Shepherds of Christ          Daily Writing

September 12, 2009

China Retreat

The retreat will start on the 10th at noon with mass

The retreat will start on the 11th at 11:00 am with mass

The retreat continues on the 12th and 13th

Please come or tune in!

September 12, 2009

China Retreat

                Day One -- Silence

                Thursday September 10th

                 Meditation #'s are from the
                    Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius
                    by Louis J. Puhl, S.J.

                    #23

                    #45-54

                    #55-61

                    #65

                Meditate 1 hour on each

                    Do 6:20 prayers

                    Rosary March 21, 1995 Red Rosary Book

                    Read Discernment of Spirits

                Day Two -- Silence

                Friday September 11th

                Meditation one hour each

                Read Discernment of Spirits

                    1) #91-98 Meditate

                    2) #136-147

                    6:20 Prayers

                    3) Joyful Mysteries

                        July 31, 2009
                        Feast of St. Ignatius
                        Message and Rosary

                4) #149-156

                Day Three -- Silence

                Saturday September 12th

                Meditate one hour on each

                Read Discernment of Spirits

                    1) #165-168

                    2) August 1, 2009

                        Mysteries of Light and Message

                        Play Passion Movie - no sound 3:00pm to 6:00am

                    3) 6:20 Prayers

                        September 5, 2009 Rosary Sorrowful

                    4) Read the Passion in Church

                Day Four -- Silence

                Sunday September 13th

                Meditate one hour on each

                    #230-237

                Read Discernment of Spirits
                    in Church John

                Play Fr. Carter and Me
                    October 13, 1996

                Read Message March 13, 2009
                    John

                6:20 Prayer
                    Red Rosary Book
                    April     

Rosaries from the Hearts of Jesus and Mary

This rosary was received on Sunday, October the 13th, 1996 at a International Shepherds of Christ Associates Meeting at Tom Arlinghaus's farm in Kentucky. The rosary was led by Fr. Edward J. Carter S.J., spiritual director of Shepherds of Christ Ministries. The meditations and messages were given to Rita Ring during the rosary. This rosary was received live and transcribed from the recording. This live recording can be obtained by writing Shepherds of Christ Publications. All of these meditations have been discerned by Fr. Edward J. Carter S.J.

 

The Glorious Mysteries

The Resurrection

1.) Jesus has told us how He is the vine and we are the branches. We must stay rooted in Him so that His life flows through us. We cannot become disconnected from the vine. We are one, joined with Him.

2.) Hail Mary....

3.) Jesus speaks: I am calling you, My special apostles, to this farm on this day of October l3th, l996. I will fill your hearts with the fire of My love, and the fire of this love will spread across the earth and many hearts will know My love and be touched through you. Open wide your heart during this rosary that I may speak to you and tell you of My burning love for you. I am giving to you an abundant sharing in My life. Open your heart. I am knocking at the door of your heart. You must not close your heart. Open wide that I can come in and fill you with My divine love.

4.) Oh, My beloved Jesus, I see You glistening and covered in white. I know that You rose on the third day and that there is such glory in the resurrection. My life is a constant death and resurrection as I live in You.

5.) Focus on the body of a man hanging on the cross. You see this vividly before your eyes- a man covered with blood, His head crowned with thorns. He is beaten and withered. This is the Almighty God, Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who came and gave Himself for love of us. Focus on this picture in your mind. Make it so clear as if you were there, as if you are seeing this with your eyes, at this moment, this man on the cross, with flesh covered with blood. Jesus died. He was locked in a tomb for three days. Now see next to this picture of this man the glorified body of Jesus, His glorified wounds, as He comes forth from the tomb. The Almighty God, our beloved and loving Jesus- He is alive, He is with us this day. He lives in us in a special way. When we are baptized and in the state of grace, God is alive within us and He shares with us His divine life. We are Christ to one another for He is alive in us. When I talk to you, I am seeing the Jesus that is alive inside of you. We are all gathered as one body. We see Jesus. We see Him dead on the cross. This is how much that He loved us. Do we not know that He died for us because of this great love, that He wants us to be one body? I see the vine and the branches and I see how they are so connected that the life and the fluid runs through the vine to the branches- it's all one. We are one in Him. He has given us a sharing in His divine life. Look at us, how separate we are with each other, how we hold ourselves at arms length and separate ourselves from one another. We are called in the Shepherds of Christ Movement to be one flock with one shepherd. The Almighty God is alive and He lives in us. I went to Mass and Communion this morning and I received the Body of Christ; you receive the Body of Christ. He gives to us His life. He gives to us Himself. We must strive in this Movement to be one, to live this consecration in our lives that we are one with each other, that we put aside all of the tauntings by the devil to divide us, that we realize that division is from Satan. As we march across this United States and this world, we will carry the fire of His love, alive inside of us, for He is alive and He lives within our hearts. We are called to this special mission as His apostles to carry this message, this message of His love to the world. Oh, Jesus, how tenderly I love you. You are alive in my very being. You are all that I live for and I want to carry this message out to the world for you have delivered this message with such love. You are so good. Fill our hearts with the fire of Your love and give us Your abundant grace that we will have the courage to carry this message to the ends of the earth. And there was darkness. I see the darkness in the night, but the light steals across the sky and the fire of His love spreads across this earth as His life lives in us and many are touched by the fire of His love. Song: Spirit Song

6.) We are not like the world, we see this world and it is Godless. In many cases the world has turned away from God. It is at Fatima that Mary said that we must stop offending God. She has given to us the peace plan that we will have peace on this earth- it is in consecrating our hearts. She said until a sufficient number have consecrated their hearts to the Hearts of Jesus and Mary we will not have peace in the world. She said we must pray the rosary, that we must observe the First Saturday devotion, that we must make reparation to Their Hearts. Why, why do we not do what Mary is asking us to do? It is so simple.

7.) Mary appeared at Fatima in July, 1917 and she told the children, "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 a 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."¹ Mary has appeared to me, almost every day from July the 5th of 1994 until September the 5th of 1995-14 months-this same cry that came from our Heavenly Mother at Fatima, that we must quit offending God, that we must do what she is telling us to do. This is the peace plan. He is alive and He lives in us. We are being asked to go into the world and to spread His love to the far corners of the earth.

8.) He gives to us His life in the Eucharist. Who are we that the Almighty God gives to us, human persons, a sharing in His divine life. He is treated with such indifference and such neglect. If we knew, if we could see, the glories of the Almighty God, but we are so blind in our sight. We do not see and we do not hear. We must pray for the grace that we will see, that we will be the apostles that He is calling to carry this message out to the world.

9.) He rose from the dead and He appeared to the apostles. We see Thomas- he did not believe. How are we this day? Do we believe? The Almighty God is truly present in His divinity and humanity in the Holy Eucharist and He is outpouring His grace, His life to us. Do we believe? Do we believe that He is truly present and that He is giving Himself to us this day? He is here! He is truly present in the Eucharist and He is alive in our hearts!

10.) He laments and laments how He is treated as a dead object. He is ignored in the Tabernacle. The Almighty God is here. We spend all this money and go to concerts, go to football games, all this time in recreation and the Almighty God is ignored. Mary appeared in 1917 and said that we must stop offending God. Look at our world. He has called us in the Shepherds of Christ Movement and is giving to us abundant grace that we will grow more and more in our relationship with Him and we will be His leaders going into this world carrying the fire of His love to the far corners of the earth. He is alive. He says, "I am the Way, the Truth and the Life and I am with you this day. Open your eyes and see. Open your hearts and live for I AM the Way, the Truth and the Life."

