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

Episode: Day 79 – Trust Like Jesus
Date: March 20, 2026
Host: Fr. Mark-Mary Ames, CFR (Ascension)

Episode Overview

In this episode, Fr. Mark-Mary invites listeners to meditate on the first Sorrowful Mystery of the Rosary: Jesus’ Agony in the Garden (Matthew 26:36–46). The primary focus is learning to trust like Jesus, especially in our own moments of fear, sorrow, and uncertainty. Through the steps of Lectio Divina—reading, meditation, prayer, and contemplation—the episode encourages deeper trust and surrender, emphasizing the importance of maintaining relationship with the Father even in times of deepest struggle.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Entering the Garden of Gethsemane

• Scripture Focus: Matthew 26:36–46
• Fr. Mark-Mary sets the scene, reflecting on Jesus’ sorrow, pain, and deep humanity as he faces his impending suffering.

“My soul is very sorrowful, even to death. Remain here and watch with me.” (Jesus, Matthew 26:38)

• Jesus isolates himself with Peter, James, and John, expressing his deep distress, and repeatedly asks them to stay awake and pray with him.

2. Deep Sorrow and Surrender

• Fr. Mark-Mary highlights Jesus’ vulnerability and honesty with the Father:
  • Jesus falls on his face, praying, “My Father, if it be possible, let this chalice pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.” (06:36)
  • This reveals the depth of his suffering and his willingness to surrender.

“We want to sit with that—how deep is the sorrow, how deep is the pain, the suffering that he’s experiencing?” (Fr. Mark-Mary, 04:19)

• Each time Jesus returns, he finds the disciples asleep, highlighting his isolation yet persistent relationship with the Father.

3. The Core Detail: Trusting in the Father

• The episode centers on how, in his greatest distress, Jesus addresses God as “My Father” each time he prays.

“He still prays, he still remains in relationship, he still says, right, ‘My Father.’ … He makes this act of surrender, of trust: ‘Not my will, but your will be done.’” (Fr. Mark-Mary, 08:10)

• This repeated address underlines both Jesus’s intimacy with and trust in the Father, even when facing suffering and uncertainty.

4. Personal Application: Our Own Gethsemane

• Fr. Mark-Mary encourages listeners to identify their own “Gethsemanes”—areas of deep fear, sorrow, or struggle.
• The question is posed: Can we, like Jesus, remain in relationship with the Father in these moments and surrender our desires while trusting in God’s will?

“What are the areas in our own hearts which feel like an experience of Gethsemane, of fear—places where we might be sorrowful even to death? And can we still stay in relationship with our Father here?” (Fr. Mark-Mary, 11:16)

5. Oratio: Receiving, Responding, Requesting, and Rejoicing

• Receive: Recognizing Jesus’ love for us, shown in the cost of his passion.
• Respond: Praising Jesus for his obedience and faithfulness; recognizing the invitation to imitate his trust.
• Request: Asking for the Holy Spirit to help us trust and surrender as Jesus did, especially in areas of our life full of sorrow, betrayal, or discouragement.
• Rejoice: Giving thanks for scripture, this time of prayer, and for the grace to trust and remain in relationship with God.

“Where our strength fails, may your grace prevail, Lord Jesus.” (Fr. Mark-Mary, 17:46)

6. Contemplatio: Praying One Decade of the Rosary

• The episode concludes with a decade of the Rosary, praying specifically for trust, surrender, and reception of the Holy Spirit—asking to be able to say with Jesus: “Not my will, but your will be done.” (21:45)

• Fr. Mark-Mary gently invites continued personal prayer beyond the episode.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Jesus’ Vulnerability and Trust:

  “Jesus knows who his Father is. He knows to whom he is speaking. He knows the goodness of His Father.” (Fr. Mark-Mary, 13:10)

• On Trust and Surrender:

  “The goodness of the Father is the rock, the sure rock on which we can build our lives. The invitation here is a greater surrender, a greater trust.” (Fr. Mark-Mary, 16:23)

• On Sharing in Jesus’ Relationship:

  “Those of us through baptism who share in Jesus’ relationship with the Father—what does this look like when life is most difficult?” (Fr. Mark-Mary, 10:19)

• Encouragement for Listeners:

  “May this be an area in which, Lord, we no longer live, but you live in us.” (Fr. Mark-Mary, 18:10)

Key Timestamps

• 00:00 Intro, context, and daily encouragement
• 02:30 Reading and setting the scene: Agony in the Garden (Matthew 26:36–46)
• 04:19 Deep sorrow and Jesus’ honesty
• 06:36 Jesus falls and prays, “My Father…not as I will, but as you will.”
• 08:10 Emphasis on maintaining relationship and trust
• 11:16 Applying Gethsemane to our own lives
• 13:10 The core of Jesus’ confidence: Knowing the Father
• 16:23 The goodness of the Father as our foundation
• 17:46 Request for the grace to trust like Jesus
• 18:10 “No longer live, but you live in us.”
• 21:45 Decade of the rosary prayed for trust and surrender
• End Encouragement for continued prayer

Episode Tone

Warm, reflective, deeply pastoral, and invitational—Fr. Mark-Mary consistently addresses listeners with empathy, encourages honest reflection, and draws everyone deeper into relationship and trust with God the Father, following the example of Jesus in Gethsemane.

For Further Engagement

Listeners are encouraged to continue in personal prayer, especially if moved by the episode, and to download the full prayer plan for “Rosary in a Year” at Ascension’s website.