Day 204: Transcending Death

Summary

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

Episode: Day 204 – Transcending Death

Date: July 23, 2026

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Overview

In this episode, "Transcending Death," the focus centers on the profound mystery and power of Christ’s Resurrection. Fr. Mark-Mary Ames guides listeners to meditate on the first Glorious Mystery—the Resurrection—emphasizing both the event’s transformative implications for humanity and its enduring source of hope. Through reflections incorporating theology, art, and tradition, the episode invites participants to deeper trust, confidence, and relationship with the risen Lord.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Nature and Impact of the Resurrection

• Beyond revival: The Resurrection is more than a corpse returned to life; it is, as Pope Benedict XVI described, an “evolutionary leap” that inaugurates an utterly new form of existence.
  • Quote: "He speaks of the Resurrection as a type of evolutionary leap, a historical event that bursts open the dimensions of history and transcends it. It is... a new form of life that is no longer subject to the law of dying, but lies beyond it." (Fr. Mike Schmitz, 01:11)
• Universal hope: This new life touches everyone and “opens up a new kind of future for mankind.”
• Glorification and symbolism: The Paschal Candle is highlighted as the preeminent symbol of this event, signifying Christ’s light which cannot be extinguished by darkness.
  • Quote: "There is no darkness which can overcome the light of that Paschal Candle, the light of the hope and of the joy and of the truth of Jesus Christ risen from the dead." (Fr. Mike Schmitz, 02:31)

Hope that Transcends All

• All can be resurrected: Fr. Mike Schmitz underscores that any element in our lives, when brought to Christ, can share in the Resurrection’s healing, redemption, and renewal.
  • Quote: "There is nothing, nothing, nothing that Jesus can't respond to and bring new life out of, and bring healing out of, and bring light and hope out of." (Fr. Mike Schmitz, 03:37)
• Christ's response to suffering: Even death does not have the final word—hope is grounded in Christ's victory.

Patristic Reflection—St. John Chrysostom

• Fr. Mike shares a stirring excerpt from St. John Chrysostom about Christ’s destruction of death and restoration of life.
  • Quote: “He destroyed death by enduring it. He spoiled hell by descending into it. He angered hell by allowing it to taste his flesh. Where, O death, is your sting? O hell, where is your victory? Christ is risen and the demons are destroyed. Christ is risen and life is restored.” (Fr. Mike Schmitz quoting St. John Chrysostom, 04:00)

The Incredulity of St. Thomas—Art and Encounter

• Recalling a recent meditation on Caravaggio’s painting “The Incredulity of St. Thomas,” Fr. Mike emphasizes Jesus’s tenderness towards those wrestling with doubt.
  • Jesus invites Thomas to touch his wounds, exemplifying his loving patience and willingness to meet each person where they are in their faith journey.
  • Quote: “Jesus is willing to come to meet us where we're at and to help us make the next best step in faith in his resurrection. ... What's most important is that we come to believe.” (Fr. Mike Schmitz, 05:53)

The Invitation to Faith and Trust

• Total trust, fidelity, and self-gift are the proper response to the resurrection.
• Encouragement to pray with honesty and confidence that "he is going to reveal Himself to us in a way that will allow us to get it."
• Quote: "We hope in Jesus, we talk to Jesus, we're honest with Jesus, confident in his patience and confident in his seeking, in his pursuit of us." (Fr. Mike Schmitz, 07:28)

Practice: The Four Rs of Prayer

• Rest: Begin in stillness before the Lord.
• Receive: Notice the truth or grace God is offering.
• Respond: Decide on your personal response to this grace in your life.
• Request: Ask specifically for the grace needed to live out your response.
• Rejoice: Give thanks for God’s presence and the gift of prayer.
  • Instruction: “Now we'll go through our chosen roadmap of prayer...What is the grace being offered...How can you respond?...What’s the grace you would like to request?...Give thanks to the Lord for this time of prayer…” (Fr. Mike Schmitz, 08:26)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “The Resurrection is not just about a corpse coming back to life. There's this... elevated, a new form of life. It's a change which... glorifies all of reality.” (Fr. Mike Schmitz, 01:37)
• “There is no darkness which can overcome the light... The darkness has not and will not and cannot overcome the light, particularly the hope that we have in our risen Lord.” (Fr. Mike Schmitz, 02:31)
• “Even death itself does not have the final word, but Christ is risen. And we join the angels in rejoicing because Christ is risen and life is restored.” (Fr. Mike Schmitz, 04:36)
• “Thomas, these wounds are for you... [Jesus is] lovingly, gently, tenderly... guiding Thomas’ hand to touch his wounds.” (Fr. Mike Schmitz, 05:16)
• “Confident in his patience and confident in his seeking, in his pursuit of us.” (Fr. Mike Schmitz, 07:31)

