Day 203: God’s Relentless Pursuit

Speaker 1 I'm Father Mark Mary with Franciscan Friars of the Renewal, and this is the Rosary in the Year podcast, where through prayer and meditation, the Rosary brings us deeper into relationship with Jesus and Mary and becomes a source of grace for the whole world.

Speaker 1 The Rosary in the Year is brought to you by Ascension.

Speaker 1 This is day 203.

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Speaker 1 today we will be meditating upon and praying with the fifth sorrowful mystery the crucifixion and death of our lord

Speaker 11 and now before we pray with this mystery today

Speaker 1 let's take a moment to call to mind what we have prayed with and meditated upon up to this point

Speaker 1 Back when we were in many ways just beginning our journey back at day 43

Speaker 9 we had some time of prayer particularly with Pope Benedict XVI

Speaker 1 reflection on Jesus during the crucifixion as you recall our Lord while nailed to the cross he prayed Psalm 22

Speaker 7 my God my God

Speaker 1 why have you forsaken me

Speaker 5 this cry of despair but also

Speaker 1 this revelation of hope.

Speaker 17 And if you recall, Pope Benedict XVI, he saw in this prayer of Jesus Jesus bringing all of the world's anguished cry at God's absence before the heart of God Himself.

Speaker 5 He writes, He takes their cry,

Speaker 4 their anguish,

Speaker 12 all their helplessness upon himself.

Speaker 1 And in so doing,

Speaker 1 he transforms it.

Speaker 1 There's an invitation again today

Speaker 1 to bring to Jesus crucified

Speaker 7 to unite your own prayer to this prayer of Jesus, my God, my God, why have you forsaken me?

Speaker 8 And in so doing this, like bringing your cry, your anguish, your experience of absence or silence from God to the heart of God Himself,

Speaker 4 But with hope,

Speaker 18 with confidence, as Jesus does.

Speaker 8 We've called to mind that throughout His passion, Jesus remains in dialogue with His Father.

Speaker 5 So, if this is your experience today again,

Speaker 1 we bring it with Jesus

Speaker 17 before the heart of the Father.

Speaker 1 But we remain here.

Speaker 15 We wait on him.

Speaker 11 And now, secondly, for our review today,

Speaker 1 in the conclusion of the short mini-series in which we journeyed through the sorrowful mysteries interwoven with a variety of meditations on

Speaker 5 the parable of the prodigal son,

Speaker 1 I call to mind this prayer, this reflection of how the Father in the parable is always looking for for his son, attentive for his son.

Speaker 10 And as soon as his son appears on the horizon, the father runs to him and embraces him and cries with him and kisses him and restores him to his dignity and brings him home.

Speaker 1 And how I see in this very much

Speaker 5 lived in salvation history as Jesus nailed to the cross at Calvary, says to like dismiss the name that tradition gives to the good thief like today you will be with me in paradise

Speaker 5 we see this search and we see Jesus as the pursuit of the father for his son in this case the good thief coming to him taking upon himself like the consequences of sin

Speaker 9 to bring him home

Speaker 15 and what this reveals to us about the heart of Jesus is how deeply God is invested in us

Speaker 15 how deeply God cares.

Speaker 1 And if you remember, there's the rebuke that some of the apostles receive in the boat during the storm when they come to Jesus and say, like, do you even care?

Speaker 10 And the answer to this question, a question that rises up in the hearts of man again and again and again, particularly as we encounter personal suffering or suffering of loved ones, is God, like, do you care?

Speaker 8 And the answer to this question we find definitively answered in Christ crucified, who reveals to us the heart of the Father.

Speaker 5 Do I care? I care this much.

Speaker 1 I care enough to become man, to take upon myself human frailty and sin,

Speaker 9 to be arrested, mocked, rejected, scourged, crowned with thorns, and crucified. I care this much.

Speaker 8 I am passionate about you.

Speaker 17 And I am here with you.

Speaker 15 And I am taking what you experience upon myself to be here with you.

Speaker 16 So you are not alone, but also

Speaker 9 to bring you home.

Speaker 13 And so in our prayer, we see Jesus

Speaker 3 answering this question:

Speaker 15 God, do you care?

Speaker 4 The answer to that question is found in Christ crucified.

