John 8: 32
"and you shall know the truth
and the truth will set you free."
Jesus: I am the way, the truth and
the life.
Jeremiah 31: 33
No, this is
the covenant I shall make with the House of Israel when those days
have come, Yahweh declares. Within them I shall plant my Law,
writing it on their hearts. Then I shall be their God and they will
be my people.
R. A lie is a
statement used for the purpose
of deception. Communication is
to help the two or more people
to know the truth and to unite
them to work together on
something for a solution.
Sing: Remember Your Love
R. John the
Baptist was to prepare
the way for Christ. They beheaded
John the Baptist. John was ever
faithful to God.
We were created in the image
of God. Our goal and focus must
be on Jesus. How Jesus taught us
to be, to live, to love, to pray to
our heavenly Father.
Jesus paid a big price, coming
to earth to teach us. We have a
distorted human nature, we see
distortedly because of original
sin. God takes away original sin
in baptism but we still have effects
from original sin. We see God and
others distortedly.
We must discipline ourselves
and obey the commandments of God.
Live by the Word. Put God first
in our lives. Jesus loved us so
much He took on a human body –
He used His human hands to
do carpentry – He had a
human heart –
Galatians 2: 20
and yet I am alive; yet it is no
longer I, but Christ living in me.
The life that I am now living,
subject to the limitation of human
nature, I am living in faith, faith
in the Son of God who loved me and
gave himself for me.
Hebrews 13: 15-17, 20-21
Through him, let us offer
God an unending
sacrifice of praise, the
fruit of the lips of those who acknowledge his name. Keep
doing
good works and sharing your
resources, for these are the kinds of
sacrifice that please God.
Obey your leaders and give way to them; they
watch over your souls because they must give an account of
them; make this a joy for them to do, and not a grief-you
yourselves would be the losers.
I pray that the
God of peace, who brought back from
the dead our
Lord Jesus, the great Shepherd of
the sheep, by the blood that sealed an eternal covenant, may prepare
you to do his will in every kind of good action; effecting in us all
whatever is acceptable to himself through Jesus Christ, to whom be
glory for ever and ever. Amen.
R. If we
follow Jesus, we walk
in His footprints –
Jesus said His sheep follow
Him – They know His voice
and follow Him –
We need to love and to bow
before God – to adore and
worship God.
God created the light – Before
this there was darkness. Think
of a completely dark room full of
furniture and you cannot see.
So if you walk into this dark
room you will run into the
furniture, probably.
Think of a heart, full of
tendencies that lives in lies and
learning how to deceive others.
Think of the space inside of a
man in total darkness with
dark thoughts, life long, of envy
and hatred toward one's brother.
The more a person teaches themselves
to lie, to deceive, to punish and
hurt others – the more he lives
in darkness – opposing what
God has told us to do.
Jesus is the way, the truth and
the life. Life is in Him –
Jesus is the Light of the World.
Now you are in a room filled
with light and you walk and
you can see and not bump
into things.
Why would a man – dig a
hole and climb in it –
when he can follow Jesus, the
Light of Life.
In Him is life.
Deuteronomy 30: 15-20
‘Look, today I am offering you life and prosperity,
death and disaster. If you obey the commandments of Yahweh your God,
which I am laying down for you today, if you love Yahweh your God
and follow his ways, if you keep his commandments, his laws and his
customs, you will live and grow numerous, and Yahweh your God will
bless you in the country which you are about to enter and make your
own. But if your heart turns away, if you refuse to listen, if you
let yourself be drawn into worshipping other gods and serving them,
I tell you today, you will most certainly perish; you will not live
for long in the country which you are crossing the Jordan to enter
and possess. Today, I call heaven and earth to witness against you:
I am offering you life or death, blessing or curse. Choose life,
then, so that you and your descendants may live, in the love of
Yahweh your God, obeying his voice, holding fast to him; for in this
your life consists, and on this depends the length of time that you
stay in the country which Yahweh swore to your ancestors Abraham,
Isaac and Jacob that he would give them.’
R. It says
in Genesis –
"Let there be Light"
God wants us to live in
truth – to be truthful – to
walk in the truth.
Jesus is the way, the truth
and the life.
