C:\Documents and Settings\Owner\My Documents\My Web\template.htm

3rd Sunday of Advent

Zephaniah 3: 14-18

Shout for joy, daughter of Zion,
Israel, shout aloud!
Rejoice, exult with all your heart,
daughter of Jerusalem!
Yahweh has repealed your sentence;
he has turned your enemy away.
Yahweh is king among you, Israel,
you have nothing more to fear.

When that Day comes,
the message for Jerusalem will be:
Zion, have no fear,
do not let your hands fall limp.
Yahweh your God is there with you,
the warrior–Saviour.
He will rejoice over you with happy song,
he will renew you by his love,
he will dance with shouts of joy for you,
as on a day of festival.

Philippians 4: 4-7

Always be joyful, then, in the Lord; I repeat, be joyful. Let your good sense be obvious to everybody. The Lord is near. Never worry about anything; but tell God all your desires of every kind in prayer and petition shot through with gratitude, and the peace of God which is beyond our understanding will guard your hearts and your thoughts in Christ Jesus.

Luke 3: 10-18

When all the people asked him, 'What must we do, then?' he answered, 'Anyone who has two tunics must share with the one who has none, and anyone with something to eat must do the same.' There were tax collectors, too, who came for baptism, and these said to him, 'Master, what must we do?' He said to them, 'Exact no more than the appointed rate.' Some soldiers asked him in their turn, 'What about us? What must we do?' He said to them, 'No intimidation! No extortion! Be content with your pay!'

A feeling of expectancy had grown among the people, who were beginning to wonder whether John might be the Christ, so John declared before them all, 'I baptise you with water, but someone is coming, who is more powerful than me, and I am not fit to undo the strap of his sandals; he will baptise you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing-fan is in his hand, to clear his threshing-floor and to gather the wheat into his barn; but the chaff he will burn in a fire that will never go out.' And he proclaimed the good news to the people with many other exhortations too.

December 17, 2006

INTRODUCTION: Our theme for today, as it often is, is summed up in the Psalm Refrain: “Cry out with joy and gladness, for among you is the great and holy one of Israel.” Our first reading from the prophet Zephaniah goes back about 700 years before Christ. The Assyrians were the dominant force in the Middle East and were an unusually warlike, brutal people. Their capital city was in northern Iraq near modern day Mosul. Our first reading comes from a time shortly after the Assyrians wiped out the northern part of Israel. They brought severe suffering upon the southern part of Israel too, the area around Jerusalem, but they did not conquer it. Jerusalem would still stand for another 130 years until the Babylonians conquered it. The Babylonian empire, as you might remember, was centered around Baghdad and it was after they destroyed the Assyrian empire that they moved on to conquer many other nations in the Middle East which included Judah and Jerusalem.   (It sounds very much like what’s going on over there today, doesn’t it?) Meanwhile back to Zephaniah 700 years before Christ after the northern part of Israel had been devastated. Jerusalem was struggling to recover from the near destruction they had suffered, but they didn’t learn their lesson. Idolatry and immorality were rampant among the Jews. The king of Judah himself offered his own son as a human sacrifice to the pagan gods. Most of Zephaniah’s book records his efforts to correct abuses among God’s people. His book ends on a note of hope, however, as he addresses those who are faithful to God. He tells them to rejoice and assures them God will rejoice and sing too because of his love for them and for all the blessings that will be theirs. Can any of us begin to imagine what it would sound like to hear God singing?

There is something we should be aware of when we hear the second reading too. St. Paul is sitting in prison somewhere when he wrote this, and prisons in those days were really bad. Today’s prisons would look like a luxury hotel by comparison. Yet Paul can be joyful and he is able to encourage the Philippians to have no anxiety and to rejoice always.

HOMILY In the days when we had Mass in Latin, today was known as Gaudete Sunday. That means “Be Joyful.” The liturgy continues to communicate that theme of joy with rose colored vestments and readings telling us to rejoice.

So on this Gaudete Sunday I thought you would enjoy a couple of laughs.

First a riddle for you: Why is Christmas just like a day at the office? Answer: You do all the work, and the guy that wears that big fancy suit gets all the credit.

A couple were always fascinated by old churches and wherever they traveled if they came near an old church they had to stop and look inside. Once in a small town church they saw an oddly shaped bell and asked the person cleaning the church what the strange bell was used for. They were told “That bell is reserved for calamities, like fires, floods, or a visit from the archbishop.”

Lastly, if laughter really were the best medicine, hospitals would have found a way to charge us for it long ago.

Laughter fades away, but there is something that lasts and sustains us all the more: joy. Joy goes deeper than just being funny. We heard the prophet in today’s first reading telling God's people, during an especially difficult time in their history, to “sing for joy.” They should sing for joy not because things were wonderful, but because God was in their midst. And we heard Paul, in prison, tell the Philippians to rejoice always. The scriptures give us different ideas about joy than our culture does. Our society seems to tell us joy stems from what we have. The scriptures tell us our joy comes from what we have (for the Lord is in your midst as Zephaniah tells us) but it also comes from what we will have in some future time, something we can trust in because God is faithful to his promises.

In the few minutes I have, let me name some of the things that keep us from having joy: * Feeling sorry for oneself. * Constantly putting other people down to make ourselves look smarter or better. * Putting ourselves down all the time. Because we’re human we all make mistakes or do wrong and there are healthy ways of dealing with guilty or shame, but constantly beating ourselves up is not one of them. * Holding on to anger and resentment. It only eats us up inside and does not produce joy. We have to forgive. * Thinking that having more things is going to make us happy. It satisfies us only momentarily. * And then there’s fear and worry. Paul says have no anxiety at all. That might sound impossible but there are so many things that cause us anxiety, which we can do nothing about and we have to leave in God's hands.

If self pity, guilt, unforgiveness, anger, resentment, fear, and worry work against our having joy, then what will lead to joy? We must decide to be joyful. Paul tells the Philippians “rejoice” as if it is something for them to choose to do rather than it being something that just happens to them. I think it was Abraham Lincoln who said most people are about as happy as they make up their minds to be. Dr. Hans Selye, the scientist who developed and researched the concept of stress, would agree. He said: it’s generally not the things outside of us that create stress for us, but it’s the way we respond to these things. Next we need to be good and to do good. Otherwise we won’t feel good about ourselves. The people in today’s gospel ask the Baptist, “what should we do?”   John gave them a few specific ideas. All we have to do is read the gospels or the 10 Commandments and we’ll get the idea that there’s more to a good life than just to say, “I believe!” Lastly, I think gratitude is the final key to unlock the way to joy. And again, being grateful is an intentional thing, it is an attitude we must develop. St. Paul said: “in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God.” A heart that is ungrateful is not happy. This is not all that could be said about joy, but it’s probably enough for us to think about today.

My closing words for today are don’t make yourselves so anxious this season that you lose the joy that can be found only in knowing Jesus’ love. “The Lord, your God, is in your midst.”

Prayer Card 4" x 6"

.50¢ each plus postage

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

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

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

Call Kathleen

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

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

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)