Mary has requested that the daily message be given each day to the world. It is read nightly at the prayer service from her Image Building in Clearwater, Florida, U.S.A. This is according to her request. All attempts will be made to publish this daily message to the world at 11 p.m. Eastern time, U.S.A. We acknowledge that the final authority regarding these messages rests with the Holy See of Rome.

January 5, 2001

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A Prayer for Intimacy with the Lamb, the Bridegroom of the Soul

Oh Lamb of God, Who take away the sins of the world, come and act on my soul most intimately. I surrender myself, as I ask for the grace to let go, to just be as I exist in You and You act most intimately on my soul. You are the Initiator. I am the soul waiting Your favors as You act in me. I love You. I adore You. I worship You. Come and possess my soul with Your Divine Grace, as I experience You most intimately.

Messenger: Include Our Lady of the Holy Spirit Center in 6:20 prayers.

Messenger: Our Lord has asked us to pray for a special priest and three other special priests and His designated priests.

                      Please pray for the priestly newsletter and for the intentions on the prayer list at the end of the message.

Jesus speaks: Please put these chapters on today from The Pain and the Joy by Father Edward Carter, S.J. (Chapters 23-26).

Excerpt from The Pain and the Joy, by Father Edward Carter, S.J.

23

Special Days

   There are certain days which make us feel especially glad to be alive. Often—but not always—the weather is consonant with our inner feelings. If it happens to be fall, the air is crisp, quickened with October freshness. The leaves spellbind us with their rich and varied colors—their golds, and reds, and browns. The sky is autumn blue, clear blue, crowned with a golden sun. Or, if it happens to be spring, a deep and fresh greenness seems to cover everything, breathing forth new signs of hope for the world. A gentle breeze mixes with the sun's warmth in a perfect mixture which makes us eagerly seek the out-of-doors.

   Inside—inside ourselves—things are also especially beautiful on these very special days. We feel aglow with the beauty of life. Life has a mysterious freshness on these days, making us especially aware of its grandeur, its tenderness, its expansiveness, its capacity to call us forth to greatness. On such days the splendid drama of life deeply attracts us, lays hold of us in those inner depths where we are most alive, where we are most ourselves.
 

   We need these days on which we feel deeply alive. If such days did not periodically refresh us with their pleasant arrival, then boredom and the monotonous aspect of daily living, the drudgery of life, would be too much for us. As the little child needs to be especially cheered on occasion by a surprise gift of candy or a toy, so all of us need periodic excursions into the realm of these special kinds of days. They, too, are often pleasant surprises, for usually we cannot forecast their advent with any degree of precision.

   We should make the most of these special days. They are precious gifts which God lovingly offers us. Through them God enlivens the ordinariness of our lives, and gives us the desire to refurbish what may have become a rather lethargic type of existence. We can fall into a rut of wasting many of the opportunities which each day presents. Our lethargic condition can cause us to squander much of life's precious moments. We must allow the beauty of the special kind of day we have been describing to once again enliven our appreciation of the value of life. We must determine not to squander existence, but to drink in its preciousness from the depths—this preciousness which offers us countless opportunities to reach out for the good, the true, and the beautiful.

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24

Anxiety, Fear, And Worry

   The fear of financial insecurity, the fear of not being accepted by others, the fear of professional failure, anxiety concerning whether one is capable of handling an inevitable crisis, the spectre of academic failure, the fear of being rejected in love, worry about the illness of a loved one—these are some of the myriad anxieties, fears, and worries we encounter along the varied path of life. Life twists and turns, now stretches out straight, now descends into the valley, now ascends where the horizon can be clearly seen.

   To encounter worry, fear, and anxiety during the course of life is to be expected. To allow these disturbances to conquer us and to rob us of basic peace of spirit is to react incorrectly. To face anxiety, fear, and worry with Christian courage and trust is to live by the words of Jesus:
 

Are not five sparrows sold for two small coins? Yet not one of them has escaped the notice of God. Even the hairs of your head have all been counted. Do not be afraid. You are worth more than many sparrows. (Lk. 12:6-7).
 

