Podcast Summary: The Rosary in a Year (with Fr. Mark-Mary Ames)
Episode: Day 44 – Glorified Reality (2026)
Date: February 13, 2026
Host: Fr. Mark-Mary Ames, CFR (Ascension)
Episode Overview
This episode marks the beginning of the Glorious Mysteries in the Rosary, focusing on the Resurrection of Jesus. Fr. Mark-Mary guides listeners in meditating on the new, glorified reality ushered in by Christ’s resurrection—a reality that is not just an event in history but the dawn of a new creation and destiny for humanity. Drawing from Scripture and insights by Pope Benedict XVI, the episode explores what the resurrection means (and does not mean), and invites listeners into deeper prayerful wonder and hope.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
The Setting of the First Glorious Mystery
- Fr. Mark-Mary opens by reading Matthew 28:1-10, highlighting the dramatic, theophanic signs surrounding the Resurrection:
- Angel’s descent, great earthquake, the angel’s appearance “like lightning,” and “clothing white as snow” (01:00-02:10).
- He notes the profound silence around the exact moment of the Resurrection:
“The resurrection’s already happened. Jesus isn’t rising from the dead in the context of the earthquake and the appearance of the angel—he’s already risen. But no insight is offered to us of that experience … before the mystery itself of the resurrection, there’s silence and the veil remains. And it’s as if to say, this is just for the Father and the Son.” – Fr. Mark-Mary (03:19–04:18)
The New Creation: What the Resurrection Is—and Isn’t
- Fr. Mark-Mary draws from Pope Benedict XVI’s Jesus of Nazareth to clarify misconceptions about the Resurrection (04:25-06:59):
- Not a simple return to life:
“It’s not simply Jesus returning to a normal biological life … It’s not what happened to Lazarus … So it’s not just coming back to the same type of life.” (04:44–05:21)
- Not a ghost/spirit or vision:
“Jesus is not a ghost or he’s not a spirit … it’s not just a mystical experience.” (05:22–05:44)
- It is a glorified, unprecedented reality:
“It is Jesus, in a new reality, a glorified reality. The Holy Father … uses the term, again and again, that in the resurrection of Jesus Christ, an evolutionary leap has happened … a historical event that nevertheless bursts open the dimensions of history and transcends it.” (06:00–06:44)
- Not a simple return to life:
Wrestling With a New Reality
- Witnesses to the Resurrection struggled to comprehend it; it was wholly without precedent:
“You might kind of be joining with those first witnesses … there’s a wrestling with the new reality and trying to understand it, which makes sense because there’s no analogy. It’s a brand new mode … of existence which Jesus is going to invite us to share in.” (07:03–07:46)
- The Resurrection invites all believers to “look at all of reality newly, differently,” seeing creation as transformed and filled with hope. (07:46–08:33)
The Meaning for Us
- The Resurrection means Jesus “is”—alive for eternity, not simply a figure of the past:
“It’s not that he was, it’s that he is for all eternity. He is risen. … He is the one in whom we place all of our hope.” (08:34–09:19)
- We are invited into his new, eternal life—a “share in this ontological leap … the new creation that we call heaven, where every tear will be wiped away.” (09:21–09:52)
- This “glorious reality” is both “our destiny and our hope. The cause of our faith, the cause of our joy. That he is risen. That he is already experiencing the fullness of the new creation—and that he invites us to share in his new life.” (10:05–10:29)
Memorable Quotes
- On the Mystery of the Resurrection:
“Before the mystery itself of the resurrection, there’s silence and the veil remains. And it’s as if to say, this is just for the Father and the Son.” – Fr. Mark-Mary (03:47)
- On What the Resurrection Is Not:
“It’s not just coming back to the same type of life, the same biological life that Jesus had before his death… It’s not just a mystical experience … It is Jesus in a new reality, a glorified reality.” – Fr. Mark-Mary (05:15–06:08)
- On the New Creation:
“A new dimension of life emerges, a new dimension of human existence. It happens in history, but it transcends history.” – Fr. Mark-Mary, summarizing Pope Benedict XVI (06:38)
- On Our Destiny:
“We come in our poverty before the mysterious new creation, before the glorious reality of Jesus’ resurrected body. And in it we see both our destiny and our hope—the cause of our faith, the cause of our joy.” – Fr. Mark-Mary (10:00–10:26)
Important Timestamps
- 00:59 – Introduction to the First Glorious Mystery (The Resurrection)
- 01:00–02:10 – Reading of Matthew 28:1-10
- 03:10–04:18 – Reflection on the silence surrounding the Resurrection moment
- 04:25–06:59 – What the Resurrection is not, and is: teachings from Pope Benedict XVI
- 07:03–08:33 – Wrestling with and receiving the new, glorified reality
- 09:13–10:29 – The implications of the Resurrection for believers
- 10:29–12:02 – Praying the Rosary (Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be)
Tone and Style
Fr. Mark-Mary speaks with warmth, humility, and contemplative reverence—inviting listeners to ponder the mystery with awe without claiming to fully comprehend it. He draws from Scripture, papal teaching, and personal prayer, fostering intimacy and hope.
Conclusion
This episode is a profound meditation on the Resurrection—a mystery not just of past history, but of the glorified future that Jesus now lives and into which all Christians are invited. By pondering what the Resurrection is (and is not), Fr. Mark-Mary encourages listeners to discover in Christ’s new life the ultimate source of hope, faith, and joy.