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Day 7: Grace Will Overflow

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

Tue Jan 07 2025

Praying the Rosary is not just for ourselves! Fr. Mark-Mary reveals how your prayers of the Rosary are a powerful action that God can use to create an overflowing of grace into your relationships, your family, and our world. Today’s focus is on prayer as a source of grace and we will be praying one Our Father, three Hail Marys, and one Glory Be. For the complete prayer plan, visit https://ascensionpress.com/riy.

Summary

Summary of "The Rosary in a Year" Podcast Episode: Day 7 - "Grace Will Overflow"

Podcast Information:

Title: The Rosary in a Year (with Fr. Mark-Mary Ames)
Host/Author: Ascension
Episode: Day 7: Grace Will Overflow
Release Date: January 7, 2025
Description: Fr. Mark-Mary Ames guides listeners through a transformative journey with the Rosary, fostering a deeper relationship with Jesus and Mary, and becoming a conduit of grace for the world.

Introduction

In Day 7: Grace Will Overflow, Fr. Mark-Mary Ames continues his guiding journey through the Rosary, emphasizing its profound ability to be a source of grace not just for individuals but for the entire world. The episode builds upon the foundation laid during the first week, delving deeper into the spiritual significance and transformative power of the Rosary.

Recap of the First Week

Fr. Mark-Mary begins by summarizing the journey listeners have undertaken in the initial seven days:

Basic Prayer Foundation: Focused on elevating both mind and heart toward God.
Meditations on the Litany of the Sacred Heart: Explored encounters with Jesus’ heart, highlighting His kindness and mercy.
Jesus in Various Realms: Contemplated Jesus in the throne room and the workshop, emphasizing His reign and patient teachings.
Deepening Relationship with Mary: Transitioned from viewing Mary as a mere statue to recognizing her as a personal mother, confidante, and powerful intercessor.

“...she needs to be more than just a statue in our lives, but someone we talk to, someone we relate with, someone we share our hearts with...” (00:03)

The Rosary as a Source of Grace

The core theme of Day 7 centers on how the Rosary serves as a fountain of grace:

Pope Benedict XVI’s Insight: Fr. Mark-Mary quotes Pope Benedict XVI, saying, “May Mary help us to welcome within ourselves the grace emanating from these mysteries so that through us we can water society...” (03:45). This metaphor illustrates how personal sanctification through the Rosary can purify relationships and infuse society with divine grace.
Overflowing Grace: The prayerful engagement with the Rosary not only enriches the individual but also allows grace to "overflow" into broader relationships and communities.

“...filled up with the water of grace and filled up to overflowing. It's not just for ourselves, but this water, this grace will overflow into our relationships, into our family and into our world.” (05:15)

The Rosary as a Spiritual Weapon

Fr. Mark-Mary emphasizes the Rosary's role as a potent spiritual weapon:

Divine Action Beyond Perception: The Rosary enables God to perform significant, often unseen deeds in the world.
Conduits of Grace: Believers, through persistent prayer, become channels through which divine grace can influence and transform the world.

“The rosary is a spiritual weapon by which God does powerful things in the world, things often beyond our visibility, things that we are not conscious of or aware of, but nonetheless real.” (06:30)

Personal Testimony: The Transformative Power of the Rosary

A deeply personal segment where Fr. Mark-Mary shares his own journey of faith:

Turning Point: During the Year of the Rosary (2002-2003), amidst his early college years, Fr. Mark-Mary experienced a profound spiritual awakening. An interaction with an atheist led him to defend his faith, triggering a transformative conviction.

“I just had this deep, almost St. Paul-like experience of I believe. And it needs to affect my whole life.” (04:50)

Role of the Rosary: He attributes his salvation and vocation to the Rosary, believing that the unmerited grace from those who faithfully prayed the Rosary poured into his life, guiding him to Jesus through Mary.

“...it was through these prayers that Mary brought me to Jesus.” (07:10)

Divine Purpose: Reflecting on his name, Mark-Mary, he interprets it as a divine sign of Mary being the chosen instrument to lead him to Christ.

“...Mary was his chosen instrument. She really was sent by him to come into my life to bring me to the Lord Jesus Christ.” (07:55)

Hope for the Faithful: Fr. Mark-Mary expresses a heartfelt desire to one day personally thank those faithful Rosary prayers who indirectly aided his spiritual journey.

The Urgent Need for Grace in the World

Fr. Mark-Mary underscores the critical necessity of grace in today’s world:

Global Challenges: Many are drifting away from faith, with uncertainties affecting families, communities, and the Church.
Power of Prayer: Every prayer offered, especially the Rosary, contributes to a larger movement of divine grace and salvation.

“The world needs grace. The world needs Jesus. And across the world there's so many people who are losing their way.” (08:00)

Faith in Divine Response: He encourages believers to maintain unwavering faith that no prayer goes unanswered, fostering a collective renewal of devotion and fidelity to Christ and Mary.

“...there will be a new flood of grace, a new downpour, a new of salvation, of saving love and help from above.” (08:45)

Call to Persevere in Prayer

Closing the episode, Fr. Mark-Mary encourages listeners to continue steadfastly in their Rosary prayer journey:

Long-Term Commitment: Acknowledges the journey’s length, advocating for patience and perseverance.
Radical Hope: Emphasizes a hopeful outlook that God will respond beautifully to persistent prayers, transforming the world and the Church.

