Episode 3055: The Good Shepherd and the Wounded Sheep - Morning Episode

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Speak Lord for your Servant is Listening
Book Recommendation of the Day
Saint Monica: Model of Christian Mothers by F.A. Forbes
• A concise and spiritually rich biography.
• Originally published in the early 20th century and written in a style similar to hagiographies.
• This is a good, traditional Catholic perspective emphasizing her virtues and sanctity.
4. The Tears of St. Monica: Praying for Our Children by Father David Vincent Meconi, S.J.
• A modern work that reflects on St. Monica’s legacy, especially for parents praying for wayward children.
“The Good Shepherd and the Wounded Sheep: Following Christ Through the Cross”
Opening Reflection
Each morning, before the noise of the world has a chance to enter, I turn first to the liturgical calendar and my Roman Missal. In doing so, I align my heart not with the chaos of the day ahead, but with the rhythm of the Church the heartbeat of eternity echoing through time. The feast or saint of the day, the proper Mass readings, and the divine mysteries celebrated orient my soul toward Christ. By beginning the day in union with the Church's prayer and sacrifice, I do not merely plan my day I sanctify it. Every task that follows becomes a response to grace received, anchored in the eternal truths revealed anew each day through Holy Mother Church. It doesn’t mean my life is free of distraction, concerns, chaos or illness, it means know matter where I find myself on any given day I must always begin it with Christ. Sometimes are better than others but as Christ said t St Paul, my grace is sufficient to sustain thee and he will and he does. Sometimes you just don’t feel like it and that is exactly when you must push through and persist because that is when the graces are the greatest.
This is what we truly live for not the passing concerns of the world, but the eternal call to holiness. Christ, in His infinite love, did not leave us orphans; He left us His Mystical Body the Church through which He continues to sanctify us by grace, sacraments, and the sacred liturgy. Each liturgical day is a new invitation to draw closer to Him, to conform ourselves to His will, and to prepare our souls for the day when we shall rest in Him forever. To live in rhythm with the Church is to live with Heaven in view.
Today, the Church celebrates the Second Sunday after Easter, traditionally known as Good Shepherd Sunday. The Gospel given to us today brings before our eyes the image of Christ as the Good Shepherd, who not only watches over His flock but lays down His life for His sheep.
In a world of false shepherds, treacherous wolves, and distracted sheep, how urgent it is that we return to the voice of the One Shepherd of souls Jesus Christ.
Let us turn to today’s Epistle and Gospel with humility, listening for the voice of the Shepherd who not only calls us but carries us back upon His shoulders
Segment One: Epistle - 1 Peter 2:21–25
"Christ also suffered for us, leaving you an example that you should follow His steps."
Reflection on the Epistle:
St. Peter reminds us that to be a Christian is to suffer with Christ.
This Epistle was not written from the comfort of a pulpit but from the fire of persecution. Peter speaks to souls living under oppression, and he tells them:
"For unto this are you called..."
Called to what?
• To follow Christ in His Passion.
• To endure unjust suffering patiently.
• To imitate the silent dignity of the Lamb led to slaughter.
He tells us plainly:
“By His wounds you have been healed.”
The Cross, once a sign of shame, has become the fountain of mercy. The lashes that tore Christ’s flesh now bind our wounds. The Shepherd became a Lamb so that His flock might be saved.
This is not poetic sentiment it is our daily reality. When we suffer, when we are misunderstood, when we are betrayed or mocked for the faith, let us remember: we are walking in the footsteps of the Shepherd who laid down His life for us.
As St. Alphonsus Liguori said:
“The greatest pain of all is to see Jesus Christ suffering and to be indifferent to it.”
Let us not be indifferent. Let our sufferings be united to His. Let His wounds be our healing.
Gospel - John 10:11–16
"I am the Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd giveth His life for His sheep."
Reflection on the Gospel:
These words are among the most tender and powerful Christ ever spoke.
Not only does He call Himself the Shepherd He calls Himself the Good Shepherd, who knows His sheep, and more importantly, whose sheep know His voice.
Our Lord does not run from the wolf. He does not leave His post. He gives His life that the sheep might live. In these few verses, Christ reveals the entire mission of the Incarnation: to save what was lost, to lay down His life, and to gather one flock under one Shepherd.
In contrast, the hireling those false shepherds who care more for their status than for the flock flee when danger comes. How we see this today!
• False shepherds who allow wolves of error and scandal into the fold
• Bishops and clergy who accommodate heresy rather than fight for truth
• Pastors who flee from confrontation rather than defend the flock
Christ, by contrast, lays down His life. And not only for the visible flock, but for those “other sheep” who have not yet heard His voice souls who will be brought in through grace, through the witness of the faithful.
St. Gregory the Great beautifully said:
“The proof of love is in the works. Where love exists, it works great things. But when it ceases to act, it ceases to exist.”
If we love the Shepherd, we too must act.
• We must stand watch over our families.
• We must guard our children from spiritual wolves.
• We must remain faithful to the true voice of the Shepherd found in Sacred Scripture, Sacred Tradition, and the perennial teaching of the Church.
To follow the Good Shepherd is not to be safe, but to be saved.
Saint of the Day: St. Monica (Commemoration)
Today we also honor St. Monica, the mother of St. Augustine, who is one of the most moving examples of perseverance in prayer and maternal fidelity in Church history.
She wept, prayed, and sacrificed for decades as her son fell into sin and heresy. But she never despaired.
She is a patroness of mothers, of converts, and of all who suffer in hope. Through her tears and prayers, Augustine was not only converted but became one of the greatest saints and Doctors of the Church.
In a world of broken families and lost children, St. Monica gives hope that no soul is beyond the reach of grace especially when interceded for by a holy and persistent heart.
Three Quotes for Meditation
St. Gregory the Great:
“He who does not love the truth, is not a friend of the Good Shepherd.”
Pope John Paul II (echoing today’s Gospel):
“There is no place in the priesthood or religious life for those who are not willing to be martyrs.”
St. Augustine (about his mother, Monica):
“She gave birth to me twice—once in the flesh, once in the spirit.”
Conclusionary Prayer
O Divine Shepherd, Who knowest Thy sheep and didst lay down Thy life for them, grant us ears to hear Thy voice and hearts to follow wherever Thou dost lead. Strengthen the weak, call home the lost, and preserve Thy flock from every danger.
By Thy holy Cross and Precious Blood, heal our wounds and raise us to new life in Thee.
Through the intercession of St. Monica, inspire us to pray with perseverance for all who have strayed from the fold, and may we one day rejoice together in the pastures of eternal life.
In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.