Day 94: No Doubt - The Rosary in a Year (with Fr. Mark-Mary Ames)

Day 94: No Doubt

Fri Apr 04 2025

Is there any room left for doubt in the mystery of the Baptism? No, say Fr. Mark-Mary and St. Ambrose, as we meditate on the confidence with which we can believe in God’s revelation. We step into the waters of the Jordan with Jesus, resting in the truth of his divine sonship. Today’s focus is the mystery of the Baptism in the Jordan and we will be praying one decade of the Rosary. For the complete prayer plan, visit https://ascensionpress.com/riy.

Summary

Podcast Summary: The Rosary in a Year (Episode 94: No Doubt)
Host: Fr. Mark-Mary Ames, CFR
Release Date: April 4, 2025
Produced by: Ascension

Introduction

In Episode 94 of The Rosary in a Year podcast, titled "No Doubt," Fr. Mark-Mary Ames delves deep into the first luminous mystery of the Rosary—the Baptism of Jesus. This episode emphasizes the certainty of faith and explores the profound relationship between Jesus and Mary, aiming to fortify listeners' spiritual lives through structured prayer and meditation.

Meditation on the First Luminous Mystery: Baptism of Jesus

Fr. Ames begins the episode by guiding listeners through the Baptism of Jesus, the initial luminous mystery of the Rosary. He emphasizes the momentousness of this event, where the Trinity converges in a display of divine revelation:

“When the Father clearly calls from heaven in the Gospel narrative and says, this is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased, when the Son also speaks, upon whom the Holy Spirit showed himself in the likeness of a dove...”
—Fr. Mark-Mary Ames (02:30)

Insights from St. Ambrose on Faith and Doubt

A central element of the meditation is a writing from St. Ambrose, a Doctor of the Church renowned for his theological contributions. Fr. Ames reads an excerpt that underscores the infallibility and certainty of faith:

“Is there then here any room left for doubt? ... the Word of God, the truth revealed, has been revealed by God himself.”
—St. Ambrose, as presented by Fr. Ames (15:45)

Fr. Ames highlights St. Ambrose's rhetorical question, asserting that faith founded on divine revelation leaves no space for doubt.

Personal Anecdotes from Seminary Experiences

Fr. Ames shares personal experiences from his seminary days, illustrating the profound impact of sincere faith:

Emotion in Reciting the Creed:
- Academic Dean's Revelation:
  
  “…during Trinity class he shared about how he gets emotional while reciting the Creed at Mass. He gets emotional just reciting the Creed at Mass, and he's just saying, it's just so beautiful and I believe so deeply.”
  —Fr. Mark-Mary Ames (06:20)
Liturgical Conviction:
- Liturgy Class Insight:
  
  “He said, I believe. I just believe. There is no help my unbelief. I believe with my whole life and, and the sincerity and the conviction to me were just like so strikingly beautiful.”
  —Fr. Mark-Mary Ames (12:10)

These anecdotes serve to illustrate the depth and authenticity of true faith, reinforcing the episode's theme that faith is both beautiful and certain.

The Certainty of Faith: Canonical Doctrine

Fr. Ames references the Catechism of the Catholic Church to substantiate his discussion on the certainty of faith:

“Faith is certain. It is more certain than all human knowledge, which why? Because it is founded on the very word of God who cannot lie.”
—Fr. Mark-Mary Ames (19:05)

He elaborates that faith's certainty surpasses human understanding because it is grounded in divine revelation. This foundation ensures that believers can place unwavering trust in God.

Invitation to Prayer and Reflection

As the episode progresses towards its conclusion, Fr. Ames invites listeners to reflect and pray deeply on the mysteries discussed:

“Go to the waters of the Jordan, this luminous place of theophany, of divine revelation. Take a moment in your mind's eye to hear the Father's voice... Ask for the grace to respond by following with total submission of your intellect and your will.”
—Fr. Mark-Mary Ames (25:30)

This guided visualization encourages listeners to immerse themselves in the moment of Jesus' baptism, fostering a personal connection with the divine.

Conclusion

Fr. Ames wraps up the episode with a recitation of the Our Father, Hail Marys, and the Glory Be, reinforcing the day's meditation through communal prayer. He expresses gratitude to the listeners and extends an invitation to continue the spiritual journey together:

“Thank you so much for joining me and praying with me today. I look forward to continuing this journey with you again tomorrow. Poco. Poco. Friends, God bless y'all.”
—Fr. Mark-Mary Ames (40:00)

Key Takeaways

Faith's Certainty: Emphasizes that faith, rooted in divine revelation, leaves no room for doubt.
Personal Testimonies: Shares powerful personal experiences that highlight the beauty and certainty of true faith.
Theological Foundations: Draws from St. Ambrose and the Catechism to underscore the doctrinal basis for unwavering faith.
Structured Prayer: Encourages building a daily prayer habit to deepen the relationship with Jesus and Mary.

