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

Day 222: Elizabeth’s Greeting

August 10th, 2025  |  11 mins 46 secs

ascension, blessed are you among women, blessed is the fruit of thy womb jesus, building, building up the decades, call, call to conversion, cana, catholic church, catholic faith, contemplative prayer, conversation, decades, elizabeth, father mark mary, father mark-mary, fr. mark mary, fr. mark-mary, greeting of elizabeth, hail mary, imaginative prayer, kingdom, luminous, luminous mysteries, luminous mystery, mary, meditating, meditative prayer, poco a poco, prayer, proclamation, proclamation of the kingdom, relational prayer, riy, rosary, rosary in a year, rosary-in-a-year, two decades, wedding, wedding at cana, wedding feast at cana

Contemplate Elizabeth’s joyful greeting: “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb.” Fr. Mark-Mary leads us with prayerful attentiveness to recognize the sacred wonder of Christ’s presence and mission revealed through Mary, His bearer. With the help of the Holy Spirit, we are invited to enter more deeply into the words of prayer, allowing them to shape our hearts in gratitude and ongoing conversion. Today’s focus is the mysteries of the Wedding Feast at Cana and Proclamation of the Kingdom and Call to Conversion and we will be praying two decades of the Rosary. Today’s focus is the mysteries of the Wedding Feast at Cana and Proclamation of the Kingdom and Call to Conversion and we will be praying two decades of the Rosary.

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

Day 212: Eternal Exchange of Love

July 31st, 2025  |  14 mins 33 secs

ascension, building, building up the decades, call, call to conversion, cana, catholic church, catholic faith, contemplative prayer, conversation, decades, father, father mark mary, father mark-mary, fr. mark mary, fr. mark-mary, holy spirit, imaginative prayer, kingdom, love, luminous, luminous mysteries, luminous mystery, meditating, meditative prayer, poco a poco, prayer, proclamation, proclamation of the kingdom, relational prayer, riy, rosary, rosary in a year, rosary-in-a-year, son, trinity, two decades, wedding, wedding at cana, wedding feast at cana

Opening with prayerful reflection, Father Mark-Mary invites listeners to contemplate the Holy Trinity not as an abstract concept but as a living communion of love—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Drawing from the Catechism, he highlights that God’s innermost secret is His very being as love, revealed through Christ and the Holy Spirit. We are personally invited to enter and share in this love. Today’s focus is the mysteries of the Wedding Feast at Cana and Proclamation of the Kingdom and Call to Conversion and we will be praying two decades of the Rosary.

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

Day 195: New Wine, New Life

July 14th, 2025  |  14 mins 24 secs

ascension, cana, catholic church, catholic faith, do whatever he tells you, father mark mary, father mark-mary, finding focus, fr. mark mary, fr. mark-mary, independent meditation, jesus, love, luminous mysteries, luminous mystery, mary, meditation, practice, prayer, riy, rosary, rosary in a year, rosary-in-a-year, wedding, wedding at cana, wedding feast at cana

“Do whatever He tells you.” Mary’s powerful words at the Wedding Feast at Cana urge us to trust Jesus wholeheartedly. This moment reveals Jesus as the divine bridegroom who brings transformation, joy, and new life into our lives. We are reminded that Jesus and Mary see our needs and respond with deep love and care, even when we do not realize it. Today’s focus is the mystery of the Wedding Feast at Cana and we will be praying one decade of the Rosary.

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

Day 175: Calling Through the Noise

June 24th, 2025  |  14 mins 47 secs

art, art meditations, ascension, cana, catholic church, catholic faith, father mark mary, father mark-mary, fr. mark mary, fr. mark-mary, luminous, luminous mysteries, paolo veronese, peace, riy, rosary, rosary in a year, rosary-in-a-year, sacred art, self-reliance, stress, trust, visio divina, wedding, wedding at cana, wedding feast at cana

Fr. Mark-Mary draws unique comparisons when meditating on Paolo Veronese’s The Wedding at Cana. The depiction of Christ’s quiet centrality amid worldly distraction mirrors how people often overlook Jesus, just as museumgoers miss this massive artwork while focused on the Mona Lisa. As well as the parallel between the statue of Atlas outside St. Patrick’s Cathedral and the image of Christ at Mass, contrasting the burden of self-reliance with the peace found in surrendering to God. Through this reflection, we are invited to entrust our struggles to Jesus, who alone can transform and uplift us. Today’s focus is the mystery of the Wedding Feast at Cana 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 155: More than Meets the Eye

June 4th, 2025  |  12 mins 29 secs

art, art meditations, ascension, catholic church, catholic faith, celebration, double, father mark mary, father mark-mary, fr. mark mary, fr. mark-mary, intentional, joy, luminous, luminous mysteries, miracle, miracles, multitasking, riy, rosary, rosary in a year, rosary-in-a-year, sacred art, visio divina, wedding, wedding feast at cana

Jesus is a divine multitasker, intentionally and perfectly. Fr. Mark-Mary explains that while we might struggle to multitask, God works on multiple levels at all times. As Jesus turns water into wine in Gérard David’s painting, The Wedding at Cana, he is both continuing the joy of the celebration and revealing himself as the divine bridegroom. Today’s focus is the mystery of the Wedding Feast at Cana 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 135: Miracles of Love

May 15th, 2025  |  11 mins 46 secs

art, art meditations, ascension, bartimaeus, catholic church, catholic faith, compassion, father mark mary, father mark-mary, fr. mark mary, fr. mark-mary, glory, identity, lazarus, love, miracles, riy, rosary, rosary in a year, rosary-in-a-year, sacred art, visio divina, wedding, wedding at cana, wedding feast, wedding feast at cana

Why does Jesus perform miracles? Fr. Mark-Mary, meditating with help from a painting by Carl Bloch, says that Jesus doesn’t just do miracles as a sign or as a magician. Jesus does miracles as acts of love, motivated by true compassion. We take a moment to rest in this sign of love at the Wedding Feast with Jesus and Mary. Today’s focus is the mystery of the Wedding Feast at Cana 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 95: Moms are Special

April 5th, 2025  |  11 mins 30 secs

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Would Jesus have turned the water into wine if someone other than Mary had asked him? Fr. Mark-Mary, reading from  St. Alphonsus Liguori, reflects on the point that Jesus’ initial words to Mary at the Wedding at Cana have special symbolism. This short conversation tells us that Mary is special to Jesus, and her requests are special too. Today’s focus is the mystery of the Wedding Feast at Cana and we will be praying one decade of the Rosary.

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

Day 21: Show Unto Us

January 21st, 2025  |  9 mins 28 secs

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When we call upon Mary, what does she say to us? As we pray the Rosary and ask Mary to show Jesus unto us, we hear her response through the story of the Wedding Feast at Cana in the Gospel of John. If you feel like you’re at the wedding and out of wine, Fr. Mark-Mary says, turn to Mary in the Rosary, and she will advocate for you to Jesus. Today’s focus is “And after this, our exile, show unto us the blessed fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Oh, Clement. Oh, loving. Oh, sweet Virgin Mary,” and we will be praying one Our Father, three Hail Marys, one Glory Be, and the Hail Holy Queen.