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

Day 360: The Sorrowful Mysteries

December 26th, 2025  |  29 mins 53 secs

agony, agony in the garden, ascension, carrying, carrying of the cross, catholic church, catholic faith, contemplative prayer, crowning, crowning with thorns, crucifixion, decades, father mark mary, father mark-mary, fr. mark mary, fr. mark-mary, imaginative prayer, mary, meditating, meditation archive, meditation muscles, meditative prayer, poco a poco, prayer, praying together, riy, rosary, rosary in a year, rosary-in-a-year, sacrifice, scourging, scourging at the pillar, sorrowful, sorrowful mysteries, suffering

We pray the Sorrowful Mysteries and enter deeply into the heart of Christ’s Passion, guided by Fr. Mark-Mary through each decade. In the Agony in the Garden, Fr. Mark-Mary reflects on Jesus’ threefold cry of “My Father,” showing how Jesus faces his suffering in relationship with the Father, inviting us to bring our own agonies to God with the same trust. The Scourging at the Pillar inspires us to meditate on the irony of the crowd choosing Barabbas, the “son of the father” in name only, over the true Son. Despite the mockery of the Crowning with Thorns, Fr. Mark-Mary shows how even here Christ’s kingship is revealed and God is silently at work for our salvation. During the Carrying of the Cross, we’re guided into a moment of imaginative prayer, placing us in the role of Simon of Cyrene. Finally, as we pray with the Crucifixion, Fr. Mark-Mary draws attention to the tearing of the temple veil and Pope Benedict XVI’s insight that symbols give way to reality: God himself has opened the way to his heart through the crucified Christ. Today's focus is the Sorrowful Mysteries, and we’ll be praying the full Rosary.

For the complete prayer plan, visit https://ascensionpress.com/riy.

Day 357: The Sorrowful Mysteries

December 23rd, 2025  |  29 mins 29 secs

agony, agony in the garden, ascension, carrying, carrying of the cross, catholic church, catholic faith, contemplative prayer, crowning, crowning with thorns, crucifixion, decades, father mark mary, father mark-mary, fr. mark mary, fr. mark-mary, imaginative prayer, james tissot, kingship, love, mary, meditating, meditation archive, meditation muscles, meditative prayer, poco a poco, prayer, praying together, riy, rosary, rosary in a year, rosary-in-a-year, sacrifice, scourging, scourging at the pillar, sorrowful, sorrowful mysteries, suffering, tissot

Fr. Mark-Mary guides us in a deeply contemplative Rosary, as we walk the path of the Sorrowful Mysteries with Jesus. We encounter Christ in the Agony in the Garden, reflecting on how all of Salvation history has been leading to this moment. Reverently, we witness the Scourging and Crowning with Thorns, beholding Christ’s love and kingship. We honor the cross that became the sign of our salvation as Jesus carries it with love, and conclude in a meditation on James Tissot’s painting, What Our Lord Saw from the Cross. Today's focus is the Sorrowful Mysteries, and we’ll be praying the full Rosary.

For the complete prayer plan, visit https://ascensionpress.com/riy.

Day 182: Shared Sacrifice

July 1st, 2025  |  15 mins 31 secs

art, art meditations, ascension, carrying of the cross, catholic church, catholic faith, cross, father mark mary, father mark-mary, fr. mark mary, fr. mark-mary, jesus carrying his cross, love, mary, offering, raffaello sanzio da urbino, riy, rosary, rosary in a year, rosary-in-a-year, sacred art, sacrifice, sorrowful, sorrowful mysteries, visio divina

Inspired by Raphael’s painting depicting the Carrying of the Cross, Fr. Mark-Mary focuses on the profound spiritual offering made by both Jesus and Mary. He emphasizes how Jesus willingly embraced his suffering out of love and obedience to the Father, and how Mary also offered her son with grace and faith. Their shared sacrifice is presented as an act of profound love and salvation. Today’s focus is the mystery of the Carrying of the Cross and we will be praying one decade of the Rosary.

All of the Sacred Art we’ll be meditating with can be found in the Rosary in a Year Prayer Guide, for free linked in the complete prayer plan, or in the Ascension App. For the complete prayer plan, visit https://ascensionpress.com/riy.

Day 163: Through His Eyes

June 12th, 2025  |  14 mins 17 secs

art, art meditations, ascension, calvary, catholic church, catholic faith, cross, crucifixion, father mark mary, father mark-mary, fr. mark mary, fr. mark-mary, james tissot, mary, mother, riy, rosary, rosary in a year, rosary-in-a-year, sacred art, sacrifice, sorrowful, sorrowful mysteries, visio divina, what our lord saw from the cross

What did Jesus see when He looked down from the cross? And what does He see in us now? Fr. Mark-Mary contemplates James Tissot’s painting, What Our Lord Saw from the Cross, which invites reflection on what Jesus might have seen and felt as He gave His life. Fr. Mark-Mary contrasts the indifference and mockery of some in the crowd with the sorrowful devotion of Mary, St. John, and Mary Magdalene. We are invited to place ourselves at Calvary and examine how we respond to Christ's sacrifice. Today’s focus is the mystery of the Crucifixion and we will be praying one decade of the Rosary.

