The Rosary in a Year (with Fr. Mark-Mary Ames) - Day 202: Scapegoat and Savior

Episode Date: July 21, 2025

Fr. Mark-Mary connects Jesus carrying His cross to Christ as the new scapegoat, freely taking on the exile, rejection, and sins of all humanity and carrying them to His place of crucifixion. Simon of Cyrene had the opportunity to let his suffering draw him closer to Jesus—an invitation extended to each of us in our own crosses of loss, illness, or pain. When we unite our suffering with His, our crosses too can become salvific, glorified, and trophies of shared victory in Christ. Today’s focus is the mystery of the Carrying of the Cross and we will be praying one decade of the Rosary. For the complete prayer plan, visit https://ascensionpress.com/riy.

Hi, I'm Fr. 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 202. 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 fourth sorrowful mystery, Jesus carrying His cross. And before our time of prayer, let's review what we have prayed with and meditating upon up to this point.

A theme that we touched on in a variety of different ways was looking at Jesus as the fulfillment of the new scapegoat. And we talked about back in the Old Testament for the Day of the new scapegoat. And we talked about back in the Old Testament, for the Day of Atonement, there was a scapegoat, a literal goat that the high priest would place his hands on, on the Day of Atonement. And then this goat would be offered by sending it off into the wilderness. And there's many ways in which we looked at Jesus becoming the fulfillment of this. Taking upon Himself all of the sins of humanity. And this is a fitting reflection for the fourth sorrowful mystery. Because as you may recall, to be crucified, Jesus was led outside of the city, namely Jerusalem, to Golgotha.

And so, we can call to mind this goat, which, if you will, has received the sins of the world, going out into the wilderness, leaving the city to be offered. And Jesus himself, like, freely making this journey, freely taking upon himself the exile, the rejection, the sins of all of the people, and carrying it into the wilderness, carrying it to his place of crucifixion. Then in a further meditation, our own meditation was met by Simon. We looked at how Simon was compelled to help Jesus carry his cross. He was forced to do so. But Simon, he was compelled, but still free.

And Simon could have carried the cross under force, endured his own share in this injustice, completely keeping to himself, completely begrudgingly with the constant narrative of rejection of what was happening. Or there could have been some openness to, in this case, Jesus. And looking at Jesus, conversing with Jesus, allowing the suffering that Simon was experiencing, the injustice that Simon was experiencing, to allowing it to bring him close to Jesus. And I do believe that if Simon, like Jesus at some point, accepts his part, his lot, accepts the cross, surrenders to what is happening, it's an opportunity for him to encounter the Lord.

And we're not going to go into it in a lot of detail, but again, I think it's an important caveat reminder that this isn't supposed to be used to kind of manipulate us into not fighting injustice, etc. But there are many crosses, sufferings that we are going to have to carry while seeking like a proper remedy, while seeking proper judgment or that we are going to be carrying for our lives such as the crosses of loss, of chronic illness, etc. And can we in the midst of this cross have an openness to it bringing us close to Jesus? Can we in some way model the prayer of Jesus? Not my will, but your will be done.

This act of surrender, of trust, of openness to the saving power of God, and the unitive potential of suffering with our Lord. And lastly for our review today, if you recall, St. Thomas Aquinas, he wrote this, speaking of Jesus Christ bore his cross as a king does his scepter. His cross is the sign of his glory, which is his universal dominion over all things." And he goes on to say, He carried His cross as a victor carries the trophy of His victory. And Jesus, in embracing the cross and freely accepting the cross and carrying the cross, He glorifies the cross and is glorified through the cross. And in doing so, Jesus changes that which is unholy and disgraceful and dishonorable into something royal, something victorious. A trophy of His victory. If we too learn to carry our cross, embrace our cross with Jesus, these painful, dishonorable,

disgraceful things can be salvific, glorious, transformative, and become trophies of our share in this victory. My brothers and sisters, it's true, it remains true, that to suffer alone, it is tragic. But to suffer with Jesus is redemptive and is salvific. is redemptive and is salvific. So now let us take a moment of stillness to sit with this mystery, to sit with what we have reviewed and called to mind today. Let's go through this roadmap of prayer, these four R's. Today in this moment, what is the grace being offered, the truth being revealed, that you

are invited to receive? How can you respond? What is the grace that you would like to request at the service of this response. And then rejoice. Give thanks to the Lord for this time of prayer, for this mystery of our salvation and for the grace given and the life of God shared. And now together with Mary let us pray. In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, Amen. 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, 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 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. Thank you 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 you all.