The Rosary in a Year (with Fr. Mark-Mary Ames) - Day 174: Living Our Baptism

Episode Date: June 23, 2025

Through Alexander Ivanov’s painting, The Appearance of Christ Before the People, Fr. Mark-Mary contemplates the baptism of Jesus and the profound humility of John the Baptist, who recognizes Christ and directs his followers to Him. The artwork and Gospel text together highlight John’s deep spiritual freedom and his role in preparing the way for the Messiah. We are encouraged to live out our own baptismal calling by pointing others to Jesus through humble witness, love, and trust in God’s will. Today’s focus is the mystery of the Baptism of Jesus 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.

I'm Father Mark Mary with 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 174. 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

the 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. I encourage you to pick up a copy of the Rosary in a Year Prayer Guide, a book published by Ascension that was designed to complement this podcast. You'll find all the daily readings from Scripture, Saint Reflections, and beautiful images of the sacred art we'll be reflecting on. Today we will be meditating upon and praying with the first luminous mystery, the baptism of Jesus in the Jordan, with help from a painting by the artist Alexander Ivanov entitled The Appearance of Christ Before the People,

The Apparition of the Messiah. All right, a quick introduction to our artists and artwork. Alexander Ivanov, born in the year 1806, died in the year 1858, was a prominent Russian painter known for his dedication to religious and historical themes, particularly his magnum opus, which we're looking at today, the appearance of Christ before the people. His work bridges the traditions

of neoclassicalism and romanticism. Evenhoff spent 20 years working on this particular masterpiece, producing over 500 prep sketches and studies. Most of this time was spent in Italy where he meticulously researched Bickel themes and artistic techniques. So this painting was worked on from the years 1837 to the year 1857. A couple of details to point out the painting to the left of John includes John the apostle, Peter, Andrew, and Nathaniel and seated near John the Baptist. and seated near John the Baptist. Ivanov has included himself as a self-portrait and also his friend Nikolai Gogol,

who was a close friend and is also depicted as one of the spectators. And now a description of our painting. A broad, sunlit landscape features the banks of the River Jordan where a large crowd has gathered. John the Baptist stands in the midst of the crowd, tall and commanding, barefoot and clothed in a rough camel-hair tunic. With his right arm dramatically extended, he points toward the horizon, drawing every gaze to a solitary figure approaching in the distance. It's Jesus. In a simple blue cloak and red tunic, Christ emerges solitary from the vast wilderness with an air of mystery.

He walks quietly and humbly. The river curves gently around the rocks with green branches and clusters of reeds growing from the water, a stark contrast to the dry terrain. In the foreground, many gather young and old and several men stand with their tunics laid aside, having stepped into the river to receive baptism. Their varied expressions, wonder, doubt, expectation reflect the stirring moment that unfolds. So even off-screen painting today entitled again, The Appearance of Christ Before the People, it's consistent with this depiction of the story

of the baptism of Jesus as we find it in John chapter one. And to begin, actually, I'm going to go ahead and read the verses that apply to the mystery in the painting to root today's meditation in the gospel text. But it's going to be a bit of an extended quote. So bear with me. So this is starting at verse 19. Now this is the testimony of John.

When the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, who are you? He confessed. He did not deny, but confessed, I am not the Christ. And they asked him, what then? Are you Elijah? He said, I am not. Are you the prophet?

He answered, no. They said to him then, who are you? Let us have an answer for those who sent us. What do you say about yourself? He said, I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, make straight the way of the Lord. As the prophet Isaiah said. Now they had been sent from the Pharisees. They asked him, then why are you baptizing if you are neither the Christ nor Elijah nor the prophet?

John answered them, I baptize with water, but among you stands one whom you do not know, even he who comes after me, the thong of whose sandal I am not worthy to untie. This took place in Bethany, beyond the Jordan where John was baptizing. The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him and said, Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. This is he of whom I said, After me comes a man who ranks before me,

for he was before me. I myself did not know him, but for this I came baptizing with water, that he might be revealed to Israel. And John bore witness. I saw the Spirit descend as a dove from heaven and remain on him. I myself did not know him, but he who sent me to baptize with water said to me, He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain, this is he who baptizes with the Holy Spirit. And I have seen and have borne witness that this is the Son of God." The next day, again John was standing with two of his disciples, and he looked at Jesus as he walked and said, Behold the Lamb of God. The two disciples heard him say this and they followed Jesus.

