Day 41: The Victorious King - The Rosary in a Year (with Fr. Mark-Mary Ames)

Summary4 min read

Summary of "The Rosary in a Year" Podcast

Episode: Day 41: The Victorious King
Host: Fr. Mark-Mary Ames, CFR
Release Date: February 10, 2025
Produced by: Ascension

Introduction to Episode

In Day 41 of Ascension’s "The Rosary in a Year" podcast, Fr. Mark-Mary Ames delves into the third sorrowful mystery of the Rosary: The Crowning with Thorns. This episode, titled "The Victorious King," explores the profound interplay between Christ’s suffering and His inherent kingship, offering listeners deep theological insights and practical reflections to enrich their prayer life.

Exploring the Third Sorrowful Mystery: The Crowning with Thorns

Fr. Mark-Mary begins by recounting the vivid imagery of Jesus' mockery by Roman soldiers as depicted in Matthew 27:27-31. He emphasizes the brutality and humiliation Jesus endured, highlighting the soldiers’ actions as both a physical and symbolic affront to His identity.

"Now Jesus was taken before a whole battalion. So that's up to 600 soldiers there gathered." (00:05)

Here, Fr. Mark-Mary underscores the collective mockery, illustrating the extent of the Roman soldiers' disdain and the intentional humiliation of Christ’s sovereignty.

Historical Context and Roman Mockery

The friar delves into the historical context of Roman practices, explaining the significance of the soldiers' actions:

Scarlet Robe and Crown of Thorns: Symbols of royalty and authority manipulated to mock Jesus as the "King of the Jews."
Reed as a Scepter: An imitation of regal power, signifying the soldiers’ attempt to belittle Jesus’ true kingship.

"All of this is this Roman mockery of Christ the King." (00:12)

Fr. Mark-Mary draws attention to the irony that the true King’s authority surpasses the soldiers’ mock gestures, laying the foundation for understanding Jesus’ victorious nature despite His suffering.

Theological Insights from Pope Benedict XVI

Integrating theological perspectives, Fr. Mark-Mary references Pope Benedict XVI to deepen the analysis:

"In him is reflected what we call sin. This is what happens when man turns his back upon God and takes control over the world into his own hands." (00:18)

This reflection connects Jesus' suffering to the broader narrative of sin and humanity's rebellion against divine authority. The pope’s insights reinforce the concept of Jesus as both the suffering servant and the reigning king whose dignity remains untarnished.

Jesus: The Mocked King and True Sovereign

Fr. Mark-Mary elaborates on the duality of Jesus’ identity:

"The one whom they mock, calling him a king, is in fact the king. And he's a king already here and now conquering." (00:25)

Despite the soldiers' attempts to undermine Him, Jesus’ true kingship is affirmed. This paradox highlights the inevitable triumph of divine authority over earthly power.

He further explores the fulfillment of prophetic scriptures, aligning Jesus’ experiences with Isaiah’s portrayal of the suffering servant:

"In Isaiah 50, I gave my back to those who struck me and my cheeks to those who pulled out my beard. I hid not my face from shame and spitting." (00:30)

The Victory in Christ’s Suffering

Fr. Mark-Mary emphasizes that Christ’s suffering is not indicative of defeat but rather the precursor to His ultimate victory:

"The condemned one, the scourged one, the crowned with thorns, the one who will be crucified is indeed the victorious one." (00:35)

This assertion reorients the perception of suffering from one of defeat to one of divine conquest, where Christ’s humility and endurance lead to the redemption of humanity.

Call to Worship and Prayer

Inviting listeners to internalize the mysteries, Fr. Mark-Mary encourages a posture of worship and reflection:

"As we pray today with the third sorrowful mystery, let us behold the man. Let's behold our king, and let us worship him." (00:40)

He transitions into prayer, guiding the audience through the Our Father, Hail Mary, and Glory Be, fostering a communal and meditative prayer experience that aligns with the episode's themes.

Concluding Reflections

In closing, Fr. Mark-Mary reaffirms the enduring sovereignty of Christ amidst human and demonic attempts to undermine Him. He invites listeners to continue their journey of prayer and meditation, reinforcing the transformative power of the Rosary in deepening one’s relationship with Jesus and Mary.

