Day 194: Beloved Sons and Daughters - The Rosary in a Year (with Fr. Mark-Mary Ames)

Summary4 min read

The Rosary in a Year: Day 194 - "Beloved Sons and Daughters"

Podcast Information:

Title: The Rosary in a Year (with Fr. Mark-Mary Ames)
Host/Author: Ascension
Episode: Day 194: Beloved Sons and Daughters
Release Date: July 13, 2025

In this episode of The Rosary in a Year podcast, Father Mark-Mary Ames leads listeners through a profound meditation on the first luminous mystery of the Rosary—the Baptism of Our Lord at the Jordan. The session delves deep into the spiritual significance of baptism, identity, and the enduring relationship between Jesus, Mary, and believers.

Introduction and Prayer Plan Overview

Father Mark-Mary begins by guiding listeners on how to access the prayer plan for the Rosary in a Year, emphasizing the importance of tracking one's progress through the structured outline provided by Ascension Press. He articulates the podcast’s mission to deepen listeners' relationships with Jesus and Mary through daily prayer and meditation.

"The Rosary in a Year is brought to you by Ascension." [00:04]

He underscores the impact of financial support, expressing gratitude to donors and encouraging new listeners to contribute, thereby extending the podcast’s reach and influence.

Meditation on the Baptism of Jesus

The core of the episode revolves around meditating on the Baptism of Jesus, serving as the first luminous mystery of the Rosary. Father Mark-Mary reflects on the theological and personal implications of this sacrament.

Baptism as a Foundation for Spiritual Life

Father Mark-Mary draws a parallel between Jesus's baptism and the believer's baptism, highlighting how this sacrament serves as a foundation for resisting temptation and affirming one's identity in God.

"By baptism, we share in Jesus' own relationship with the Father and so we ourselves can go back to our own baptism and, in many ways, revisit it every single day." [03:45]

He poetically describes baptism as the moment where believers receive the "defenses," "security," and "weapons" necessary to navigate life's spiritual battles, akin to Jesus’s journey into the desert.

"This reminder of our identity and our dignity and who our Father is, by baptism we share in Jesus' own relationship with the Father." [04:30]

St. Ambrose and the Certainty of Faith

Referencing St. Ambrose, Father Mark-Mary emphasizes the unwavering certainty of faith grounded in God's declarations. He reassures listeners that God’s affirmation of Jesus as His beloved Son parallels the assurance believers receive through baptism.

"Is there then here, referring to the Jordan, any room left for doubt? The Father clearly calls from heaven and says, 'This is my beloved Son.'” [05:00]

Artistic Reflections: Shadows and Light

Discussing artistic representations, such as the fresco in the Church of San Benedetto in Padua, Father Mark-Mary explores the interplay of light and shadow as metaphors for the presence of suffering and the promise of resurrection.

"The artists are portraying the reality that Jesus’ sonship includes the cross. The light of Christ is never far from the shadow of the cross, but will ultimately conquer and be victorious." [05:30]

He connects this to the believer’s journey, acknowledging the coexistence of joy and suffering, and the ultimate triumph of divine light.

Affirmation of Identity and Dignity

Father Mark-Mary invites listeners to internalize their identities as beloved sons and daughters of God, a status affirmed through baptism. This affirmation serves as a daily rekindling of one's relationship with the Divine, providing strength and purpose.

"Each morning, even in our little rooms, we can revisit our baptism and hear the Father’s declaration: 'You are my beloved son, you are my beloved daughter.'" [04:15]

This practice fosters a resilient sense of self, rooted in divine love and unwavering support from the Father.

Embracing the Journey with the Cross and Resurrection Hope

The reflection culminates in embracing both the challenges and the profound hope embedded in the Christian faith. Father Mark-Mary encourages listeners to commit to living out their baptismal identity with trust and hope in the resurrection.

"We are not men and women of the prosperity gospel, but we are men and women of the resurrection. By saying yes to our dignity, we embrace living our identity with hope in the Father’s goodness and our share in the resurrection." [06:00]

This holistic approach acknowledges present struggles while maintaining an eternal perspective anchored in God's promises.

Guided Prayer Session

The episode transitions into a structured prayer session, following the "four Rs" of prayer: Receive, Respond, Request, and Give Thanks. Father Mark-Mary leads listeners through the Our Father and multiple Hail Marys, culminating in the Glory Be.

"With Mary, let us pray." [08:56]

This prayer segment reinforces the themes discussed, allowing listeners to engage deeply with their faith through guided prayer.

Conclusion and Blessing

Father Mark-Mary wraps up the session by thanking listeners for their participation and blessing them as they continue their spiritual journey.

