The Rosary in a Year (with Fr. Mark-Mary Ames)
Pray the Rosary Like Never Before
Displaying Episode 1 - 10 of 48 in total of The Rosary in a Year (with Fr. Mark-Mary Ames) with the tag “sorrowful mysteries”.
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Day 215: Here With Jesus
August 3rd, 2025 | 12 mins 30 secs
ascension, building, building up the decades, carrying of the cross, catholic church, catholic faith, contemplative prayer, cross, crown, crowning, crowning with thorns, decades, father mark mary, father mark-mary, fr. mark mary, fr. mark-mary, imaginative prayer, jesus, jesus carrying his cross, meditating, meditative prayer, poco a poco, prayer, relational prayer, riy, rosary, rosary in a year, rosary-in-a-year, sorrowful, sorrowful mysteries, sorrowful mystery, thorn, two decades
Imagine Jesus present in your everyday environment—your home, school, office, or car. While we often picture Him in distant historical settings, Fr. Mark-Mary encourages us to experience Jesus coming to us in the here and now. This kind of imaginative prayer deepens our relationship with Jesus by making His love and presence tangible in the ordinary moments of our lives. Today’s focus is the mysteries of the Crowning with Thorns and the Carrying of the Cross and we will be praying two decades of the Rosary.
For the complete prayer plan, visit https://ascensionpress.com/riy.
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Day 214: Trusting the Father
August 2nd, 2025 | 12 mins 21 secs
agony, agony in the garden, ascension, building, building up the decades, catholic church, catholic faith, contemplative prayer, decades, father, father mark mary, father mark-mary, fr. mark mary, fr. mark-mary, garden, imaginative prayer, meditating, meditative prayer, pillar, poco a poco, prayer, relational prayer, riy, rosary, rosary in a year, rosary-in-a-year, scourging, scourging at the pillar, sorrowful, sorrowful mysteries, sorrowful mystery, two decades
We are invited to enter into prayer with a deep awareness of the Heavenly Father’s presence through Fr. Mark-Mary’s meditative reflection. Drawing from Jesus’ prayers before Lazarus’ tomb and His teachings in the Sermon on the Mount, Fr. Mark-Mary emphasizes that God sees, hears, and knows us intimately. This reflection reminds us of the Father’s love and His desire to give us every good gift. Today’s focus is the mysteries of the Agony in the Garden and the Scourging at the Pillar and we will be praying two decades of the Rosary.
For the complete prayer plan, visit https://ascensionpress.com/riy.
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Day 203: God’s Relentless Pursuit
July 22nd, 2025 | 15 mins 48 secs
ascension, catholic church, catholic faith, christ crucified, cross, crucifixion, death, father mark mary, father mark-mary, finding focus, fr. mark mary, fr. mark-mary, good thief, independent meditation, meditation, my god my god why have you forsaken me, passion, pope benedict xvi, practice, prayer, prodigal son, riy, rosary, rosary in a year, rosary-in-a-year, sorrowful, sorrowful mysteries, sorrowful mystery
“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” Christ’s cry from the cross reveals not despair, but a prayer that carries the weight of human suffering to the heart of the Father. Fr. Mark-Mary draws connections to the prodigal son and the good thief, illustrating God’s relentless pursuit to bring His children home. The crucifixion becomes the fulfillment of God’s covenant, declaring that death, sorrow, and injustice will not have the final word, but life, mercy, and resurrection will. Today’s focus is the mystery of the Crucifixion and we will be praying one decade of the Rosary.
For the complete prayer plan, visit https://ascensionpress.com/riy.
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Day 202: Scapegoat and Savior
July 21st, 2025 | 14 mins 58 secs
ascension, carrying of the cross, catholic church, catholic faith, cross, father mark mary, father mark-mary, finding focus, fr. mark mary, fr. mark-mary, independent meditation, jesus, jesus carries his cross, meditation, practice, prayer, riy, rosary, rosary in a year, rosary-in-a-year, scapegoat, simon, sins, sorrowful, sorrowful mysteries, sorrowful mystery, suffering, trophy, victorious, victory
Fr. Mark-Mary connects Jesus carrying His cross to Christ as the new scapegoat, freely taking on the exile, rejection, and sins of all humanity and carrying them to His place of crucifixion. Simon of Cyrene had the opportunity to let his suffering draw him closer to Jesus—an invitation extended to each of us in our own crosses of loss, illness, or pain. When we unite our suffering with His, our crosses too can become salvific, glorified, and trophies of shared victory in Christ. Today’s focus is the mystery of the Carrying of the Cross and we will be praying one decade of the Rosary.
