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

Give the gift that Counts.

Blow Out Sale for Reprinting of Blue Book 1, 2 & 3

While Supplies Last

Blue Book 1   - $4 each plus postage
Blue Book 2   - $4 each plus postage
Blue Book 3   - $3 each plus postage

Call 1-888-211-3041 for Doris

New Homily Book - Cycle C
Available $10.00 plus postage

January 10, 2016

Baptism of the Lord

Isaiah 40: 1-5; 9-11

‘Console my people, console them,’
says your God.
‘Speak to the heart of Jerusalem
and cry to her
that her period of service is ended,
that her guilt has been atoned for,
that, from the hand of Yahweh,
she has received
double punishment for all her sins.’

A voice cries, ‘Prepare in the desert
a way for Yahweh.
Make a straight highway for our God
across the wastelands.
Let every valley be filled in,
every mountain and hill be levelled,
every cliff become a plateau,
every escarpment a plain;
then the glory of Yahweh will be revealed
and all humanity will see it together,
for the mouth of Yahweh has spoken.’

Go up on a high mountain,
messenger of Zion.
Shout as loud as you can,
messenger of Jerusalem!
Shout fearlessly,
say to the towns of Judah,
‘Here is your God.’

Here is Lord Yahweh coming with power,
his arm maintains his authority,
his reward is with him
and his prize precedes him.
He is like a shepherd feeding his flock,
gathering lambs in his arms,
holding them against his breast
and leading to their rest the mother ewes.

Psalm 149: 1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 9

Alleluia!

Sing a new song to Yahweh:
his praise in the assembly of the faithful!
Israel shall rejoice in its Maker,
the children of Zion delight in their king;
they shall dance in praise of his name,
play to him on tambourines and harp!

For Yahweh loves his people,
he will crown the humble with salvation.
The faithful exult in glory,
shout for joy as they worship him,
praising God to the heights with their voices,
a two–edged sword in their hands,

to execute on them the judgement passed—
to the honour of all his faithful.

Titus 2: 11-14; 3: 4-7

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

But when the kindness and love of God our Saviour for humanity were revealed, it was not because of any upright actions we had done ourselves; it was for no reason except his own faithful love that he saved us, by means of the cleansing water of rebirth and renewal in the Holy Spirit which he has so generously poured over us through Jesus Christ our Saviour; so that, justified by his grace, we should become heirs in hope of eternal life. This is doctrine that you can rely on.

Luke 3: 15-16, 21-22

A feeling of expectancy had grown among the people, who were beginning to wonder whether John might be the Christ, so John declared before them all, ‘I baptise you with water, but someone is coming, who is more powerful than me, and I am not fit to undo the strap of his sandals; he will baptise you with the Holy Spirit and fire.

Now it happened that when all the people had been baptised and while Jesus after his own baptism was at prayer, heaven opened and the Holy Spirit descended on him in a physical form, like a dove. And a voice came from heaven, ‘You are my Son; today have I fathered you.’

Baptism of the Lord

January 13, 2013

INTRODUCTION – (Isaiah 40:1-5, 9-11; Titus 2:11-14; 3:4-7; Luke 3:15-16, 21-22) Surely many people must have pleased God greatly during the Old Testament period, people such as Abraham, Moses, the prophets. In the book of the prophet Isaiah, God speaks of someone as his servant with whom he is especially pleased. In these four lengthy passages, known as the servant songs, the servant is not identified. Perhaps the passages refer to someone who was alive at the time of the prophet, but what is amazing is that although they were written 500 years before Jesus was born, they describe Jesus perfectly. Today’s first reading is part of the first servant song. It has been chosen as today’s first reading because we hear echoes of it at Jesus’ baptism as God says to Jesus: “with you I am well pleased.”

HOMILY – Although Dec. 26 is the end of the Christmas season for many people, the Church’s liturgical year extends the Christmas season to the Baptism of our Lord. Thus our crib is still in church. What does the Baptism of our Lord have to do with the Christmas season? The Baptism of our Lord is part of the Epiphany theme. Remember “epiphany” means appearance or manifestation. Last Sunday we celebrated God manifesting his Son to all nations by the visit of the magi. Today we celebrate God manifesting his Son to us as he begins his public ministry.

People often wonder why Jesus chose to be baptized. He was without sin and John the Baptist was baptizing people for the remission of sin. Even John found it strange that Jesus came to him for baptism. St. Matthew’s gospel tells us John tried to prevent his asking for baptism by saying to him: “I need to be baptized by you, and yet you are coming to me?” (Mt. 3:14) Yet Jesus insisted on it.

Scholars too are puzzled by Jesus’ baptism. Many have speculated that Jesus was initially a disciple of John. His baptism may have indicated his early association with John and Jesus seeing his baptism as a preparation for his own ministry. That is one possible explanation. Another that is offered by scholars is that Jesus may have received John’s baptism as a form of support and acceptance of John’s mission of calling for repentance in preparation for the coming messiah. When many people think of John’s baptism, they think of it as essentially the same as our sacrament of baptism, but it is not. The two are miles apart. We just heard in today’s gospel John say, “I baptize with water, he is the one who will baptize with the holy Spirit.”

Jesus did not need to be baptized. He was as holy as he could be. He was God’s Son from all eternity and when he was conceived it was by the Holy Spirit. For us to be filled with God’s life, we need to receive baptism. When we are conceived, we are given a share in the life of our father and mother. To share God’s life, we must be born again or born from above. The Greek word aνωθεν (anothen) can mean again or from above. Jesus tells the Pharisee Nicodemus in the gospel: “no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit.” (Jn. 3:5) When we are baptized, we are at that moment made truly God’s children and the Spirit fills us. When we are baptized, God whispers to each of us “you are my beloved child.”

