The Rosary in a Year (with Fr. Mark-Mary Ames) - Day 83: Father Forgive Them

Episode Date: March 24, 2025

In the midst of the most tragic of circumstances, his crucifixion and death, what does Jesus say? Jesus prays for all of us, asking the Father to forgive. Today, Fr. Mark-Mary leads us in lectio divina, focusing on these words of Jesus, thanking Jesus for his mercy and incredible love. Today’s focus is the mystery of the Crucifixion 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 a Year podcast. We're through prayer and meditation. The rosary brings us deeper into relationship with Jesus and of 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 83. 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 gonna pray each month and it's a great way to track your progress. The best place to listen to the 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 on behalf of myself and the whole team here at Ascension. We wanted to take this opportunity to thank everyone who's helped support this podcast financially. Your generosity is so appreciated and helps us to reach as many people as possible. And if you haven't already, please consider supporting us at ascensionpress.com forward slash support. Today's lexio divina will be praying with the fifth sorrowful mystery, the crucifixion, Luke chapter 23 verses 33 through 46.

And our emphasis will be, Father, forgive them. And we'll begin with our Lectio. 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 rulers 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, into your hands I commit my spirit. And having said this, he breathed his last. Okay, now we'll engage the gospel here for our time. But meditazio, a couple of details that we can highlight. We have the continued public spectacle of it all. There's all these witnesses of the most beautiful manifestation of the heart of Jesus. And they're casting lots for his garments. They're scoffing.

They're joking. They're mocking. Jesus revealing his mercy, his goodness. Jesus is revealing the nature of God the Father, the true heart of God the Father, and they just miss it. We have again the mockery with the inscription, King of the Jews, not knowing that Jesus is in fact the King of the Jews.

The interaction between the two other criminals condemned, one who we have come to know as the good thief, often given the name Dismiss, who here in his last moments notices Jesus sees him. Says Jesus remember me when you come in your kingly power. Jesus receives the gift of his repentance at the cross. Says truly I say to you today you will be with me in paradise. We have darkness covering the land. We have, as we mentioned, the temple torn in two.

No more divide between man and God. The fullness of the heart of God is revealed. And then Jesus is offering up His Spirit. We'll go back and highlight two details. One right in the garden, Jesus praying. What's His prayer again? My Father, if it's possible, My Father, My Father. When the disciples ask Jesus how to pray, what He says, when you pray, say, Our Father.

And here on the cross, what is the first words out of Jesus' mouth? Father. Father, forgive them for they know not what they do. And the last words, this last sentence, Father, into your hands I commit my spirit. This revelation that through all of this, Jesus is in dialogue with his Father, in trust of his Father, in obedience with his Father, teaching us how to suffer, teaching us how to carry the cross, reading the identity of who God is. In the midst of this most tragic of circumstances, his arrest, his condemnation, scourging, crowning of thorns, his crucifixion, what does Jesus say?

this crucifixion, what does Jesus say? Father forgive them, for they know not what they do. I'm going to really just ask us to remain before these piercing words, like these beautiful words, but piercing beauty. Father forgive them, for they know not what they do." So we'll stay with this for our Alexio. And Jesus said, Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do. We'll engage it again with meditazio, like Jesus makes an excuse for all of these people who have just done such harm to Him, like they don't know what they're doing.

And Father, forgive them. We can place ourselves here, the foot of the cross, all the ways in which we've contributed to the crucifixion of the Lord through not seeing Him, through our own sin. We who have seen Jesus look at us and say, this is my body given for you, this is my blood poured out for you. Now He looks at us and says, this is my mercy. Triumphant for you, poured out for you. Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.

Perhaps you could even place your own name here. Father, forgive your name. And here Jesus says to the Father, for he knows not what he does, Father forgive your name for she knows not what she does. And one last time with our Alexio, Father forgive them for they know not what they do. Now we'll transition to our arrao razio, following our template, receive, respond, request, rejoice. What is the good news being offered that we're focusing on here? What is God revealing about himself?

We just see such a beautiful manifestation of the heart of mercy, the sacred heart of Jesus pierced for our transgressions. We see the cost of our salvation. We see the goodness of our Savior. Again, I'm just going to repeat the words again. Just receive how beautiful, how profound, what a gift this is. These words that Jesus speaks for us because He's being crucified.

Father, forgive them for they know not what they do. Now what's our response? Just adoration and praise. Thank you Jesus for your goodness, for your mercy. Thank you Jesus for your obedience to the Father. Thank you Jesus for your prayer to the Father for our salvation. Let's just continue just to remain here and receive the grace, the goodness, the mercy.

Let's adore and praise our crucified King. So what's our response here? May we repent from all the ways in which we continue to not receive this gift. Repent of all the ways in which we doubt the power of His mercy. And let us, with God's help, make a firm resolution to come more, again and again, to this beautiful and sacred of places, to come in prayer to Calvary to behold our God. To receive again the gifts poured out, particularly the gift of His mercy. And now I request the Lord Jesus, we just ask for the grace to receive deeply of your mercy,

we just ask for the grace to receive deeply of Your mercy, to be filled with gratitude, a gratitude that is efficacious, a gratitude which receives the fullness of Your mercy and pours out the same mercy upon the whole world. Jesus, may You teach us also how to pray, Father, forgive them for they know not what they do. And Jesus, may You teach us also how to pray. Father, forgive them for they know not what they do. Jesus, may you teach us to remain in union, in dialogue with the Father, as we experience our own calvaries in life. And we'll conclude with our rejoicing. We just thank you, Lord, for this beautiful gift of this time of prayer together. We thank you for your Holy Gospel, for your word, we thank you for your mercy Jesus. The ways in which your mercy not only saves us but sanctifies us here and now.

We thank you Lord for your mercies that are new every morning. Now we'll conclude with our time of contemplatio, our contemplation by praying one decade of the Rosary, remaining in prayer here at the foot of the cross and hearing Jesus say these words, Father forgive them. And again, if you're comfortable with it, if you like, you can place your own name there. Father forgive and then your name for he knows not what he does. Father forgive your name for she knows not what she does. And 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. 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,

Hail 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. That's going to conclude our time here praying Alexiodevina together certainly. If you're in a beautiful place with the Lord of Prayer, I encourage you to protect that space and to remain there. But thank you for joining me and praying with me today. And I look forward to continuing this journey

with you again tomorrow. Poco a poco. All right, God bless y'all.