Day 146: My Soul Thirsts
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I'm Fr. Mark Mary with Franciscan Friars of 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. The Rosary in a Year is brought to you by Ascension. This is day 146. To download the prayer plan for Rosary in a Year, visit ascensionpress.com forward slash rosary in a year or text rosaryinayear.com.

R-I-Y to 33777. You'll get an outline of how we're going to pray each month and it's a great way to track your progress. The best place to listen to the podcast is in the Ascension app. There are special features built just for this podcast and also recordings of the full rosary with myself and other friars.

On behalf of myself and the whole team here at Ascension, we wanted to take this opportunity to thank everyone who's helped support this podcast financially. Your generosity is so appreciated and helps us to reach as many people as possible. And if you haven't already, please consider supporting us at ascensionpress.com forward slash support. Today we will be meditating upon and praying with the third glorious mystery, the descent of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost with a painting called Pentecost by the artist Jean Restaud.

All right, again, brief introduction to our artists in art for today. The painting is called Pentecost, and it was done in the year 1732 by the artist Jean Restaud.

Restaud was born in 1692 and he died in the year 1768. He was a prominent French painter and draftsman of the 18th century. Born in Normandy, he came from a family of artists. His father was Jean Restaud the Elder, a church painter, and his mother was also an artist. Today's painting was done in the year 1732 and the style is of Baroque influences. Now our visual description of the painting.

In a grand classical colonnade, the Virgin Mary stands atop a white marble platform, raising her eyes confidently towards heaven draped in red and blue as beams of light cascade down from heavenly light, leaving a flame on the head of her and the dozens that surround her. Each figure that accompanies the Blessed Mother reacts uniquely to the celestial flames.

Some in terror and reverence, some wonder, fear, shock. In the chaos, a woman deeply bows to Mary. A man in the foreground prostrates and clasps his hands above his head in fearful prayer. Okay, so with today's painting, I am both fascinated and captivated by Mary's disposition and response to the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost.

particularly in contrast to that of the other disciples depicted. And today, I'd like us to pray with two themes regarding Mary here. Firstly, there's a fairly common phenomena, right, that is expressed in a wide variety of situations in which those who are veterans of a given situation react radically different from those who are experiencing something for the first time. A couple brief examples to make the point.

I think it's common that if you notice the way, you know, like first time parents react to their only child versus like a family who has a child of equal age, but it's say their sixth, seventh, eighth child, right? The veteran parent might see a situation or hear some crying, some tears and not immediately run like as if it's an emergency. And it's not that they don't care, but because they've learned to discern clearly like what is an emergency and what isn't.

they can have a certain confidence or even peace even when, you know, they're hearing tears, for example. A couple other sort of quick examples, like, you know, cue the response of a, like a first-time adult passenger on a flight when encountering turbulence versus a person who's been flying their whole life or the pilot or a flight attendant or perhaps like a young child hearing thunder for the first time versus an adult. I think of, you know, um,

Perhaps a farmer with a young child. The young child hears the thunder and the storm outside and they get afraid, like they're afraid. The parent knows everything's going to be okay. And the fact that they're a farmer is like, actually this isn't something to be feared. This is something to be rejoiced in because this water, like it's feeding our crops. Like this is going to provide not actually danger, but sustenance.

And so the point is this, like when something new is experienced, especially if it comes with thunder or turbulence or something potentially scary to the senses, there's a natural response which we see from the person experiencing it for the first time of caution, of alarm, maybe even fear. But for the one who's familiar with the phenomena, who's been there before, the response, which is a well-discerned response as opposed to like a naive one, it's able to remain calm, confident, and peace forever.

even when surrounded by thunder, lightning, and fire. And so we get to the disciples' response here in this painting by Jean Restaud. Notice how the disciples, like so many of them, they're shocked and they're shaken and they're afraid at the coming of the Holy Spirit, this theophany of God, which like makes the room tremble and it fills it with fire. And to be fair, like I think their response is reasonable, right?

Fear before thunder and fire, right? It is reasonable. Fear before the glory and power of God. It's a reasonable response in a sense. Yet Mary's response is quite different. Mary experiences the same external phenomena, but with confidence and boldness. And remember, Mary has been overshadowed by the Holy Spirit before. Call to mind the words of the angel Gabriel.

announcing that she will be overshadowed by the Holy Spirit. Now, I understand, like, there's no reason to believe that there was thunder and fire as she was overshadowed by the Holy Spirit and the Word became flesh in her womb. It's possible, certainly, but I posit probably unlikely. However, as the Holy Spirit descends at Pentecost, as she's overshadowed anew at Pentecost, she may not have recognized the phenomena, but she recognized the person.

The person of the Holy Spirit. The one she loves. One who is to be worshipped with awe. But not one whose power is to be hidden from, but one whose power is to be drunken of deeply. And so that, that's what Mary does.

And this leads me to my second point of reflection here. I see Mary here experiencing the fulfillment of the promise in the beatitude, blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied. How Mary thirsted for the living God. And now here, she is being filled anew. And I kind of want us to place this psalm upon Mary's heart, upon her lips here at this time of Pentecost. This is Psalm 63.

I'm using Psalm 63 is what I have in the Ascension Bible, but in some it might be 62. "Oh God, you are my God. I seek you. My soul thirsts for you. My flesh faints for you as in a dry and weary land where no water is. I have looked upon you in the sanctuary.

Beholding your power and glory because your merciful love is better than life. My lips will praise you so I will bless you as long as I live. I lift up my hands and call on your name. My soul thirsts for you. In the sanctuary I behold your power and glory. Again, this is Psalm 63 if you want to go and pray with it. Mary at Pentecost drinks deeply of the living God.

And as she was sure to make sure everyone received wine back at the wedding feast of Cana, like at Pentecost. And today she wants us all to drink deeply of the new wine, the new wine that is the Holy Spirit. So as we pray today, I'll invite you to drink deeply of the living God, the Holy Spirit. As we pray, come Holy Spirit.

More of you, God. We want more of you, always more of you. Fill us, Lord, with your light, with your power, your fire, your peace, your glory. May we always hunger and thirst for you alone. Come, Holy Spirit. Come, Holy Spirit. May we drink deeply of you. And now 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 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, amen.

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 today. I look forward to continuing this journey with you again tomorrow. All right, Poco a Poco friends. God bless y'all.