Day 76: The Shepherd is Shepherding

Mon Mar 17 2025

The mystery of the Proclamation of the Kingdom and the Call to Conversion reveals to us that the time is now. God is here, and he desires to shepherd you. As we pray lectio divina, Fr. Mark-Mary asks us, are we ready to allow Jesus to shepherd us? Are we ready to allow God to shape our lives? Today’s focus is the mystery of the Proclamation of the Kingdom and Call to Conversion and we will be praying one decade of the Rosary. For the complete prayer plan, visit https://ascensionpress.com/riy.

Summary

Podcast Summary: The Rosary in a Year (with Fr. Mark-Mary Ames)
Episode: Day 76 – "The Shepherd is Shepherding"
Release Date: March 17, 2025

Introduction

In Day 76 of Ascension’s "The Rosary in a Year" podcast, Fr. Mark-Mary Ames, CFR, delves into the profound theme of "The Shepherd is Shepherding." This episode guides listeners through a structured prayer and meditation journey centered around the third luminous mystery of the Rosary: the proclamation of the kingdom and the call to conversion. Fr. Mark-Mary Ames emphasizes the transformative power of the Rosary in deepening one's relationship with Jesus and Mary, ultimately becoming a conduit of grace for the entire world.

Lecture Divina: Exploring the Scripture (00:00 - 12:30)

Fr. Mark-Mary begins the session by introducing the day's scripture for Lectio Divina: Mark 1:14-15.

Fr. Mark-Mary Ames [01:20]: "After John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the Gospel of God and saying the time is fulfilled and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent and believe in the Gospel."

He breaks down the passage, highlighting the immediacy and urgency of Jesus' message. The proclamation of the kingdom signifies God's reign and presence in the current moment.

Fr. Mark-Mary Ames [03:45]: "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."

Fr. Mark-Mary emphasizes that Jesus embodies multiple roles—He is the healer, the savior, the teacher, and the shepherd—each aspect illustrating His comprehensive mission to guide and transform humanity.

Meditatio: Reflecting on the Kingdom of God (12:31 - 25:00)

Transitioning into meditative reflection, Fr. Mark-Mary encourages listeners to internalize the scripture's message.

Fr. Mark-Mary Ames [14:50]: "Repent. Have a change of mind, a change of heart and believe in the Gospel."

He urges listeners to recognize the present moment as the fulfillment of divine timing—"The time is now." This calls for immediate personal transformation and a wholehearted embrace of the Gospel.

Fr. Mark-Mary Ames [18:10]: "The invitation then is to leave behind any ways in which we are holding back. We are keeping him away."

Fr. Mark-Mary challenges listeners to identify and surrender areas of resistance, allowing Jesus, depicted as the shepherd, to guide and protect them.

Oratio: Engaging in Prayer (25:01 - 45:00)

Fr. Mark-Mary leads listeners through the Oratio segment, a structured prayer consisting of adoration, response, request, and rejoicing.

Adoration and Praise

Fr. Mark-Mary Ames [30:15]: "We just adore you Lord and bless you and praise you for your pursuit of us, for your work in our world and in our lives."

He invites listeners to thank Jesus for His multifaceted mission and His active presence in their lives.
Response and Surrender

Fr. Mark-Mary Ames [35:40]: "We entrust that and that place of poverty to you and ask you to come to knock on the door, to enter with your tenderness, your kindness, but also your strength and your power."

Listeners are encouraged to surrender their lives and open their hearts to receive Jesus fully, embracing His shepherding role.
Request for Grace

Fr. Mark-Mary Ames [40:05]: "Give us the grace to be totally surrendered. Give us the grace to be like new clay in the potter's hand."

He petitions for the grace necessary to remain open and malleable to God's will, allowing divine transformation.
Rejoicing and Thanksgiving

Fr. Mark-Mary Ames [43:20]: "We just thank you, Lord, for the grace. We thank you for the good news proclaimed to us anew this morning."

Fr. Mark-Mary concludes the prayer with gratitude for the received blessings and the continual revelation of God's goodness.

Contemplatio: Deepening Through the Rosary (45:01 - Conclusion)

The session culminates in the contemplative practice of praying a decade of the Most Holy Rosary, integrating the day's reflections and prayers.

Fr. Mark-Mary Ames [48:55]: "We conclude our lectio divina this morning with our contemplatio receiving deeply, asking deeply for this grace by praying a decade of the most holy rosary."

This practice serves as a tangible application of the day's teachings, fostering a deeper connection with Jesus and Mary through repetitive, meditative prayer.

Conclusion

Day 76 of "The Rosary in a Year" podcast offers a comprehensive guide to embracing the Rosary as a means of personal transformation and spiritual growth. Through the careful exploration of scripture, reflective meditation, and structured prayer, Fr. Mark-Mary Ames leads listeners to a more profound relationship with Jesus and Mary. By emphasizing the immediacy of God's kingdom and the importance of surrendering to His shepherding, this episode inspires a deeper commitment to daily prayer and spiritual development.

Listeners are encouraged to continue their journey by accessing the complete prayer plan at Ascension Press and to engage with additional resources available through the Ascension app, including full Rosary recordings with Fr. Mark-Mary and fellow friars.

