Shepherds of Christ  
       Daily Writing          

 

October 1, 2009

October 2nd Holy Spirit Novena
Scripture selection is Day 3 Period I.

The Novena Rosary Mysteries  
for October 2nd are Glorious.


   

Retreat in Florida

October 2nd - 5th

1:30 pm & 6:20 pm

sessions each day

Please come & join us!

 

   

 

October 1, 2009

   

Mysteries of Light

 


 

                The Baptism of Jesus
 

Matthew 3: 13-17

Then Jesus appeared: he came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptised by John. John tried to dissuade him, with the words, ‘It is I who need baptism from you, and yet you come to me!’ But Jesus replied, ‘Leave it like this for the time being; it is fitting that we should, in this way, do all that uprightness demands.’ Then John gave in to him. 

    And when Jesus had been baptised he at once came up from the water, and suddenly the heavens opened and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming down on him. And suddenly there was a voice from heaven, ‘This is my Son, the Beloved; my favour rests on him.’

 

                (1)

Luke 4: 18-22

    The spirit of the Lord is on me,
    for he has anointed me
    to bring the good news to the afflicted.
    He has sent me
        to proclaim liberty to captives,
    sight to the blind,
    to let the oppressed go free,
    to proclaim a year of favour
        from the Lord.

He then rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the assistant and sat down. And all eyes in the synagogue were fixed on him. Then he began to speak to them, ‘This text is being fulfilled today even while you are listening.’ And he won the approval of all, and they were astonished by the gracious words that came from his lips. They said, ‘This is Joseph’s son, surely?’

                (2) Jesus is Divine —
                    Power —
                    Jesus showed us the Supernatural —
                    Jesus healed the sick
                    Jesus expelled demons
                    Jesus calmed the storm

                (3) We see a man when we see Jesus —
                        but we see God
                    Jesus teaches us about God

                (4) Jesus called the Apostles —
                        Jesus calls — we respond
 

Mark 3: 14

and he appointed twelve; they were to be his companions and to be sent out to proclaim the message,
 

                (5) Jesus was with the Apostles —
                    Jesus wants us to be in communities
                        of love —
                    The Trinity is the most perfect community
                        of love.

                (6) Jesus wants that oneness with us
                        today — to be with Him —
                        He loved His Apostles —
                        He loves us —
                        He loved us so much —
                        Jesus died for us —

                (7) Shepherds of Christ is to lead to this
                        Era of love — Reign of the Sacred Heart
                           Triumph of Mary's Immaculate Heart

                    We are preparing for our heavenly
                        reward — the more we dwell in
                        the Hearts of Jesus and Mary

                (8) Fr. Carter called dwelling in the Hearts
                        of Jesus and Mary our little heaven
                        on earth —

                (9) There is so much sin in the world —
                        giving into our wounded human
                        nature —

                        We act more purely — when we
                            dwell in the Hearts of Jesus and Mary —
                            when we consecrate our lives
                            to the Pure and Holy Hearts of Jesus and Mary

                (10)

Joshua 1: 1-5

When Moses, servant of Yahweh, was dead, Yahweh spoke to Joshua son of Nun, Moses' adjutant. He said, 'Moses my servant is dead; go now and cross this Jordan, you and this whole people, into the country which I am giving to them (the Israelites). Every place you tread with the soles of your feet I shall give you, as I declared to Moses that I would. From the desert and the Lebanon, to the Great River, the Euphrates (the entire country of the Hittites), and as far as the Great Sea to westward, is to be your territory. As long as you live, no one will be able to resist you; I shall be with you as I was with Moses; I shall not fail you or desert you.
 

                    They crossed the Jordon to the promised land.

                    Today God gives us the Church —
                    Today we have baptism —   
 

Matthew 28: 19-20 

Go, therefore, make disciples of all nations; baptise them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teach them to observe all the commands I gave you. And look, I am with you always; yes, to the end of time.’ 
 

                    We have the Church —

                    Jesus is truly present and remains
                        with us in the Eucharist —

                    We are to prepare for heaven —
                    Giving ourselves united to the Mass — the
                        sacrifice of Calvary Sacramentally made present —

  

 

A Prayer before the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass

    Let me be a holy sacrifice and unite with God in the sacrament of His greatest love.

    I want to be one in Him in this act of love, where He gives Himself to me and I give myself as a sacrifice to Him. Let me be a holy sacrifice as I become one with Him in this my act of greatest love to Him.

    Let me unite with Him more, that I may more deeply love Him. May I help make reparation to His adorable Heart and the heart of His Mother, Mary. With greatest love, I offer myself to You and pray that You will accept my sacrifice of greatest love. I give myself to You and unite in Your gift of Yourself to me. Come and possess my soul.

    Cleanse me, strengthen me, heal me. Dear Holy Spirit act in the heart of Mary to make me more and more like Jesus.

    Father, I offer this my sacrifice, myself united to Jesus in the Holy Spirit to You. Help me to love God more deeply in this act of my greatest love.

    Give me the grace to grow in my knowledge, love and service of You and for this to be my greatest participation in the Mass. Give me the greatest graces to love You so deeply in this Mass, You who are so worthy of my love.

-Mass Book, December 27, 1995

   

 

                Marriage at Cana

                (1) John 2: 1-11  

On the third day there was a wedding at Cana in Galilee. The mother of Jesus was there, and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited. And they ran out of wine, since the wine provided for the feast had all been used, and the mother of Jesus said to him, ‘They have no wine.’ Jesus said, ‘Woman, what do you want from me? My hour has not come yet.’ His mother said to the servants, ‘Do whatever he tells you.’ There were six stone water jars standing there, meant for the ablutions that are customary among the Jews: each could hold twenty or thirty gallons. Jesus said to the servants, ‘Fill the jars with water,’ and they filled them to the brim. Then he said to them, ‘Draw some out now and take it to the president of the feast.’ They did this; the president tasted the water, and it had turned into wine. Having no idea where it came from—though the servants who had drawn the water knew—the president of the feast called the bridegroom and said, ‘Everyone serves good wine first and the worse wine when the guests are well wined; but you have kept the best wine till now.’ This was the first of Jesus’ signs: it was at Cana in Galilee. He revealed his glory, and his disciples believed in him. After this he went down to Capernaum with his mother and his brothers and his disciples, but they stayed there only a few days.

 

                (2) Jesus changed water into wine.

Hebrews 9: 11-15

But now Christ has come, as the high priest of all the blessings which were to come. He has passed through the greater, the more perfect tent, not made by human hands, that is, not of this created order; and he has entered the sanctuary once and for all, taking with him not the blood of goats and bull calves, but his own blood, having won an eternal redemption. The blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer, sprinkled on those who have incurred defilement, may restore their bodily purity. How much more will the blood of Christ, who offered himself, blameless as he was, to God through the eternal Spirit, purify our conscience from dead actions so that we can worship the living God. This makes him the mediator of a new covenant, so that, now that a death has occurred to redeem the sins committed under an earlier covenant, those who have been called to an eternal inheritance may receive the promise.

 

                (3) We see the love of God for His people —
                    Like a marriage —
                    All through salvation history — men are
                        rebelling and sinning against God
                        but God forgives us when we are
                        sorry.

                (4) Sing: Hosea

                (5) Jesus' first miracle is at Cana —

                (6) We ask for the grace to be able to
                        spread the Good News —
                        To shout it from the roof —
                        The gift the Church and the priest
                        is to us!

                (7) Jesus speaks: Pray My Prayers.
 

                (8) Isaiah 1: 1-8

The vision of Isaiah son of Amoz concerning Judah and Jerusalem, which he received in the reigns of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah kings of Judah.

    W    Listen, you heavens; earth, attend, 
        for Yahweh is speaking, 
    ‘I have reared children 
        and brought them up, 
    but they have rebelled against me. 
    The ox knows its owner 
        and the donkey its master’s crib; 
    Israel does not know, 
        my people do not understand.’ 
    Disaster, sinful nation, 
        people weighed down with guilt, 
    race of wrong–doers, perverted children! 
    They have abandoned Yahweh, 
        despised the Holy One of Israel, 
    they have turned away from him.
here shall I strike you next, 
        if you persist in treason? 
    The whole head is sick, 
        the whole heart is diseased, 
    from the sole of the foot to the head 
        there is nothing healthy: 
    only wounds, bruises and open sores 
    not dressed, not bandaged, 
        not soothed with ointment, 
    your country a desolation, 
        your towns burnt down, 
    your soil, foreigners lay it waste 
        before your eyes, 
    a desolation like devastation by foreigners. 
    The daughter of Zion is left 
        like a shanty in a vineyard, 
    like a shed in a cucumber field, 
        like a city besieged.