1994 Blue Book 2
Prayer for Union
with Jesus
Come to me, Lord, and possess my
soul. Come into my heart and permeate my soul. Help me to sit in silence
with You and let You work in my heart.
I am Yours to possess. I am Yours to
use. I want to be selfless and only exist in You. Help me to spoon out all
that is me and be an empty vessel ready to be filled by You. Help me to
die to myself and live only for You. Use me as You will. Let me never draw
my attention back to myself. I only want to operate as You do, dwelling
within me.
I am Yours, Lord. I want to have my
life in You. I want to do the will of the Father. Give me the strength to
put aside the world and let You operate my very being. Help me to act as
You desire. Strengthen me against the distractions of the devil to take me
from Your work.
When I worry, I have taken my focus
off of You and placed it on myself. Help me not to give in to the
promptings of others to change what in my heart You are making very clear
to me. I worship You, I adore You and I love You. Come and dwell in me
now.
-God's Blue Book, January 17, 1994
R. We are to
live more and more
selflessly focused on Jesus –
Ready to serve with a joyful
heart as God calls us –
be pure in life and in thought.
Genesis
1: 26-27
God
said, ‘Let us make man in our own image, in the
likeness of ourselves, and let them be masters of
the fish of the sea, the birds of heaven, the
cattle, all the wild animals and all the creatures
that creep along the ground.’
God created man in the image of himself,
in the image of God he created him,
male and female he created them.
Sing: How lovely is your dwelling
place, Lord, mighty God –
R. Remember
the scripture
This people pays me
lip service, but their
heart is far from me –
Reference Matthew 15: 8
The Ten Commandments
1. I, the Lord, am your God. You
shall not have other gods besides me.
2. You shall not take the name
of the Lord, your God, in vain.
3. Remember to keep holy the
Sabbath day.
4. Honor your father and your
mother.
5. You shall not kill.
6. You shall not commit
adultery.
7. You shall not steal.
8. You shall not bear false
witness against your neighbor.
9. You shall not covet your
neighbor's wife.
10. You shall not covet anything
that belongs to your neighbor.
R. Jesus
came to teach us how to
live more and more in His image and likeness.
He showed us how He walked humbly.
Jesus showed us He worked hard.
He was loving and kind and
compassionate. He showed us
He prayed.
He taught us to pray the
Our Father –
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.
Matthew
11: 25
At
that time Jesus exclaimed, 'I bless you, Father, Lord of
heaven and earth, for hiding these things from the learned
and the clever and revealing them to little children.
R. Jesus taught us to be unselfish,
to love others and He showed
us He suffered persecution
and carried the cross. If
we follow in the footprints
of Jesus we will carry
the cross.
We are called to follow Jesus,
to imitate Jesus.
Jesus is the way, the truth
and the life.
God told Adam and Eve they could
not eat of one tree. The devil
tempted Eve and she wanted to
be equal to God.
God must be first in our
lives. We cannot put selfish
desires before God.
But God loves us so much –
He loves the person, but hates
the sin. He offers us forgiveness
and mercy if we ask Him and
are contrite in our hearts,
but we must ask and be sorry
and have a firm purpose
of amendment. A good confession
can cleanse the soul. What
a miracle is that.
The devil is envious of
people being forgiven for
mortal sins. The devil hates
the sacraments. The devil is
real. He hates confession.
He hates the Eucharist. He
hates people showing love to
God and others.
Mark 7: 31-37
Returning from
the territory of Tyre, he went by way of
Sidon
towards the Lake of Galilee,
right
through the
Decapolis
territory. And they brought him a deaf
man who had
an impediment in his speech; and they asked
him to lay his hand on him. He took him
aside to be by themselves, away from the
crowd, put his fingers into the man's ears
and touched his tongue with spittle. Then
looking up to
heaven he
sighed; and he said to him, 'Ephphatha,'
that is, 'Be opened.' And his ears were
opened, and at once the impediment of his
tongue was loosened and he spoke clearly.
And
Jesus
ordered them to tell no one about it, but
the more he insisted, the more widely they
proclaimed it. Their admiration was
unbounded, and they said, 'Everything he
does is good, he makes the deaf hear and the
dumb speak.'
