Day 171: Worship the Newborn King
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I'm Father Mark Mary with the Franciscan Friars of Renewal, and this is the Rosary in a Year podcast. We're 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 171. To download the prayer plan for Rosary in a Year, visit ascensionpress.com forward slash rosary in a year or text R-I-Y to 33-777-1700.

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. I encourage you to pick up a copy of the Rosary in the Year Prayer Guide, a book published by Ascension that was designed to complement this podcast. 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 with the third joyful mystery, the Nativity of our Lord, with help from a painting by the artist Caravaggio entitled Nativity with St. Francis and St. Lawrence. Now a word on our artist and artwork, Caravaggio. We're back with him again. He worked from the year 1571 to 1610.

And his painting today that we'll be looking at, his nativity with St. Francis St. Lawrence, which was done in the year 1609. It's one of his last works and it was painted during his time in Sicily after fleeing Rome. Its location is currently unknown as it was stolen from the Oratory of San Lorenzo in Palermo, Italy. The style of the artwork today is Baroque. And now a description of our painting. Amidst wooden golden beams and tufts of hay,

A tiny baby Jesus lays on the floor of a barn. Seated above him in a red frock with tied up hair, the Virgin Mary quietly gazes down at him. Her fair profile and exposed shoulder are struck with light. Next to her, the large head of a cow peers down. On the left side, St. Lawrence in golden vestments emerge in attentiveness, bends over to observe the humble naked child.

To the far right stands St. Francis cloaked in his brown habit, hands folded in reverence, expressing calm and contemplation, drawn toward the infant with quiet devotion. A man with short hair in the foreground speaks to an older man, perhaps a shepherd. From above, an angel depicted as a winged, youthful boy descends into the composition, one arm outstretched, pointing up, the other down towards the Christ child.

If you'll allow me, today's episode is going to be a slight break, not dramatic, but slight break from the genre of episodes to this point. But first, a little background to the painting, as there are a couple of details which we can't just pass by, right? Caravaggio has included in his nativity scene both St. Francis of Assisi and St. Lawrence. St. Lawrence was a deacon and Roman martyr known for his profound service to

to the poor. St. Francis, of course, he's noted for his devotion to holy poverty, to Our Lady Poverty. And he's known for his love of the poor and his holy fascination with the poverty and humility of God. In our painting here by Caravaggio, this fascination being directed to the poor babe of Bethlehem.

And now as a Franciscan, I can't help but feel like Caravaggio's inclusion of St. Francis here opens the door widely to me bringing some St. Francis into today's meditation. And here's where we're going to kind of have a little break from the genre. What I'm going to do is I'm going to lead us in prayer today using the praises of God, which is a prayer, it's a text written by St. Francis. And why?

Like technically, right? These words weren't written by St. Francis directly to the baby Jesus. But I think this prayer and this praise, like it helps us to receive the gift. It reminds us of who this babe is. And it reorients like our entire lives, to be honest. I just love it. And the praises of God, they address God and who he is, like his power, his glory, his beauty. And it's the same God that,

who comes to us, who is present in the manger. And in my working hypothesis, like what I propose is that understanding like the humility of God and really appreciating it, including this mystery of the nativity, like it begins with understanding the majesty of God again, who it is here being born into the world.

And so what I'd like us to do is to pray, like with the praises of God, with St. Francis and with Our Lady and St. Joseph and St. Lawrence and all the saints. And may this prayer certainly be a moment in your day today to simply praise God. But also my hope is that it's formational, right? That it's a reminder of who God is, of who it is that has taken flesh and who it is that is born in the manger.

so now the praises of god by saint francis you are holy lord god alone who works wonders you are strong you are great you are the most high you are almighty you holy father king of heaven and earth you are three and one lord god of gods you are good all good the highest good lord god living and true

You are love, charity. You are wisdom. You are humility. You are patience. You are beauty. You are meekness. You are security. You are rest. You are gladness and joy. You are our hope. You are justice and temperance. You are everything. Our riches to sufficiency. You are beauty. You are meekness. You are protector. You are guardian and defender. You are strength. You are refuge.

You are our hope. You are our faith. You are our charity. You are all our sweetness. You are our eternal life. Great and wonderful Lord God Almighty. Merciful Savior. And so just again, like this invitation is just to look at Jesus, to look at him in the manger and to know who he is. He is our refuge, our strength, our hope, our rest. He is beauty. He is love. He is wisdom. He's all our sweetness.

He is our eternal life. This, my brothers and sisters, this is who took flesh in the womb of the Virgin Mary and was born in the manger because there was no room for Him in the inn. And now we'll conclude with our decade of the Rosary, really asking for the grace to have this grandeur of God to take root in our souls, to be imprinted on our minds. Because He's so great and so powerful.

but also like the humility of God. We're asking for the grace to have the humility of God that we encounter here in the manger to give us like a holy punch in the gut, like bowling us over with love and awe and devotion. 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, 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. Poco a poco, friends. God bless y'all.