← The Rosary in a Year (with Fr. Mark-Mary Ames)
The Rosary in a Year (with Fr. Mark-Mary Ames)
Day 175: Calling Through the Noise
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Fr. Mark-Mary draws unique comparisons when meditating on Paolo Veronese’s The Wedding at Cana. The depiction of Christ’s quiet centrality amid worldly distraction mirrors how people often overlook Jesus, just as museumgoers miss this massive artwork while focused on the Mona Lisa. As well as the parallel between the statue of Atlas outside St. Patrick’s Cathedral and the image of Christ at Mass, contrasting the burden of self-reliance with the peace found in surrendering to God. Through this reflection, we are invited to entrust our struggles to Jesus, who alone can transform and uplift us. Today’s focus is the mystery of the Wedding Feast at Cana 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 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 day 175. To download the prayer plan for Rosary in a year, visit ascensionpress.comrosaryinayear 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 this 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. 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 praying with the second luminous mystery, the Wedding at Cana, with help from a painting by the artist Paolo Veronese entitled the Wedding at Cana. Now brief introduction to our artist and artwork Veronese was born in the year 1528. He died in the year 1588. He was born in Verona, Italy and he was a prominent Venetian Renaissance painter celebrated for his vibrant use of color, dynamic compositions and opulent depictions of religious and secular themes. His work is emblematic of the Venetian school and combines elements of Mannerism with classical harmony. This particular painting was done between the years 1562 and 1563 and it was executed in the Mannerist style and now a description of our painting. This large scale banquet scene is set in an open air, classical architectural setting depicted with idyllic opulence. Over 100 figures gather around an expansive white marble grand table at the center of the scene. Among the elaborate gathering, Christ sits calmly in a rose colored robe and blue sash directly facing the viewer with the Virgin Mary beside him, both marked by their composure. Amidst the bustle. The architecture is dominated by soaring Corinthian columns and a bright blue sky with terraces and arches filled with onlookers, servants and animals creating a vast sense of space. Guests converse, musicians perform and servants bustle with trays and jugs of wine. A butcher prepares meat while animals in attendance add layers of movement. Fabrics shimmer, glassware sparkles and the entire scene is bathed in vibrancy. The miracle of water being turned into wine is subtly depicted in the lower right where servant pours liquid from large stone vessels. So the room in the Louvre museum where Paolo Veronese's masterpiece is displayed the painting, it's huge. It's 22 by 32ft, more or less. That room where it hangs, it's constantly packed with people. It's estimated that perhaps between 9 and 10 million people enter this room each year. But most of these people, the millions of people who come into this room every year, never even noticed Veronese's painting. And it's huge. So how can this be? Why is this? Well, it's because on the opposite wall hangs Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa, which is actually quite small. Right. It's only about 30 by 21 inches. And due to the crowds and some crowd control measures, visitors only spend about maybe a minute in that room. And so they spend all the time trying to look at the Mona Lisa before they're moved along. I'm not saying there's much meaning here, but if you look at Veronese's painting, you'll notice that amongst the large crowd, only two faces are looking out at the viewer. One of them being the bride, who's at the very bottom left of the painting and the other being Jesus, who's right in the middle. I'm not saying again that it means anything, but I think it's cool that like Jesus and the bride are permanently looking across the room at the Mona Lisa, who in turn is constantly looking at them. If only people would look right where the Mona Lisa is telling them to look. And this reminds me of a very similar dynamic I'd say that I'm quite familiar with, which is right outside of St Patrick's Cathedral in New York City. Right across the street from the cathedral is the Rockefeller Center. And there the Rockefeller center is a 45 foot statue of Atlas. Atlas being depicted as a muscular figure straining under the weight of a large sphere which represents the celestial heavens. And it's directly facing the front doors, like doors that are constantly open throughout the day of St. Patrick's Cathedral. In Greek mythology, Atlas was condemned to hold up the sky for all eternity as a punishment from Zeus. But over time it's become a bit of a symbol of endurance and resilience. And it's been adopted by man as a celebration of human potential and excellence and strength and perseverance. And it's very visible from the altar of St. Patrick's where I have been to celebrate mass. And at the altar, of course, it's where the priest elevates the consecrated host, the bread of Life, the creator of the world, in the form of a small host without strain or fatigue. And I think it's a pretty profound juxtaposition. Atlas here being a symbol of the potential and strength of man, strong but strained and suffering under the weight of the world. Not quite totally crushed, but close. And then there's Jesus, the one who holds the whole world in his hand and the hands of an ordinary priest. And I think Atlas is actually a great symbol for the plight of man. Without God, we are crushed under the weight of the world. It's a life condemned to servitude, of being in it alone and of having what scriptures call an orphan spirit, which I think we can kind of summarize as this. Like, I have to do it alone, but I can't do it alone. And this reminds me of, like, the same spiritual truth I see being communicated at the wedding feast of Cana and the Gospels. This wedding is out of wine. But it's not just this wedding. It's God's chosen people. It's the people of Israel and all of humanity. Like, we're out of wine. We can't provide for ourselves. Like we don't have what it takes, and we just can't do it alone, Meaning, like, we can't save ourselves. But then at the wedding, with quiet confidence and composure and an otherworldly peace, there's Jesus. Jesus who can turn water into wine. Jesus who created the world and holds it in being. Jesus, who, even right as a baby, as he's depicted as a baby, holds the whole world in his hand. And he wants to do this for you and for me, like, this is our inheritance. This is our birthright. But how often do we, like Esau in the Old Testament, trade our birthright for a bowl of lentils for a lesser counterfeit passing good? How often are we before a giant masterpiece where Jesus is looking at us, saying, come to me. Let me help you. But we 100% miss it because our back is to Him. For us, this in real life is us trying to do it alone, looking at ourselves, putting all of our time and attention to our own plans, our own answers, and putting all of the stress on ourselves, like, sometimes even to the point of turning our back on God, despairing of any idea that he actually can do something. And yet he is saying, turn to me. Trust me. Let me help you. My brothers and sisters, let us not be crushed by taking upon ourselves the weight of the world. And let's not impose upon ourselves the condemnation of having to carry the weight of the world on our shoulders. But let's look at him who is always looking at you. Let Mary bring you Close amidst the crowd. And as you draw close to Jesus, give him your cares and your concerns, your empty jars, give him your trust and your adoration. And let him be the Lord of your life so that you don't have to. And just imagine yourself like Atlas, bent over with the weight of the world. And just see Jesus with one hand. Pick it up and take it off and stand up straight and experience, maybe for the first time, life without this crushing burden on your shoulders. And let him be the Lord of your life so that you don't have to. 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 look forward to continuing this journey with you again tomorrow. Poco poco, friends. God bless you.