Day 204: Transcending Death

Hi, I'm Father Mark Mary with Franciscan Friars of Renewal, and this is the Rosary in a Year podcast where through prayer and meditation.

The Rosary brings us deeper into a relationship with Jesus and Mary and becomes a source of grace for the whole world.

The Rosary in a Year is brought to you by Ascension.

And this is day 204.

To download the prayer plan for Rosary in a Year, visit AscensionPress.com forward slash Rosary in a Year or text RIY to 3377.

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There are special features built just for this podcast and also recordings of the full rosary with myself and other friars.

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You'll find all the daily readings of scripture, Saint Reflections, and beautiful images of the sacred art we'll be reflecting on.

Today we will be meditating upon and praying praying with the first glorious mystery, the resurrection.

And now a review of some of what we have covered before we go to our time

of prayer today.

Let's begin by a reminder of

what Pope Benedict XVI wrote about the resurrection.

He speaks of the resurrection as a type of evolutionary leap, a historical event that bursts open the dimensions of history and transcends it.

It is a brand new, entirely new form of life that is no longer subject to the law of dying, but lies beyond it.

And it affects everyone and opens up a new kind of future for mankind.

So just a little reminder of the teaching of the understanding of what what has happened in the resurrection.

The resurrection is not just about a corpse coming back to life.

There's this, if you will, an elevated, a new form of life.

It's a change which touches,

if we could say, glorifies, all of reality.

And if you recall, in one of our episodes, we looked at the paschal candle, which is like the symbol par excellence.

of the entire liturgical season because it is this candle which which represents Christ but also represents like the light of the resurrection.

And we were reminded that

there is no darkness

which can overcome the light of that paschal candle, the light of the hope and of the joy and of the truth of Jesus Christ risen from the dead.

The darkness has not and will not and cannot overcome the light,

particularly the hope that we have

in our risen Lord.

And the hope as it is extended to us

is the hope that

whatever happens in life,

if we bring it to him

and if we journey with him in it, like all of it can be resurrected, can share in this glorified reality, can be healed redeemed renewed there is nothing nothing nothing

that Jesus can't respond to

and bring new life out of and bring healing out of and bring light and hope out of

so also kind of in this vein in this space

We have this writing from St.

John Chrysostom.

He wrote about Jesus.

He destroyed death by enduring it.

He spoiled hell by descending into it.

He angered hell by allowing it to taste his flesh.

Where, O death, is your sting?

O hell, where is your victory?

Christ is risen,

and the demons are destroyed.

Christ is risen, and the angels rejoiced.

Christ is risen,

and life is restored.

There's so much in this world that is passing.

We don't place our hope in this world in passing things,

but in Christ risen from the dead.

Even death itself does not have the final word,

but Christ is risen,

and we join the angels in rejoicing, because Christ is risen and life is restored.

and then lastly for today we spent one episode one day with Caravaggio's quite famous painting entitled The Incredulity of St.

Thomas

during that episode I focused particularly on the countenance of Jesus

who lovingly, gently, tenderly you could say guides Thomas's hand to touch his wounds.

And his face, his countenance, his disposition is saying, Thomas,

these wounds are for you.

We see Jesus returning to the disciples and coming to Thomas,

revealing that Jesus is willing to come to meet us where we're at.

and to help us make the next best step in faith in his resurrection.

And what Jesus is like most worried about isn't that we get it right away, but that we get it and he's going to persevere in pursuing us and coming to us.

Because like what's most important is that we come to believe.

We believe in the power of the resurrection and we respond through total fidelity, total trust.

total gift of self, total adoration, worship

of our risen Lord.

And so there's this invitation to find ourselves before the risen Lord with his glorified wounds.

And to have confidence that he is going to reveal himself to us

in a way that will allow us to get it.

And so we hope in Jesus.

We talk to Jesus.

We're honest with Jesus, confident in his patience,

and confidence in his seeking and his pursuit of us.

So now we'll just take a moment of stillness

of a leisurely resting here.

And now we'll go through our

our chosen roadmap of prayer for these episodes, the four R's.

Today, what is the grace being offered?

The truth being revealed

that you are invited to receive.

How can you respond?

What's the grace that you would like to request, particularly at the service of this response?

And then rejoice.

Give thanks to the Lord for this time of prayer,

for the grace given,

and the divine life shared.

And now, together with Mary, let us pray.

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

Amen.

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.

Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us,

and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

Amen.

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee.

Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.

Holy Mary, Mother of God,

pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death.

Amen.

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee.

Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.

Holy Mary, Mother of God,

pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death.

Amen.

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee.

Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.

Holy Mary, Mother of God,

pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death, amen.

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee.

Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.

Holy Mary, Mother of God,

pray for us sinners,

now and at the hour of our death.

Amen.

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee.

Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.

Holy Mary, Mother of God,

pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death.

Amen.

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee.

Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.

Holy Mary, Mother of God,

pray for us sinners,

now and at the hour of our death.

Amen.

Hail Mary, full of grace the Lord is with thee

blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb Jesus

Holy Mary Mother of God

pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death amen

hail Mary full of grace the Lord is with thee

Blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb Jesus.

Holy Mary, Mother of God,

pray for us sinners,

now and at the hour of our death, amen.

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee.

Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.

Holy Mary, Mother of God,

pray for us sinners, now and and at the hour of our death.

Amen.

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee.

Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.

Holy Mary, Mother of God,

pray for us sinners,

now and at the hour of our death.

Amen.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit,

as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,

world without end.

Amen.

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

Amen.

All right, thanks so much for joining me and praying with me again today.

I look forward to continuing this journey with you again tomorrow.

Poco, Poco, friends.

God bless all.