Think of this:

                    God created vegetation - fruit —

                    all the different kinds —

                    Life propagates

                    God created the sun and the moon and put the
                        stars in place

                    God created birds and swimming creatures with
                        the ability to propagate themselves

                    The mystery of creation —

                    God tells us to bear fruit —

                    God created Adam in His image and likeness.

                    God gave men and women the ability to have
                        babies!!

                    God created us out of love —

                    We are to love.

                The world is in God's hands —

                God is all powerful.

                God created a harmonious, good, orderly
                    world without sin — without disease
                    and death —

                Man sinned.

                Look at the beauty of the waters and all the
                    life below the waters — fish of the
                    sea, corals, plant life —
                    So awesomely beautiful —

                    We may not even think about how God keeps
                        all this growing and in such beauty —

                    Now envision a black sea — where everything
                        has died — contaminated

                God made a covenant with man after the flood
                    of Noah —

    

Genesis 9: 8-17

    God spoke as follows to Noah and his sons, ‘I am now establishing my covenant with you and with your descendants to come, and with every living creature that was with you: birds, cattle and every wild animal with you; everything that came out of the ark, every living thing on earth. 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.’

 

 

   

Excerpts from The Spirituality of Fatima

by Fr. Edward Carter, S.J.

    I am the Lady of the Rosary. I have come to warn the faithful to amend their lives and to ask pardon for their sins. They must not offend Our Lord any more, for He is already too grievously offended by the sins of men. People must say the Rosary. Let them continue saying it every day. ¹⁷

    Tell everybody that God gives graces through the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Tell them to ask grace from her, and that the Heart of Jesus wishes to be venerated together with the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Ask them to plead for peace from the Immaculate Heart of Mary, for the Lord has confided the peace of the world to her. ¹⁹

17. Our Lady's Peace Plan, op cit., p.7.
19. Ibid., pp.9-10.

    

                On Monday October 13, 2008 we will celebrate the
                    91st anniversary of Mary's 6th visit
                    at Fatima.

   

Excerpt from the Spirituality of Fatima

by Fr. Edward Carter, S.J.
 

October 13, 1917

    On October 13, 1917, there were more than 70,000 people gathered in the Cova da Iria in Fatima, Portugal. They had come to observe a miracle which had been foretold by the Blessed Virgin to three young visionaries: Lucia dos Santos, and her two cousins, Jacinta and Francisco Marto. (1) Shortly after noon, Our Lady appeared to the three visionaries:

    As the Lady was about to leave, she pointed to the sun. Lucy excitedly repeated the gesture, and the people looked into the sky. The rain had ceased, the clouds parted, and the sun shone forth, but not in its usual brilliance. Instead, it appeared like a silver disc, pale as the moon, at which all could gaze without straining their eyes. Suddenly, impelled by some mysterious force, the disc began to whirl in the sky, casting off great shafts of multicolored light. Red, green, blue, yellow, violet—the enormous rays shot across the sky at all angles, lighting up the entire countryside for many miles around, but particularly the upturned faces of those 70,000 spellbound people.

    After a few moments the wonder stopped, but resumed again a second and a third time—three times in all—within about 12 minutes. It seemed that the whole world was on fire, with the sun spinning at a greater speed each time.

    Then a gasp of terror rose from the crowd, for the sun seemed to tear itself from the heavens and come crashing down upon the horrified multitude.... Just when it seemed that the ball of fire would fall upon and destroy them, the miracle ceased, and the sun resumed its normal place in the sky, shining forth as peacefully as ever.

    When the people arose from the ground, cries of astonishment were heard on all sides. Their clothes, which had been soaking wet and muddy, now were clean and dry. Many of the sick and crippled had been cured of their afflictions. ⁽²⁾

---

NOTE:

2. For background material on Fatima, I am particularly indebted to 
        Our Lady of Fatima's Peace Plan from Heaven (Rockford: 
        TAN Books and Publishers, Inc., 1983). pp.7-8.
 

   

Excerpt from the Spirituality of Fatima

by Fr. Edward Carter, S.J.
 

October 13, 1917

    I am the Lady of the Rosary. I have come to warn the faithful to amend their lives and to ask pardon for their sins. They must not offend Our Lord any more, for He is already too grievously offended by the sins of men. People must say the Rosary. Let them continue saying it every day.⁽¹⁷⁾

    While the people in attendance were beholding the great Miracle of the Sun, the three young visionaries, and they alone, were privileged to see striking visions in the heavens:

    As Our Lady had promised, St. Joseph had come with the Holy Family and had blessed the world. Then, Our Lady appeared as the Mother of Sorrows, accompanied by her Divine Son, Who also blessed the world. Finally, Lucy had seen the Blessed Virgin, dressed in the brown robes of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, crowned as Queen of Heaven and Earth, holding a brown Scapular in her hand, with her infant Son upon her knee. However, in none of these visions had any of the figures spoken to the children. ⁽¹⁸⁾

17. Our Lady's Peace Plan, op cit., p.7.
18. Ibid., p.8.
 

   

Excerpt from Mother at Our Side, by Fr. Edward J. Carter S.J.

six

Fatima: Call of The Immaculate Heart

God wishes you to remain in the world for some time because He wants to use you to establish in the world the devotion to my Immaculate Heart. I promise salvation to those who embrace it, and their souls will be loved by God as flowers placed by myself to adorn His throne. (Our Lady of Fatima to Lucia.)¹

    ...Among the requests of Our Lady of Fatima is the call for consecration to her Immaculate Heart. This is her key request—all her other requests are contained in this central one. This is obvious from a reflection on what consecration to the Immaculate Heart means. It means that we completely entrust ourselves to Mary so that we may completely belong to Christ. If we thus give ourselves completely to Mary, it is obvious we are willing to fulfill the other requests she has made at Fatima.

