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

Episode Summary: Day 350 – The Sorrowful Mysteries

Date: December 16, 2025
Host: Fr. Mark-Mary Ames, CFR (Ascension)

Episode Overview

On Day 350 of “The Rosary in a Year,” Fr. Mark-Mary Ames invites listeners to pray and meditate upon the Sorrowful Mysteries. He emphasizes moving deeper into a relationship with Jesus and Mary, experiencing these mysteries not just as stories of suffering but as profound acts of love and grace for each listener personally. Each decade is accompanied by scriptural and spiritual reflections, inviting participation, contrition, and adoration. The tone is gentle, meditative, and accessible, drawing on both scripture and the wisdom of saints.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Opening Prayers

• [01:06] The standard introductory prayers are recited, including the Apostles’ Creed, an Our Father, and three Hail Marys for an increase in faith, hope, and charity.

The First Sorrowful Mystery: The Agony in the Garden

• [03:16]
• Reflection: Jesus is seen as the fulfillment of all salvation history; He takes upon Himself the sins of humanity, becoming the “Lamb of God” and the “suffering servant” prophesied in Isaiah.
• Invitation to Listeners:
  • “Let us adore him, let us remain with him. Let us come to him with our own contrition and sorrow in gratitude for the gift of the shedding of his blood for the salvation of our sins.” (Fr. Mark-Mary, [03:51])
• Listeners are encouraged to reflect with contrition and gratitude, recognizing Christ in this moment as the center of history and salvation.

The Second Sorrowful Mystery: The Scourging at the Pillar

• [08:18]
• Scriptural Focus: Matthew 26:28 (“This is my blood poured out for you.”)
• Personalization of the Mystery: Fr. Mark-Mary urges listeners to receive the truth that Christ suffered not just for all, but for each person individually.
  • “Experience his eyes meeting yours, and through what he undergoes, we can hear these words spoken, right? This is my blood poured out for you specifically.” ([08:34])
• Invitation: Place yourself in the gospel scene; allow the passion to be deeply personal.

The Third Sorrowful Mystery: The Crowning with Thorns

• [13:15]
• St. Thomas Aquinas Quote: “Instead of a crown of glory, they impose on him a crown of indignity.” ([13:15])
• Reflection:
  • Call to repentance for our personal sins that have also “crowned” Christ with indignity.
  • “We recognize and we repent of all the times that we have crowned him with indignity and ourselves likewise… then we make a movement to not crown him with thorns, but to crown him with glory, to honor him, to bless him, to adore him.” ([13:36])
• Invitation: Begin this decade with contrition, move towards adoration and praise.

The Fourth Sorrowful Mystery: Jesus Carries the Cross

• [17:51]
• Artistic Reference: Peter Brueghel’s “The Procession to Calvary” is mentioned to illustrate the many reactions to Christ’s Passion.
• Modern Parallel:
  • Fr. Mark-Mary shares about the friars’ Good Friday procession, encountering various reactions—hostility, indifference, faith, even tears.
• Spiritual Focus:
  • “Let’s be honest about, like, how we feel, how we respond, but also, like, let’s pray for that grace to like the centurion, to really recognize our Lord, to ourselves, be moved to confessing, like, truly, truly, this is the Son of God.” ([18:53])
• Invitation: Place yourself in the scene, identify your reaction, and seek the grace of true recognition and faith in Christ.

The Fifth Sorrowful Mystery: The Crucifixion

• [22:55]
• Saintly Wisdom: St. Alphonsus Liguori is quoted on the “new kind of martyrdom” – the suffering of Mary as she stands by the cross.
  • “Consider her at the foot of the cross. Then see if there can be sorrow like unto her sorrow.” ([23:26])
• Reflection:
  • Mary as the model of faith accompanies her son; her silent suffering is dignified and profound—a “martyrdom of a mother.”
  • “Let ourselves be held here by the beauty and profundity of this moment.” ([24:20])
• Invitation: Contemplate both Jesus’ sacrifice and Mary’s unique participation in that suffering.

Closing Prayers

• After completing the decades, the traditional concluding prayers are recited, including the Hail Holy Queen and prayers for the promises of Christ.
• [28:37] “In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.” (Closing blessing)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “Let us adore him, let us remain with him. Let us come to him with our own contrition and sorrow in gratitude for the gift of the shedding of his blood for the salvation of our sins.”
  — Fr. Mark-Mary ([03:51])

• “Experience his eyes meeting yours, and through what he undergoes, we can hear these words spoken: This is my blood poured out for you specifically.”
  — Fr. Mark-Mary ([08:34])

• “Instead of a crown of glory, they impose on him a crown of indignity.”
  — St. Thomas Aquinas (quoted at [13:15])

• “We recognize and we repent of all the times that we have crowned him with indignity and ourselves likewise… then we make a movement to not crown him with thorns, but to crown him with glory, to honor him, to bless him, to adore him.”
  — Fr. Mark-Mary ([13:36])

• “Let’s be honest about, like, how we feel, how we respond, but also, like, let’s pray for that grace to like the centurion, to really recognize our Lord, to ourselves, be moved to confessing, like, truly, truly, this is the Son of God.”
  — Fr. Mark-Mary ([18:53])

• “Consider her at the foot of the cross. Then see if there can be sorrow like unto her sorrow.”
  — St. Alphonsus Liguori (quoted at [23:26])

• “Let ourselves be held here by the beauty and profundity of this moment.”
  — Fr. Mark-Mary ([24:20])

Timestamps for Major Segments

| Time | Segment | |--------|---------------------------------------------------| | 01:06 | Opening prayers and intentions | | 03:16 | First Sorrowful Mystery: Agony in the Garden | | 08:18 | Second Sorrowful Mystery: Scourging at the Pillar | | 13:15 | Third Sorrowful Mystery: Crowning with Thorns | | 17:51 | Fourth Sorrowful Mystery: Carrying of the Cross | | 22:55 | Fifth Sorrowful Mystery: The Crucifixion | | 28:37 | Final blessing and closing prayers |

Tone & Language

• Tone: Contemplative, gentle, inviting, personal
• Approach: Scripture and sacred art woven with prayer, reflective questions, and encouragement to active participation and deeper meditation

For Listeners

This episode calls listeners into a deeper, personal experience of Christ’s Passion through the Sorrowful Mysteries, emphasizing both the reality of suffering and the surpassing grace offered through it. Fr. Mark-Mary’s reflections, rooted in scripture, tradition, and art, invite not just passive listening but heartfelt engagement, making the ancient prayers of the Rosary feel immediate and transformative.

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