Our Lord Ascends Into Heaven

1.) He took His apostles out to the place of His Ascension and He raised His arms and He ascended into heaven. Do we see the glories of these mysteries, that the Almighty God rose from the dead, that He ascended into heaven? We do not see the glory. We are so focused on the details in our lives. We see with such limited vision. The Almighty God is alive and He is here and He is calling us. Each one of us has been called to this farm, this day, for He knew you would answer this calling. He knew that in your heart you want the deepest love affair with Him, that you want to be one with Him. He has called you as His apostles to carry out His love to the world, to light up the darkness with His life alive within us.

2.) We look out and we see the beauty of this day, with the sun in the sky and the light, and all the colors in the trees. We see the life in each blade of grass and in each leaf on the tree and tonight the darkness will cover this earth and although the trees and the leaves are still there, and this beautiful river, we will not be able to see with this clarity. The earth this day is covered with darkness for many souls have cut themselves off from the vine. They are withering and dying in their hearts. He is calling us and giving us abundant grace that we will be one in Him, that He will live in us, and as we live on this earth, He will touch others through us. This is a tremendous calling from the Almighty God that we have been chosen and called and given this grace to be so close to Him.

3.) Song: A Song From Jesus

4.) Song: Little Child

5.) Hail Mary...

6.) On Ascension Thursday, 1995, I went through such an experience. First, Jesus took me to the height of heaven and I experienced such ecstasy. I was at church and later that day when I went home I was given great anguish and suffering and He called out, "I am alive, I am alive, I am alive!" and He said that He wanted Fr. Carter in the Shepherds of Christ Movement to reach the souls on this earth with the fire of His love. It was in such pain and suffering that I was buckled over and hearing the Almighty God call out, "I am alive, I am alive, I am alive." How do we treat Jesus? Do we treat Him as if He is alive? Do we love Him with all our heart, our whole soul and our whole being? Do you hear the laments of our beloved Savior, the Almighty God, who gave Himself and died on the cross? He is alive. He wants this burning love affair with us. Many of the Masses, many of our prayers, are said with lack of emotion in our hearts. He wants us to love Him with the deepest burning love, not to go through the motions. Every prayer is a love affair with our beloved Savior. The Rosary we sing- (the Rosary song), and He wants us to say from our heart, the bottom of our heart, "Jesus, we love You. Mary, we love you. Oh, the Rosary, the Rosary, is the love of Their Two Hearts. Oh the Rosary, the Rosary, is the love of Their Two Hearts." In the September 10th rosary that we circulated to you, Jesus laments how He does not receive a drop of heartfelt love from many of His beloved religious that He has chosen and loves so much. This is why He has called us in the Shepherds of Christ Movement, to pray, to pray for His beloved religious. He loves them so much and He wants, He wants this burning love from them, His chosen ones. We are gathered here for this reason- to realize that the Almighty God really is talking to us, that He has called us, that this is an important mission, that we need to pray so fervently for our priests and our religious, that this is His instrument, the Shepherds of Christ Movement, to help in the renewal of the Church and the world.

7.) Jesus speaks: I am alive, I am alive, I am alive, and I live in your heart. Open your heart and let Me come inside of you. I want to touch My beloved souls this day. Will you say "yes" to this calling? Will you go to the ends of the earth and spread this movement? Will you pray, pray fervently for this intention: to lead the religious to the fires of love, found in My Most Sacred Heart?

8.) Song: Spirit Song

Jesus speaks: I am alive, I am alive, I am alive, and I live in your hearts.
Response: Jesus no longer walks this earth, but He is alive and He lives in us.

9.) Song: Come Unto Me All Who Are Weary..

Jesus speaks: I am alive, I am alive, I am alive, and I am the Almighty God, all powerful. You see with such limited vision. You must surrender and let go and let Me run your life. You are holding on, My beloved ones. You must realize that I am all powerful, all mighty, and that I am guarding you and I am with you in a special way this day.

10.) Jesus speaks: Carry My light into the darkness.

Response: And the light came across the dark sky and many were touched with the fire of His love. Because you answered this call, the call to be His apostle, to pray for the priests, to help spread the consecration as Our Lady has asked us at Fatima. We will not have peace in the world until our hearts are filled with love, and she says until a sufficient number have consecrated their hearts to the Hearts of Jesus and Mary, we will not have peace. This is the good news. As the Movement spreads across this earth, as hearts are consecrated to the Hearts of Jesus and Mary, we will have the peace that Our Lady has promised at Fatima but we must do as she has told us to do. We must consecrate our hearts and spread this to the world. We must pray the rosary, observe the First Saturday devotion, and make reparation to Their Hearts.

The Descent of the Holy Spirit Upon the Apostles

1.) "When Pentecost day came round, they had all met together, when suddenly there came from heaven a sound as of a violent wind which filled the entire house in which they were sitting; and there appeared to them tongues as of fire; these separated and came to rest on the head of each of them. They were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak different languages as the Spirit gave them power to express themselves." (Acts 2: 1-4)2

2.) Jesus speaks: I call you, I call you, I call you, My beloved apostles. I call you to go out to the ends of the earth and to preach My love. I am longing and thirsting for My beloved souls to come to Me. Bring to Me the souls, the souls I love. I am Jesus, do you hear this call? Will you bring to Me the souls of My loved ones? Will you pray for the priests and the religious, for it is through them that I will feed the hungry souls?

Response: Look at the priest, see the priest in the Mass, the priest that consecrates the bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ. He gives to us the Body and Blood of Christ. See Jesus in the priest, giving us His Body. Each one of us go to the communion rail and God gives to us Himself. We are one in Him. Jesus has told me how we sit in church, like stiffs, all separate, going through the motions. This is not love! He wants heartfelt love in our hearts, to realize that the Almighty God, in the greatest act of love gave Himself as a sacrifice on the cross and this sacrifice is sacramentally made present in every Mass. The Mass is a love affair with God. The deepest union with Him is to give ourselves to Mary, for we are sinners. She is the pure and sinless one. We give ourselves to Mary and we go to Him in her pure and sinless heart, to the very depth of His Heart. He is alive and we are the apostles that must carry this life into the world in our hearts. He is operating through us. Will we say "yes"? Do we see the world, do we see the suffering children, do we see the babies that are murdered in the wombs of their mother, do we see what the children are being fed on television...but we hold back our tongues about the love of God? When I began to receive these messages, for six weeks before, constantly I heard, "Feed the hungry, feed the hungry!" I prayed and I prayed and I prayed to know His will. In September of 1991, He called out to me, for six weeks, constantly, "Feed the hungry!" The world is starving for the love of God! Let us feed the hungry with this love of God. Let us pray for the priests for He gives us them.

3.) We encounter Christ through the sacraments. His life is outpoured in the Mass. Grace is outpoured in part according to the disposition of the person offering sacrifice. As we become one in Their Hearts, as the priest becomes one in Their Hearts, consecrated to the Hearts of Jesus and Mary, an immense amount of grace is released on the earth. It is through this that many souls will know God, that many souls will be saved. We help in the act of redemption. We must spread this Movement to the far corners of the earth. It is as Mary said: we must consecrate our hearts to the Hearts of Jesus and Mary. This is the key- Mary's heart is the gateway to going to the deepest chamber of the Heart of Christ.