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Timestamps for Significant Segments

• 00:57 – 05:00: Theological Reflection on the Resurrection’s Depth and Pope Benedict XVI’s teaching
• 03:37 – 04:36: Patristic teaching from St. John Chrysostom; the power of Christ’s Resurrection over death and hell
• 05:00 – 07:31: Caravaggio’s “Incredulity of St. Thomas” and application to personal faith and doubt
• 07:31 – 08:26: Practical invitation to have confidence in Christ’s persistence and patience
• 08:26 – 09:37: Introduction and explanation of the Four Rs method of prayer
• 09:37 – 14:16: Communal recitation of the first Glorious Mystery of the Rosary and closing prayers

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Conclusion & Tone

The episode delivers a meditative and warmly pastoral approach, blending deep theology with relatable personal invitations. It fosters an atmosphere of hope, honesty, and growing confidence in Christ’s power over death and darkness, gently encouraging every listener to take the next step in trust with the risen Lord.

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Transcript

[Fr. Mike Schmitz]

Foreign.

[Friar Francis]

Mark Mary with Franciscan Friars of Renewal

[Fr. Mike Schmitz]

and this is the Rosary in a

[Friar Francis]

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 and this is day 204. To download the prayer plan for Rosary in a year, visit ascensionpress.com rosary in a year or text RIY to 33777. You'll get an outline of how we're going to pray each month and it's

[Fr. Mike Schmitz]

a great way to track your progress.

[Friar 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. I encourage you to pick up a copy of the Rosary in the Year Prayer Guide, a book published by Ascension that was designed to complement this podcast. You'll find all the daily readings from Scripture, saint reflections and beautiful images of the sacred art will be reflecting on

[Prayer Leader]

today.

[Fr. Mike Schmitz]

We will be meditating upon and praying with the first glorious mystery, the Resurrection. And now a review of some of what we have covered before we go to our time of prayer today. Let's begin by a reminder of what Pope Benedict XVI wrote about the Resurrection. He speaks of the Resurrection as a type of evolutionary leap, a historical event that bursts open the dimensions of history and transcends it. It is a brand new, entirely new form of life that is no longer subject to the law of dying, but lies beyond it and it affects everyone and opens up a new kind of future for mankind. So just a little reminder of the teaching of the understanding of what what has happened in the Resurrection. The Resurrection is not just about a corpse coming back to life. There's this, if you will, an elevated, a new form of life. It's a change which touches, if we could say glorifies all of reality. And if you recall, in one of our episodes we looked at the Paschal Candle, which is like the symbol par excellence of the entire liturgical season because it is this candle which which represents Christ but also represents like the light of the Resurrection. And we were reminded that that there is no darkness which can overcome the light of that Paschal Candle, the light of the hope and of the joy and of the truth of Jesus Christ risen from the dead. The darkness has not and will not and cannot overcome the light, particularly the hope that we have in our risen Lord. And the hope as it is extended to us is the hope that whatever happens in life, if we bring it to him. And if we journey with him in it, like all of it, can be resurrected, can share in this glorified reality, can be healed, redeemed, renewed. There is nothing, nothing, nothing

[Congregation]

that Jesus

[Fr. Mike Schmitz]

can't respond to and bring new life out of and bring healing out of, and bring light and hope out of. So also kind of in this vein, in this space, we had this writing from St. John Chrysostom. He wrote about Jesus. He destroyed death by enduring it. He spoiled hell by descending into it. He angered hell by allowing it to taste his flesh. Where, O death, is your sting? O hell, where is your victory? Christ is risen and the demons are destroyed. Christ is risen and the angels rejoiced. Christ is risen and life is restored. There's so much in this world that is passing. We don't place our hope in this world, in passing things, but in Christ risen from the dead. Even death itself does not have the final word, but Christ is risen. And we join the angels in rejoicing because Christ is risen and life is restored. And then lastly, for today, we spent one episode, one day with Caravaggio's quite famous painting entitled the incredulity of St. Thomas. During that episode I focused particularly on the countenance of Jesus, who lovingly, gently, tenderly, you could say, guides Thomas hand to touch his wounds and his face, his countenance, his disposition is saying, thomas, these wounds are for you. We see Jesus returning to the disciples and coming to Thomas, revealing that Jesus is willing to come to meet us where we're at and to help us make the next best step in faith in his resurrection. And what Jesus is like, most worried about isn't that we get it right away, but that we get it. And he's going to persevere in pursuing us and coming to us because like, what's most important is that we come to believe. We believe in the power of the resurrection. And we respond through total fidelity, total trust, total gift of self, total adoration, worship of our risen Lord. And so there's this invitation to find ourselves before the risen Lord with his glorified wounds and to have confidence that he is going to reveal Himself to us in a way that will allow us to get it. And so we hope in Jesus, we talk to Jesus, we're honest with Jesus, confident in his patience and confidence in his seeking, in his pursuit of us. So now we'll just take a moment of stillness, Of a leisurely resting here. Now we'll go through our, our chosen roadmap of prayer for these episodes, the four Rs today. What is the grace being offered, the truth being revealed, that you are invited to receive? Sam, How can you respond? What's the grace that you would like to request, particularly at the service of this response, And then rejoice. Give thanks to the Lord for this time of prayer, for the grace given and the divine life shared. Now, together with Mary, let us pray

