| Shepherds of Christ Daily Writing |
 |
| Shepherds of Christ Daily Writing |
|
November 17,
2014|
November 18th Holy Spirit Novena |
The Novena Rosary
Mysteries |
We are ready to send out Fr. Joe's
new homily book Cycle B
We still need the postage
to send to the hierarchy and priests.
Can you help us?
1-888-211-3041
Pray for Dan, Jimmy, Blue Book 14,
Fr. Joe's homily book, &
for special intentions.
Please pray for funds & grace.
China in the Snow
November 17, 2014
R. Jesus is the teacher –
Jesus came to teach us how to
be.
Do you remember the cleansing
in the temple?
Do you realize that Jesus knew
as He was persecuted and
whipped and crowned with
thorns –
all those that would reject Him –
as He knocked on their door –
Jesus knows our hearts and we can
act like we don't hear Him knock –
when He knocks loud and clear
and we ignore His call –
or tell ourselves we can do what
we want with our lives –
Remember Adam and Eve in the Garden –
Eve thought she could do what
she wanted –
She disobeyed God, deliberately,
because the devil made what
was forbidden look attractive –
Did we never learn from this yet?
From the Shepherds of Christ Priestly Newsletter 2000 Issue 3
The Father's Will for Us -- Our Source of Peace
13
Pope John Paul II instructs us: "The Church, as a reconciled and reconciling community, cannot forget that at the source of her gift and mission of reconciliation is the initiative, full of compassionate love and mercy, of that God who is love (see 1 John 4:8) and who out of love created human beings (see Wisdom 11:23-26; Genesis 1:27: Psalms 8:4-8)…He created them so that they might live in friendship with Him and in communion with one another.
"God is faithful to His eternal plan even when man, under the impulse of the evil one (see Wisdom 2:24) and carried away by his own pride, abuses the freedom given to him in order to love and generously seek what is good, and (instead) refuses to obey his Lord and Father. God is faithful even when man, instead of responding with love to God’s love, opposes Him and treats Him like a rival, deluding himself and relying on his own power, with the resulting break of relationship with the One who created him. In spite of this transgression on man’s part, God remains faithful in love.
"It is certainly true that the story of the Garden of Eden makes us think about the tragic consequences of rejecting the Father, which becomes evident in man’s inner disorder and in the breakdown of harmony between man and woman, brother and brother (see Genesis 3:12 ff; 4:1-16). Also significant is the Gospel parable of the two brothers (the parable of the ‘prodigal son’; see Luke 15:11-32) who, in different ways, distance themselves from their father and cause a rift between them. Refusal of God’s fatherly love and of His loving gifts is always at the root of humanity’s divisions.
"But we know that God…like the father in the parable (of the prodigal son), does not close His heart to any of His children. He waits for them, looks for them, goes to meet them at the place where the refusal of communion imprisons them in isolation and division. He calls them to gather about His table in the joy of the feast of forgiveness and reconciliation.
"This initiative on God’s part is made concrete and manifest in the redemptive act of Christ, which radiates through the world by means of the ministry of the Church."
13. Pope John Paul II, as in Celebrate 2000!, Servant Publications, pp. 140-141.
R. Isn't that the lesson Jesus teaches us
with His life – How He did the Father's
will to His death on the cross –
So learning to discipline our will
is so very important in serving God,
except the devil can make what we
are not supposed to do look alluring,
so we can try to fool ourselves
thinking that what we do that is
forbidden by God is okay (in our
case) we think, incorrectly,
a greater good can come for
ourselves or for others – when
we do our will opposed to God's will –
when we rewrite what God
has told us not to do, when we
oppose God, like Pope John Paul II says,
like a rival and do our own will.
I remember in school there were
those who always asked the sister
questions which were really
trying to provoke her or cause
disharmony – whatever –
but the commandments were
commandments from God given to
Moses and they would try to
find an exception and ask if it
was okay –
Wouldn't it have been better,
if they tried to understand, what
God was saying – instead of
using their minds and the whole
class to find some loop hole
to make their attention for themselves
and take the sister off - guard.
Satan is like this – A man is sent
as a teacher from God and because
of the wounded human nature the
guys in the audience what to show
how they are smarter than the one
leading the show.
When I taught school – lots of
years, in college – a person could
try to disrupt the class and try
to compete for the floor –
Even in adults and I taught 17
years adults in night - school –
I remember one student - probably
from 1980 because they just were
rebellious and challenging and
they were about 30. I taught
28 years in college, but I can
remember a person 34 years ago
who was like that – adults I taught
were quiet and respectful, but
this person stood out over the
28 years I taught in college –
Think of God looking at all the
people and knowing their hearts –
should we get a trophy for
pride and jealousy and envy
and act like God doesn't know
our hearts!! Who are we fooling –
God came to Adam and Eve and they
were hiding, after they sinned!
Sin does not make us feel good.
God does know – God created us
with a purpose – to know, love
and serve Him –
When I taught people in day
school – one guy was just challenging
he had a cell phone, under the table
and he lied when I told him
about it.
A student can be so self-absorbed
they act out - if they can get
away with it and hurt all those
trying to learn in a whole class
of people –
Acting - out is done by many people
in life –
They don't want anybody telling them
what to do so they can live their
life, if they can find a place, where
they "bully others" because they
want that power where nobody
tells them what to do.
There are all kinds of rebellion,
in children, we may have to
work differently, than in a
class or at work, because
children that are rebelling at home
may have lost a parent, been
mistreated, even abused, but
also in schools someone has to
see a person doesn't get away
with rebelling and hurting others –
At work people cannot rebel
against authority or they can get
fired.
Today our society has some rebellious
people –
We are to be truthful and follow
God and live in harmony to God's
commands of us.
When we see the 7 deadly sins from
Adam and Eve to today –
they are the same deadly sins
even though the society and
peoples can grow in greater
and greater secularism and
rebellion against God –
But the wounded human nature
has tendencies toward –
pride, greed, envy, wrath,
lust,
gluttony,
and sloth
We can see today - how the media
can throw at us all day – people
who do things for pride, anger,
power, affection, wealth and
how people seeking things they
want can lie right before us.
God knows when we lie –
God knows if our hearts are
loving –
God knows if we seek
conversion, if we are
trying to really change to
be likened to Him –
or if we live our lives
trying to force someone or
other people to put up with
us living to do exactly what
we want –
rebelling against rules –
rebelling against just authority –
and not changing when it
comes to personal holiness –
obedience to God –
learning to love as God calls us –
being accountable and
responsible for our
actions under authority –
The "who-who" message of
November 13th (click)
talked about the guy that never
looks at himself –
He is offended because of
what he decides others have
done, but never even sees
himself really hurting others'
lives,
by living with a hard-heart
by never giving love to those
God has called him to love
and not only this being a
witness of God's love –
bringing unity and harmony
to his mission and
building up the body of Christ
through his loving actions –
When a person points one finger
at least 3 point back
at them –
God is all knowing –
God has a plan for us –
God has commanded us to
love Him first and love
others as ourselves –
God is love –
Jesus says
"I am the way, the truth and the
life"
A man can choose his own
will over God's will –
obedience to God –
Our lives should be lived
believing in Jesus as our
Savior and telling Him
we are sorry for offending
Him with sin –
The prideful man – doesn't admit
his sins – he only sees
himself above and others as sinners.
Think of how it is in religious
service if a person wants to
mold the place into his
dysfunction –
there is not love –
it is all about him –
Prayer for Union with Jesus
Come to me, Lord, and possess my soul. Come into my heart and permeate my soul. Help me to sit in silence with You and let You work in my heart.
I am Yours to possess. I am Yours to use. I want to be selfless and only exist in You. Help me to spoon out all that is me and be an empty vessel ready to be filled by You. Help me to die to myself and live only for You. Use me as You will. Let me never draw my attention back to myself. I only want to operate as You do, dwelling within me.
I am Yours, Lord. I want to have my life in You. I want to do the will of the Father. Give me the strength to put aside the world and let You operate my very being. Help me to act as You desire. Strengthen me against the distractions of the devil to take me from Your work.
When I worry, I have taken my focus off of You and placed it on myself. Help me not to give in to the promptings of others to change what in my heart You are making very clear to me. I worship You, I adore You and I love You. Come and dwell in me now.
-God's Blue Book, January 17, 1994
R. It is a sorry state when the man
lacks faith –
(faith being when a man is
really believing and trusting
in God) –
God intends us to love and
trust others, those in
right authority over us –
A man who wants no one over them
when they are under authority
in religious matters –
has a roaring conflict –
Some priests are pastors and
some parishioners just
challenge the priest –
criticizing a good priest –
hurting the whole parish –
because the parishioner
doesn't ever look at
their situation in their
heart – Are they learning
to be like Jesus –
The consecration prayers to the Hearts of
Jesus and Mary are to be said
from a docile, humble heart –
one that is growing in love
of God and neighbor –
Saying the Litany to the Sacred Heart with
a quick
"have mercy on us" and no
thought can show
a lot about how
cold are our hearts
March 5, 1994 8:00 p.m.
Jesus: I am the Sacred Heart of Jesus. I am ablaze with love for all. I am Jesus, the Son of God. Come and bow low, bend your knee, for I am the Son of God. Worship Me. Adore Me. Honor Me. Preach, preach My love to all. I am afire with this love. I am on fire. . . .
Oh, so simple, you say? One thing that pleases Me is your union with Me, the ardent, longing love you give to Me. To sit and tell Me how you long to be with Me and want Me so much! I want a love affair with you. I want emotion, heartfelt emotion.
I am the Sacred Heart of Jesus. I am a burning fire, a furnace of love. Come to Me with longing.
I am not a little, inactive love. I am on fire for love of My beloved ones. Preach emotion, heartfelt love. I gave My life. How much emotion is that? To lay down My life for love of you! . . .
The love of God is active. I, a prisoner, sit this very moment in all the tabernacles in this world out of ardent love for My beloved ones. I, God, sit and wait for your love. Little prayers you pray, half asleep, in a monotone-lip-service! No action from your heart! Look at Me. Look at My life. Action from the heart, the Heart of Jesus.
I want an active relationship with you. I wait for a heart ablaze with ardent love. You sit on the shoreline throwing little words at Me.
Love is embracing, love is entwined, love is vibrant and forceful, love is burning, love is longing, love is wanting, love is thinking about the other and talking about that person at all times. Love is an active force. It is on fire. I am God. The love I have for you is inexpressible in human terms.
You sit and throw words at Me. They are cold. You talk about My love and the love of God as you talk about the rain that is coming down or your dirty socks. . . .
Oh, little ones, listen! Emotion! Action from your heart! Enkindle your love affair with this ardent lover. I am a furnace on fire for love of you, My beloved servant. I need your love affair with Me. My love will shine from your very being. Pray this prayer constantly for union with Me. I loved you to My death. I am Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Ready yourself, My children, for I am strengthening you for the days ahead.
end of excerpt
R. Here is a message from the angel
given in 1916 in Portugal
"My God, I believe, I adore, I hope and I love You! I ask pardon of You for those who do not believe, do not adore, do not hope and do not love You."
R. We need God as our goal –
24/7
We need our focus on loving and
serving God and building
His Kingdom –
When a person becomes rooted
in bad habits of pride,
anger, slothfulness,
envy, jealousy, greed, gluttony,
lust –
they become more and more deadened
inside –
Do we believe in God and His
promises –
We are to really pray for that
increase of faith, hope
and love –
A man without hope, isn't
loving God or himself or
others – (he can be despairing when
he should be hoping in God and
eternity as his goal) –
We are living under God –
We are to obey His rule –
We are under His authority –
Yeah – (the sinner can think)
We have a free will and
we can disobey God –
If we love God we will see
just - authority and
structure is how He
operates, it is a friend and
we have to learn that
to get to heaven.
To be intimate with God, who
is love –
we have to learn to love –
to be loving –
to operate in love –
to put God first –
to love our brothers He
has asked us to work with –
Love finds a way –
When a man sins and he doesn't
even recognize sins –
he can sin more and more
and more and grow in greater
darkness –
A man with hope doesn't want
to offend God –
wants his salvation and
the salvation of his
brothers –
Once in a while I have a dream –
I am a student in college,
myself, and I didn't
go to any of the classes
all semester and now
I have to take the
final and I didn't pay
any attention to the assignments,
I didn't do the homework,
I didn't go to class –
Well you say
"You will probably fail"
Most of dreams are about really
hard subjects, I don't know.
The spiritual life is a process of
growing more and more likened
to Christ.
We have a life-time to
report – to do God's will –
to put God first –
to love God –
to love others as ourselves –
to obey God's commandments –
to be accountable
to be responsible –
etc.
etc.
etc.
The final curtain is when
we die and we face
judgment –
When we didn't love and
were angry and jealous and prideful
we hurt others. We were called
to be witnesses for Christ,
not angry, jealous –
We hurt others' vocations and
hurt them with unloving,
unforgiving – hard hearts –
showing them
in-consistency and coldness
and forcing ourselves in
their face –
What if a man or woman is
a leader in religion and
does this?
Do we trust in God's Divine
goodness?
Do we see ourselves
accountable and
responsible before God?
Do we use punishment with
our work to force our
behavior which is
wrong on others?
Do we not see the end
judgment?
