Shepherds of Christ          Daily Writing

January 15, 2007

January 16th Holy Spirit Novena Scripture selection is Day 3 Period I.

The Novena Rosary Mysteries   for January 16th are Sorrowful.

There will be a big Apostle Retreat in February

10th thru the 13th.

The Priestly Newsletter mailing 

will take place then.

January 15, 2007

Psalm 65: 4

How blessed those whom you choose
    and invite to dwell in your courts.
We shall be filled with the good things of your house,
    of your holy temple.

 

Psalm 110: 4

Yahweh has sworn an oath he will never retract, 
you are a priest for ever of the order of Melchizedek.

 

Hebrews 5: 1-10

Every high priest is taken from among human beings and is appointed to act on their behalf in relationships with God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins; he can sympathise with those who are ignorant or who have gone astray, because he too is subject to the limitations of weakness. That is why he has to make sin offerings for himself as well as for the people. No one takes this honour on himself; it needs a call from God, as in Aaron’s case. And so it was not Christ who gave himself the glory of becoming high priest, but the one who said to him: You are my Son, today I have fathered you, and in another text: You are a priest for ever, of the order of Melchizedek. During his life on earth, he offered up prayer and entreaty, with loud cries and with tears, to the one who had the power to save him from death, and, winning a hearing by his reverence, he learnt obedience, Son though he was, through his sufferings; when he had been perfected, he became for all who obey him the source of eternal salvation and was acclaimed by God with the title of high priest of the order of Melchizedek.  

 

Mark 2: 18-22

John’s disciples and the Pharisees were keeping a fast, when some people came to him and said to him, ‘Why is it that John’s disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not? Jesus replied, ‘Surely the bridegroom’s attendants cannot fast while the bridegroom is still with them? As long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast. But the time will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then, on that day, they will fast. No one sews a piece of unshrunken cloth on an old cloak; otherwise, the patch pulls away from it, the new from the old, and the tear gets worse. And nobody puts new wine into old wineskins; otherwise, the wine will burst the skins, and the wine is lost and the skins too. No! New wine into fresh skins!’

 

Hebrews 10: 4-10

Bulls' blood and goats' blood are incapable of taking away sins,
and that is why he said, on coming into the world:

You wanted no sacrifice or cereal offering,
but you gave me a body.
You took no pleasure in burnt offering'
   or sacrifice for sin;
then I said, 'Here I am, I am coming,'
in the scroll of the book it is written of me,
to do your will, God.

He says first You did not want what the Law lays down as the things to be offered, that is: the sacrifices, the cereal offerings, the burnt offerings and the sacrifices for sin, and you took no pleasure in them; and then he says: Here I am! I am coming to do your will. He is abolishing the first sort to establish the second. And this will was for us to be made holy by the offering of the body of Jesus Christ made once and for all.

Prayer of St. Francis

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love.
Where there is injury, pardon.
Where there is doubt, faith.
Where there is despair, life.
Where there is darkness, light.
Where there is sadness, joy.
O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek
to be consoled, as to console;
to be understood, as to understand;
to be loved, as to love;
for it is in giving that we receive,
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned.
It is in dying that we are born to eternal life.

January 15, 2007 message continues

Messenger:           The Church, the individual, the world
                                is always in a state of becoming.

                            Fr. John J. Pasquini in his bible study talked
                                about the wounded human nature.
                                After the fall - there was selfishness, self-centered
                                rather than "other-centered."

                            In following God's vision for us we reach to
                                do His will. This Hebrews scripture 10: 4-10
                                tells us about doing God's will —

Hebrews 10: 4-10

Bulls' blood and goats' blood are incapable of taking away sins,
and that is why he said, on coming into the world:

You wanted no sacrifice or cereal offering,
but you gave me a body.
You took no pleasure in burnt offering'
   or sacrifice for sin;
then I said, 'Here I am, I am coming,'
in the scroll of the book it is written of me,
to do your will, God.

He says first You did not want what the Law lays down as the things to be offered, that is: the sacrifices, the cereal offerings, the burnt offerings and the sacrifices for sin, and you took no pleasure in them; and then he says: Here I am! I am coming to do your will. He is abolishing the first sort to establish the second. And this will was for us to be made holy by the offering of the body of Jesus Christ made once and for all.

 

Messenger:           Now let us reflect on this scripture of Hebrews

Hebrews 2: 14-17

    Since all the children share the same human nature, he too shared equally in it, so that by his death he could set aside him who held the power of death, namely the devil, and set free all those who had been held in slavery all their lives by the fear of death. For it was not the angels that he took to himself; he took to himself the line of Abraham. It was essential that he should in this way be made completely like his brothers so that he could become a compassionate and trustworthy high priest for their relationship to God, able to expiate the sins of the people.

