The Rosary in a Year (with Fr. Mark-Mary Ames) - Day 43: The Veil is Torn

Episode Date: February 12, 2025

Are Jesus’ last words on the cross from Psalm 22, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me,” a cry of despair, or a revelation of hope? Fr. Mark-Mary shares a meditation on God’s response to Jesus in the mystery of the Crucifixion, expressing the certainty of salvation that we too can hope to share in. Today’s focus is the mystery of the Crucifixion, and we will be praying one Our Father, three Hail Marys, and one Glory Be. For the complete prayer plan, visit https://ascensionpress.com/riy.

I'm Father Mark Mary with Franciscan Friars with 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 43. 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 preach month and it's a great way to track

your progress. The best place to listen to podcasts 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. The fifth sorrowful mystery is the crucifixion, Luke chapter 23 verses 33 through 46. And when they came to the place which is called the Skull, there they crucified him and the

criminals, one on the right and one on the left. And Jesus said, Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do. And they cast lots to divide his garments. And the people stood by, watching, but the ruler scoffed at him, saying, He saved others, let him save himself, if he is the Christ of God, his chosen one. The soldiers also mocked him, coming up and offering Him vinegar and saying, If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself. There was also an inscription over Him, This is the King of the Jews.

One of the criminals who were hanged railed at Him, saying, Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us. But the other rebuked Him, saying, Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? And we indeed justly, for we are receiving the due reward of our deeds, but this man has done nothing wrong. And he said, Jesus, remember me when you come in your kingly power. And he said to him, Truly I say to you, Today you will be with Me in Paradise. It was now about the sixth hour, and there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour, while the sun's light failed and the curtain of the temple was torn in

two. Then Jesus, crying with a loud voice, said, Father Father into your hands I commit my spirit. And having said this, he breathed his last. Today as we meditate on our Lord's crucifixion, I'm gonna highlight two details of our Lord's crucifixion. The first I'm gonna take from Matthew and Mark's account. Matthew and Mark both have Jesus praying the opening lines of Psalm 22, My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?

And as you may already be expecting, my meditation reflection here is going to come from Pope Benedict. He writes, Jesus is praying the great psalm of suffering Israel and so he's taking upon himself all the tribulation not just of Israel but of all those in this world who suffer from God's concealment. My brothers, sisters, how many of you who are listening here resonate with this experience, experiencing what is perceived as God's concealment. My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Pope Benedict continues, he brings the world's anguished cry at God's absence before the

heart of God himself. He takes their cry, their anguish, all their helplessness upon himself. And in so doing, He transforms it. My brothers and sisters, He takes your cry, your anguish, your helplessness upon Himself and transforms it. This is so important. The cry of extreme anguish is at the same time the certainty of an answer from God.

The certainty of salvation not only for Jesus himself, but for many. My brothers and sisters, in the crucifixion of our Lord in his praying of Psalm 22, his cry to the Father, we have the certainty of an answer from God that he sees us and that he hears us. And what is this response of God and what do we hope? It's the gift of salvation. To use Pope Benedict the 16th's own words, the certainty of salvation for Jesus as he

expresses this cry of anguish, the cry of the poor man, the one who feels abandoned by God as Psalm 22 leaves his lips as he's hanging on the cross at Calvary. For Jesus, the promise is that Calvary, the cross, the crucifixion will not have the last word but resurrection will, that He will rise again. For each of us, our hope is in the gift of our own salvation, the hope in forgiveness of sins, the sure hope that includes giving us the means and the resources to share in Jesus' own resurrection. Our hope is in spending all of eternity in heaven.

Where every wrong will be made right. Where every promise will be fulfilled. And where every tear will be wiped away. And all of our mourning, all of our tears will be turned into rejoicing in the Father's eternal victory, the gift of salvation in which we are invited, which we hope to share for all eternity. And now we'll move to our second point of meditation. This comes from verse 45.

While the sun's light failed and the curtain of the temple was torn in two. What is this curtain? This curtain is the curtain that hangs in the Holy of Holies. It's the curtain that the high priest only enters once a year. It was once a year on the day of atonement, the high priest entered through the veil

to enter in the presence of God and to utter his holy name. And the tearing of this curtain means that the era of the old temple and its sacrifices are over. This is Pope Benedict's words, symbols and rituals are now overtaken by the reality. And going one step further, this means that the pathway to God is now open. God Himself has removed the veil and revealed Himself in the crucified Jesus as the one who loves to the point of death. And we see this expressed in Jesus' own words, Truly I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise.

The pathway to God, the pathway to salvation is now open. Today let's just keep before us this cry and all the ways in which we ourselves resonate with the cry of suffering Israel in Psalm 22. Let us already be moved with gratitude and joy and thanksgiving that the veil of the temple is torn and the pathway to God is now open, and the death of our King, our Savior, our God.

God himself has removed the veil and revealed himself in the crucified Jesus as the one who loves to the point of death. My brothers and sisters, the pathway to God is open. 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, 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. Okay, thanks for joining me and praying with me again today. I look forward to continuing this journey with you again tomorrow. Alright, Poco Poco friends. God bless y'all.