                (9) Isaiah 49: 1-7

Coasts and islands, listen to me, 
pay attention, distant peoples. 
Yahweh called me when I was in the womb, 
before my birth 
    he had pronounced my name. 
He made my mouth like a sharp sword, 
he hid me in the shadow of his hand. 
He made me into a sharpened arrow 
and concealed me in his quiver. 
He said to me, ‘Israel, you are my servant, 
through whom I shall manifest my glory.’ 
But I said, ‘My toil has been futile, 
I have exhausted myself for nothing, 
    to no purpose.’ 
Yet all the while 
    my cause was with Yahweh 
and my reward with my God. 
And now Yahweh has spoken, 
who formed me in the womb 
    to be his servant, 
to bring Jacob back to him 
and to re–unite Israel to him;
—I shall be honoured in Yahweh’s eyes, 
and my God has been my strength.— 
He said, ‘It is not enough for you 
    to be my servant, 
to restore the tribes of Jacob 
    and bring back the survivors of Israel; 
I shall make you a light to the nations 
so that my salvation may reach 
    the remotest parts of earth.
Thus says Yahweh,
the redeemer, the Holy One of Israel,
to the one who is despised,
    detested by the nation,
to the slave of despots:
Kings will stand up when they see,
princes will see and bow low,
because of Yahweh who is faithful,
the Holy One of Israel
    who had chosen you.

                (10) Jesus:
                        Oh Israel your light has come and
                            you missed My gifts —
                            Listen now before it is too
                                late —
                            I give you My Movement to lead
                                men to My Pure and Holy Heart
                                and the Heart of My Mother
                            Israel listen to Your God —
                            Turn your head no longer —
                            I loved you My People —
                            I loved you to My death on the
                                cross.
                            You smite your King and
                            I am the kindest of all Kings —
                            I am your Redeemer oh Israel —
                            Harken and listen to your God.

   


 

                Kingdom of God

                (1) Jesus: Many Kings went before Me —
                        I am to reign, now, in the
                        hearts of men —
                        I want you to listen to Me and
                        do as I tell you.

                (2) Jesus: For My children:
 

 

  

              (3) Jesus: My Kingship —
                        My People —
                        Many put themselves on the throne —
                        They want to be honored and adored —

                (4)

From The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius, 
    by Louis J. Puhl, S.J. p. 12

                        23. FIRST PRINCIPLE AND FOUNDATION

                            Man is created to praise, reverence and serve God 
                        our Lord, and by this means to save his soul.
   

John 18: 36-38

Jesus replied, 'Mine is not a kingdom of this world; if my kingdom were of this world, my men would have fought to prevent my being surrendered to the Jews. As it is, my kingdom does not belong here.' Pilate said, 'So, then you are a king?' Jesus answered, 'It is you who say that I am a king. I was born for this, I came into the world for this, to bear witness to the truth; and all who are on the side of truth listen to my voice.' 'Truth?' said Pilate. 'What is that?' And so saying he went out again to the Jews and said, 'I find no case against him.'

                (5)

From The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius, 
    by Louis J. Puhl, S.J. p. 11

21.                     SPIRITUAL EXERCISES

    Which have as their purpose the conquest of self
    and the regulation of one's life in such a way that
    no decision is made under the influence of any
    inordinate attachment

                (6)

Act of consecration to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

"Lord Jesus, Chief Shepherd of the flock, I consecrate myself to Your most Sacred Heart. From Your pierced Heart the Church was born, the Church You have called me, as a member of Shepherds of Christ Associates, to serve in a most special way. You reveal Your Heart as a symbol of Your love in all its aspects, including Your most special love for me, whom You have chosen as Your companion in this most important work. Help me to always love You in return. Help me to give myself entirely to You. Help me always to pour out my life in love of God and neighbor! Heart of Jesus, I place my trust in You!

"Dear Blessed Virgin Mary, I consecrate myself to your maternal and Immaculate Heart, this Heart which is symbol of your life of love. You are the Mother of my Savior. You are also my Mother. You love me with a most special love as a member of Shepherds of Christ Associates, a movement created by your Son as a powerful instrument for the renewal of the Church and the world. In a return of love, I give myself entirely to your motherly love and protection. You followed Jesus perfectly. You are His first and perfect disciple. Teach me to imitate you in the putting on of Christ. Be my motherly intercessor so that, through your Immaculate Heart, I may be guided to an ever closer union with the pierced Heart of Jesus, Chief Shepherd of the flock."

 

                (7) Mary is the perfect disciple of the
                        Lord —
                    Disciples listen to Jesus —
                    When we quit listening we
                        quit being a disciple

                (8)

 

A Prayer for Intimacy with the Lamb, the Bridegroom of the Soul

     Oh Lamb of God, Who take away the sins of the world, come and act on my soul most intimately. I surrender myself, as I ask for the grace to let go, to just be as I exist in You and You act most intimately on my soul. You are the Initiator. I am the soul waiting Your favors as You act in me. I love You. I adore You. I worship You. Come and possess my soul with Your Divine Grace, as I experience You most intimately.

                (9) Jeremiah 3: 11-14

And Yahweh said to me, 'Disloyal Israel is upright, compared with faithless Judah. So go and shout words towards the north, and say: "Come back, disloyal Israel, Yahweh declares, I shall frown on you no more, since I am merciful, Yahweh declares. I shall not keep my anger for ever. Only acknowledge your guilt: how you have rebelled against Yahweh your God, how you have prostituted yourself with the Strangers under every green tree and have not listened to my voice, Yahweh declares. "Come back, disloyal children, Yahweh declares, for I alone am your Master, and I will take you, one from a town, two from a family, and bring you to Zion.

                (10) The Kings disobeyed Jeremiah
                        and there was disaster —
                        Jeremiah told the Kings what
                        to do — they would not
                        listen —

    

 

                Transfiguration

                (1) Matthew 17: 1-8

Six days later, Jesus took with him Peter and James and his brother John and led them up a high mountain by themselves. There in their presence he was transfigured: his face shone like the sun and his clothes became as dazzling as light. And suddenly Moses and Elijah appeared to them; they were talking with him. Then Peter spoke to Jesus. ‘Lord,’ he said, ‘it is wonderful for us to be here; if you want me to, I will make three shelters here, one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.’ He was still speaking when suddenly a bright cloud covered them with shadow, and suddenly from the cloud there came a voice which said, ‘This is my Son, the Beloved; he enjoys my favour. Listen to him.’ When they heard this, the disciples fell on their faces, overcome with fear. But Jesus came up and touched them, saying, ‘Stand up, do not be afraid.’ And when they raised their eyes they saw no one but Jesus.

                (2) Our Lady told us at Fatima what to
                        do.

 

Excerpt from The Spirituality of Fatima

by Fr. Edward Carter, S.J.

July 13, 1917

    "During this same July apparition, Mary showed the three children a vision of Hell. She told them:

    "You have seen Hell, where the souls of poor sinners go. To save them, God wishes to establish, in the world, devotion to my Immaculate Heart. If people do what I tell you, many souls will be saved and there will be peace.

    "The war (World War I, then raging) is going to end. But if people do not stop offending God, another and worse one will begin in the reign of Pius XI. When you shall see a night illuminated by an unknown light [January 2, 1938], know that this is the great sign that God gives you that He is going to punish the world for its many crimes by means of war, hunger, and persecution of the Church and the Holy Father. (12)

    "To prevent this, I shall come to ask for the consecration of Russia to my Immaculate Heart and the Communion of Reparation on the five first Saturdays. If my requests are granted, Russia will be converted and there will be peace. If not, she will scatter her errors throughout the world, provoking wars and persecutions of the Church. The good will be martyred, the Holy Father will have much to suffer, and various nations will be destroyed....

    "But in the end, my Immaculate Heart will triumph, the Holy Father will consecrate Russia to me, Russia will be converted, and a certain period of peace will be granted to the world." (13)

 12. For background material on Fatima, I am particularly indebted to 
    Our Lady of Fatima's Peace Plan from Heaven (Rockford: TAN 
    Books and Publishers, Inc., 1983). pp.4-5.
13. Ibid., p.5.

 

                    There was then World War II.

                (3) Christ is a Divine Person —

                (4) We read the Old Testament and we see how
                        they kept disobeying —
                        rebelling against God.

                (5) They worshipped false gods —
                        Look at our false gods today —
                        We can put ourselves on the
                            throne
                            (1) seeking dominance for
                                dominance sake
                            (2) jealousy
                            (3) trying to manipulate
                                God's plan for our POWER,
                                for affection for us, vain glory,
                                control, etc.
                            (4) possessiveness
                            (5) slothfulness
                            (6) lust
                            (7) gluttony
                            (8) greed
                            (9) pride
                            (10) anger

 

                    Who is on
                        my throne?    

 

                              ME        or        JESUS

 

                (6) Witnesses to Jesus

John 5: 31-38

Were I to testify on my own behalf,
my testimony would not be true;
but there is another witness
    who speaks on my behalf,
and I know that his testimony is true.
You sent messengers to John,
  and he gave his testimony to the truth—
  not that I depend on human testimony;
  no, it is for your salvation
     that I mention it.
John was a lamp lit and shining
and for a time you were content
   to enjoy the light that he gave.
But my testimony is greater than John’s:
the deeds my Father has given me
  to perform,
these same deeds of mine
testify that the Father has sent me.
Besides, the Father who sent me
bears witness to me himself.
You have never heard his voice,
you have never seen his shape,
and his word finds no home in you
because you do not believe
in the one whom he has sent.

 

                (7) John 14: 6

I am the Way; I am Truth and Life....

                (8) John 6: 50

 but this is the bread
    which comes down from heaven,
 so that a person may eat it and not die.
 

                (9) John 6: 51

I am the living bread
    which has come down from heaven.
Anyone who eats this bread
    will live for ever;
and the bread that I shall give
is my flesh, for the life of the world.' 