Notes:

1. Michael Gasnier, O.P., Joseph the Silent (New York: Kennedy & Sons, 1962), p.9.

   

 

 

                God intends us to see ourselves as
                    members united — in love

                God wants the human race to obey their
                    heavenly Father

                Our Father loves us so much.

  

Luke 2: 48-50

They were overcome when they saw him, and his mother said to him, ‘My child, why have you done this to us? See how worried your father and I have been, looking for you.’ He replied, ‘Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?’ But they did not understand what he meant.

 

 

 

Excerpt from Mother at Our Side, by Father Edward Carter, S. J.

three

Mary And Our Personal Uniqueness
 

    "Of the essence of motherhood is the fact that it concerns the person. Motherhood always establishes a unique and unrepeatable relationship between two people: between mother and child and between child and mother. Even when the same woman is the mother of many children, her personal relationship with each one of them is of the very essence of motherhood. . .

    "It can be said that motherhood 'in the order of grace' preserves the analogy with what 'in the order of nature' characterizes the union between mother and child." (Pope John Paul II).⁶
 

    And as Pope John Paul tells us, we each have a unique relationship with Mary. She loves each one of us very dearly, each in his or her own uniqueness. She knows each of us has the awesome privilege and responsibility of allowing Christ to live in and through this personal uniqueness. As Mary cooperates with the Holy Spirit in forming Christ in us, she works with the Spirit in assisting us to accomplish our personal mission in life.

    Each day we can strive to accomplish our mission under Mary's maternal mantle. Let us each day entrust ourselves to Mary's Immaculate Heart and dwell within this most pure haven. Here we feel loved, safe, confident, courageous in our efforts to act that day as the Father wills. Dwelling within Mary's Heart, we face our daily challenge of working with Christ to lessen the world's evil and to promote its goodness. Aware of Mary's special and unique love for each of us, we are strengthened in our attempt to accomplish our God-given mission in all the various circumstances of life within the human condition. Amidst joy and sorrow, success and failure, acceptance and rejection, laughter and tears—amidst whatever comprises each day's existence—we should rest secure knowing Mary is Mother at our side.
 

    We should not waste time bemoaning the fact that we do not possess this or that gift which another has in abundance. We have the gifts God intends for us. We have the gifts we need to accomplish our mission in life. Concentrate to develop these gifts for love of God and neighbor because how we use these gifts is what we will be judged on—not on the fact that we lacked this or that talent.

    I cannot accomplish your mission in life. You cannot accomplish mine. Each of us has something to give to Christ, His Church, and His world which no other can contribute. Again, this is an awesome privilege and responsibility.

    God has given us Mary so that she may assist us in living out this privilege and responsibility and we should daily ask her for wisdom to grow in the understanding of all that our mission involves. We should also petition her for the courage not to shirk the responsibility, but joyously to embrace it for the greater glory of God. With her mother's sense of pride, she wants us to succeed in fulfilling God's plan for us. The more we entrust ourselves to her, the more she places us with Christ so that He may live in and through us to further Christianize the world.

    Yes, the more we entrust ourselves to Mary our Mother, the more we will be able to live out the truth Cardinal Newman puts before us: "We are not sent into this world for nothing; we are not born at random. . . God sees every one of us; He creates every soul, He lodges it in a body, one by one, for a purpose."
 

Notes

6. 6. Pope John Paul II, The Mother of the Redeemer (Redemptoris Mater) (Washington: United States Catholic Conference, 1987), No. 45.

7. 7. John Cardinal Newman, Discourses Addressed to Mixed Congregations (London: Longmans, Green and Co., 1906), pp. 111-12.

 

 

 

 

                14 years ago I got this Song from Jesus
                October 7, 1994

   

  

   

 

 

two

Mother At Our Side
 

   Standing by the cross of Jesus were His mother and His mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary of Magdala. When Jesus saw His mother and the disciple there whom He loved, He said to His mother, "Woman, behold, your son." Then He said to the disciple, "Behold, your mother." (Jn. 19:25-27).
 

   "In an utterly singular way she cooperated by her obedience, faith, hope, and burning charity in the Savior's work of restoring supernatural life to souls. For this reason she is a mother to us in the order of grace." (Vatican II).²
 

   Mary is the Mother of Jesus. She is also our Mother. The above words of Scripture and of the Second Vatican Council attest to this.

   Jesus has given us Mary as our spiritual mother. As He hung upon the cross, Jesus told John to look upon Mary as his mother, this John who represents all of us. In His moment of deepest anguish and suffering, Jesus was thinking of us. As the indescribable physical pain racked His body from head to toe, as the unfathomable spiritual anguish penetrated to the depths of His Heart, Jesus was thinking of us. If we allow this scene to penetrate into our hearts, if we take the time to contemplate the depth of Jesus' and Mary's love for us as Their Hearts were pierced with grief, we are truly overwhelmed with the magnificent greatness and tenderness of the scene. Jesus was proclaiming Mary to be Mother of the Redemption. He was telling us that Mary is Mother to all peoples.