4.) We see how Peter denied Christ. We see how the apostles were afraid. We see Thomas did not believe. We see them stumble and fall and run away, and then we see them, after the Holy Spirit descended upon them. They went out into the world and thousands were converted. They were filled with the fire of Gods love. Let us, God, be filled with the fire of Your love. Dear Holy Spirit, give us this fearlessness to go into this darkened world and to carry the light, to carry the messages of Your burning love to the souls that are starving and are longing to be fed.

5.) Song: Lady of Fatima

Jesus speaks: I am alive, I am alive, I am alive, and I live in you. Open your heart that I may touch so many of My beloved souls through you. I am Jesus. Will you say "yes", My beloved apostles?

6.) Look into the eyes of the children that are suffering this day. Mary has sent us on a special mission to spread the rosaries and the consecration to the children in the schools. Do you see the children, the children in the schools today that are hard in their hearts, the children that are suffering, that do not know the love of God? Mary is giving us special help to spread these rosaries in the schools. She wants this all over the United States. For nine months Mary asked me to spread the rosary and the consecration to the children. We are the apostles that He is sending into the world this day. This is what Mary and Jesus are asking us to do. It is so little- to spread these rosaries and consecrations to the schools, but Mary said at Fatima we will not have peace in the world until we do what she has told us to do. The Shepherds of Christ Movement is a great part of the completion of the Fatima message. These rosaries are a big part of the completion of the Fatima message. We must carry these rosaries to our children in the schools.

7.) Satan presses down on us and tries to stop us. The pressure that has gone on just to have this today is unbelievable, how Satan can try to stop this. Look at the Fatima message, how it has been blocked. Why, why, why are not we paying attention to this Fatima message that Mary gave in 1917? It is the devil that has blocked this message. This is a major part of the completion of the Fatima message so we will be met with such resistance. Jesus, Jesus wants us to bring Him souls. So many souls would be saved through the First Saturday devotion. Why, why do we not talk about the Fatima message like we should, about praying the rosary and consecrating our hearts, and the First Saturday devotion, and making reparation to the Hearts of Jesus and Mary? It is so simple but the devil has blocked this. If we want peace we should do what Mary has told us for she is the Queen of Peace and the peace of the world has been entrusted to her. We are the apostles. We are being sent into the world to carry this message.

8.) Hail Mary...

9.) Hail Mary...

10.) Hail Mary...

The Assumption of Our Lady Into Heaven

1.) We see Mary taken body and soul into heaven. We live here, we struggle everyday with so many struggles. We are so focused on the daily events. We do not realize that soon we too will go to heaven, if we love and serve the Lord, if we love and serve God. The world has turned Godless to a large degree. Mary appeared to me every day, except for a few days, for fourteen months and begged and pleaded that we spread the love of her Son to this world, that we spread these rosaries to the world, that we go to the children with the rosaries and the consecrations. It is so hard to see our heavenly Mother and to know what she is saying and to not do more. Jesus and Mary have called you here this day. You have been chosen by them. This is the message that they wish to deliver to you, that many souls are suffering and going to hell. Over and over again I heard Our Lady call out, "Please, please the souls are dropping into hell like rain. You must go out to the world and spread the love of my Son."

2.) On October 13th, Mary said, "I am the Lady of the Rosary. I have come to warn the faithful to amend their lives and to ask pardon for their sins. They must not offend Our Lord anymore for He is already too grievously offended by the sins of men. People must say the rosary. Let them continue saying it every day."³ This is a great gift that God has given to us, rosaries from the Hearts of Jesus and Mary. For in the rosary this week Jesus said that the times ahead will be very dark and unless we discipline our minds by praying the rosary all through the day, it will be very hard for us when these dark days come. Mary is our heavenly Mother. She was taken into heaven but she is very much with us. She has told us what we must do. We must pray the rosary. She is our heavenly Mother. As a mother that tells a child what to eat and how to dress, Mary is telling us this: that we must try to pray l5 decades of the rosary every day for the times ahead will be dark and we need to have disciplined thoughts. In praying the rosary, our thoughts become disciplined. We are meditating on the lives of Jesus and Mary.

3.) Hail Mary....

4.) I saw a documentary on Fatima and in this documentary, Mary appeared to the three children and then they showed the events of World War II. The bodies were being thrown on a heap. And it just about tore my insides apart because I identified so much with watching Mary appear and then nobody listened or not a lot of people listened and World War II happened and so many people were killed. John brought a statue and asked me to read this, "One day during World War II, a group of soldiers wondered into a small French village which had been badly bombed. They stood in the village square and looked at the desolation around them. Nearly everything seemed battered and broken. Suddenly, one of the soldiers noticed something interesting close by on the ground. It looked like a statue. There were cracks and chips in it and several pieces were missing. It was badly damaged. A few of the soldiers stood it up right. Immediately they knew that it was a statue of Jesus. The men began to look for the missing parts. They put them together as best as they could and then they set the statue on a pedestal that was still standing, but the hands were missing. The men looked very carefully for the hands, but they were no where to be found. When the men were about to give up, one of them said he knew exactly what to do. He made a rough sign and hung it over the arms of the statue. The sign read, 'I have no hands but yours.'"

5.) Jesus gave me a message that we are His hands and we are His Heart beating in this world. We must truly be real lovers, lovers living in this world loving one another, one with each other. It is in going to the pure heart of Mary, that we will unite in this deep love affair with Jesus.

6.) Jesus speaks: You are My hands. You are My Heart beating in this world. My beloved apostles, will you say "yes"? Will you go into the world? Will you carry my light in the darkness? Will you tell the children who are suffering how I love them? Will you go to the nursing homes and tell the elderly how I am longing to be with them, to talk to them, to hear the words from their lips that they love Me? You are My apostles of love. Response: This is the anniversary of the sixth apparition at Fatima. Mary appeared every day for fourteen months to me and delivered these rosaries. That is all she kept saying: that we must lead others to the love of her Son, Jesus. The message is so simple. It is love God and love one another. All the fanciness and the frills! Why can we not live this message which is the message of love God and love each other.

7.) We are so focused on the things of this earth and our heavenly Mother has appeared so many times and told us what we must do- she made it so clear at Fatima. Do we think our blessed Mother will change, that she will change her peace plan? We must, we must carry this message into the world. We must do what Jesus and Mary are asking us to do.

8.) Hail Mary....

9.) Hail Mary....

10.) Hail Mary....

The Coronation of Our Lady

1.) Mary speaks: I am Our Lady of the Holy Rosary. I am asking you this day to carry these rosaries into this world. It is through the rosary that you will have peace in your hearts. My little children, you must learn to discipline your thoughts. You must come to Our Hearts and meditate on Our lives. Our lives will live in your life as you meditate on the mysteries of the rosary.

2.) Mary speaks: There is a time, a time of struggle. There is a time of joy. There is a time when the Sacred Heart of Jesus will reign. The time for these things is near at hand. My little children, I have called you on this October 13th, 1996. I have called you to go into this world and to carry the rosary as your weapon against Satan. It is through the rosary and the scapular that I will save this world. I am Mary, your Mother. I am Our Lady of the Holy Rosary.

