The Rosary in a Year (with Fr. Mark-Mary Ames) - Day 82: Simon’s Choice

Episode Date: March 23, 2025

During Jesus’ passion, the gospel tells us that a man named Simon was compelled to carry Jesus’ cross. In this moment, Simon was given a decision: to fight back against this injustice, or to make the choice to carry this cross and draw close to Jesus. We are all given difficult or even unjust crosses to carry, and Fr. Mark-Mary calls us to reflect upon how we react to these in today’s lectio divina. 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.

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 82. 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 great way to track your progress. The best place to listen 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 no matter what app you're listening in, remember to tap follow or subscribe for your daily notifications. For today's Lexio Divina, we'll be praying with the fourth star of the mystery, the carrying of the cross, Matthew chapter 27 verse 32. And our point of emphasis of meditation is going to be compelled but free. Compelled but free. And now our Alexio. As they were marching out, they came upon a man of Cyrene, Simon by name.

This man they compelled to carry his cross. And now our time for meditatio, engaging the gospel we have just read. As we've discussed in a previous episode, we understand so Simon is almost certainly a Jewish pilgrim from Cyrene, who's in Jerusalem for the Feast of Passover. And Jesus would have for some time carried his cross, but also because of the extent of the damage done, particularly through his scourging, he wouldn't have been able to carry the cross all the way to Calvary.

And so this pilgrim, Simon, is compelled to carry his cross. Jesus himself is arrested. Jesus himself is taken before Pilate. He is condemned. He is scourged. He's crowned with thorns. He's given the cross. He is condemned, He is scourged, He is crowned with thorns, He is given the cross.

So all this in a certain sense is happening to Him. But we also know Jesus remains free in it. Even though all of these things are happening to Him, and being obedient to His Father, and saying yes to His Father's will, and saying yes to His Father's goodness, and saying yes to His Father's ability to use it all. Jesus still, He echoes this, like He lives this. No one takes my life from me, I lay it down freely. No one places this cross upon me, like I take this cross freely. And so what we're going to reflect on here is this interesting choice of Simon.

The gospel itself doesn't exactly say what happens between Simon and Jesus. He's compelled, he's forced to carry the cross. And if he remains just forced to it, he can do it begrudgingly. He can carry this cross just without ever sort of accepting his reality and without ever actually looking at Jesus. But I do believe that if he, like Jesus, at some point, even though this is injustice, accepts, surrenders to what is happening, it is an opportunity for him to have an encounter with Jesus.

He's compelled, it's forced upon him, but he still has a free choice in it. A free choice to surrender it to God and to trust that even in the midst of this injustice, this evil thing happening, God can work and he can meet Jesus, the Savior. So Simon is compelled to carry our Lord's cross. But in this, there's still a choice to surrender and to accept or to always push back, to always fight. And if he does surrender and if he does accept, I do believe

it's an opportunity for him to meet Jesus. So the point of reflection is going to be as the cross is compelled upon us, forced upon us in our life. As we are given a share in carrying the cross of Jesus. Again, it might be through unjust circumstances. Often it is. Can we make a choice to carry it like Jesus? Can we make a choice to pray like Jesus in the garden? Father, if it's possible at this cut past, but not my will, but your will be done.

Father, my father, if it's possible, free me from carrying this cross, yet not my will, but your will be done. With the understanding that if we make this act of surrender and trust, it opens us to an encounter with the Lord and His power. So let's go ahead and read this again for our time of Lexio. As they were marching out, they came upon a man of Cyrene, Simon by name. This man they compelled to carry his cross. I'm going to invite you now in your meditation, how would you respond?

How would you respond? How would you react? Because of all of the people Simon has been chosen, compelled to carry the cross, he has the privileged opportunity of being so close to Jesus. It's being chosen to carry the cross which brings him in such close contact with Jesus. But will he encounter Jesus? As you are compelled to carry the cross and brought so close to Jesus, will you be able to encounter him, to embrace and carry it like Him. And our last time of Lexio, they came upon a man of Cyrene, Simon by name, this man they compelled to carry his cross.

So let's go ahead and make our movement into our time of Aratio following. Our template, receive, respond, request, rejoice, receive. What is the good news here being offered? What is Jesus revealing about himself, about his Father? Of course, we have Jesus' persevering love. He continues to fight to give everything for us. We're introduced to the wisdom of the cross and God the Father's ability to respond and to bring about good and to work for good in all things, even this great tragedy,

the condemnation, the passion of our Lord Jesus Christ. And now what's our response? We begin with adoration and praise. We thank you, Father, for your fidelity. We thank you, Jesus, for your obedience, for your trust in the Father, for teaching us the way, for persevering in love for us, for freely embracing the cross placed upon your shoulders, for freely laying down your life for us. And we'll move now to a second level, second layered of our response. Okay, Jesus, you know, as we experience these crosses being forced upon us,

through loss, through suffering, financial difficulty, broken relationships, personal struggles with mental health, all the different crosses that are compelled upon us, that are done to us. Jesus, may you teach us, may you give us wisdom to know how to remain free like you are free as so much happens to us. Give us prudence in knowing where to respond, like where to seek proper justice, proper freedom from these things done to us, and also teach us how to have a proper surrender, a prudent, a wise, a spirit-led surrender and embracing of the cross. And throughout the journey, Lord, may we, as we are compelled to carry a variety of

crosses, to share in a variety of your crosses, Lord, may these be opportunities for us to come in close contact with you, to learn from you, to be seen by you, even to be carried by you. We move to our request, Jesus, help us to surrender as you surrendered, to accept as you accepted, to fight injustice as you fought injustice, to carry the cross as you carried the cross, as you carried the cross. For all of those who carry deep, profound, heavy crosses compelled upon them, Jesus, may you come close to them, encourage them, strengthen them, teach us to trust in the Father's goodness in all things.

Now we conclude our arrazzio with our rejoicing. Thank you Jesus for your example. Thank you for your goodness. Thank you for carrying the cross. Thank you for beginning to teach us how to carry the cross with you, how to encounter you, as we carry the variety of crosses compelled upon us. Thank you for your grace at work in our lives even now. And that will conclude our lexur vina with our contemplatio, our praying of a decade

of the Rosary, especially asking for the grace to remain in relationship with the Heavenly Father, to remain free, to remain surrendered to our Heavenly Father, as the cross of Christ is compelled upon us, as placed on our shoulders. Now with Mary, 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 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. Well, that concludes our time of praying Lectio Divina together, certainly. If the Lord's moving in your heart and speaking, and you're in a place of prayer, encourage you to remain in that place, protect a little bit of more silence in your life. But thank you for joining me and praying with me here today, and I look forward to continuing this journey with you again tomorrow. Poco a poco, friends.

All right, God bless y'all.