   The fact that Mary is our mother, the fact that she has such a powerful role to play in our salvation in no way detracts from the mediatorship of Christ. Vatican II states:
 

   "We have but one Mediator, as we know from the words of the Apostle: "For there is one God, and one Mediator between God and men, himself man, Christ Jesus, who gave himself as ransom for all." (1 Tim. 2:5-6). The maternal duty of Mary toward men in no way obscures or diminishes this unique mediation of Christ, but rather shows its power. For all the saving influences of the Blessed Virgin on men originate, not from some inner necessity, but from the divine pleasure. They flow forth from the superabundance of the merits of Christ, rest on His mediation, depend entirely on it, and draw all their power from it. In no way do they impede the immediate union of the faithful with Christ. Rather they foster this union."³
  

   In saying that Mary is our spiritual mother, we are saying that Mary is the mother of our Christ-life. What is this life? Can we define it?

   At Baptism the Persons of the Trinity communicate so intimately to us that, as a result, they leave their imprint or image upon us. This Trinitarian image is our life of sanctifying grace. This life of grace is a created participation in God's life, and since this gift of grace is mediated by Christ in His humanity, this Trinitarian image also has a Christic aspect. Christ as man has shown us how to live a God-like existence. He has shown us how to live the life of grace. This life of grace we possess allows us to enjoy the special presence of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Truly, the divine Persons dwell within us.

   Whether we refer to this life as the Christ-life, the life of grace, life in the Holy Spirit, or by other names, we are referring to one and the same reality. This reality, again, is the Christic, Trinitarian image given us through the Trinitarian communication.
 

   St. Paul speaks of our life of grace in terms of our being baptized into the death and resurrection of Jesus (Rom. 6:1-11). Again, Jesus mediates our life of grace. He has shown us how to live a Christ-like existence. Since Jesus' paschal mystery of death-resurrection sums up His own human existence, so it sums up our own. This is what St. Paul is telling us. Paul tells us that we live our life of Baptism, our life of grace, by continually dying and rising with Jesus—rising to a greater share in Christ's resurrection. Indeed, we live resurrection now and hereafter. Living death-resurrection involves all of our Christian activities. While not giving an all-inclusive list, we do include the following: the reading of Scripture, prayer, the performance of daily duties, the doing of penance, making sacrifices, our jobs, periods of rest and relaxation, sharing meals with loved ones, reception of the sacraments, and, especially, participation in the Eucharist which is both sacrifice and sacrament.

   This is our glorious existence made possible by God's great love for us and a major truth of this glorious existence is the fact that Jesus has given us Mary as our spiritual mother. Mary is the Mother of our Christ-life. In her loving, maternal role, she cooperates with the Holy Spirit in forming Christ in us. Pope John Paul II tells us:
 

   "The Church knows and teaches that all the saving influences of the Blessed Virgin on mankind originate from the divine pleasure. . .This saving influence is sustained by the Holy Spirit, Who, just as He overshadowed the Virgin Mary when He began in her the divine motherhood, in a similar way constantly sustains her solicitude for the brothers and sisters of her Son.''⁴
 

   Mary our mother is ever with us, guiding us, teaching us, caring for us, protecting us, loving us. With her maternal assistance we go to the Father through and with Christ in the Holy Spirit.

   Mary nourishes our growth in Christ with a very tender and specialized love for each of us. She regards each of us as a precious, unique individual. John Paul II again speaks to us:
  

   "Of the essence of motherhood is the fact that it concerns the person. Motherhood always establishes a unique and unrepeatable relationship between two people: between mother and child and between child and mother. Even when the same woman is the mother of many children, her personal relationship with each one of them is of the very essence of motherhood. For each child is generated in a unique and unrepeatable way, and this is true both for the mother and for the child."⁴
 

   The Holy Father then applies these ideas to Mary and us:
 

   "It can be said that motherhood in the order of grace preserves the analogy with what in the order of nature characterizes the union between mother and child. In the light of this fact it becomes easier to understand why in Christ's testament on Golgotha, His Mother's new motherhood is expressed in the singular, in reference to one man. Behold, your son."⁵
 

   This is the awesome and consoling truth—you and I are very precious to Mary. She loves us much more than we can ever fathom. It is our great privilege and responsibility to love her in return. She asks for this love, she asks for our trust. As we give our love and trust to our mother, she wants us to come to her at all times and in all circumstances.

   Are we sorrowful, anxious, troubled? Let us go to Mary our mother and ask her to console us. Let us ask her for the grace to handle our sorrow, our anxieties, our troubles properly—according to God's will. In this way our suffering will bring us closer to Christ as it simultaneously allows us to contribute to the ongoing Christianization of the world.

   Are we joyful, happy, basking in the glow of a goal successfully accomplished? Let us go to Mary and ask her to help us handle our joy, our happiness, our success as God intends. Let us petition her not to allow our joy to make us forgetful of God, our God Who is the source of all true joy, success, and happiness.

   Are we finding it particularly difficult to follow Christ in the here-and-now? In child-like trust we can approach our mother. Let us ask her for the grace to realize that the following of Christ is not always easy—that at times being a follower of Christ challenges our courage in a special way. We can also ask Mary to help us realize that even at such difficult times, Christ's grace makes our burden relatively light. Jesus has told us:
 

   Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest.
   Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for yourselves. For my yoke is easy, and my burden light. (Mt.11:28-30).
 

   Are we finding it is particularly easy to follow Christ in the here-and-now? Let us go to Mary and ask her for the grace to remain humble. Let us beseech Mary to keep us from being inflated with pride, and ask her to help us realize that without Jesus we can do nothing.
 

   Mary, then, asks for our complete trust. She wants us always to seek shelter under her maternal mantle. She invites us to come to her in all circumstances—whether it be in joy or sorrow, success or failure, laughter or tears. Mary wants us to share in her maternal wisdom so that we may understand how to use our various experiences to come closer to God in Christ. Sharing our lives with Mary in this fashion, and on a consistent basis, requires that we love her, that we trust her, that we surrender ourselves to her maternal love.

