← The Rosary in a Year (with Fr. Mark-Mary Ames)
The Rosary in a Year (with Fr. Mark-Mary Ames)
Day 147: Fullness of Victory
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Mary, through her Immaculate Conception, shares in the fullness of Christ’s victory. Fr. Mark-Mary, meditating on The Immaculate Conception, a fresco in the Church of Santa Maria dell’Orto, in Rome, explains the intrinsic connection between the Immaculate Conception and the Assumption. Today’s focus is the mystery of the Assumption 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 Renewal and this is the Rosary in the 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 1 47. To download the prayer plan for Rosary in a year, visit ascensionpress.com 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 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. I encourage you to pick up a copy of the Rosary in the Year Prayer Guide, a book published by Ascension that was designed to complement this podcast. You'll find all the daily readings from Scripture, saint reflections and beautiful images of the sacred art we'll be reflecting on today. We will be meditating upon and praying with the fourth glorious mystery, the Assumption, with help from the painting actually of the Immaculate Conception, which is found in the Church of Santa Maria del Lorto in Rome. A brief introduction to our artists and the piece of artwork here so our artists are Giuseppe and Andrea Orazi, who are Italian Baroque painters active in Rome in the late 17th and 18th centuries. They were brothers who often collaborated on fresco projects in Roman churches, and their frescoes are characterized by dynamic compositions and Baroque elements, often featuring religious themes and allegorical figures. This particular painting that we're looking at today of the Immaculate Conception was done in the year 1706 and it's a fresco. This fresco is part of the church's extensive Baroque decoration program, which includes various artworks and architectural elements created by multiple artists in the early 18th century. In this majestic depiction of the Immaculate Conception, Mary shines in red and blue garments, encircled in a halo of stars high above her head in a gilded Baroque ceiling painting in a church dedicated to her honor. Angels of all kinds, some winged resembling strong men, others, like cherubs, decorate the bright and clouded skies of heaven. They embrace, they play, stringed instruments, point and joyfully observe. Mary effortlessly floats or rises towards God the Father who peers down from the highest heavens, arms extended, with the dove of the Holy Spirit soaring towards her below Mary's foot is the crescent move above earth's sphere where green dragon crawls. One of the cherubs at Mary's feet gently twists a thin lance towards the open jaws of the Beast. So, you know, for those of you who have picked up a copy of the Rosary in a Year Prayer guide today, your painting is actually entitled the Immaculate Conception. And we did catch this a while ago. We had a little team meeting about the possibility of changing the painting, but I actually asked to keep it, and here's why. The goal here of the podcast and the goal of the art section, right, is to grow in our ability to pray with the various mysteries. And one helpful way to do this is to come at the mysteries from different angles or different emphases, right? Like praying with Jesus Passion, we can focus on Jesus experience, maybe his physical pain, maybe the sorrow, his internal sorrow, maybe his love, maybe his view, his experience of Mary during all this. Or we can pray through Jesus Passion from Mary's perspective or as we've mentioned, that of the other soldiers. And so like, similarly, I think it's actually fitting and helpful and not synthetic, actually organic to prayerfully connect Mary's Assumption to Mary's Immaculate Conception as they are indeed intimately united. And plus, we don't actually have another place where we've spent time with Mary's Immaculate Conception. In Munificensimus Deus, which is the defining document of Mary's Assumption, Pope Pius xii, he wrote this. This is paragraph four and five. That privilege referring to her Assumption has shown forth a new radiance since our predecessor of immortal memory, Pius ix, solemnly proclaimed the dogma of the Loving Mother of God's Immaculate Conception. These two privileges, the Immaculate Conception, the Assumption, these two privileges are most closely bound to one another. Christ overcame sin and death by his own death. And one who through baptism has been born again in a supernatural way, has conquered sin and death through the same Christ. Yet, according to the general rule, God does not will to grant the just the full effect of the victory over death until the end of time has come. And so it is that the bodies of even the just are corrupted after death, and only on the last day will they be joined, each to its own glorious Soul. This paragraph 5. Now God has willed that the Blessed Virgin Mary should be exempted from this general rule. She, by an entirely unique privilege, completely overcame sin by her Immaculate Conception. And as a result, she was not subject to the law of remaining in the corruption of the grave. And she did not have to wait until the end of time for the redemption of her body, like, in other words, Mary's Assumption soul embodied into heaven, like, without having to wait until the end of time for the redemption of her body without it enduring corruption. It's the fruit of the unique privilege of her Immaculate Conception. And what I'm about to say, I mean in the deepest, most profound way possible. Mary is special, uniquely blessed and particularly privileged, but not in a way that should cause, like, some sort of jealousy from us, but rejoicing because, like, the fullness of grace overflows from her motherly heart to fill each of us with hope, with confidence and joy as we here already rejoice in her beauty as we confidently journey once day towards joining her in eternal beatitude. Now, if you'll allow me, I'd like to invite you to pray with one key image from this painting of the Immaculate Conception as it pertains to Mary's Assumption. In Mary's Assumption, she shares in the fullness of Christ's victory, which in a unique way, she entered into already at the moment of her conception, free of sin, her Immaculate Conception. And what I want to point out is notice this innocent, small cherub, this angel that's piercing the dragon at the feet of Mary, this child, like it slays the dragon without great effort or strength, with ease, we could say gently. And this draws out for me like a reminder of how Mary crushes the head of the dragon with Jesus. Mary's victory, Mary's power. It's this childlike power that Jesus talks about in the Gospels. Total and complete trust, total and complete surrender, total and complete docility, totally and completely allowing the Father to lead her, to care for her, to protect her. It's the perfection of being a daughter of God. She remained little. She remained the lowly handmaid of the Lord. And God used her littleness to slay the dragon, to conquer Satan. Right from the moment of conception, the Father cared for her in a particular way, protecting her from original sin and having her be the Immaculate Conception. Throughout her life, Mary remained little, allowing God to be God, while remaining perfectly confident in his protection and his providence. And in her Assumption. The Father raised up his little daughter, assumed her to heaven to share in Jesus victory over sin, corruption, the grave for all eternity. As we pray today, let us look at that little cherub slaying the dragon. And let us look at Mary, the lowly handmaiden of the Lord. Let us celebrate her beauty. Let us celebrate her share in victory. Let us rejoice in her assumption. And through the grace of the Holy Spirit, let us seek to be where she is today. We ask for the grace to walk the same road as Mary in the same way, to the same end, with childlike innocence and confidence. 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 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 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 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 so much for joining me and praying with me today. I. I look forward to continuing this journey with you again tomorrow. Poco. Poco. Friends, God bless you.