R. God is a
God of Miracles –
We are to follow Jesus –
We need to spend time with
Jesus and listen to God
and just be with Him
if we love Him.
We need to be humble and
ask Jesus to dwell in our
heart. The Father, Son and Holy Spirit
dwells in the graced baptized soul.
We are to respect God, love God,
honor God, adore God, worship
God.
We are to respect and love our
brothers.
How can a person live isolated
driving every one away
because they are untrustworthy,
hateful, abusive.
If they use force by trying to
deprive them of what is
needed – by control and
punishment – this is
sinful –
God commands us to love Him
and love our brothers –
We are to be imitators
of Jesus Christ in our lives –
When we sin – we turn our
back on God and put
something else before
Him –
The Ten Commandments
1. I, the Lord, am your God. You
shall not have other gods besides me.
2. You shall not take the name
of the Lord, your God, in vain.
3. Remember to keep holy the
Sabbath day.
4. Honor your father and your
mother.
5. You shall not kill.
6. You shall not commit
adultery.
7. You shall not steal.
8. You shall not bear false
witness against your neighbor.
9. You shall not covet your
neighbor's wife.
10. You shall not covet anything
that belongs to your neighbor.
R. What do
we have when we turn
our back on God, on friends –
we have darkness –
This is what satan wants –
living in a dark room –
isolated, hating, playing
tricks and using force on
innocent others to hurt
and punish others at our
hands. This is serving satan.
Adam and Eve were
banished from the Garden of
Eden because they disobeyed God.
They were given gifts and happiness
and they listened to satan and turned
their back on God and did their
own will – disobeying what
God commanded of them –
Look at the consequences
of that –
The devil is the enemy
and he operates in secret –
The devil is the real enemy
and he uses people who
serve him and turn their
back on what God is telling
them – The devil remains
hidden – He can influence more
damage when people deny he exists –
deny they sinned and listen
to satan and disobey God –
The devil steals your joy –
You need to get your heart
right with God –
We need God's grace to fight
evil –
We need to keep the real
enemy out of our homes and
our life –
Cast the devil out –
It's a battle – We have to
fight the devil who is
real – He is the real
enemy and he remains
hidden –
We need to focus our mind
and heart on God –
We need God – we need grace –
We need fighting power
against satan –
We have to obey God –
We have to seek purity –
Do what is right –
Jesus is the way, the truth
and the life –
What do we have when we
put ourselves above
what God wants –
EMPTINESS
DARKNESS
God loves us –
He will help us –
We can't turn our
back on God and
serve satan
We thank God
We love God
What we do to our
neighbor – we do to
Jesus –
God told Cain – the devil was
knocking at his door
but he could be Master
over him –
Cain didn't listen to God
he killed his brother –
He plotted against his
brother Abel –
We will be tested with trials
and we are to show God
we will endure – we
need to be mature in
our faith –
We must operate in wisdom,
not act foolishly. We are not
to have anger and rage in
us – We are to forgive and be
people of love and kindness –
Darkness in the heart comes
from unforgiveness, anger,
hatred, evil, tricks, etc.
We must ask God for
greater faith and hope
and love – We can't
turn our backs on God and
live – God is life –
Imitate Jesus Christ –
We were created in His
image and likeness. God
created us in love – with
a purpose – He wants us
to help build the Kingdom of God
in our life – know, love
and serve Him and be
with Him eternally in
heaven –
Shepherds of
Christ Priestly Newsletter 2000 Issue 3
The Father's Will for
Us - Our Source of Peace
-
Pope John Paul II
instructs us: "The Church, as a reconciled and
reconciling community, cannot forget that at the source
of her gift and mission of reconciliation is the
initiative, full of compassionate love and mercy, of
that God who is love (see 1 John 4:8) and who out of
love created human beings (see Wisdom 11:23-26; Genesis
1:27: Psalms 8:4-8)…He created them so that they might
live in friendship with Him and in communion with one
another.
"God is faithful to His
eternal plan even when man, under the impulse of the
evil one (see Wisdom 2:24) and carried away by his own
pride, abuses the freedom given to him in order to love
and generously seek what is good, and (instead) refuses
to obey his Lord and Father. God is faithful even when
man, instead of responding with love to God’s love,
opposes Him and treats Him like a rival, deluding
himself and relying on his own power, with the resulting
break of relationship with the One who created him. In
spite of this transgression on man’s part, God remains
faithful in love.
