Shepherds of Christ Daily Writing

November 17, 2015

November 18th Holy Spirit Novena Scripture selection is Day 9 Period I.

The Novena Rosary Mysteries  for November 18th are Glorious.

                 
                November 17, 2015
 

Through Him, With Him, In Him

                R. Dear Jesus, thank You for Fr. Carter and
                the gift he was to me and to all of us.
                Fr. Carter taught me so much and was
                patient and kind. He was interested in
                all who came and very kind and loving
                to all of us.

                Fr. Carter hugged us all. It was so wonderful,
                we would hug all the people and I felt
                such warmth, if we didn't hug a
                person I felt a pain in my heart.

                There was a special love there when we
                had the early years and I knew Fr. Carter
                prayed so much for us and the Movement
                and the vocations.

                Fr. Carter was so concerned with the messages
                Jesus gave us. He was concerned with
                spreading the prayer chapters – all over the
                world and seeing the prayers translated
                in as many languages as possible.

                    He was concerned with the Priestly
                Newsletter being translated and spread
                every other month to between 75,000 -
                85,000 priests and hierarchy.

                    He received this message about the
                Ministries 21 years ago.
    

October 13, 1994

The Birth of the Full Ministries
of the Shepherds of Christ

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

                R. He helped me spread the Rosary Aves
                and the rosaries to the schools.

                    He helped the Blue Books to get published,
                Red Rosary Book and discerned the Daily Message
                every day and never complained - he was so
                serious about it.

                    He seriously wanted us to buy the Virgin
                Mary Building and He received messages, himself
                to buy the other properties.
                We got lost at the China Church and soon the Archdiocese
                asked us for a very little price to take China for our work.

                    We believed in both Fr. Carter's messages and
                my messages and the Movement grew –
                On the Day Mary appeared in Clearwater
                December 17, 1996, the Red Rosary Book
                with rainbow left the printers.

shipped from the printers December 17, 1996

Mary appeared December 17, 1996

                R. When a man is blind – he cannot see.
                When a man has an infection in his
                system, his whole body suffers and
                he is not able to operate as he should –
                even a bad tooth can hurt a man's
                system and it must be taken care of.

                    God compares the members of the
                mystical body to a body. We know if
                a tooth hurts the whole body can be
                effected.

                    The Heart is pumping so much in
                the body and so important to the body,
                if it gets blocked and clogged up a
                person can die or have a stroke –

                    So many of the spiritual things can be
                seen so clearly in studying the world and
                God's creation.

                    Satan is a menace – like a worm in an
                apple Jesus said in a Blue Book message.   

   

Satan--Like A Worm in an Apple

December 10, 1993 3:34a.m.

Jesus: Come and let Me write to you. I awoke you from your sleep to be with you. I am your precious Jesus and I come in the night to tell you My word.

Today I want to tell you about people. Your brothers are in need of your prayers. No longer be angered by their actions. They are sick. If Satan has infiltrated their life, they do not even know it. They continue down a dark path to destruction. One person can do so much good or so much damage. Once Satan comes on the scene and acts out of another, great damage can be done. Satan works like a worm in an apple: he burrows in and keeps attacking the apple. He will go as far as he can. Finally, the whole apple becomes rotten. He burrows his way to the core. It is in the beginning when people agree to little sins that he gets in. He is no good. He is hungry to zap every last bit of life from you.

It is the same way when you allow Me to possess your soul. I operate from you to love and give to those around you. It is I Who loves and acts through you.

A person in darkness has Satan acting in him. He thinks he is free but he is a slave to Satan. How sad to be overtaken by Satan. Satan is debased. No evil is bad enough for him. The more you move away from Me, the more he gets in and uses you. His works are cunning and crafty. His game is deception, twisting the truth, outright lies, division and real heartache.

When I enter your soul, your heart is nourished and plump and red. It beats as a healthy heart and I dwell there and operate from you. I love and act to your brothers. Be of a clean heart, America. Turn back to the commandments. The first commandment alone would change your lives. I am the Lord, thy God. Thou Shalt not have strange gods before Me! If all turned their wills and their lives over to Me we would have a world of love and caring and kindness.

Why do people act this way? Why do they let Satan in? Satan convinces you. You are being cheated and you must do some selfish act. He talks in your head and his reasoning is very convincing. He works on your feelings and tells you you are being treated unfairly. He works you up. You decide to rectify the wrong and then you act. He stirs up hate and anger in the heart.

Oh, little ones, please guard your hearts. Be careful what you agree to take in. Will you listen to Satan and his ugly, selfish words or listen to Me. It is when Satan attacks that you need to recognize his paralyzing grip and cast him out in My name. Recognize it is he who is interrupting your calm life. He comes like a whirlwind and stirs up your life. There is instant chaos. That, dear ones, is Satan. Who else could do such a work of evil art? You have to be strong and recognize that what is happening is of him. He comes like a thief in the night to steal the hearts fixed on God. He wants your hearts. He wants your wills. He wants to operate you. He is cunning and debased.

