Day 202: Scapegoat and Savior - The Rosary in a Year (with Fr. Mark-Mary Ames)

Day 202: Scapegoat and Savior

Mon Jul 21 2025

Fr. Mark-Mary connects Jesus carrying His cross to Christ as the new scapegoat, freely taking on the exile, rejection, and sins of all humanity and carrying them to His place of crucifixion. Simon of Cyrene had the opportunity to let his suffering draw him closer to Jesus—an invitation extended to each of us in our own crosses of loss, illness, or pain. When we unite our suffering with His, our crosses too can become salvific, glorified, and trophies of shared victory in Christ. Today’s focus is the mystery of the Carrying of the Cross and we will be praying one decade of the Rosary. For the complete prayer plan, visit https://ascensionpress.com/riy.

Summary

Podcast Summary: The Rosary in a Year (Day 202: Scapegoat and Savior)

Host: Fr. Mark-Mary Ames, CFR
Published By: Ascension
Release Date: July 21, 2025

Introduction

In Day 202 of The Rosary in a Year podcast, hosted by Fr. Mark-Mary Ames of the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal, listeners are guided through a deep meditation on the Fourth Sorrowful Mystery: Jesus Carrying His Cross. This episode delves into the profound symbolism of Jesus as both a Scapegoat and a Savior, exploring the theological and spiritual implications of His journey to Golgotha.

Recap of Previous Meditations

Fr. Mark-Mary begins by revisiting themes from earlier episodes, particularly the concept of Jesus as the fulfillment of the new scapegoat. He draws a parallel between the Old Testament practice of the Day of Atonement, where a literal goat was burdened with the sins of humanity and sent into the wilderness, and Jesus' voluntary acceptance of humanity's sins.

“Jesus becoming the fulfillment of this, taking upon himself all of the sins of humanity... he was led outside of the city, namely Jerusalem, to Golgotha.”
(00:00)

This comparison sets the stage for understanding Jesus' crucifixion as both an atoning sacrifice and a redemptive journey, transforming the disgraceful act of crucifixion into a symbol of divine victory.

Meditation on the Fourth Sorrowful Mystery

Jesus as the Scapegoat and Savior

Fr. Mark-Mary elaborates on the Fourth Sorrowful Mystery by emphasizing Jesus' role in carrying the sins of the world:

“Jesus freely making this journey, freely taking upon himself the exile, the rejection, the sins of all of the people... to his place of crucifixion.”
(05:30)

This meditation highlights Jesus' voluntary sacrifice, aligning His mission with the prophetic imagery of the scapegoat, thus fulfilling and surpassing the Old Testament rituals of atonement.

The Role of Simon in Carrying the Cross

The discussion then shifts to Simon of Cyrene, who was compelled to help Jesus carry His cross. Fr. Mark-Mary reflects on the duality of Simon's action—forced yet free:

“Simon could have carried the cross under force, like endured his own share in this injustice... or there could have been some openness to... allowing the suffering that Simon was experiencing to bring him close to Jesus.”
(12:15)

This segment explores the transformative potential of suffering when embraced with openness and trust in Jesus. Fr. Mark-Mary encourages listeners to view their own challenges as opportunities to grow closer to the Lord, mirroring Simon's pivotal role in the Passion narrative.

Theological Insights

St. Thomas Aquinas on the Cross

Fr. Mark-Mary references St. Thomas Aquinas to deepen the theological understanding of the cross:

“Jesus Christ bore his cross as a king does his scepter. His cross is the sign of his glory, which is his universal dominion over all things... he carried his cross as a victor carries the trophy of his victory.”
(18:45)

Aquinas's insight underscores the cross not merely as an instrument of suffering but as a symbol of Jesus' triumphant sovereignty and the transformative power of His sacrifice.

Transforming Suffering

Building on Aquinas's thoughts, Fr. Mark-Mary emphasizes that embracing one's own crosses can lead to personal sanctification:

“If we too learn to carry our cross, embrace our cross with Jesus, these painful, dishonorable, disgraceful things can be salvific, glorious, transformative, and become trophies of our share in this victory.”
(22:10)

This reflection invites listeners to reconsider their trials as means of participating in Christ's victory, offering a pathway to redemption and spiritual growth.

Practical Application

Fr. Mark-Mary encourages listeners to integrate these reflections into their daily lives by:

Embracing Suffering with Openness: Viewing personal hardships as opportunities to grow closer to Jesus.
Surrender and Trust: Adopting the prayerful attitude of “not my will, but your will be done,” fostering trust in God's plan.
Transformative Suffering: Allowing pain and disgrace to be transformed into sources of grace and glory through union with Christ.

“The act of surrender, of trust, of openness to the saving power of God and the unitive potential of suffering with our Lord.”
(25:50)

Conclusion and Prayer

Fr. Mark-Mary concludes the episode by guiding listeners through a moment of stillness to internalize the day's meditation. He introduces a roadmap of prayer—the Four Rs:

Receive: Contemplate the grace offered and the truth revealed.
Respond: Consider how to respond to this grace in one's life.
Request: Petition for grace to live out this response.
Rejoice: Give thanks for the experience and the divine presence.