"Thanks so much for joining me and praying with me again today. I look forward to continuing this journey with you again tomorrow. Poco Piko. Friends, God bless you." [13:50]

Key Takeaways:

Baptism as Identity: Baptism is a foundational sacrament that affirms believers' identities as beloved children of God, mirroring Jesus’s own baptism.
Daily Reflection: Revisiting baptism daily reinforces one’s faith and prepares believers to face life’s challenges.
Certainty of Faith: God’s clear affirmation of Jesus’s sonship provides believers with unwavering confidence in their faith.
Interplay of Light and Shadow: Artistic representations of Jesus’s baptism highlight the coexistence of suffering and the hope of resurrection.
Resurrection Hope: Embracing one’s baptismal identity involves trusting in God’s ultimate victory and the promise of eternal life.

This episode serves as a profound guide for listeners to deepen their prayer life, understand their spiritual identity, and embrace the transformative power of the Rosary.

Resources:

For the complete prayer plan, visit Ascension Press - Rosary in a Year.

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[00:00]
Host
Foreign.
[00:05]
Mark Mary
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.
[00:20]
Host
This is day 1 94.
[00:23]
Mark Mary
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 us@ascensionpress.com support.
[01:02]
Host
Today we will be meditating upon and praying with the first luminous mystery, the Baptism of our Lord at the Jordan. And before going into our time of prayer here, just a little bit of a review of what we've discussed and what we have covered. 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 about who we are and who God is. 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. They are the very words of God, God who himself is truth, God who cannot lie. 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.
[05:17]
Participant 1
And.
[05:18]
Host
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. This will also include in our own 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 ultimate victory, and our own share one day and the resurrection. So now we'll just take a moment of kind of quiet stillness, receptivity.
[06:45]
Participant 1
And.
[06:45]
Host
Go into our four Rs. So what is the grace, the truth being revealed that you are invited to receive? How can you respond.
[07:31]
Participant 1
Sa.
[07:58]
Host
What is the grace you would like to request at the service of this response? And then finally give thanks. Give thanks to the Lord for this time of prayer and the graces bestowed upon us. And now with Mary, let us pray.
[08:57]
Participant 2
In the name of the Father and.
[08:58]
Host
Of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
[09:01]
Participant 1
Amen.
[09:03]
Host
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.
[09:30]
Participant 1
Amen.
[09:33]
Participant 3
Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord.
[09:36]
Host
Is with the Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
[09:45]
Participant 2
Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for.
[09:49]
Host
Us sinners now and at the hour of our death.
[09:53]
Participant 1
Amen.
[09:56]
Participant 3
Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord.
[09:59]
Host
Is with the Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
[10:09]
Participant 2
Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for.
[10:13]
Host
Us sinners now and at the hour of our death.
[10:18]
Participant 1
Amen.
[10:21]
Participant 3
Hail Mary, full of grace.
[10:25]
Host
The Lord is with the Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
[10:35]
Participant 2
Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for.
[10:39]
Host
Us sinners now and at the hour of our death.
[10:43]
Participant 1
Amen.
[10:46]
Participant 3
Hail Mary, full of grace.
[10:48]
Host
The Lord is with the Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
[10:59]
Participant 2
Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for.
[11:03]
Host
Us sinners now and at the hour of our death.
[11:07]
Participant 1
Amen.
[11:10]
Participant 3
Hail Mary, full of grace, The Lord.
[11:13]
Host
Is with the Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
[11:23]
Participant 2
Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for.
[11:27]
Host
Us sinners now and at the hour of our death.
[11:31]
Participant 1
Amen.
[11:34]
Participant 3
Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord.
[11:37]
Host
Is with the Blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
[11:46]
Participant 2
Holy Mary, mother of God, pray for.
[11:50]
Host
Us sinners now and at the hour of our death.
[11:54]
Participant 1
Amen.
[11:57]
Participant 3
Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord.
[12:00]
Host
Is with the Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
[12:09]
Participant 2
Holy Mary, mother of God, pray for.
[12:13]
Host
Us sinners now and at the hour of our death.
[12:17]
Participant 1
Amen.
[12:20]
Participant 3
Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee.
[12:25]
Host
Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
[12:32]
Participant 2
Holy Mary, mother of God, pray for.
[12:36]
Host
Us sinners now and at the hour of our death.
[12:40]
Participant 1
Amen.
[12:43]
Participant 3
Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord.
[12:46]
Host
Is with the Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
[12:56]
Participant 2
Holy Mary, mother of God, pray for.
[13:00]
Host
Us sinners now and at the hour of our death.
[13:04]
Participant 1
Amen.
[13:06]
Participant 3
Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord.
[13:09]
Host
Is with the Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
[13:18]
Participant 2
Holy Mary, mother of God, pray for.
[13:22]
Host
Us sinners now and at the hour of our death.
[13:26]
Participant 1
Amen.
[13:29]
Host
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.
[13:42]
Participant 1
Amen.
[13:43]
Participant 2
In the name of the Father and.
[13:45]
Host
Of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
[13:49]
Participant 1
Amen.
[13:50]
Host
So, thanks so much for joining me and praying with me again today. I look forward to continuing this journey with you again tomorrow. Poco Poko. Friends, God bless you.