The Rosary in a Year (with Fr. Mark-Mary Ames) - Day 72: You Don’t Wait in Vain

Episode Date: March 13, 2025

Simeon and Anna spent their entire lives waiting in the Temple for the savior. We might feel like Simeon and Anna, waiting for God and his promises in our own lives. Fr. Mark-Mary tells us that the Presentation is a sign of hope for all of us: just as Simeon and Anna saw salvation, we too do not wait in vain. Today’s focus is the mystery of the Presentation in the Temple and we will be praying one decade of the Rosary. For the complete prayer plan, visit https://ascensionpress.com/riy.

Hey, I'm Father Mark Murray with Franciscan Friars with Renewal, and this is the Rosary in the 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 the Year is brought to you by Ascension. This is Day 72. To download the prayer plan for Rosary in the Year, visit ascensionpress.com forward slash rosary in the year or text R.press.com forward slash rosaryintheyear or text R-I-Y to 33777.

You'll get an outline of how we're going to preach month. It's great with a track of progress, the best place to listen to the podcasts 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 the Year Prayer Guide, a book published by Ascension that was designed to compliment this podcast. You'll find all the daily readings from Scripture, Saint Reflections, and beautiful full-page images of the sacred art we'll be reflecting on. Today we'll be doing our Alexia Divina with the fourth Joyful Mystery, the presentation of Jesus in the temple, Luke chapter 2 verses 22 through 39. And the theme we'll be focusing on is, they didn't wait in vain. We'll begin with our reading, our lexio. And when the time came for their purification according to the law of Moses, they brought

him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord. As it is written in the law of the Lord, every male that opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord, and to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the law of the Lord, a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons. Now there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon. And this man was righteous and devout, looking for the consolation of Israel. And the Holy Spirit was upon him.

And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he should not see death before he had seen the Lord's Christ. And inspired by the Spirit, he came into the temple. And when the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him, according to the custom of the law, he took him up in his arms and blessed God and said, Lord, now let your servant depart in peace according to your word. For my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the presence of all peoples,

a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel." And his father and mother marveled at what was said about him. And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, Behold, this child is set for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is spoken against. And a sword will pierce through your own soul also, that thoughts out of many hearts may be revealed. And there was a prophetess Anna, the daughter of Fanuel of the tribe of Asher.

She was of great age, having lived with her husband seven years from her virginity, and as a widow till she was 84. She did not depart from the temple worshiping with fasting and prayer night and day. And coming up at that very hour, she gave thanks to God and spoke with him to all who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem. And when they had performed everything according to the law of the Lord, they returned into Galilee to their own city, Nazareth. And the child grew and became strong,

filled with wisdom, and the favor of God was upon him. Now we'll begin our time of meditacio, engaging the scripture. We have Mary and Joseph as faithful Jews fulfilling the law, presenting Jesus in the temple at the time of his purification. We have them either offering a pair of turtle loves

or two young pigeons, revealing that they were on the economically poorer side. We have both Simeon and Anna, older, waiting for the Lord, both through the Holy Spirit, particularly it's explicit with Simeon that he would not die until he had seen the Lord's Christ. And this is written on Anna's heart as well. And for years in their waiting, not having the promise fulfilled,

not having the answer, but they waited, they trusted with prayer and worship night and day. And then what happens? The Lord keeps his promise. They in fact see the Savior as Jesus is brought to the temple. And we have this beautiful prayer, these beautiful words of Simeon. Lord, now your servant depart in peace according to your word.

This according to your word, where else did we see this? We saw this with Mary and her fiat, Mary and her yes, let it be done unto me according to your word. We're seeing this theme of trusting the word, like let it happen according to your word we trust. Insofar as we are coming to the scripture passage in the context of praying the joyful mysteries. So we're looking for like what is what is the joyful component, the joyful revelation here in this scripture?

I would say it's found here in again, Simeon and Anna, like not waiting in vain. OK, now let's go ahead and engage again with the time of Alexio. We have Simeon's words here, verse 29. Lord, now let your servant depart in peace according to Your word. For my eyes have seen Your salvation, which You have prepared in the presence of all peoples."

This word, see, my eyes have seen, I have experienced for myself. It has become real, it's become experiential, your salvation. Perhaps this brings up a rising in desire of your own heart. I want to see your salvation. I want to see your goodness, Lord, but I wait, Lord, but I wait, I wait, I wait. But you'll never wait in vain. You don't wait in vain for my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the presence of all peoples." We move to our Orazio.

Receive, respond, request, rejoice, receive. What is the good news being offered to us. The Lord keeps his promises. The Lord has a plan. He has prepared the way for us to come to him and him to come to us that we may see, that we may experience, that we may touch, that we may feel his salvation, his goodness, his providence in our lives. God invites us to wait, to wait in hope, to wait in relationship.

But he has a plan. He knows what he's doing. He is at work. Respond. Okay, what's the invitation? Lord, let's begin with adoration. Praise the Lord. We love you. We thank you, Lord. We see, Lord, your prophecy as promises, your prophecy as manifestations that you have a plan. And Lord, we know that we are heirs of your promises that if we persevere in hope,

that if we wait with you, we will experience your salvation. We thank you for the work you're already doing. And hopefully you're experiencing an invitation to a greater trust, an invitation to a greater trust, an invitation to a greater patience. A patience which is not a greater white-knuckling, but a greater hope in His promise and His goodness. Okay, so now let's move to the time of requests, asking for God's grace to be faithful to the response, be faithful in a response

to His invitation. So I'm going to go ahead and make a prayer, really asking for the invitation for all of us to be able to persevere in hope. Lord, so many of us experience deep desires, like really, really intimate and deep desires, Lord, that just haven't been fulfilled. So Lord teach us how to wait. Give us the grace to allow you to fulfill these promises according to your word and according to your timeline.

Lord, if we need to surrender, like the specifics, the particularities of what we think, like your salvation and seeing your salvation in our lives, let it look like, Lord, give us the grace to surrender. But as we wait, Lord, may we not wait alone. And may we know through your grace that we do not wait in vain. That you are a good father, that you always keep your promises. Now let's go ahead and move to concluding our time of prayer, our arrazzu, with rejoicing, with giving thanks.

We thank you, Lord, for this example of your fidelity, of the way in which you keep your promise according to your word in the life of Simeon, in the life of Anna. Encouraged by what they themselves experience and strengthened by their prayers, Lord, we just thank you. So, as we conclude this episode with our contemplatio and our praying of the Rosary, I'm going to encourage you to really just look at the Lord in your heart. And be renewed with hope.

To see Him in His goodness. To share your desires with Him with confidence and boldness, but also absolute surrender. Knowing that when we wait on the Lord, we never wait alone and we never wait in vain. Now with Our Lady, 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 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 again tomorrow. Alright, Poco Poco friends. God bless you.