Day 186: Power From On High

Summary

The Rosary in a Year (with Fr. Mark-Mary Ames)

Episode Summary: Day 186 – Power From On High

Date: July 5, 2026
Theme: The Descent of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost – Receiving, Not Achieving, "Power from on High"

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Episode Overview

This episode centers on the Third Glorious Mystery of the Rosary: The Descent of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. Fr. Mark-Mary and guests guide listeners in a meditation that focuses on the notion of "power from on high," exploring how Christian empowerment is about receiving rather than earning—rooted in prayerful waiting and surrender. Drawing on sacred art and Scripture, the episode seeks to deepen listeners' trust in God's timing and the transforming grace of the Holy Spirit.

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Key Discussion Points

1. Artistic Meditation—Simone Peterzano’s "Descent of the Holy Spirit"

[01:04 – 03:34]

• The painting by Simone Peterzano (1580), located in the Basilica Santa Euphemia, is introduced and described.

• Visual Details: Mary, clothed in blue and red, is at the center with arms folded and eyes closed, bathed in holy light from above—symbolizing her prayerful surrender. The Holy Spirit, depicted as a white dove at the source of golden light, radiates beams upon all present.

• Atmosphere: The presence of cherub angels and 11 disciples, each marked by a pillar of orange flame, reinforces the drama and significance of Pentecost.

  "The Virgin Mary...closes her eyes as light from above shines on her and her companions. Above her a white dove, the radiant epicenter of golden light, sends out bright beams through the darkness in all directions..." – Art Historian ([02:22])

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2. Reflection on Catholic Liturgical Life: Lent vs. Easter

[03:34 – 05:50]

• The hosts note that Catholics excel at Lent—embracing penance and tangible goals—but are less attentive to the Easter season, which is intended as a time of joy and celebration.

  "If you ask a Catholic, 'Hey, what are you doing for Lent?' They will almost always have an answer. If you ask...for Easter, they're probably gonna look at you a little bit confused." – Dr. Tim Gray ([04:39])

• Lent is associated with control and measurable self-improvement, while Easter is about openhanded reception of resurrection joy—something that is "harder" because it can't be engineered.

  "In Lent...there's just a lot of space for control...Easter and the Easter season are harder because, like, what do I do?...we have to receive." – Emily Wilson ([05:18])

• The challenge is recognizing that Christianity is not just about what we can do for God, but—especially during Easter—what God wishes to do for us.

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3. Pentecost and the Gift of "Power from on High"

[07:07 – 08:41]

• Jesus’ words to the disciples in Luke are highlighted:

  "Stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high." (Luke 24:49)

• The idea is emphasized that power—in the Christian sense—cannot be seized or achieved. It is a gift, received through waiting and trust, not earned.

  "You're not going to clothe yourself with power. I am going to clothe you with power...You need to wait and you need to receive it." – Emily Wilson ([07:20])

• Mary and the disciples collectively model this prayerful waiting, embodying dependence rather than self-reliance.

• This concept is contrasted with the worldly understanding of power (like that exhibited by Pilate), which is about conquest and self-fulfillment.

  "Christian power, namely the very power of God being at work in us and through us, is something that we receive. It is a gift...we can't earn or win it for ourselves." – Emily Wilson ([08:19])

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4. Spiritual Poverty, Dependence, and the Beatitudes

[08:41 – 09:59]

• The episode connects the Gospel emphasis on spiritual poverty and waiting for God’s intervention (as embodied by the Beatitudes) with the Pentecost story.

• Listeners are invited to surrender their desire for control in areas where they are powerless (over sin, suffering, dryness in prayer) and to allow God to act.

  "Control is a very difficult idol to destroy, but it must be destroyed." – Emily Wilson ([09:33])

• The good news: the Holy Spirit—“the promise of the Father”—is accessible to all who wait in hope.

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5. Prayerful Commitment to Waiting and Receiving

[10:01 – 10:57]

• The hosts lead a guided prayer, inviting listeners not only to redouble their efforts, but to actually hand over their longing, patience, and frustrations to Jesus.