When we are conceived, we begin life as a human person; when we are baptized, we begin life as a child of God. We have a lot of growing to do in both arenas. As we grow, we learn who our parents are, how to love them and receive their love, how to communicate with them, how to obey them. As God’s child, we learn that God is our Father, how to love God and how to receive God’s love, how to communicate with God and how to obey God.

The child has its parents and the Church to guide him or her in learning how to live life in this world and how to prepare for life in the next. Baptism is thus not a one-time event that we can go through and then forget about. It sets our life on a path of holiness for this world and for eternity.

Jesus was baptized with the baptism of John at the beginning of his public ministry of preaching, healing and casting out demons. We are baptized with the baptism of Jesus to begin to live our life in the Spirit of Christ. May the events at Jesus’ baptism inspire us to know who we are and to keep us growing in the right direction. Amen.

Give the gift that keeps giving.

6 different Blue Books for $30.00 including postage

$6.00	$5.00	$4.00	$2.00	$2.00
$3.00	$3.00	$3.00	$3.00	$3.00
$3.00	$3.00	$3.00	$3.00	$3.00

$5.00 $5.00

Books available in limited supply for this sale.

The more you use the Blue Books and
    become one with Jesus – more
    intimate with Jesus –
    the more your lives are a blessing and
    everything you do in life can help
    to bring down great grace for the world
    because of your being so
    one with Jesus.

Guiding Light Homily Book Series

Fr. Joe’s Books

Cycle A –
Steadfast to the Son

Cycle B –
Focusing on the Word

Cycle C –
Feed My Soul

Cycle A –
Inspired to be Genuine

4 for $20 plus postage of $5.95

These books can be given to:

1) All Priests

       2) Good for Music Ministers
       3) Good for DRE's
       4) Good for Deacons
       5) Good for Principals of Schools
       6) Good for Teachers
       7) Good for Mom and Dads

                Given March 21, 2014

                R. Pray for These Things

                1) Pray for the Pope & hierarchy to help us start prayer chapters.
                2) Pray for Dan, Sally Jo, Richard, Carol, Margaret, Sue,
                    Jack, Jean, Amanda, Matthew, Special intentions.
                3) Pray for the priests, the Church and the world!
                4) Pray for the spread of prayer chapters,
                    also for the spread of priests doing prayer chapters.
                5) Pray for the spread of Blue Books.
                6) People going to Florida and China.
                7) Vocations to all 7 categories.
                8) Pray for spread of Consecration and Rosary.
                9) Pray for pope helping us.
               10) Pray for Jeff - sales & health. Pray for Nick.
               11) Blue Book 16 and cover and all involved.
                    For our Publisher and all involved
               12) All intentions on my list, Jerry's list.
               13) Priests getting Fr. Joe's book.
               14) Pray for Fr. Joe's new book, cover & funds for printing & postage.
               15) Donors and members and their families.
               16) Healing of the Family tree.
               17) Dan & Melanie, Catherine & mom, Gary, Mary Jo,
                    Jim & statues, Fr. Ken, Monsignor, Kerry, Tom & wife.
               18) All who asked us to pray for them.
               19) All we promised to pray for.
               20) Rita, John, Doris, Sheila, Jerry, Regina, Sanja,
                    Betty, Sophie, Lisa, Eileen, Fr. Mike, Louie, Laverne,
                    2 Dons, Mary Ellen, Fr. Joe, all priests helping us,
                    Ed, Jimmy, Steve, a special couple, Rosie & all involved.
               21) 2 babies and moms.
               22) Funds and insurance.
               23) Jerry's garage.
               24) In thanksgiving for gifts, graces, & blessings received.
               25) Spread the Blood of Jesus on all of us here.
               26) Consecrate all hearts.
               27) Cast the devil out of all of us here and all in Movement.

The Wedding Rosary

Crystal Image Rosary

$40 plus shipping

Original Image Rosary

8mm glass beads
in a matching gift box

$40 plus shipping



Give the gift that counts.
                Give to your priests Fr. Carter's Books plus postage.

Tell My People                    $5.00
Response to God's Love    $8.00
Response in Christ              $8.00



Old Mass Books with the Imprimatur
$2.00 plus postage

New Mass Book with Imprimatur
$8.00 plus postage

New Parents & Children's Book with the Imprimatur
$8.00 plus postage

Fr. Joe's Cycle A – Steadfast to the Sun – Starts in Advent
$5.00 plus postage

Give the gift that keeps on giving!

Give to your priest.

Fr. Carter's Priestly Newsletters Book II
$6.00 plus postage



Get a canvas print of Mary's image
with a sliver of glass and a little
bottle of Jesus and Mary water.
The glass will be fixed behind the
back of the picture.
$200.00 plus postage

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

Telephone: (toll free) 1-888-211-3041 or (812) 273-8405
FAX: (812) 273-3182

^{Main Shepherds of Christ Page}

Copyright © 2014 Shepherds of Christ.
Rights for non–commercial reproduction granted:
May be copied in its entirety, but neither re–typed nor edited.
Translations are welcome but they must be reviewed for moral and
theological accuracy by a source approved by Shepherds of Christ Ministries
before any distribution takes place. Please contact us for more information.