Day 85: The Blessing Never Stops

Speaker 2 I am Father Mark Mary with Franciscan Friars the Renewal, and this is the Rosary in a 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.

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Speaker 6 This is day 85.

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Speaker 13 For today's Lexio Divina, we'll be praying with the second glorious mystery, the Ascension, Luke chapter 24, verses 50 to to 53

Speaker 1 and the point of emphasis will be this

Speaker 19 the blessing never stops the blessing never stops

Speaker 20 for our time of lexio

Speaker 9 then he led them out as far as bethany

Speaker 9 and lifting up his hands he blessed them

Speaker 3 While he blessed them, he parted from them and was carried up into heaven.

Speaker 14 And they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy

Speaker 21 and were continually in the temple blessing God.

Speaker 17 Let's go ahead and

Speaker 13 engage the scripture for our meditatio.

Speaker 1 Just a reminder, right, of the the overall arc of what's happening here as Jesus ascends to the Father is is that he now becomes present to us, becomes active in our lives in a new way

Speaker 1 without the limits that he took upon himself during his earthly life.

Speaker 20 That he always sees all of us, he always hears all of us.

Speaker 3 He's always ministering to,

Speaker 23 caring for, protecting.

Speaker 4 all of us according to his most perfect will.

Speaker 16 And a particular point of emphasis, clearly in the ascension narrative of Luke is he never stops blessing us.

Speaker 13 Notice the details.

Speaker 18 He lifts up his hands and he blessed them.

Speaker 18 And while he is blessing them,

Speaker 9 he parted from them, was carried up into heaven.

Speaker 7 The image portrayed, illustrated is Jesus with his hands in blessing and continually keeping his hands in blessing over the disciples and over all of us as he returns to heaven as this sign of he's returning to the father, to the right hand of the father, but he will forever, right?

Speaker 9 Forever continue to bless us.

Speaker 9 The blessing of Jesus never ends.

Speaker 3 Again, as he took on human nature and its limitations, like there would have been a time even for Jesus, like the raising of his hands, he would have gotten tired.

Speaker 6 But now Jesus resurrected, Jesus ascended.

Speaker 9 He doesn't have these limitations. There's no end.

Speaker 23 Eternally, he is blessing us.

Speaker 3 Forever, he is blessing us.

Speaker 2 And forever, he is blessing the Father as he's in in the Father's presence, right?

Speaker 19 Right hand of the Father with the Holy Spirit.

Speaker 1 And then what's the response?

Speaker 9 What's the response?

Speaker 1 Again, we point out, which is an important detail, that Jesus, in a sense, is leaving them, but the disciples are not sad because through faith, they know that he's actually becoming present to them in a new way, in an even more profound way.

Speaker 7 So as he ascends to heaven, they worship him.

Speaker 12 They return to Jerusalem, but with great joy, not great sadness

Speaker 14 and what happens they were continually in the temple blessing god

Speaker 17 the idea that the blessing doesn't stop the blessing of of jesus upon us never stops but also the reciprocation the response of blessing god of praising god like it never stops and so there's this beautiful reality to enter into of the never-ceasing blessing of Jesus towards us and our return of never ceasing to bless him, never ceasing to return to him with joy and worship and adoration.

Speaker 15 Continuing with our

Speaker 9 meditatio to reflect on

Speaker 2 this beautiful invitation of Jesus' eyes always on us with love

Speaker 18 and blessing.

Speaker 23 And perhaps we could put some words to this, like Jesus always looking upon us as beloved, beloved son, beloved daughter, blessing us with the truth of who we are, blessing us with the grace that we need to persevere in faith, to persevere in hope on this pilgrimage.

Speaker 14 But then, us also, this invitation in our own hearts to continually bless him, to praise him, to adore him, to place our trust and confidence in him,

Speaker 9 to bring our needs and supplications to him with confidence.

Speaker 9 Part of the fruit of the ascension is we have access to this perfect and never ceasing dialogue and exchange of blessing with our risen Lord, our Lord ascended into heaven.

Speaker 9 Okay, returning for our Alexio.

Speaker 22 Lifting up his hands,

Speaker 18 he blessed them,

Speaker 3 and they were continually in the temple blessing God

Speaker 13 for the ongoing meditative.

Speaker 3 I'm just going to really encourage you with your own imagination, your own prayer

Speaker 8 to look upon Jesus with his hands still outstretched in blessing.

Speaker 9 And in your own way, if you can literally, if you want to lift up your hands to return the blessing, if in your own heart

Speaker 3 you want to just imagine what returning the blessing looks like for you, like I'm just going to ask you to look upon him blessing you and to respond

Speaker 22 with your own blessing.

Speaker 9 And so, again, for this, for the meditatio, I'm going to really encourage you to spend a moment to develop this scene so that as you return to this mystery again and again, while you're praying the second glorious mystery in the rosary,

Speaker 30 you can return to this place.

Speaker 23 Okay, one more time here to conclude our Alexio, our reading.

Speaker 8 Lifting up his hands, he blessed them.

Speaker 21 And they were continually in the temple, blessing God.

Speaker 9 Now we'll transition to our Arazio, our time of prayer falling, our template, receive, respond, request, rejoice, receive the good news, receive what God is revealing about himself.