   Help us, Mother Mary, to probe ever more deeply into the depths of your love for us. Help us to realize more and more that to be loved by you is to experience a sweetness, a warmth, a tenderness, a serenity, a security, which makes us cry out, "O Mother, how good and loving you are!"

---

Notes

2. The Documents of Vatican II (New York: The America Press, 1966), Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, No. 62.
3. Ibid., No. 60.
4. Pope John Paul II, The Mother of the Redeemer (Redemptoris Mater) (Washington: United States Catholic Conference, 1987), No. 38.
5. Ibid., No. 45.

 

 

Luke 1: 46-55

And Mary said:

My soul proclaims
    the greatness of the Lord
and my spirit rejoices
    in God my Saviour;
because he has looked upon
    the humiliation of his servant.
Yes, from now onwards
    all generations will call me blessed,
for the Almighty
    has done great things for me.
Holy is his name,
and his faithful love extends age after age
    to those who fear him.
He has used the power of his arm,
he has routed the arrogant of heart.
He has pulled down princes
    from their thrones
        and raised high the lowly.
He has filled the starving with good things,
    sent the rich away empty.
He has come to the help
    of Israel his servant,
        mindful of his faithful love
—according to the promise
    he made to our ancestors—
of his mercy to Abraham
    and to his descendants for ever.

 

                Sing song: Holy, Holy, Holy Lord

                    The world needs peace. Individual
                nations need peace and families need
                peace.

                Mary said:

                    "The family that prays together stays
                        together."

 

 

 

From Mother at Our Side by Father Edward J. Carter

seventeen

Mary At Cana

On the third day there was a wedding in Cana in Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. Jesus and his disciples were also invited to the wedding. When the wine ran short, the mother of Jesus said to him, "They have no wine." [And] Jesus said to her, "Woman, how does your concern affect me? My hour has not yet come." His mother said to the servers, "Do whatever he tells you." Now there were six stone water jars there for Jewish ceremonial washings, each holding twenty to thirty gallons. Jesus told them, "Fill the jars with water." So they filled them to the brim. Then he told them, "Draw some out now and take it to the headwaiter." So they took it. And when the headwaiter tasted the water that had become wine, without knowing where it came from (although the servers who had drawn the water knew), the headwaiter called the bridegroom and said to him, "Everyone serves good wine first, and then when people have drunk freely, an inferior one, but you have kept the good wine until now." Jesus did this as the beginning of his signs in Cana in Galilee and so revealed his glory, and his disciples began to believe in him. (Jn. 2:1-11).

This enigmatic scene gives rise to numerous possible explanations. It is not our intention to play the part of Scripture scholars on this passage. Our goal is to make a few focused remarks as we consider this event in Jesus' and Mary's life.

First, Fr. Raymond Brown, the Scripture scholar, says that Jesus' use of the word woman to address His Mother is unusual. His explanation includes the following:

In calling His mother "woman," Jesus may well be identifying her with the new Eve who will be the mother of His disciples as the old Eve was the "mother of all the living." She can play her role of intercession, however, only when her offspring on the Cross has crushed the serpent.³⁷

It is interesting to note that at Calvary Jesus also refers to His Mother as "woman": Woman, behold, your son. (Jn. 19:26). The "woman" at Cana and the "woman" at the foot of the cross is indeed the New Eve, our spiritual mother.

    On Calvary, Mary, in deep anguish, sees her Son's side pierced with a lance, from which the Church is born. Mary becomes Mother of this Church, Mother of its members. St. Bonaventure, a doctor of the Church, describes this birth of the Church:

"Then, in order that the Church might be formed out of the side of Christ sleeping on the cross. . the divine plan permitted that one of the soldiers should pierce open His sacred side with a lance. While blood mixed with water flowed, the price of our salvation was poured forth, which gushing forth from the sacred fountain of the heart gave power to the sacraments of the Church…"³⁸

As Brown points out above, the intercessory power of Mary reaches a definitive stage at the foot of the cross as Jesus gives birth to the Church. However, Mary's act of intercession at Cana should not be taken lightly. It is a foreshadowing of her full intercessory power which would flower later on. The power of her intercession with Jesus at Cana is evident. She does not request a miracle. Jesus, nonetheless, using the occasion of her request, performs a miracle as He changes water into wine. 

There are those who think that Mary is some sort of obstacle relative to their relationship with Jesus. They falsely think that Mary "gets in the way" as they strive for union with Christ. What a mistaken idea! As Mary's request at Cana brought the attendants into contact with Jesus, so does her intercession on our behalf bring us into contact with Christ. Mary is always eager to bring us closer to Jesus. "Do whatever he tells you," Mary says to the attendants at Cana. She says the same to us. She tells us to follow the teaching and example of Christ, this Christ Who is the way, the truth, and the life.  

Mary, as the mother of our Christ-life, is ever eager for us to grow in Christ. As we grow in our consecration to her Immaculate Heart—in entrustment of our total being to her—she helps us grow in our consecration to the Heart of Jesus. Through her maternal activity she aids us in growing in our discipleship, this woman who was Jesus' first and perfect disciple.

