S3, E3 - The Baptism of Jesus Decade Meditation

The mission of the Ponder and Magnify Podcast is to seek an encounter with Jesus through praying the rosary, relying on the grace of the Holy Spirit and the intercession of Mary. In this episode, listeners are invited to pray with their imaginations through a decade meditation on the account of Jesus' Baptism from Matthew 3: 13-17. Praise be to God!

Transcript

Jessica: 0:05

Hello and welcome to the Ponder and Magnify podcast, where our mission is to seek an encounter with Jesus through praying the Rosary, relying on the grace of the Holy Spirit and the intercession of Mary. I am so happy that you are here. In this episode we will meditate on Jesus' baptism as we pray a decade of the Rosary. Before we start, let's pause and reflect on what we're bringing to prayer. What are your joys in this moment? What sorrows are you feeling right now? Do you have any fears in this moment? What are you desiring? Whom do you wish to pray for? In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen, Jesus, we ask you to speak directly into our present circumstances. Mary, thank you for praying with us and for us now. Holy Spirit, anoint the gift of our imagination so we might come to encounter Jesus more deeply through it. The first luminous mystery is Jesus' baptism, a reading from the Gospel of Matthew. Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan to be baptized by him. John tried to prevent him, saying I need to be baptized by you, and yet you are coming to me. Jesus said to him in reply Allow it now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness. Then he allowed him. After Jesus was baptized, he came up from the water and, behold, the heavens were opened for him and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming upon him. And a voice came from the heavens saying this is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased. 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. The murky water envelops me and I don't know how to escape. I am weighed down by confusion, fear and past hurt. I am desperate to break through it all, to the surface of the water, but I can't see how. Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed are 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. I am exhausted from trying to get to the surface and realize I need help. I cannot call out. Instead, I cry out in my heart. Someone, please save me. I no longer know what to do. 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.

Jessica: 3:29

Suddenly I see light penetrating through the water. Could the cry of my heart have been heard? 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. The light becomes more and more intense. I do my best to swim toward it, but luckily it approaches me much more quickly than I can get to it. 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. Suddenly, the face of Jesus is before me, radiating light which cuts through the murky water. He looks into my confused, scared, hurting eyes and gently touches my cheek, I cry out in my heart again please save me. 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. I feel myself pulled up so quickly from the water that I have to close my eyes. The surface was much nearer than I anticipated. 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. When I open my eyes, it is Jesus before me. There we are together in the Jordan River. He had heard the cry of my heart and had plunged down into the water to save me. 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. Jesus extends his hand again to touch my cheek so gently with a beaming smile. He speaks so tenderly. Thank you for giving me the joy of allowing me to save you. Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed are 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. Before I could respond, the heavens were opened. The Holy Spirit descended like a dove and the Father spoke from the heavens, saying this is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased. 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. I knew in my heart, if I could just stay locked in this moment in the gaze of Jesus, that I would never be lost again. 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, o my Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of hell, lead all souls to heaven, especially those in most need of thy mercy. Hail, holy Queen, mother of Mercy, our life, our sweetness and our hope. To thee do we cry, poor, banished children of Eve. To thee do we send up our sighs, mourning and weeping in this valley of tears. Turn then, most gracious, advocate, thine eyes of mercy toward us and, after this, our exile, show unto us the blessed fruit of thy womb, Jesus, o Clement O Loving O Sweet Virgin Mary. Pray for us, o Holy Mother of God, that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ. Amen. Thank you, holy Spirit, for this time of prayer together. Please know that we are continuing to pray for you and we ask you to be praying for us. Praise be to God.