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

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.

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.

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.

Day 180: The God Who Bleeds

June 29th, 2025  |  15 mins 42 secs

art, art meditations, ascension, bleed, bleeds, catholic church, catholic faith, dedication, father mark mary, father mark-mary, fr. mark mary, fr. mark-mary, love, pain, riy, rosary, rosary in a year, rosary-in-a-year, sacred art, scourging, scourging at the pillar, sorrowful, sorrowful mysteries, suffering, the god who bleeds, visio divina, william-adolphe bouguereau

Fr. Mark-Mary draws us in to an overwhelming realization while meditating on The Flagellation of Our Lord Jesus Christ by William-Adolphe Bouguereau: our God is a God who bleeds. We observe Jesus in his pain and suffering, reflecting on the incredible amount of love he has to pursue our souls regardless of his suffering. 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 140: His Glory Remains

May 20th, 2025  |  13 mins 10 secs

agostino ciampelli, art, art meditations, ascension, catholic church, catholic faith, father mark mary, father mark-mary, fr. mark mary, fr. mark-mary, fresco, glory, riy, rosary, rosary in a year, rosary-in-a-year, sacred art, scourging, scourging at the pillar, sorrowful, sorrowful mysteries, strength, suffering, visio divina

St. Paul’s letter to the Romans tells us, “if God is for us, who is against us?” Reflecting on a fresco of the Scourging, Fr. Mark-Mary draws our attention to Jesus’ strength and glory shining through despite his suffering. 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 for free in the Ascension App. For the complete prayer plan, visit https://ascensionpress.com/riy.

Day 122: Trophy of Victory

May 2nd, 2025  |  13 mins 29 secs

aquinas, ascension, carrying, carrying of the cross, catholic church, catholic faith, cross, father mark mary, father mark-mary, fr. mark mary, fr. mark-mary, glorified, glory, riy, rosary, rosary in a year, rosary-in-a-year, saint, saint reflections, sorrowful, sorrowful mysteries, st. thomas, suffering, victory,   st. thomas aquinas

Carrying the cross was meant to be a dishonor, but Jesus carried his cross as a sign of his glory, as a victory carries his trophy. Fr. Mark-Mary reveals how we too can turn our sufferings into trophies of glory, as he reads from St. Thomas Aquinas.  We may not experience the victory immediately, but we can trust that Jesus will bring victory. 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.

Day 99: Stay in Dialogue

April 9th, 2025  |  12 mins 54 secs

agony, agony in the garden, ascension, catholic church, catholic faith, climbing, father mark mary, father mark-mary, fear, fr. mark mary, fr. mark-mary, heights, rappelling, relationship, riy, rosary, rosary in a year, rosary-in-a-year, saint, saint reflections, sorrowful, sorrowful mysteries, suffering,  st. alphonsus,  st. alphonsus liguori

When we experience  real, deep, human fear and anguish, we can draw hope from the fact that Jesus has experienced these things before us. Fr. Mark-Mary shares a story of one of his fellow friars guiding new friars through their fear of heights, highlighting that by staying in dialogue with the Father, we find our hope beyond fear. Today’s focus is the mystery of the Agony in the Garden and we will be praying one decade of the Rosary.

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

Day 82: Simon’s Choice

March 23rd, 2025  |  15 mins 47 secs

ascension, carrying of the cross, catholic, catholic church, catholic faith, catholicism, cross, decisions, father mark mary, father mark-mary, fr. mark mary, fr. mark-mary, jesus, lectio, lectio divina, riy, rosary, rosary in a year, rosary-in-a-year, simon, sorrowful, sorrowful mysteries, suffering

During Jesus’ passion, the gospel tells us that a man named Simon was compelled to carry Jesus’ cross. In this moment, Simon was given a decision: to fight back against this injustice, or to make the choice to carry this cross and draw close to Jesus. We are all given difficult or even unjust crosses to carry, and Fr. Mark-Mary calls us to reflect upon how we react to these in today’s lectio divina. 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.

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.