The Rosary in a Year (with Fr. Mark-Mary Ames) - Day 73: Seek Him

Episode Date: March 14, 2025

How are we seeking Jesus? Are we aware that as we seek Jesus, he too is seeking us? Fr. Mark-Mary asks us the words Jesus asks Mary when she finds him in the Temple, “how is it that you sought me,�� as we pray lectio divina, inspiring us to consider how we look for Jesus. Today’s focus is the mystery of the Finding 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 Mary with Franciscan Friars, 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 73. 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 great way to track your progress. The best place to listen to the podcast 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 doing our lexio divina with the fifth joyful mystery, the finding of Jesus

in the temple, Luke chapter 2 verses 41 through 52. And the point of emphasis, the question I believe the Lord is asking is, how is it that you sought me? Now, his parents went to Jerusalem every year at the feast of the Passover. And when he was 12 years old, they went up according to custom. And when the feast was ended, as they were returning, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem. His parents did not know it, but supposing him to be in the company, they went a day's journey, and they sought him among their kinsfolk and acquaintances.

And when they did not find him, they returned to Jerusalem seeking him. After three days they found him in the temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. And all who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers. And when they saw him, they were astonished. And his mother said to him, Son, why have you treated us so? Behold your father and I have been looking for you anxiously. And he said to them, How is it that you sought me? Did you not know that I must be in my father's house?

And they did not understand the saying which he spoke to them. And he went down with them and came to Nazareth and was obedient to them. And his mother kept all these things in her heart. And Jesus increased in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and man. Now let's engage the scripture with, for our time of meditatsio or meditation. We have the Holy Family journeying to Jerusalem with other pious Jews for the Passover, traveling with Jesus. We see them traveling with a group who they trusted.

Jesus stays behind. They go looking for Him amongst the group. They don't find Him. Jesus stays behind. They go looking for him amongst the group. They don't find him. They feel anxiety. And then they make the journey back to Jerusalem. And we have this this foreshadowing of Jesus being found in the temple on the third day. Where do they find? Jesus, 12 years old, amongst the teachers, the scribes, the masters, the leaders engaging them, listening to them, asking questions? Now we're amazed at his understanding. We have this interaction between Mary and Jesus.

Mary sharing her heart. I think this beautiful example of prayer of sharing her heart with Jesus. Why have you traded us so? In Jesus' response, how was it that you sought me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father's house? Jesus understands who He is and what He's about. He is the Son of the Father. And first and foremost, He's about His Father's business.

And notice Mary is not hurt. So what does she do? As she encounters the mystery of life as the mother of the Savior. She keeps all these things in her heart. But we also see this, right? We see Jesus, the son of the Father, and as a good Son, we still see Him being obedient. So He goes back to Nazareth and He was obedient. We see Jesus living again, the importance of obedience.

But I'm going to focus on here is this question, like, how is it that you sought Me? How is it that you and I are seeking Him? Like, we want to experience Him, His goodness, His presence, His fidelity, How is it that you and I are seeking Him? We want to experience Him, His goodness, His presence, His fidelity, His strength, the consolation that comes from Him. And He says to us, how is it that you sought Me? So let's go back again for a time of Lectio. Mary's words, Son, why have you treated us so?

Behold, your father and I have been looking for you anxiously. And he said to them, how is it that you sought me? And how much we can resonate with this experience of Mary. Jesus, why is it you've treated us so we can have these experiences in our life where we just don't totally know where God is and what he's doing. So Mary brings it to Jesus, essentially saying like, where are you? What are you doing? And Jesus' response, how is it that you sought me?

Did you seek me with confidence? Did you seek me with prayer? Did you seek me with trust? Did you seek me with hope? How is it, my brothers and sisters, that we are seeking Him? Are we seeking Him in the world and external things? Are we seeking Him in the world and external things? Or are we seeking Him in prayer, in the Word, in sacrament, in community, in silence? Again, the scripture. If you can hear Jesus asking you this question, how is it that you sought me? Now we'll move to our oratio, receive, respond, request, rejoice, receive.

What is the good news being offered to us? Jesus is here. The one we seek is also seeking us. The beauty of the heart of God that He wants to spend time with us. He wants us to seek Him in silence and stillness and prayer. And He wants to find us and to be found by Him. Respond. Okay, what's this invitation?

We begin again Lord, just by thanking for the gift of your incarnation, the gift of you coming so close to us that we can seek you here and now. And now we reflect on the invitation and here's you say, like, how is it that we are seeking the Lord? Are we seeking the Lord with surrender? Are we allowing God to seek us, to find us, however He desires, or does it have to look a particular way? Are we trying to control the narrative?

Are we trying to control the Lord? Are we praying, and are we praying every day? Are we seeking Him in His word? Are the ways in which we are seeking His promises and His fulfillment in the world and in worldly things and in distraction and in noise into whatever is bright and shiny and new. And is the invitation to be renewed, is the invitation to a deeper conversion? Particularly as I'm praying with this, I just I feel this general invitation I'm going to offer to you to a greater seeking of the Lord in silence.

Where is Jesus? He is in the Father's house. Let us come to Him. Let us be still with Him. Let's root out from our lives whatever is distracting and keeps us from Him. Now we move to the request. Okay, Lord, it's not easy to seek you. It's not easy to seek you in silence. It's not easy to seek you always in prayer and in the word and in regular daily fidelity to the interior life. There's just always something easier and more interesting to do in the year 2025, 2026, whenever you're coming to this.

Okay, Lord, grant me the grace to be renewed in my desire for you to be freed, to leave behind whatever Lord is preventing me from seeking you in the way that you desire me to seek you. Give us the grace of prayer, Lord. Give us a holy seeking of you, Lord. of prayer, Lord. Give us a holy seeking of You, Lord. Now we conclude our arrazzio with a rejoicing. Jesus, we thank You for Your goodness. We thank You for hearing us. We know that You always hear us. We thank You for being in Your Father's house and opening the door

to the Father's house and inviting us to join You in the Father's house. We thank You, Lord, for Your heart revealed through Scripture, Your heart that we can access in your holy word, your heart that we can receive in the most holy Eucharist and ponder in adoration. May we too be first and foremost about the Father's business. And may we seek you, Lord, with undivided hearts. Now we move to our time of Quentin Platio really asking for the grace to be renewed in a holy seeking of the Lord and the grace to leave behind whatever it is that's coming

to mind that we feel like is keeping us from seeking Him the way in which He has invited us to. Let us pray with the Blessed Mother in the name of the Father and of the Son and 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 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. Poco a poco, friends. God bless you all.