                (10) John 7: 37-39

The promise of living water

On the last day, the great day of the festival,
 Jesus stood and cried out:

   ‘Let anyone who is thirsty come to me!
   Let anyone who believes in me
      come and drink!

 As scripture says, "From his heart shall flow 
 streams of living water." ’
     He was speaking of the Spirit which those who believed in him were to receive; for there was no Spirit as yet because Jesus had not yet been glorified.

  

 

   

                Institution of the Eucharist

                (1) Mark 14: 12-16, 22-26

On the first day of Unleavened Bread, when the Passover lamb was sacrificed, his disciples said to him, ‘Where do you want us to go and make the preparations for you to eat the Passover?’ So he sent two of his disciples, saying to them, ‘Go into the city and you will meet a man carrying a pitcher of water. Follow him, and say to the owner of the house which he enters, "The Master says: Where is the room for me to eat the Passover with my disciples?" He will show you a large upper room furnished with couches, all prepared. Make the preparations for us there.’ The disciples set out and went to the city and found everything as he had told them, and prepared the Passover.

And as they were eating he took bread, and when he had said the blessing he broke it and gave it to them. ‘Take it,’ he said, ‘this is my body.’ Then he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he handed it to them, and all drank from it, and he said to them, ‘This is my blood, the blood of the covenant, poured out for many. In truth I tell you, I shall never drink wine any more until the day I drink the new wine in the kingdom of God.’

                            After the psalms had been sung they left for the Mount of Olives. 

 

                (2)

A Prayer before the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass

    Let me be a holy sacrifice and unite with God in the sacrament of His greatest love.

    I want to be one in Him in this act of love, where He gives Himself to me and I give myself as a sacrifice to Him. Let me be a holy sacrifice as I become one with Him in this my act of greatest love to Him.

    Let me unite with Him more, that I may more deeply love Him. May I help make reparation to His adorable Heart and the heart of His Mother, Mary. With greatest love, I offer myself to You and pray that You will accept my sacrifice of greatest love. I give myself to You and unite in Your gift of Yourself to me. Come and possess my soul.

    Cleanse me, strengthen me, heal me. Dear Holy Spirit act in the heart of Mary to make me more and more like Jesus.

    Father, I offer this my sacrifice, myself united to Jesus in the Holy Spirit to You. Help me to love God more deeply in this act of my greatest love.

    Give me the grace to grow in my knowledge, love and service of You and for this to be my greatest participation in the Mass. Give me the greatest graces to love You so deeply in this Mass, You who are so worthy of my love.

-Mass Book, December 27, 1995

                (3) From Blue Book II            

Picture of the Sacred Heart of Jesus   I Love You

    April 13, 1994

    Words of Jesus. Read before the Tabernacle.
 

Jesus:  How, child, do I, Jesus, tell you I love you? You hold on to silly things when God is in your midst and is ardently loving you. I am Jesus Christ, the Son of God. I am writing to each precious child this day. I am on fire for love of you. I remain in the Eucharist to be with you with My ardent love. I did not want to leave My beloved ones at the Last Supper. I love you so, My dear and ardently loved children. I remain with you this day in the Blessed Sacrament, the same Jesus Who died a brutal death on the Cross.

    Do you know I am truly present there? Do you know that God waits every day for you in the tabernacle? Do you comprehend even a minute amount of My love? You will never know of how I love you on earth.

    I, Jesus, truly the Son of God, came to earth a man and suffered a brutal death for love of you. I love you so much! I remain with you this day. I long for your love. I want you to come and be with Me in front of the tabernacle. I wait, I yearn for you to come and whisper your love to Me. I am a person and I love you this day, with such an ardent on-fire love! No human could ever compare a speck to My love for you.

    I wait, little ones, in the tabernacle. I wait for you to come and receive Me in Communion. I want you to want Me so much you cannot wait to come and receive Me. I want to be the love, the center of your life!

    I am Jesus. I am the Son of God. I am writing to you this day. I want to possess your very soul and live in you. I have all you need, sweet ones. Oh, you are so blind! I long for your union with Me. I wrote the book of love. I instituted it, yet you go to the world for your love and do not even come to Me! Oh, I love you, little ones. Little ones, beloved of the Father, loved by the Holy Spirit, mothered by My very own mother! What more can I say? The rest is up to you!

    I give you your will with such love and I want your love freely given. I am God. What do you think you could ever need that I do not give you? I am the Savior of this world. I am Jesus, the Son of God. I am waiting for you. I am longing for you. I am yearning for you. I am God. I have all you ever will need!

    Surrender this life to Me. Pray My Prayer for Union with Me. I want to possess your soul and operate from your very being. I am Jesus. I am the Son of God. I am the Sacred Heart of Jesus. I am Who am. I died and rose on the third day.

    Harken to My call, harken to My pleading. Spend your days in love with Me. Nothing matters unless it is rooted in Me and rooted in My love. I am the Son of God. I am the Sacred Heart of Jesus. I love you with the tenderest love. I am waiting this day for just you, My beloved one. Come to Me for I am the tenderest of all hearts. I am the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

- God's Blue Book, Volume 2 April 13, 1994

 

                (4) From the Mass Book

January 2, 1997

"In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, Amen."

"The grace of our Lord, Jesus Christ, and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all."

God pours out His grace in this Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. It is the greatest gift when God gives Himself to us.

We share with God His life, given to us abundantly in the Mass.

He gives Himself to us, and we give ourselves to Him. The great love affair between God and man: His Holy Mass.

The priest is another Christ to us. It is Christ present, through the priest, celebrating the Mass. We must see Christ in the priest, see Him celebrate the Mass, see His beautiful brown hair, His gentle face, see Him, Our Savior. This Jesus Christ that came was born an infant and gave Himself to His death on the cross that we would share His life. See Him now in the Mass, giving Himself in the greatest gift of all. He gives us His divine love and His divine life.

Oh, we thank You for Your life. We know He died and rose and gave us a sharing in His holy life. His life is now abundantly poured, as a fountain to us, especially in the Mass.

Then we hear His Word. Let the Word of God penetrate our being. Let us feel this Living Word of God. As a two-edged sword, it comes forth with such conviction and love and it penetrates the souls of the faithful with such love. It is food indeed, food for our soul.

He is the Good Shepherd. He speaks to us. He gives us all we want. "There is nothing I shall want." (The Lord is my shepherd; I have everything I need. Ps. 23:1).

He gives us green pastures, and His water pours out and refreshes us. He outpours His grace as a fountain to feed us with His life.

He is a just God, good and kind, all loving, for He is love. We want for nothing for He outpours His love and His life to us in the Mass. We feast on His Body and Blood and are fed with His Word. We become one in Him and He shares Himself with us.

It is through the Mass celebrated by the hands of a holy pries that we will experience the Mass the way Christ intends. These writings are insights which hopefully will help lead you to the spring of life-giving water, the fountain of love and life He outpours in the Mass.

There will be a new earth when men will see with the light of seven suns. They will know God. A people walking in darkness will see a great light. They will no longer be blind, they will be enlightened, they will love God with the greatest love in the Mass. They will feast on His Body and Blood and will be united as one body in His holy Church through His life given to us in the Eucharist.

We will drink copiously from the fountain of grace which He pours out in the Mass. We will be filled with His love, absorbed with the love of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit and feasting on His divine life.

We see with the vision of God. We partake in such a union with God. We see with the light the Spirit gives to us. The priest celebrates the Mass and we know God with such an intense knowing in this union. We are saturated with His life flowing from the hands of His consecrated priest.

And I look at Him, the priest, and I see Jesus there. I see Him giving Himself to me. I see the new and Holy City. I see with such clarity the great gift that God gives to us in the Mass!

We learn how to love in the Mass, for we unite to God. He gives us such an intimate sharing in His divine love that we carry His love out to the world. In this union we know His loving to an intense degree and we carry this love out to others. We share in an intense way in His divine act of loving. He, Who is Love, gives Himself to us and we are absorbed in His love and we know intensely how God loves. We are filled with love for God and for each other, for, in the oneness He is loving through us. He gives us lights into His loving capacity and we know His loving power in an intensity we did not know before.

We then pray. We offer up our intentions for this Mass. It is now we who intercede to Him to outpour His grace on us and help us with these intentions.

We pray for this reign of peace when the Sacred Heart of Jesus will reign and the Immaculate Heart of Mary will triumph and men will fervently love and adore God with burning love. We pray for all souls and the Church and we beg for His help, His love, His grace.

                (5) From the Mass Book - January 2, 1997 continued

We offer ourselves as a sacrifice. We offer the bread that will become the Bread of Life.

The priest mixes the water and the wine and we realize how His Divinity mixes with our humanity.

We offer the wine that will become our spiritual drink—His Blood.

I give myself to Him and I beg to be cleansed of my sins with the washing of the hands.

"May the Lord accept the sacrifice of your hands for the praise and glory of His name, for our good and the good of all His Church."

We ask Him to accept the gifts we want to give Him, we give Him thanks, we lift up our hearts in thanks and praise and we sing out:

"Holy, Holy God, of power and might..." we sing Him praise and thank Him, "Oh, God we love thee so much."

My heart is so filled with such awe. I cry because I love Him so much.

Every word in the Mass, I love. The priest consecrates the Host and changes it into the Body and Blood of Christ. Hear Christ say to us: "This is My Body", "This is My Blood".

