Day 194: Beloved Sons and Daughters

Summary

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

Episode: Day 194 – Beloved Sons and Daughters

Date: July 13, 2026
Host: Fr. Mark-Mary Ames, CFR
Podcast by: Ascension

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Main Theme & Purpose

In this episode, Fr. Mark-Mary guides listeners in reflecting on the First Luminous Mystery—the Baptism of Jesus at the Jordan. He invites us to revisit and contemplate our own identity as beloved sons and daughters of the Father, as revealed through baptism. By closely meditating on the words spoken over Jesus and understanding their significance for us, we are encouraged to carry this affirmation into our spiritual battles and daily lives.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Revisiting the Baptism at the Jordan

• Review of Prior Themes:
  Fr. Mark-Mary begins by referencing a prior reflection (Day 54) about “the waters of the Jordan must always precede the sands of the desert” (01:21).

  • Jesus’ own baptism comes before his temptation in the desert, suggesting that the affirmation from the Father is crucial before facing trials.
  • “It is at our own Jordans, at our own baptism, that we receive what we need to go into the desert, that we receive what we need to resist temptation.” (01:53)

• Practical Application:
  We’re invited to metaphorically return to our baptism daily, to “hear the Father say, ‘you are my beloved son, you are my beloved daughter.’” (02:55)
  The sense is to start each day rooted in the truth of our identity.

2. The Certainty of Our Identity in God

• Scriptural and Patristic Foundation:
  • Each Luminous Mystery reveals something about the kingdom and about Jesus himself.
  • Fr. Mark Mary recalls St. Ambrose:
    “Is there then here…any room left for doubt when the Father clearly calls from heaven in the Gospel narrative and says, ‘this is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased.’” (03:45)
  • The identity of Jesus as Son is witnessed directly by the Father, giving certainty to our faith. (04:16)
  • “We can also be affirmed in our own dignity and our identity, because by baptism…we can hear the Father say these words to us, and it is the Father who has the authority to tell us who we are.” (04:23)

3. The Cross Foreshadowed Within the Light

• Visual Meditation & Theological Depth:
  • Reference to a fresco in the Church of San Benedetto in Padua that shows shadows, the crown of thorns, and nails within the Baptism scene, foreshadowing the crucifixion. (04:38)
  • “The light of Christ is never far from the shadow of the cross, but will ultimately conquer and be victorious—what is permanent is the light.” (05:16)
  • We are not followers of the “prosperity gospel,” but rather, of the resurrection, embracing both suffering and hope.

4. Living as Beloved

• Personal Incorporation:
  • Accepting our identity means being open to both joy and the cross in life, as Jesus was.
  • “As we say yes to this affirmation of our dignity, we also say yes to living our identity as Jesus himself lived this identity, with hope in the Father's goodness, the Father's ultimate victory, and our own share one day in the resurrection.” (06:27)

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Memorable Quotes & Moments

• “It is at our own Jordans, at our own baptism, that we receive what we need to go into the desert.”
  — Fr. Mark-Mary (01:53)

• “You are my beloved son, you are my beloved daughter. And this is our dignity by baptism, sharing in Jesus' own relationship with the Father.”
  — Fr. Mark-Mary (02:55)

• “If there's doubt about the identity of Jesus, just hear the Father say these words again: ‘this is my beloved Son.’”
  — Fr. Mark-Mary (04:23)

• “The light of Christ is never far from the shadow of the cross, but will ultimately conquer and be victorious.”
  — Fr. Mark-Mary (05:16)

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Key Timestamps

• 01:02 – Introduction to today’s meditation: the Baptism of Jesus (the First Luminous Mystery)
• 01:21–02:55 – The importance of affirming our identity as beloved children of God before facing trials
• 03:45–04:23 – St. Ambrose’s reflection and the certainty of faith grounded in God’s own testimony
• 04:38–05:16 – Meditation on sacred art and the inseparability of Christ’s light and the cross
• 05:59–06:29 – Embracing the cross and resurrection in our lived experience as God’s children
• 06:45 – Transition into the “four Rs” of prayer: Receive, Respond, Request, and Rejoice
• 08:40 – Thanksgiving and transition to communal prayer

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Guided Reflection: The Four Rs (06:45–08:33)

1. Receive:
   What is the grace or truth being revealed that you’re invited to receive today?

2. Respond:
   How can you personally respond to this invitation and affirmation?

3. Request:
   What grace do you wish to ask God for, to help you live this response?

4. Rejoice (Give Thanks):
   Take a moment to thank the Lord for this prayer and the graces received.

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Communal Prayer Segment (08:55–13:50)

• Fr. Mark-Mary leads the “Our Father,” ten “Hail Marys,” and the “Glory Be,” meditating on the Baptism of Jesus and our participation as beloved children of God.

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Closing

Fr. Mark-Mary closes the episode by thanking listeners for joining in prayer, encouraging them to continue the journey daily, and offers a Franciscan farewell:

• “Thanks so much for joining me and praying with me again today. I look forward to continuing this journey with you again tomorrow. Poco a poco. Friends, God bless you all.” (13:50–13:58)

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For further resources and to download the prayer plan:
Visit ascensionpress.com/riy.