• Listeners are encouraged to pray for the grace to "wait on the Lord," just as Mary and the apostles did.

  "Today...we're going to go to Jesus. We're going to say: 'Jesus, waiting is hard. Patience is hard. Giving up control is hard. Hope can be hard. So help me, Jesus. Give me the gift of your Holy Spirit.'" – Emily Wilson ([10:26])

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Notable Quotes & Moments

• On Easter Joy:

  "We are an Easter people, right? And Alleluia is our song, as Pope John Paul II said..." – Emily Wilson ([04:46])

• On Christian Power:

  "Christian power...is something that we receive. It is a gift...we can't earn or win it for ourselves." – Emily Wilson ([08:19])

• On Surrender:

  "Like Sabbath, it's about receiving from God; resurrection, heaven—it's about this place of the wedding feast...that he throws for us." – Matt Fradd ([06:49])

• On the Role of Waiting:

  "All we can do is, like Mary and the disciples leading up to Pentecost, wait for the intervention of God." – Emily Wilson ([08:44])

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Structured Segment Timestamps

• [01:04] – Art Introduction & Description
• [03:34] – Reflection on Lent vs. Easter
• [07:07] – Meditation on Pentecost and the Gift of Power
• [08:41] – Poverty of Spirit and Waiting
• [10:01] – Guided Prayer: Asking for the Holy Spirit
• [11:03 – End] – Communal Rosary Prayer

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Final Reflection

Through art, biblical meditation, and prayer, this episode directs listeners to a posture of hopeful waiting—letting go of the urge to control spiritual growth, and opening themselves to the transformative gift of the Holy Spirit. The call is not to do more, but to trust more deeply in God’s power and providence, as embodied by Mary and the apostles at Pentecost.

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Transcript

[Matt Fradd]

Foreign.

[Brother Francis]

Mark Mary with Franciscan Friars of Renewal

[Matt Fradd]

and this is the Rosary in the

[Brother Francis]

Year podcast, where through prayer and meditation, the Rosary brings us deeper into relationship with Jesus and Mary and becomes a

[Matt Fradd]

source of grace for the whole world.

[Emily Wilson]

The Rosary in a Year is brought to you by Ascension. This is day186.

[Brother Francis]

To download the prayer plan for Rosary in a year, visit ascensionpress.com rosary in

[Emily Wilson]

a year or text RIY to 33777.

[Brother Francis]

You'll get an outline of how we're going to pray each month and it's

[Matt Fradd]

a great way to track your progress.

[Brother Francis]

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.

[Dr. Tim Gray]

I encourage you to pick up a

[Emily Wilson]

copy of the Rosary in the Year

[Brother Francis]

Prayer Guide, a book published by Ascension that was designed to complement this podcast.

[Emily Wilson]

You'll find all the daily readings from

[Brother Francis]

Scripture, Saint reflections and beautiful images of

[Emily Wilson]

the sacred art will be reflecting on Today we will be meditating upon and praying with the third glorious mystery, the Descent of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost,

[Dr. Tim Gray]

with help from a painting of Pentecost

[Emily Wilson]

of the Descent of the Holy Spirit by the artist Simone Piterzano. This painting is found in the Basilica Santa Euphemia. Now Brief introduction to our artists and artwork Simone Pietrazano, born in the year 1535, died in the year 1599. He was an Italian manorist painter born in Bergamo. He trained in Venice, possibly under Titian, though his style more closely aligns with Tintoretto and Veronese. He was active in Milan from the 1570s and he became known for religious frescoes and altarpieces.