   We can cause ourselves various problems if we do not properly handle fear, worry, and anxiety. We lose some of the joy of life. We stunt our personality growth, making ourselves less attractive to others. We threaten our emotional and physical health. We lessen our effectiveness of being witnesses to the good news, to the fact that Jesus' truth is meant to free us from enslavement, including that of morbid fear and worry.

   Why then do we not take Jesus at His word? He tells us not to be unduly worried. He tells us there is really no reason to be overly anxious about anything. He loves us, the Father loves us, the Holy Spirit loves us. They love us infinitely more than we love ourselves. Their love can basically cut through the bonds of any fear, any worry, and anxiety. Yes, their love can do this—if we so permit.

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 25

A Sense of Priorities

   Often people remark after surviving a very traumatic situation. "It makes you realize what is really important in life. It makes you see things in a different perspective."

   All of us must constantly strive to maintain proper perspective, and it is not easy. If we reflect on what commands our time and attention, we realize that often we have a tendency to overemphasize the less important and to undervalue the more important.

   Examples of this are numerous. At times we attach more importance to a sporting event or to the latest top-rated movie than to a pressing social issue. The status of one's wardrobe can cause more concern than the status of one's spiritual condition. Within family circles, material possessions can come to mean more than the personal relationships which the material things are meant to serve. These are only a few examples of distorted priorities.
 

   In many ways we can come to regard the trivial as all-important, the non-essential as essential, the ephemeral as something that will last forever, the means as more important than the end, the less important as the more important. In brief, our priorities can become terribly distorted, and to the extent that our priorities are in disarray, to that degree we are wasting our existence.

   To achieve a proper sense of priorities, and to live according to the values inherent in these priorities, we must give time to prayerful reflection. This contemplative exercise gives us the light to see issues according to a proper hierarchy of importance. Very critically, this time of prayer also gives us the strength to live according to this light. Is there anyone who really believes he or she does not have time to pray? If there is such a person, we have a classic example of one whose priorities are wretchedly confused.

   If our first priority is Jesus Christ, and saving our soul, all the rest of our priorities will fall into the proper slots in our life.

26

Shattered Dreams

   To hear the words "shattered dreams" conjures up for us memories of major disappointments experienced along the ever-changing path of life. The disappointments can be those which wound the heart to its core. Disappointments of lesser proportions cause diminished pain, but still a kind which leaves its mark.

   Shattered dreams come in all sorts of sizes and shapes. Some experience career disappointments even though they were privileged to enter the work of their dreams. Once professional success was achieved, however, a type of emptiness ensued and, with puzzlement, they asked themselves, "Is this all the satisfaction that comes from all my strivings? Is this all there is to professional success?"

   Others experience shattered dreams because the careers they hoped for were always beyond their grasp. For this or that reason they were not able to give themselves completely to that work or occupation for which their hearts yearned. For example, one with outstanding talent as an artist can only give a bit of free time to expressing his or her genius because financial problems force the person to work full-time at another occupation. The heartbreak this occasions can only be known by one who has experienced this kind of frustration. An athlete on the verge of national stardom sustains a serious injury which necessitates abandonment of a cherished sport. These and similar examples leave one with the question: "What would it have been like?. . .I'll never know."
 

   Personal relationships have yielded a plethora of shattered dreams. A person experiences crushing disappointment because he or she is rejected by a person dearly loved, a person who had been the focus of so many hopes and dreams. Another experiences pain because the hoped-for relationship with a particular person never eventualizes. In both cases tears flow copiously and the person has to strive mightily to convince oneself that life is still worth living.

   The shattered dreams of parents regarding their children—this particular kind of pain makes up a considerable portion of life's sufferings. For example, a child with so much to live for is snatched away in sudden, unexpected, and tragic death. Or parents watch a child slip away from their influence and go the way of moral degradation despite the parents' best efforts to provide proper guidance. Other situations involve financial problems which prevent the desired education of exceptionally gifted children—an education the parents had so much hoped for.

   There are many examples of shattered dreams. You know of other examples, ones which you have personally suffered, and others which you have seen others experience. All examples involve shattered hopes, whose remains are scattered about in the form of burnt-out ashes, the remnants of goals once eagerly sought, but which now no longer exist.