Speaker 18 And then, lastly, for today, if you recall

Speaker 1 in our meditation with Pietro Gagliardi's fresco of the crucifixion,

Speaker 1 if you recall, that's the image that had the big rainbow, which seemed to be completed by the outstretched and crucified arms of Jesus.

Speaker 11 And what we see depicted here so beautifully

Speaker 6 is that Christ crucified

Speaker 17 in his crucifixion, like fulfilling

Speaker 10 what like the rainbow symbolizes in salvation history, like this promise of God, the promise of God that death will not have the last word, but life will.

Speaker 13 And if you will, we see

Speaker 11 in the cross, in the crucifix, the fulfillment and completion

Speaker 7 of that sign of God, the rainbow,

Speaker 5 that Christ crucified

Speaker 9 and eventually risen

Speaker 17 is the sure sign of our hope and of God's fidelity.

Speaker 11 That Christ crucified speaks to us this promise from the heart of the Father.

Speaker 5 Death, suffering, pain,

Speaker 14 injustice, tears will not have the last word.

Speaker 13 But glory and life and justice and mercy and truth and resurrection.

Speaker 1 So now we'll just take a moment of prayerful rest and leisure here.

Speaker 7 And now we'll follow this roadmap of of prayer,

Speaker 4 the four R's.

Speaker 7 Today, in this moment, what is the grace being offered, the truth being revealed

Speaker 1 that you are being invited to receive?

Speaker 3 How can you respond?

Speaker 22 What is the grace

Speaker 10 that you would like to request at the service of this response?

Speaker 2 And now rejoice,

Speaker 10 give thanks to the Lord for this time of prayer,

Speaker 21 the grace given,

Speaker 1 and the divine life shared.

Speaker 18 Now, together with Mary, let us pray in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

Speaker 3 Amen.

Speaker 5 Our Father, who art in heaven,

Speaker 17 hallowed be thy name.

Speaker 1 Thy kingdom come,

Speaker 7 thy will be done

Speaker 18 on earth as it is in heaven.

Speaker 19 Give us this day our daily bread,

Speaker 11 and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us.

Speaker 8 And lead us not into temptation,

Speaker 7 but deliver us from evil.

Speaker 20 Amen.

Speaker 5 Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee.

Speaker 18 Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.

Speaker 16 Holy Mary, Mother of God,

Speaker 21 pray for us sinners

Speaker 2 now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

Speaker 4 Hail Mary, full of grace,

Speaker 22 the Lord is with thee.

Speaker 18 Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.

Speaker 16 Holy Mary, Mother of God,

Speaker 5 pray for us sinners,

Speaker 2 now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

Speaker 22 Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee.

Speaker 14 Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.

Speaker 16 Holy Mary, Mother of God,

Speaker 21 pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death.

Speaker 20 Amen.

Speaker 5 Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee.

Speaker 14 Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.

Speaker 16 Holy Mary, Mother of God,

Speaker 21 pray for us sinners,

Speaker 20 now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

Speaker 22 Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee.

Speaker 18 Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.

Speaker 16 Holy Mary, Mother of God,

Speaker 21 pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death.

Speaker 2 Amen.

Speaker 22 Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee.

Speaker 14 Blessed art thou among women, and blessed blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.

Speaker 16 Holy Mary, Mother of God,

Speaker 21 pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death.

Speaker 2 Amen.

Speaker 22 Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee.

Speaker 14 Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.

Speaker 21 Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death.

Speaker 20 Amen.

Speaker 22 Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee.

Speaker 14 Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.

Speaker 16 Holy Mary, Mother of God,

Speaker 21 pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death.

Speaker 20 Amen.

Speaker 22 Hail Mary, full of grace, grace the lord is with thee

Speaker 14 blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb jesus

Speaker 21 holy mary mother of god pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death amen

Speaker 22 hail mary full of grace the lord is with thee

Speaker 14 Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.

Speaker 16 Holy Mary, Mother of God,

Speaker 21 pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death.

Speaker 14 Amen.

Speaker 18 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.

Speaker 14 Amen.

Speaker 19 In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

Speaker 20 Amen.

Speaker 1 All right. Thanks so much for joining me and praying with me today.
I look forward to continuing this journey with you again tomorrow.

Speaker 4 All right, Poke O Poke, friends. God bless y'all.