        St. John Eudes, a great apostle of devotion to the Hearts of Jesus and Mary, says:

"you are one with Jesus as the body is one with the head. You must, then, have one breath with him, one soul, one will, one mind, one heart. And he must be your breath, heart, love, life, your all. These great gifts in the follower of Christ originate from Baptism. They are increased and strengthened through Confirmation and by making good use of other graces that are given by God. Through the Holy Eucharist they are brought to perfection."³⁹

^{____________________________________}

37. Raymond Brown, S.S., The Gospel of St. John and The Johannine Epistles in New Testament Reading Guide (Collegeville: Liturgical Press, 1960), Vol. 13, p. 23.
        38.  Bonaventure, translated by Evert Cousins (New York: Paulist Press, 1978), pp. 154-55.
        ^{39. St. John Eudes, in The Liturgy of the Hours (New York: Catholic Book Publishing Co., 1975) Vol. IV, p. 1332.}

 

 

  

   

---

      

Excerpt from Mother at Our Side

by Fr. Edward J. Carter, S.J.

    

twenty-three

Lourdes—And My Own
Marian Experience
 

    Since my first pilgrimage to Lourdes marked a very definitive stage in Mary's dealings with me—in her call to me—I am going to utilize this entry on Lourdes to share with you certain aspects of my Marian experience. In none of my previous books have I shared my spiritual experience in such a direct fashion. I am doing so now only because I believe it is Mary's wish that I do so. May my sharing of Mary's maternal love manifested to me be an occasion for your own reflection on Mary's goodness to you.

    I have always been blessed with a strong devotion to Mary. I feel this gift is one of God's greatest graces given to me. I remember at an early age often repeating the Hail Mary. Later, I was very much attracted to Our Lady's requests at Fatima. I made the five first Saturdays and practiced what I was told were the other aspects of Mary's Fatima message.
 

    After graduating from college I entered the Jesuits. Our first phase of training consists of two years of novitiate—a period in which one is introduced into the spiritual life according to the Jesuit tradition. This first period of Jesuit training marked a very significant growth in my devotion to Mary.

    As I progressed in my Jesuit life over the years, Mary was always a loving, caring mother. I always felt, among other things, that she was a lifeline—always there in a special way at particularly difficult stages of the spiritual journey, not only then, but certainly then. I was not always as loyal a child of Mary as I should have been, but she always kept me aware of her very important role in our lives.

    In early 1989 I was in Europe—destination Rome. As I was traveling toward Italy from Northern Europe, I made plans to stop at Lourdes. I considered this a very special stop on my itinerary.

    As I left Toulouse on the train for Lourdes, it was raining. Not very far from Toulouse, the rain stopped and the sun appeared. I considered this a gift from Mary.
 

    I walked from the Lourdes train station to the Shrine. It was a day in January, sunny and pleasant, but, as would be expected at that time of the year, there were less than 25 pilgrims at the grotto site. The atmosphere was very special. One realized this was a very holy place. I sat on one of the benches and began to pray. All of a sudden, I was deeply impressed with this thought: "I have finally come home." The thought seemed to come from outside of me, similar to an infused idea. I did not fully understand what this idea meant. I had not seriously strayed from God, so the idea of "coming home" did not mean I was returning as a prodigal son. Nor did the idea mean that I had finally found Mary, since, as I have stated above, I have always been blessed with a strong devotion to her. I was, then, somewhat puzzled at what the words "I have finally come home" meant. My experience, however, was a very profound one as I sat there before the grotto of Mary. I wept tears of peace and consolation. This was to be my first experience of the gift of tears at a Marian shrine. Later I would also experience this gift at Fatima, Guadalupe, and Medjugorje. The gift of tears on these occasions would always be in confirmation of a special interior enlightenment.

    In the months that followed, whenever I recalled these words impressed upon me at Lourdes, I was still not sure of their meaning. I did, though, decide to write this book on Mary. I had long wanted to write such a book, but did not feel prepared to do so until now.
 

    I was privileged to be at Fatima for the 75th anniversary of the October 13 apparition of Mary to the three young visionaries—Lucia, Jacinta, and Francisco. I had a conviction that Mary wanted me there at that particular time. (October 13, 1992) That I was able to be present for this momentous occasion was another special gift of Mary to me.
 

    On October 12, 1992 the eve of the anniversary day, I was praying in the basilica at Fatima. I was close to the altar. In the sanctuary was a statue of Our Lady of Fatima. I prayed that Mary would draw me closer than ever to the Heart of Jesus and to her own Immaculate Heart. I also prayed that I would be able, as never before, to work for the spread of devotion to the Hearts of Jesus and Mary.

    As I prayed I would often glance at Mary's statue, and when I did, I was often given the gift of tears—I know it was a special gift because I myself had no control over when this would or would not take place. The same thing happened the next day. It was a most profound spiritual experience—even more so than the one at Lourdes.

    On the 13th itself, there were about one million pilgrims present for the anniversary occasion. At communion time of the outdoor Mass I felt a special confirmation of the above-mentioned experience.

    From Fatima I went to Lourdes. This time, unlike my first visit, I was present along with thousands of other pilgrims. It is indeed a special experience to be at Lourdes with so many others for the impressive candlelight rosary procession at night and for other activities. Being personally present amidst all this gives one a sense of why Lourdes has been such an attraction for millions and millions of pilgrims over the years. Again, my experience at the grotto of Our Lady was very special, as was the making of the Way of the Cross on the hill high above the basilicas and the grotto.
 

    A few months after my visits to Fatima and Lourdes I was at the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City. It was another special gift to be able to be there for the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe on December 12. What an inspiration it is to be there on this most special day—to see the Mexican people come from miles and miles away for this feast which is so dear to their hearts. Their devotion to Our Lady is most remarkable. Regarding myself, the entire pilgrimage prior to the feast day was rather subdued—peaceful, but no special experience. I remained in such a state on the feast itself up to and including most of the Mass at the Shrine. Then at communion time I was gifted with the same type of deep experience which had occurred at Lourdes and Fatima. I was rather suddenly struck with a deep conviction that I am protected by Mary's mantle and that I should not be afraid or worry. Again, this interior enlightenment was accompanied by the gift of tears.