Have we not grown in theological
virtues of faith, hope and love
because we were too busy
developing the
deadly sins – bad habits and
trying to force others to
put up with this through
punishment and control
using our work as a
weapon –
God have mercy on us for
we have sinned –
Say the prayers Jesus gave to
Fr. Carter with a heart –
Have mercy on us Heart
of Jesus –
You are talking to God –
Have mercy on us Jesus –
Pray for us, Mary –
We honor your purity –
We honor your Motherhood,
our Spiritual Mother –
We seek your powerful intercession
Mary
Excerpt from October 5, 2014
R. Dear Heavenly Mother help us to have
peace and unity on this earth.
Mary: I am the Queen of Peace.
Unity is to be found where people live the
Gospel as Jesus has given to you.
Unity is to be found as men desire unity
and not selfishness in their hearts.
A man is given his life from God, the
Creator, to do good, to love God first
and to love his neighbor as himself.
Love is the answer, being like Jesus,
who loved you so much, Jesus died
for your sins.
Love is giving.
Love is focusing on the building of the
Kingdom of God.
A man can spend his whole life thinking
he is not good enough and not
seeing the gift God has given to him
in creating him and his responsibility
before God of furthering God's Kingdom.
Song: Seek Ye First the Kingdom of God
A man is a gift God gives.
He is to live to further the Kingdom of God –
He is to live to spend his life growing in
the image and likeness of God.
Jesus, so loved you, He came and He lived
on the earth to teach you how to
be likened to Him –
You are to follow Jesus' footsteps –
You are to walk as Jesus taught you –
You are to live to serve God, to love
God, to know God –
You are called to be servants of God.
You are to seek unity among your brothers
and to have commitment to your
vocation in life.
I loved the Father's will –
I lived the Father's will –
I loved God in my life as a little
child of my Father, the Mother of
Jesus and the Spouse of the Holy Spirit –
I am the singular vessel –
I show you my Immaculate Heart –
You, as handmaids of Jesus, are to live
your life to be pure in heart –
I am Mary, the Immaculate Heart –
I give you my heart to come and dwell
in my heart, your spiritual womb –
I am your spiritual Mother –
You are not alone –
I want you to be united to me –
I give you my love as your spiritual Mother,
I want you to pray through my powerful
intercession.
I appeared to you October 2, 2014 to teach you
about intercession through My Immaculate
Heart.
R. Mary appeared to me October 2, 2014 in
magnificent light and her beauty was
unmeasured in her faces she showed
me. There was a silence as I watched the vision –
a silence, so still in the vision, but the
handmaids and another person prayed the rosary
outside the apparition room in one voice –
it sounded very unified and strong
and sincere, but in her vision I
know a profound stillness as I
watched Mary in such enormous
light, pray, her mouth moving so
distinctly, so pronounced with them as
they prayed. I continued to watch this
for the first two decades of the rosary,
for apparitions seem to leave me
weak sometimes and then I am
wrapped in that peace of having
seen her and left listless or tired.
She prayed pronounced with them and
it looked as if in great unity with
them. Unity is the word I knew –
Unity and sincerity in their prayers
and unity of the Mother of God appearing
before me in such beauty and light –
praying in unity with them, but there
was only stillness in the apparition –
no noise.
I have an apostle rosary I place on
the Mary statue in the apparition
room and when I pray the rosary
or lead the rosary in the room
I hold that rosary many times – I lead
the beginning of every bead only with
Hail Mary and they say all the rest of
the prayer. It is a profound unity in
one voice I hear when they are
out there many times, sometimes I
feel the sound is the sound of unity
I hear that is joined by what God
is allowing me to hear, the songs I
lead are very united in perfect
voice and very angelic. The voices
perfectly synchronized and heavenly
sounding and there is absolute
stillness in the vision.
On October 2nd as they prayed and I
heard this unity from those outside the
apparition room – I saw the same
way visions of Mary change for the
20 years she has appeared to me –
Stillness and her beautiful face changes
from different faces without a noise,
so smooth as when the Monstrance
in China has changed positions –
it turns without a noise, without
any seeing it turn, it is in motion
without detectable motion of it
turning.
Mary was like this in the vision –
surrounded in light and the faces
of the Virgin different as her faces
changed, one more beautiful and
different than the other – so beautiful
and a profound response of her
answering or praying with the
prayers united outside the room –
in stillness of her response inside –
I have never seen this before – it was
at a certain point and made clear
to me – she held an invisible rosary
and her fingers were going from bead to bead
as she prayed with them.
I watched this vision for as long as I
could, then I was left weak and
sort of limp, hearing the praying outside
and continuing to just bath in a
quiet presence.
I was not focused on Jesus, but to
the left I saw light and knew His
presence in there likewise, Mary's
apparition was the focus and she was
giving this gift to us in the first day of
retreat. Many times I receive an
apparition of Mary on the 2nd
of the month and sometimes the 3rd
too, many times the 5th. It is not unusual
for me to see Mary on the 2nd.
This date to me, reminds me of the Two Hearts,
of Jesus and Mary and the calling
I receive to come do the retreat
the 2nd to the 5th in the Clearwater
building.
As I watched Mary pray more profoundly
than I ever saw with those outside and
heard such profound unity in their
prayers, although Mary looked in
complete unity with them, I wondered
if she would say
Hail Mary – to herself
Holy Mary – praying this –
I have wondered this before –
The next day I was told of Mary's powerful
intercession, when we pray and ask her
to intercede for us to God –
Mary, the Mother of God –
Mary, the pure and Immaculate Heart –
Mary, our Mother,
Intercedes to God, Our Heavenly Father,
Jesus, the Son of God and her
Spouse the Holy Spirit.
In this place heaven showed me –
how powerfully Mary prays as
an intercessor –
the perfect prayer –
the pure prayer –
a heavenly prayer of intercession
to her Son Jesus as we
know and were shown the
prayer of Mary to her Son at
the Marriage of Cana –
To you, as a messenger, I account this
experience - for never will I have such
an understanding of Mary's powerful
intercession as I have now from
this vision.
end of excerpt
R. Despair is caused by slothfulness,
one of the deadly sins –
pleasures that are more
important than God!!
To be spiritually motivated
for good – one cannot
be lustful, slothful –
give into the deadly sins – over
and over again –
Sloth is spiritual laziness –
the man thinks he can't
attain God's recognition and
love –
God is all - just –
We are called to grow in
faith, hope and love –
good habits –
The deadly sins make us
unresponsive – dead
inside
A man who thinks he can sin and not
recognize his habitual sin
and not get judged
is prideful.
God tells us He will punish us
for unrepented sins –
pride in a man can tell
him God will not punish
him when he sins –
God is all - just –
God is all - good –
We hurt others when we sin –
We are accountable and responsible
before God –
God gives us confession as
a sacrament to be forgiven –
God gives us the Mass –
We must turn to the love of
God through faith and hope –
This is what Mary said at Fatima,
then they didn't listen
and there was World War II
Faith gives us the vision
of God –
we seek His plan and
live according to His will –
Consecration of the Two Hearts
is vital for the world –
Available for $4 plus postage
"What I say to you in the dark, tell in the day-
light; what you hear in whispers, proclaim
from the housetops." (Matthew 10:27)
Jesus Has Come to Give Us Life
Jesus: "This is the day celebrating My Resurrection (Easter). The day of newness of life. I am Lord and Master. I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. Tell My people to come to Me if they wish to experience life in abundance. I want to give all an ever greater share in the life of My Resurrection. Without Me you cannot be happy, nor have peace, nor have real joy. Tell My people to surrender to Me more and more. The more they do so, the more they will experience My love, wisdom, power, peace, joy, happiness, mercy, and goodness. Within My Heart My people will find these riches. I am Lord and Master! Please listen to My words."
Reflection: Through His life, death, and resurrection, Jesus has come to give us life, and to give us this life in abundance.
When we were baptized, we were incorporated into Christ and His Church. When we were baptized, we received the life of sanctifying grace. This life is a created sharing in the life of the Trinity. Truly, we are called to live a God-like existence according to the teaching and example of Jesus! It is our duty and our privilege to develop our life of grace—our Christ-life—through our participation in the Mass, through the reception of the sacraments, through prayer, and through all other good works. Indeed, we are called to love God and neighbor more and more.
What a glorious life has been given to us! In a spirit of thanksgiving, and together with Mary our Mother, let us always strive to know Christ more intimately, to love Him more ardently, and to follow Him more closely, so that He will always bring us to a closer union with the Father in the unity of the Holy Spirit.
Call of the Sacred Heart
Jesus: "Tell My People that I wish them to come to My Sacred Heart. I show My Heart as symbol of My great love for My people. So many, however, are cold and indifferent concerning My love for them. Consider all I have done for My people! I suffered a brutal passion and death for them. My Body was unmercifully scourged, My head cruelly crowned with thorns, My hands and feet mercilessly pierced with nails. Oh, how much I suffered in all this—out of love for My Father and the whole human race! Finally, My Heart was pierced with the soldier's lance. From My pierced Heart flowed forth blood and water, symbols of the Eucharist and Baptism. How much My pierced Heart still loves My people! How I long for each to come to My Heart in a return of love! All who do will experience My love in a special way. All who take up their refuge within My Heart will experience love, security, peace, joy. The world cannot give My people these gifts. I, Who am Lord and Master, am the One Who gives these gifts."
Reflection: Jesus tells us how much He loves us and to what lengths He went in His passion and death to show us this great love, this love symbolized by His Heart.
To meditate often upon the passion and death of Christ is to allow His love to more and more take hold of us. The more we allow Jesus to embrace us with His tremendous love for us, the more He draws us within His pierced Heart. Within this Heart is our refuge. Here is our source of enlightenment, of strength, of peace, joy, and happiness.
Jesus: "My beloved priest-companion, tell My people to trust Me unreservedly. I am Lord and Master. I am their God. So many fail to trust Me as they should. I love all My people much, much more than they love themselves. This great love of Mine should encourage the greatest trust. The more you realize how much a friend loves you, the more you place your trust in the friend. I am your perfect Friend! I love you infinitely more than your best earthly friend. Tell My people to give Me their trust. Tell them to say often, 'Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place my trust in You.' I am Lord and Master. Please do as I request."
Reflection: How can we fail to trust Jesus, this Jesus Who has given His life for each of us? During His passion, He knew each of us by name. Today, He calls each of us, by name, to the refuge of His Sacred Heart. Today, He calls each of us, by name, to a greater trust in His Heart.
Jesus: "My beloved friend, tell My people to come to My Mother. From the cross, as I was suffering indescribable agony, I gave Mary as spiritual Mother to the world. My great love for My people prompted Me to do this. I am Lord and Master, and I want My people to come to My Mother and their Mother. If you wish to be close to Me, come to Mary. Consecrate yourselves to her. In this way you will grow into the closest union with Me. Through her Immaculate Heart, you will be drawn more and more into My own Heart. It is My desire that you allow My Mother to place you within My Heart which loves you with an unfathomable love! This is My wish—that you come to Me enfolded by Mary's mantle, cradled in her arms, pressed against her Heart."
Reflection: It is God's will that we approach Jesus in union with Mary. Enough said!
Jesus: "My beloved priest-companion, I have given you a special experience of what it means to be loved by Me. I have drawn you, through Mary, deeply within My Heart. There you experience a deep peace, joy, and security—all this results from your realizing how much I love you! Tell My people about My great love! Tell them I desire that they come to My Heart. There they will experience the wonders that only My Heart can give. I am Lord and Master. I desire that all listen to My words."
Reflection: We know what a glowing feeling it is to realize that we are loved by a human person--by a friend or by a spouse, for example. Jesus loves us much, much more than any such person can possibly love us! Why don't we, then, allow ourselves constantly to be immersed in the joy which results from realizing how much Jesus loves us?
Jesus: "My beloved priest-companion, because I love you with a very special love, I have showered you with great gifts. You have cried out to Me in joy. You have told Me how thankful you are for My many special favors. Allowing you to be so thankful is itself a gift I give you. Tell My people that I want them to thank Me every day for all the gifts I have given and continue to give them. Tell them I want them to give themselves to Mary. In her company I want them to approach My Sacred Heart each day. Here I will give them ever greater gifts.
"How much I love My people! How much I long to shower them with My love-laden gifts! Sadly, many do not want to receive My gifts. Those who do, let them come to My Heart, and they will be amazed at what I will do for them! My Heart is an inexhaustible source of graces. Please, My people, I long for you to come and draw from its riches! I am Lord and Master. Please do as I request."
Reflection: Giving thanks to God for all His gifts is one of our great duties as children of God. We should be continually offering thanks to God for all the gifts He has given us and continues to give us through the Heart of Jesus.
Jesus: "My beloved friend, tell My people to pray daily to the Holy Spirit. They are to pray for an increase in His gifts. My people must realize that the Holy Spirit comes to transform them. The Spirit desires to transform you more and more according to My image. Those who are docile to His touch become increasingly shaped in My likeness. He performs this marvel within Mary's Immaculate Heart. The more one dwells in My Mother's Heart, the more active are the workings of the Spirit. The Spirit leads Mary to place you within My own Heart. In both Our Hearts, then, your transformation continues. The more you are formed after My own Heart, the more I lead you to the bosom of My Father. Tell My people all this. Tell them to pray daily for a greater appreciation of these wondrous gifts. I am Lord and Master. All who come to My Heart will be on fire to receive the gifts of the Spirit in ever greater measure! I love and bless My people!"
Reflection: The Holy Spirit is given to us to fashion us ever more according to the likeness of Jesus. And the more we are like Jesus, the more Jesus leads us to the Father. Do we, each day, pray to the Holy Spirit to be more open to His transforming influence? Do we strive each day to grow in union with Mary? The greater our union with our Mother, the spouse of the Holy Spirit, the greater is the transforming action of the Holy Spirit within us.