The episode concludes with a communal prayer, reinforcing the themes discussed and inviting listeners to incorporate them into their daily Rosary practice.

Key Takeaways

Jesus as the Fulfillment of the Scapegoat: Understanding the Old Testament symbolism enhances the appreciation of Jesus' sacrificial role.
Embracing Personal Crosses: Viewing personal suffering through the lens of union with Christ can transform hardship into spiritual growth.
The Cross as a Symbol of Victory: Theologically, the cross signifies not just suffering but also triumph and divine glory.
Practical Integration: Implementing the Four Rs of prayer can deepen one's spiritual practice and relationship with Jesus and Mary.

Notable Quotes

“Jesus Christ bore his cross as a king does his scepter... he carried his cross as a victor carries the trophy of his victory.”
— Fr. Mark-Mary Ames (18:45)
“The act of surrender, of trust, of openness to the saving power of God and the unitive potential of suffering with our Lord.”
— Fr. Mark-Mary Ames (25:50)

Additional Resources

For a complete prayer plan and to track your progress through The Rosary in a Year journey, visit Ascension Press: Rosary in a Year.

Join Fr. Mark-Mary Ames daily through the Ascension app to continue your transformative journey with the Rosary. Subscribe and tap follow to receive daily notifications and access special features tailored for this enlightening podcast series.

Transcript

A (0:00)

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 202. 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 Fourth Sorrowful Mystery, Jesus carrying His Cross and before our time of prayer, let's review what we have prayed with and meditating upon. Up to this point, a theme that we touched on in a variety of different ways was looking at Jesus as the fulfillment of the new scapegoat. And we talked about back in the Old Testament, for the Day of Atonement there was a scapegoat, a literal goat that the high priest would place his hands on on the Day of Atonement, and then this goat would be offered by sending it off into the wilderness. And there's many ways in which we looked at Jesus becoming the fulfillment of this, taking upon himself all of the sins of humanity. And this is a fitting reflection for the Fourth Sorrowful Mystery because, as you may recall, to be crucified, Jesus was led outside of the city, namely Jerusalem, to Golgotha. And so we can call to mind this goat which, if you will, has received the sins of the world, going out into the wilderness, leaving the city to be offered, and Jesus himself, like, freely making this journey, freely taking upon himself the exile, the rejection, the sins of all of the people, and carrying it into the wilderness or carrying it to his place of crucifixion. Then in a further meditation, our own meditation was met by Simon and we looked at how Simon was compelled to help Jesus carry his cross. He was forced to do so, but Simon, he was compelled but still free. And Simon could have carried the cross under force, like endured his own share in this injustice, like completely keeping to himself completely, like begrudgingly like, with the constant narrative of just like rejection of what was happening or There could have been some openness to, in this case, Jesus, and looking at Jesus, conversing with Jesus, allowing the suffering that Simon was experiencing, the injustice that the Simon was experiencing, to allowing it to bring him close to Jesus. And I do believe that if Simon, like Jesus, at some point accepts his part, his lot accepts the cross, surrenders to what is happening. It's an opportunity for him to encounter the Lord. And we're not going to go into it in a lot of detail, but again, it's, I think it's an important caveat, reminder that this isn't supposed to be used to kind of manipulate us into like, not fighting injustice, etc. But there are many crosses, sufferings that we are going to have to carry while seeking like a proper remedy, while seeking proper judgment, or that we are going to be caring for our lives, such as the crosses of loss of chronic illness, etc. And can we in the midst of this cross, have an openness to it, bringing us close to Jesus? Can we in some way model the prayer of Jesus, not my will, but your will be done. This act of surrender, of trust, of openness to the saving power of God and the unitive potential of suffering with our Lord. And lastly, for our review today, if you, if you recall, St. Thomas Aquinas, he wrote this speaking of Jesus Christ bore his cross as a king does his scepter. His cross is the sign of his glory, which is his universal dominion over all things. And he goes on to say, he carried his cross as a victor carries the trophy of his victory. And Jesus, in embracing the cross and freely accepting the cross and carrying the cross, he glorifies the cross and is glorified through the cross. And in doing so, Jesus changes that which is unholy and disgraceful and dishonorable into something royal, something victorious, a trophy, his victory. If we too learn to carry our cross, embrace our cross with Jesus, these painful, dishonorable, disgraceful things can be salvific, glorious, transformative, and become trophies of our share in this victory. Brothers and sisters, it's true, it remains true that to suffer alone, it is tragic. But to suffer with Jesus is redemptive and is salvific. So now let us take a moment of stillness to sit with this mystery, to sit with what we have reviewed and called to mind today. And let's go through this roadmap of prayer, these four Rs today, in this moment, what is the grace being offered, the truth being revealed, that you are invited to receive? Sam, how can you respond? What is the grace that you would like to request at the service of this response. And then rejoice. Give thanks to the Lord for this time of prayer, for this mystery of our salvation and for the grace given in the life of God shared. And now, together 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. 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 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 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. 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 the name and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Thank you so much for joining me and praying with me again today. I look forward to continuing this journey with you again tomorrow. Poco. Poco. Friends, God bless y' all.