[Dr. Tim Gray]

His most famous pupil was Caravaggio, whose

[Emily Wilson]

chiaroscuro technique may derive from Peter Zano's experiments and the painting we're going to be looking at today was done in the year 1580. And some artistic style notes is you'll notice Venetian roots, warm, luminous palette and dynamic brushwork. Mannerist drama, for example, through the elongated figures, theatrical gestures and the Counter Reformation rigor, like simplified compositions to avoid censure, which heightened decorum

[Art Historian]

and now a description of our painting. The Virgin Mary, clothed in robes of blue and red, seated on a central elevated block, folds her arms across her chest and closes her eyes as light from above shines on her and her companions. Above her a white dove, the radiant epicenter of golden light, sends out bright beams through the darkness in all directions towards each person present. Cherub angels gather at the top of the scene Facing the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove. With focus and adoration, the light casts shadow down Mary's defined features. She is joined by women in violet garments to her right and left. They are closely surrounded by the 11 disciples who gather around her.

[Emily Wilson]

Standing on a marble floor, the richly

[Art Historian]

clothed crowd gazes at the dove in awe and silence. A single pillar of orange flame hovers above each of their heads.

[Dr. Tim Gray]

I have long been fascinated by how good we are as Catholics at Lent, particularly in contrast to what we do for Easter. I guess what I mean by this is I'm just interested in, like, how excited, right? And how much buy in Catholics give to Lent. Even, like non practicing Catholics are going

[Emily Wilson]

to do something for Lent.

[Dr. Tim Gray]

And in like, you know, Catholic media spaces, like, it's probably the busiest time of the year. Like, everyone's got their Lenten devotionals and programs like et cetera and Catholics, like, we're kind of awesome at it. Like, we really get into it and we take it serious and we really step up.

[Brother John]

But then we have Easter and the Easter season and not to be like flippant, but for Easter and the Easter

[Dr. Tim Gray]

season for like Catholics, it's kind of like crickets. Like, there's just not a lot out there. And anecdotally, right? If you ask a Catholic, hey, what

[Brother John]

are you doing for Lent? They will almost always have an answer.

[Dr. Tim Gray]

If you ask a Catholic, hey, like,

[Brother John]

what are you doing for Easter?

[Dr. Tim Gray]

They're probably gonna look at you a little bit confused.

[Brother John]

But we are an Easter people, right?

[Emily Wilson]

And Alleluia is our song, as Pope John Paul II said at his Angelus.

[Dr. Tim Gray]

And I don't want to make too big of a deal of it, and I'm not going to pretend that I

[Emily Wilson]

have all this 100% figured out, but I believe one of the major contributing factors of why we do so well at Lent.

[Dr. Tim Gray]

And again, I don't want this to cause us to not take Lent serious.

[Brother John]

But in Lent, particularly versus Easter, there's

[Emily Wilson]

just a lot of space for control. Here's, you know, like the one or two or three things that I'm going to do for Lent that I'm going to do to grow, that I'm going to do for my prayer, my fasting, my almsgiving. And humans, we like control, we like goals, we like taking steps towards those goals. We like being able to measure our progress or to feel the burn. And 100%, like God uses that.

[Brother John]

But Easter and the Easter season are

[Emily Wilson]

harder because, like, what do I do? And there's a reality to the joy of Easter, like resurrection from the dead that we have to receive.

[Dr. Tim Gray]

Yeah, we do penance, but like we

[Emily Wilson]

receive resurrection, we receive paschal joy.

[Dr. Tim Gray]

And so I think we can struggle

[Emily Wilson]

to get excited because we're limited in

[Dr. Tim Gray]

like what we can do.

[Emily Wilson]

But I do believe it is an impoverished, like, Christian worldview which focuses more on what we can do for Jesus than what he can do for us.

[Dr. Tim Gray]

And of course, like, this doesn't mean we don't have role to play.

[Emily Wilson]

As we talked about our mission yesterday,

[Dr. Tim Gray]

we have real duty, real role to play.

[Emily Wilson]

And there's real human effort and growing in virtue and in doing these penance and things like that.

[Dr. Tim Gray]

But like Sabbath, it's about like receiving

[Emily Wilson]

from God, resurrection, heaven, it's about this

[Matt Fradd]

place of like the wedding feast of

[Emily Wilson]

the banquet that we don't throw for God, but that he throws like for us.

