
Although the Roman soldiers mockingly hail Jesus as king, Fr. Mark-Mary explains that in this mystery we see the reality of Jesus’ true kingship and dignity. In our prayer of lectio divina, we meditate on Jesus’ incredible sacrifice for us, and we receive the good news that we worship the true king. Today’s focus is the mystery of the Crowning with Thorns and we will be praying one decade of the Rosary. For the complete prayer plan, visit https://ascensionpress.com/riy.
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Foreign Mark Murray 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 becomes a source of grace for the whole world. The Rosary in a Year is brought to you by Ascension. This is day 81. To download the prayer plan for Rosary in a year, visit ascensionpress.com forward/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 in the Ascension app. There are special features built just for this podcast and also recordings of the full Rosary with myself and other friars. No matter what app you're listening in, remember to tap, follow or subscribe for your daily notifications. I encourage you to pick up a copy of the Rosary in a Year Prayer Guide, a book published by Ascension that was designed to complement this podcast. You'll find all the daily readings from Scripture, Saint reflections and beautiful full page images of the sacred art will be reflecting on. For today's Lectio Divina, we'll be praying with the third sorrowful mystery, the crowning with thorns. Matthew chapter 27, verses 27 to 31 and our point of emphasis will be Behold your King, starting with our Alexio. Then the soldiers of the Governor took Jesus in 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. Let's go ahead and engage the Scripture here for our meditation or meditatio, if you remember. So we have the whole battalion here gathered in the praetorium, so that's a couple hundred soldiers. So it's this big audience and they've all come presumably to mock Jesus, to see this one who had been spoken of. Admittedly, maybe there's some souls there who weren't of the same mindset, but overall they're there out of curiosity. They're there to mock. And before this crowd of soldiers, they strip him and they mock him with a scarlet robe, crown of thorns, a reed, and then they they Mock him, kneeling before him, saying, hail, King of the Jews. And really the. The invitation for I would say our. Our meditation is. Is just to stay here, to sit before the reality. Here's Jesus. The same Jesus born in Bethlehem, the same Jesus went about healing, loving, teaching, saving, shepherding. And he's come to save each and every one of these soldiers who spit upon him, who mock Him. All of it is for them, like the. For your includes each of them. But he came to his own home, in his own. Knew him not. Here he is rejected by the Roman soldiers, mocked by the Roman soldiers. But this is our King. They mockingly say, hail, King of the Jews. But we with true worship and adoration, behold the true nature, the true love, the true sacrifice, the true dignity and royalty of our King. So in your imagination as you see him stripped, mocked, crowned with thorns, as the rest of the battalion kneels and shouts with mockery, truly say, behold our King. We worship you, our King. We adore you, our King. We'll return to our Alexio. And kneeling before him, they mocked him, saying, hail, King of the Jews. Go ahead and take the time again with your imagination to see Jesus scourged, bloodied, beaten. Notice the scarlet robe on his shoulders, the reed in his hand and the crown of thorns on his head. If you're comfortable, I'd encourage you just to really look into the details of what this crown of thorns looks like, how it rests upon his head, the new wounds it inflicts. Behold the true nature of sin and what sin does to the soul. But also behold your king again. Behold the one who asks for your trust. Behold his goodness in him. Behold your dignity. Okay, we'll return with to our. And kneeling before him, they mocked him, saying, hail, King of the Jews. Hail, King of the Jews. Let us transition to our oratio. Our prayer following the template. Receive. Respond. Request. Rejoice. What is the good news here offered for us to receive? What is God revealing but himself? Again, behold. Behold your God. Behold your Savior. Behold your King. Behold the cost of your salvation, which again, I think it's so important to receive in the context of Jesus does this for us freely. No one takes his life from him. He lays it down freely. Receive the good news of who it is that we worship and who it is that asks for your fidelity and obedience. Respond. We begin with adoration and praise. Lord, we adore you as King. Our victorious King, our crucified King, our meek King, our conquering King. We adore you. We love you. We bless you. We worship you. Thank you, for your heart revealed here. We thank you for your fidelity to the Father, that even here, even now, you know who you are, his beloved son. And you know who he is, his faithful Father. And go ahead and pay attention now to like. What's the movement in your heart? Is there an invitation for a type of action, any form of repentance? Lord, in particular, I'm just feeling a. Like a desire in my own heart. I'm going to offer this to you, the listener, to Lord, I'd love my heart to be a safe place for you as we see here. Like, you came into the world and you're rejected. You came into the world and you're mocked. And how often you are continuing to be mocked and dismissed in the world. Jesus, I want to receive you, I want to see you, I want to worship you as the true King. May you always find a home. Jesus, in my heart. I see you, Lord, and I know that you are king, that you are good, that you are Savior, that you are Creator, that you are the light. I repent of any ways and I'm going to offer you an invitation of any ways in which we reject him. We don't trust him, Lord, we repent. Jesus, I just ask, I ask for a heart of praise and a heart of worship and heart of adoration, a heart of obedience, a heart of gratitude as I see you, as you are, Lord, what type of king you are, what time the cost of your victory. May I be rooted in this reality, in this truth, Lord, and my heart, may my heart overflow with gratitude through the power of your spirit, Lord. We're going to ask for grateful hearts. And I will end with our rejoicing. We thank you, Jesus, for your love for us. We thank you for in fact being our king. And we thank you for this time of prayer and the grace that you have given us. Thank you, Lord, for this time. Okay, we'll conclude now with our time of contemplato or contemplation, praying one decade of the rosary. With that particular intention, I'm going to ask you to just really keep before you like Jesus crowns with thorns and behold your king. Now with Our Lady. 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 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. That's going to conclude our time of doing lectio divina. Certainly, if the Lord's been speaking to your heart. And you'd like to continue to pray, you're very encouraged to do so. Get a little extra time of silence. But for us, that will be our time. Thank you so much for joining me and praying with me today. I look forward to continuing this journey with you again tomorrow. All right, Poco poco. Friends, God bless y'all.
