The Rosary in a Year (with Fr. Mark-Mary Ames) - Day 95: Moms are Special

Episode Date: April 5, 2025

Would Jesus have turned the water into wine if someone other than Mary had asked him? Fr. Mark-Mary, reading from  St. Alphonsus Liguori, reflects on the point that Jesus’ initial words to Mary at the Wedding at Cana have special symbolism. This short conversation tells us that Mary is special to Jesus, and her requests are special too. Today’s focus is the mystery of the Wedding Feast at Cana 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 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 95. 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 podcasts is in the Ascension app.

There are special features built just for this podcast and also recordings of the full Rosary. 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 support 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 we'll be meditating upon and praying with the second Luminous Mystery, which is the wedding feast at Cana, enriched by an excerpt from a reading from St. Alphonsus Liguri from his work, The Glories of Mary. So I've already had an opportunity

to introduce you to our author today, St. Alphonsus Liguri, Doctor of the Church. So we're going to get straight into the reading and it's a slightly longer excerpt than normal, but I think it's worth it. I love it. All right. Now we'll have our reading from St. Alphonse's Ligure with a special emphasis on this, God's other general decree.

If the time appointed for miracles was the time of preaching, how could it be anticipated by the miracle of the wine contrary to the divine decree? Nothing that may be answered was done contrary to the divine decrees, for although generally speaking, the time for signs did not come, yet from eternity, God had established

by another general decree that nothing the Divine Mother could ask should be denied her, and therefore Mary, while acquainted with her privilege, although her son seemed to have then set aside her petition, said notwithstanding that the waterpots should be filled as though the favor were already granted. The St. John Christom would express when commenting on the passage of John above mentioned, Oh woman, what is that to thee and to me? He says that although Jesus had answered thus, yet for the honor of his mother, he did not fail to comply with her demand. St. Thomas confirms the same when he observes that by these words, my hour has not yet come.

Jesus Christ wished to show that he would have deferred the miracle if another had asked him to perform it. But because his mother asked it, he immediately performed it. St. Cyril and St. Jerome confirm this according to Barata, and Jensenius of Ghent says, commenting on the same passage as Saint John, that he might honor his mother, he anticipated the timing of working miracles. The end of the reading.

Thanks be to God. Saint Alphonse de LaGuerie writes, "'From eternity God had established by another general decree "'that nothing the Divine Mother could ask should be denied her. To be honest, I get this. And I'd say I get this from within. But for going into it a little bit more, just a quick clarification.

St. Alphonse used the language referring to Mary as the Divine Mother. This does not mean that Mary is divine. It means that she is the mother of God, Jesus. I think a lot of priests are in this position, and I certainly am, just because of some of the public nature of my ministry, that I get invitations and requests all the time, all the time.

I get new requests to come help out with a retreat or to come give a talk to travel to some sort of event. But actually, like I'm not a traveling speaker. I just don't really feel super called to it as like a normal thing I do. So these requests, they pretty much all just get a quick no from me. However, if I get one of these requests, like it comes from in an email or something like that, and the sender is my mom, right?

It immediately gets moved to a whole different category of requests. In this little category, there's a table for two, mom and dad. And I presume that that's relatable to a lot of folks listening. Requests from mom just are different. They just are different and they get treated differently.

And that is right and just. And I presume that that's relatable to a lot of you who are listening. And I imagine, you know, there's some moms here driving their van with some kids in the car. And they're like, hey, listen to this priest. He knows what he's talking about, right? One other little detail I love of this writing from St. Alphonsus is, like if we read the words of our saint here from the same perspective that he and the saints

understand themselves, like the real son, sons by grace of Mary, who's really their mother too. Like you can see it's if they're coming in to like defend their mom, because they feel like somebody is being disrespectful of her or doubting her, right? As St. Alphonse is right. He puts his own words in this, and St. John Christenham said, and then St. Thomas said,

and then St. Cyril says, and St. Jerome says, and Jensenius of Ghent said. I just kind of love all of the sons of the church being like coming so quickly to honor and defend their mother as is right and just. But just like if we want to look at this not just like as a theological reality, but I want to look at like the specific nature of the relationship that Jesus has with Mary. And why just make so much sense that he is committed to responding to her requests with a great fondness

and joy in doing so? Why does Mary have such a special influence on Jesus? By divine decree, yes. But also, right, because when Jesus became incarnate, He found a home in her womb. She carried Him for nine months. When He was born and cold, she held Him and kept him warm.

When Jesus spoke his first words or took his first step, she celebrated him. And as a young boy, if he fell and scraped his knee, she comforted him and kissed him where it hurt and wiped his tears. Right. And when he was hungry, she made him his favorite food. To Jesus. The woman who makes this request of him at Cana. It's his mom.

It's his mom. And this is the woman who continues to intercede on our behalf. So that when she asks something of him, like, of course, he does it and he loves to do it. And I can hardly imagine anything that he loves to do more than to say yes to his mother. It's what he loves to do. And what the Heavenly Father has asked Him to do by an eternal decree. As we pray today, let us meditate on the tenderness of love and deepest of loyalties that Jesus has for His mother. And may this increase our confidence in her intercession whenever we come to her.

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, 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, never shall be, world without end. Amen. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Thanks so much for joining me and praying with me today. I look forward to continuing this journey with you again tomorrow. Poco Poco, friends.

God bless y'all.