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Summary faithfully represents Fr. Mark-Mary’s pastoral tone: reflective, scripturally grounded, and gently encouraging listeners to root their daily lives in the truth of their divine sonship and daughterhood, especially as revealed in the mystery of Christ’s Baptism.

Transcript

[Mark Mary]

Foreign.

[Franciscan Friar]

Mark Mary with Franciscan Friars 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.

[Mark Mary]

This is day 1 94.

[Franciscan Friar]

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 the Podcast 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. 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 generosity is so appreciated and helps us to reach as many people as possible. And if you haven't already, please consider supporting [e-mail] support

[Podcast Host]

today we will be meditating upon and praying with the first luminous mystery, the Baptism of our Lord at the Jordan.

[Mark Mary]

And before going into our time of

[Podcast Host]

prayer here, just a little bit of a review of what we've discussed and

[Mark Mary]

what we have covered.

[Podcast Host]

So to begin back at day 54, we talked about this idea that the waters of the Jordan must always precede the sands of the desert. And we see that Jesus in his own baptism, it's after his baptism that he is then taken into the desert where he fasts and he is tempted. And then I think there's something here that Jesus is teaching us that is after the baptism, after he hears His Father say, this is my beloved Son. It's here that he receives what he needs, if you will, the defenses that he needs, the security that he needs, the weapons that he needs to go into battle. And here I'm using the words needs for our Lord somewhat poetically or loosely. It's not exactly how it happens, but for us, I think this is true. This is the example that he's giving to us, that it is at our own Jordans, at our own baptism, that we receive what we need to go into the desert, that we receive what we need to resist temptation primarily, right? This reminder of our identity and our dignity and who our Father is, that by baptism we share in Jesus own relationship with the Father and so we ourselves can go back to our own baptism and, and in many ways revisit it every single day. Like before leaving home, before going out to the wilderness of the world where we'll be tested and tried and questioned

[Mark Mary]

about who we are and who God is.

[Podcast Host]

Just this reminder to be with Jesus at the Jordan, to see again each morning, even in our little rooms, the heavens rent. And the Father say, like, you are my beloved son, you are my beloved daughter. And this is our dignity by baptism, sharing in Jesus own relationship with the Father. So today this could be an invitation to just sit there, to hear the Father speak these words to you again. Secondly, in some of our introductory episodes, we looked at the luminous mysteries as a whole. Insofar as each of the luminous mysteries have some sort of revelation about the kingdom of God and now present the very person of Jesus. Something is being revealed about Jesus. And in our reflection, Based off of St. Ambrose's writing, remember St. Ambrose wrote these words, is there then here, referring to the Jordan, any room left for doubt. When the Father clearly calls from heaven in the Gospel narrative and says, this is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased. This illustrates just the certainty that we can have in faith, because it's founded on the very words of God, the one who gives witness to the identity of Jesus, that he is the beloved Son, that he is the Messiah, that he is the anointed One.

[Mark Mary]

They are the very words of God, God who himself is truth, God who cannot lie.

[Podcast Host]

And so we can sit, if you will, at the banks of the Jordan, and if there's doubt about the identity of Jesus, just hear the Father say these words again, this is my beloved Son. In related to what we already discussed, we can also be affirmed in our own dignity and our identity, because by baptism, again, like, we can hear the Father say these words to us, and it is the Father who has the authority to tell us who we are. And then lastly, for today, just a reminder of that, when we looked at the painting of the baptism, that's a fresco that's featured in the Church of Son Benedetto in Padua, the artists used like extensive shadows, and we could see the crown of thorns, the nails, all of these foreshadowings of the crucifixion, and that what the artists are portraying is just this reality that Jesus saying, yes, right to his sonship, that Jesus is the Son and he's going to show us what it means to be sons and daughters of the Father. But the nature of his sonship is going to include the cross. Just this reminder that the light of Christ is never far from the shadow of the cross, but will ultimately conquer and be victorious that which is permanent. Is the light. And so we're not men and women of the prosperity gospel, but we are men and women of the resurrection. And that we who are invited to share in Jesus own relationship with the Father.

[Mark Mary]

This will also include in our own

[Podcast Host]

particular ways the receiving and the journeying in trust with the cross. In this life there will be light, there will be shadows, but in eternity, light will conquer. And so as we say yes to this affirmation of our dignity, we also say yes to living our identity as Jesus himself lived this identity with the hope in the Father's goodness, the Father's

[Mark Mary]

ultimate victory, and our own share one

[Podcast Host]

day and the resurrection. So now we'll just take a moment of kind of quiet stillness, receptivity

[Mark Mary]

and go into our four Rs. So what is the grace, the truth

[Podcast Host]

being revealed that you are invited to receive?

[Mark Mary]

How can you respond Sa.

[Podcast Host]

What is the grace you would like to request at the service of this response?

[Mark Mary]

And then finally give thanks.

[Podcast Host]

Give thanks to the Lord for this

[Mark Mary]

time of prayer

[Podcast Host]

and the graces bestowed upon us.

[Mark Mary]

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

[Podcast Host]

Blessed art

[Mark Mary]

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 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.

[Podcast Host]

So, thanks so much for joining me and praying with me again today.

[Mark Mary]

I look forward to continuing this journey with you again tomorrow. Poco Poko.

[Podcast Host]

Friends, God bless you all.