[Dr. Tim Gray]

So now I'm going to ties into

[Emily Wilson]

Pentecost in our painting today. In Luke, Jesus says, and behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you, but stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high. What does Jesus tell his disciples? Like, essentially, wait, wait, and I will send the promise of the Father and you will be clothed with power from on high. Like, you're not going to clothe yourself with power. I am going to clothe you with power and a higher power than you can clothe yourself with. You need to wait and you need to receive it.

[Dr. Tim Gray]

And so what do Mary and the disciples do?

[Emily Wilson]

They're obedient, they wait on the Lord, they pray, they wait, they remain in a place of this like hope filled dependence and then they received the Holy Spirit.

[Dr. Tim Gray]

I like to contrast this just a

[Emily Wilson]

bit from our conversation about power that came up as we were reflecting on

[Dr. Tim Gray]

the sorrowful mysteries you see with Pilate.

[Matt Fradd]

You see at the scourge or at

[Emily Wilson]

the crowning of thorns. There's a worldly approach to power, which wants to conquer, which wants to make a name for oneself that leans on one's own abilities, our own ideas at the end of like winning our own inheritance to fulfill ourselves, to glorify ourselves, even to save ourselves. But Christian power, namely the very power of God being at work in us and through us, is something that we receive. It is a gift that must be given by God, that we participate in. But we can't earn or win it for ourselves.

[Dr. Tim Gray]

So there's a space of what we

[Emily Wilson]

call poverty, there's a space of dependence, there's a space of waiting where all we can do is like Mary and the disciples leading up to Pentecost is wait for the intervention of God. This is the nature of the Beatitudes. Like, they all include a waiting for God to act, for God to fulfill a promise. They all include some form of surrendering control and letting God be God.

[Dr. Tim Gray]

So this can include, like, sins or

[Emily Wilson]

struggles in our own lives that we just can't uproot by ourselves.

[Dr. Tim Gray]

What do we do?

[Emily Wilson]

We bring it to the Lord and we wait to be clothed with power from on high. This includes sufferings that we're undergoing, that we can't alleviate and that we also can't find hope in. This can include dryness and prayer, like, where we're hitting walls and it's just not, like, fun anymore. It's part of the Christian life, and I recognize the reasons it can feel unsatisfactory to us. Like, control is a very difficult idol to destroy, but it must be destroyed. The good news is that we have access to the promise of the Father,

[Matt Fradd]

the Holy Spirit, who clothes us with

[Emily Wilson]

power from on high. But also we have to wait.

[Matt Fradd]

We have to wait on the Lord,

[Emily Wilson]

his timing, his strength, and ultimately his gift of sharing in the resurrection. Today, as we pray, we're not just going to commit to being better at waiting or to being better at patience or hope. Today, like, we're going to go to Jesus. We're going to say Jesus waiting his heart.

[Matt Fradd]

Patience is hard.

[Prayer Leader]

Giving up control is hard.

[Emily Wilson]

Hope can be hard. So help me, Jesus, Give me the

[Matt Fradd]

gift of your Holy Spirit.

[Prayer Participant 1]

Live your life in me. Give me the grace to like Mary

[Prayer Leader]

and the apostles, to wait on you,

[Emily Wilson]

to find security, not in my own control, not in my own power, but

[Prayer Leader]

in you and your promises.

[Matt Fradd]

Now with Mary, let us pray in

[Prayer Participant 2]

the name of the Father and of

[Prayer Leader]

the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

[Emily Wilson]

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done

[Prayer Leader]

on earth as it is in heaven.

[Matt Fradd]

Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us.

[Emily Wilson]

And lead us not into temptation, but

[Matt Fradd]

deliver us from evil.

[Prayer Leader]

Amen.

[Prayer Participant 1]

Hail Mary, full of grace.