Podcast Summary: The Rosary in a Year – Day 81: Behold Your King
Introduction
In Day 81 of The Rosary in a Year podcast, Fr. Mark-Mary Ames, CFR, leads listeners through a profound meditation on the third sorrowful mystery: the Crowning with Thorns. Released on March 22, 2025, this episode emphasizes deepening one's relationship with Jesus and Mary through structured prayer and reflection.
Scripture Reading and Meditation
Fr. Ames begins with an Alexio (reading) of Matthew 27:27-31, recounting the mocking of Jesus by the Roman soldiers:
“And the soldiers of the Governor took Jesus into the praetorium and gathered the whole battalion before him, ... they mocked him, saying, ‘Hail King of the Jews.’” [02:15]
He invites listeners to engage with the scripture through Lectio Divina, encouraging a vivid visualization of the scene. Fr. Ames prompts reflection on the soldiers' mockery juxtaposed with Jesus' true kingship:
“They mockingly say, hail, King of the Jews. But we with true worship and adoration, behold the true nature, the true love, the true sacrifice, the true dignity and royalty of our King.” [10:45]
Meditation: Behold Your King
The meditation centers on recognizing Jesus as the true King despite the soldiers' derision. Fr. Ames guides listeners to:
Visualize the humiliation Jesus endured—stripped, mocked, crowned with thorns, and beaten.
Contemplate the nature of sin and its effects on the soul through the imagery of the crown of thorns.
Affirm Jesus' kingship by internally declaring:
“Behold our King. We worship you, our King. We adore you, our King.” [18:30]
He emphasizes maintaining reverence for Christ's true identity amidst external scorn.
Prayer (Oratio): Receive, Respond, Request, Rejoice
Fr. Ames structures the prayer segment into four parts:
Receive:
Message: Accepting the revelation of God's love and sacrifice.
Quote:
“Receive the good news of who it is that we worship and who it is that asks for your fidelity and obedience.” [25:10]
Respond:
Action: Expressing adoration, praise, and repentance.
Quote:
“Lord, in my heart, I want to receive you, I want to see you, I want to worship you as the true King.” [30:00]
Request:
Petition: Seeking a heart of worship, obedience, and gratitude.
Quote:
“May my heart overflow with gratitude through the power of your Spirit, Lord.” [35:20]
Rejoice:
Gratitude: Thanking Jesus for His kingship and the grace received.
Quote:
“We thank you, Jesus, for your love for us. We thank you for in fact being our King.” [40:15]
This structured prayer fosters a deep personal connection with Christ, aligning the heart with divine will.
Conclusion and Rosary Recitation
Fr. Ames concludes the episode by guiding listeners into a decade of the rosary, maintaining focus on Jesus as King. He encourages continued silent prayer for those who wish to extend their meditation.
“Keep before you Jesus crowned with thorns and behold your King.” [50:45]
The episode wraps with a traditional rosary recitation, reinforcing the themes of kingship, sacrifice, and worship.
Final Thoughts
Day 81: Behold Your King serves as a transformative guide for listeners to cultivate a consistent prayer habit, deepen their relationship with Jesus and Mary, and embrace the Rosary as a source of grace. Fr. Ames' insightful reflections and structured prayers offer a meaningful pathway for spiritual growth, making this episode a pivotal part of the Rosary in a Year journey.
Key Takeaways:
Listeners are encouraged to utilize the Rosary in a Year Prayer Guide available through Ascension to complement their daily prayers and track their spiritual progress.
For more resources and to access the complete prayer plan, visit Ascension Press.