Jesus turned and saw them following and said to them, What do you seek? And they said to him, Rabbi, which means teacher, where are you staying? He said to them, Come and see. They came and saw where he was staying and they stayed with him that day for it was about the 10th hour. One of the two who heard John speak and followed him was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother. He first found his brother Simon and said to him,

we have found the Messiah, which means Christ. He brought him to Jesus. So thanks for letting me read all that. And I do think it's important because I think it, it really just helps us understand what Ivanov is trying to do in this painting that he dedicated 20 years to, right? And why, for example, he includes in this painting the future apostles John and Peter, Andrew and Nathaniel.

Because right as the gospel tells us the next day at John's, Behold the Lamb of God, two disciples would go and follow Jesus, one being Andrew, who would go and get his brother Peter and bring Peter to Jesus. The question the painting asks for me, like elicits in me, is who are you, John? Who are you, John the Baptist? And the Gospel, particularly John chapter one, I think does a really great job at giving us some insight and some details about who John was and what his experience of life was like.

John is sanctified in the womb at the visitation. Then he'd go off into the wilderness and live a very ascetical life and people would come to him. And they're just so impressed by him. They start asking, like, who are you? Are you Elijah? Are you the Messiah? But he clearly denied this, but prophesied about Jesus. Then when Jesus comes to him at the Jordan,

he recognizes him as the Lamb of God, and he sends those who would become his disciples to be Jesus' disciples. In a way, here we see John decreasing as Jesus is increasing. And this includes, right, a decreasing of John in popularity and an increasing of Jesus in popularity. Because I'm sure for a while, like around town, the buzz was all about John. But then it becomes all about Jesus, which was the whole point. But also, like, let's just kind of look at the human part of this from scripture.

If you remember back in the Old Testament, when King Saul heard the song about how he slew thousands, but David slew ten thousands. And not being like the guy anymore, Saul's response was to try and kill David, his competition, even though David was the anointed one. But John here, the truly ascetical man, the truly free man and the true prophet, boldly points to Jesus and he says, he is the one you are looking for and therefore I am not.

And people actually leave him to follow Jesus. And so we see here about John the Baptist, he is a man radically attuned to the voice and the promptings of God. He knew he was a prophet, but not the Messiah. He knew he was called to go into the wilderness and make straight the way of the Lord and to live like a really kind of tough, again, an ascetical life and to offer a baptism for repentance. But then when he sees Jesus through grace, he recognizes him as the Messiah and Lamb of God,

and he freely sends his disciples to follow him. And of course, we know his earthly story ends in martyrdom. And like the inspiration movement of my heart that evokes is, John, I just, I want to be like you. You know, I want to hear God speak and I want to go where he sends me. I want to see him in my life and I want to be faithful to him even unto death. Like I want to be able to do hard things for Jesus, but without a hard heart, especially when hardened through discouragement or jealousy.

And I want to bring people to Jesus. So the invitation as we close today and go into prayer is to do a bit of an examine, to see how we are living up to our own call, to be prophets, a call that we've received by our baptism. Are we like John seeking to do God's will above all else? Are we offering an attractive witness to the gospel? Are we willing to deny ourselves? Are we loving with a free and non-possessive love?

And are we pointing people to Jesus? For example, you know, when's the last time you said the name of Jesus in a conversation? When's the last time you invited someone to pray or to mass? And as we make this examine, like where you've done well, all right, give thanks to God. Where you've struggled, don't get discouraged, but ask for God's mercy, and with the help of grace, make a firm resolve to try and make changes in the future. 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, 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. Alright, thanks so much for joining me and praying with me today. I look forward to continuing this journey with you again tomorrow. Poco a Poco, friends. God bless you all.