   As Christians we too are subject to experiencing shattered dreams along with the rest of the human race. However, being exposed to various disappointments will not excessively disturb us if we rely on our Christian perspective. To be able to view disappointment in union with Christ is a great gift which all do not possess.

   With the light afforded by this Christian perspective, we should ask ourselves whether the shattered dream was the result of seeking that which was outside of God's will. Sooner or later such a pursuit always causes a sense of emptiness, disappointment, disillusion. Disappointment can also result from the relative failure of doing that which we thought to be Spirit-inspired. The disappointment attached to such a venture, however, is permeated with a distinct sense of peace; for we realize we have done our reasonable best to follow God's lead. Our effort has failed in one sense; but in another sense, we have succeeded. We know that good has emanated from our conformity to God's will.
 

   Individual shattered dreams do not destroy the all-pervading dream or hope of the Christian. We know that if we remain basically faithful to Christ, our dream, or hope, regarding our earthly destiny will be fulfilled. We further know that this dream or hope for a truly successful existence on this earth will open up to absolute fulfillment in eternal life. The committed Christian, then, can experience shattered dreams, but not a shattered life, for in them we can also recognize a challenge and a cross to carry. He has asked us to pick up our cross and follow Him.

(End of Excerpt from The Pain and the Joy)

Excerpt from Response in Christ, by Father Edward J. Carter, S.J.

   The Father's will touches everything in my life. It wants to make all contribute to my growing maturity in Christ. Joy and sorrow, success and failure, work and play, ecstatic happiness and deep suffering, all of these are to be related to my Father's will. If I correspond to God's grace, His will as it permeates my total being and existence will unfailingly transform me.

   As the Father's will transforms me, it thereby makes my life a success for myself and others. The only true measure of a successful life, despite possible appearances to the contrary, is whether or not it is conformed in love to the Father's will. The degree of success depends upon the degree of conformity. " 'It is not those who say to me, "Lord, Lord", who will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the person who does the will of my Father in heaven. When the day comes many will say to me, "Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, cast out demons in your name, work many miracles in your name?" Then I shall tell them to their faces: I have never known you; away from me, you evil men!' " (Mt 7:21-23).

(End of Excerpt from Response in Christ)

6 Years Ago Today - January 5, 1995

Jesus speaks: My dear child,
I want you to see the big picture. My messages are not for two or three. My messages are for all souls. Souls are at stake. You contain the mighty medicine to draw men's hearts back to My burning love. I am Jesus. Put everything aside and focus only on Me talking to you.

The world is hurting. Men's hearts are so cold. They do not see beyond themselves. They do not see that God is with them this day. Little one, you were created to know, love and serve God. God must be first in your life. Many in your country have denied the existence of God. The batting of an eye, the dropping of a pin, and your life is over.

See with the eyes of God. See with the vision of God. God is eternal, God sees time as one. You do not see because you do not pray for grace.

You see with limited vision .You think with a human mind. You use a human mind to judge the things of God. I am Jesus Christ, the Son of God. I came to this world to lead all men to heaven. I come to you this day. Do you think God comes to talk to a few? I came to lead all souls to everlasting happiness.

Pray for vision. I see not a little town, I see all men, yet, I love each soul so uniquely. You do not understand the mind of God. You do not see as I see. I ask you to give My love to all. You see a few and love a few. You are one body, all men are your brothers. I came to give My Life to all men.

You must pray for vision and grace to do the will of the Father. My plan is unfolding and it depends on you. One person fixed on the love of God can radiate such might and power.

You cannot light the city without My power. My power I pour out to you in the Eucharist. My power I pour out to you when you sit in front of My tabernacle. You cannot do it without My might, My power. I am the Power, I am your All. You see yourself as controlling so many things and being so strong. Your power comes from Me. To do the work I am calling you to, you must have the might of God. You see yourself with a little area and a little job. I am calling you to love all. I am calling you to radiate love. I am calling you to light up the world with My love. I am calling you to make a difference in the lives of so many souls. Your love given through Me will change so many hearts.