    My final pilgrimage was to Medjugorje—December 28, 1992, to January 4, 1993. Again, after prayer, I had developed the conviction that Mary wanted me there for her great feast of January 1st—which, of course, is the feast of Mary, Mother of God. I thought something special would happen on that day, although I did not know precisely what.

    As was the case at Guadalupe, nothing out of the ordinary happened to me on the days previous to January 1. I did not see any phenomena concerning the sun which many pilgrims have observed over the years at Medjugorje. The chain on my rosary did not change to gold—as has occurred with many of the Medjugorje pilgrims. But Mary did have her gift for me. Just as I had hoped, something special did occur on the feast of January 1. At Mass, after receiving communion, I received a profound experience of Mary's motherhood toward me and also a profound conviction of Jesus' love for me. This conviction of Jesus' love for me may be the most special I have ever experienced. Again, these interior enlightenments were accompanied by the gift of tears.

    Later that day I had the great privilege of being present in the choir loft for the daily apparition of Our Lady. Ivan was the only visionary present in Church this particular day. Although I felt extremely blessed to be present for the apparition—which, of course, only Ivan himself could see—I had no special inner experience at this time. Others in our group said they did have a special personal experience at the time of the apparition. My special experience of the day had indeed occurred earlier at Mass.
 

    Since that first visit to Lourdes when I was suddenly struck with the thought, "I have finally come home," much has happened regarding my relationship with Mary. I now believe I know the meaning of those words impressed upon me at Lourdes in January, 1989. More than three years later Mary began to instruct me regarding the precise meaning of those words. She has, in her maternal love for me, entered my life as never before. She has led me to consecrate myself to the Heart of Christ and to her Immaculate Heart in a very meaningful manner. In an extraordinary fashion she has given me a mission to fulfill in the service of Jesus. As she cooperates with the Holy Spirit in my ongoing transformation in Christ, she is leading me along paths which I have never traveled before. I can never thank her adequately for her goodness to me.

    The above constitutes some of the main aspects of my personal Marian pilgrimage over the years. You also have your own Marian experience, and I am sure you have shed your own tears of joy and peace along the way.

    If you have not yet done so, I strongly encourage you to consecrate yourself to the Heart of Jesus and to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. In consecrating yourself to Mary—in entrusting yourself entirely to her—you will be enabling her to lead you ever closer to the Heart of Christ. She will accomplish marvels in you as she aids you, in cooperation with the Holy Spirit, in living out your consecration to the Sacred Heart. Indeed, she will ever be Mother at your side as you come closer to the Father through Christ and in the Holy Spirit.

    I have never been happier, never more at peace, than I presently am. Since Mary has drawn me to consecrate myself to her Immaculate Heart, marvelous changes have taken place within me. She has brought me to the Heart of Jesus in a way I had not experienced before.
 

    If you have given yourself totally to Mary—and this is what consecration to her Immaculate Heart means—you have had similar experiences.

    Having consecrated ourselves to Mary, we feel secure as we rest in her loving, maternal Heart. There she comforts us when we are sad—there she wipes away our tears. There she rejoices with us when we rejoice. There she smiles as we share with her our accomplishments for Christ. There she encourages us when we are fearful. There she strengthens us for the most difficult tasks.

    What a great gift Jesus has bestowed upon us in giving Mary to us as our mother! Let us thank Him each day for this Mother who loves us with an unfathomable love. We must try to grow in the appreciation of this love. The more we do so, the more we want to cry out, "O Mother, how loving, caring, and tender you are! Draw us ever closer to your Immaculate Heart where you accomplish your marvels within us."

end of excerpt from Mother at Our Side

                 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4 days before his death

 

 

May 31, 1994

Fr. Carter got a message to began the Priestly Newsletter.

 

July 31, 1994

Words of Jesus to Members of
Shepherds of Christ Associates:

"My beloved priest-companion, I intend to use the priestly newsletter, Shepherds of Christ, and the movement, Shepherds of Christ Associates, in a powerful way for the renewal of My Church and the world.

"I will use the newsletter and the chapters of Shepherds of Christ Associates as a powerful instrument for spreading devotion to My Heart and My Mother's Heart.

"I am calling many to become members of Shepherds of Christ Associates. To all of them I will give great blessings. I will use them as instruments to help bring about the triumph of the Immaculate Heart and the reign of My Sacred Heart. I will give great graces to the members of Shepherds of Christ Associates. I will call them to be deeply united to My Heart and to Mary's Heart as I lead them ever closer to My Father in the Holy Spirit."

- Message from Jesus to Father Edward J. Carter, S.J., Founder, as given on July 31, 1994,
feast of Saint Ignatius Loyola, Founder of the Society of Jesus (The Jesuits)

   

October 13, 1994

The Birth of the Full Ministries
of the Shepherds of Christ

    "I wish to share with you part of a message which Jesus gave us on October 13, 1994. The message tells us about the expansion of the Shepherds of Christ movement:

    'My beloved priest-companion, today I come to you with another mission. I am asking you to establish Shepherds of Christ Ministries. At My request you have already begun the priestly newsletter, "Shepherds of Christ", and the prayer chapters, Shepherds of Christ Associates...