When an attack occurs, identify it as from Satan and cast him out. This is so hard. He is really gripping you. Pray hard and get him out. He plans to divide you and trip you up. How does it happen so quick? How can you be called so quickly to an argument? It is very easy for Satan. He gets you when you are tired and hungry. He knows what will get to you. He is so cunning. He baits you for his kill and then you wonder what happened. Like a whirlwind, he blows no good. He enters and sweeps away your good works and you feel so empty inside. You must see his work as soon as it begins. When you are at peace and chaos starts, it is he. Pray hard, "Jesus, Jesus." Pray, focus on ME and My beautiful love for you. See Me bleeding on the cross!

You can ward off his nasty, nasty tricks. They are not nice. I love you from the bottom of My heart. Let Me operate you, little one. Open wide the gates of your heart to Me. Constantly offer your life as a prayer. Your prayers today will save your brothers.

I want to use you to do My work. I want to love through you. It is in loving we are made whole. It is in Christ's presence we are happy. Watch out for the Evil One. He aims to trip you up. If you love Me, he hates Me and wants you to be joined to him. It is a battle to gain your soul!

You are finished My child. I love you intently. Go back to bed.

end of excerpt

Isaiah 30: 19-26

Yes, people of Zion living in Jerusalem,
you will weep no more.
He will be gracious to you when your cry for help rings out;
as soon as he hears it, he will answer you.
When the Lord has given you the bread of suffering
and the water of distress,
he who is your teacher will hide no longer,
and you will see your teacher with your own eyes.

Your ears will hear these words behind you,
‘This is the way, keep to it,’ whether you turn to right or left.
You will hold unclean the silverplating of your idols
and goldplating of your images.
You will throw them away like the polluted things they are,
shouting after them, ‘Good riddance!’
He will send rain for the seed you sow in the ground,
and the bread that the ground provides will be rich and
nourishing.

That day, your cattle will graze in wide pastures.
Oxen and donkeys that work the land
will eat for fodder wild sorrel,
spread by the shovel-load and fork-load.
On every lofty mountain, on every high hill
there will be streams and water-courses, on the day of the
great slaughter
when the strongholds fall.

Then moonlight will be bright as sunlight
and sunlight itself be seven times brighter
-like the light of seven days in one on
the day Yahweh dresses his people’s wound
and heals the scars of the blows they have received.”
 

Isaiah 40: 1-8

‘Console my people, console them,’
says your God.

‘Speak to the heart of Jerusalem
and cry to her
that her period of service is ended,
that her guilt has been atoned for,
that, from the hand of Yahweh, she has received
double punishment for all her sins.’

A voice cries, ‘Prepare in the desert
a way for Yahweh.
Make a straight highway for our God
across the wastelands.

Let every valley be filled in,
every mountain and hill be levelled,
every cliff become a plateau,
every escarpment a plain;
then the glory of Yahweh will be revealed
and all humanity will see it together,
for the mouth of Yahweh has spoken.’

A voice said, ‘Cry aloud!’ and I said, ‘What shall I cry?’
-‘All humanity is grass
and all its beauty like the wild flower’s.
The grass withers, the flower fades
when the breath of Yahweh blows on them.
(The grass is surely the people.)
The grass withers, the flower fades,
but the word of our God remains for ever.’

Song: A Voice Cries Out in the Wilderness

Adam and Eve are given great gifts and insights into God. They sin, the light of knowing God is dimmed because of their sin. They do not know God as they did before the sin. Christ comes, He is the Light of the World. He dies, He gives Himself. He shares His life with us through sanctifying grace.

Through Baptism we receive this sharing in His divine life. The more He shares His life, the more we are saturated with His life, the more we know Him. He reveals Himself to us — we see the light.

The Kingdom of God is at hand. It is all here: the Mass, the Eucharist, God giving Himself.

To partake more in His life we must give ourselves to Him.

Mary appears to Bernadette. She tells her she is the “Immaculate Conception.” We are sinners, but through Mary, the pure and sinless one, we can unite deeply in Him.

We are in darkness in varying degrees. The more we are saturated with His life, the more we see.

The reign of God is at hand. Since He came to the earth, everything is in place to see the light.

God is giving to us great graces to see the light now. He is lifting the veil.

There will be the era of peace.
 

Isaiah 30: 26

“Then moonlight will be bright as sunlight
and sunlight itself be seven times brighter
-like the light of seven days in one-...”

We see the darkness. As at night, we do not see the colorful leaves, they are there, we do not see them.

In the morning light, we see the glory of the beautiful day, the colorful leaves.