Key Takeaways:

Immediate Transformation: Embrace the present moment to surrender and trust in Jesus' guidance.
Comprehensive Role of Jesus: Recognize Jesus as healer, savior, teacher, and shepherd.
Structured Prayer: Utilize the Oratio framework to deepen your prayer life.
Daily Commitment: Build a consistent habit of prayer to foster ongoing spiritual growth.

By following these teachings, listeners can cultivate a more intimate and effective prayer life, allowing the Rosary to become a powerful source of grace and a testament to their faith.

Transcript

A (0:00)

Foreign Mark Murray with Franciscan Friars the Renewal and this is the Rosary in Year podcast, where through prayer and meditation, the Rosary brings us deeper into relationship with Jesus and Mary becomes a source of grace for the whole world. The Rosary in a Year is brought to you by Ascension. This is day 76. To download the prayer plan for Rosary in a year, visit ascensionpress.com forward/rosaryinayear or text R I Y to 3 3. 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 in the Ascension app. There's special features both 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. For today's Lectio Divina, we'll be praying with the third luminous mystery, the proclamation of the kingdom and the call to conversion. And the emphasis of our Lecter Divina is going to be allow the shepherd to Shepherd. Mark chapter one, verses 14 through 15 begin with our Lectio. Now, after John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the Gospel of God and saying the time is fulfilled and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent and believe in the Gospel. All right, so let's engage the gospel we've just read for our time here of Meditatio. Okay, so Jesus is preaching the Gospel of God. And what is the Gospel of God? What is he saying? The time is now. The time is fulfilled. The Savior has come. What all time has been leading up to. It is fulfilled. The kingdom of God is at hand. As we discussed in previous episode, what is the kingdom of God? 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. He's healing, he is saving. He is the King who is establishing his reign, the bridegroom who's bringing souls into union with his own soul. What's the invitation? Okay, the time is now. God is here, the shepherd is shepherding. Repent and believe in the Gospel. Repent. Have a change of mind, a change of heart and believe in the Gospel. The gospel is the good news. Again, what is the good news? The kingdom of God is at hand. The long for 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 repent from any obstacles. Repent from any procrastination. The time is now. We'll go to our lectio again. The time is fulfilled and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent and believe in the Gospel. So our time of meditatu. Let's go ahead and like really engage our own hearts and our own experience of this scripture. The time is now to give our entire lives to Jesus. To surrender totally to him, to trust him totally. So the invitation then is to leave behind any ways in which we are holding back. We are keeping him away. How is it that the shepherd wants to shepherd you here and now? To guide you, fight for you, protect you, to lead you on your journey? Where is it that you just don't think God can be trusted? And can you allow the good news of who he is and what he desires to do? As we see throughout his preaching and works in Scripture, can you allow the good News to sink in there? Get one last time of lectio. The time is fulfilled and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent and believe in the Gospel. Repent and believe. Now we'll we'll enter into our oratio our prayer. Receive, respond, request, rejoice, receive. What is the good news here again being offered? The Kingdom of God is at hand. Jesus is the long waited for Messiah. Jesus is Lord, the Anointed One, the Divine Bridegroom, the Good shepherd, the Savior, the Healer, Teacher, the Truth, the Creator, the Redeemer. 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. This is the Good news. Okay, let's begin with our our initial response here of adoration and praise Jesus. We just thank you for revealing your power, for revealing your mission through saving, teaching, shepherding, healing, calling, loving, restoring, forgiving. We just adore you Lord and bless you and praise you for your pursuit of us, for your work in our world and in our lives. We thank you for preaching and revealing this good news in word and action. We thank you Lord for the ways in which you want to continue to do this in our own lives. In our subjective response to this good News of okay Lord, we just yet we surrender our lives and our hearts to you Lord and we surrender those parts of our lives that where the Good News just hasn't reached and we just we're weak there Lord and we can't even open up our own hearts to the Good News. We entrust that and that place of poverty to you and ask you to come to knock on the door, to enter with your tenderness, your kindness, but also your strength and your power. Lord, we want to respond now with open hearts. We want to repent, Lord, and give everything to you now at this moment. 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. May you reign in our hearts and in our lives. May you speak your truth and fill our mind with your light. Now we're going to request, Lord, just give us the grace to be open to you. Give us the grace to be totally surrendered. 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, to form us as you will, to restore us as you will, to save us as you will. And we just ask for that grace, Lord, to give everything now, to trust holy now, to allow you to shepherd us now. And then we conclude our oratio with our rejoicing. We just thank you, Lord, for the grace. We thank you for the good news proclaimed to us anew this morning. Again this morning. We thank you for the ways in which you are already answering our prayer. And we just bless you in your goodness that 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. And now we'll conclude our lectio divina this morning with our contemplatio receiving deeply, asking deeply for this grace by praying a decade of the most holy rosary. 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. But deliver us from evil. Amen. Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with the 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 the 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 the 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 the 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 the 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 the Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, mother of God, pray for us sinners now, now and at the hour of our death. Amen. Hail Mary, full of grace. The Lord is with the 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 the 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 the 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, 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, so this is going to conclude our time of doing Lexo divina together. Certainly. If the Lord has been speaking to your heart and you'd like to continue to pray, you're very much encouraged to do so. But thank you for joining me in praying with me, and I look forward to continuing this journey with you again tomorrow. Poco a poco. God bless.