Transcript
Fr. Mark Mary (0:00)
Foreign Mark Mary with Franciscan Friars of the Renewal and this is the Rosary in 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 112. To download the prayer plan for Rosary Year, visit ascensionpress.com forward/rosary in a year or text RIY to 33777. You'll get an outline of how we're going to pray each month. It's a 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. No matter what app you're listening in, remember to tap, follow or subscribe for your daily notifications. Today we will be meditating upon and.
Fr. Andrew Apostoly (0:49)
Praying with the Fourth a Joyful Mystery.
Fr. Mark Mary (0:51)
The presentation of Jesus in the Temple, with help from Saint Alphonsus Liguori and one of his writings from his work the Glories of Mary. And the point of emphasis for a meditation will be Mary's fiat is renewed. So we've already had a chance to be introduced to our author, Saint Alphonsus Liguri. So let's get straight into the reading. The Eternal Father had already determined to save man who was lost through sin, and free him from eternal death. But because he wished that at the same time his divine justice should not be defrauded of a full and due satisfaction, he did not spare the life of his own Son already made man, in order to redeem man, but he required that he should pay to its most rigorous extent the the penalty merited by men. He that spared not even his own Son, says the apostle, but delivered him up for us all. He sent him therefore on the earth to become man, destined for him a mother, and chose the Virgin Mary. But as he did not wish His Divine Word to become her Son before she accepted him by her express consent, so he did not wish that Jesus should sacrifice his life for the salvation of men without the concurrence of the consent of Mary that together with the sacrifice of the life of the Son, the heart of the Mother might be sacrificed. Also, St. Thomas teaches that the relation of mother gives an especial right over her children. Hence Jesus being innocent in himself and not deserving any punishment for his own sins, it seemed fitting that he should not be destined to the cross as the victim for the sins of the world without the consent of his Mother, by which she should voluntarily offer him to death. But although Mary, from the moment she was made mother of Jesus, gave her consent to his death, yet the Lord wished her on this day to make in the temple a solemn sacrifice of herself by offering solemnly her son and sacrificing to the divine justice his precious life. Hence, Saint Epiphanius called her a priest. Virginum apaelo veilut sacerdotum. Now we begin to see how much the sacrifice cost her and what heroic virtue she was obliged to practice when she had herself to sign the sentence of condemnation of her dear Jesus to death. Now behold Mary actually on her way to Jerusalem to offer her son, she hastens her steps towards the place of sacrifice, and she herself carries her beloved victim in her arms. She enters the temple, approaches the altar, and there, filled with modesty, humility and devotion, she presents her son to the Most High. At this moment, Saint Simeon, who had received the promise from God that he should not die before seeing the expected Messiah, takes the divine child from the hands of the Virgin and, enlightened by the Holy Spirit, announces to her how much sorrow this sacrifice must cause her. The sacrifice which she was about to make of her son, with whom must her blessed soul also be sacrificed. The end of the reading. Thanks be to God. Again, our focus is going to be on Mary's fiat being renewed. There's an anecdote I've heard. I haven't totally been able to confirm it. Nonetheless, the substance of it makes me take it as credible. So apparently, someone who's interviewing Pope John Paul II asked him, hey, Holy Father, what do you like to do with your free time? The Holy Father looked the reporter in the eye and answered, all my time is free. All my time is free. If it's true, if he really said this, which I think he did, it's one of the greatest lines in the history of spoken words, like, all my time is free. What does he mean by this, the Holy Father? Here? He means that no matter what is happening, he's free to say yes to God. He's free to receive it from the Father and free to make it an offering back to the Father. He's never just just being dragged through life, but through grace he freely ascends and accepts life as it unfolds, receiving all from the Father, returning all to the Father. All my time is free. We've seen this lived and see it lived at the highest levels by our Lord and Our lady in the Garden of Gethsemane. Jesus says yes to the Father's will. Yes, your will be Done. Throughout his passion, Jesus remains free. He keeps this disposition. I receive all. I return all to the Father. Our Lady's first great act of freedom we encounter at the Annunciation, where she offers her fiat. Let it be done unto me according to your word. Saint Alphonsus Liguori. He sees at the presentation of Jesus in the temple a renewal and a deepening of this yes of Mary. This fiat of Mary, these are the words we just read. But although Mary, from the moment she was made mother of Jesus, gave her consent to his death, yet the Lord wished her on this day to make in the temple a solemn sacrifice of herself by offering solemnly her son. One of the founders of the Franciscan friars of the renewal of my religious order, Father Andrew Apostoly, he'd often say to us, he who heard you say yes doesn't now want to hear you say no. The idea being that at the moment of our religious consecration, we gave a whole and entire yes to God. And all that would happen in our life, our whole present, but also our whole future, we say yes and offer to God. But each new opportunity or difficulty that comes our way, like it's a chance for us to be faithful to this yes.