The Rosary in a Year (with Fr. Mark-Mary Ames) - Day 20: Eyes of Mercy (2026)

Episode Date: January 20, 2026

You are enough for God. Fr. Mark-Mary contemplates Mary’s Magnificat, reminding us that Mary and Jesus look upon us with eyes of mercy, rejoicing in our offerings of love to them, no matter how small we think they are. As we slowly build up our Rosary, prayer by prayer, these sincere acts of love are pleasing offerings to God. Today’s focus is “Turn then, most gracious advocate, thine eyes of mercy towards us,” and we will be praying one Our Father, three Hail Marys, and one Glory Be.

Hi, I'm Father Mark Mary with Franciscan Friars, the Renewal, and this is the Rosary in the Year podcast. We're 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 20. 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.

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If you haven't already, please consider supporting us at ascensionpress.com forward slash support. Turn then, oh most gracious advocate, then eyes of mercy towards us. To help us reflect on these words of the Hail Holy Queen, let's go ahead and take a look at two different scripture passages. The first one, I'm just going to read it. It's a short one. And the second is going to lead us to a bit more of the body of our meditation. So the first comes from this. It's part of Mary's Magnificat. So this is Luke chapter one starting at verse 46. And Mary said,

My soul magnifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God, my Savior, for he has regarded the low estate of his handmaiden. And the second reading comes from the Gospel of Mark, chapter 12, to starting at verse 41. And he sat down opposite the treasury and watched the multitude putting money into the treasury. Many rich people put in large sums and a poor widow came and put in two copper coins which make a penny. And he called his disciples to him and said to them,

Truly, I say to you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the treasury. For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she, out of her poverty, has put in everything she had, her whole living. As Jesus is in the temple, and he sees this poor widow approach, the treasury and put in her offering,

I do think the heart of Jesus, I think he's moved by the sincerity and the totality of this gift. But also, I think this person, poor widow's offering is received by him, like with an even greater sweetness because of how this poor widow does reflect his mother and probably got him thinking, you know, of some of his childhood experiences back in Nazareth. Because right, like, Mary and Joseph, they would have been materially poor. You know, as they presented Jesus in the temple, they offered what is the offering

of the poor of either two pigeons or two turtle doves. And I could just see in Nazareth. And I could just see in Nazareth in their little home, like, I can see just Mary really being so aware of her poverty. Like 100%. Like she was a great mother. And 100%, she's conceived without sin. She never sinned. But even the Blessed Virgin Mary was poor. But at the same time, I think the experience of the Holy Family of this family who's truly, truly like holy, the holiest of families that we've ever seen, was also the most human of families we've ever seen. Maybe Mary made a mistake in singing or, you know, who was trying to put on her best outfit and it just still had holes and passages on it.

And the ways in which she would have just brought it to Jesus. And the ways in which they would have just laughed about it. They would have had this language and this freedom of acknowledging, like, we are poor. And I think this is where, you know, Mary being. rooted in this truth and relationship with God is part of what she's singing about in the Magnificat when she says, you know, like my soul magnifies the Lord, my spirit, rejoicing God, my savior, for he has regarded the lowest state of his handmaiden. She can experience her lowliness with joy and not shame because of how her lowliness has

been received by God. And now Mary, I believe, wants to be an advocate to us and wants to look upon us with these eyes of mercy and teach us a couple of things. First of all, that our own acts of love to her, although they might be imperfect and distracted. If they really are like the best we can do, if we're not given much but we're given everything we have, I think that's a pleasing offering to marry and to teach us, to advocate to us, to teach us how to give this gift with joy and confidence and freedom and not shame or discouragement, not focusing on the imperfection, but the totality of the love and the sincerity with which we are offering it. A little example, as I look back in my own life and my childhood,

there's not a ton of these memories, but there's a couple of memories where I look back at young little me and think like, nice one. I'm kind of proud. And one of those that stands out very, very distinctly is one I must have been about maybe six. I know I was old enough to know some of the letters to write some of the letters, but I didn't have them all perfect. So I was in my parents' bedroom sitting on the floor. And my mom was doing a couple of different chores around the room. And I had some coloring pencils out and some paper. And I just remember, I still remember to this day just being moved to do like a just a sincere kind of pure act of love for my mom. And so I grabbed this little like post-it size piece of blue paper in the shape of a race car

and a red colored pencil. And I wrote, I mark with a backwards R, so I didn't get the R, right? Like, I mark, love you, mom. And with joy and confidence, I got up and I took it to my mom and I gave it to her. I didn't even write my name right. You know, I had the R backwards,

but she didn't focus on that, right? She saw the love with which it was given. And she also taught me that this is what matters. And the way she taught me that is even now about 35 years later, like pinned with pride of place in her little jewelry box is that piece of paper. And it's always been there. And I remember coming into a room every now and then growing up and just seeing that. Right. It just, it reveals like how much that meant to her. But it also is a great reminder that like it wasn't much, but it was a pure act of love. It was a

sincere act of love. And because of that, like, it was the best of gifts and received as the best of gifts. So what do we do with this? I think this applies to so many different areas of our life and our discipleship is we're trying to love God. We're trying to love our lady. And we're just aware of our weakness and our poverty. And it's like, my best isn't good enough, but it's my best. And it's me trying to love God with all of my strength. And I don't have enough strength to really do it the way I want to do it or the way I feel like it should look. But it is all my strength. And we can make that offering to the Lord knowing that he looks upon it and our lady looks upon it with these eyes of mercy and that it is a pleasing offering. But particularly with the

rosary, you know, like how often we're praying this part of the Hail Holy Queen. We're at the end of the rosary and how often at this point are we starting to feel discouraged? Like, dang, that wasn't the best. You know, but if we really are trying, like if we're trying our best, can we give it to Mary and can we give it to Jesus? This is what I have the offer. is a pleasing offering that deeply moves the heart of our mother and deeply moves the heart of our God. So here, as we conclude, let us just make the sincere offering.

I love you, Jesus. I love you, Mary. In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, amen. Our Father, who art in heaven, how would 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 are 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 spirits amen all right thanks everybody thanks for joining me today and i look forward to continuing the journey with you again tomorrow by friends