3.) We see the angel appear to Mary and ask her to be the Mother of God. This is the Father's plan- that Mary would be the Mother of God, and we see Mary as crowned Queen of Heaven and Earth. Do we see the plan of the Father unfold in our lives? That our lives are so important to help in the salvation of many? That He is truly calling us to be apostles to carry His love, His light, into the dark world?

4.) Jesus speaks: I am with you in a special way, My beloved apostles. I am calling you this day. This is an urgent call. You must go into the world and carry My messages of love to the souls that are hungry and suffering and in pain.

5.) Think vividly of the moment of death. There is a soul at this moment on the edge of death. How did they live their life? Think of the world today. Is the world living according to the way that God has told us that we must live? He told us that we must love God and love one another. There is a soul at this moment on the edge of death. Where will this soul go? Did the soul love God? Did it matter about his clothes and his house and all his riches? I heard Mary, Our Mother, call out time and time and time again about the souls that were going into hell. It is like the Fatima documentary- she called and people did not heed what she said and there was World War II. Mary does not appear as she once appeared and she has ceased giving messages as she once did. She still gives messages but they are not as many. She says that we are not listening to the messages that she has given and that she cannot hold back the hand of her Son any longer.

6.) This is the good news: if we do what Mary tells us at Fatima, we will have peace. There will be the reign of the Sacred Heart and the triumph of her Immaculate Heart in which souls will fervently love Jesus with the greatest love. Her plan is so simple but Satan has blocked this plan. Satan has blocked these rosary messages and meditations. We must pray that we can circulate the messages of Jesus and Mary to the world that is hungry and in need of help.

7.) One day soon we will be with God in heaven, forever and ever.

8.) Wrapped in the embrace of the Almighty God for all eternity. Heaven is a place of love for the Almighty God is love. We will be satisfied. We will know love. We will be at peace. But, hell is a place where there is no love, there is no community, there is isolation, there is longing for God for all eternity. He is alive, He is alive and He is with us this day. You must spread this message to the ends of the earth.

9.) Mary speaks: My little children, I call you children because you are My children, willful in your ways. I have called to you to pray My rosary and to spread the rosary to the hurting children in this world. I am asking you on this special day that you carry the rosary to as many souls as possible. I will aid you in all efforts to spread the rosaries to the world. Read these meditations to the elderly in the Nursing Homes, teach them about the power of the rosary, bring the rosary to the children, tell them about our lives, about our love for them. I am Mary, your Mother, I am Our Lady of the Holy Rosary.

10.) Song: The Rosary

Ending Message: Jesus speaks: How tenderly I love you, My beloved ones. I am Jesus. I have called you this day for this special meeting. I have called you, My apostles. Will you go into the darkness? Will you spread the message of My love? Will you carry the rosary into the world? Will you touch the hearts of those that are hurting and in pain? Will you be My apostles of love? I am calling you to love God and to love one another, to be one in your hearts, to put aside all hatred and bitterness within your heart, to not give into the tauntings of Satan to divide you, to always operate in love, to focus on God. Let your hearts be filled with love. Glory be.... "My dear friends, let us love each other, since love is from God and everyone who loves is a child of God and knows God. Whoever fails to love does not know God, because God is love." (1 John 4: 7-8) ⁴

 

Notes:

1.) Edward J. Carter, S.J., Spirituality of Fatima and Medjugorje, Faith Publishing Co. p. 14.

2.) Scripture quotations are taken from The New Jerusalem Bible, Catholic Edition, Doubleday and Co.

3.) Edward J. Carter, S.J., Spirituality of Fatima and Medjugorje, Faith Publishing Co. p. 16.

4.) Scripture quotations are taken from The New Jerusalem Bible, Catholic Edition, Doubleday and Co.

March 13, 2009

      Betty is a handmaid who has prayed in the

        China Church for 11 years. To get from her

        house to the church she uses a walker and

        must go over a creek and a little bridge.

        We wanted a little place she could rest

        by the Church. We need about $1,000 to

        make this happen. Can you help us?

 

 

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.

                    When something is right I know it —
                I seek the truth —

                    God gives me the commandments —
                    God gives me the Church
                    God gives me the Word of God

                When one loves - you go out to meet the
                    object loved.

                God gave us this Movement

                I love it —

                I sacrificed for it —

                I did difficult things to make it
                    right — stand in truth

                I didn't give into impurities

                God created the earth with order

                God had rules —

                He told Adam and Eve not to eat of
                    the forbidden tree

                Adam and Eve rebelled

                They wanted their own way

                They didn't want to obey God's rule
                    about eating from the forbidden tree —

Romans 6: 3-11

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. If we have been joined to him by dying a death like his, so we shall be by a resurrection like his; realising that our former self was crucified with him, so that the self which belonged to sin should be destroyed and we should be freed from the slavery of sin. Someone who has died, of course, no longer has to answer for sin. 

    But we believe that, if we died with Christ, then we shall live with him too. We know that Christ has been raised from the dead and will never die again. Death has no power over him any more. For by dying, he is dead to sin once and for all, and now the life that he lives is life with God. In the same way, you must see yourselves as being dead to sin but alive for God in Christ Jesus.

Romans 8: 29-32, 35, 37-39

Can anything cut us off from the love of Christ-can hardships or distress, or persecution, or lack of food and clothing, or threats or violence;

No; we come through all these things triumphantly victorious, by the power of him who loved us. For I am certain of this: neither death nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nothing already in existence and nothing still to come, nor any power, nor the heights nor the depths, nor any created thing whatever, will be able to come between us and the love of God, known to us in Christ Jesus our Lord.

                Sing: Remember Your Love

Matthew 16: 24-27

Then Jesus said to his disciples, ‘If anyone wants to be a follower of mine, let him renounce himself and take up his cross and follow me. Anyone who wants to save his life will lose it; but anyone who loses his life for my sake will find it. What, then, will anyone gain by winning the whole world and forfeiting his life? Or what can anyone offer in exchange for his life? 

    ‘For the Son of man is going to come in the glory of his Father with his angels, and then he will reward each one according to his behaviour.

John 3: 16-21

                Sing: We Have Been Told

1 Corinthians 12: 12-13

                Sing song: The Spirit of the Lord is Upon Me

                Sing: Valleys of Green

                Sing: Lord Send Out Your Spirit

                Sing: He Has Anointed Me

                Sing: By Name, I Have Called You

                God is light in Him there is
                    no darkness

1 John 4: 7-12

                Sing: The Lord is Kind and Merciful

                We are the light of the world —

Priestly Newsletter Book III

The Vision of Faith

• Vatican II speaks to us about faith in today’s world, a world which is to a considerable degree, characterized by unbelief:

"The remedy which must be applied to atheism, however, is to be sought in a proper presentation of the Church’s teaching as well as in the integral life of the Church and her members. For it is the function of the Church, led by the Holy Spirit who renews and purifies her ceaselessly, to make God the Father and His Incarnate Son present and in a sense visible.

"The result is achieved chiefly by the witness of a living and mature faith, namely, one trained to see difficulties clearly and to master them. Very many martyrs have given luminous witness to this faith and continue to do so. This faith needs to prove its fruitfulness by penetrating the believer’s entire life, including its worldly dimensions, and by activating him toward justice and love, especially regarding the needy. What does the most to reveal God’s presence, however, is the brotherly charity of the faithful who are united in spirit as they work together for the faith of the gospel and who prove themselves a sign of unity." ⁴⁸

• As the virtue of infused love assimilates us to God’s loving activity, and this gives us a special, God-like capacity for the exercise of love, so the infused virtue of faith, as St. Thomas Aquinas tells us, assimilates us to the divine knowing (cf. St. Thomas Aquinas, In Boeth de Trinitate, q. 3, a.1)

Through faith we share in God’s knowing activity in a special way, and we are able to know God and creation in relationship to God in a supernatural, God-like fashion.

