October 7, 2006

Messenger:        Woundedness — hurt, one may say I will
                                not trust and love again.

                                Remember this scripture 

Luke 15: 11-31

The lost son (the ‘prodigal’) and the dutiful son

Then he said, ‘There was a man who had two sons. The younger one said to his father, "Father, let me have the share of the estate that will come to me," So the father divided the property between them. A few days later, the younger son got together everything he had and left for a distant country where he squandered his money on a life of debauchery.

When he had spent it all, that country experienced a severe famine, and now he began to feel the pinch; so he hired himself out to one of the local inhabitants who put him on his farm to feed the pigs. And he would willingly have filled himself with the husks the pigs were eating but no one would let him have them. Then he came to his senses and said, "How many of my father’s hired men have all the food they want and more, and here am I dying of hunger! I will leave this place and go to my father and say: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you; I no longer deserve to be called your son; treat me as one of your hired men." So he left the place and went back to his father.

‘While he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was moved with pity. He ran to the boy, clasped him in his arms and kissed him. Then his son said, : "Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I no longer deserve to be called your son." But the father said to his servants, "Quick! Bring out the best robe and put it on him; put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Bring the calf we have been fattening and kill it; we will celebrate by having a feast, because this son of mine was dead and has come back to life; he was lost and is found." And they began to celebrate.

‘Now the elder son was out in the fields, and on his way back, as he drew near the house, he could hear music and dancing. Calling one of the servants he asked what it was all about. The servant told him, "Your brother has come, and your father has killed the calf we had been fattening because he has got him back safe and sound." He was angry then and refused to go in, and His father came out and began to urge him to come in; but he retorted to his father, "All these years I have slaved for you and never once disobeyed any orders of yours, yet you never offered me so much as a kid for me to celebrate with my friends. But, for this son of yours, when he comes back after swallowing up your property -- he and his loose women -- you kill the calf we have been fattening.

‘The father said, "My son, you are with me always and all I have is yours. But it was only right we should celebrate and rejoice, because your brother here was dead and has come to life; he was lost and is found.’

Messenger:         We can build a bridge, love and forgive and
                            another looks on jealous eyes.

                                We cannot give into the 7 deadly
                            sins, we must, everyone, to be
                            doing God's will. We only want God's will.
                            Purity is peace. Once we open the door
                            to little sins, little flirtations — we
                            can get deeper and deeper. Rebellion is
                            the opposite of holiness.

                                The human race had become contaminated
                            at the time of Noah, it was loving for God
                            to wipe out this contamination, not to
                            let it go on. Noah found favor with God.

                            Noah's offspring were to have the children
                                of the human race.

                                Fr. John says this theme of
                            sin and renewal goes through the
                            history of the human race.

                                Jesus came to give us a sharing
                            in His life through baptism.
                            Baptism erases affects of original sin.
                            The human nature is wounded. We have
                            an inclination to evil called "concupiscence."

                                It is not loving to allow rebellion and
                            willfulness against God to persist in
                            families, institutions etc.

                                Our efforts to help renew the Church
                            and the world mean we desire to let go of
                            evil ways and be pure in our actions trying
                            to lead others into doing God's will and
                            promote God's kingdom.

                                The Shepherds of Christ is a Movement
                            Fr. Carter began at the direction of Jesus to
                            help renew the Church and the world.

                                We ourselves must lead to greater holiness
                            and purity — which means we are willing to
                            change ways we have developed by bad habits
                            and from previous ways taught to us that
                            will block ourselves from being a
                            holy family — living according to God's
                            will.

                                It is not loving to tolerate in
                            religious orders offences against the vows made of
                            chastity and obedience.

                                The opposite of holiness is
                            rebellion. To allow contamination and
                            sin to continue is to allow more serious
                            sins to develop.

                                The parish Church, school, family,
                            religious order can not be a source of
                            deep renewal as God desires if we
                            give into satan who is blocking good work
                            needed to be accomplished.

                                God's way He makes clear to us.

                                We have the Catechism of the Catholic Church —
                            we have the scriptures, the Church, the
                            commandments, the documents of the Church —
                            our holy priests, but priests must be rooted
                            in obeying God's will for the Church, the
                            parish to help them to grow, to pray
                           for our families, priests to pray for their
                            parishes with heartfelt prayer — schools
                           to teach the absolute truth.

                                Why would we be an institution that when
                            the people come for renewal we show the
                            people complaints, anger and focus on ourselves.
                            That kind of behavior needs to be addressed
                            if one is a religious — they are to show
                            good example and love for the Church. It
                            is not loving to tolerate selfishness,
                            anger, disharmony amongst those
                            called to run a community.

                                A person that is an example, a religious,
                            a teacher should adhere to absolute truth and
                            grow to ever become a deeper light. Make
                            their school, a community to attract others.
                            It does not exist for an individual to act
                            out hidden anger, frustration, bad
                            moods.

                                Life according to one's vocation
                            should ultimately lead to peace,
                            love and joy.

                                A person wearing a habit says to
                            the world — I am wearing my dress to
                            show you how I have given my life
                            to Jesus — I am Catholic, I am married
                            to Jesus —

                                To be a Catholic religious and be
                            confrontational, arguing, hating,
                            complaining before others is really
                            a paradox.