 

January 15, 2007 message continues

Messenger:           Fr. John J. Pasquini also talks about how
                                Adam blamed Eve for the sin,
                                Eve blamed the snake.
                                After the fall we blame each other.

                            He further says
                            By Cain — the sin is premeditated — Cain has
                                this word from God

Genesis 4: 6-7

Yahweh asked Cain, ‘Why are you angry and downcast? If you are doing right, surely you ought to hold your head high! But if you are not doing right, Sin is crouching at the door hungry to get you. You can still master him.’ 

 

January 15, 2007 message continues

Messenger:           Because of the fall, Fr. Pasquini said at
                                Bible Study that there is tension between
                                men and women, women and women,
                                men and men — seeking dominance.

                            Fr. Pasquini further stated that we look at
                                each other with a wounded human
                                nature - our vision is effected —
                                we see each other imperfectly —
                                we see God with tainted vision
                                because of the fall —

                            This opens up to me the thirsting after Mary's
                                Immaculate Heart.
                                She appeared to tell us at Lourdes that she
                                    is the Immaculate Conception.

                            The Father's gift to us — Mary Mother of the Church —
                                singular vessel — Mother, sinless
                                conceived without sin —

                            I thirst to go to her Immaculate Heart — a place
                                of purity and light and I long to go there —
                                I know the Holy Spirit will fill me with
                                the fire of God's love.
                                I know the Holy Spirit enlightens my eyes,
                                I know through the workings of the Holy Spirit
                                    I am formed more and more in the
                                    image of Jesus.

                            Yes God gives us the great sacrament of
                                Confirmation — the Holy Spirit comes
                                to us in a special way making us
                                soldiers of God.

                            The Holy Spirit is the Spouse of Mary,
                                Mary is full of grace —
                                Mary is Immaculate —

                                I know my sinfulness, I know
                            weakness because of a fallen human
                            nature — I know my desire for sainthood —
                            I am imperfect and walk amongst imperfect
                            others.

                                I know deep connection with the saints in
                            heaven and I pray united to the souls in purgatory.
                            The Father, Son and Holy Spirit dwell within my graced
                            soul — I want to be saturated with His
                            grace — The Father Son and Holy Spirit so
                            one in me and I in God.

                                Listen to this Hebrew verse 

Hebrews 5: 11-14

On this subject we have many things to say, and they are difficult to explain because you have grown so slow at understanding. Indeed, when you should by this time have become masters, you need someone to teach you all over again the elements of the principles of God's sayings; you have gone back to needing milk, and not solid food. Truly, no one who is still living on milk can digest the doctrine of saving justice, being still a baby. Solid food is for adults with minds trained by practice to distinguish between good and bad.

January 15, 2007 message continues

Messenger:               Fr. John speaks of the concupiscence of the
                            flesh - but - this is why I long for the grace
                            of the sacraments — especially the Eucharist —
                            going to Mass — doing daily adoration.

                                Going to confession regularly — confessing
                            my sins — not acting like I am perfect
                            and blaming somebody else.

                                Jesus told me today — if we have a
                            wound inside - impairing us from living
                            a more pure life - united to God — it
                            is like having cancer inside us and
                            blaming the grass in the back yard —
                            No matter how many times we cut the
                            grass in the back yard it won't heal
                            the cancer within us. We must recognize
                            our imperfections and pray to the Holy
                            Spirit for Wisdom to do so and grace to
                            be more like Jesus. 

Genesis 1: 26-27

January 15, 2007 message continues

Messenger:           Do you want peace —

                            When others hated St. Francis — he did
                                God's will — God called him to help
                                renew the Church — Francis obeyed
                                God, he did not give into others
                                to tell him to live his life the way
                                they wanted and he gave to us the
                                Prayer of St. Francis.

Prayer of St. Francis

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love.
Where there is injury, pardon.
Where there is doubt, faith.
Where there is despair, life.
Where there is darkness, light.
Where there is sadness, joy.
O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek
to be consoled, as to console;
to be understood, as to understand;
to be loved, as to love;
for it is in giving that we receive,
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned.
It is in dying that we are born to eternal life.

