The Rosary in a Year (with Fr. Mark-Mary Ames) - Day 63: Even Unto Death

Episode Date: March 4, 2025

Just as the father in the parable of the prodigal son does not merely wait to welcome his son back, but pursues to meet him on the way, Fr. Mark-Mary explains that God does not wait for us to return to him but instead pursues us, even to death on the cross. At Calvary, in the Crucifixion, we see the true nature of the heart of God, a heart filled with love for us. Today’s focus is the mystery of the Crucifixion and Death of Our Lord 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.

Hi, 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 63. 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. The fifth sorrowful mystery is the crucifixion and death of our Lord. 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 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, 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, into your hands I commit my spirit.

And having said this, he breathed his last. With the crucifixion and death of our Lord, we see this high point of the revelation, the truth of sin and the truth of who God is. Behold Jesus crucified. and the truth of who God is. Behold Jesus crucified. Behold our inheritance nailed to a tree, crowned with thorns, mocked, scourged,

stripped of everything. This is the result of sin. This is what sin does to the soul. This is what sin does to the soul. This is what sin does to the world, to humanity. And the fruit of sin is only death. Also behold the truth of who God is. The answer to the deepest question and longing of the human heart. Is God good? Does God care? Does God see me?

Jesus Christ on the cross answers this question. We'll return for one last time to the parable of the prodigal son. This is Luke chapter 15 and we'll start at verse 20, and he arose and came to his father. But while he was yet at a distance, his father saw him and had compassion and ran and embraced him and kissed him and the son said to him, father I've sinned against heaven and before you I'm no longer ran and embraced him and kissed him. And the son said to him, father, I've sinned against heaven. And before you, I'm no longer worthy to be called your son.

But the father said to his servants, bring quickly the best robe and put it on him. And put a ring on his hand and shoes on his feet and bring the fatted calf and kill it. And let us eat and make merry. For this my son was dead and is alive again. He was lost and is found. And they began to make merry.

My brothers and sisters, this is the good news. How much do we desire like the prodigal son to be pursued like this by the Father? To have the Father who cares about us so much, is invested in us so much, has never stopped thinking about us, keeping vigil always with his eyes on the horizon, waiting for us just to turn so that he can run to us and embrace us and kiss us and restore us back to life, love us back to life.

My brothers and sisters, the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ is the Father's pursuit of you and of me. The good news that this is not just a parable, this is a historical salvific fact in all of our histories and in your history, in my history. Jesus, you can see while we were yet at a distance, still stuck in our sin, He emptied Himself and came to us.

I think it's so important because there's a tendency we can like sanitize like the Father that he's just sort of like still indifferent, like receiving the Son back, like, OK, good, I'm glad you're back. This is great. But we see like what is the nature of the Father in this pursuit of the Father? Like we see what it actually looks like in Jesus Christ on the cross. Like the Father's not just waiting at his doorstep happy to receive the Son, but kind of indifferent if it doesn't happen. He is so invested in the Son. He empties himself.

And what the sinner has become by his sin, like so undignified and lowly, Jesus, God becomes out of love. He enters into our situation. He comes to us and embraces us and saves us and restores us back to life. The salvific pursuit and embrace of the father of the son, it happened at Calvary. And it is at Calvary we see the true nature of the heart of God. There is no indifference in the heart of God towards us.

There is passion, there is love, there is fighting, there is pursuit. Unto death. Does God care? Can He be trusted? Does He see you? Is there hope? My brothers and sisters, look at Christ on the cross. Behold the truth of the heart of God, of the heart of Jesus, who is revealing to us perfectly the heart of the Father for you. who is revealing to us perfectly the heart of the Father for you." For the last of these sorrowful mysteries, we actually change to the Gospel of Luke. And I think it's interesting and it's noteworthy that the Gospel of Luke is who gives us the parable of the prodigal son. And here we see Jesus embracing and living out this parable for the good thief, who we often call Dismissed.

and living out this parable for the good thief, who we often call Dismas. Jesus comes in pursuit of this poor man to save him. He is crucified next to him. In Dismas, right, he doesn't need to make a long journey back home, all Dismas does is he turns to Jesus and he says this, "'Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingly power.' And Jesus says,

"'Truly I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise. This parable happens, and it's real for the good thief. And it's real for you and me. As we pray with and ponder, this fifth sorrowful mystery, the crucifixion and death of our Lord. Yes, we look at and see the nature and the truth of sin and the fruit of sin. But even more so, we look and we ponder the heart of God.

To what lengths and depths He has come in pursuit of us, to meet us in the fullness of our misery and poverty. He takes it upon Himself. He runs to us, desiring to embrace us and kiss us and save us, so that we can be with him forever in paradise. My brothers and sisters, behold our God. Behold the heart of God, the mercy of God. In the name of the father and of the, 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. 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. Thank you for joining me and praying with me again today. I look forward to continuing this journey with you tomorrow. Poco a poco. All right. God bless you all.