                                Not realizing the love of Jesus, living
                            as His special love can lead to sins if one
                            wishes to fill themselves with affections
                            from other persons.

                                In writing the Mass Book, the Blue Books,
                            I tried to lead the souls into that intimate
                            love of Jesus that one would not look for
                            any affection that was for love against
                            God's will.

                                I, myself, learned how no human person —
                            no matter how much I love them could
                            ever compare to this special love I know with
                            the Divine God — His love is so magnificent,
                            the love of a human person can help us to
                            have deeper love for God and understand deeper
                            love with others, but never ever compare
                            to God's Divine Love.

                                A life of celibacy should never lead to
                            dysfunction, but greater pure love —
                            highly spiritual, more likened to heaven —

                                A life of celibacy should not lead to
                            dysfunction or acting out desires for
                            affection from others in any
                            adverse ways.

                                There must be an acceptance and
                            loving deeply one's vocation in
                            the relationship with God and others
                            according to God's will.

                                Can we ever be happy not
                            doing God's will — really happy —
                            A religious has a very special spousal
                            relationship with God — it is such a very
                            special calling to be this special spouse
                            of Jesus. In wearing a ring the religious
                            may be reminded that they are married
                            to Jesus, a veil is a reminder of being
                            the spouse of Jesus. To be the spouse of
                            Jesus, one should be very happy to be
                            the Spouse of Jesus, they should be very
                            happy that Jesus has called them. It
                            is a paradox to look for other attractions,
                            other people that are not love relationships
                            according to God's will and to look very
                            sad, be angry or sin in front of others.

                                We are called to imitate Christ, a
                            religious to imitate Christ in a special
                            way.

                                To be hurting others and being a dark
                            cloud when one should be a light should
                            be corrected. The institution has a responsibility
                            to always be trying to be more pure — in
                            the state of becoming.

                                If a person sinning, being negative,
                            untrustworthy is wearing a habit for
                            an institution — the superior has that
                            responsibility to address issues that are
                            allowing rebellion, evil, actions against
                            God's will.

                                A religious is always trying to become
                            more holy and trying to grow in greater
                            holiness.

                             It is unloving for a religious institution
                             to exist and not to be growing in
                            greater truth and love. We cannot
                            open our doors as a holy institution
                             having prayer services and then
                            when the people come selfishly
                            cause a dark cloud. It is wrong
                            to say — come be renewed and then
                            not be other focused in love when
                            the people come, being rooted in
                            the great truths God has given to
                            us.

                                Religious orders exist to serve
                            others in the Church in love.

                                In St. Ignatius Exercises he speaks
                            of inordinate attachments —

From The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius, by Louis J. Puhl, S.J.  p. 11

21.                     SPIRITUAL EXERCISES

    Which have as their purpose the conquest of self
    and the regulation of one's life in such a way that
    no decision is made under the influence of any
    inordinate attachment

Messenger:         money, flirtatious relationships with
                            the opposite sex are wrong. Disrespect
                            for the institution, disobedience
                            against superiors is wrong. If
                            willfulness continues in an individual
                            after it is addressed then they may
                            have to leave for they do not fit in
                            with the goals of the community.
                            It is not loving to the souls that are
                            affected by the work of the institution
                            to tolerate willfulness that blocks the
                            mission.

                                The people come to serve the
                            organization in goal and purpose
                            of the institution to serve others.

                                Mary is our model — she is the
                            most perfect disciple of Christ —
                            In meditating on the mysteries of the
                            rosary — they should lead us to a
                            more perfected performance of living
                            our vocation becoming less
                            like the children of Adam and
                            Eve and more like the New
                            Adam and New Eve. Living our
                            lives to be more saturated with
                            God's grace when we are members
                            of the body of Christ especially,
                            serving others in the Church —
                            receiving grace through the
                            sacraments — becoming more a
                            city of light whenever we interact
                            with others.

                                Being children of light coming
                            forth from the Immaculate Heart,
                            the spiritual womb of the Virgin Mary.

Messenger:         When one sins they are humble, sorry for sin —
                                guarding themselves to not be
                                led astray again by this temptation —
                            letting go of inordinate attachments.

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.

  

Messenger:         Jesus is the Chief Shepherd of the Flock
                            The Church is to teach truth about Jesus.

                            How can we exist as a ministry of renewal if
                                we condone willfulness and fail
                            to recognize sin in ourselves. We can
                            think I want to renew the Church but
                            be static if we fail to admit our own
                            sins — we can be so proud to think
                            we are perfect and we can force
                            others to be like our ways which
                            in fact are imperfect by our
                            nature and in need of renewal.

                                Parents who are sinful and not
                            trying to grow in greater holiness
                            teach through example their
                             bad ways to their children, it
                            is designed so that men and women
                            living together can have children,
                            but they should indeed be working
                            on their relationship with each other
                            to grow in greater perfection
                            likened to God.

                                It is pride to not recognize sin and
                            imperfection in ourselves.

  

Donations    

^{Main Mailing Address for Shepherds of Christ}

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

1-888-211-3041

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