Jesus: My beloved companion, tell My people about the great importance of prayer. Prayer plays an indispensable role in the process of sanctification and ultimate salvation. Let My little ones come to Me daily in prayer. I especially want My people to pray before the tabernacle. When they do so, I give them special graces. The prayer of My people should be filled with love for Me, My Father, the Holy Spirit, and My Mother. Pressed against their Mother's heart, and under her guidance, let My people come to My Sacred Heart. Each day they should take up their refuge in My Heart, and there enter into the deepest prayer. They should put all worries and anxieties aside and pray from the heart. I take their prayer to the Father in the Holy Spirit. My people, I want you to pray, pray, pray! During prayer I make you especially aware of My great love for you. During prayer I ask for your return of love. During prayer I especially allow you to experience peace and joy. The crosses you bear are no obstacle to this. In fact, when you bear your crosses properly—that is, according to My Father's will—you experience increased peace and joy. My people, listen to My words. I am Lord and Master. I love you with the most tender love!"
Reflection: In the above message, Jesus reminds us of the great importance of prayer. Our greatest prayer is our participation in the Mass. Outside the time of Mass, Jesus tells us how important it is to pray before the tabernacle. The practice of prayer is extremely important for ongoing growth in our love relationship with Jesus, the Father, the Holy Spirit, and with Mary. It is also critical for our growth in love of neighbor.
Jesus: "My beloved friend, tell My people that I desire them to have pictures or statues of the Sacred Heart and the Immaculate Heart in their homes. This will greatly help them to give honor to Our Hearts. All My churches and chapels should also have these images. I will bestow great blessings on all those who heed My request. I am your Lord and Master. Please do as I ask."
Reflection: We all know the role pictures of loved ones play in maintaining and developing our relationships with these people. Is it strange, then, that Jesus makes the above request?
Jesus: "My beloved priest-companion, I have allowed you to experience in extraordinary fashion the riches contained in My Heart and My Mother's Heart. I desire that you tell all My people about these riches. I desire that My people consecrate themselves to My Sacred Heart and to Mary's Immaculate Heart. My people are living in the beginnings of the age of the Two Hearts.
"After the time of the purification is completed, this new era of the Church and the world will become firmly established. This era will be characterized by the triumph of the Immaculate Heart and the reign of My Sacred Heart. All those who consecrate themselves to My Heart and to My Mother's Heart will help to establish this glorious new age. I am Lord and Master. Please listen to My urgent request. Within Our Hearts you will experience the love and security, the peace and the joy, which you all desire. I love My people with a tremendous love, and in My love I give them this message!"
Reflection: This is the Age of the Two Hearts! The surest road to sanctity in these our times is through consecration to the Hearts of Jesus and Mary. In making this consecration, and striving with God's grace to live it as best we can each day, we are contributing to the establishment of the triumph of the Immaculate Heart and to the arrival of the reign of the Sacred Heart.
Jesus: "My beloved friend, tell My people that I am a God of joy. I have come so that My people's joy may be complete. So many of My people seek for joy in the wrong places. So many seek their joy and happiness in material things. Joy can spring from material things only when they are used according to My Father's will. Many use material things against My Father's will. Come to My Heart, My people. Come to My Heart in union with your Mother Mary. She will place you within My Heart, and we will teach you the secret of joy. We will show you that joy is meant to be yours at all times-even in the deepest suffering.
"Come to Me, My people. I am your Lord and Master! I am all-powerful! When I say I will give you joy in abundance, I have the means to fulfill My promise. But you must come to My Heart, and you must trust Me. I ask for your total trust. The more you trust Me, the more you will be filled with My joy!"
Reflection: In the Litany of the Blessed Virgin we say, "Cause of our joy, pray for us." Mary is cause of our joy, because, under God, she gives us Jesus, the Source of all joy. Mary is cause of our ever-increasing joy, because she always unites us—if we allow her—more intimately to the Heart of Jesus. And as Jesus tells us above, within His Heart, He and Mary teach us the secret of joy.
Jesus: "My beloved priest-companion, tell My beloved people that I am the Divine Giver of peace. I want so much to give My people an even greater sense of peace, but many refuse My offer! They think they know their own way to peace and happiness—a way which is not My way. The further they stray from Me, the more restless they become, and the less true peace they have. My way is the only way to peace.
"My people, come each day to My Sacred Heart. Let Mary lead you to My Heart. The more you dwell within My Heart, the more peace will be yours. I am Lord and Master. Please listen to My words! Do not seek your peace and consolation in worldly pursuits. Come within My Heart, and you will be filled with the peace you so much crave. I will press you to My Sacred Heart. I will tell you how much I love you! The more you realize this love, the more My peace will possess your soul!"
Reflection: The chief fruit of love is peace. The more we open ourselves to the burning love of Jesus' Heart, and respond by loving God and neighbor more and more, the more peace we experience.
Jesus: "My beloved friend, tell My people that they are living in the Age of the Two Hearts—that of My Heart and My Mother's heart. My people live in the initial stages of this great era. I call all My people to take up their refuge in My Heart and My Mother's heart. In Our Hearts they will become more and more transformed into My likeness.
"The greatest source for growth in devotion to Our Hearts is the Eucharist. I wish My people to attend Mass often, daily if possible. What a great gift I have given to My people in the Eucharist! Yet many of My people are indifferent to the treasures contained in the Mass. Think of it! My people are privileged to offer the Sacrifice of the Mass together with Me! And yet how many prefer to do other things rather than attend Mass. How this attitude offends My Sacred Heart!
"I long for My people to participate in the Mass and to receive Me worthily! Think of it! I, Who am your God, long to come to you each day! In the Eucharist I come to you in My Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity. Present within you, I long to take you close to My Sacred Heart, this Heart which is truly within you. The more you allow Me to do so, the more closely I press you to this Heart. I shower you with its riches. I abundantly give you great graces which increasingly form you in My likeness.
"I am Lord and Master! Please listen to My words. Pray, pray for a deeper understanding of the Mass. In union with Mary, approach Me daily in the Eucharist. I, your God, long to come to you. How much do you long to receive Me?"
Reflection: Everything in the life of the Church, and in the Christian lives of each of us individually, is centered in the Mass. Vatican II, in a few words, makes a powerful statement concerning the Church's Liturgy--at the center of which is the Eucharistic Sacrifice: ". . .in the liturgy is the summit toward which the activity of the Church is directed; at the same time it is the fountain from which all her power flows" [The Documents of Vatican II, Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, No.10 (American Press edition)].
Mary: "My beloved priest-son, how often I have pressed you to my maternal and Immaculate Heart in the greatest love! How often I allow you to taste the sweetness of this Heart. How often I make you aware that my Heart is your refuge where you feel so much loved, where you feel so secure, where you feel bathed in peace! I desire that you tell all the people about the riches contained in my Immaculate Heart. Tell my people to come to my Heart each day. I will caress them with my maternal love. I will lead them ever closer to the Sacred Heart of my Son. I will tell them to listen to Jesus. I will remind them that He is their Lord and Master. I will remind them to do whatever He tells them to do.
"Yes, my dearly beloved son, tell my people all these things. Keep reminding them of my great love for them. Keep reminding them how I love to draw them to my maternal and Immaculate Heart!"
Reflection: Is there anyone who, listening to these words of Mary, does not long for a closer union with the loving Heart of our Mother?
Mary: "My beloved priest-son, I have given you a great devotion to my sorrows and tears. Tell my people about this devotion. Tell them I promise great blessings to all who say seven Hail Marys each day in honor of my tears and seven sorrows. Included in my promise is that of granting special assistance at the hour of death. At this moment, all who practice this devotion will see my face."
Reflection: Listed below are the seven sorrows of Mary. Let us each day recall these sorrows as we pray the seven Hail Marys as Our Lady requests.
- The prophecy of Simeon.
- The Flight into Egypt.
- The loss of Jesus in the Temple.
- Jesus and Mary meet during the way of the cross.
- Mary witnesses the crucifixion of her Son.
- Jesus is taken down from the cross and laid in Mary's arms.
- The burial of Jesus.
Mary: "My beloved priest-son, how often I have embraced you! How often I have told you how much I love you! How often, at your request, I have held you in my arms as my child. You have told me you realize how helpless you are of yourself, but how strong and secure you feel dwelling in my heart and Jesus' Heart. Your sense of your littleness and helplessness endears you to me all the more. I take you ever more securely to my maternal and Immaculate Heart. Tell all my people of the riches you have found within my heart. Tell them how I place you within my Son's Heart. Tell them that, because of my motherly action, you are now more closely united with Jesus than ever before. Tell my people to come to my heart and draw forth similar riches. Tell all my little ones that Jesus, Who is Lord and Master, bids me to lead all to His Sacred Heart. The more my little ones dwell within my Immaculate Heart, the more I place them within Jesus' Heart. Oh, how I love all my little ones! How I love to bring them to the Heart of Jesus!"
Reflection: Again, let us remind ourselves that we live in the Age of the Two Hearts. The Hearts of Jesus and Mary are inseparable. The more we dwell in Mary's heart, the more she places us within Jesus' Heart. Within these Two Hearts, the Holy Spirit fashions us more and more in the likeness of Christ, and the more we become like Christ, the more closely He unites us to the Father.
Jesus: "My beloved priest-companion, tell My people how I long for them to come to Me in the Eucharist. The Eucharist is the great Sacrament of My love for My people. So many are indifferent to My Eucharistic presence. So many have no real desire to receive Me in the Eucharist. So many have no desire to visit Me in the Blessed Sacrament. How I long for My people to come before the tabernacle and to talk with Me!
"I am offended, many times seriously, by all the outrages, sacrileges, and indifferences committed against My Eucharistic presence. I ask My people to make reparation for all this. I especially ask that they often say the prayer of Eucharistic reparation given by the angel to the three Fatima visionaries.
"I am Lord and Master. Please do as I request. My Eucharistic Heart is beating with unfathomable love for My people! Let them come to My Sacred Heart. How I long to take My people to My Heart and shower them with Its abundant graces! I love My people with a tremendous love, and I give them this message with the greatest love!"
Reflection: Pope John Paul II has often expressed his belief in the importance of Fatima. It also appears that the Fatima prayer of Eucharistic reparation is meant in a most special way for the present times
Jesus: "My beloved priest-companion, tell My people that the ugly face of sin covers the earth as never before in the history of the human race. My image, which should shine forth brilliantly over the whole earth, is seriously marred by the hideousness of sin. My Father's justice demands reparation. Tell My people to offer their actions in reparation for all the sins whereby the Triune God is so much offended. My Heart cries out for reparation, especially for sins committed against My Eucharistic presence. My Heart hates sin, but loves the sinner. All who are sorry for their sins will find in My Heart overflowing graces of mercy.
"My people should receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation often, even if they have no serious sins to confess. The graces of this Sacrament give powerful graces for the fight against temptation. I am Lord and Master. Please do as I request!"
Reflection: In our determination to avoid sin, let us often recall the terrible sufferings which sin caused Our Loving Savior: the cruel crowning with thorns, the tearing of His sacred flesh by the soldiers' merciless scourging, the heartless hammering of nails through His sacred hands and feet, and all the rest. Who can prayerfully look upon the suffering Christ and not be repulsed by the hideousness of sin?
Jesus: "My beloved friend, tell My people that I desire all to consecrate themselves to My Sacred Heart and to Mary's Immaculate Heart. Tell them not to just recite words in making the act of consecration, but to realize what they are saying. Consecration to Our Hearts means a total gift of self. It means handing over everything to Me and to My Mother. Consecration means a willingness to surrender completely to Me. In Baptism one is consecrated to Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. But how many fail to live out their consecration! I extend to all the invitation to renew this baptismal consecration through consecration to My Heart and to My Mother's Heart.
"My beloved companion, I have taught you what this consecration means. I have given you great peace, joy, and happiness because you have made this consecration. I have taught you that you are to renew this act of consecration each day, I constantly remind you that you are to pray each day for the grace to more and more live the consecration. I have taught you that your consecration to Me and My Mother means that you constantly surrender yourself to Us and to Our care. I have taught you that the more you surrender yourself to Me, the more I live in you and through you and for you. I have taught you that My great love for you longs to draw you more deeply into My Heart. I have shown you that I wish your Mother Mary to place you there within My Heart, and that the more you dwell within her heart, the more deeply she places you within My Heart. Dwelling within Our Hearts, the Holy Spirit fashions you more and more in My likeness. The Father thus looks upon you with greater favor and takes you more closely to Himself. Tell My people all these wondrous truths. I am Lord and Master, and I desire all to listen to My words!"
Reflection: In the above message, Jesus describes what is involved in living our consecration to the Hearts of Jesus and Mary. What beautiful truths He puts before us! We know that the living out of our consecration is not always easy. Sometimes it is very difficult. At all times, and especially in most difficult times, we should remind ourselves how much Jesus and Mary love us, and that living out our consecration is our "thank you," our return of love.
Mary: "My beloved priest-son, I have led you to greatly increase your prayers and sacrifices for others. I have often reminded you of my teaching at Fatima—that many souls go to Hell because they have no one to pray and make sacrifices for them. My Immaculate Heart longs that all my little ones be saved. Tell my little ones that they must love their neighbor through prayer, sacrifices, and other ways, too. All should learn from me. My Heart is symbol, not only of my great love for God, but also of my tender love for all my little ones. Imitate my love for God and all my children. If you love Jesus and me, this means you also love all of God's children. Jesus died for all. You cannot exclude anyone from your love.
