Day 94: No Doubt
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I'm Father Mark Mary with Franciscan Friars with their new one. 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 94. 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 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. No matter what app you're listening in, remember to tap follow or subscribe for your daily notifications. Today we'll be meditating on and praying with the first luminous mystery, the baptism of Jesus. And our meditation will be enriched by a writing from St. Ambrose from his work on the mysteries.

A little background on St. Ambrose. St. Ambrose was born in the year 340 and he died in the year 397. An interesting fact about St. Ambrose is he is the priest who harvested, what we could say, St. Monica's prayers and tears planted and grew. And by this, I mean that he is the priest attributed with the conversion, with helping convert and then baptize St. Augustine. Keeping with our theme, St. Ambrose is also a doctor.

of the church and I don't see any specific adjective with what kind of doctor he is, what his specialty is. So I guess we can say that St. Ambrose is a general practitioner. All right. And he is the patron saint of beekeepers. All right. So here's a writing from St. Ambrose's on the mysteries. And the emphasis of our meditation is going to be faith is certain. Is there then here any room left for doubt?

When the Father clearly calls from heaven in the Gospel narrative and says, "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." When the Son also speaks upon whom the Holy Spirit showed Himself in the likeness of a dove. When the Holy Spirit also speaks, who came down in the likeness of a dove. When David too speaks, "The voice of the Lord is above the waters, the God of glory thundered, the Lord above many waters." The end of the reading.

Thanks be to God. Perhaps the two most moving, emotionally moving experiences from my time in seminary happened in a somewhat surprising place, the academic classroom. Both of these experiences deal with seminary professors that are highly, highly educated, highly academic, intelligent men with doctorates who speak multiple languages and just had really, really impressive minds. The first was the academic dean. And during Trinity class,

He shared about how he gets emotional and in sharing this, he actually started to get emotional while reciting the creed at mass. He gets emotional just reciting the creed at mass. And he's just saying this, he just shared it. It's just so beautiful and I believe so deeply. The second is related, was in a liturgy class when the priest shared his thoughts on some parish context where they break it up and after each part of the creed,

they have the whole congregation say, I believe Lord help my unbelief. And he's getting pretty fired up, not just as a liturgist, but as a Christian, as a man of faith. And he'd say, I believe, I just believe like there is no help my unbelief. I believe with my whole life and the sincerity and the conviction to me were just like so strikingly beautiful. And the truth is that both of these priests responses to the creed are a hundred percent correct. What we believe is incredibly beautiful and also beautiful.

Faith is certain. The Catechism of the Catholic Church says, "Faith is certain. It is more certain than all human knowledge." Why? Because it is founded on the very word of God who cannot lie. It's certain because God has revealed it. God who cannot lie. If you'll allow me to work in another Catechism quote here.

The Catechism says, "By his revelation, the invisible God from the fullness of his love addresses men as his friends." The invisible God from the fullness of his love. Why? From the fullness of his love, he addresses men as friends and he moves among them in order to invite and receive them into his own company. We see this acutely in the baptism of Jesus. God the Father, the invisible God from the fullness of his love addresses the Son.

And in so doing, he addresses us as well, ultimately inviting us into relationship with the most holy Trinity. To this, St. Ambrose, as we just read, proclaims, "Is there any room left for doubt? Is there any room left for doubt when the Father clearly calls from heaven in the gospel narrative and says, 'This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased.'" So is there, is there any room for doubt? The Catholic answer to this question is actually no.

And why not? Well, to paraphrase the Catechism again, the Word of God, the truth revealed has been revealed by God Himself. The Word, that which has been spoken has been guaranteed by God, who is truth itself. My invitation to you now as we close in prayer is to go there. Go to the waters of the Jordan, this luminous place of theophany, of divine revelation. Take a moment in your mind's eye to hear the Father's voice. See the heavens open.

Witness the Spirit descending like a dove. Pay attention to the sureness, the authority of the Father's words. This is my beloved Son with whom I am well pleased. And pay attention to the invisible God revealing, the authority of the one revealing. And hear the Father speak. See the Spirit descend. And respond, ask for the grace to respond by following with total submission of your intellect and your will.

indeed, your very life to Jesus, the beloved Son of God. There's no room for doubt here in the baptism of the Lord. We can have full confidence in Jesus, a certainty in our faith that enables us to place our trust in Him. Remember the one who speaks, the one who calls you into communion is truth Himself. Now with Our Lady, 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. Thank you 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.