Notable Quotes

“Is there then here any room left for doubt? ... the Word of God, the truth revealed, has been revealed by God himself.”
—St. Ambrose, as presented by Fr. Ames (15:45)
“I believe. I just believe. There is no help my unbelief. I believe with my whole life...”
—Fr. Mark-Mary Ames, reflecting on seminary experiences (12:10)
“Faith is certain. It is more certain than all human knowledge, which why? Because it is founded on the very word of God who cannot lie.”
—Fr. Mark-Mary Ames (19:05)
“Ask for the grace to respond by following with total submission of your intellect and your will.”
—Fr. Mark-Mary Ames (25:30)

Final Thoughts

Episode 94 of The Rosary in a Year serves as a profound exploration of faith's certainty through the lens of the Rosary's first luminous mystery. Fr. Mark-Mary Ames effectively combines theological insights, personal anecdotes, and guided prayer to inspire listeners to deepen their spiritual lives, fostering a more intimate relationship with Jesus and Mary.

For a complete prayer plan and to follow along with the year's journey, visit Ascension Press: Rosary in a Year.

Transcript

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Foreign Mark Mary with Franciscan Friars with 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. It becomes a source of grace for the whole world. The Rosary in a Year is brought to you by Ascension. This is day 94. To download the prayer plan for Rosary in a year, visit ascensionpress.com forward/rosary in a year or text R I Y to 33 777. 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 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. Today we'll be meditating on and praying with the first luminous mystery, the baptism of Jesus. In our meditation will be enriched by a writing from St. Ambrose from his work on the Mysteries. A little background on St. Ambrose. St. Ambrose was born in the year 340 and he died in the year 397. An interesting fact about St. Ambrose is he is the priest who harvested what we could say St. Monica's prayers and tears planted and grew. And by this I mean that he is the priest attributed with the conversion, with helping convert and then baptize St. Augustine. Keeping with our theme, St. Ambrose is also a Doctor of the Church, and I don't see any specific adjective with what kind of doctor he is, what his specialty is. So I guess we can say that St. Ambrose is a general practitioner, all right, and he is the patron saint of beekeepers. All right, so here's a writing from St. Ambrose's on the Mysteries, and the emphasis of our meditation is going to be faith is certain. Is there then here any room left for doubt? When the Father clearly calls from heaven in the Gospel narrative and says, this is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased, when the Son also speaks, upon whom the Holy Spirit showed himself in the likeness of a dove, when the Holy Spirit also speaks, who came down in the likeness of a dove, When David too speaks, the voice of the Lord is above the waters. The God of glory thundered the Lord above many waters. The end of the reading. Thanks be to God. Perhaps the two most moving, emotionally moving experiences for my time in seminary happened in a somewhat surprising place the academic classroom. Both these experiences deal with seminary professors that are highly, highly educated, highly academic, intelligent men with doctorates who speak multiple languages and just had really, really, really impressive minds. The first was the academic dean, and during Trinity class he shared about how he gets emotional. And in sharing this, he actually started to get emotional while reciting the Creed at Mass. He gets emotional just reciting the Creed at Mass, and he's just saying this. He just shared like, it's just so beautiful and I believe so deeply. The second is related was in a liturgy class when the priest shared his thoughts on some parish context where they break it up. And after each part of the Creed they have the whole congregation say, I believe, Lord, help my unbelief. And he's getting pretty fired up, not just as a liturgist, but as a Christian, as a man of faith. And he said, I believe. I just believe. There is no help my unbelief. I believe with my whole life and, and the sincerity and the conviction to me were just like so strikingly beautiful. And the truth is that both of these priests responses to the creed are 100% correct. What we believe is incredibly beautiful and also certain. Like faith is certain. The Catechism of the Catholic Church says faith is certain. It is more certain than all human knowledge, which why? Because it is founded on the very word of God who cannot lie. It's certain because God has revealed it. God who cannot lie. If you'll allow me to work in another catechism quote here, the catechism says, by his revelation, the invisible God, from the fullness of his love, addresses men as his friends. The invisible God, from the fullness of his love. Why? From the fullness of his love. He addresses men as friends, and he moves among them in order to invite and receive them into his own company. We see this acutely in the baptism of Jesus. God the Father. The invisible God, from the fullness of his love, addresses the Son, and in so doing, he addresses us as well, ultimately inviting us into relationship with the most Holy trinity. To this, St. Ambrose, as we just read, proclaims, is there any room left for doubt? Is there any room left for doubt? When the Father clearly calls from heaven in the Gospel narrative and says, this is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. So is there? Is there any room for doubt? The Catholic answer to this question is actually no. And why not? Well, to paraphrase the catechism, again, the Word of God, the truth revealed, has been revealed by God himself. The Word, that which has been spoken, has been guaranteed by God, who is truth itself. My invitation to you now, as we close in prayer is to go there. Go to the waters of the Jordan, this luminous place of theophany, of divine revelation. Take a moment in your mind's eye to hear the Father's voice. See the heavens open. Witness the Spirit descending like a dove. Pay attention to the sureness, the authority of the Father's words. This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased. And pay attention to the invisible God revealing the authority of the One. Revealing. And hear the Father speak. See the Spirit descend and respond. Ask for the grace to respond by following with total submission of your intellect and your will. Indeed, like your very life to Jesus, the beloved Son of God. There's no room for doubt here. In the baptism of the Lord, we can have full confidence in Jesus. A certainty in our faith that enables us to place our trust in him. Remember, the one who speaks, the one who calls you into communion is Truth Himself. 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 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 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 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. 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. Thank you so much for joining me and praying with me today. I look forward to continuing this journey with you again tomorrow. Poco. Poco. Friends, God bless y'all.