"My Heart is the perfect imitator of the Heart of my Son. I will teach you how to love the Father and all mankind after the example of Jesus. All my little ones, I long for you to come to my Heart so I can teach you the ways of love! I love you so much! Come to my Immaculate Heart. Pressed against my Heart, I will hold you in my arms. I will clothe you with my motherly and protective mantle. As I hold you close to my Heart, I will teach you the ways of love!"
Reflection: In the above message, our dear mother tenderly reminds us that the following of Jesus is summed up in love of God and neighbor.
"What I say to you in the dark, tell in the day-
light; what you hear in whispers, proclaim
from the housetops." (Matthew 10:27)
Jesus: "My beloved priest companion, I and My Mother have given you a consuming desire to spread devotion to Our Hearts. Tell My people about the great riches contained in My Sacred Heart and Mary's Immaculate Heart! Tell My people that they live in the age of the Two Hearts. What I and My Mother said at Fatima has been gradually unfolding. The Fatima message is centered in devotion to Our Hearts. The triumph of Mary's Immaculate Heart, foretold at Fatima, is soon to take place. This triumph will coincide with the era of peace for the world which My Mother foretold at Fatima. This great new age of peace for the Church and the world will be characterized by the triumph of the Immaculate Heart and the reign of My Sacred Heart.
"Because this is the age of the Two Hearts, the quickest and surest way to sanctity is through devotion to My Heart and Mary's Heart. Such devotion reaches its highest point in consecration to Our Hearts. Within Our Hearts My people will be clothed with great graces! Their love for God and neighbor will deepen tremendously! They will be fired with a holy and burning desire to love God and neighbor in all their daily activities as guided by the Holy Spirit. Dwelling within Our Hearts, My people will long to help bring back an alienated world to conform to My Father's will.
"My friend, I and My Mother have allowed you to experience in an extraordinary way the riches contained in Our Hearts. Tell My people about these riches! Tell them that I and Mary long for them to come within Our Hearts! I am Lord and Master. Please listen to My words. Come to Our Hearts!"
Reflection: Jesus tells us that we live in the age of the Two Hearts, and that within His Heart and Mary's Heart we receive graces to raise us to great sanctity. What is sanctity? It is doing God's will out of love, and God's will is summed up in love of God and love of neighbor. In the above message Jesus refers to this love of God and neighbor. In the Gospel, Jesus expressed it in this way:
But when the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees they got together and, to disconcert him, one of them put a question, "Master, which is the greatest commandment of the Law?" Jesus said, "You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and the first commandment. The second resembles it: You must love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments hang the whole Law, and the Prophets also" (Matthew 22:34-40).
Sanctity, then, is centered in love of God and neighbor. Thus, to grow in sanctity is to grow in love of God and neighbor. Jesus tells us in the above message that within His Heart and Mary's Heart we find the graces to achieve great sanctity. Dwelling within the Two Hearts, we receive the capacity to become tremendous lovers!
Jesus: "My beloved friend, tell My people how I want them to surrender to My Heart. I have taught you that the more you surrender to Me, the greater is your peace, joy, and happiness. I have shown you that the more you allow Me to control your life, to direct your life, the happier you become. I have shown you how fruitless it is for a person to want to control one's own life. A person has a choice: as a finite, weak creature to try to control things himself, or in humility to throw himself into my arms, the arms of One Who is all-loving and all-powerful.
"I give you the grace to increasingly surrender to My Heart. In doing so you experience My love and power in an extraordinary way. Teach My people these lessons. Tell them to listen to My words. I am Lord and Master, and I desire all to heed My request! I give this message out of My great love for My People!"
Reflection: We have a tendency to want to control our own destiny. We find it difficult at times--sometimes very difficult--to abandon ourselves to God. We find it difficult to let go and to surrender completely to Christ, to trust Him completely.
And yet, this is what we must do to achieve our ongoing sanctification. Why should we be afraid to surrender? As Jesus tells us above, who would you rather depend on--a weak, finite self, or the loving and omnipotent God?
St. Paul tells us:
So I shall be very happy to make my weaknesses my special boast so that the power of Christ may stay over me, and that is why I am content with my weaknesses, and with insults, hardships, persecutions, and the agonies I go through for Christ's sake. For it is when I am weak that I am strong (2 Corinthians 12:9-10).
Jesus: "My beloved companion, tell My people how I long for them to say that they love Me! When they do this, it gives Me great joy. When they tell Me they love Me, I take them close to My Heart. I give them the desire to love Me more and more. I clothe them with fresh graces, increasing their capacity to love God and neighbor. Tell My people to express their love for Me often! I am Lord and Master. Please do as I request!"
Reflection: What a gracious invitation Jesus extends to us! He tells us how much He wants our expressions of love for Him. Perhaps a person has to admit that his or her spouse, or children, or friends, receive expressions of love from him or her more often than does Jesus. This should not be! Jesus has first command on our love. To love Jesus, to tell Him we love Him--this is our privilege and our duty.
Mary: "My beloved priest-son, I have given you a profound conviction of how necessary it is to realize I am your motherly mediatrix with Jesus. I have been appointed by the Triune God. Constantly remind all my little ones of this great truth! The more my little ones give themselves to my maternal and Immaculate Heart, the more I bring them to the Heart of Jesus!"
Reflection: Some mistakenly think that Mary "gets in the way" of their relationship with Jesus. How far from the truth is this erroneous attitude. Mary's role in our salvation has been willed by God. Enough said!
Jesus: "My beloved companion, tell My people that all in the human race have been marked with My Precious Blood! I died a brutal death for all! Since all have been touched and redeemed by My Precious Blood, no one can be excluded from your love. My people must love each and every one. They must look beyond the exterior of a person and see the God-image of each. Each one has been created in God's image. Each one has been raised to a new dignity through My redemption.
"Tell My people to be conscious of all this in their dealings with others—especially those marginalized little ones who are so forgotten and abandoned by many. Each person is precious to My Sacred Heart! Treat everyone accordingly. Be kind, and patient, and, above all, loving toward everyone. In union with Mary, come to My Heart each day and I will give you the light and strength to love your neighbor with a mighty love! I am Lord and Master! Please heed My request. In My great love for you, I give you this message!"
Reflection: If we are consistently conscious of this teaching of Jesus, it becomes relatively easy to love everyone--even those who, for various reasons, are not particularly attractive to us in the external order of things. Let's remember that Jesus has told us that we must love all--even our enemies: "You have learned how it was said: You must love your neighbor and hate your enemy. But I say this to you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you..." (Matthew 5:43-44).
Mary: "My beloved priest-son, how I love you! You give me such great joy because you love to dwell in my Immaculate Heart. In my great love for you, I have obtained this grace for you—that you love to dwell in my Heart! In my Heart, I caress you as a little child. I shower you with expressions of my motherly love. I take you each day to the Heart of Jesus and place you deeply within His Heart. How you love for me to do this, and how I love to do it! Tell all my little ones of the riches you have discovered in my Heart and Jesus' Heart. Tell them to come to Our Hearts in order to experience similar riches. Oh, how I love all my little ones, and how I long for them to come to me!"
Reflection: Again, we are reminded that we live in the age of the Two Hearts. Great graces are given to those who practice devotion to the Hearts of Jesus and Mary. These Two Hearts are given to us as our special refuge during this most critical stage of human history.
Jesus: "My beloved friend, I have taught you what is involved in living out your consecration to My Heart and to My Mother's Heart. I have taught you to renew your consecration each day. I have led you to be aware of your consecration many times during the day. I have taught you to pray frequently during the day for the grace to grow in the life of consecration. I have impressed upon you that your consecration to Our Hearts includes your being aware of how much I and Mary love you! I have given you a great desire to respond to Our love. I have greatly increased your desire to love Me, the Father, the Holy Spirit, Mary, and all your fellow human beings! I have taught you that to grow in your consecration you must surrender more and more to My Heart and My Mother's Heart—that you must give yourself completely to Us. And I have given you a great desire to do so! I have given you a great trust in Our Hearts. This trust is so important in making the act of consecration and living it.
"My beloved companion, tell My people about these lessons I have taught you. Lead them to consecrate themselves to My Sacred Heart and to Mary's Immaculate Heart. Tell them of the great love, peace, and joy they will experience if they make this consecration and live it! I am Lord and Master. I urgently request that My people listen to My messages and live them! I love My people with a tremendous love, and, out of this love, I give My messages through you and others in these most critical times!"
Reflection: At Baptism we are consecrated to the Triune God. To consecrate means to make holy. At Baptism Father, Son, and Holy Spirit consecrate us with Their own holiness. This sharing in divine holiness is our life of grace. Through our Baptismal consecration we are called to live a God-like existence according to the teaching and example of Christ.
In our times, God has given us a most attractive way to live out our baptismal consecration--through consecration to the Hearts of Jesus and Mary. As we strive to give ourselves totally to Jesus each day with the assistance of Mary our Mother, Christ continues to lead us to the Father under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Yes, each moment of each day we are called to live our consecration. This is our privilege. This is our responsibility.
Jesus: "My beloved priest-companion, tell My people that they must keep the lesson of the cross fresh in their consciousness. Remind them that I am the Christ of the Cross as well as the Christ of the Resurrection. I suffered tremendously on My way to death on the cross. My sacred flesh was so cruelly lacerated by the scourging. My sacred head was so cruelly and mockingly crowned with thorns. I was spat upon and made fun of. Exhausted by terrible suffering, I still had to carry the heavy cross to Calvary. There My sacred hands and feet were mercilessly pierced with nails. Oh, what pain this caused Me!
"I suffered all this most willingly—out of love for My Father and for all My people! Through My cross, through My suffering, I obtained new life for My people. Through My cruel and brutal death, I achieved Resurrection for Myself and all My people. My suffering was not an end in itself. It was a necessary passageway to obtain the life I came to give.
"My people must share in My cross, so that they may share more and more in My life. Remind My people, My dear friend, that suffering, when embraced according to My Father's will, leads to greater life here and hereafter. The cross, properly carried, always leads to a greater share in My Resurrection.
"Tell My people that the more they are united with Me in love, the easier is the carrying of the cross. The more one dwells in Me, the more I help that person to carry the cross. In this way, even the heaviest cross becomes relatively light.
"Carrying the cross does not mean to be in misery. Carrying one's cross in union with Me always allows a person to remain in peace. The cross does not take away peace and joy. Despite the pain involved, the cross gives increased peace and joy. I am Lord and Master. I eagerly desire that all listen to My words and live them!
"My people, come each day to My Heart and I will give you the light and strength to carry your cross according to Father's will! I love My people with an overwhelming love, and in this great love I give them this message."
Reflection: One does not have to reflect on the human condition for very long to be reminded of how much suffering exists in all parts of the world. And yet, the great tragedy concerning human suffering is not that there is so much of it, but rather that so much of it is apparently wasted. In God's plan, suffering is meant to lead to greater life, a greater share in Christ's Resurrection here and hereafter. Suffering does just that, if we relate to it according to God's will. To the extent we don't relate to the cross as God's will would have us, we miss the opportunity for suffering to be growth-promoting.
Jesus tells us about the cross and its linkage to life in the Gospel: "Then to all he said: 'If anyone wants to be a follower of mine, let him renounce himself and take up his cross everyday and follow me. For anyone who wants to save his life will lose it; but anyone who loses his life for my sake, that man will save it'" (Luke 9:23-24).
And St. Paul tells us: "We are in difficulties on all sides, but never cornered; we see no answer to our problems, but never despair; we have been persecuted, but never deserted; knocked down, but never killed; always, wherever we may be, we carry with us in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus, too, may always be seen in our body" (2 Corinthians 4:8-10).
Jesus: "My beloved companion, how I love to hold you against My Heart! Each day, as you dwell in Mary's Heart, she places you against My Heart, and within My Heart. I have given you a great desire to allow your mother to do this. As you dwell within My Heart, I tell you how much I love you! I give you a great desire to love God and neighbor. I increase your trust in Me—something so necessary for your growth in Me. Within My Heart I make you feel so loved, so secure, so strengthened, so much at peace!
"Tell My people I wish them to come to My Heart each day, in union with Mary, in order to experience similar riches! Oh, how I love for My people to come to My Heart! How I desire to tell them how much I love them! How much I desire to ask for their return of love! I am Lord and Master. I give this message out of My great love for My people, and I request that they listen to My words."
Reflection: How much Jesus loves us! He shows us His Heart as symbol of this love. He asks us each day, united with Mary our Mother, to come to His Heart. There He inflames our hearts with love for God and neighbor. There He gives us the conviction that we can do whatever He asks us to do--and He gives us the desire to act on this conviction.
Jesus: "There is so much disunity, hatred, and lack of love which covers the face of the earth today. My Father's will is being seriously violated in all sorts of ways. There are so many murders—including all the ones killed by abortion—thefts, all kinds of violence, all kinds of impure actions, lies, blasphemies, and much more.
"My Father's will is so much violated because there is so little love. The more one loves God and neighbor, the more My Father's will is being accomplished. Love and conformity to God's will are inseparable.
"Tell My people, My beloved friend, to come to My Heart each day. The more they come to My Heart, the more I will inflame their hearts with a burning love to do My Father's will. The more they come to My Heart, the more I will teach them concerning My Father's will. The more they come to My Heart, the more I will allow them to realize that happiness consists in doing My Father's will out of love in all things. The more one does My Father's will out of love in union with Me and My Mother, the more I lead them to the bosom of the Father in the Holy Spirit. Safe in My Father's arms, they experience great happiness, peace, and joy.
"I am Lord and Master. In My great love for My people, I give this message. I desire that all hear My words and live them!"