For the complete prayer plan, visit https://ascensionpress.com/riy.
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Day 201: Thorns for Love
July 20th, 2025 | 14 mins 15 secs
ascension, behold the man, catholic church, catholic faith, crown, crowned, crowning with thorns, ecce homo, father mark mary, father mark-mary, finding focus, fr. mark mary, fr. mark-mary, fulton sheen, independent meditation, king, kingdom, meditation, practice, prayer, riy, rosary, rosary in a year, rosary-in-a-year, sorrowful, sorrowful mysteries, sorrowful mystery, suffering, thorn
Mocked and spat upon, Christ crowned with thorns fulfills the image of the suffering servant—humble in agony, yet still the King, still victorious. Fr. Mark-Mary invites us to behold Him, as Pilate once did, and examine our own heart. Are we offering our worship and loyalty to the Lord or to the world? Are we burdened by sins of indifference or misplaced priorities? Let us respond with renewed fidelity, offering our whole selves to the 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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Day 200: Glory Hidden in Suffering
July 19th, 2025 | 14 mins 31 secs
ascension, be the one, catholic church, catholic faith, conquer, consolation, father mark mary, father mark-mary, finding focus, fr. mark mary, fr. mark-mary, glory, grateful, independent meditation, meditation, practice, prayer, prodigal son, riy, rosary, rosary in a year, rosary-in-a-year, scourging, scourging at the pillar, sorrowful, sorrowful mysteries, victory
We follow the trajectory of the Scourging, beginning with sorrow as we behold the results of sin in Jesus scourged, are encouraged to respond by consoling Jesus as he suffers, and finally contemplate that despite man’s betrayal of Jesus, nothing can extinguish his glory. Fr. Mark-Mary leads us to see Jesus’ victory in the Passion and stay with Jesus in his suffering. 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.
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Day 199: What the Garden Reveals
July 18th, 2025 | 15 mins 38 secs
agony, agony in the garden, ascension, catholic church, catholic faith, connection, father mark mary, father mark-mary, finding focus, fr. mark mary, fr. mark-mary, independent meditation, inheritance, judas, meditation, nature of sin, practice, prayer, relationship, riy, rosary, rosary in a year, rosary-in-a-year, sin, sorrowful, sorrowful mysteries, truth
The Agony in the Garden reveals deep truths, shared by Fr. Mark-Mary, as we return to three prior meditation topics. The nature of sin is unveiled, as we draw the connection to the prodigal son. Jesus sets an example for us, staying in dialogue with the Father despite his suffering. And finally, through the example of Judas, we’re reminded that Jesus is always calling us back, no matter how dim we think our halos are. Today’s focus is the mystery of the Agony of the Garden and we will be praying one decade of the Rosary.
For the complete prayer plan, visit https://ascensionpress.com/riy.
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Day 183: Love Poured Out
July 2nd, 2025 | 17 mins 46 secs
art, art meditations, ascension, bridegroom, catholic church, catholic faith, church, cross, crucifixion, father mark mary, father mark-mary, fr. mark mary, fr. mark-mary, mary, peter paul rubens, riy, rosary, rosary in a year, rosary-in-a-year, sacred art, sorrowful, sorrowful mysteries, spouse, visio divina
Fr. Mark-Mary reflects on the Crucifixion through Rubens’ painting, The Descent from the Cross, emphasizing the raw humanity of Jesus as He is lovingly lowered by His followers. He meditates on the mystical union between Christ the bridegroom and the Church, inviting us to find rest in Christ’s pierced side, the source of love, mercy, and life. Finally, he focuses on Mary’s sorrowful but hope-filled presence, encouraging us to bring our own losses to her while clinging to the promise of resurrection and redemption. 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.
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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.
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Day 181: Grace Amid Thorns
June 30th, 2025 | 14 mins 15 secs
anthony van dyck, art, art meditations, ascension, catholic church, catholic faith, crown, crowning with thorns, father mark mary, father mark-mary, fr. mark mary, fr. mark-mary, grace, pain, power, powerless, riy, rosary, rosary in a year, rosary-in-a-year, sacred art, sorrowful, sorrowful mysteries, suffering, thorn, visio divina
Witnessing Christ crowned with thorns reveals a striking contrast between worldly might and divine strength and humility. Through the lens of Anthony van Dyck’s dramatic painting and the words of scripture and Pope John Paul II, Fr. Mark-Mary’s meditation unveils the redemptive power found in suffering. We are invited to see our own suffering as a means to draw nearer to Christ and receive His transforming grace. Today’s focus is the mystery of the Crowning with Thorns 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.