  

January 15, 2007 message continues

Messenger:           We become actors doing God's will —

                            Not "reactors" to pain and how we
                                handle pain — eating, drinking,
                                working —

                            We always are focused on God's will for us.
                            We act to serve God — not manipulate
                                others, not possess others — we want
                                to help souls — we want to be pure —

                            We want what God wants for everybody —
                                We do not try to control others for
                                    selfish gain —

                            We may suffer greatly in this secular
                                world - trying to spread the Gospel —

                            What is obedience — doing God's will — faith

                            Again I turn to Hebrews —

                                        I LOVE CHAPTER 11  

                                We have such a gift in the Word of God —

                            Such instruction

Hebrews 4: 12-16

The word of God is something alive and active: it cuts more incisively than any two–edged sword: it can seek out the place where soul is divided from spirit, or joints from marrow; it can pass judgement on secret emotions and thoughts. No created thing is hidden from him; everything is uncovered and stretched fully open to the eyes of the one to whom we must give account of ourselves.

Since in Jesus, the Son of God, we have the supreme high priest who has gone through to the highest heaven, we must hold firm to our profession of faith. For the high priest we have is not incapable of feeling our weaknesses with us, but has been put to the test in exactly the same way as ourselves, apart from sin. Let us, then, have no fear in approaching the throne of grace to receive mercy and to find grace when we are in need of help. 

   

January 15, 2007 message continues

Messenger:           Fr. John talks about so very much at Bible
                                study — the vision God gives to us —

                            He said before the fall there were no hurricanes,
                                diseases, discord amongst animals —
                                and all the effects on man because of
                                his wounded human nature —

January 15, 2007 message continues

Messenger:           Think of St. Francis with peace and love —
                                calming the animals —
                                Following God's vision —
                                Getting rid of those things God doesn't
                                    want in our lives that lead
                                    to temptation and sin.

                            Look at animals —
                                take dogs for example because of
                                    an owner or past down - a
                                    dog can be REAL MEAN

                                    one dog can be so sweet and
                                    obedient

                            I remember a dog we had was really
                                aggressive and was disobedient —

                            We took him to obedience school and
                                the instructor tried to break him — she was
                                very experienced — the dog got up on
                                his hind legs and was so big — put
                                his front paws on her shoulders and
                                bit her neck —

                            She had to go to the hospital and they
                                asked us NOT to come back —
                                The dog was high strung — on the
                                top of the pile when first
                                born

                            We are not dogs or animals — we are human
                                persons — created in the image and
                                likeness of God, but people all obey
                                authority in different ways.

                            Think of some people who lie and cheat and
                                disobey the commandments —

                            They do not make good friends,
                                but we follow the commandments,
                                God's Word and we are so blessed.

                            There are all kinds of people —

                                There are as many different hearts as
                            faces, but God loves us so much He
                            died for each one of us despite our
                            sins and He wore a crown of thorns
                            for our sins — sins of pride, lust, lies,
                            anger, jealousy, envy, slothfulness,
                            etc. —

                                You know when you have a good
                            home it feels good to go home.
                            Well God created us with this
                            thirsting for Him — wanting our God —
                            wanting heaven and when we do
                            the things God wants we can
                            experience tremendous peace, joy
                            and love.

                                We do things out of love of God —
                            to promote His Kingdom —

Hebrews 12: 1-13

With so many witnesses in a great cloud all around us, we too, then, should throw off everything that weighs us down and the sin that clings so closely, and with perseverance keep running in the race which lies ahead of us. Let us keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, who leads us in our faith and brings it to perfection: for the sake of the joy which lay ahead of him, he endured the cross, disregarding the shame of it, and has taken his seat at the right of God’s throne. Think of the way he persevered against such opposition from sinners and then you will not lose heart and come to grief. In the fight against sin, you have not yet had to keep fighting to the point of bloodshed.

Have you forgotten that encouraging text in which you are addressed as sons?

    My son, do not scorn correction
        from the Lord,
    do not resent his training,
    for the Lord trains those he loves,
    and chastises every son he accepts.

Perseverance is part of your training; God is treating you as his sons. Has there ever been any son whose father did not train him? If you were not getting this training, as all of you are, then you would be not sons but bastards. Besides, we have all had our human fathers who punished us, and we respected them for it; all the more readily ought we to submit to the Father of spirits, and so earn life. Our human fathers were training us for a short life and according to their own lights; but he does it all for our own good, so that we may share his own holiness. Of course, any discipline is at the time a matter for grief, not joy; but later, in those who have undergone it, it bears fruit in peace and uprightness. So steady all weary hands and trembling knees and make your crooked paths straight; then the injured limb will not be maimed, it will get better instead.

 

The 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.