Reflection: The more we do the Father's will out of love, the more we are at peace. Peace is the tranquility of order. The more we do God's will--the more we conform to the order He has established--the more we are at peace. Jesus has told us: "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" (Matthew 7:21).
Jesus: "My beloved companion, tell My people to concentrate on living in the present moment. Tell them to depend on Me from moment to moment. My people should want to fill each moment with as great a love of God and neighbor as possible! So many of My people fail to concentrate properly on the present.
"Come to My Heart each day, My people, and I will give you the light and strength to more and more realize the greatness of the present moment. The more you dwell in My Heart, the more content you will be to live in the present. I am Lord and Master. I want to fill you with ever greater peace and joy! But to experience this, you must listen to My words and live them!"
Reflection: We can't relive the past, although we are meant to profit from it in various ways. We must make plans for our future on this earth, but how much of it can we be sure will be ours? Literally, one's life could end in the coming moment. The saints knew the secret of living in the present moment. That's why they became saints. Let's always remember the words of Jesus: "So do not worry about tomorrow; tomorrow will take care of itself" (Matthew 6:34).
Jesus: "My beloved priest-companion, how often I tell you how much I love you! And what great joy and peace I give you when I tell you this! How often I press you closely to My Heart! Daily I draw you ever more deeply within My Heart! There I allow you to experience the overwhelming riches of My Heart. I have shown you, as you dwell within My Heart, the secret of finding amazing peace, joy, and happiness. I have shown you that to dwell within My Heart is to experience a foretaste of Heaven!
"I allow you to dwell so deeply within My Heart because I have given you the gift of dwelling within My Mother's Heart. The more one dwells within Mary's Immaculate Heart, the more she places that person within My Sacred Heart.
"My beloved friend, keep telling My people about all the wondrous riches contained in Our Hearts! Keep reminding them that they live in the age of the Two Hearts. Keep telling them that the quickest and most secure path to the highest sanctity is to dwell within Mary's Heart and My Heart!
"I am Lord and Master. I plead with My people to listen to My words and to live them! I love My people with a tremendous love, and in this love I give them this message."
Reflection: Jesus again begs us to come and experience the riches contained in His Heart and Mary's Heart. How foolish we are if we fail to accept His invitation! How many pursue the false riches of this world, and refuse the true riches which Jesus offers. We must determine each day, with God's help, not to be included among those who reject the riches which Jesus offers in order to pursue the false promises of happiness which the world holds before us. The world can't give us happiness. Jesus can.
Mary: "My beloved priest-son, how I love to enfold you in my arms as my little child! Enfolded in my arms in my maternal embrace, I press you against my Immaculate Heart. I draw you within my Heart. There, through my maternal intercession, I clothe you with Jesus' graces. As you dwell in my Heart, I place you ever more deeply within Jesus' Heart and there the Holy Spirit fashions you increasingly in the image of my Son. As you grow in the likeness of Jesus, He takes you ever closer to the Father.
"Thus, as you grow in the sense of your helplessness without God, the stronger you become in Jesus. Childlike thus becomes strength. The smaller you become in living out spiritual childhood, the taller you stand beside Jesus. Weakness becomes strength, your sense of helplessness becomes spiritual maturity!
"Tell all my children about the wonders of spiritual childhood! Tell them to come to me and I will school them in its ways. How I love all my children! Oh, how I love to exercise my motherhood toward them all!"
Reflection: In the Gospel, Jesus speaks emphatically to us about spiritual childhood: "At this time the disciples came to Jesus and said, 'Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?' So he called a little child to him and set the child in front of them. Then he said, 'I tell you solemnly, unless you change and become like little children you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. And so, the one who makes himself as little as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven'" (Matthew 18:1-4).
Jesus: "My beloved priest-companion, keep telling My people of the great necessity of humility in the spiritual life. My saints, oh, how they realized the importance of this virtue!
"The world is filled with pride. Pride is the refusal to serve God. It is the refusal to do My Father's will. There is so much sin in today's world because there is so much pride.
"Tell My people to come to My Heart each day. There I will teach them the lesson of humility. There I will show them the riches which flow from humility! There I will teach them that the more they grow in humility, the more peace and joy and happiness they experience. Yes, let My people come to My Heart and learn these lessons. I am Lord and Master, and I desire that all respond to My request. I love My people with a tremendous love, and in this love I give them this message!"
Reflection: Humility is an important aspect of the Gospel message. Following are three such examples:
"Come to me, all you who labor and are overburdened, and I will give you rest. Shoulder my yoke and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. Yes, my yoke is easy and my burden light" (Matthew 11:28-30).
"Anyone who chooses the world for his friend turns himself into God's enemy. Surely you don't think scripture is wrong when it says: the spirit which he sent to live in us wants us for himself alone? But he has been even more generous to us, as scripture says: God opposes the proud but he gives generously to the humble" (James 4:4-6).
"What do you have that was not given to you? And if it was given, how can you boast as though it were not?" (1 Corinthians 4:7).
Jesus: "My beloved friend, I have been teaching you how necessary it is to depend upon Me completely. I teach you to keep your focus on Me, to do everything in union with Me, with complete dependence on Me. I give you the light to see how strong you are when you surrender to Me and depend completely on Me. I allow you to share in a special way in My power. I greatly enhance your ability to do so many things in My service.
"I draw you into My Heart, and as you depend on Me completely, I allow you to draw forth from the riches of My Heart. You become clothed more and more in My likeness. With an ever greater love you give yourself to the service of God and neighbor. I also allow you to realize that your growing dependence on Me is proportionate to your growing dependence on Mary your Mother. The more you live out your consecration to her Heart in giving yourself to her, the more she leads you to live out your consecration to My Heart. This consecration includes and demands an ever greater surrender and dependence upon Me.
"Tell My people of the joy and peace and security which results from this growing dependence on Me. Tell them I wish them to come each day to My Heart and surrender themselves to Me. Tell them to trust Me, and to depend on Me for all their needs. In My great, burning love for them I will care for them to the extent they trust Me and depend on Me! Oh! how I long to care for all My people! Many refuse My help. To those who accept Me, I give them peace and joy and happiness to the degree they surrender to Me and depend on Me.
"I am Lord and Master. I desire that My people listen to My words and live them! I love My people with a tremendous love, and in this love I give them this message!"
Reflection: The above message of Jesus ties in beautifully with what He tells us in the Gospel of John:
I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever remains in me, with me in him, bears fruit in plenty; for cut off from me you can do nothing (John 15:5).
How beautifully Jesus points out our utter dependence on Him! This is not always an easy lesson to live. We have a deep-rooted tendency to try to be our own masters. We have a tendency to want to feel in control so that we might feel secure. Jesus tells us that the only real control and security we have is to allow Him to control our lives! The more we live this truth, the more secure we feel, for we are thus living more within the loving Heart of Jesus!
Mary: "My beloved priest-son, I have taught you many times the great importance of prayer. I have obtained for you the gift to love to pray—not only during your set periods of prayer, but also during the day in a manner which permits you to perform your daily duties. I have taught you to always be aware that all prayer should be made in union with the Mass. Indeed, the Eucharistic sacrifice is itself the greatest prayer. All other prayers should be consciously united with the Mass which is constantly being offered throughout the world. I have taught you the great importance of praying before the tabernacle. My Son is really present there in the Eucharist—Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity. Special graces are given to those who pray before the Blessed Sacrament.
"There is so much to pray for in this most critical era! The Church and the world exist in most difficult times. I desire that all my children pray daily for all the needs of the Church and the world. I ask special prayers for the conversion of sinners.
"I ask that my children pray the Rosary each day. Very special graces are given to those who do so. During these times of great purification, I promise special protection to those who regularly pray the Rosary. I also promise protection to their loved ones.
"The more one is united with me, the more I lead them to make their prayer in the Heart of my Son, Jesus. He, in turn, places all prayer in the bosom of the Father in the unity of the Holy Spirit.
"My dear son, please keep reminding all my little ones of the great importance of prayer for their own needs and the needs of all others! Keep telling them of the great necessity of prayer for growth in love of God and neighbor! I love all my children with the most tender love. I desire that all listen to my words and live them in their daily lives!"
Reflection: All the great spiritual masters throughout the history of the Church have echoed the words of Mary in stressing the great necessity of prayer for growth in the spiritual life. Prayer is becoming aware in a special way of our relationship with the Triune God. In prayer we open ourselves once again to the awareness of God's great love for us. In prayer, we respond to this great love with our own love, telling God that whatever He wills for us, we want to do with all our hearts.
All prayer, in one way or another, should be centered in Christ. He is our Mediator with the Father. As our Mother tells us above, we should also include her in our prayers to Christ, Who leads us ever closer to the Father in the unity of the Holy Spirit.
Jesus: "My beloved friend, remind My people that the Church was born from My Heart, pierced with the soldier's lance on Calvary. From My pierced Heart the Church with her sacraments was born. Two of these sacraments, the Eucharist and Baptism, were symbolized by the Blood and Water which flowed forth from My pierced side.
"As the Church was born from My pierced Heart, so does the Church's life grow from the graces I continually give her from My pierced Heart—this Heart which is now glorified. "I call all the members of My Church to help build up My Body, the Church, by coming to My pierced Heart. United to My Heart, and dwelling within It, I will give to each one the light and strength to carry out My Father's will in the building up of My Church.
"Mary is Mother and Model of the Church. As 'Mother of the Church,' she intercedes for all the graces the members need to contribute to the building up of My Church. As Model—as perfect imitator of Me—she shows the children of the Church how all, individually and collectively, are to be increasingly formed in My image. As all come to My Heart for the building up of the Church, let them do so united to the Heart of Mary.
"My Church is experiencing critical and very difficult times. There are many divisions. There are many false teachings, including some put forth by certain theologians. These false teachings occur because those responsible are not in proper union with My vicar, the Pope, and the Church Magisterium. I want all My children to pray daily for the cure of the many and serious ills of the Church. With increased prayer and sacrifices for the health of the Church, that day will soon come when the Church will be purified and revitalized. When that day comes, the Church will be a light to all nations as never before. When that day comes, the renewed Church will be characterized by the triumph of the Immaculate Heart and the reign of My Sacred Heart. Thus the message of Fatima will have reached fulfillment.
"I am Lord and Master. I request that all My people listen to My words and respond to them. I love My people with a tremendous love, and in this great love I give them this message!"
Reflection: In speaking of the Church, St. Paul tells us:
"Just as a human body, though it is made up of many parts, is a single unit because all these parts, though many, make one body, so it is with Christ. In the one Spirit we were all baptized, Jews as well as Greeks, slaves as well as citizens, and one Spirit was given to us all to drink....
"Now you together are Christ's body; but each of you is a different part of It. In the Church, God has given the first place to apostles, the second to prophets, the third to teachers; after them, miracles, and after them the gift of healing; helpers, good leaders, those with many languages. Are all of them apostles, or all of them prophets, or all of them teachers? Do they all have the gift of miracles, or all have the gift of healing? Do all speak strange languages, and all interpret them?" (1 Corinthians 12:12-30).
In His message above, Jesus reminds all of us that we have a responsibility to help in the building up of the Church. St. Paul reminds us that we each have our own role. He names many of these roles and there are many who share in them. For example, there are many teachers of various kinds in the Church. But each teaches according to his or her personal uniqueness. Consequently, we can truly say that each one has a mission, has a role, in the life of the Church which no one else can fulfill. To the extent each of us gives his or her life to Christ, we continue His work upon earth through the visible, tangible humanity each of us possess. To the extent each of us fails to surrender to Jesus, to that extent we refuse Him the opportunity to live through our personal uniqueness. What an awesome privilege has been given to each of us! And what an awesome responsibility!
Jesus: "My beloved priest-companion, tell My people to take special means in these present times to guard against the snares of Satan and his followers. He is more active now than at any stage of human history.
"He is leading many of My people away from the path of the Gospel. Never before has sin blemished the face of the earth as it does today. Satan and his forces are leading many along the path to perdition. Many souls are being lost each day. Satan is helping to create divisions everywhere within My Church, among nations, within nations, within families, within individuals themselves. He does this by leading many to refuse to love God and neighbor. In place of love, he is sowing the seeds of hatred. Divisiveness is caused by a lack of love. The less love, the more divisiveness, the greater lack of unity.
"As a remedy against the snares of Satan, I call all to the refuge of My Heart and My Mother's Heart. The more you dwell in Our Hearts, the less influence Satan has over you. In Our Hearts, you are more and more clothed with the power to love God and neighbor. The more you love, the safer you are from the snares of Satan. The more you love, the more you help bring about the great era of a renewed Church and a renewed world. This era will be characterized by the triumph of the Immaculate Heart and the reign of My Sacred Heart. In this new era of splendor, love will reign in the hearts of My people as never before!
"I am Lord and Master! Please listen to My words and carry out My requests. I love My people with a tremendous love and in this love I give them this message!"
Reflection: In The First Letter of Peter we read: "Be calm but vigilant, because your enemy the devil is prowling round like a roaring lion, looking for someone to eat. Stand up to him, strong in faith and in the knowledge that your brothers all over the world are suffering the same things" (1 Peter 5:8-9).
In the above message, Jesus tells us that the efforts of Satan and his followers are greater now than ever before. If this is the time of great satanic influences, it is also the time of great grace. As we head for the great new era of peace for the Church and the world, foretold by Our Lady of Fatima, the merciful love of God is being showered upon us in great abundance. In His great love for us, the Father is offering to us the Hearts of Jesus and Mary as the safest refuge against the snares of Satan. Their Hearts, bulwark against the attacks of Satan, are the source of the great graces God is offering in these critical times. Within the Hearts of Jesus and Mary, the Holy Spirit deepens the image of Christ within us, strengthening us increasingly for the great battle being waged between the forces of Satan and the followers of Jesus.