"It is certainly true
that the story of the Garden of Eden makes us think
about the tragic consequences of rejecting the Father,
which becomes evident in man’s inner disorder and in the
breakdown of harmony between man and woman, brother and
brother (see Genesis 3:12 ff; 4:1-16). Also significant
is the Gospel parable of the two brothers (the parable
of the ‘prodigal son’; see Luke 15:11-32) who, in
different ways, distance themselves from their father
and cause a rift between them. Refusal of God’s fatherly
love and of His loving gifts is always at the root of
humanity’s divisions.
"But we know that
God…like the father in the parable (of the prodigal
son), does not close His heart to any of His children.
He waits for them, looks for them, goes to meet them at
the place where the refusal of communion imprisons them
in isolation and division. He calls them to gather about
His table in the joy of the feast of forgiveness and
reconciliation.
"This initiative on God’s
part is made concrete and manifest in the redemptive act
of Christ, which radiates through the world by means of
the ministry of the Church."
13
13. Pope John Paul II, as
in Celebrate 2000!, Servant Publications, pp.
140-141.
R. Remember
the flood of Noah –
there was such rebellion and
corruption God flooded the
earth.
Mary appeared in Clearwater
in rainbow color –
Genesis 9: 11-17
And I shall maintain my covenant with you: that
never again shall all living things be destroyed by the waters of a
flood, nor shall there ever again be a flood to devastate the
earth.’
‘And this’, God said, ‘is the sign of the
covenant which I now make between myself and you and every living
creature with you for all ages to come: I now set my bow in the
clouds and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the
earth. When I gather the clouds over the earth and the bow appears
in the clouds, I shall recall the covenant between myself and you
and every living creature, in a word all living things, and never
again will the waters become a flood to destroy all living things.
When the bow is in the clouds I shall see it and call to mind the
eternal covenant between God and every living creature on earth,
that is, all living things.’ ‘That’, God told Noah, ‘is the sign of
the covenant I have established between myself and all living things
on earth.’
James 1: 12-18
Blessed is
anyone who perseveres when trials come. Such a
person is of proven worth and
will win the prize of life, the
crown that the
Lord has promised to those who love
him.
Never, when
you are being put to the test, say, 'God is tempting me';
God cannot be tempted by evil, and
he does not put anybody to the test. Everyone is put to the test by
being attracted and seduced by that person's own wrong desire. Then
the desire conceives and gives birth to sin, and when
sin reaches full growth, it gives
birth to death.
Make no mistake about this, my dear brothers: all
that is good, all that is perfect, is given us from
above; it comes down from the Father of all light; with
him there is no such thing as alteration, no shadow
caused by change.
By his own choice he gave birth to us by the message
of the truth so that we should be a sort of first-fruits
of all his creation.
R. They
argued with Jesus
and didn't understand –
They were bolted to the earth –
they didn't listen to what
he said – they further did
not understand.
Mark 8: 14-21
The disciples had forgotten to take any
bread and they had only one loaf with them in the boat. Then he gave
them this warning, 'Keep your eyes open; look out for the yeast of
the
Pharisees and the yeast of Herod.'
And they said to one another, 'It is because we have no bread.' And
Jesus knew it, and he said to them,
'Why are you talking about having no bread? Do you still not
understand, still not realise? Are your minds closed? Have you eyes
and do not see, ears and do not hear? Or do you not remember? When I
broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many baskets full
of scraps did you collect?' They answered, 'Twelve.' 'And when I
broke the seven loaves for the four thousand, how many baskets full
of scraps did you collect?' And they answered, 'Seven.' Then he said
to them, 'Do you still not realise?'
January 18, 1997
God the Father: My Dear
Children,
...I tell you all to read the accounts
concerning Noah. Nowhere in history has God been offended as He is
this day by this sinful world. You will suffer a fate for the
offenses against God....
Seek
True Treasures
February 17, 1994 5:30 a.m.
Jesus: My little ones, how are
you doing? Are you getting bogged down in this weather? Do you know
yet that you do not control the elements? You live every day and you
think you have much to do to control your actions but you do not see
the eyes of Him Who watches over you with loving care.