If we are to properly progress in the spiritual life, we must allow this vision of faith to more and more penetrate our activities. Increasingly, we should become contemplatives in action: we should view reality in a way that is similar to God’s view of reality. Increasingly, everything we see should remind us of God because everything that is really good and true and beautiful does reflect God. The beauties of nature, for example, manifest this beauty; the raging storm at sea reflects his power; and the goodness, the kindness, and the love that we observe in others around us tell us that God is infinitely good and kind and loving.

The vision of faith allows us to see the human family and the world in a manner that differs from the nonbeliever’s view. As contemplatives in action, we should act upon this vision. Every man, woman, and child is marked with the blood of Christ. If Jesus loved them so much—indeed, if he now loves them so much—can we be indifferent to their needs, both spiritual and material? Can we be indifferent to all the problems that burden modern men and women? If we are Christians of living faith, we know that we cannot be indifferent. This vision of faith should inspire us to action according to our vocation, talents, opportunity, time, and energy. We should be laboring to make the human family and the world more reflective of Christ’s image.

 

Trust in God

The virtue of trust is extremely important for growth in the spiritual life. Here are words on confidence, on trust, in God from St. Claude La Colombière, one of the great apostles of devotion to the Heart of Christ.

"My God, I am so convinced that you keep watch over those who hope in You, and that we can want for nothing when we look for all from You, that I am resolved in the future to live free from every care, and to turn all my anxieties over to You…

"Men may deprive me of possessions and of honor, sickness may strip me of strength and the means of serving you…but I shall never lose my hope. I shall keep it till the last moment of my life; and at that moment all the demons in Hell shall strive to tear it from me in vain…

"Others may look for happiness from their wealth or their talents; others may rest on the innocence of their life, or the severity of their penance, or the amount of their alms, or the fervor of their prayers. As for me, Lord, all my confidence is my confidence itself. This confidence has never deceived anyone. No one, no one has hoped in the Lord and has been confounded.

I know, alas!, I know only too well, that I am weak and unstable. I know what temptation can do against the strongest virtue. I have seen the stars of heaven fall, and the pillars of the firmament; but that cannot frighten me. So long as I continue to hope, I shall be sheltered from all misfortune; and I am sure of hoping always, since I hope also for this unwavering hopefulness.

"Finally, I am sure I cannot hope too much in You, and that I cannot receive less than I hoped for from You. So I hope that you will hold me safe on the steepest slopes, that You will sustain me against the most furious assaults, and that You will make my weakness triumph over my most fearful enemies. I hope that You will love me always, and that I too shall love You without ceasing. To carry my hope once for all as far as it can go, I hope from You to possess You, O my Creator, in time and in eternity. Amen."⁴⁹

 

Humility

Humility is a very important virtue given to us for the spiritual journey.

Humility is both the realization of what we are as creatures of God and the concrete implementation of this realization in our Christian lives. Humility, therefore, is not an exercise in self-depreciation; it is not telling yourself that you are no good, that you really have nothing of any significance to contribute to the service of God. Humility is based on truth. It is compatible with the recognition that God has given a person certain gifts, even great gifts, of nature and grace. If we do not recognize our God-given gifts, we do not thank God for them as we should, nor properly develop these gifts according to His will. God wants us not only to recognize the good that is in us, but also to realize the source of this goodness. Although we have a responsibility to cooperate with His graces, God is the One Who is chiefly responsible for what we are. If one person has advanced to a level in the Christian life that is beyond the level of another, it is ultimately because God has given that person greater graces.

If humility is based on truth and, consequently, allows us to properly recognize our gifts, it also necessitates that we admit to the evil within us, which is also part of the truth and must be acted upon. Humility not only bids us to admit that there is evil in us, but also tells us that, as creatures of God, we should conform to His will and work against this evil side of our persons. In summary, humility allows us to properly evaluate both the good and evil within ourselves.

Here is a quotation from St. Paul which helps us to preserve, and grow in, humility: Who made you so important? What have you got that was not given to you? And if it was given to you, why are you boasting as though it were your own? (1 Cor 4:7).

And in the Letter of James we read: Humble yourselves before the Lord and he will lift you up. (Jm 4:10)

 

Strength in Weakness

"and that is why I am glad of weaknesses, insults, constraints, persecutions and distress for Christ’s sake. For it is when I am weak that I am strong. (2 Cor 12:10)

According to the wisdom of the world, it is often thought to be a sign of weakness if one feels a sense of powerlessness and admits the same. According to the wisdom of Christ, it is of paramount importance that one admits weakness and powerlessness and builds upon this realization.

If we do not admit our weakness and our helplessness, then we are living a lie. Jesus has told us that without Him we can do nothing. It is a sign of Christian maturity if we not only admit to our weakness theoretically, but consistently live this realization. It is not a question of giving in to this weakness, of capitulating to it in an evil way. It is rather a question of realizing our helplessness and throwing ourselves into the arms of Christ. Then we become strong with his strength; then his grace more and more strengthens us and we actually are surprised at the depth of our Christian existence.

At certain rather rare points along the path of life, we become overwhelmed, for various reasons, with the burden of life. We feel adrift upon the turbulent waters of worry and anxiety; fear gradually strengthens its paralyzing grip. Life temporarily seems to be too much, and we feel ourselves deluged, barely capable of coping with the harshness of the human condition. Such episodes, painful as they are, are magnificent opportunities for Christian growth. If we act as we should at such times — abandon ourselves anew to Jesus — then our Christian life takes on a new depth and vitality; for we have become so much more closely united to Jesus Who is our nourishment, our life, our happiness.

Of course, it is not only at times of special trial and anxiety that, realizing our helplessness, we should turn to Jesus. If we are spiritually sensitive, we will always be aware of our weakness. But, very importantly, this realization of our powerlessness is not meant in any sense to make us feel depressed or discouraged. If we build properly upon the understanding of our weakness, we will experience deeper peace, and love, and security — because Jesus is very near.

 

Living in the Present Moment

I suggest that one of the most difficult acts of self-discipline in the spiritual journey is to concentrate on the present moment. We have a very strong tendency to often disregard the importance of the present moment by focusing in a wrong way on the past or in a wrong way on the future. When we give in to this tendency we suffer a significant spiritual loss. There are proper occasions for thinking of the past and the future. For example, we have to learn from the past and we have to prepare for the future, but our great emphasis has to be upon the present. There is a Latin axiom which says, age quod agis, which means: do what you are doing, concentrate on the present. And, of course, we are familiar with the term in the history of spirituality: the sacrament of the present moment. Growth in self-discipline should include a greater determination to get as much as we can out of the present moment. People with a terminal illness have an opportunity, as they prepare for death, for increased prayer, contrition, love of God. For those who have this opportunity of knowing with some certainty the time of their death, I’m sure as they look back on their lives, they are saddened by the times they did not use time and opportunities for the service of the Lord properly, and are overjoyed at those times in which they did use the present opportunity properly. A great means we have of living in the present properly is a greater focus upon our Lord. For if I have that awareness of the fact I am united with Jesus here and now, why should I be concerned so much about the future or the past? Yes, a great help in living in the present and deriving all the good we can from it for ourselves and others is an ever greater focus on Jesus, because the more I focus upon Jesus and the more I live with Him in the present moment, the more I am satisfied with the present moment. And so let us resolve to grow in that self-discipline which is required to really live in the present with the fullness of our being as much as is possible, with the help of God’s grace. To do so is extremely important for proper growth in the spiritual life.