"What I say to you in the dark, tell in the day-
light; what you hear in whispers, proclaim
from the housetops." (Matthew 10:27)
Jesus: "My beloved friend, remind My people of the seriousness of life. Two paths stretch before them. One way is My way, the way which leads to eternal happiness in Heaven. The other way is the way of Satan, the path which leads to everlasting punishment in Hell.
"I have laid down My life for each of My people so that they could possess eternal life. I paid a great price to do this! But I did so gladly because of My great love for My Father and all My people. As I was suffering the excrutiating pain of My brutal passion and death, My Sacred Heart beat with overwhelming love for each of you! I knew each of you by name. How I long for each of you to love Me in return, and to follow Me on the path to eternal life! Do not waste the graces which cost Me such a great price. Resolve each day to grow in knowledge and love of Me. Resolve each day to make use of the precious opportunities to love God and neighbor. Resolve each day to become saints! Oh! how much the Church and the world need saints in these the most critical of times!
"Be in communion with those in Heaven and Purgatory. They have successfully completed their earthly journey. They followed My way, and now eternal life in Heaven is theirs, or will be. Pray that those in Purgatory may soon join the blessed in Heaven. Pray to the blessed in Heaven and the souls in Purgatory that they in turn, may help you in all your needs.
"I am Lord and Master. Listen to My words! United to My Mother's Heart, come to My Heart each day for the light and strength to follow the path of life I hold before you—the path which leads to eternal bliss.
"I love My people with an overwhelming love, and in this great love, I give them this message!"
Reflection: Here are some Scripture passages which speak to our subject at hand!
"... you will reveal the path of life to me, give me unbounded joy in your presence, and at your right hand everlasting pleasures" (Psalms 16:11).
"Yahweh, make your ways known to me, teach me your paths. Set me in the way of your truth, and teach me, for you are the God who saves me" (Psalms 25:4-5).
"Let the wicked man abandon his way, the evil man his thoughts. Let Him turn back to Yahweh who will take pity on him, to our God who is rich in forgiving" (Isaiah 55:7).
"I am the Way, the Truth and the Life. No one can come to the Father except through me" (John 14:6).
Jesus: "My beloved priest-companion, I have given you a great desire to pray to the Divine Persons many times during the day. This can be done in a way which does not interfere with your daily duties. Rather, you have learned that this prayerful contact with Father, Son, and Holy Spirit enhances your ability to work for God and neighbor. Remind My people that when one is in the state of grace, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit dwell within that person in a most special way. We are within those in the state of grace to receive their acts of faith, hope, and love.
"So many of My people are not aware of the precious treasure which dwells within them! Tell My people to pray for a growing awareness of this marvelous truth! Through the graces which flow from the great love of My pierced Heart, My people are called to develop the greatest intimacy with the Divine Persons. Please, do not waste these graces! I am Lord and Master, and in My great love, I ask that all comply with My request!"
Reflection: In the Gospel of John, Jesus tells us:
"If anyone loves me he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we shall come to him and make our home with him" (John 14:23).
Jesus does not explicitly mention the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in this particular passage. However, we know that, where the Father and Son reside, so also does the Spirit.
In the above message from Jesus, He speaks to us about this truth of the Indwelling of the Blessed Trinity in the souls of the just. What a tremendous gift! How much do we appreciate this gift? Do we take the means to develop our relationship with the Divine Persons Who dwell within? Many would go all out for the opportunity to receive one of the world's dignitaries into their homes. When we are in the state of grace, the Divine Persons grace us with Their presence. What a tremendous dignity is bestowed upon us! Sadly, many seem to be more enthused about being in the presence of this world's dignitaries than they are regarding the presence of the Triune God!
Jesus: "My beloved friend, tell My people how much I long to draw all of them to My Mother's Heart and to My Heart! I do this to the extent they allow Me to do so. The more My people come to Our Hearts, the more I empower them to love God and neighbor.
"I desire that all within the human family be united through deep bonds of love. Many refuse to enter into this union of love with their neighbor. That is why there is so much hatred and division in today's world between nations, within nations, within families, between individuals.
"There are, however, many of My people who, because of their growing union with Me, are increasing their capacity to love each other. There is being developed a strong core who are helping to spread love around the world. As these people dwell in Mary's Heart and My Heart, they are helping to bring about the great new era of the renewed Church and world. When the purification of Church and world is completed, this great era of peace and love, predicted by My Mother at Fatima, will be characterized by the triumph of her Immaculate Heart and the reign of My Sacred Heart, and love will pervade the earth as never before.
"I am Lord and Master. Listen to these words I am giving to you. Live these words! As you dwell in Mary's Heart and My Heart, love one another with the deepest love! I love My people with a tremendous love, and in this love I give them this message."
Reflection: In Christ, God calls us to the most profound union with the Persons of the Trinity and with each other. In The First Letter of John we see the enormity of this calling:
"We can be sure that we know God only by keeping his commandments. Anyone who says, 'I know him,' and does not keep his commandments, is a liar, refusing to admit the truth. But when anyone does obey what he has said, God's love comes to perfection in him. We can be sure that we are in God only when the one who claims to be living in him is living the same kind of life as Christ lived....
"Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates his brother is still in the dark. But anyone who loves his brother is living in the light and need not be afraid of stumbling; unlike the man who hates his brother and is in the darkness, not knowing where he is going, because it is too dark to see" (1 John 2:3-11).
Jesus: "My beloved priest-companion, tell My people that I wish them to read Scripture every day. They should read a passage from the Gospel each day and should read from other sections of the New Testament as time permits. They should also read from the Old Testament as time allows.
"The writings of Scripture guide you according to the way My Father wants you to live. Since I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life, all Scripture centers around Me. Scripture converges on the teaching contained in My life, death, and resurrection."
"Many of My people say they do not have the time to read from the Bible each day. Do they have time to read newspapers and magazines and to watch TV? Yes! And much of what they read and watch is harmful to their souls! People have time for what they think is important. If a person says he does not have time to read from the Bible daily, what is he actually saying?
"Come to My Heart each day and ask Me to give you a deeper appreciation of the Bible. Ask Me to give you a deeper love of Scripture. The more you prayerfully read the Bible, the more closely you are united to Me.
"I am Lord and Master. I desire that all heed My requests. I love My people with an overwhelming love, and in this great love I give them this message!"
Reflection: In giving us the writings of Scripture, God has given us a great, great gift. What is our attitude toward this great gift? If we rarely take up the Bible and read from it, we have our answer!
Let's resolve here and now to respond to Jesus' request by reading from the Bible on a daily basis.
Mary: "My beloved priest-son, I wish all my children to come to my Immaculate Heart each day. I cooperate with the Holy Spirit in helping all my little ones to grow in the life of the Christian virtues. As my children dwell within my maternal Heart, the Holy Spirit leads them along the path of the virtues. Faith, hope, love, prudence, justice, fortitude, temperance, humility, chastity, and the other virtues take deeper root in the hearts of my children. Above all, the queen of the virtues, love, increasingly rules the lives of my little ones.
"I am ever at the side of my children to help them grow in the life of the virtues. As I do so, I place them more deeply within the Heart of Jesus, the source of growth in all the virtues. The Holy Spirit, then, desires that my children dwell both within my Heart and Jesus' Heart. Within Our Hearts He clothes you with growth in the life of the virtues. The more you dwell in my Heart, the more ready you are for my placing you deeply within the Heart of Jesus where the Holy Spirit clothes you more and more with the splendor of all the virtues. Thus you grow in the likeness of Christ, and Jesus unites you more closely to the Father."
Reflection: Since Mary is our spiritual Mother, she has a special God-given role in helping us grow in the life of the Christian virtues. As she tenderly and lovingly leads us in the life of the virtues, she is our great model in how to follow Christ. She lived the Christian virtues perfectly. She is so eager to help us increasingly put on Christ through a more dynamic living of the Christian virtues, especially the virtue of love.
Jesus: "My beloved companion, remind My people of their responsibility toward the world. They have a duty to try to make this a better world for all to live in.
"Today there is much which is wrong with the world. Sin covers the face of the earth. Sins of all kinds blemish the goodness of My Father's creation.
"However, My Mother and I are increasingly gathering our forces for the battle against Satan and his followers. We are more and more forming Our followers to wage the battle to win back that part of the world dominated by Satan's influence. We are forming our followers in the ways of love. We are forming Our followers with the grace which flows from the bosom of My Father, through My Heart, given in the Holy Spirit, and distributed through the intercession of the maternal and Immaculate Heart of Mary.
"We are forming Our followers to give themselves in the greatest love for God and neighbor. We are bringing them ever more closely to Our Hearts so that they may draw from the flames of love of My Heart and Mary's Heart! The more My followers dwell in Mary's Heart and My Heart, the more they are enlightened and strengthened to give themselves for the salvation of the world.
"I am Lord and Master. I ask all to follow Me and My Mother to help us bring forth the great age of love and peace for the world. This age will emerge after the phase of purification has been completed. This age will be characterized by the triumph of Mary's immaculate Heart and the reign of My Sacred Heart. In this great new age, soon to come, My people will love and praise My Father, with Mary and through Me and in the Holy Spirit, as never before!
"I love My people with a tremendous, burning love, and in this love I give them this message!"
Reflection: The world belongs to Christ. St. Paul tells us about this:
As he is the Beginning, he was first to be born from the dead, so that he should be first in every way, because God wanted all perfection to be found in him, and all things to be reconciled through him and for him, everything in heaven and everything on earth, when he made peace by his death on the cross (Colossians 1:18-20).
Since the world belongs to Christ, we, who are His followers, must have a great love for the world as created and redeemed by God. We must labor through our participation in the Mass and through all our other prayers and good works to more and more help the Christic image of the world to shine forth in ever greater splendor. This is our duty and our privilege. Out of love for God and neighbor, let's resolve to get on with the task!
Jesus: "My beloved priest-companion, I have given you this book of messages for the spiritual instruction of My people. I have put before My people the path I wish them to follow. The messages I and My Mother have given all converge upon devotion to Our Hearts, and, in particular, upon consecration to Our Hearts. Ideally, devotion to Our Hearts culminates in the act of consecration to My Heart and My Mother's Heart. Living out this consecration day by day leads to the highest sanctity.
"My people who make and live out the consecration to Our Hearts are helping to bring about the great new era of peace which the Church and the world will experience after the period of purification has been completed. This period of splendorous peace will be characterized by the triumph of the Immaculate Heart and the reign of My Sacred Heart!"
Reflection: Jesus and Mary, in Their great love for us, have put before us this book of messages for our spiritual instruction. The Hearts of Jesus and Mary ask for our response of love. They ask us to live the messages. They ask us to incorporate all the messages into the living out of our consecration to Their Hearts. Who would want to refuse Their invitation?
Act of Consecration to the Hearts
of Jesus and MaryLord Jesus, I consecrate myself to Your most Sacred Heart. You reveal Your Heart as symbol of Your love in all its aspects, including Your most special love for me as this unique individual. Help me to always love You in return. Help me to give myself entirely to You. Help me always to pour out my life in love of God and neighbor. Heart of Jesus, I place my trust in You!
Dear Blessed Virgin Mary, I consecrate myself to your maternal and Immaculate Heart, this Heart which is symbol of your life of love. You are the Mother of my Savior. You are also my Mother. You love me with a most special love as this unique child of yours. In a return of love, I give myself entirely to your motherly love and protection. You followed Jesus perfectly. You are His first and perfect disciple. Teach me to imitate you in the putting on of Christ. Be my motherly intercessor so that, through your Immaculate Heart, I may be guided to an ever closer union with the pierced Heart of Jesus, this Jesus Who leads me ever closer to the Father in the Holy Spirit.
end of excerpt
Available for $10 plus postage
From Response in Christ by Fr. Edward J. Carter, S.J.
SIX The Christian and Sin
We should not have a sin-centered mentality. Christ wants us to focus our attention on the positive aspects of the Christian existence. Still, we should not minimize the existence of sin and the part each of us has contributed to the sinfulness of the world. Anyone who tends to doubt the enormous dimension of sin throughout man's history has only to read scripture to be reminded of the truth. Every age has been hauntered by sin's presence, our own being no exception. Some say that the modern world is not conscious of sin, but this observation does not seem to be entirely true. Modern man has articulated his consciousness of sin very noticeably through contemporary literature, philosophy and theology.
To be realistic, then, each of us must be properly conscious of sin, of our own sinfulness, of the fact that sin constitutes one of the major obstacles to the proper growth of the Christian life.
The Nature of Sin
What is the nature of sin? Contemporary theology emphasizes that sin is not primarily a violation of a law, but a disruption of personal relationships. Sin is a refusal to love. Serious sin is a radical refusal to love. Venial sin is a partial refusal to love.