I give to you this earth and all you
need to sustain your life here. Man worries about the earth and if
this or that will happen. Man has become so independent that he
thinks he controls all things and he needs to worry about his
present and future.
You, My favored, chosen ones, know that
life here lasts but a moment and like smoke it is gone without a
trace. Look at your ancestors. So few people ever remember their
ancestors, yet your ancestors thought that at every moment their
actions were so crucial. Little ones, you hold on to life. You hold
on to these little happenings here and you worry in vain! Look at
the big picture, My little ones. Here today, gone tomorrow, and
where are you going?
The days go by with such speed. "Oh,"
you say, "Where have the years gone?" You think every second is so
important. You worry, you fret, you wander empty roads and I watch
you. I see you with your emphasis on the moment. You are being
deceived, My little ones. It is in seeing the moment as part of
eternity that you really know what is going on. Each moment you
live, you are the teacher about the God Who dwells in your breast.
Each moment you live, you are My messenger to this cold, scared
world. Nothing you do means anything except as you are serving Me.
Take off your glasses. Behold the life
above. See every moment as a drop of the life to come. See every
moment as part of eternity. All these drops together make up your
pass into My kingdom.
You worry, you wonder, you fret, you
hold on. I give you a toothache, I take it away. One second and a
toothache is gone. Is that not how it is with life–one second and
it is gone? Oh, how those little precious moments seem to die away
and you scarce can remember what happened! Yet during people's lives
those moments seem earth-shattering. Those moments are yesterday's
forgotten memories. You hold on, you fret, you fume and I watch you
let go of each moment, only to become forgotten by today.
Store up your moments as part of
eternity. Every moment here is part of your pass to My kingdom. How
are you living this moment? Is it used to give service to Me and
preach My gospel? Are you making all your moments count towards your
eternity? Each moment is but a breath and it is gone. Did you use
the moment I gave you to do My work? This time is not yours. I can
snatch your moments away in one breath. It matters, My children,
only as you choose to serve Me and spread My love!
If everyone had God as their primary
goal, what love you would possess. What power you would know,
because God is the mightiest force. I have all the power. Other
power is false power!
Do you get it yet? Do you think
anything you hold on to is so precious here? Here today, gone
tomorrow, and I snatch you from your seats and you never return to
finish what you deemed so important.
Are you comprehending My words here?
The body is but an instrument to get you around. Reach with the
spirit within. Live from the soul. Communicate with Me in your soul.
Look for the unseen world that surrounds you constantly. Die to
yourself.
You have a soul at this very moment
that is a vibrant spiritual force alive within you. Live from your
soul, My little ones. Focus on your soul. Live from your heart. Do
not fret and fume for the things of this world. Here today, gone
tomorrow, and then forgotten. Today's moments, yesterday's forgotten
treasures. Do they mean so much or do you forget what seemed so
important?
Reach with the soul. Live for God. Each
moment is your chance to store up treasures for eternity. They will
never be forgotten. What you do to help others to know Me will never
be forgotten. How you loved will never be forgotten. How you gave
lives on in those you touched. Your love is like a bubbling brook.
It bubbles and keeps on bubbling. Your selfishness dies the moment
after you live it.
Love is the force. Love is the power
that reflects the God above. Love is not selfish. Love does not
demand its own way. Love gives and doesn't stop giving. On the day
of judgment it will be found in the hearts of those you touched.
Think of only yourself and watch your moments become yesterday's
forgotten moments. Love your brothers and watch the world reflect
the love you gave, from now to the end.
Love or selfishness? I call you to
love. I call you to plant a seed that grows into a mighty oak. Plant
My seeds of love. Ask not how you can attain your goal but how you
can fulfill the goal of God. Love God, love one another. Too simple,
too hard for many.
Love, children. Reflect the God Who
dwells within your soul. Store up your moments forever lest they
become yesterday's forgotten treasure.
Like ripples on a pond, your love never
dies. It reaches on and on and goes into the moments of eternity.
Love is lasting. Love never dies. Love God, love one another. Die to
yourself and live.
end February 17,
1994
Copyright
© 2014 Shepherds of Christ.