← The Rosary in a Year (with Fr. Mark-Mary Ames)
The Rosary in a Year (with Fr. Mark-Mary Ames)
Day 140: His Glory Remains
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St. Paul’s letter to the Romans tells us, “if God is for us, who is against us?” Reflecting on a fresco of the Scourging, Fr. Mark-Mary draws our attention to Jesus’ strength and glory shining through despite his suffering. Today’s focus is the mystery of the Scourging at the Pillar and we will be praying one decade of the Rosary. All of the Sacred Art we’ll be meditating with can be found in the Rosary in a Year Prayer Guide, for free linked in the complete prayer plan, or for free in the Ascension App. For the complete prayer plan, visit https://ascensionpress.com/riy.
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Foreign 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 day140. To download the prayer plan for Rosary in a 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 and it's a great way to track your progress. The best place to listen to podcasts is in the Ascension app. There's 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 support is so appreciated and helps us to reach as many people as possible. And if you haven't already, please consider supporting us@ascensionpress.com support today we will be meditating upon and praying with the second Sorrowful Mystery, the Scourging at the pillar with help from a fresco of the Flagellation that is in the Church Santa Presede in Rome. Now, brief introduction to our artist and artwork. This fresco of the flagellation, another word for the Scourging of Christ is Agostino Ciampelli. He was born in the year 1565 and he died in the year 1630. He was born in Florence but would move to Rome where he would work under the patronage of Alessandro de Medici and that's where he would spend most of his time career. Our fresco today is from the year between 1594 and 1596 in the art style or this time period is of the Baroque period. And this fresco, it's a part of a larger cycle of eight frescoes commissioned by Cardinal Alessandro de Medici between 1594 and 1596, illustrating scenes from the Passion of Christ. Okay, now a brief description of our painting. In a classical Roman marble court, Jesus stands, his arms roped behind his back, tethered to a weighty black pillar. He wears only a white loincloth. His face is sorrowful and encircled in a glowing halo. Three men around him wind up their bodies as they hold up whips and scourges, ready to strike the defenseless Jesus. His stripped body leans but remains upright. Others gather to witness. Some face Christ, others face away. In the front is a fresh faced young boy looking at Jesus. Now our Reflection today, again, as I've mentioned previously, for the second Sorrowful mystery may not be optimal for everyone, as we will be in discussing in some detail, not great detail necessarily, but some detail, the particulars of our Lord's scourging. And it's possible that this topic or my treatment of it may upset you and be the opposite of helpful for prayer. Feel free to pass on the episode and just join us in prayer today. Now, the fresco that we will be praying with the image before us, it's a snapshot right of this moment, right before the scourging of our Lord begins, right before he is scourged for the first time. The soldiers, they have their tools of torture in their hand and their arms are. They're pulled back and in a brief moment, their hands and their weapons, in the fullness of their fury, will descend upon Jesus, the innocent Lamb of God. And we see Jesus standing there, bracing for the blows to come. And his arms, as we mentioned, are tied behind his back. Around his head radiates a golden halo. And at this moment his body is still strong and pure and healthy. And around his waist is this white loincloth. But in less than a second, the details of this scene will change dramatically. That white cloth will soon turn crimson red as it is soaked in the blood of Jesus. And the body of our Lord, now strong and healthy, will be torn to pieces, covered in blood and profoundly beaten by blows. Even the countenance of Jesus, the beautiful face of Jesus, will soon lose any semblance of beauty. And yet the halo of Jesus, the artistic sign of the holiness of our Lord and the glory of our Lord, it will only shine brighter and brighter and brighter. The worst tortures of man can do nothing to extinguish or dim the holiness, the glory of Jesus. Now, I know this is a bit maybe like imaginative and creative, but right after Jesus scourge, he's presented by Pilate to those seeking to crucify him. And Pilate was hopeful that scourging Jesus would appease their desire, their bloodthirst, to bring pain and suffering upon Christ. But it doesn't work right. They see the scourge Christ and they shout out, crucify him. Crucify him. But it's as if they saw the blood soaked cloth, the torn skin, the bruised face of Jesus, but also perhaps in his countenance still, perhaps in his eyes, they still saw his strength, they still saw his glory. They still saw the halo of Christ still shining bright. My brothers and sisters, Jesus is the Lord, Jesus is the way Jesus is the truth. Jesus is the life. And it reminds me of St. Paul's words in his letter to the Romans. If God is for us, who is against us? Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation or distress or persecution or famine or nakedness or peril or sword, as it is written, for your sake, we are being killed all day long. We are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered. Know in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Nothing conquers Jesus. Not sin, not death, but rather Jesus conquers all. As we pray today, let us contemplate the strength of Jesus and the perseverance of Jesus. Perhaps we can imagine ourselves as the good thief who will soon also be condemned and placed at Jesus side on Mount Calvary. And Jesus knows this is happening. And Jesus knows to get close to us, to look at us and for us to look at Him. He must endure the scourging. And yet he says yes, right. He fights, he loves, he stands firm and he pushes forward like nothing can conquer Jesus love of you and his fight for you. Let us receive the gift of knowing that we have been loved and fought for by the Lord himself. Look at Jesus. Look at him fighting. Look at what he is willing to endure. And it is in Jesus that we truly know ourselves. And Jesus scourged at the pillar in obedience and love to the Father and for love of each of us speaks these words. You are wanted, you are pursued, you are worth fighting for. And nothing can conquer his love for you. 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 the 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 the 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 the Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy. 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 the 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 the 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 the 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 the 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 the 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. Thanks everybody, for joining me and praying with me again today. I look forward to continuing this journey with to you again tomorrow. All right. Poco poco. Friends, God bless y' all.