All of the Sacred Art we’ll be meditating with can be found in the Rosary in a Year Prayer Guide, for free linked in the complete prayer plan, or in the Ascension App. For the complete prayer plan, visit https://ascensionpress.com/riy.

Day 152: St. Joseph’s Offering

June 1st, 2025  |  12 mins 31 secs

art, art meditations, ascension, catholic church, catholic faith, father mark mary, father mark-mary, fr. mark mary, fr. mark-mary, joseph, joyful, joyful mysteries, offering, presentation, riy, rosary, rosary in a year, rosary-in-a-year, sacred art, sacrifice, sorrow, st. joseph, temple, turtledoves, visio divina

We continue our series focusing on St. Joseph’s presence with the Presentation in the Temple. In today’s art, we see Joseph offering the turtle doves, artistically representing what also is happening interiorly, Fr. Mark-Mary says. St. Joseph’s heart was surely sorrowful when Simeon prophesied that a sword would pierce Mary’s heart, and yet he said yes to the Father alongside her. Today’s focus is the mystery of the Presentation in the Temple and we will be praying one decade of the Rosary.

All of the Sacred Art we’ll be meditating with can be found in the Rosary in a Year Prayer Guide, for free linked in the complete prayer plan, or in the Ascension App. For the complete prayer plan, visit https://ascensionpress.com/riy.

Day 126: Fire of Love

May 6th, 2025  |  12 mins 37 secs

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God desires the fire of his love to burn always in our hearts, says St. Alphonsus Liguori. Fr. Mark-Mary explains that we can kindle this fire of the Holy Spirit through the  wood of the cross and the oxygen of prayer. We meditate on the Holy Spirit’s ability to transform us and growing our receptivity to his love. Today’s focus is the mystery of the Descent of the Holy Spirit and we will be praying one decade of the Rosary.

For the complete prayer plan, visit https://ascensionpress.com/riy.

Day 112: All My Time is Free

April 22nd, 2025  |  13 mins 43 secs

ascension, catholic church, catholic faith, father mark mary, father mark-mary, fr. mark mary, fr. mark-mary, freedom, joyful, joyful mysteries, jp2, mary, mother, parenthood, pope john paul 2, presentation, presentation of jesus in the temple, recommit, renewal, riy, rosary, rosary in a year, rosary-in-a-year, sacrifice, saint, saint reflections,  st. alphonsus liguori

 Mary gave consent to Jesus’ sacrifice in the mystery of the Annunciation, but in the mystery of the Presentation, God asks her to recommit to this solemn sacrifice. Fr. Mark-Mary tells us that in every moment, God is asking us to recommit ourselves to him and be faithful, as Mary does at Jesus’ Presentation. Today’s focus is the mystery of the Presentation of Jesus in the Temple and we will be praying one decade of the Rosary.

For the complete prayer plan, visit https://ascensionpress.com/riy.

Day 81: Behold Your King

March 22nd, 2025  |  15 mins 34 secs

ascension, catholic, catholic church, catholic faith, catholicism, crowning, crowning with thorns, father mark mary, father mark-mary, fr. mark mary, fr. mark-mary, jesus, king, kingship, lectio, lectio divina, riy, rosary, rosary in a year, rosary-in-a-year, sacrifice, sorrowful, sorrowful mysteries, thorns, true king

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.

Day 80: His Blood For You

March 21st, 2025  |  15 mins 3 secs

ascension, catholic, catholic church, catholic faith, catholicism, father mark mary, father mark-mary, fr. mark mary, fr. mark-mary, jesus, lectio, lectio divina, love, passion, riy, rosary, rosary in a year, rosary-in-a-year, sacrifice, scourging, scourging at the pillar, sorrowful, sorrowful mysteries, worth

Jesus freely endured the suffering of the scourging because of his great love for us. Fr. Mark-Mary leads us in lectio divina, meditating on the depth of Jesus’ love for us and how he wants us to receive the gift of his love. We allow ourselves to behold the sign of our worth: Jesus giving everything to save us. Today’s focus is the mystery of the Scourging at the Pillar and we will be praying one decade of the Rosary.

For the complete prayer plan, visit https://ascensionpress.com/riy.

Day 55: Water Into Wine

February 24th, 2025  |  12 mins 16 secs

cana, catholic, catholic church, catholicism, faith, homily, luminous mysteries, mary, meditation, riy, rosary, rosary in a year, rosary-in-a-year, sacrifice, wedding, wedding at cana

In the Wedding Feast at Cana, we see Mary taking a new role: that of the initiator, asking Jesus to perform his first miracle. Fr. Mark-Mary unpacks this mystery, revealing the depth of Mary’s actions. By initiating Jesus’ public ministry, Mary is freely giving her son away, out of her great love for all of us. Today’s focus is the mystery of the Wedding Feast at Cana and we will be praying one Our Father, three Hail Marys, and one Glory Be.