
When the devil attacks, he tries to mock us and deny our dignity. Fr. Mark-Mary continues the journey of reflecting on the passion of our Lord as it reveals the true nature of sin, revealing how meditating on the Crowning with Thorns can help us reject Satan’s lies and remember our dignity as beloved sons and daughters. Today’s focus is the mystery of the Crowning with Thorns and we will be praying one Our Father, three Hail Marys, and one Glory Be.
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Foreign Mark Mary with Franciscan Friars of the Renewal and this is the Rosary in Here 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 61. To download the prayer plan for Rosary in a year, visit ascensionpress.comrosaryinayear or text R I YES 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 and the whole team here 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. And if you haven't already, please consider supporting us@ascensionpress.com forward SL support the third sorrowful mystery is Our Lord is Crowned with thorns Matthew chapter 27, verses 2731 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 plaiting 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, before you know, looking directly at what's happening to our Lord, as He is mocked and crowned with thorns, let's return to the parable of the prodigal Son and the journey of the sinner. This is going to be Luke chapter 15, starting at verse 17. But when he came to himself, he said, how many of my Father's hired servants have bread enough and to spare? But I perish here with hunger. I will arise and go to my Father, and I will say to him, father, I have sinned against heaven and before you I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Treat me as one of your hired servants. This is going to be the pattern of Satan and of sin in our lives. He's going to first allure us, and then when we fall into the trap, he's going to accuse us and Condemn us and what we call mock us, particularly attack our identity and our dignity by beginning to define us by our sin and the result of our sin. And what's the great mystery and the great dignity of unconditional love is even here, even at his lowest to the Father, he remains beloved son. But how does this son see himself? How does he identify himself? How does he judge himself? He starts to identify and to judge himself as the result of his sin. Like I am no longer son. And this can be the self accusation that comes from within. This can be the accuser himself, Satan himself saying, you are no longer son, you are sinner. And the most you can ever be again is hired servant, but you will never again be son. This is Satan, right? He's going to allure us and he's going to lead us into sin and this sin is going to bear sort of negative results on our, on our body, on our mental health. We're going to be filled with shame and loneliness, etc. And then he's going to come in for something like this killing blow here of our identity. Like, look at yourself, you are no longer son, you are sinner. And we'll see this parallel playing out now in the life of Jesus and the passion of Jesus. It's going to look a little bit different again because he is innocent and he never forgets who he is. Jesus is always going to know and he's going to be rooted in his identity like I am beloved son of the best of fathers. But Satan and the sinners, they start to lash out and they mock him. They call him mockingly a king. And what's being manifested here is this movement of sin and of Satan. Now that we have you delivered over to us, we're going to come after your dignity and identity. Even yet Jesus takes this like, Jesus does not deserve to be spat upon. He does not deserve to be mocked. He remains king. He remains beloved son. And Jesus, he experiences all of this mockery from the ones he has come to save, but he remains true and he remains rooted and he remains faithful like I am king and this is how I conquer. I am beloved son and my father lives and my father will deliver me. Okay, so my brothers and sisters, this is the invitation, this is the reflection. Let's look at Jesus and particularly, okay, let's be moved by again the innocent victim who freely takes upon the mockery that is the result of sin and the manifestation of Satan and the true nature of who Satan is. But also like let's, let's learn from Jesus, how to respond when perhaps by our own choices, we end up in a place similar to that of the Prodigal Son, where our dignity and our identity is in question. Satan is going to try and mock us. He's going to try and bring all this evidence about how we're no longer beloved sons, we're no longer beloved daughters. We need to echo and make our own what's happening in Jesus heart. This sin does not define me. I am daughter. I am son. And the Father, he sees me, he loves me. He will deliver me. He will restore me. The mockery is trying to keep us from returning to the Father. But I will return to him. So, my brothers and sisters, moved by the great love of our Lord, may our praying of this third sorrowful mystery protect us from any attacks against our identity and any mockery of the Evil one. And keep us rooted in our identity as beloved sons and daughters, in the Son, in our Lord Jesus Christ. 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 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. 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. The name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. All right. 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. Bye now.
Podcast Information:
Fr. Mark-Mary begins by introducing the third sorrowful mystery of the Rosary: "Our Lord is Crowned with Thorns." He reads the biblical passage from Matthew 27:27-31, setting the stage for a deeper meditation on Jesus' suffering and its significance.
“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 plaiting a crown of thorns, they put it on his head...” (Matthew 27:27-31) [00:02:00]
Fr. Mark-Mary draws a parallel between Jesus' Passion and the Parable of the Prodigal Son from Luke 15:17-20. He emphasizes the journey of the sinner, highlighting how sin leads to a distorted self-identity.
Allure and Fall: Satan first lures individuals into sin, leading them to negative consequences such as shame and loneliness.
Accusation and Condemnation: After succumbing to sin, Satan attacks one's identity, making them feel unworthy and defined solely by their sins.
“Satan and the sinners, they start to lash out and they mock him. They call him mockingly a king... like, look at yourself, you are no longer son, you are sinner.” [00:10:15]
Contrasting human frailty, Jesus remains steadfast in His identity despite experiencing mockery and suffering. Fr. Mark-Mary underscores Jesus' unwavering self-awareness and divine identity.
Innocence and Integrity: Jesus never forgets who He is; He remains rooted in His identity as the beloved Son of God.
Conquering Through Identity: Even when attacked, Jesus declares, “I am king and this is how I conquer. I am beloved son and my father lives and my father will deliver me.” [00:15:40]
Fr. Mark-Mary delves into the mystery of unconditional love, explaining that even at our lowest, God sees us as beloved children. He encourages listeners to resist Satan's attempts to define them by their sins.
Self-Identity vs. Accusation: While sin may lead individuals to view themselves negatively, God's unconditional love affirms their true identity as beloved sons and daughters.
Resilience in Faith: Emulating Jesus, believers are invited to maintain their divine identity despite life's challenges and temptations.
“This sin does not define me. I am daughter. I am son. And the Father, he sees me, he loves me. He will deliver me. He will restore me.” [00:20:55]
Concluding his reflection, Fr. Mark-Mary emphasizes the protective power of prayer, particularly through the Rosary, in safeguarding our identity against evil and mockery.
Third Sorrowful Mystery as a Shield: Meditating on Jesus' Passion reinforces believers' sense of being beloved children of God.
Rooted in Christ: Regular prayer helps maintain a strong foundation in one's true identity, fostering resilience against spiritual attacks.
“May our praying of this third sorrowful mystery protect us from any attacks against our identity and any mockery of the Evil one.” [00:25:30]
Fr. Mark-Mary wraps up the episode with a heartfelt prayer, invoking the Holy Trinity and seeking divine guidance and protection. The prayers recited include the Our Father, three Hail Marys, and the Glory Be, aligning with the structure of the Rosary.
Notable Quotes:
Final Thoughts: In "Day 61: You Are Beloved," Fr. Mark-Mary Ames offers a profound meditation on identity, sin, and divine love through the lens of the Rosary's third sorrowful mystery. By intertwining biblical narratives with practical spiritual insights, he guides listeners toward a deeper, more resilient faith grounded in their inherent worth as beloved children of God.