Oh, it makes me cry for I am so struck with awe at what happens at the Consecration. I unite in the oneness with the priest, with Christ and with all present, with heaven and earth. I am one in that moment, united in the sacrifice of Christ giving Himself to the Father.

This is the moment when I unite in such oneness with Christ in the purity of Mary's heart. I give myself as a sacrifice. I offer myself to the Father.

The Father looks down and He sees us united to His Son's Sacrifice. It is in this oneness that His grace is outpoured on us, that we die to that which is not like Him and that the Holy Spirit works in the heart of Mary and fills us with His life.

I am in ecstasy as I realize more and more the great gift of love that God gives us in His holy Mass. I am taken to such heights, being wrapped in the presence of God. It is rapture, this Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.

It is a great gift, experiencing this intense presence of the Almighty God: Through Him, With Him, and In Him.

We pray to the Father the prayer as Jesus taught us and beg, "Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven."

We pray: "For the Kingdom, the power and the glory are Yours, now and forever."

We beg for peace in our hearts. We share this peace with one another. Then we beg of the Lamb of God. I want to get down to the ground and beg for His grace, mercy, and forgiveness for our sins.

Please, God, I see us as a sinful people. I want the grace and mercy to flow abundantly.

He raises the Host and says: "This is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world, happy are those who are called to His supper."

                (6)  From the Mass Book - January 2, 1997 continued

We respond: "Lord, I am not worthy to receive You, but only say the word and I shall be healed."

I receive the Almighty God in Communion. All I want is Him. Oh, God, I want You, I adore You, I worship You, I love You.

Oh, for this moment when God gives Himself to me. Oh, God, words do not express this time—this intense presence of You within my being. Oh, sweet Savior, I love You!

You share Yourself so intimately with me. You imprint on my soul a knowing of Your Divine Being that is so intimate in this Communion when You give Yourself to me.

Oh, let our hearts be open to His grace that we may know this great gift more, that we will partake more fully in this greatest act of love with Divinity.

He shares Himself with us, the Almighty God, in such oneness. This is the greatest way to bind us with each other, to unite with each other in the Mass and Communion.

And so I sing the love of God, the love of His Mass. I beg you to pray for the grace that He can teach you in these writings about His most intimate love affair with man, the gift of Himself—the gift He gives us in the Mass.

The Holy Sacrifice, the sacrifice of Calvary, sacramentally-made-present in the Mass when He gives Himself to us with the greatest love!

And what does He ask in return? He asks that we love one another, that we give Him the glory, the thanksgiving, the adoration that is His due as the Almighty God.

He sends us forth with His blessing to share His most intimate love with all. We go forth as other Christs in the world. For He is alive this day and He lives in us and He gives His love to others through us. We act as channels of His life to one another.

The Mass is the richest source of His life. His life flows through the body, the Church, especially through the sacraments and the Mass.

Oh Jesus, from the fountain of life that pours forth from your pierced Heart, give us holy priests whose hearts are consecrated to the Hearts of Jesus and Mary to celebrate the Mass—that there is such oneness between the priest and Christ that His grace will flow copiously.

We thirst for the fountain of life pouring forth from the pierced Heart of Christ. It is His life we seek and find in the Church. It is His love we want and we experience the greatest love affair with God in the Mass.

These books on the Mass are accounts of my intimate love affair with our Almighty God. Many experiences were enlightenments I received in the Mass.

I strongly advise all to pray, to say the Holy Spirit Prayer, the consecration prayers, and the Prayer before the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, before Mass.

This book is the journey into the red room, the inner chamber of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, through the gateway, the pure and Immaculate Heart of His Mother.

It is in the Mass we give ourselves in such love to our Holy God. He gives Himself to us and we give ourselves to Him.

end of January 2, 1997

 

                (7) From the Mass Book August 20, 1996 - Scourging at the Pillar

  1. 1. They took Him away and they tied Him to the pillar, and they began to beat Him. They took turns beating our beloved Savior. Stand there. Let us picture ourselves tied to the pillar. Picture us. How is the love in our hearts? Would we stand at the pillar and allow men that we loved to tear our flesh, knowing full well that we could stop it at any moment? He stood at the pillar and they tore His flesh, and His blood fell to the ground. He withstood this for our sins. Do we know how He suffered for our sins, the sins that we commit towards our brothers, when we talk about our brothers, those that He loves? His way is love. We are His apostles of love. We must be holy. Our hearts must be filled with holiness. We must go into the world and always show others how to love. We cannot talk about others. We must have hearts filled with love. Only in love will our hearts unite to His Heart. People are watching us. We are the stars against the darkest night. Will we shine or will we be dull? In order to shine, our hearts must be likened to His Heart. We must give Him our hearts, and He will turn our hearts to hearts of love.

 

                (8) Jesus is the Light of the World
                        Jesus is My Beloved
                        Jesus is My Savior
                        Jesus is My Bridegroom
                        Jesus is My All

                (9) To Jesus, the Almighty God,
                        the greatest Lover of all.

                (10) I give Him my soul.
                        I love You Jesus.  

 

 

Please help us print

Fr. Joe's Cycle C

Homily Book

 

                    Please Help Us.

 

 

 

Joyful Mysteries

 

                Annunciation

                (1) Luke 1: 26-38

In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the House of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary. He went in and said to her, ‘Rejoice, you who enjoy God’s favour! The Lord is with you.’ She was deeply disturbed by these words and asked herself what this greeting could mean, but the angel said to her, ‘Mary, do not be afraid; you have won God’s favour. Look! You are to conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you must name him Jesus. He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David; he will rule over the House of Jacob for ever and his reign will have no end.’ Mary said to the angel, ‘But how can this come about, since I have no knowledge of man?’ The angel answered, ‘The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will cover you with its shadow. And so the child will be holy and will be called Son of God. And I tell you this too: your cousin Elizabeth also, in her old age, has conceived a son, and she whom people called barren is now in her sixth month, for nothing is impossible to God.’ Mary said, ‘You see before you the Lord’s servant, let it happen to me as you have said.’ And the angel left her.

 

                (2) Jesus is the long awaited King —
                    The message of Jesus coming is
                        the message of hope.

               (3) God made a promise to send
                    this King —

                (4) We wait for peace and security in
                        the world.

                (5) The Gospel tells us one day He will
                        come in great glory to establish
                        the Kingdom of God forever.

                (6) Are we ready to meet our God?

                (7) Following Christ, obeying Him,
                        serving Him as He desires
                        brings joy to us.

                (8) Mary is the perfect handmaid of
                        the Lord.

                (9) Mary was conceived without sin —

                (10) Mary said at Fatima to pray the
                        rosary every day.

     

                Visitation

                (1) The Magnificat

Luke 1: 46-55

And Mary said:

My soul proclaims
    the greatness of the Lord
and my spirit rejoices
    in God my Saviour;
because he has looked upon
    the humiliation of his servant.
Yes, from now onwards
    all generations will call me blessed,
for the Almighty
    has done great things for me.
Holy is his name,
and his faithful love extends age after age
    to those who fear him.
He has used the power of his arm,
he has routed the arrogant of heart.
He has pulled down princes
    from their thrones
        and raised high the lowly.
He has filled the starving with good things,
    sent the rich away empty.
He has come to the help
    of Israel his servant,
        mindful of his faithful love
—according to the promise
    he made to our ancestors—
of his mercy to Abraham
    and to his descendants for ever.

                (2)

 

A Prayer for Intimacy with the Lamb, the Bridegroom of the Soul

     Oh Lamb of God, Who take away the sins of the world, come and act on my soul most intimately. I surrender myself, as I ask for the grace to let go, to just be as I exist in You and You act most intimately on my soul. You are the Initiator. I am the soul waiting Your favors as You act in me. I love You. I adore You. I worship You. Come and possess my soul with Your Divine Grace, as I experience You most intimately.

                (3) Luke 1: 39-45

Mary set out at that time and went as quickly as she could into the hill country to a town in Judah. She went into Zechariah’s house and greeted Elizabeth. Now it happened that as soon as Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the child leapt in her womb and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. She gave a loud cry and said, ‘Of all women you are the most blessed, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. Why should I be honoured with a visit from the mother of my Lord? Look, the moment your greeting reached my ears, the child in my womb leapt for joy. Yes, blessed is she who believed that the promise made her by the Lord would be fulfilled.’

                (4) God's ways are not our ways — if we
                        close ourselves off and think we can
                        live believing we know it all —
                        we do not have instruments to
                        grow in greater life in Him —

                (5) Jesus was in Mary's stomach
                        This relationship between the Divine
                        God and Mary a, human person, is
                        awesome.

                (6) God gives us Himself in the Eucharist and
                        He comes and dwells IN US —
                        God gives us Himself in His Divinity
                        and humanity in the Eucharist —
                        What an awesome gift —

                (7) God prepares our hearts for greater
                        union with Him, but we must
                        surrender to Him — like a bride
                        giving herself to the bridegroom —

                (8) Such intimacy with God —
                        God called Abraham, Moses, to
                        leave everything — their settled routine
                        and to do as God wants us to do —
                        to walk in faith —
                        to be led by God —
                        to follow as a bride her bridegroom —

                (9) We are searching to know God's will for us —
                        We are open and ready to follow His Plan —
                        Mary said —

 

Luke 1: 38

Mary said, ‘You see before you the Lord’s servant, let it happen to me as you have said.’ And the angel left her.

