The Rosary in a Year (with Fr. Mark-Mary Ames)

Episode: Day 76 — The Shepherd is Shepherding
Date: March 17, 2026
Host: Fr. Mark-Mary Ames, CFR
Podcast by: Ascension

Episode Overview

On Day 76 of The Rosary in a Year, Fr. Mark-Mary Ames leads listeners through a reflective and prayerful meditation centered on the third Luminous Mystery: the Proclamation of the Kingdom and the Call to Conversion. The guiding theme of this episode is inviting listeners to allow "the shepherd to shepherd," drawing on Jesus’s words in Mark 1:14-15 and exploring how Christ seeks to actively guide, heal, and reign in the personal lives of the faithful—right here, right now. Fr. Mark-Mary interweaves scriptural insight, practical reflection, and prayer with a warm, inviting tone, encouraging listeners to respond to Jesus's call to repentance and trust.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Scripture Foundation: Mark 1:14-15

• Fr. Mark-Mary reads from Mark’s Gospel, focusing on Jesus’s proclamation:

  “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent and believe in the Gospel.” (02:18)

• This passage is revisited multiple times to center the reflection.

2. Meaning of the Kingdom of God

• Fr. Mark-Mary unpacks the phrase, explaining:

  "The kingdom of God is God being God. It’s the king reigning, it is the healer healing, the savior saving, the teacher teaching, the shepherd shepherding. And we’ll see this right in all that Jesus is doing." (03:06)

• Jesus embodies each of these roles—establishing his kingship, healing, teaching, inviting people into union with him.

3. Call to Immediate Response

• Emphasis on urgency and presence:

  "The time is now. God is here, the shepherd is shepherding. Repent and believe in the Gospel." (03:44)

• Fr. Mark-Mary urges listeners to let go of delays and open themselves to God’s action without procrastination.

4. Personal Reflection and Surrender

• Meditatio segment invites deep introspection:

  “The time is now to give our entire lives to Jesus. To surrender totally to him, to trust him totally.” (05:08)

• He challenges listeners to identify areas of resistance or distrust and to let Christ shepherd those aspects.

5. Prayerful Engagement: Oratio

• The prayer moves through a fourfold response: receive, respond, request, rejoice.
• Fr. Mark-Mary models a prayer of adoration, thanksgiving, surrender, and petition:
  • Receive:

    "Jesus is the long waited for Messiah… He is here and he is at work. This is Good News. He is at hand. He can be followed. He can be listened to." (07:22)

  • Respond:

    “Lord, we just…surrender our lives and our hearts to you…where the Good News just hasn’t reached…we entrust that and that place of poverty to you...” (08:07)

  • Request:

    “Give us the grace to be like new clay in the potter’s hand, giving you total freedom to do with us as you will…” (09:13)

  • Rejoice:

    “We just thank you, Lord, for the grace…for the good news proclaimed to us anew this morning.” (10:08)

6. Contemplatio: Praying the Rosary

• The episode closes with the prayer of a decade of the Rosary, inviting listeners to contemplate and rest in the presence of Christ, the Good Shepherd, asking His grace to be received more deeply.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “The kingdom of God is at hand. The long awaited Messiah is here. The Savior has come to save, the Teacher has come to teach you and the shepherd desires to shepherd you. When? Now. Like now.”
  — Fr. Mark-Mary, (04:09)

• “Repent from any obstacles. Repent from any procrastination. The time is now.”
  — Fr. Mark-Mary, (04:23)

• “May the time be fulfilled in our lives. May we not procrastinate your grace, but receive fully and drink deeply of your grace offered here and now.”
  — Fr. Mark-Mary, (09:45)

• “You are the good shepherd who desires to lead us to green pastures and still waters. We love you, we bless you, we praise you, we adore you.”
  — Fr. Mark-Mary, (10:50)

Important Timestamps

• 00:00 — Introduction and context for today’s prayer
• 01:45 — Scripture reading: Mark 1:14-15
• 03:06 — Explanation of the Kingdom of God and Jesus’s roles
• 04:09 — Call to immediate response; urgency of God’s presence
• 05:08 — Invitation to personal surrender and trust
• 07:22 — Oratio: Adoration and response to good news
• 09:13 — Oratio: Petition for grace and surrender
• 10:08 — Oratio: Rejoicing in God’s action
• 11:00 — Praying the decade of the Rosary (Hail Marys and Glory Be)
• 13:00 — Encouragement to continue praying and closing remarks

Episode Tone & Style

Fr. Mark-Mary speaks gently but with conviction, combining scriptural teaching with practical calls to faith, trust, and conversion. His tone is encouraging, consoling, and pastorally direct, inviting listeners deeper into relationship with Christ as the Good Shepherd here and now.

Summary prepared for listeners new or returning to The Rosary in a Year: Day 76 — "The Shepherd is Shepherding."