Speaker 14 I think it is important to note, again,

Speaker 27 the Father's faithfulness.

Speaker 7 Jesus becomes man.

Speaker 1 Jesus comes to save us.

Speaker 9 Throughout his earthly life, he remains obedient to the Father, trusting the Father in dialogue with the Father.

Speaker 24 And now

Speaker 6 He is risen and ascended.

Speaker 30 He's returned to the right hand of the Father, like victorious,

Speaker 19 where he reigns forever.

Speaker 23 So the good news, again, of the victory of Jesus, of the victory of the fidelity of God the Father.

Speaker 1 Also the good news that we have a new access to Jesus.

Speaker 12 Again, an even more profound, even more efficacious, even more beautiful, even more immediate access to Jesus than we did during his earthly life or the disciples and apostles would have during his earthly life.

Speaker 14 And that he continually forever blesses us.

Speaker 14 There isn't a moment where Jesus isn't looking upon us, ministering to us, pursuing us, pouring out his grace upon us.

Speaker 29 Okay, let us move to our response, beginning with praise and adoration with these disciples, like with great joy.

Speaker 23 Let us return the blessing.

Speaker 23 Jesus, we bless you, we adore you, we worship you, we glorify you, we rejoice in your ascension.

Speaker 23 We rejoice, Lord, in the new access we have to you

Speaker 14 and the way in which you are present to us.

Speaker 3 We thank you, Lord, for looking upon us in this moment with your hands raised in blessing,

Speaker 9 your heart filled with love for us, your eyes seeing us in all of our need.

Speaker 27 To our second level of response.

Speaker 9 What's the second level of response?

Speaker 14 It's to return the blessing.

Speaker 2 As Jesus never ceases to bless us, to look upon us with love.

Speaker 25 Let us like spiritually, night and day, be in the temple, continually blessing Jesus, continually in relationship with Jesus, continually looking to Jesus, continually processing life, journeying through life with Jesus.

Speaker 19 And now, our request,

Speaker 26 okay, Jesus, we're going to ask for the grace to receive

Speaker 25 the great news, the great joy.

Speaker 28 of the ascension.

Speaker 25 Can we just really ask for the grace of the Holy Spirit that we may persevere

Speaker 23 in blessing, persevere

Speaker 28 in being in the temple in relationship with Jesus,

Speaker 9 persevere in experiencing life under the gaze, the loving gaze of Jesus?

Speaker 26 And Jesus, in particular, we're just going to ask for this particular grace, Lord, to see you looking at us in this this moment

Speaker 17 with love affection and blessing

Speaker 28 and now we'll conclude our oratio with our rejoicing jesus we just thank you for the gift of this prayer we thank you for the stillness we thank you for the gift of your holy spirit

Speaker 25 we thank you lord for

Speaker 11 reminding us

Speaker 19 That even now,

Speaker 2 seated at the right hand of the Father, you bless us.

Speaker 28 We thank you, Jesus, for the grace that we need, that we may persevere in prayer,

Speaker 15 that we may persevere in remaining in your presence in your holy temple, that we may persevere in returning the blessing.

Speaker 9 And together we'll conclude our Alexio Divino with our contemplatio by praying one decade of the rosary.

Speaker 14 And I'm going to ask you really to kind of remain in this place of looking upon Him as He looks upon you.

Speaker 3 okay look upon jesus

Speaker 9 see him blessing you and respond by adoring speaking to him

Speaker 9 and now with our lady we pray in the name of the father and of the son and of the holy spirit amen

Speaker 15 our father who art in heaven hallowed be thy name thy kingdom come thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

Speaker 23 Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us.

Speaker 13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

Speaker 14 Amen.

Speaker 16 Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee.

Speaker 11 Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.

Speaker 24 Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death.

Speaker 31 Amen.

Speaker 16 Hail Mary full of grace, the Lord is with thee.

Speaker 11 Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.

Speaker 10 Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death, amen.

Speaker 16 Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee.

Speaker 11 Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.

Speaker 23 Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death, Amen.

Speaker 16 Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee.

Speaker 11 Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.

Speaker 10 Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death, Amen.

Speaker 16 Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee.

Speaker 11 Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.

Speaker 10 Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death, amen.

Speaker 16 Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee.

Speaker 11 Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.

Speaker 24 Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death, amen.

Speaker 16 Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee.

Speaker 11 Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.

Speaker 10 Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death, amen.

Speaker 16 Hail Mary full of grace, the Lord is with thee.

Speaker 11 Blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.

Speaker 10 Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death, amen.

Speaker 16 Hail Mary full of grace, the Lord is with thee.

Speaker 11 Blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.

Speaker 10 Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death, amen.

Speaker 16 Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee.

Speaker 11 Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.

Speaker 24 Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death, amen.

Speaker 3 Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end.

Speaker 24 Amen.

Speaker 25 In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

Speaker 21 Amen.

Speaker 23 That's going to conclude our time of praying Lexia Divina together today.

Speaker 29 Certainly, if you've been taken to a place of prayer and you're able to continue remaining in dialogue and in this mutual blessing of God, we'd encourage you to do that.

Speaker 2 But thank you.

Speaker 5 Thank you for joining me and praying with me today.

Speaker 14 And I look forward to continuing this journey with you again tomorrow.

Speaker 27 All right, Poco, Poco, friends.

Speaker 20 God bless y'all.