[Congregation]

in the name of the Father and

[Fr. Mike Schmitz]

of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

[Congregation]

Amen.

[Fr. Mike Schmitz]

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.

[Congregation]

Amen.

[Prayer Leader]

Hail Mary, full of grace.

[Fr. Mike Schmitz]

The Lord is with the blessed art thou among women and blessed is the

[Congregation]

fruit of thy womb, Jesus.

Holy Mary, mother of God, pray for

[Fr. Mike Schmitz]

us sinners now and at the hour of our death.

[Congregation]

Amen.

[Prayer Leader]

Hail Mary, full of grace.

[Fr. Mike Schmitz]

The Lord is with the blessed art thou among women and blessed is the

[Congregation]

fruit of thy womb, Jesus.

Holy Mary, mother of God, pray for

[Fr. Mike Schmitz]

us sinners now and at the hour of our death.

[Congregation]

Amen.

[Prayer Leader]

Hail Mary, full of grace.

[Fr. Mike Schmitz]

The Lord is with the blessed art thou among women and blessed is the

[Congregation]

fruit of thy womb, Jesus.

Holy Mary, mother of God, pray for

[Fr. Mike Schmitz]

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

[Prayer Leader]

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord

[Fr. Mike Schmitz]

is with the blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.

[Congregation]

Holy Mary, mother of God, pray for

[Fr. Mike Schmitz]

us sinners now and at the hour of our death.

[Congregation]

Amen.

[Prayer Leader]

Hail Mary, full of grace, The Lord

[Fr. Mike Schmitz]

is with the blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.

[Congregation]

Holy Mary, mother of God, pray for

[Fr. Mike Schmitz]

us sinners now and at the hour of our death.

[Congregation]

Amen.

[Prayer Leader]

Hail Mary, full of grace.

[Fr. Mike Schmitz]

The Lord is with the blessed art thou among women and blessed is the

[Congregation]

fruit of thy womb, Jesus.

Holy Mary, mother of God, pray for

[Fr. Mike Schmitz]

us sinners now and at the hour of our death.

[Congregation]

Amen.

[Prayer Leader]

Hail Mary, full of grace.

[Fr. Mike Schmitz]

The Lord is with the blessed art thou among women and blessed is the

[Congregation]

fruit of thy womb, Jesus.

Holy Mary, mother of God, pray for

[Fr. Mike Schmitz]

us sinners now and at the hour of our death.

[Congregation]

Amen.

[Prayer Leader]

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

[Fr. Mike Schmitz]

Blessed art thou among women, and blessed

[Congregation]

is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.

Holy Mary, mother of God, pray for

[Fr. Mike Schmitz]

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

[Prayer Leader]

Hail Mary, full of grace.

[Fr. Mike Schmitz]

The Lord is with the Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the

[Congregation]

fruit of thy womb, Jesus.

Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for

[Fr. Mike Schmitz]

us sinners now and at the hour of our death.

[Congregation]

Amen.

[Prayer Leader]

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord

[Fr. Mike Schmitz]

is with the Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.

[Congregation]

Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for

[Fr. Mike Schmitz]

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

[Congregation]

Amen.

[Fr. Mike Schmitz]

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.

[Congregation]

Amen. In the name of the Father and

[Fr. Mike Schmitz]

of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

[Congregation]

Amen.

All right.

[Fr. Mike Schmitz]

Thanks so much for joining me and praying with me again today. I look forward to continuing this journey

[Friar Francis]

with you again tomorrow.

[Congregation]

Poco.

[Friar Francis]

Poco.

[Fr. Mike Schmitz]

Friends, God bless you.