    'I am giving you this message on this day, the 77th Anniversary of the Great Apparition at Fatima, because of the close connection between the Shepherds of Christ movement and the Fatima message. The Fatima message is centered in devotion to My Heart and My Mother's Heart, especially in consecration to Our Hearts. Shepherds of Christ Ministries is also centered in devotion to Our Hearts. I will use Shepherds of Christ Ministries as a great instrument in helping to bring about the triumph of the Immaculate Heart and the reign of My Sacred Heart. When this occurs, My Church and the world will be experiencing the great era of peace promised by My Mother at Fatima.

    'Today, then, October 13, 1994, the 77th Anniversary of the Great Apparition at Fatima, marks the birth of Shepherds of Christ Ministries. I pour forth the great love of My Sacred Heart to all. I am Jesus, Chief Shepherd of the flock.'

    "Jesus has told us that Shepherds of Christ Ministries includes: the priestly newsletter, Shepherds of Christ, Shepherds of Christ Associates prayer chapters, various publications, including books, whatever else Our Lord directs us to undertake.

    "As members of Shepherds of Christ Associates, you are an extremely important part of Shepherds of Christ Ministries. You have given great joy to the Heart of Jesus by responding to His invitation to become members of Shepherds of Christ Associates. As He draws you closer to His Heart and to His Mother's Heart as Associates members, He will fill you with an ever-increasing experience of His love, peace, and joy."

- From In the Hearts of Jesus and Mary, Newsletter of Shepherds of Christ Associates
by Fr. Edward J. Carter S.J., Volume 1, No. 1, 1995. p. 2.

    

  

Apostles of the Eucharistic Heart of Jesus

My dear fellow Associate Members,

Jesus is calling special apostles to join a new division of the Shepherds of Christ Movement. Here is a message from Jesus given to Father Carter:

    My beloved priest-companion, I am requesting that a new prayer movement be started under the direction of Shepherds of Christ Ministries. I am asking for volunteers who are willing to pray before the Blessed Sacrament for one hour, twice-weekly. Members of the Shepherds of Christ prayer chapters, as well as others, are to be invited to join this movement.

    These apostles are to pray for the intentions I am giving you. For part of the hour they are to use the prayers of the Shepherds of Christ Associates Handbook. They may spend the rest of the hour as they so choose.

    I will use this new prayer movement within My Shepherds of Christ Ministries in a powerful way to help in the renewal of My Church and the world. I will give great graces to those who join this movement. The name, Apostles of the Eucharistic Heart of Jesus, is to be given to this movement.

    I am inviting My beloved Rita Ring to be coordinator for this activity.

    I pour out the great love of My Sacred Heart to all. I am Jesus, Chief Shepherd of the flock.

    This is indeed a special calling for us to unite in one heart with His Eucharistic Heart and pray for the following intentions:

1. For the spread of the devotion to the Hearts of Jesus and Mary culminating in the reign of the Sacred Heart and the triumph of the Immaculate Heart.
2. For the Pope.
3. For all bishops of the world.
4. For all priests.
5. For all sisters and brothers in the religious life.
6. For all members of the Shepherds of Christ Movement, and for the spread of this movement to the world.
7. For all members of the Catholic Church.
8. For all members of the human family.
9. For all souls in purgatory.

end of Apostles of the Eucharistic Heart message

                 

 

  

July 5, 1994 6:30 p.m.

I was told to go to Our Lady of the Holy Spirit Center to pray the rosary with my children. There were people in the front of the church, so we decided to pray the rosary in the back before the Sorrowful Mother statue. I had the following vision at the end of the rosary.

The statue of the Sorrowful Mother was lit up as if she had fire around her. The light was very bright. Her whole gown was all-white, but the statue's gown is blue and pink. She was all aglow. It looked like the glow that comes off of a fire. Her face kept changing but remained totally sorrowful-the sorrow of an older woman. She was in such pain and sorrow! (It was hard to explain how she looked-extremely pained!) Her face looked as though she was in such pain that she could hardly bear it.

The vision remained like this for about ten minutes, having begun during the last Hail Mary of the Sorrowful Mysteries of the rosary. She was holding something-it was all bright white-the brightest light ever!

- From Blue Book IV

 

                Mary continued to appear to me every
                    day for 14 months at the old
                    seminary.

                I was told to put out this book with the
                    rainbow and messages for the
                    rosary meditations by Christmas
                    December 17, 1996.

                On December 17, 1996 this book with
                    rainbow left the printer and
                    Mary appeared on the building
                    in Clearwater the same day in
                    rainbow color —

 

shipped from the printers December 17, 1996

Mary appeared December 17, 1996

 

            Fr. Carter began the Shepherds of Christ Movement with
                    the Newsletter from the May 31, 1994
                    message —

                We have circulated to date over 6,000,000
                    in 14 years to hierarchy and priests.

    

Mary by day July 5, 2000

by night July 5, 2000

  

                I received this message 2 days after Mary's
                    image appeared on the Clearwater
                    building.

 

December 19, 1996 

Mary: My dear children, I give to you, my Son, Jesus, born in a stable in Bethlehem on Christmas morn. He is the Almighty God, the Light of the World.

    I appear to you, my children, on a (former) bank in Florida. You have made money your god! Do you know how cold are your hearts? You turn away from my Son, Jesus, for your money. Your money is your god.

    I am Mary, your Mother. I do not appear as I once appeared to you. I am asking you today to circulate my message given on a tape on the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, December 12, 1996. Please circulate this tape now. Give it to as many people as you can. I am Mary, your Mother. Please circulate my Rosary Book.

end of December 19, 1996

 

  

                Help Me

  

        

 

 

                Reach the world with the Consecration
                    to the Hearts of Jesus and Mary and the
                    rosary

                Pray United With Us

                Come to China before the exposed
                    Eucharist

                    October 13, 2008 — 91st anniversary
                                                    of Fatima

                Mass 12:00 Fr. Berny

 

 

                Pray for our priests, hierarchy, Church and the world.
                Please pray for our country.