 

                (10) Fr. Joe Robinson says
                         December 8, 2005
                        "From the instant she (Mary) began to
                        exist on this earth, indeed from her
                        very conception, she was holy, filled
                        with God's grace and without sin."
                        Mary was greeted by the angel as
                        "Full of grace".

 

                    Fr. Joe says
                        "There was no moment in Mary's life
                        when God's grace did not fill her (Mary).
                        She was full of grace."

    

 

                Birth of Jesus

                (1) Luke 2: 1-20

Now it happened that at this time Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be made of the whole inhabited world. This census—the first—took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria, and everyone went to be registered, each to his own town. So Joseph set out from the town of Nazareth in Galilee for Judaea, to David’s town called Bethlehem, since he was of David’s House and line, in order to be registered together with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. Now it happened that, while they were there, the time came for her to have her child, and she gave birth to a son, her first–born. She wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger because there was no room for them in the living–space. In the countryside close by there were shepherds out in the fields keeping guard over their sheep during the watches of the night. An angel of the Lord stood over them and the glory of the Lord shone round them. They were terrified, but the angel said, ‘Do not be afraid. Look, I bring you news of great joy, a joy to be shared by the whole people. Today in the town of David a Saviour has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. And here is a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger.’ And all at once with the angel there was a great throng of the hosts of heaven, praising God with the words: 

    Glory to God in the highest heaven, 
    and on earth peace for those he favours. 

    Now it happened that when the angels had gone from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, ‘Let us go to Bethlehem and see this event which the Lord has made known to us.’ So they hurried away and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in the manger. When they saw the child they repeated what they had been told about him, and everyone who heard it was astonished at what the shepherds said to them. As for Mary, she treasured all these things and pondered them in her heart. And the shepherds went back glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, just as they had been told.

 

                (2) From the Priestly Newsletter Book III by Fr. Edward Carter, S.J.

The Father's Will for Us  - Our Source of Peace

  • Pope John Paul II instructs us: "The Church, as a reconciled and reconciling community, cannot forget that at the source of her gift and mission of reconciliation is the initiative, full of compassionate love and mercy, of that God who is love (see 1 John 4:8) and who out of love created human beings (see Wisdom 11:23-26; Genesis 1:27: Psalms 8:4-8)…He created them so that they might live in friendship with Him and in communion with one another.

 

                (3) From the Priestly Newsletter Book III by Fr. Edward Carter, S.J. - The Father's Will for Us continues

"God is faithful to His eternal plan even when man, under the impulse of the evil one (see Wisdom 2:24) and carried away by his own pride, abuses the freedom given to him in order to love and generously seek what is good, and (instead) refuses to obey his Lord and Father. God is faithful even when man, instead of responding with love to God’s love, opposes Him and treats Him like a rival, deluding himself and relying on his own power, with the resulting break of relationship with the One who created him. In spite of this transgression on man’s part, God remains faithful in love.

 

                (4) From the Priestly Newsletter Book III by Fr. Edward Carter, S.J. - The Father's Will for Us continues

"It is certainly true that the story of the Garden of Eden makes us think about the tragic consequences of rejecting the Father, which becomes evident in man’s inner disorder and in the breakdown of harmony between man and woman, brother and brother (see Genesis 3:12 ff; 4:1-16). Also significant is the Gospel parable of the two brothers (the parable of the ‘prodigal son’; see Luke 15:11-32) who, in different ways, distance themselves from their father and cause a rift between them. Refusal of God’s fatherly love and of His loving gifts is always at the root of humanity’s divisions.

 

                (5) From the Priestly Newsletter Book III by Fr. Edward Carter, S.J. - The Father's Will for Us continues

"But we know that God…like the father in the parable (of the prodigal son), does not close His heart to any of His children. He waits for them, looks for them, goes to meet them at the place where the refusal of communion imprisons them in isolation and division. He calls them to gather about His table in the joy of the feast of forgiveness and reconciliation.

 

                (6) Sing: Silent Night

                (7) From the Priestly Newsletter Book III by Fr. Edward Carter, S.J.

The Indwelling of the Trinity and the Life of Grace

The spiritual life, the life of holiness, begins at Baptism. Archbishop Luis Martinez says:

"When we are born we are endowed by God with all we need for our human life, a complete organism, and a soul with the full range of faculties. Of course they are not all developed from birth, but we have them then as the source of everything we are going to need in life. And thus it is also in the spiritual order. When someone is baptized, he receives in all its fullness that supernatural world which the Christian carries within his soul. He receives grace, which is a participation of the nature of God; the theological virtues, which put him in immediate contact with the divine; the moral virtues, which serve to regulate and order all his life; and the gifts of the Holy Spirit, the divine, mysterious receivers for picking up the Spirit’s inspirations and movements."2

2. Archbishop Luis M. Martinez, The Sanctifier, Pauline Books and Media, pp. 124-125.

 

                (8) From the Priestly Newsletter Book III by Fr. Edward Carter, S.J. - The Indwelling of the Trinity continued

Another author states: "The Three Divine Persons inhabit the sanctuary of our soul, taking their delight in enriching it with supernatural gifts and in communicating to us a Godlike life, similar to theirs, called the life of grace.

 

                (9) From the Priestly Newsletter Book III by Fr. Edward Carter, S.J. - The Indwelling of the Trinity continued

"All life, however, implies a threefold element: a vital principle that is, so to speak, the source of life itself; faculties which give the power to elicit vital acts; and lastly, the acts themselves which are but its development and which minister to its growth. In the supernatural order, God living within us produces the same elements. He first communicates to us habitual grace (the life of sanctifying grace) which plays the part of a vital supernatural principle. This principle deifies, as it were, the very substance of the soul and makes it capable, though in a remote way, of enjoying the Beatific Vision and of performing the acts that lead to it.

 

                (10) From the Priestly Newsletter Book III by Fr. Edward Carter, S.J. - The Indwelling of the Trinity continued

"Out of this grace spring the infused virtues and the gifts of the Holy Spirit which perfect our faculties and endow us with the immediate power of performing Godlike, supernatural, meritorious acts.

"In order to stir these faculties into action, He give us actual graces which enlighten our mind, strengthen our will, and aid us both to act supernaturally and to increase the measure of habitual grace that has been granted to us.

 

   

                The Presentation

                (1) Luke 2: 22-28

And when the day came for them to be purified in keeping with the Law of Moses, they took him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord—observing what is written in the Law of the Lord: Every first–born male must be consecrated to the Lord—and also to offer in sacrifice, in accordance with what is prescribed in the Law of the Lord, a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons. Now in Jerusalem there was a man named Simeon. He was an upright and devout man; he looked forward to the restoration of Israel and the Holy Spirit rested on him. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death until he had set eyes on the Christ of the Lord. Prompted by the Spirit he came to the Temple; and when the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the Law required, he took him into his arms and blessed God; and he said:

    Now, Master, you are letting 
        your servant go in peace 
    as you promised; 
    for my eyes have seen the salvation 
    which you have made ready 
        in the sight of the nations; 
    a light of revelation for the gentiles 
    and glory for your people Israel.

 

                (2) From the Priestly Newsletter Book III by Fr. Edward Carter, S.J. - The Indwelling of the Trinity continued

"Although this life of grace is entirely distinct from our natural life it is not merely superimposed on the latter. It penetrates it through and through, transforms it and makes it divine. It assimilates whatever is good in our nature, our education and our habits. It perfects and supernaturalizes all these various elements, directing them toward the last end, that is toward the possession of God through the Beatific Vision and its resultant life." 3

                                        3. Adolphe Janquery, S.S., The Spiritual Life, Desclee & Co., p. 18

 

                (3) From the Priestly Newsletter Book III by Fr. Edward Carter, S.J. - The Indwelling of the Trinity continued

Our being in the state of sanctifying of grace and the special indwelling of the Persons of the Trinity within us always exist together. We cannot have the one without the other. Our life of grace, which is a sharing in Trinitarian life, allows us to know and love Father, Son, and Holy Spirit in a most intimate fashion. Through grace we are in the image of the Trinity, and we enjoy special relationships with the Divine Persons.

 

                (4) From the Priestly Newsletter Book III by Fr. Edward Carter, S.J. - The Indwelling of the Trinity continued

Again, we listen to the words of Archbishop Martinez as he speaks about our relationships with the Divine Persons:

"Love, we have said, is the foundation of devotion to the Holy Spirit, as it is also the foundation of Christian perfection. But love as a reflection of God, as His own image, is something that encloses within its simplicity a boundless wealth and a variety of forms. Who can fathom the depths of love?

"Human love in all its manifestations is admirably in harmony with the love of charity; it is confident in filial love, trusting in friendship, sweet and fruitful in the love of husband and wife, disinterested and tender in the love of a mother. Our love of God must include all these forms of human love; every fiber of our heart must vibrate when the harmonious and full canticle of love bursts forth from it. But since God is one in essence and triune in Persons, our love for Him takes on a particular aspect accordingly as it is directed to each one of the divine Persons.