Pray to the Spirit to transform your hearts to be more and more like Mine. Go to Mary and unite with Our Hearts. The more you unite to Our Hearts, the more the Spirit pours out His grace to transform your hearts. You do not ask for that life I want to give you. My Life, My grace, My vision, I pour out to you in the Eucharist. Oh, children, you are so blind. I speak to you, your Mother comes and appears and you see only in front of your face.

I come to you this day to deliver this message. Open your hearts to My love. Come to Me at Mass and in Communion with this open heart to receive divine love and divine life. Sit in front of Me in the tabernacle. I beg you. Times are coming when the things you hold onto so tightly will wither in front of your faces.

You are one body in Christ. See the big picture. See the world. See heaven. See all souls living and dead. See the Church as one. See, My children. You in your ways hold onto such little things. You see only in front of your faces.

I call, I knock, My Mother appears and calls each of you here this day. You are soldiers in My army to lead souls to My love. I need strong soldiers. I am fortifying you with My Body and Blood. I give to you this day in the Eucharist. You will radiate with the love of God when you turn your hearts to the Eucharist. I am present no less than the day I hung on the cross. You look for little signs and Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is here. I am here in My Divinity and Humanity in the Eucharist as present as the day I died on the cross, as the day I walked on Calvary, as the day I was born in Bethlehem. I wait in the tabernacle to fortify you with your supplies to spread My love. You do not see because you do not come for your supplies.

Please take Me seriously. Time is short. You need to turn to My Eucharistic Heart. Come to this Center and pray. Come to My tabernacle. Attend Mass and Communion.

Be with Me after Communion. How eagerly I wait to be with you. Pray the rosary with the meditations I have given you. Be there in the lives of Jesus and Mary as you pray the rosary. Pray to the Spirit. All day pray to the Spirit to fill you with the fire of His love. Pray all day for Him to transform you more and more into My image. Pray all day to be soldiers in My army spreading My love to this world. I call you this day. Will you answer Me?

Messenger: On January 5, 1995, the Father spoke in front of the altar at Our Lady of the Holy Spirit Center. This altar, I believe, was in Holy Cross Monastery. The Father spoke to me there on January 18, 1997, in several messages.

He said: "I am the Father, My plan will unfold despite any willfulness."

(End of Excerpt from January 5, 1995 message)

4 Years Ago Today -  January 5, 1997

Jesus speaks: Open yourself, Oh Jerusalem, your time is come you will be a light to the people in darkness, many will walk whence you come and the earth will be shakened and the light will come across a dark sky and enlighten their minds.

Oh stiff-necked people, you are so stiff in your ways, let the Spirit envelope you and lead you on your way.

A country of stiffs, a people of planning and prodding, of deliberating and wondering--you lack faith, Jerusalem, you lack faith in God.

Oh walk naked into the cold night, you are cold in your hearts and naked in your clothing--I clothe you with glory, I light your face with light, but you turn your cheeks to the darkness and stay stiff-necked in your hearts. Oh cold and dark hearts, reach for the light that you may know the glory that awaits the sinners and enlightens their minds.

(End of Excerpt from January 5, 1997 message)

2 Years Ago Today - January 5, 1999

Messenger: On January 5, 1999, Melanie and I went to Florida for the rosary before the image. It was freezing. The Father spoke:

"It is because of your fervor to pray here that you have held back the hand of My Son from punishing the earth with just punishment for the crimes committed against your God."

(End of Excerpt from January 5, 1999 message)

Messenger: Live rosary under the image in Clearwater, Florida, January 5, 2001.

Prayers begin at 6:20 p.m.

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A rosary can be used to pray for healing. It is powerful to unite our prayers to the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass and pray through the powerful intercession of Our Lady of Clearwater.

In times of trouble, for special prayer, we can use our rosary and pray as follows.

A Rosary for Healing or for Someone with Cancer.

On one Hail Mary bead or as many as you desire, say: 

May God heal                     through the intercession of Our Lady of Clearwater in union with the Mass and all the Masses being celebrated around the world.

Pray the Hail Mary or Hail Mary's then pray this after the Hail Mary.

May the cancer be uprooted and thrown into the sea.

We believe with all our hearts.

After the Glory Be — pray the following petition.

May                     be healed through the intercession of Our Lady of Clearwater if it be the holy will of God.

