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

Day 160: Choose Your Side

June 9th, 2025  |  13 mins 45 secs

anger, apathetic, apathy, art, art meditations, ascension, catholic church, catholic faith, daughters, father mark mary, father mark-mary, flagellation, fr. mark mary, fr. mark-mary, lukewarm, pride, riy, rosary, rosary in a year, rosary-in-a-year, sacred art, scourging, sin, sons, sorrowful, sorrowful mysteries, vengeance, visio divina

We are in a war with darkness, and we must choose to take up the side as sons and daughters of God. Fr. Mark-Mary describes Caravaggio’s painting, The Flagellation of Christ, relating each of Jesus’ assailants to a personification of sin. Today’s focus is the mystery of the Scourging at the Pillar 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 159: Surrender Your Suffering

June 8th, 2025  |  11 mins 37 secs

agony, agony in the garden, alessandro maganza, art, art meditations, ascension, catholic church, catholic faith, doctor, doubt, father mark mary, father mark-mary, fr. mark mary, fr. mark-mary, healing, pain, prayer, riy, rosary, rosary in a year, rosary-in-a-year, sacred art, sin, sorrowful, sorrowful mysteries, suffering, surrender, visio divina

As we meditate with the painting entitled Prayer of Jesus in Gethsemane Garden by Alessandro Maganza, Fr. Mark-Mary notices that all of the movement, lines, and action in the painting points towards Jesus. Sharing a story about one of his fellow friars, Fr. Mark-Mary explains how we can direct ourselves to Jesus and surrender our fears, worries, and pain. Today’s focus is the mystery of the Agony in the Garden 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 156: I Do Not Condemn You

June 5th, 2025  |  15 mins

art, art meditations, ascension, call to conversion, catholic church, catholic faith, condemnation, conversion, father mark mary, father mark-mary, forgiveness, fr. mark mary, fr. mark-mary, luminous, luminous mysteries, proclamation, proclamation of the kingdom, repentance, riy, rosary, rosary in a year, rosary-in-a-year, sacred art, sin, visio divina

In Lorenzo Lotto’s painting, The Adulterous Woman, we are presented with an unforgettable moment from the Gospels. A group of accusers try to trap Jesus by asking for his judgement of a woman caught in sin. However, Fr. Mark-Mary explains, Jesus’ incredible response to the accusers and the woman is a response to all of us. Today’s focus is the mystery of the Proclamation of the Gospel and Call to Conversion 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 63: Even Unto Death

March 4th, 2025  |  11 mins 1 sec

calvary, catholic, catholic church, catholicism, crucifixion, effects of sin, faith, god’s love, love, prodigal son, riy, rosary, rosary in a year, rosary-in-a-year, sin, sorrowful mysteries, suffering

Just as the father in the parable of the prodigal son does not merely wait to welcome his son back, but pursues to meet him on the way, Fr. Mark-Mary explains that God does not wait for us to return to him but instead pursues us, even to death on the cross. At Calvary, in the Crucifixion, we see the true nature of the heart of God, a heart filled with love for us. Today’s focus is the mystery of the Crucifixion and Death of Our Lord and we will be praying one Our Father, three Hail Marys, and one Glory Be.

Day 62: He Meets Us

March 3rd, 2025  |  10 mins 17 secs

carrying of the cross, catholic, catholic church, catholicism, effects of sin, faith, prodigal son, riy, rosary, rosary in a year, rosary-in-a-year, savior, sin, sorrowful mysteries

In the parable of the Prodigal Son, the father does not wait for his son to come back home, but instead descends to meet him on the way. In the mystery of the Carrying of the Cross, God our Father does not leave us to an isolated journey to death, says Fr. Mark-Mary, but instead as Jesus is ascending the mountain with the cross, God is descending to save us and bring new life. Today’s focus is the mystery of the Carrying of the Cross and we will be praying one Our Father, three Hail Marys, and one Glory Be.

Day 61: You Are Beloved

March 2nd, 2025  |  9 mins 16 secs

beloved, catholic, catholic church, catholicism, crowning with thorns, dignity, effects of sin, faith, mockery, prodigal son, riy, rosary, rosary in a year, rosary-in-a-year, sin, sons and daughters, sorrowful mysteries, suffering

When the devil attacks, he tries to mock us and deny our dignity. Fr. Mark-Mary continues the journey of reflecting on the passion of our Lord as it reveals the true nature of sin, revealing how meditating on the Crowning with Thorns can help us reject Satan’s lies and remember our dignity as beloved sons and daughters. Today’s focus is the mystery of the Crowning with Thorns and we will be praying one Our Father, three Hail Marys, and one Glory Be.

Day 60: Effects of Sin

March 1st, 2025  |  7 mins 5 secs

catholic, catholic church, catholicism, effects of sin, faith, prodigal son, riy, rosary, rosary in a year, rosary-in-a-year, scourging, sin, sorrowful mysteries, suffering

Sometimes we don’t fully recognize or understand the effects of sin on our soul, but the mystery of the Scourging at the Pillar reveals the reality of sin to us. Fr. Mark-Mary continues the journey of reflecting on the passion of our Lord as it reveals the true nature of sin and the true nature of the heart of God. Today’s focus is the mystery of the Scourging at the Pillar and we will be praying one Our Father, three Hail Marys, and one Glory Be.

Day 59: The Nature of Sin

February 28th, 2025  |  10 mins 20 secs

agony, agony in the garden, catholic, catholic church, catholicism, faith, inheritance, parables, prodigal son, riy, rosary, rosary in a year, rosary-in-a-year, sin, sin’s effects, sorrowful, sorrowful mysteries

As we begin journeying through the Sorrowful Mysteries of the Rosary, Fr. Mark-Mary uses the parable of the Prodigal Son to illustrate how Jesus’ Agony in the Garden reveals humanity’s rejection of God’s gift. However, despite this rejection we find salvation in Jesus’ incredible love for us. Today’s focus is the mystery of the Agony in the Garden and we will be praying one Our Father, three Hail Marys, and one Glory Be.

Day 39: In the Garden

February 8th, 2025  |  13 mins 40 secs

agony, agony in the garden, catechism, garden, hebrews, historical context, obedience, old testament, riy, rosary, rosary in a year, rosary-in-a-year, sin, sorrowful, sorrowful mysteries

Through obedience to the Father in the Garden of Gethsemene, in the mystery of the Agony in the Garden, Jesus will repair the damage caused by Adam and Eve’s disobedience in the Garden of Eden. Fr. Mark-Mary explores the significance of the Agony in the Garden through the book of Hebrews and the Catechism. Today’s focus is the mystery of the Agony in the Garden and we will be praying one Our Father, three Hail Marys, and one Glory Be.

Day 34: The Anointed One

February 3rd, 2025  |  13 mins 28 secs

baptism, day of atonement, historical context, jordan river, lamb, lamb of god, luminous, luminous mysteries, meditation, messiah, old testament, riy, rosary, rosary in a year, rosary-in-a-year, sacrifice, scapegoat, sin

Each of the Luminous mysteries reveal an aspect of Jesus’ nature and mission. Fr. Mark-Mary draws on the history of the Jordan River and the Jewish Day of Atonement, historical details that reveal Jesus as Messiah and sacrifice in this mystery of the Rosary. Today’s focus is the mystery of The Baptism of Jesus and we will be praying one Our Father, three Hail Marys, and one Glory Be.