   

 

From October 5, 2008

This is a Patriotic Rosary.

On the first 3 Hail Marys we pray for the District of Columbia,
    the priests, the Church and the world.

We are praying for the state of _____.

We Consecrate the hearts to the Hearts of Jesus and Mary.

We cast the devil out, we ask for a special outpouring of the Holy Spirit.

We spread the Blood of Jesus on the families,

the voters, all those in office, all those running for office,

the hierarchy, and the priests,

and we ask for prayer chapters from the state of _____.

And we say — Amen.

 

1st Decade 1. Alabama 2. Alaska  3. Arizona 4. Arkansas 5. California 6. Colorado 7. Connecticut 8. Delaware 9. Florida 10. Georgia 2nd Decade 11. Hawaii 12. Idaho 13. Illinois 14. Indiana 15. Iowa 16. Kansas 17. Kentucky 18. Louisiana 19. Maine 20. Maryland 3rd Decade 21. Massachusetts 22. Michigan 23. Minnesota  24. Mississippi

25. Missouri 26. Montana 27. Nebraska 28. Nevada 29. New Hampshire 30. New Jersey 4th Decade 31. New Mexico 32. New York 33. North Carolina 34. North Dakota 35. Ohio 36. Oklahoma 37. Oregon 38. Pennsylvania 39. Rhode Island 40. South Carolina 5th Decade 41. South Dakota 42. Tennessee 43. Texas 44. Utah 45. Vermont 46. Virginia 47. Washington 48. West Virginia   49. Wisconsin 50. Wyoming

 

PRAY WITH US

 

                God has all the power

 

             Jesus died for our sins

 

             We must     Believe

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

   

  

 

From the Apostles Manual

December 19, 1996
Message given through Rita Ring
Received in a few minutes after Communion
St. Gertrude Church

Jesus: My Beloved Ones,

You will know a great time of trial and darkness. I have written to you of the great sufferings to come. The sinfulness of this world greatly displeases Me. I beg you to pray for forgiveness and turn your hearts to love.

And darkness covered the earth and the light was cast in little corners of the earth. Those who were willful remained in intense darkness, those who were rooted in God, and giving themselves to consecration, were the children of the light.

And the light shown in the darkness and the darkness grasped it not, but to as many as responded, they became the children of the light and from them His life flowed into the hearts that were cold and dark and slowly, very slowly, the light began to steal across the darkened sky and the moon was covered with blood. The blood was the blood of the Lamb. The blood represented the blood He shed to give us life. But the blind just saw ordinary blood and were scared to death. They responded with the greatest fright and lacked peace, but those rooted in God, those whose hearts were consecrated to Mary and Jesus, knew the sign was from God—that the time of reckoning was at hand. Many were punished and suffered a great chastisement. Many were left to death, but the children of light prayed the rosary and trusted in God.

And the night was no more for the light of day came stealing across the sky and myriads of angels filled the sky and the heavens. Sing Alleluia, Praise the Lord, you saints and angels, show yourselves to the survivors for they walked in darkness and could not see, but the light was alive in their hearts and they dwelt within the furnace of His Heart.

Have no fear now, My people, for you are the children of the light and My hand is forever upon you. You may suffer now a little, but it is nothing compared to the splendor to come.

R. Oh, reign of peace, reign of the Sacred Heart, triumph of her Immaculate Heart, we wait for you anxiously for the nights have been cold and dark and we cried a bitter cry in the darkness but we knew of the glories to come for we forever trusted in You and Your mighty hand.

Your hand is struck with power. The Virgin Mary warned the poor children that died an eternal death to mind their ways and they cried out, "Not me, oh, no, God — your ways are stiff necked and cruel. I want for foolish pleasure now and tomorrow will care for itself."

And the Lord called and called and they marched into the darkness with cold hearts, telling the Almighty God, 'no'.

Mary: Oh, my children, my little children of light, the time is nigh and many will be lost forever. I appeared and warned and told all to mind their ways and come to the Heart of my Son and they said "No, my Lady, not for you or any mother. We are children of darkness and that we remain, for we seek our pleasure by day and feast on sin all night and when you called, mother, we laughed at your Son and ignored Him and His ways." And He called and His call fell on deaf ears.

Please, my children of light, come to my heart now for although you walked next to the children of darkness. I smite the dragon that whirled around you and protected you in my heart and you will now feast on the glories of His Kingdom, my little children of light.

end of December 19, 1996

  

Excerpt from December 29, 1996

Jesus: I am the teacher, it is through Fr. Carter and Rita I am revealing the secrets of My Heart that will bring about the reign of the Sacred Heart and greatly renew the Church and the world. I beg, beg you to study these messages in their entirety, I am revealing your directions in these messages for the completion of the Fatima message. My hand is struck with power. The more you spread the Movement, the more souls will be saved and I will give to this world My mercy. I beg you to circulate the tape, Mary's Message, and the messages of December 19, 1996 and December 22, 1996 together. I am Jesus. You must focus on what I am telling you.

I am counting on you, Fr. Carter. I have chosen you and I will guard you. It is through you I will greatly renew the Church and the world. My directions are given here to spread the consecration to the world. You must obey or souls will be lost. I am calling My apostles to days of instruction to spread the consecration. Please emphasize the tapes and the importance of the 13th.

I love you with the tenderest love. I am ONE with you. I operate through you.