Now is the time. Now is the time to live and to love. Now is the time to become more united to Christ, to be more one with Him. Now is not yesterday; now is not tomorrow; now is today, and today is a gift from the Lord.

 

Heart of Christ, Heart of Mary

Pope John Paul II speaks to us movingly concerning the Heart of Christ: "The Heart of the Redeemer enlivens the whole Church and draws men who have opened their hearts ‘to the inscrutable wealth’ of this unique Heart....

"I desire in a special way to join spiritually with all those who inspire their human hearts from this Divine Heart. It is a numerous family. Not a few congregations, associations and communities live and develop in the Church, taking their vital energy in a programmed way from the Heart of Christ. This spiritual bond always leads to a great reawakening of apostolic zeal. Adorers of the Divine Heart become people with sensitive consciences. And when it is given to them to have a relationship with the Heart of our Lord and Master, the need also reawakens in them to do reparation for the sins of the world, for the indifference of so many hearts, for their negligence.

"How necessary these ranks of vigilant hearts are in the Church, so that the love of the Divine Heart shall not remain isolated and without response! In these ranks, special mention deserves to be made of all those who offer up their sufferings as living victims in union with the Heart of Christ pierced on the cross. Transformed in that way by love, human suffering becomes a particular leaven of Christ’s saving work in the Church…

"The Most Sacred Heart of Jesus reminds us, above all, of those moments when this Heart was ‘pierced by the lance,’ and, thereby, opened in a visible manner to man and the world. By reciting the litany and venerating the Divine Heart in general, we learn the mystery of the Redemption in all its divine and human profundity."

And the Pope also speaks to us about the heart of Mary: "The Immaculate Heart of Mary was open to the word, ‘Woman, there is your son.’ It went to meet spiritually the Heart of the Son opened by the soldier’s lance. The heart of Mary was opened by the same love for man and for the world with which Christ loved man and the world, offering up himself on the cross, even to that lance stroke from the soldier.

"Consecrating the world to the Immaculate heart of Mary means approaching the same Source of Life, through the Mother’s Intercession, that life which flowed forth from Golgatha, the source which gushes out ceaselessly with redemption and grace. Reparation for the sins of the world is continually being accomplished in it. It is ceaselessly the font of new life and holiness.

"Consecrating the world to the Immaculate Heart of the Mother means returning under the Cross of the Son. More: it means consecration of this world to the pierced Heart of the Savior, by bringing the world back to the very source of its Redemption. Redemption is always greater than man’s sin and ‘the sin of the world.’ The power of Redemption infinitely surpasses the whole range of evil in man and in the world.

"The Heart of the Mother is aware of it, more than anyone in the whole cosmos, visible and invisible. This is why she calls. She does not call only to conversion; she also calls upon us to let ourselves be helped by her, the Mother, to return to the source of the Redemption."⁵⁴

The Theology of Consecration

A. Boussard gives an extremely fine and concise sketch of the theology of consecration:

"By the Incarnation, in and of itself, the Humanity of Jesus is consecrated, so that in becoming Man, Jesus is ipso facto constituted Savior, Prophet, King, Priest, and Victim of the One Sacrifice that was to save the world. He is the ‘Anointed’, par excellence, the ‘Christ’ totally belonging to God, His Humanity being that of the Word and indwelled by the Holy Spirit. When, by a free act of His human will, He accepts what He is, doing what He was sent to do, He can say that He consecrates ‘Himself’. In Christ, therefore, what might be called His ‘subjective’ consecration is a perfect response to the ‘objective’ consecration produced in His Humanity through the Incarnation.

"And what Christ does brings with it a ‘consecration’ for His disciples, a very special belonging to God, since He imparts to them His own life precisely by making them participate in His own consecration.

"Through Baptism Christians also are consecrated and ‘anointed’ by the power of the Spirit. They share, in their measure, in the essential consecration of Christ, in His character of King, Priest, and Prophet (cf. 1 Peter 2:9; 7 Peter 1:3-4; Rev. 5:9, etc.). With Christ and through Christ, they are ‘ordered’ to the glory of God and the salvation of the world. They do not belong to themselves. They belong to Christ the Lord, who imparts His own life to them…

"The vocation of those who have been baptized is to ‘live’ this consecration by a voluntary adherence—and one that is as perfect as possible—to what it has made of them. Living as ‘children of God’, they fulfill subjectively their objective consecration; like Jesus, they consecrate themselves. This is the deeper meaning of vows and baptismal promises, together with the actual way of life corresponding to them. The baptismal consecration is the fundamental one, constitutive of the Christian. All consecrations which come after it presuppose and are rooted in it…"⁵⁵

48. The Documents of Vatican II, op. cit., "The Church in the Modern World", no. 21.
49. St. Claude de la Columbière, An Act of Confidence in God, Apostleship of Prayer, Chicago Regional Office.
54. Pope John Paul II. Prayers and Devotions, edited by Bishop Peter Canuis Johannes Van Lierde, Viking, pp. 449-451.
55. A. Boussard in Dictionary of Mary, Catholic Book Publishing Co., pp. 54-55.

                Triumph of the Elect

Revelation 7: 9-17

After that I saw that there was a huge number, impossible for anyone to count, of people from every nation, race, tribe and language; they were standing in front of the throne and in front of the Lamb, dressed in white robes and holding palms in their hands. They shouted in a loud voice, ‘Salvation to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!’ And all the angels who were standing in a circle round the throne, surrounding the elders and the four living creatures, prostrated themselves before the throne, and touched the ground with their foreheads, worshipping God with these words:

    Amen. Praise and glory and wisdom,
    thanksgiving and honour
       and power and strength
    to our God for ever and ever. Amen.

    One of the elders then spoke and asked me, ‘Who are these people, dressed in white robes, and where have they come from?’ I answered him, ‘You can tell me, sir.’ Then he said, ‘These are the people who have been through the great trial; they have washed their robes white again in the blood of the Lamb. That is why they are standing in front of God’s throne and serving him day and night in his sanctuary; and the One who sits on the throne will spread his tent over them. They will never hunger or thirst again; sun and scorching wind will never plague them, because the Lamb who is at the heart of the throne will be their shepherd and will guide them to springs of living water; and God will wipe away all tears from their eyes.’