The most obvious personal relationship that is affected by sin is that between God and the sinner. In sinning a man fails, to a lesser or greater degree, to accept God's loving gift of Himself. He fails also to respond with his own gift of love. In serious sin man refuses intimate friendship with God. In venial sin he dulls the ardor of that friendship. Man, in so far as he sins, maintains that he does not want his life to be directed by the loving hand of his heavenly Father. He wants to be a law for himself; he wants to be the one who decides what is good for himself and what is not. Schoonenberg observes: "Especially in the prophets sin is an aversion from and an unfaithfulness to Yahweh himself; hence it is placed in the heart rather than in the wrong deed. We see that aversion, that rebelliousness, that lack of faith which precede the act of transgressing the Law already in the story of the sin in paradise, where it is presented as the wish of possessing autonomously the knowledge of good and evil, of being independently the Law unto oneself. . .”1
As we sin and fail to love God, we close in upon ourselves. We prevent a further growth in openness to transcendence, to God and to His grace. We block off the source of our only real self-development and fulfillment. To the extent that we close in upon ourselves in sin, to that extent we feel the misery of sin. This misery of spiritual "self-enclosedness" is a faint participation in the essential pain of hell. The damned are eternally and completely closed in upon themselves, completely deprived of God and other personal relationships. This, then, is hell – the damned really experiencing no one but themselves. Hell is God's ratification of the choice which the unrepentant serious sinner has himself made. This choice is one of radical self-isolation.
Sin is primarily a refusal to love God, a refusal to be loved by Him, to be guided by Him. In sinning, man seeks for a false fulfillment, and therefore actually becomes impoverished. The great St. Augustine puts it this way: "For when the soul loves its own power, it slips from the common whole to its own particular part. Had it followed God as its ruler in the universal creature, it could have been most excellently governed by His laws. But in that apostatizing pride, which is called 'the beginning of sin', it sought for something more that the whole; and while it struggled to govern by its own laws, it was thrust into caring for a part, since there is nothing more than the whole; and so by desiring something more, it becomes less. . .”2
Yes, sin is an act disruptive of one's relationship with God. But sin has other dimensions also. It is a refusal to love other men as we should. For the Christian, sin is an offense against the covenant life of the People of God. In some way the sinfulness of the individual Christian makes itself felt in the corporate body which is the Church. The Christian, in sinning, is failing to love the corporate good of the People of God. He is failing to contribute his share to the progressive maturation in Christ of the total Christian community. The Christian in his sin becomes a burden to the People of God.
Sin also is an obvious refusal to love others in those instances when one directly harms others through his transgression. So many sins come under this category: theft, all forms of uncharity, social injustice, scandal, detraction. Furthermore, not only does one man often sin against another, but he frequently leads another into sin. In God's plan man is supposed to help his neighbor achieve his temporal and eternal happiness, but how often, even among Christians, the opposite is true. Not to make a positive contribution to the true growth of others is failure enough, but to be a positive hindrance is a far greater evil.
There is still another way in which the sinner refuses love to his fellowmen; when man sins he makes his contribution to the "sin of the world.”3 He thus adds to that huge, negative weight, nourished by the sins of the centuries, a weight which is always trying to draw man away from his God-given destiny. This mass of sinful ugliness, this "sin of the world," always has its considerable influence, but at times its hideousness makes itself especially manifest. The great race riots which have tragically risen up recently in various parts of the United States are examples of these special manifestations of the "sin of the world." Such events are not isolated instances of sins connected with race. In back of such tragedies there is a long history of grave social and racial sins, of seething hatred of white for black, and black for white. Such accumulated sinfulness in regard to race is part of the "sin of the world."
There are many other examples of these special manifestations of the "sin of the world." There are the world wars and the lesser wars, with their share of unbelievable accounts of the hatred which man can impose upon his fellowman. There are the histories of the various crime syndicates throughout the world with all their blatant categories of human degradation – narcotics, prostitution, terrorization and the rest. There are the sins of colonialism and the sins of communism.
The "sin of the world" with its stark and bold manifestations is a sickening reality. But a reality it is. And each man's sinfulness adds a little to this universal world sin. Each man's sinfulness contributes to sin's divisiveness. Man is intended to help Christ progressively unify all creation more and more into Himself. When man sins, he contributes to the disruptive and disunifying force of the "sin of the world."
Sin, then, because it is a failure to love God, man and the world, is selfishness. Sin seems to offer some sort of happiness, or advantage, or fulfillment. But this is a delusion. Sin can accomplish none of these things, because man's only real happiness and fulfillment comes from his authentic relationship in love with God, his fellowman and the rest of creation. Sin works against all these relationships.
Sin is so hard to understand because it is an absurdity. But if we are to grow properly in the Christian life, we must have some basic realization of what sin is, and of God's attitude towards sin and the sinner. Our best source for such a mature realization is given to us in the crucified Christ. In this figure we can know all the Father wants us to comprehend concerning sin. First of all, Christ crucified tells us very starkly of the overwhelming heinousness of sin. We know that sin is overwhelmingly evil because it alone could nail Incarnate Goodness to the cross. Secondly, Christ crucified speaks to us concerning the justice of God. God's justice does ask satisfaction for sin – yes, even that satisfaction which is the death of His Son. Thirdly, and very importantly for us poor sinners, the crucified Christ speaks to us unmistakably and overwhelmingly of the Father's great love and mercy towards us. Because of this love and mercy we can be so positive about human existence, for great as is the power of sin, the love and mercy of the Father, incarnated in His Son, is infinitely greater. This is our peace and consolation.
God's love and mercy moves the sinner toward repentance, and when the sinner repents, God's love changes him. In Isaiah the prophet we read: " 'Come now, let us talk this over, says Yahweh. Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.' " (Is 1:18).
Included in our sorrow for sin is a resolve to take the proper means and precautions to avoid sin in the future. One of the reasons we fall into the same sins with the same frequency is that we tend often enough not to go to the root causes of our failures, and, consequently, we often fail to apply the more efficacious remedies. All this not to say that we should become morbidly introspective in looking at sinfulness. However, without succumbing to this type of introspection, we all must allow for appropriate self-examination and self-knowledge.
Part of this self-examination and self-knowledge includes the manner in which I handle temptation in my life. The proper attitude toward temptation lies between two extremes. The person at one extreme is overly fearful of temptation, concentrates too much on avoiding it, and can even tend to equate temptation with sin. Such an attitude toward temptation breeds a negative mentality toward the Christian life, and detracts from the peace, joy and happiness which Christ wants us to experience.
The opposite attitude is that which is careless towards temptation. To take reasonable and grace-inspired precautions against temptation is not to be negativistic, but realistic. It is to realize that I am a sinner, and that there are various ways by which I can be led to sin. I cannot avoid all temptations, but out of loyalty to Christ, man and the world, I should not recklessly bring temptation upon myself.
Despite our best efforts there will always be some sin in our lives, unless God were to give extraordinary graces. There is only one human person, as far as our certain knowledge goes, who has been preserved from all sin. This person is Christ's mother, Mary. Let us remember this very important point, however. The Church's teaching that we cannot avoid all venial sin without a very special assistance from God refers to semi-deliberate venial sin. With God's ordinary graces we can avoid all fully deliberate sin, both serious and venial. It is this fully deliberate sin which is such an obstacle to our proper growth in the Christian life. Finally, let us remember that as we grow in Christ, even the number of semi-deliberate sins become fewer.
The Sacrament of Penance
All of us are sinners, and God in His mercy has made special provision for this fact. He has given us the sacrament of penance. It is fitting – in fact necessary as regards serious sin – that the Christian incarnate his sorrow for sin through this sacrament. This is in keeping with the incarnational and sacramental dimensions of our life of grace. These dimensions impel us to exteriorize or incarnate our interior life of grace. The central focus for such exteriorization is the Mass and the sacraments. This exteriorization satisfies both our corporeal and social nature.
As regards this social aspect of grace-life exteriorization, the Christian must always remember that he is a member of the new covenant, he is a member of a community. In sinning he has not only failed to love God, he has also sinned against the Christian community, and against man in general. As he expresses his sorrow for sin to God in the sacrament of penance, the Christian also gives expression to this communal aspect of his Christianity, because the sacraments have a very definite communal dimension. They are the sacraments of a community, the People of God. Through the sacrament of penance, therefore, the Christian expresses his sorrow to God in community and he likewise receives God's forgiveness in community.
Certain contemporary practices which strive to bring forth more fully the communal aspect of the sacrament of penance are to be highly recommended.4 The practices we speak of are those in which there is a preparation for private confession and absolution through communal readings, prayer and examination of conscience.
What about the frequency of receiving the sacrament of penance? Some in the Church today seem to be questioning the value of frequent confessions of devotion, that is, confessions which are not necessary because there is no serious sin. What is the truth of the matter? First of all, it must be admitted that in the early Church this sacrament was administered much less frequently that it is today. Gradually, the practice of frequent confession inserted itself more and more into the life of the Church. It is difficult not to admit that such a practice has taken root under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Frequent confession, although not necessary, has various values. Rahner, in his usual penetrating manner, gives a contemporary description of the value of frequent confession of devotion.5 The new Dutch catechism puts it very simply: "Some Catholics have the habit of receiving the sacrament frequently. If this is the result of anxieties, it is not advisable. But if it is due to a desire to meet Christ as the Lord who forgives, frequent confession can be a very evangelical practice."6
In conclusion, we remind ourselves that the struggle against sin is part of the Christian participation in Christ's death-resurrection. In baptism we die to sin and rise to a newness of life. We are constantly living out one aspect of our baptism, then, through our continual resistance to the forces of sin. As with all elements of our Christian existence, such an effort requires motivation. We can use a variety of motives, of course, but all of them ultimately will be centered in Christ. To grow in the realization of what sin has cost Christ is to grow in the determination to avoid sin. To permeate such determination with love of Christ is to respond to Him who has loved us first: "The life I now live in this body I live in faith: faith in the Son of God who loved me and who sacrificed himself for my sake." (Ga 2:20).
______
1. P. Schoonenberg, Man and Sin (Notre Dame, Indiana: Fides, 1965), p. 8.
2. St. Augustine, The Trinity, Bk. 12, Ch. 14 (Washington: Fathers of the Church, 1963), p. 356.
3. For one description of the "sin of the world", see Schoonenberg, Op. cit., pp. 98-123.
4. One description of such services is given by A. M. Roguet, O.P., "Les celebrations communautaires de la penitence" in Vie spirituelle, 116 (1967), pp. 188-202.
5. Cf. Karl Rahner, Theological Investigations, Vol. III (Baltimore: Helicon, 1967), pp. 177-189.
6. A New Catechism (New York: Herder & Herder, 1967), p. 459.
Available for $5 plus postage
Be Open to His Love
January 6, 1994 3:00 a.m.
Jesus: I love you with such intensity. The feeling you have in your chest is indeed My great love for you. Hold on to this and know how much I truly love you.
You are chosen by Me to write here. I want you to share your intimacy with Me. I want to be close to all My children. Do not hold back. It is your openness to others about this that will lead so many to great intimacy with Me. I am truly here, little one, and I love you for your openness. I am using you to lead others to Me and in union with Me. Do not worry of such revelations. I am guarding you, My precious one. I love you so intently. The incense on your hands is a sign of My constant presence with you.
Don't question. You need to be so assured that I am here constantly. Talk about Me. Open yourself up and do not be afraid. It is your openness that will lead many hearts to intimacy with Me. I am guarding you, little one. Let go now of everything and focus only on Me and My love. Make a Spiritual Communion and come to Me. Come with such love and longing for your Love, your true Love, the one, true God. I am here blessing you. Receive Me into your spirit. I love you.
Available for $4 plus postage
I Come Into Your Heart
April 8, 1994
R. How can I be focused on myself when the Son of God is within my breast? This is His aching when I receive God, Who has come to me in such love, and then I focus on all my incidental problems. He wants our love, our longing, our joy to behold the Son of God in our hearts and we focus on such incidentals and worries!
Jesus: Oh, how could you do this to Me when the Son of God enters your breast and comes into your heart and you ignore Me or worry for such nonsense? Be with Me, be in love with Me. Let yourself go of the cares of the world and focus on Me alone, out of such love to come and dwell in your breast.
I am the Son of God and I am in your breast this very day because I love you. How it wounds Me when you ignore Me and look the other way and focus on your incidental worldly cares. Oh, be with Me, please. I come with such love. God enters your breast and I am with you, inside of your heart. Put away all the cares of this world and just be with your Lover.
I am the Sacred Heart of Jesus and I love you so much, My child.
Available for $2 plus postage
October 1, 1994
God Calls Us to Love
John 13:34
I give you a new commandment: love one another; you must love one another just as I have loved you.
Matthew 7:7
Ask, and it will be given to you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you.
Messenger:
Dear Jesus, I stand at the door of Your Heart and knock to come in. I want entry - to be lost totally and entirely in Thee. I want to be sheltered inside of Your Heart and wrapped deeply in Your infinite love.Jesus:
I call you, child, to love. Love is rooted in Me. I gave My all for love of you. I held nothing back. Love gives freely for the good of the other. Love exists to draw the other closer to God. If your relationship with your brother in anyway separates you from God, it is not love.Love is not haughty, love does not demand its own way, love exists to lead the other to closer union with Me. I loved you to My death. I gave to you My all! I ask you to give your all for your beloved brothers. In loving them, you are loving Me. I live in your brothers. How can you love Me who you do not see, if you do not love your brother who you see.
I am the way. I am the truth. I am the life. I give that you will know Me and know how to love one another. Love your brothers as I have loved you. When they persecute you and holler every evil word against you, love them. This is My way - to lay down My life for My friends.
John 13:34
I give you a new commandment: love one another; you must love one another just as I have loved you.
Messenger:
And to those who heeded His words, their lives were lived in peace and love and they experienced joy in their hearts, for true love brings peace and true love gives joy to the heart of the beholder. It is in loving that you receive, it is in giving that you are rendered to and it is in following the way of Christ that we are led into a life of everlasting happiness.Jesus:
I have not gone. I live with you this day. I am in your brothers. Love them as I have loved you.Messenger:
And He sent them such blessings in such abundance and they knew a little of His unending mercy and love.
