The Rosary in a Year (with Fr. Mark-Mary Ames) - Day 76: The Shepherd is Shepherding

Episode Date: March 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.

I'm Father Mark Murray with Franciscan Friars of the Renewal and this is the Rosary in a Year podcast where 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 76. To download the prayer plan for Rosary in a Year, visit ascensionpress.com forward slash rosary in a year or text R IY

to 33777. We'll get an outline of how we're going to page month and it's great way to track your progress. The best place to listen to podcasts 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 Lexio 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 Lexio Divina is going to be, allow the shepherd to shepherd. Mark chapter one, verses 14 through 15. Begin with our lexio. Now after John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee preaching the gospel we've just read for our time here. So, let's engage the gospel we've just read for our time here. So, let's engage the gospel we've just read for our time here.

So, let's engage the gospel we've just read for our time here. 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 episodes. 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. And 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 Alexio again. The time is fulfilled. And the Kingdom of God is at hand. Repent and believe in the gospel. So our time of meditative tattu, let's go ahead and 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 the shepherd, you hear it 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? 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?

Okay, 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 in the gospel. Repent and believe. Now we'll enter into our arrazzio, 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-awaited for Messiah. Jesus is Lord, the anointed one, 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 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,

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 minds 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 totally now, to allow you to shepherd us now. And then we conclude our arrazzio 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 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 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, 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, so this is going to conclude our time of doing Lexa 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 and praying with me and I look forward to continuing this journey with you again tomorrow, poco a poco.

God bless y'all.