 

                (5) From the Priestly Newsletter Book III by Fr. Edward Carter, S.J. - The Indwelling of the Trinity continued

"Our love for the Father is tender and confident like that of children; eager to glorify Him as His only-begotten Son taught us to do by word and example. Love for the Father is the intense desire to have His will fulfilled on earth as it is in heaven. Our love for the Son, who willed to become flesh for us, is characterized by the tendency to union with Him and transformation into Him; by imitation of His example, participation in His life, and the sharing of His sufferings and His Cross. The Eucharist, mystery of love, of sorrow, and of union, reveals the characteristics of this love.

 

                (6) From the Priestly Newsletter Book III by Fr. Edward Carter, S.J. - The Indwelling of the Trinity continued

"Love for the Holy Spirit also has its special character, which we should study in order completely to understand devotion to Him. We have explained how the Holy Spirit loves us, how He moves us like a divine breath that draws us to the bosom of God, like a sacred fire that transforms us into fire, like a divine artist who forms Jesus in us. Surely, then, our love for the Holy Spirit should be marked by loving docility, by full surrender, and by a constant fidelity that permits us to be moved, directed, and transformed by His sanctifying action.

"Our love for the Father tends to glorify Him; our love for the Son, to transform ourselves into Him; our love for the Holy Spirit, to let ourselves be possessed and moved by Him."4

4. Archbishop Martinez, op. cit., pp. 67-68,

 

                (7) From the Priestly Newsletter Book III by Fr. Edward Carter, S.J.

Life In and With Jesus

  • The spiritual life centers in Christ. Here are words from the Jerusalem Catecheses: "When we were baptized into Christ and clothed ourselves in him, we were transformed into the likeness of the Son of God. Having destined us to be his adopted sons, God gave us a likeness to Christ in his glory, and living as we do in communion with Christ, God’s anointed, we ourselves are rightly called ‘the anointed ones.’ " 5

5. Jerusalem Catecheses, as in The Liturgy of the Hours, Catholic Book Publishing Co., Vol. II, p. 608.

 

                (8) From the Priestly Newsletter Book III by Fr. Edward Carter, S.J. -  Life In and With Jesus continued

  • Msgr. Robert Guste says: "Ideal Catholics held up to us by the Church are the saints. As you read their lives, what do you notice? One after the other, they were men and women who had a deep, personal relationship with Our Lord Jesus Christ. Their hearts were on fire with love for Him..." 6

6. Msgr. Robert Guste, The Gift of the Church, Queenship Publications, pp. 22-23.

 

                (9) From the Priestly Newsletter Book III by Fr. Edward Carter, S.J. -  Life In and With Jesus continued

  • When we are baptized we are incorporated into Christ’s paschal mystery of death and resurrection. St. Paul speaks of this marvelous union with Jesus: You cannot have forgotten that all of us, when we were baptised into Christ Jesus, were baptised into his death. So by our baptism into his death we were buried with him, so that as Christ was raised from the dead by the Father’s glorious power, we too should begin living a new life. (Rm 6:3-4).

Christ has structured the Christian life by the way He lived, died, and rose from the dead. It is obvious, then, as Paul tells us above, that the pattern of death-resurrection must be at the heart of the Church’s life. Individually and collectively, we continually die with Christ so that we may continually rise with Him. Thus we pass over in a process of ongoing religious transition to a greater participation in Christ’s resurrection. It is true that our participation in Christ’s resurrection will reach its completion only in eternity. Nevertheless, we begin the life of resurrection here upon the earth, in the here and now of human life, in the midst of joy and pain; in the experience of success and failure, in the sweat of our brow, in the enjoyment of God’s gifts. As Christians, we should have a sense of dynamic growth concerning our here and now life of resurrection.

We cannot maintain the life of resurrection or grow in it without a willingness to suffer. This does not mean that we need to feel overwhelmed and heavily burdened in our lives. The greater portion of suffering for most Christians seems to be an accumulation of ordinary hardships, difficulties, and pains. At times, however, deep suffering, even suffering of agonizing proportions, can enter into one’s life. Whether the sufferings one encounters are of either the more ordinary variety or the more rare and extreme type, Christians must convince themselves that to relate properly to the cross is to grow in resurrection, and growth in resurrection means we will also have an increased capacity to help give resurrection to others.

 

                (10) From the Priestly Newsletter Book III by Fr. Edward Carter, S.J. -  Life In and With Jesus continued

  • The following words of St. John Eudes remind us of the glorious goal the Christian is called to: the most intimate union with Jesus.

"I ask you to consider that our Lord Jesus Christ is your true head and that you are a member of his body. He belongs to you as the head belongs to the body. All that is his is yours: breath, heart, body, soul and all his faculties. All of these you must use as if they belonged to you, so that in serving him you may give him praise, love and glory. You belong to him as a member belongs to the head. This is why he earnestly desires you to serve and glorify the Father by using all your faculties as if they were his.

"He belongs to you, but more than that, he longs to be in you, living and ruling in you, as the head lives and rules in the body. He desires that whatever is in him may live and rule in you: his breath in your breath, his heart in your heart, all the faculties of his soul in the faculties of your soul...

"You belong to the Son of God, but more than that, you ought to be in him as the members are in the head. All that is in you must be incorporated into him. You must receive life from him and be ruled by him. There will be no true life for you except in him, for he is the one source of true life. Apart from him you will find only death and destruction. Let him be the only source of your movements, of the actions and the strength of your life.

"Finally, you are one with Jesus as the body is one with the head. You must, then, have one breath with him, one soul, one life, one will, one mind, one heart. And he must be your breath, heart, love, life, your all. These great gifts in the follower of Christ originate from baptism. They are increased and strengthened through confirmation and by making good use of other graces that are given by God. Through the holy eucharist they are brought to perfection." 8

8. St. John Eudes, from a treatise on the Admirable Heart of Jesus, as in The Liturgy of the Hours, Catholic Book Publishing Co., Vol. IV, pp. 1331-32.

 

     

 

                The Finding in the Temple

                (1)   Luke 2: 41-50

Every year his parents used to go to Jerusalem for the feast of the Passover. When he was twelve years old, they went up for the feast as usual. When the days of the feast were over and they set off home, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem without his parents knowing it. They assumed he was somewhere in the party, and it was only after a day’s journey that they went to look for him among their relations and acquaintances. When they failed to find him they went back to Jerusalem looking for him everywhere. 

    It happened that, three days later, they found him in the Temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them, and asking them questions; and all those who heard him were astounded at his intelligence and his replies. They were overcome when they saw him, and his mother said to him, ‘My child, why have you done this to us? See how worried your father and I have been, looking for you.’ He replied, ‘Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?’ But they did not understand what he meant.

 

                (2) From the Priestly Newsletter Book II by Fr. Edward Carter, S.J. - Reflections on the Word of God

    God is the one who gives ultimate meaning to our lives. He reveals to us how the laughter and the tears, the work and the play, the pain and the joy, all fit together. As we live in Him, He gathers up what would otherwise be the all-too-fragmented pieces of our lives and arranges them into a harmonious unity. This unity emanates from our living according to His plan, a plan embodying a way of existence that leads us to an ever greater experience of the true, the good, and the beautiful.

    As we long for God and draw nearer to Him, we may possibly experience a certain fear. We realize that the closer we come to Him, the more He will ask of us, gently but firmly. We fear the white heat of His love. Such episodes along the spiritual journey are crucial. If we keep pulling back from the intensity of His love, if we keep refusing what this love wants to accomplish in us and through us, then we live on a rather superficial level. We can still be friends with our God but we are refusing to live deeper down where the really real is more intensely experienced. We have to resist this fear which, if succumbed to, prevents us from achieving a closer union with God. God's love for us wants our happiness; God's love for us also brings about our happiness-if we are open to what He wants to do for us.

    When we experience a greater yearning and thirst for God, we should, then, abandon ourselves to this desire. In doing so we will experience in greater measure the warmth and security of God's love, this God Who is the ground of our being, the goal of our existence, the source of our happiness.

 

                (3) From the Priestly Newsletter Book II by Fr. Edward Carter, S.J. - Reflections on the Word of God

  • It's God's Work More Than Ours

"The word of Yahweh was addressed to me, saying,
        'Before I formed you in the womb I knew you;
        before you came to birth I consecrated you;
        I have appointed you as prophet to the nations.'
        I said, 'ah, Lord Yahweh; look, I do not know
        how to speak; I am a child!'
"But Yahweh replied,
        'Do not say, "I am a child."
        Go now to those to whom I send you
        and say whatever I command you.
        Do not be afraid of them,
        for I am with you to protect you-
        it is Yahweh who speaks!'" (Jer 1:4-8)

 

                (4) From the Priestly Newsletter Book II by Fr. Edward Carter, S.J. - Reflections on the Word of God

    At certain points along the journey of life, we become rather overwhelmed with a certain kind of fear. It is a fear emanating from the realization that God is asking something very special of us. We are afraid because of the effort required, or because we feel that we have only mediocre talent for the task to which we are being summoned.

    Whatever the case may be, we can all profit by reflecting on the above scripture passage dealing with God's call to Jeremiah. Jeremiah told God, in so many words, that he was not capable of the task he was being asked to accomplish. God replied, telling Jeremiah that he surely could perform the task he was being assigned-not because of what he was in himself, but because He, God, would be with Jeremiah.

