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 5

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The Luminous Mysteries - for Vocations



The Baptism of Jesus in the Jordan - All vocations begin with Baptism. Through Baptism we are made sons and daughters of the Father. We are adopted by Him through the merits of Jesus Christ. In this mystery we can see Jesus (and John) being called and confirmed in their vocation. May the Holy Spirit descend upon each one of us and either help us to see more clearly our vocation or confirm us in the vocation the Lord has chosen for us.

Heavenly Father, we come before you as sons and daughters. We come before you as married people, priests and religious, and consecrated single people and ask for a greater outpouring of the Spirit upon our vocations and upon the Church. Lord give us, we beg, holy vocations to the priesthood, religious, consecrated single, and married life.


The Wedding Feast at Cana - Too often today our culture (and often those in the Church) do not recognize marriage as a vocation, as a calling by God to serve Him in this unique way. Those studying for the priesthood often do so for 8 or more years yet with marriage, the discernment process is merely months. Let us pray for holy vocations to the married life. Let us pray for greater discernment of this noble vocation of self-sacrifice and service.

Lord Jesus, we invite you not only to come to the wedding but also to the entire marriage. Be present, Lord, with married couples through all of the struggles and trials of married life as well as the joys. Take the ordinary things of married life and turn them into extraordinary things as you turned ordinary water into choicest wine.


The Proclamation of the Kingdom - You (and the way you live out your vocation) may be the only Bible some people ever live. Our vocation is not only the way God calls us to holiness and happiness with Him, it is also very often the way He shows His love to the world. Living our vocation to the best of our ability in accordance with the graces given in each vocation proclaims to the world, “the Kingdom of God is at hand!!”

Heavenly Father, help us all to live our vocations more fully. Forgive us for the times we have neglected the beauty and dignity of our vocation. Pour forth on your Church more holy vocations to proclaim the Kingdom. Give us holy priests and religious that lead us closer to you in word and sacrament. Give us holy marriages that show us how to love one another as Your Son loves the Church. Give us consecrated single people that proclaim the Kingdom through their love and devoted focus on serving you.


The Transfiguration - Peter, James, and John went up the mountain with Jesus. They were forever changed by this experience. They saw the Lord in all of His glory, the glory that is to be ours after a life (a vocation) well lived. Our vocations should change us. They are ways God has planned for us to become holy, to become saints!

Lord Jesus, pour forth upon your church, and the world, more holy vocations. Give us the courage to trust in your plan for our lives. You desire so much to make us saints, give us that desire to become saints. Place that desire in our hearts above all things. We humbly pray that you would change the world through us becoming saints each through our respective vocation.


The Institution of the Eucharist - “This is my body, given up for you.” These are the words of Our Lord when He gave us His very body, blood, soul, and divinity the night before His sacrifice on the Cross. These words can be our own as well in each of our vocations as we offer ourselves for others in our family, our parish or the world.

Lord Jesus, we pray for the graces we need to offer ourselves as You did. Give us, we pray holy vocations in the Church. Pour forth Your grace and mercy into each of those you have called to the priesthood, married life, and consecrated single life and change them into saints who say, “this is my body, this is my life, this is my vocation, given up for You.”

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.  The audio version of the Holy Rosary is also available for free on our website and recited by James M. Hahn.

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