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Christmas

Isaiah 9: 1-6

The people that walked in darkness
    have seen a great light;
on the inhabitants of a country
    in shadow dark as death
        light has blazed forth.
You have enlarged the nation,
    you have increased its joy;
they rejoice before you
    as people rejoice at harvest time,
as they exult
    when they are dividing the spoils.

For the yoke that weighed on it,
    the bar across its shoulders,
the rod of its oppressor,
these you have broken
    as on the day of Midian.

For all the footgear
    clanking over the ground
and all the clothing rolled in blood,
will be burnt, will be food for the flames.

For a son has been born for us,
a son has been given to us,
and dominion has been laid
    on his shoulders;
and this is the name he has been given,
‘Wonder–Counsellor, Mighty–God,
Eternal–Father, Prince–of–Peace’
to extend his dominion
    in boundless peace,
over the throne of David
    and over his kingdom
to make it secure and sustain it
in fair judgement and integrity.
From this time onwards and for ever,
the jealous love of Yahweh Sabaoth
    will do this.

Titus 2: 11-14

    You see, God's grace has been revealed to save the whole human race; it has taught us that we should give up everything contrary to true religion and all our worldly passions; we must be self-restrained and live upright and religious lives in this present world, waiting in hope for the blessing which will come with the appearing of the glory of our great God and Saviour Christ Jesus. He offered himself for us in order to ransom us from all our faults and to purify a people to be his very own and eager to do good

Luke 2: 1-14

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.


December 25, 2006

Christmas touches what is most beautiful in our lives and in our faith. Christmas shows us that God wants to be close to us and wants us to be close to him. Christmas tells us God loves us enough that he is willing to share in our poverty and in our suffering. The place where he was born, Bethlehem, which means house of bread, and the manger in which he lay, which was a food trough for animals, reveal to us that he came to be our food, to nourish us with his truth and his light and his love. His birth shows us he came for all people, from the lowly shepherds who were practically the most unimportant people in society to the wise men who came from far away. Every child who is conceived is a sign of hope both to its parents and to the world – who knows what each little life might accomplish. Jesus’ coming into our world brings with it the greatest hope of all, hope that we shall live forever in his kingdom.

Today I would like you to use your imagination. Picture what might happen if the statues in our crib were to come alive. What they might say. What they might do. What would Mary tell us? Would she complain of the long trip to Bethlehem bouncing along on the back of a donkey or the inconvenience of not finding a place to stay for the night? Or is it possible that none of that would matter because of the joy she felt at the birth of Jesus. Not only was he her precious child but the angel had told her be would be called holy, Son of God and king forever? Would she, in her love, be covering his little face with her kisses? And Joseph? He really cared about Mary and Jesus. Would he worry about them having to spend the night in a stable? But he was trusting, too, and he may have felt very peaceful knowing he did all he could and God would take care of the rest. What might the shepherds have to tell us? Were they amazed that God chose to tell them, as unimportant as they were, this exciting news that their Messiah and Lord had just been born and he was only a few steps away from them? Did the wise men already see the star and start getting their bags packed so they could go to meet this newly arrived king? The animals, if they could talk, would probably ask, “What’s going on with all these people coming and going?” Could they sense the excitement around them and know that they were looking upon their God and Creator? I wonder what Jesus might have said if he could have talked, but he didn’t know how to talk yet. He was just born. The divine side of him might have been thinking why did I ever do this. Or his divine side, filled with divine joy from all eternity, might have been feeling joy now as a human infant, ready to bring life and light, healing and salvation to all who would be receptive to his great love. It’s interesting to speculate what each person in the stable might have been thinking, feeling, doing, or what they might say to us if they were to come alive.

I want to carry that thought just a little further. If these lifeless statues that remind us of the glorious event of Jesus’ birth were to come alive, that would be a stupendous miracle. It’s not in the nature of things that a lifeless object suddenly springs to life, and living things that have life do not suddenly take on a higher form of life. Seeds might turn into flowers and tadpoles might turn into frogs, but flowers don’t turn into cats and frogs don’t turn into whales. Trees do not become squirrels, goldfish do not become horses and rabbits do not become human. I have no quarrel with the idea of evolution if God decided to create higher and more complex forms of life from lower forms of life over thousands of years, but there is considerable consistency and stability in creation. And here is where part of the miracle of Christmas lies. The Son of God came down to us to lift us up, to give us a higher form of life, to make us humans divine. We do not stop being human, but we become much more, we become God’s sons and daughters. But we have to open our hearts to him for this to happen. That’s why we celebrate Christmas.   It’s not that the Son of God became bored up in heaven and decided he wanted something different to do, so he decided to come and visit this planet. No! He came to us because he wanted to share with us all the joy and love and life he shared with his Father and with the Holy Spirit from all eternity.

If Jesus, Mary, and Joseph were to say anything to us they would tell us to trust Jesus, to open our hearts to him and to follow his way of love, to love God with our whole selves and to love our neighbor as ourselves. If we do that, everything else will fall into place and we will enjoy eternal happiness. Amen

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

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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

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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

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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

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Response to God's Love

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Anybody who wants to help us

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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)