                    Following God's vision sets us
                free in this world —

                    We have tendencies because
                of our wounded human nature —
                tendencies for seeking dominance
                for dominance sake, wanting to
                rule over authority — the devil
                knows when he attacks the authority
                (which is one in authority acting
                as God intends) the devil can try
                to weaken the structure by
                having those underneath to rise
                up and disobey authority.
                Adam and Eve disobeyed God
                God punished Adam and Eve and
                all their descendants because of
                their sin —

                    Also the devil attacks authority
                to lead others off. If the authority
                is against the commandments then
                their is a major problem for the authority
                by the force of his office is leading
                men away from obedience to God —
                one in authority can be unjust
                in dealing with funds etc. —

                    If the people have given
                into disobedience to the commandments
                and the authority is elected then
                the people can be responsible for their
                own fate —

                    The pope is infallible in faith
                and morals — the pope comes down
                from Peter — the pope is to be
                obeyed and respected — The hierarchy
                are the descendants of the Apostles —
                Mary said at Fatima, and this is
                from Fr. Carter's book —

                    Until a sufficient number of
                people of the world have consecrated
                their hearts to the Hearts of Jesus and Mary
                we won't have peace in the world —
                Mary said the Bishops need to consecrate
                their dioceses to the Hearts of Jesus and Mary —

                    Adam and Eve sinned

                    Jesus is the King of heaven and
                earth — Our mission is to help bring
                about the reign of the Sacred Heart and
                triumph of Mary's Immaculate Heart —

                    Naturally, from satan's point
                of view he will try to work to discredit good
                authority — and try to effect authority
                so those disobeying God's laws give in.

                    1st weaken those who stand
                behind the commandments and
                then attack the pope's authority
                over the people —

                    The authority of the pope is
                given by Christ —

                    Men will be truly free in heaven —

                In the Our Father we say —

                    "...Thy will be done on earth
                as it it in heaven"

                    Thy will is done in heaven

                    There is perfect obedience
                in heaven,

                    There is not weakness to the
                wounded human nature in heaven —

Revelation 7: 16-17

They will never hunger or thirst again; sun and scorching wind will never plague them, because the Lamb who is at the heart of the throne will be their shepherd and will guide them to springs of living water; and God will wipe away all tears from their eyes.’

 

                Souls in heaven do not give into
                inordinate attachments, gluttony,
                desires of the flesh . . .

                    We will have love in
                heaven — live with the saints —
                live with those we loved and
                went to heaven — there is
                all good in heaven

                    Heaven is a place of
                happiness

                    To get to heaven we are
                in the state of grace when we
                die and are friends with God —

                    The vision of God —

                    Fr. Carter speaks of in
                Response in Christ

                Sing Song: Eye Has Not Seen

                The Last day of the retreat is to
                    ponder the gift of heaven

                To know about this mystical
                    vision with God here below —

                    We are here to 

                    Love God

                    Love others as ourselves

                If we want to get to heaven we were
                    to obey the greatest commandment —
                    have friendship with God

                Ponder the mystery of God's love —
                    The Father so loved the world
                        He sent His only begotten
                        Son

                Ponder this love of Our Father for us —

                Say Our Father

Our Father

Our Father, Who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. * Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. Amen.

                Ponder the love of Jesus for us to give
                    Himself to His death for love
                    of us and obedience to God's
                    will

                Ponder the love of the Holy Spirit and
                    how the incarnation goes on
                    in us.

                The love of our heavenly Mother

                It is our response to God's love —

                God calls us

                God first loved us and

                It is our Response to God's love —

                We are to seek the virtues that can
                    help us have habits of choosing
                    good rather than giving into
                    the weaknesses of our
                    wounded human nature
                    (1) seeking dominance for dominance
                            sake
                    (2) blaming others when we sin
                            and offend God —
                            taking responsibility for sin

                  Fr. Mike says:

                    NAME IT
                    CLAIM IT
                    DUMP IT

                  CONCUPISCENCE

                    (1) envy
                    (2) slothfulness
                    (3) jealousy
                    (4) pride
                    (5) anger
                    (6) lust
                    (7) greed

                The devil attacks authority —
                    the devil wants right authority
                    to look weak —
                    The devil wants people to
                        rise up - in combat —
                        to challenge and
                        argue with authority

                    It is like the pride of
                        Eve —

                    Eve disobeyed

                In giving our hearts to Jesus and
                    Mary - we put Jesus on
                    the throne in our hearts —

                We live a virtuous life respecting
                    right authority —

                On one hand we can have those
                    in authority disobeying
                    the commandments — this
                    is from the devil —
                    People are supposed to obey the
                    commandments of God —

                Then the devil attacks the right
                    authority by the pride of
                    those under who do not obey the
                    authority over them —
                    because of their fallen
                    human nature — they seek
                    dominance over authority
                    for dominance sake

                This is an important scripture
                    in the vision of God

In fact, however, Christ has been raised from the dead, as the first-fruits of all who have fallen asleep. As it was by one man that death came, so through one man has come the resurrection of the dead. Just as all die in Adam, so in Christ all will be brought to life; but all of them in their proper order: Christ the first-fruits, and next, at his coming, those who belong to him. After that will come the end, when he will hand over the kingdom to God the Father, having abolished every principality, every ruling force and power. For he is to be king until he has made his enemies his footstool, and the last of the enemies to be done away with is death, for he has put all things under his feet. But when it is said everything is subjected, this obviously cannot include the One who subjected everything to him. When everything has been subjected to him, then the Son himself will be subjected to the One who has subjected everything to him, so that God may be all in all.

                    Happiness lies in seeing through
                the eyes of God —

                    in living according to the Father's
                vision

                    In living in Faith

Hebrews Chapter 11

Only faith can guarantee the blessings that we hope for, or prove the existence of realities that are unseen. It is for their faith that our ancestors are acknowledged.

    It is by faith that we understand that the ages were created by a word from God, so that from the invisible the visible world came to be. 

    It was because of his faith that Abel offered God a better sacrifice than Cain, and for that he was acknowledged as upright when God himself made acknowledgement of his offerings. Though he is dead, he still speaks by faith. 

    It was because of his faith that Enoch was taken up and did not experience death: he was no more, because God took him; because before his assumption he was acknowledged to have pleased God. Now it is impossible to please God without faith, since anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and rewards those who seek him. 

    It was through his faith that Noah, when he had been warned by God of something that had never been seen before, took care to build an ark to save his family. His faith was a judgement on the world, and he was able to claim the uprightness which comes from faith. 

    It was by faith that Abraham obeyed the call to set out for a country that was the inheritance given to him and his descendants, and that he set out without knowing where he was going. By faith he sojourned in the Promised Land as though it were not his, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. He looked forward to the well–founded city, designed and built by God. 

    It was equally by faith that Sarah, in spite of being past the age, was made able to conceive, because she believed that he who had made the promise was faithful to it. Because of this, there came from one man, and one who already had the mark of death on him, descendants as numerous as the stars of heaven and the grains of sand on the seashore which cannot be counted.   

    All these died in faith, before receiving any of the things that had been promised, but they saw them in the far distance and welcomed them, recognising that they were only strangers and nomads on earth. People who use such terms about themselves make it quite plain that they are in search of a homeland. If they had meant the country they came from, they would have had the opportunity to return to it; but in fact they were longing for a better homeland, their heavenly homeland. That is why God is not ashamed to be called their God, since he has founded the city for them. 

    It was by faith that Abraham, when put to the test, offered up Isaac. He offered to sacrifice his only son even though he had yet to receive what had been promised, and he had been told: Isaac is the one through whom your name will be carried on. He was confident that God had the power even to raise the dead; and so, figuratively speaking, he was given back Isaac from the dead. 

    It was by faith that this same Isaac gave his blessing to Jacob and Esau for the still distant future. By faith Jacob, when he was dying, blessed each of Joseph’s sons, bowed in reverence, as he leant on his staff. It was by faith that, when he was about to die, Joseph mentioned the Exodus of the Israelites and gave instructions about his own remains. 