[Matt Fradd]

The Lord is with the Blessed art

[Prayer Participant 3]

thou among women, and blessed is the

[Prayer Participant 4]

fruit of thy womb, Jesus.

[Prayer Participant 2]

Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for

[Prayer Leader]

us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

[Prayer Participant 1]

Hail Mary, full of grace.

[Matt Fradd]

The Lord is with the Blessed art

[Prayer Participant 3]

thou among women, and blessed is the

[Prayer Participant 4]

fruit of thy womb, Jesus.

[Prayer Participant 2]

Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for

[Prayer Leader]

us sinners now and at the hour of our Death. Amen.

[Prayer Participant 1]

Hail Mary, full of grace.

[Matt Fradd]

The Lord is with the blessed art

[Prayer Participant 3]

thou among women, and blessed is the

[Prayer Participant 4]

fruit of thy womb, Jesus.

[Prayer Participant 2]

Holy Mary, mother of God, pray for

[Prayer Leader]

us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

[Prayer Participant 1]

Hail Mary, full of grace.

[Matt Fradd]

The Lord is with the blessed art

[Prayer Participant 3]

thou among women and blessed is the

[Prayer Participant 4]

fruit of thy womb, Jesus.

[Prayer Participant 2]

Holy Mary, mother of God, pray for

[Prayer Leader]

us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

[Prayer Participant 1]

Hail Mary, full of grace.

[Matt Fradd]

The Lord is with the blessed art

[Prayer Participant 3]

thou among women and blessed is the

[Prayer Participant 4]

fruit of thy womb, Jesus.

[Prayer Participant 2]

Holy Mary, mother of God, pray for

[Prayer Leader]

us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

[Prayer Participant 1]

Hail Mary, full of grace.

[Matt Fradd]

The Lord is with the blessed art

[Prayer Participant 3]

thou among women, and blessed is the

[Prayer Participant 4]

fruit of thy womb, Jesus.

[Prayer Participant 2]

Holy Mary, mother of God, pray for

[Prayer Leader]

us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

[Prayer Participant 1]

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee.

[Prayer Participant 3]

Blessed art thou among women, and blessed

[Prayer Participant 4]

is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.

[Prayer Participant 2]

Holy Mary, mother of God, pray for

[Prayer Leader]

us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

[Prayer Participant 1]

Hail Mary, full of grace.

[Matt Fradd]

The Lord is with the blessed art

[Prayer Participant 3]

thou among women, and blessed is the

[Prayer Participant 4]

fruit of thy womb, Jesus.

[Prayer Participant 2]

Holy Mary, mother of God, pray for

[Prayer Leader]

us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

[Prayer Participant 1]

Hail Mary, full of grace.

[Matt Fradd]

The Lord is with the blessed art

[Prayer Participant 3]

thou among women, and blessed is the

[Prayer Participant 4]

fruit of thy womb, Jesus.

[Prayer Participant 2]

Holy Mary, mother of God, pray for

[Prayer Leader]

us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

[Prayer Participant 1]

Hail Mary, full of grace.

[Matt Fradd]

The Lord is with the blessed art

[Prayer Participant 3]

thou among women, and blessed is the

[Prayer Participant 4]

fruit of thy womb, Jesus.

[Prayer Participant 2]

Holy Mary, mother of God, pray for

[Prayer Leader]

us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

[Emily Wilson]

Glory be to the Father and to

[Prayer Leader]

the Son and to the Holy Spirit.

[Emily Wilson]

As it was in the beginning, is

[Prayer Leader]

now and ever shall be, world without end.

[Prayer Participant 2]

Amen.

[Prayer Leader]

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

[Dr. Tim Gray]

All right, friends, thanks so much for

[Emily Wilson]

joining me and praying with me today.

[Prayer Participant 1]

I look forward to continuing this journey

[Prayer Leader]

with you again tomorrow.

[Matt Fradd]

Poco.

[Prayer Participant 1]

Poco.

[Emily Wilson]

Friends, God bless y'.

[Brother John]

All.