The Sheepfold and the Voice of the Shepherd

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Stone sheepfold John 10:22-30 Recently my boys have been spending a great deal of time outside in the area that will soon be transformed into our garden. They spend endless hours digging in the dirt for worms. They then promptly take those worms and throw them to the chickens. It amazes me how even chickens can learn to recognize sounds or voices. My oldest makes this funny high-pitched sound when he comes out of the house and heads toward the coop. The chickens practically fall over themselves running toward the fence or out of the coop when they hear him making his sound. They know there is food to follow! In Sunday's Gospel Jesus tells us that, "My sheep hear my voice. I know them, and they follow me." and "I am the gate for the sheep." Today, again, Jesus mentions that His sheep know His voice and follow Him.  In these few verses we learn that Jesus is both gate and shepherd for the sheep. In those days and even today in some places, a sheepfold w
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90 Day Rosary of Reparation - Day 2

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If you would like to join your prayers to ours, please join our Facebook Group or simply download the intention sheet that we'll be using for the 90 Days.

The Joyful Mysteries - In Reparation for Sins Against Chastity

The Annunciation - Unlike the Blessed Mother, our world, and even many in our Church have become accustomed to saying “yes” to sin and unchastity and “no” to God and chastity. Unlike the “yes” of Mary which brought new life and love to the world, these “yeses” of ours to unchastity bring about pain and suffering.

Lord, give us strength to say “yes” to you and “no” to sin. Forgive us for our sins against chastity. Help us to do better today and each day thereafter. Mary, intercede for us in the time of temptation, help us to imitate you and seek not our own will but the will of the Father.


The Visitation - In the Visitation we find the antidote to unchastity, namely the serving or putting others before ourselves. Whereas unchastity seeks to use others for our own pleasure, chastity respects and serves the needs of others while protecting our own integrity. Mary and Elizabeth, models of chastity, show us that a chaste life is one seeking what is best for the other person.

Lord, chastity is so very difficult in our day and in our society. Help us, your Church, to once again promote and, more importantly, to live a life of chastity. Help us to never seek to use another but to serve others and protect their dignity in our thoughts, words, and actions.


The Nativity - The human body is good. God made it good. He even went so far as to become man because He wanted to redeem that goodness and restore it to its former glory and destiny. The Holy Family is our model in inspiration for a renewal of chastity in our homes and the Church.

Lord, our Church is suffering from a lack of knowledge of the goodness of the human body. Chastity has been tossed to the wayside and we are suffering. Help us once again to look upon these bodies, created in Your image and likeness with a sense of awe, wonder, and respect. Help us to see, in Your Nativity, the extreme love you have for us and for the bodies you have given us, destined as they are, to live an eternal life.


The Presentation in the Temple - The psalmist tells us, “Trust in the Lord and He will do everything for you.” The Presentation shows us the blessings that come from trusting in You. Mary, Joseph, Anna, and Simeon all trusted in you and the world was blessed by that trust. Living a chaste life is a life of trust. It is a life that ignores the whispers of the ancient serpent who spreads doubt, “Did God really say ...to be chaste…”

Lord, help us to present our entire lives to You. Give us the courage to give you not our heart or mind alone but also to trust you with the bodies you have given us. Help us to trust in Your plan for life and love. Help us to trust You, especially with our chastity.


The Finding of Jesus in the Temple - Jesus will never leave us but we do occasionally leave Him. When we have left Jesus, when we have fallen and find ourselves walking without Him, we see and example in Mary and Joseph of how to quickly turn around and return to the Lord. Unchastity in our lives and in the Church is leading us further and further from Christ, let us, with the help of Mary and Joseph, seek and find Jesus once more.

Lord, help us to return to You. Help us to see how alone we are when we leave You for sin. Give us the courage, through the intercession of Mary and Joseph, to change our path and return to you. Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, pray for a return to chastity in our homes, in the Church, and in the world.
 If you like these meditations, you may also like Rosary Meditations for Real Life, Rosary Meditations for the Family, or download all of our free meditation pamphlets.

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