    It was by faith that Moses, when he was born, was kept hidden by his parents for three months; because they saw that he was a fine child; they were not afraid of the royal edict. It was by faith that, when he was grown up, Moses refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter and chose to be ill–treated in company with God’s people rather than to enjoy the transitory pleasures of sin. He considered that the humiliations offered to the Anointed were something more precious than all the treasures of Egypt, because he had his eyes fixed on the reward. It was by faith that he left Egypt without fear of the king’s anger; he held to his purpose like someone who could see the Invisible. It was by faith that he kept the Passover and sprinkled the blood to prevent the Destroyer from touching any of their first–born sons. It was by faith they crossed the Red Sea as easily as dry land, while the Egyptians, trying to do the same, were drowned.  

    It was through faith that the walls of Jericho fell down when the people had marched round them for seven days. It was by faith that Rahab the prostitute welcomed the spies and so was not killed with the unbelievers.

    What more shall I say? There is not time for me to give an account of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, or of David, Samuel and the prophets. These were men who through faith conquered kingdoms, did what was upright and earned the promises. They could keep a lion’s mouth shut, put out blazing fires and emerge unscathed from battle. They were weak people who were given strength to be brave in war and drive back foreign invaders. Some returned to their wives from the dead by resurrection; and others submitted to torture, refusing release so that they would rise again to a better life. Some had to bear being pilloried and flogged, or even chained up in prison. They were stoned, or sawn in half, or killed by the sword; they were homeless, and wore only the skins of sheep and goats; they were in want and hardship, and maltreated. They were too good for the world and they wandered in deserts and mountains and in caves and ravines. These all won acknowledgement through their faith, but they did not receive what was promised, since God had made provision for us to have something better, and they were not to reach perfection except with us.

                God shows us the cloud of
                    witnesses who obeyed
                    God's plan —
                    who lived in the Father's
                        vision

                Adam and Eve had their own plan

                    Cain killed his brother —

               God sent the plagues at the time
                    of Moses

                    Ramses wanted his kingdom —

                The devil works to get people to
                    give in —
                    they don't see they are slaves
                    of the devil
                    against God's plan

                God divided the Red Sea

               At the time of Noah — the
                    people were corrupt —
                    disobedient to them

                God is the Creator

                God has the plan

                Adam and Eve sinned

                Fall of Adam Genesis 3

                The devil is cunning

                The devil tries to make good look
                    evil and evil look good —

                Men tempted by the devil can let
                    the trust in the Creator die
                    in his heart and
                    disobey God's commands —

                In the garden — death became the consequence of sin —
                    we see we are subject to death because
                    of the sin of Adam and Eve —

                Our first parent's eyes were opened to
                    the consequence of sin

                Many today trying to determine
                    what is right and wrong
                    without God — this is called secularism

                This I think is a chastisement since
                    we did not obey Mary's
                    message at Fatima —

Jesus told Fr. Carter                     to spread the Priestly Newsletter                         and to spread the consecration                         to the 2 Hearts

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)

 

                Jesus shows us the 12 Apostles —
                    Jesus loved Judas
                    Judas thought he was right —
                    He disobeyed God
                    He was sneaky —
                    He betrayed the Son of
                        God for his pride —
                    He had his own plan

                Because of the sin of Adam and
                    Eve —
                    disorder entered the world —

                A person is accountable to God
                    for one's disobedience,
                    for one's sin —

                The devil told Eve — she should
                    eat the forbidden fruit — the devil uses
                    fallacious reasoning

                Whose side are we on

                God's side                                                                              Devil's side

Excerpt of The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius, by Louis J. Puhl, S.J. P.60-61
 

136. THE FOURTH DAY

        A MEDITATION ON TWO STANDARDS

The one of Christ, our supreme leader and lord,
the other of Lucifer, the deadly enemy of our
human nature

PRAYER.   The usual preparatory prayer.

window at a former Jesuit Seminary

137. FIRST PRELUDE.   This is the history. Here it will be that Christ calls and wants all beneath His standard, and Lucifer, on the other hand, wants all under his.

138. SECOND PRELUDE.   This is a mental representation of the place. It will be here to see a great plain, comprising the whole region about Jerusalem, where the sovereign Commander-in-Chief of all the good is Christ our Lord; and another plain about the region of Babylon, where the chief of the enemy is Lucifer.

139. THIRD PRELUDE.   This is to ask for what I desire. Here it will be to ask for a knowledge of the deceits of the rebel chief and help to guard myself against them; and also to ask for a knowledge of the true life exemplified in the sovereign and true Commander, and the grace to imitate Him.
   

FIRST PART

THE STANDARD OF SATAN

140. FIRST POINT.   Imagine you see the chief of all the enemy in the vast plain about Babylon, seated on a great throne of fire and smoke, his appearance inspiring horror and terror.

141. SECOND POINT.   Consider how he summons innumerable demons, and scatters them, some to one city and some to another, throughout the whole world, so that no province, no place, no state of life, no individual is overlooked.

142. THIRD POINT.   Consider the address he makes to them, how he goads them on to lay snares for men and bind them with chains. First they are to tempt them to covet riches (as Satan himself is accustomed to do in most cases) that they may the more easily attain the empty honors of this world, and then come to overweening pride.

   The first step, then, will be riches, the second honor, the third pride. From these three steps the evil one leads to all other vices.
   

SECOND PART

THE STANDARD OF CHRIST

143.   In a similar way, we are to picture to ourselves the sovereign and true Commander, Christ our Lord.

144. FIRST POINT.   Consider Christ our Lord, standing in a lowly place in a great plain about the region of Jerusalem, His appearance beautiful and attractive.

145. SECOND POINT.   Consider how the Lord of all the world chooses so many persons, apostles, disciples, etc., and sends them throughout the whole world to spread His sacred doctrine among all men, no matter what their state or condition.

end of excerpt of The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius

                because of original sin we have
                    tendencies to lust, envy,
                    jealousy, covetousness,
                    pride etc.

                The core of sin is revealed —
                    seeking to live independent
                    to God and to make
                    decisions independent of
                    God —

                Relativism and secularism

                God wants unity — HARMONY
 

                the devil is disorder  — disharmony
                    to God's plan

                We have the desires of the flesh
                    because of concupiscence
                    instead of disciplining
                    our wills and right reason —
                    many give in to the flesh —

                    Sin upsets the order
                willed by God —

                    The devil is the snake who
                tempts people to give in
                through pride and fallacious
                reasoning (not right reason)
                they give into satan —
                They work against those trying
                to promote God's Kingdom

Excerpt from Spirituality of Fatima

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 natpions will be destroyed....

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.
 

                The Holy Father will have a lot
                    to suffer

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Sacred Heart of Jesus w/glass - 18	Our Lady-Guadalupe w/glass - 12	Limpias - 8
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St. Francis	St. Anthony	St. Claire
Limpias	St. Jude	Divine Mercy
Holy Family	Angel	St. Philomena
Pieta - Marble	Pieta - Color	Holy Family
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	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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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

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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
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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
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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)

 

  

 

  

 

The China Church is over 140 years old

and we pray in there 24 hours a day.

It needs stucco and so does

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Jesus told us to repair it

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We need $13,000.00 for this work.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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