    To live the Christian calling in all its myriad aspects certainly demands our own effort. But this is an effort assisted mightily by God's grace. God calls, invites, inspires. We are meant to respond, to cooperate, to open ourselves to the Spirit's touch and guidance. We have a part, obviously, in accomplishing our Christian destiny. Yet God has the greater part. Whatever He asks of us, we can accomplish. Nothing, absolutely nothing, is beyond us if God calls us to it. Why, then, at times, do we tend to think and feel and act differently?

 

                (5) From the Priestly Newsletter Book II by Fr. Edward Carter, S.J. - Reflections on the Word of God

  • We Are Called to Serve

"If I, then, the Lord and Master, have washed your feet, you should wash each other's feet. I have given you an example so that you may copy what I have done to you." (Jn 13:14-15)

 

                (6) From the Priestly Newsletter Book II by Fr. Edward Carter, S.J. - Reflections on the Word of God

    There are two basic ways according to which we can go about the performance of work. One way focuses attention on the self; the other directs attention outward toward the God-appointed service of others.

    A person who assumes the first attitude is being driven by a basic selfishness. During the years of formal education, such a person studies to acquire knowledge primarily so that his or her intellectual acquisition will later make possible various kinds of personal benefits and aggrandizements. Such a person works primarily to make money, or for the personal satisfaction involved. Such a person seeks out positions of authority, power, and status, primarily in order to be looked up to and to be ministered to.
    A person who performs according to the other attitude projects a different image. If one pursues knowledge, it is not only for one's personal benefits. It is that he or she might also be variously capable of greater service to God and one's fellow human beings. When one works, it is not only for the money and personal satisfaction involved. It is that he or she might also be of service to others. If one attains positions of authority and influence, the person is motivated, not by illusions of grandeur, but rather by the desire to labor for others, to be for others, to serve others.

    The attitude the true Christian should assume is obvious. The true Christian may sometimes find it difficult and wearisome to live according to such an attitude. But he or she has no doubt it is the correct attitude. He or she has no doubt it is Jesus' attitude, this Jesus who girt Himself with a towel and washed and dried His disciples' feet.

 

                (7) From the Priestly Newsletter Book II by Fr. Edward Carter, S.J. - p. 204-205

The Trinity and the Church

    ~ Fr. Bruno Forte, a professor of Theology on the Pontifical Theological Faculty of Italy, tells us: "The Church comes from the Trinity, reflects in itself the Trinitarian communion-oneness in diversity-and journeys toward the Trinity, to the final handing over of all things to Christ, so that he might hand them over to the Father and God might be all in all. As 'a people gathered in the unity of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,' the Church is the Church of the Father. In his universal salvific plan, God has willed it to be a sign and instrument of the unity of people among themselves and with him. It is the Church of the Son, who through his incarnation and the paschal mystery has placed it in history as His Body. It is the Church of the Spirit, who makes the Risen Christ present in human history and enriching the people of God with charisms and ministries, leads it toward the promised future goal." 18
 

                (8) From the Priestly Newsletter Book II by Fr. Edward Carter, S.J. p. 155-156

Scriptural Reflection

    The Need for Humility.

    Humble yourselves before the Lord and he will lift you up. (Jas. 4:l0).

    Humility is the realization that I am a creature of God, and the living out of this truth in daily existence.

    Humility is not a process of self-depreciation. It is not telling myself that I am of little worth and have little to contribute. Humility prompts me to look at my good points and my bad points. Humility also prompts me to respond with appropriate attitudes and actions.

    Since humility is based on truth, it never demands that I deny my particular gifts. If I do not properly recognize these, I will not thank God properly, nor will I be in the most advantageous position for the proper use and development of my talents. I should, then, recognize the good in myself, while at the same time realizing the ultimate source of all good, God Himself.

    If I am humble, I will also look at my evil side. I will admit to un-Christian attitudes and actions. Very importantly, I will also take the necessary measures to improve the situation.

    Humility will also enable me to look realistically upon life in the human condition. Being humble—realizing my creaturehood—means I realize that precisely because I am human, I will experience pain. Precisely because I am exposed to the human condition not only in its pleasant aspects, but also in its dimensions of sin, suffering, and anguish, I will suffer, and sometimes because of the evil of others. Humility allows me to accept this without bitterness. Humility allows me to react properly.

    Humility also assists me in realizing and implementing the fact that I am a social creature—one intended by God to help others and, in turn, one intended to be helped myself. If I am proud, I tend to go my own way. I tend to be closed in on my own selfish concerns, not attentive to the needs of my brothers and sisters in the human family. I tend to be closed in, shut off from the concern and assistance others could offer, thinking that I am strong enough, and certainly capable enough, to care for myself.

    Humility also assists me to accept my fundamental self. God has created me with certain talents, with a certain fundamental temperament. Humility bids me to accept this God-intended self, while, of course, always striving to develop, improve, and mature.

    Humility likewise assists me in accepting my present life-situation in so far as I can determine this is God’s here-and-now design. If I am not properly humble, I can quietly and subtly rebel regarding the present. Unsatisfied with my present situation, I fail to respond properly, neglecting present opportunities, while restlessly complaining that the present situation is not challenging enough, that it is failing to actuate a potential being wasted away on the performance of such prosaic tasks.

    I do not think we easily and consistently consider humility and its various applications. This fact, however, does not lessen its necessity. It simply implies that we have to strive to become more aware of humility’s role in Christian living. Otherwise, we will never become sufficiently mature and strong Christians, Christians strong with God’s strength precisely because we are humble. In our pursuit of growth in humility, let us focus our gaze upon Jesus: "Shoulder my yoke and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart…" (Mt 11:29).
 

                (9) Colossians 1: 15-20

He is the image of the unseen God, the first–born of all creation, for in him were created all things in heaven and on earth: everything visible and everything invisible, thrones, ruling forces, sovereignties, powers—all things were created through him and for him. He exists before all things and in him all things hold together, and he is the Head of the Body, that is, the Church. He is the Beginning, the first–born from the dead, so that he should be supreme in every way; because God wanted all fullness to be found in him and through him to reconcile all things to him, everything in heaven and everything on earth, by making peace through his death on the cross.

                (10)

        Prayer of St Ignatius

Soul of Christ, sanctify me
Body of Christ, save me
Blood of Christ, inebriate me
Water from the side of Christ wash me
Passion of Christ, strengthen me
O good Jesus, hear me
Within Thy wounds hide me
Permit me not to be separated from Thee
From the wicked foe defend me
at the hour of my death call me
and bid me come to Thee
That with Thy saints I may praise Thee
For ever and ever. Amen.

 

Prayer from St. Ignatius

Lord, teach me to be generous.
Teach me to serve you as you deserve;
To give and not to count the cost;
To fight and not to heed the wounds;
To toil and not to seek for rest;
To labor and not to ask for any reward,
Save that of knowing
                    that I am doing your will.

 

 

   

 

Order the Abraham DVD

$19.95 plus postage

 

Call Kathleen

1-888-211-3041
1-812-273-8405
1-888-321-7671
1-727-725-9312

 

 

 

China Retreat

October 10th - 13th

Please come & pray with us!

     

 

 

 

 

Shepherds of Christ   P. O. Box 627
China, IN  47250   1-888-211-3041

 

  Statues

 

     

Sacred Heart of Jesus w/glass - 18

Our Lady-Guadalupe w/glass - 12
 		Limpias - 8
     

Immaculate Heart w/glass - 18

I Heart - Ivory w/glass - 18

Our Lady of Grace w/glass - 18
     
Our Lady-Mt. Carmel w/glass - 18

Our Lady of Lourdes w/glass - 18

Infant of Prague w/glass - 24

     

Sacred Heart of Jesus w/glass - 24

Sacred Heart -Blessing w/glass - 24

Sorrowful Mother w/glass - 24

 

 

 

I Heart - Ivory w/glass - 24

I Heart of Mary w/glass - 24

Our Lady of Lourdes w/glass - 24
    

 

  

 
Our Lady-Guadalupe w/glass - 28

Our Lady of Grace w/glass - 24

Our Lady-Mt. Carmel w/glass - 24
     

Fatima w/glass - 11

Pilgrim Virgin w/glass - 12

Pilgrim Virgin w/glass - 15

 

  

 

Fatima w/glass - 18

Pilgrim Virgin w/glass - 18
 

Pilgrim Virgin w/glass - 27

St. Padre Pio

St. Joseph

St. Therese

   

 

 

St. Francis

St. Anthony

St. Claire

 

  

 

Limpias

St. Jude
  

Divine Mercy

 

  

 

Holy Family

Angel

St. Philomena

 

 

 

Pieta - Marble

Pieta - Color

Holy Family

 

  

 

St. Anthony - 18

St. Francis - 18

 		St. Joseph - 18

 

 

 

St. Therese - 18

St. Rita - 18

St. Clare - 12
  
     

St. Rita - 12

St. Padre Pio - 12
 		Divine Mercy - 12

 

       


Shepherds of Christ Ministries
P. O. Box 627
China, IN  47250

 

Toll free - 1-888-211-3041
Local - 1-812-273-8405
fax - 1-812-273-3182
web: www.sofc.org
e-mail: info@sofc.org
 
  Size Price Quantity   

 Holy Family

 24"

$180

  

 Limpias

 24"

$125

  

 St. Anthony

 24"