“We come each and every day with radical hope that God is going to receive our prayers and do something beautiful in the world and in our church.” (09:00)

Conclusion and Prayer

Fr. Mark-Mary concludes the episode with the traditional prayers, reinforcing the themes of grace, humility, and divine guidance:

Our Father
Hail Mary (repeated three times)
Glory Be
Final Blessing in the Holy Trinity

“In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. ... All right, everybody, thanks for joining me and praying with me today. I look forward to continuing this journey with you again tomorrow.” (09:40)

Final Thoughts:

Day 7 of "The Rosary in a Year" podcast serves as a profound exploration of the Rosary's capacity to channel divine grace into the world. Through theological insights, personal testimony, and heartfelt encouragement, Fr. Mark-Mary Ames reinforces the Rosary's role as both a means of personal sanctification and a powerful spiritual tool for global transformation. Listeners are invited to persist in their prayer journey, embodying hope and faith in the Rosary’s enduring power.

For the complete prayer plan and additional resources, visit Ascension Press: Rosary in a Year.

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Transcript

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Foreign Mark Mary with Franciscan Friars of the 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 seven. To download the prayer plan for Rosary in a year, visit ascensionpress.comrosaryinayear or text RIY to 33777. You'll get an outline of how we're gonna 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. All right, friends, we've made it to day seven. We've made it through one week together here on our Journey with the Rosary in Year podcast. And just a reminder of where we've been. We began with a basic look at prayer, this reminder that in our prayer in general, we want to be raising our minds and our hearts to God. For two days, we had the opportunity, basing our meditation on the Litany of the Sacred Heart of encountering Jesus, encountering his heart, which is kind and merciful. We've been with Jesus in the throne room where he reigns, and we've been with Jesus in the workshop where he patiently and mercifully teaches us. And then we've been with Mary. We've taken her into our own home. She's a real mother, and she needs to be more than just a statue in our lives, but someone we talk to, someone we relate with, someone we share our hearts with, someone we honor and venerate, but also someone who wants to be asked to help and whose intercession is so powerful. And now we're turning our attention to how the Rosary can become a source of grace for the whole world. We touched on it a little bit yesterday as we looked at the battle and the rosary and the weapon, particularly the spiritual battle in which the devil's trying to cut us off from our supply lines. Today we're going to turn our attention more specifically just to grace and how the praying of the Rosary is a source of grace. So here's a quote. These are words from Pope Benedict xvi, again from his audience on the most Holy Rosary. May Mary help us to welcome within ourselves the grace emanating from these mysteries so that through us we can water society, beginning with our daily relationships and purifying them from so many negative forces, thus opening them to the Newness of God. I love this image. I love this image of prayer, of our own sanctification, of our own growing and holiness as our own growing in love with Jesus through the holy rosary of ourselves being filled up with the water of grace and filled up to overflowing. It's not just for ourselves, but this water, this grace will overflow into our relationships, into our family and into our world. The. The rosary is a powerful weapon, right? The rosary is a spiritual weapon by which God does powerful things in the world, things often beyond our visibility, things that we are not conscious of or aware of, but nonetheless real. And there is a reason again, for this new springtime, this deep invitation to the most holy Rosary, so that you and I as authentic men and women of prayer, you and I as authentic men and women of contemplation, and through it, men and women of authentic holiness, may ourselves water this world, be conduits through which the grace can flow and overflow into the world. And this, my friends, brings me to a really personal and deep experience that gives witness to this is just not an abstract reality. The year of the rosary declared by Pope John Paul II during his pontificate went from October of 2002 to October of 2003. In the fall of 2003, I began college and went to a Catholic school. But in August, September of 2003, for the very first time in my life, I stopped going to Sunday Mass. I was raised in the faith. I had a great youth ministry, but through a variety of reasons, I just stopped going to Mass. I was in the context of kind of a general dorm get together where I had a conversation with an atheist and I started to defend. She said she didn't believe. I started to defend the faith. And this light bulb went on and I just had this deep, almost St. Paul like experience of I believe. And it needs to affect my whole life. And this moment, this unmerited grace, radically changed the trajectory of my life. This moment, this saving event in my life. It happened in late October 2003, at the culmination at the end of the year of the Rosary, and with faith I deeply believe in. It was the graces of those who faithfully, who humbly, who hiddenly prayed the most holy rosary, that the grace overflowed from them and poured into my life. And in a real way, it was through these prayers that Mary brought me to Jesus. And there's a reason. My name is Father Mark. Mary by baptism, I'm Mark. And what the Lord made clear in bringing about salvation and bringing about My vocation is that Mary was his chosen instrument. She really was sent by him to come into my life to bring me to the Lord Jesus Christ. And so I'm here as a disciple, I'm here as a Franciscan friar, a consecrated religious. I'm here as a priest, and I'm here doing this Rosary in a Year podcast. As one who believes that the rosary helped to save my life and to save my soul. I don't know the men and women who prayed this rosary, but I hope one day to meet them in heaven where I can thank them. My friends, the world needs grace. The world needs Jesus. And across the world there's so many people who are losing their way. Maybe there's members of our own family, those we love, our church. We don't know how the Lord is going to use these prayers, but I believe with all that I am, that not a prayer said will go unanswered. That as we are renewed in our devotion to Christ, as we are renewed in putting him at the center of our lives, as we are renewed in our fidelity to Mary and to our praying of the most holy Rosary, that there will be a new flood of grace, a new downpour, a new of salvation, of saving love and help from above. So, my friends, we continue this journey. It's going to be a long journey again, patience and perseverance. But we come each and every day with radical hope that God is going to receive our prayers and do something beautiful in the world and in our church. Let us pray in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. 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 but deliver us from evil.