus who is sitting up aware and present. She offers him to a man in a priestly robe. This we know to be Simeon. One woman attends to the priest and even supports his arm receiving Jesus from below. Another woman in a blue hood crosses her arms and bends her knees in emotion and observance behind him. St. Joseph, cape billowing in the wind, passes two doves to an attendant at the temple. Around them the painting is brimming with onlookers.

To the right, two young altar boys wear surpluses and carry poles with candles. From the far left, mothers and daughters in traditional European garb, as well as a man dressed as a cloaked sojourner, stand in the temple and intently observe the scene. Through the classical arches in the back, three heads pop in from a lower level. And many others, they watch, in light and in shadows, as Mary presents her son Jesus in the temple. As we pray today with the fourth Joyful Missionary Presentation of Jesus in the Temple, we're going to keep with the theme of reflecting on St. Joseph and how he is taking part in and experiencing these different events in the life of the Holy Family. And as I've been praying with the presentation in the Gospel of Luke and our painting today,

my heart's deeply moved. Right, we have Saint Joseph in the back today. And what's he doing? Like, he is making the offering. What I believe here is that Saint Joseph in the presentation is going to be invited to make another offering, a deeper offering. So that's what we're gonna look at today. And what strikes me in maybe how we'll kind of begin and build up to this moment in salvation history is just the reality of like how many times up to this point. And then again, during their time in Nazareth, would Mary be going about her business? She's going around the house or she's taking a walk in nature, maybe on a journey,

and enjoying the beauty of God's creation or feeding or interacting with the child Jesus. When out of the corner of her eye, she catches Saint Joseph. And what is Saint Joseph doing? Saint Joseph is looking at her lovingly, like attentively, and prayerfully. And how loved and safe would Mary always feel in His presence and under His loving gaze. And as we mentioned yesterday, we were praying with the Nativity.

Mary experienced such profound freedom to pray and delight and care for Jesus because of Joseph's loving protection. And how much Joseph both loved but also felt the duty of creating this place of safety and security for Mary. Like, it's what God called him to do and it is what his heart delighted in doing. Today at the presentation, he's there and he's taking it all in. And he's lovingly watching mother and child. And then he hears these words of Simeon spoken to Mary. And a sword will pierce through your own soul also.

And I dare say at hearing this prophecy, Joseph's own heart was pierced. We see that Joseph's mission at this moment is prophesied that his mission too, like humanly speaking, in some ways will be a failure, in some ways it's going to share the same fate as that of Jesus and Mary. You can just kind of looking at it with human eyes, Jesus was rejected and Jesus was crucified. Mary and her mission of mother, who so desired to protect her son, she's not able to protect him from all harm. And so she sees him suffer and sees him suffering the greatest of suffering.

Now Joseph too, right? Joseph has been called to provide for Mary and to protect her, but also in a certain sense, like in quotes, to fail as well, as she will be hurt, as her soul is destined to be pierced by a sword." And I imagine Joseph's hearing of these words being received like a blow to the stomach which knocks all the wind out of him and how he too, like Mary, would have to ponder this prayerfully in his own heart. Sharing his heart with God, sharing the pain that he feels this prophecy, but also surrendering to the Father's perfect will.

How Mary ascended, she shared in the offering of Jesus. And we see in the painting today St. Joseph being depicted making the offering of the turtle doves artistically representing what also is happening interiorly. As he makes this offering to the Father's will, this yes to the Father's will made on the altar of his heart in the temple of his own body. That he's come to love and to delight in and to protect Mary, who God called to take as his wife. But her soul is going to be pierced with a sword. And so with that, so does St. Joseph's, but what does he do? Lord. And so with that, so does St. Joseph's, but what does he do?

Like Jesus, like Mary, he says, yes, he ascends. So today, as we pray, I'll invite you to reflect on this reality, right, that today a loving husband who has embraced his God-given call to care for and to protect his wife, his innocent wife, his pure wife, his beautiful wife, his immaculate wife, hears that her soul will be pierced. And how that must have pained his own heart, but he doesn't rebel, like he remains faithful, St. Joseph, the righteous man, says yes today in the temple. Now 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 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 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.

All right. Thanks so much 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.