"Thank you for joining me and praying with me again today. I look forward to continuing this journey with you again tomorrow." (00:55)

Key Takeaways

Understanding Suffering and Victory: Jesus’ mockery and suffering are portrayed not as signs of defeat but as integral parts of His victorious mission.
Theological Depth: Insights from Pope Benedict XVI enrich the understanding of Christ’s dual role as the suffering servant and the reigning king.
Personal Application: The episode encourages building a daily prayer habit through the Rosary, fostering a deeper connection with Jesus and Mary.
Communal Worship: Engaging in prayer collectively enhances the spiritual journey, emphasizing the Rosary as a source of grace for the individual and the world.

Final Thoughts

Day 41 of "The Rosary in a Year" serves as a profound exploration of Christ’s triumph through suffering. Fr. Mark-Mary Ames masterfully intertwines scripture, theology, and personal reflection, guiding listeners to a more intimate and victorious relationship with their faith.

For a complete prayer plan and to continue this transformative journey, visit Ascension Press.

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Foreign Mark Mary with Franciscan Friars of 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 41. 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 a great way to track your progress. The best place to listen to the podcast is in the Ascension app. There's special features built just for this podcast and also recordings of the full rosary with myself and other friars. On behalf of myself, the whole team at Ascension, we wanted to take this opportunity to thank everyone who's helped support this podcast financially. Your support is so appreciated and helps us to reach as many people as possible. If you haven't already, please consider supporting us@ascensionpress.com support the third sorrowful mystery is the crowning of thorns Matthew chapter 27 verses 27:31 Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the praetorium, and they gathered the whole battalion before him, and they stripped him and put a scarlet robe upon him, and plating a crown of thorns, they put it on his head and put a reed in his right hand, and kneeling before him, they mocked him, saying, Hail, King of the Jews. And they spat upon him and took the reed and struck him on the head. And when they had mocked him, they stripped him of the robe and put his own clothes on him, and led him away to crucify him. Now Jesus trial before Pilate, his condemnation, scourging and crucifixion. These are horrible but ordinary parts of Roman law and Roman punishment. Jesus being crowned with thorns and mocked was a unique evil the Roman soldiers took upon themselves to do in mockery of our Lord. It says that Jesus was taken before a whole battalion. So so that's up to 600 soldiers. So there's a large group of Roman soldiers there gathered. They put upon him a scarlet robe which was worn by Roman military or high ranking officials. Of course they put upon his head a crown, a sign of kingship. They put a reed in his hand, imitating a king's scepter, and they mock him, saying Hail King of the Jews. All of this is this Roman mockery of Christ the King. And yes, it is particularly heinous and particularly vile and particularly ugly. And we can see the Demonic forces at play here in their movement to mockery. And here they think they have Jesus in their hands and they inspire this mockery of the Lord. And the great irony here, of course, is that the one whom they mock, calling him a king, is in fact the king. And he's a king already here and now conquering. This is what Pope Benedict XVI writes regarding Jesus. Scourged and crowned with thorns. In him is reflected what we call sin. This is what happens when man turns his back upon God and takes control over the world into his own hands. We've seen Jesus here fulfilling the prophecy of the suffering servant. Now in Isaiah 50, I gave my back to those who struck me and my cheeks to those who pulled out my beard. I hid not my face from shame and spitting. We see the suffering servants. We see Jesus remaining vulnerable before the mockery, the shame, the spitting. Pope Benedict goes on to say, but Jesus innermost dignity cannot be taken from him. The hidden God remains present with him here in Jesus Christ, the suffering servant, the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world, the King of the Jews, the King of the whole world. We see the truly meek one, the truly victorious one. He remains strong before the shame, before the spitting, before the mockering rooted in his identity as Son and victorious one, who even now is conquering what we see here in Christ. If you remember when we were reflecting on the Nativity of our Lord, according to Luke, there's all this mention of the Roman authorities and the Roman power and how they're working and they're making their decisions. But ultimately God is manifesting that he is the king of human affairs. Here we see the Roman authorities condemning, scourging, crowning, mocking, and unknowingly in all of this, the Father is still the Lord and bringing about his victory in Christ. The condemned one, the scourged one, the crowned with thorns, the one who will be crucified is indeed the victorious one. And in John's gospel, after our Lord is scourged, Pilate brings them before the Jewish authorities and he says, eje homo. Behold the man. Behold the man. My brothers and sisters, as we pray today with the third sorrowful mystery, let us behold the man. Let's behold our king, and let us worship him. 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 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. 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. Thank you for joining me and praying with me again today. I look forward to continuing this journey with you again tomorrow. All right. Poco Poco. Friends, God bless.