21 Years Ago
Available for $6 plus postage
Do My Work
October 17, 1993
Jesus: I come and you open the doors of your heart. I enter and you are made whole. Your hungry soul thirsts for only that which I can give. Open the gates. Let Me enter and wash you with My Blood. My Blood is the Blood of salvation. Nothing in this world can compare to My Blood. It is there for you, it cleans you, it feeds you. It is your all. Come and be nourished by Me. I have all you need.
Your time is not your time. I loan it to you. I loan you your time to do My work. This is your day, but it is My day to work in you. You are doing as you ought. You feel tired and worn out and you wonder why. My work is work. It is not a puffy little job. It is a big job. It is the most important thing you do. You keep doing My work and then wonder why you are exhausted. My work is hard. It is struggling up a hill in a world that has lost its way. People are closed. The world is pulling you everyplace but to Me and then you wonder why the exhaustion. You pray many hours a day and talk many more trying to sell My wares. It is hard work. People reject you. They are closed. They are not of Me. They are all busy with their stupid earthly lives. I sit and watch and they are so blind. What good does it do a man to run down a road if it is the wrong one. Hold tight, My little flower. You are doing My work and it is tedious. It is hard work. It is the best work to do. Do not wear yourself out talking on the phone. Plant My seeds and be on your way. Others must do their own seeking of Me. You only lead them to the water. You do not have to stand around and see if they will drink or not and prompt them to do so. They must read My messages and come to Me for their feeding.
You do not feed your brothers all their food. You plant the seeds. They come to Me and they are fed by Me. Hold tight to all you are doing. It is hard, hard work. I am giving you strength. Each day is a day's work, indeed. No one but I knows how much work you do in a day. You have touched a lot of hearts in one day. Be glad as each day unfolds. Be glad I am using you as My instrument to reach many. Know that this is work. You should be tired at the end of the day. I am your God and I love you, My little one. I play the organ at Mass with you. I love the music. I love people to sing. It is of great comfort to Me and My mother for all the singing. Keep singing and playing. It is so soothing to our hurt hearts. I love to hear My children sing. I love you all so much!
Keep spreading My word and doing My work. You feel tired because it is indeed work, but I will supply you with extra energy and blessings for all you do. I need you to do this work for Me. You always bounce back and go full steam ahead. That is Me! All of a sudden you are refreshed and wonder what happened. The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak, but I have all the power. The very hairs of your head are numbered. I give you strength when you are doing My work. Oh, how I love you. I am pleased with your work. Your weariness is worth it. I will give you a bath in My love and you will go and feel like flying. I am your love, little, one. Thank you.
end of October 17, 1993
Use Your Talents
October 3, 1993 Chicago Marian Conference 11:30a.m.
Jesus: I am your Savior, Son of the Living God. I come to you that you might have life, not as the world gives you life, but My life which is life eternal. I carved you from My special carving and made you little less than an angel. I love you and cherish all the moments when you, My special child, come to sit with Me. I wait here and I hope you will choose to come, but I never force you. Your will is totally free and I give it to you because of My love and the will of the Father. I inform you in numerous ways. You do not have to guess and wonder. Come be with Me in this silence and all you need to know will be told to you. Your life is unfolding as a beautiful rose. Each petal falls and you plant My odors about as I so desire. I make your life full and sure as you trust in Me. No need for worrying, My little flower. My ways give you freedom if you listen to your heart. I am a personal God and you know Me as giving you fullness and life. You know there is some magnetism to Me and the way you crave to be part of Me. This is the work of the one, true God Who created you with a thirst that can only be quenched by Me. All roads that lead to Me give you fullness, worth, peace and joy, not as the world thinks, but as you yourself know true peace and joy. When I really touch you, you do not remain the same. I shed My Blood for you that you will have the life only I can give. What friend in this world would die for you? You, My child, were worth My dying for. I came that you will have life eternal and the gift I give is My Precious Blood for your sins. Come to Me in trouble and when you are bowed down. Come to Me in joy. Come to Me every day that you live and I will give you all you need. Seek to know Me more and more. Knowledge of Me, being with Me, are the only way to perfect peace. They lead to eternal life.
I have a divine plan for you. I created you with special gifts and talents to be used to do My work. They are not for your own self-promotion. You, My child, are nothing except as I created you. Why try to promote yourself? It is none of your own doing. I gave you the talents you are using. You had nothing to do with it. These talents were given to you to do My work. To use these talents to make yourself feel better than your brother is indeed a sin. You must realize they are loaned to you to work for Me. As you give someone a car, or loan them a place to stay, I loan you your talents to use to work for Me. If you do not work for Me and use them to make yourself better than your brother, you are offending Me. Likewise, if I give you talents and you do not use them because you think you are not as good as your brother, you are not being thankful to Me for My gifts to you. You are not using My gifts and that offends Me greatly. Each person was created by Me to do My work. Each person has all he needs to do My work. To be envious of others is fruitless. They have their job. You have yours. You are not supposed to do their work. That is why you were not given their talents.
Do your own work. Don't be envious of your brothers. Don't hide your talents. You did not earn them. I gave you your talents. You must sing because I will it. Others must do as I will them to do. It displeases Me to give you a gift and watch you hide it and make light of it. I give the gift. You must use all your gifts. They were given to you to do My work. Your brother has his gifts. Be grateful for your brother and he should be for you. You are all chosen by Me for a special mission. You know what to do. It feels right. I plant little seeds in your heart and all you do that is for you in the end feels right. You are not to be doing your brother's work or he yours. Talk to Me that you might know just what your work is and do it.
Do not hide your talents. Praise your God Who gave you these talents. Embrace and use them. This is not pride. This is My plan. I love you. I give to each of you, My precious children, as a mother who buys special Christmas gifts for each child. To buy gifts all the same for all your children is not to respect their specialness, their individuality.
Oh, I love you, little ones, so much. Please come to Me. I am so good and I wait to be with you and share My love with you. Come now. This is your top priority. All else will work when you come to Me first. I love you. You are My chosen children. Come and be filled and I make your loads light and I fill you with the Spirit of Salvation.
All roads that lead to Me are the right roads. Praise Me for I am good and I love you, little dear ones.
end of October 3, 1993
21 Years Ago Today
 About
the cover:
This is God's Blue Book. I knew the color would be blue. I saw it in my mind's eye. It is God's blue book, for our living light. Blue for Mary, never dark. It is light and our Hearts are lifted in peace to Him. He lifts us up like balloons into a light blue sky. He even provides the sky. We become selfless and unattached and we ascend into the sky, free of weight on our heels. We sail the skies as if in a hot air balloon and He watches us on our way. Our destination color is blue. We go to a light blue book for our answers. We sail His sky in our Hot air balloon, light and unattached, floating free. We just go where His wind takes us, never knowing where or why. We are free and happy because He is at the helm. Alleluia. Put a balloon, red and orange, on the front, as in the fire of His love. We are thus powered through His blue sky. RR 11/17/93 |
Blue Book Blow Out for Christmas
Give the gift that keeps giving this Christmas
6 different Blue Books for $30.00 including postage
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Books available in limited supply for this sale.
Blue Book Blow Out for Christmas
Blue Book 1 – $6.00 each plus postage
Blue Book 2 – $5.00 each plus postage
Blue Book 3 – $4.00 each plus postage
Blue Books 13, 12, 11, 10, 9, 8, 7,
6A, B, C –
$3.00 each plus postage
Blue Books 4 & 5 –$2.00 each plus postage
The more you use the Blue Books and
become one with Jesus – more
intimate with Jesus –
the more your lives are a blessing and
everything you do in life can help
to bring down great grace for the world
because of your being so
one with Jesus.
Guiding Light Homily Book Series
Fr. Joe’s Books
|
|
|
|
|
4 for $20 plus postage of $5.95
These books can be given to:
1) All Priests
2) Good for Music Ministers
3) Good for DRE's
4) Good for Deacons
5) Good for Principals of Schools
6) Good for Teachers
7) Good for Mom and Dads
This statue was handmade and
hand-painted
and has a little piece of the glass
from the image face of Mary –
|
PV-Fatima w/glass - 27  |
PV-Fatima w/glass - 18  |
PV-Fatima w/glass - 15  |
OL-Fatima w/glass - 18  |
PV-Fatima w/glass - 12  |
OL-Fatima w/glass - 11  |
|
OL-Guadalupe
w/glass - 28  |
OL-Grace
|
OL-Mt.
Carmel w/glass - 24  |
OL-Lourdes
|
IH-Mary
|
IH-Ivory
|
|
SH-Jesus
w/glass - 24  |
SH-Blessing
w/glass - 24  |
Sorrow
M
w/glass - 24  |
Inf.-Prague
w/glass - 24  |
OL-Lourdes
|
OL-Mt.
Carmel w/glass - 18  |
|
I
Heart
|
I
Heart
-
Ivory
|
OL-Grace
|
SH-Jesus
w/glass - 18  |
OL-Guadalupe
w/glass - 12  |
We
cannot
get
these
statues
any
more
–
the
men
making
them
were
from
Portugal
and
no
longer
do
so
We
will
have
a
limited
number
until
they
are
gone
–
These statues are a treasure, a work of art
At
the
end
of
this
message
are
healings
from
statues
and
the
Jesus
and
Mary
waters
–
Given March 21, 2014
R. Pray for These Things
1) Pray for the Pope & hierarchy to help us start prayer chapters.
2) Pray for Dan, Sally Jo, Richard, Carol, Margaret, Sue,
Jack, Jean, Amanda, Matthew, Special intentions.
3) Pray for the priests, the Church and the world!
4) Pray for the spread of prayer chapters,
also for the spread of priests doing prayer chapters.
5) Pray for the spread of Blue Books.
6) People going to Florida and China.
7) Vocations to all 7 categories.
8) Pray for spread of Consecration and Rosary.
9) Pray for pope helping us.
10) Pray for Jeff - sales & health. Pray for Nick.
11) Blue Book 14 cover; Blue Book 13 – all involved.
For our Publisher and all involved
12) All intentions on my list, Jerry's list.
13) Priests getting Fr. Joe's book.
14) Pray for Fr. Joe's new book, cover & funds for printing & postage.
15) Donors and members and their families.
16) Healing of the Family tree.
17) Dan & Melanie, Catherine & mom, Gary, Mary Jo,
Jim & statues, Fr. Ken, Monsignor, Kerry, Tom & wife.
18) All who asked us to pray for them.
19) All we promised to pray for.
20) Rita, John, Doris, Sheila, Jerry, Regina, Sanja,
Betty, Sophie, Lisa, Eileen, Fr. Mike, Louie, Laverne,
2 Dons, Mary Ellen, Fr. Joe, all priests helping us,
Ed, Jimmy, Steve, a special couple, Rosie & all involved.
21) 2 babies and moms.
22) Funds and insurance.
23) Jerry's garage.
24) In thanksgiving for gifts, graces, & blessings received.
25) Spread the Blood of Jesus on all of us here.
26) Consecrate all hearts.
27) Cast the devil out of all of us here and all in Movement.
We need money for
Fr. Joe's new homily book
(we sent almost 40,000 to priests,
cardinals, bishops)
Can you please help us?
888-211-3041
The Wedding Rosary
Crystal Image Rosary
$40 plus shipping
Special First Communion Rosary with Image Center
in a gift box
white blue red
and an 8 x 10 picture of Our Lady of Clearwater
and a 4 x 6 picture of Our Lady of Clearwater$10 plus postage
Original Image Rosary
8mm glass beads
in a matching gift box$40 plus shipping
Special Sale Statues with image glass
15" Pilgrim Virgin Fatima – $85
12" Our Lady of Fatima – $75
plus shipping
while supplies lastCall Regina 1–727–776–2763
Call Rosie 888–211–3041
In Spanish with the Imprimatur
Also we are ready to print
5000 copies of the
Parents and Children's Rosary Book
in SPANISH.
Can you help with a donation?
Give the gift that counts.
Give to your priests Fr. Carter's Books plus postage.
Tell My People $5.00
Response to God's Love $8.00
Response in Christ $8.00
God's Blue Books 4, 5, 6A, 6B, 6C, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13
$4.00 each plus postage
Blue Book 4
Blue Book 5
Blue Book 6A
Blue Book 6B
Blue Book 6C
Blue Book 7
Blue Book 8
Blue Book 9
Blue Book 10
Blue Book 11
Blue Book 12 & 13
Old Mass Books with the Imprimatur
$2.00 plus postage
New Mass Book with Imprimatur
$8.00 plus postage
New Parents & Children's Book with the Imprimatur
$8.00 plus postage
Fr. Joe's Cycle A – Steadfast to the Sun – Starts in Advent
$5.00 plus postage
Give the gift that keeps on giving!
Give to your priest.
Fr. Carter's Priestly Newsletters Book II
$6.00 plus postage
Special sale statue with glass
27" Statue of Our Lady of Fatima
$175 plus postage
Get a canvas print of Mary's image
with a sliver of glass and a little
bottle of Jesus and Mary water.
The glass will be fixed behind the
back of the picture.
$200.00 plus postage
Dan called and gave the report to me, when I hung up I saw this rainbow and took a picture for him.
Shepherds of
Christ Ministries P.O. Box 627 China, Indiana 47250
Telephone: (toll free) 1-888-211-3041 or (812) 273-8405
FAX: (812) 273-3182
Copyright
© 2014 Shepherds of Christ.