Note: You can look at Mary on the image rosary while you pray this rosary.

Note: The above section can be printed out from a PDF file, and you can pray the rosary looking at the pictures.

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December 17, 2000, Mary speaks: Help me to circulate my red and blue     Rosary Books and the     prayers my Son gives to you. This is a gift we give you. All the revelations are gifts given to you. My Son is the Light of the World. He is Jesus born in a stable. Will you help me? He is the Light of the World. Help me, help me     reach my children of the world.

To order your Rosary Book fill out this form and send your donation to Shepherds of Christ Ministries, PO Box 193, Morrow, Ohio 45152-0193, Telephone: (toll free) 1-888-211-3041 or (513) 932-4451.

Name: _________________      Street: _____________________________

City:   _________________      State:    _________________ Zip: ________

Donation price:  $7 A    $15 A    $25 A   $50 A   $100 A    Other $_____ A

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Messenger: Mary wants the Red Rosary Book printed. It will cost $12,000 - $14,000 to get them reprinted. We are out of Red Rosary books. Mary has asked us to always circulate them. They go with the apparition in Florida.

Messenger: The new Blue Rosary Book Volume II of Rosaries from the Hearts of Jesus and Mary has been printed. It cost $21,000. Please pray with us for funds.

Prayer List for apostles for interior use in the Movement. Pray hourly.

Spread the Blood of Jesus on everyone, consecrate their hearts, cast the devil out, pray for coming of the Holy Spirit in a special way for all people involved on this list.

Pray for Father Carter and the Jesuits, the people at Colombiere.
Pray for the funeral and all events concerned with that.
Please pray for one new very important intention.
Pray for all involved in buying the building.
Pray for 2 special priests.
Pray for designated priests, Fr. Mike, Fr. Smith, Fr. Ken, all priests involved in the Imprimaturs translations including all bishops. Pray for Fr. Joe, Bishop Ed, Fr. Don, Father at Tuesday Masses, Fr. Tom, Fr. Bill, all priests involved with Walter, Fr. Hagee and special priests.
Pray for Father's sister Merle, for all of us servants, handmaids, apostles and vocations to all 7 categories.
Pray for the priestly newsletter and all involved.
Pray for prayer book.
Pray for all book covers, pray for Cathy.
Pray for all translations and all involved.
Pray for the elections.
Pray for an audience with the Pope.
Pray for all Jesuits involved, all those over us. Pray for the 4 urgent intentions.
Pray for the rights to the books.
Pray for the process of getting Father's books on the Internet.
Pray for money to reprint the books.
Pray for the Imprimatur on the Priestly Newsletter Book II.
Pray we can send it to all bishops and Jesuits.
Pray for Perry and family and discernment.
Pray for all sub-centers and all out-of-state rosaries.
Pray for the sisters' mailing, nursing home mailing, bus mailing.
Pray for Rosary Factory.
Pray for Genevieve's daughter and Sheila's mom and Jerry's dad, Bernice's daughter.
Pray for Paul and Joan discernment.
Pray for B & M and Tina and Terry, all printing jobs, companies involved.
Pray for 5th, the 13th, the 17th.
Pray for the Internet team and the daily messages.
Pray for building up of Morrow, Ohio, Dale, Indiana, other sub-centers.
Pray for the Holy Spirit Center and all involved.
Pray for all our families, children in school, college mailing.
Pray for lots of rosary makers and rosaries for the schools.
Pray for funds and grace.
Pray for Paul C., Margaret Mary, Steve and Sheila, Monica, Angie, Marian, Cathy, Joe, Nick, Mary, Emily, Joe, Doris, Glaci, Dunkers, Joan R., Morgan, Mark, Walter, Janice, Mike A., Margaret, Ron, and Harold.
Pray for Fred doing the paper and all involved in priestly "start-up".
Please pray for all Shepherds of Christ children.
Pray for Victor's son, Michael. (Victor and Frances)

Shepherds of Christ Ministries
PO Box 193
Morrow, Ohio 45152-0193

Telephone: (toll free) 1-888-211-3041 or (513) 932-4451
FAX: (513) 932-6791