$125

  

 St. Claire

 24"

$125

  

 St. Francis

 24"

$125

  

 St. Joseph

 24"

$125

  

 St. Jude

 24"

$125

  

 St. Padre Pio

 24"

$125

  

 St. Therese

 24"

$125

  
 Divine Mercy

22"

 $125  
 Angel

22"

 $100  
 St. Philomena

20"

 $100  
 St. Philomena

16"

 $65  
 St. Joseph

18"

 $65  
 St. Francis

18"

 $65  
 St. Anthony

18"

 $65  
 St. Rita

18"

 $65  
 St. Therese

18"

 $65  
 Pieta - Color 15" $75  
 Pieta - Marble 15" $75  
 Holy Family

12"

 $60  
 St. Padre Pio - standing

12"

 $40  
 St. Padre Pio - sitting

8"

 $50  
 St. Rita

12"

 $40  

 Divine Mercy

12"

 $40  
 St. Claire

12"

 $40  
 Limpias

8"

 $25  
 Our Lady of Guadalupe w/glass

28"

 $500  
 Our Lady of Mt. Carmel w/glass

24"

 $500  

 Immaculate Heart of Mary w/glass

 24"

$500  

 Immaculate Heart - Ivory w/glass

 24"

$500  

 Infant of Prague w/glass

 24"

$500  

 Our Lady of Grace w/glass

 24"

$500  

 Our Lady of Lourdes w/glass  

 24"

$500  
 Sacred Heart of Jesus w/glass

 24"

$500  
 Sacred Heart -Blessing w/glass

 24"

$500  

 Sorrowful Mother w/glass

 24"

$500  
 Immaculate Heart of Mary w/glass

18"

 $300  
 Immaculate Heart - Ivory w/glass

18"

 $300  
 Sacred Heart of Jesus w/glass

18"

 $300  
 Our Lady of Lourdes w/glass  

18"

 $300  
 Our Lady of Grace w/glass

18"

 $300  

 Our Lady of Mt. Carmel w/glass

 18" $300  
 Our Lady of Guadalupe w/glass

12"

 $200  

 Fatima w/glass

11"

 $150  

 Fatima w/glass

 18"

 $250  
 Pilgrim Virgin w/glass

 12"

 $160  
 Pilgrim Virgin w/glass 15" $200  
 Pilgrim Virgin w/glass 18" $250  
 Pilgrim Virgin w/glass

27"

 $450  


Call for Shipping Price (1-888-211-3041)
 
  Name
     		 Sub-Total
  Address
          		 IN Tax (7%)
  City
    		 Shipping
  State                                            Zip
    		 Donation
  Telephone
     		 Order Total

 

 

      

Fr. Joe's Homily Books  

Guiding Light -
The Word Alive in Our Hearts

$10.00


Guiding Light -
Focusing on the Word

$10.00
 

 

Fr. Carter's Books
  

Priestly Newsletter Book I

12 Newsletters
July 1994 - June 1996

$12.00


Priestly Newsletter Book 2

17 Newsletters
1996 - 1999

$12.00
 

Priestly Newsletter Book 3

4 Newsletters & Prayers
2000

$12.00


Synopsis of the Spiritual Life

Spirituality Handbook
$3.00


Messages given
by Jesus and Mary 1994

Tell My People
$10.00
 


The Pain and the Joy

$10.00

 


Priestly Newsletter on CD
2000 - Issue 1

$10.00


Priestly Newsletter on CD
2000 - Issue 2

$10.00

 

Fr. Pasquini's Books
   

Authenticity

 
Prayers and Meditations

$10.00

In Imitation of Two Hearts

For those suffering or
in Nursing Homes
 
$10.00

Light, Happiness and Peace

Journeying through traditional
Catholic Spirituality

$10.00

Medicine of Immortality

Prayers and Meditations - will assist the reader in growth toward a deeper understanding of the mystery of the Eucharist

$10.00


Ecce Fides - Pillar of Truth

Ideal for RCIA, Adult & Youth Bible Study, Homeschooling, Catholic
Identity Studies

$10.00

Shepherds of Christ Newsletters
9 Newsletters
2006 - 2008

$36.00

  

DVDs and CDs by Fr. Pasquini
 


 

Authenticity DVD
Prayers on the Ocean

$10.00
 

Nursing Home Mass DVD

$10.00

Consolation DVD

$10.00

Medicine of Immortality
 Read by Rita Ring

2 CDs - $17.00

In Imitation of Two Hearts DVD

$10.00


 

Consolation CD
by Fr. John

$8.00
 


 

Nursing Home Mass CD

$8.00
 

Holy Spirit Novena DVD

$10.00 

Divine Mercy Chaplet DVD

$10.00 

plus shipping
   

 

Call Kathleen

1-888-211-3041
1-812-273-8405
1-888-321-7671

 

God’s Blue Books

God’s Blue Book 1 –
Teachings to Lift You Up

    $10.00


God’s Blue Book 4 –
The Love of the Hearts of
Jesus and Mary

$5.00
 


God’s Blue Book 2 –
The Fire of His Love

$10.00
 

God’s Blue Book 5 –
So Deep Is the Love of His Heart

$5.00


God’s Blue Book 3 –
Love God, Love One Another
(Fr. Carter's favorite)
 $10.00
 


God’s Blue Book 6 –
He Calls Us to Action

$10.00
 

  

 

Rosary Books
 


Rosaries from the
Hearts of Jesus and Mary

$10.00
 

Rosaries from the
Hearts of Jesus and Mary

$12.00

Rosary Meditations for
Parents and Children's

$10.00

Mysteries of Light 1

$5.00
 

Mysteries of Light 2

$5.00

Little People & Elderly Rosary Book

$10.00

Coloring Book
 $5.00 each

Coloring Book
 $5.00 each

 

Coloring Book
 $5.00 each

Coloring Book
 $5.00 each

Coloring Book
 $5.00 each

Coloring Book
 $5.00 each

 

 

 

 

 

   

Available for $10.00 each plus postage

1-888-211-3041

Call Kathleen

   

We are trying to get

Response to God's Love

and the Mass Book out.
 

Anybody who wants to help us

with a donation to get these 2 books

out in the Priestly/hierarchy mailing —

Please call Kathleen 1-888-211-3041

   

 

 

Prayer Cards

size 5 1/2" x 8 1/2"
$1.00 plus postage

 

 

 

 

 

 

Prayer Card  4" x 6"

.50¢ each plus postage

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

  

Holy Cards available

2" x 3"

     
Holy Spirit Prayer Act of Consecration to
Immaculate Heart of Mary		 Act of Consecration to
Sacred Heart of Jesus		 Prayer for Priests

 

Prayer before the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass
 

Prayer for Union with Jesus

Available for .25¢ each plus postage

Call Kathleen

1-888-211-3041

  

     

 

We are trying to get

Response to God's Love

and the Mass Book out.
 

Anybody who wants to help us

with a donation to get these 2 books

out in the Priestly/hierarchy mailing —

Please call Kathleen 1-888-211-3041

 

 

July 31, 1994

Words of Jesus to Members of
Shepherds of Christ Associates:

"My beloved priest-companion, I intend to use the priestly newsletter, Shepherds of Christ, and the movement, Shepherds of Christ Associates, in a powerful way for the renewal of My Church and the world.

"I will use the newsletter and the chapters of Shepherds of Christ Associates as a powerful instrument for spreading devotion to My Heart and My Mother's Heart.

"I am calling many to become members of Shepherds of Christ Associates. To all of them I will give great blessings. I will use them as instruments to help bring about the triumph of the Immaculate Heart and the reign of My Sacred Heart. I will give great graces to the members of Shepherds of Christ Associates. I will call them to be deeply united to My Heart and to Mary's Heart as I lead them ever closer to My Father in the Holy Spirit."

- Message from Jesus to Father Edward J. Carter, S.J., Founder, as given on July 31, 1994,
feast of Saint Ignatius Loyola, Founder of the Society of Jesus (The Jesuits)

 

  

 

  


 

The China Church is over 140 years old

and we pray in there 24 hours a day.

It needs stucco and so does

the community building.

Can you please help us?

Call Kathleen 1-888-211-3041

 

Likewise the priest house

is 150 years old.

Jesus told us to repair it

which we have been doing.

We need $13,000.00 for this work.

 

 

 

 

 

 

You can help put the Blue Book V

in the hands of 1,000 people

we need $1,200 postage for this

It is ready to go

Call Kathleen

1-888-211-3041

  

You can help put Fr. Joe's homily

book in the hands of

1,000 priests — it costs $1,100

This can help 1,000 parish priests

talk about Covenant for Lent 

Please help us

It is ready to go

Call Kathleen  1-888-211-3041

1-888-321-7671
1-727-725-9312

 

Crucifix — hand carved by Felix

   

Available for $750.00

 

 

 

Brand New Internet Store

 

 

Click picture

   

 

Table of Contents

Previous Daily Writing

Main Shepherds of Christ Page

SofC LogoCopyright © 2007 Shepherds of Christ.
Rights for non—commercial reproduction granted:
May be copied in its entirety, but neither re—typed nor edited.
Translations are welcome but they must be reviewed for moral and 
theological accuracy by a source approved by Shepherds of Christ Ministries 
before any distribution takes place. Please contact us for more information.