As the light steals across the sky, we see more and more. As the sun gradually comes up, we see more clearly the beauty of the leaves.

At first, our vision is not so clear because the light does not show in its deepest intensity. As the sun comes up we see more and more vividly until finally we see clearly the beauty of the colorful leaves.
 

Isaiah 30: 26

“Then moonlight will be bright as sunlight
and sunlight itself be seven times brighter
-like the light of seven days in one-...”

In a message to Fr. Carter on July 31, 1994, Jesus has promised us: “I will give great graces to the members of Shepherds of Christ Associates. I will call them to be deeply united to My Heart and to Mary’s heart as I lead them ever closer to My Father in the Holy Spirit.”

As stated above, the more we are saturated with his life, the more we are one in Him, the more clearly we see. It is in this union, in the depth of His Heart, that we receive such life, that we know Him with great clarity, that we are given this vision of God.

It is not with “eyes” that we see, but the illumination is in the knowing power that He gives to us. He reveals insights into the divine mysteries. We share most intimately with Him when we are one with Him in the Mass and after Communion. These are treasured moments in which He gives us a special sharing to know Him, our Divine Lover.

We see clearly when our hearts are hearts of love. We see vividly when our hearts are filled with love and peace. We were created to love, to love God and love each other. Adam and Eve sinned. They lost the great gift given to them. The light of knowing God was dimmed because of their sin.

Christ comes into the world. He is the Word. He is the light of the world. He comes to save man from his sin. He comes in the womb of the Virgin Mary. Mary is the pure and sinless one. Jesus comes to pay the price for the sin of Adam and for our sins. We are all tainted by this sin of our first father and mother. Mary is the Immaculate and pure one, the highest human person. Divinity unites with humanity in the womb of Mary. They are one. Jesus is carried within the body of His mother. Such unity from the beginning, for His life is formed within her body. Is it surprising to us, then, if Christ comes within the womb of the Virgin Mary, that we too must go through Mary to unite to Him? Where is the pride in the hearts of men that think they do not have to go through their Mother Mary? If Christ comes in the womb of Mary to pay the price for man’s sins, and we are tainted by the sin, in order to unite to the Almighty God who is all holy, we must go through the pure and sinless one.

Adam and Eve sinned. The Father sends His Son into the world to pay the price for man’s sins. Jesus is the New Adam; Mary is the New Eve. Man continues to sin, greatly displeasing God. The Father allows Mary to appear to Bernadette at Lourdes as the Immaculate Conception, as having been conceived without original sin. The Father then allows Mary to appear to the children of Fatima as the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

We are sinners, we cannot unite closely to Him unless we go through Mary.

Mary is the pure and sinless one. We can unite deeply to Him. We are in darkness in varying degrees. The more we are saturated with His life, the more we see.

The reign of God is at hand. He came to the earth, He died, He rose on the third day. He gave to the Apostles the power to change bread and wine into His Body and Blood. He gave to them the power to forgive sins. He established His Church pouring forth from His pierced side. We do not see the great gifts that He has given to us. He is giving to us great insights into these gifts. God is giving to us great graces to see the light now. He is lifting the veil.

There will be an era of peace and all will see with such light as Isaiah speaks of in chapter 30, verse 26:

“Then moonlight will be bright as sunlight
and sunlight itself be seven times brighter
-like the light of seven days in one-...”

Man sinned. Jesus came to redeem us. Man is still so sinful. Mary appears at Fatima. She tells us that we are offending God, that we must make reparation to her heart and the heart of her Son.

She gives us the peace plan for the world. She tells us that the Sacred Heart of Jesus will reign and her Immaculate Heart will triumph but we must do what she says. The Church has approved Fatima. The devil has blocked the message. How can we disobey our Mother? How can we ignore her? Mary appeared at Fatima and was ignored. Mary appeared to me almost daily for 14 months — she does not appear as she once did. Jesus has told me that He will handle these messages, that He is in charge, that the plan of the Father will unfold despite any person’s willfulness.

In August 1996, Mary spoke in the rosary: she said she could not hold back the hand of her Son any longer. On the 5th of this month, instead of Mary appearing as she had in the past, Jesus appeared alive on the crucifix with His mouth moving for twenty minutes. We are not listening to Mary or to Jesus. Man has sinned. Jesus came to redeem us. Mary tells us what we must do. Men are disobedient. They disobeyed their Mother. They do not do what she told them what they must do at Fatima. When hearts are consecrated to Jesus and Mary they become holy hearts, deeply one with God. The Reign of the Sacred Heart is at hand for He has given to us abundant grace that we are seeing with such clarity this vision of God. He has imparted to us understanding into His divine mysteries.

The more we focus on what Jesus and Mary have told us, the more we will have peace. He is angered by the willfulness of man. He will get their attention. We are spreading the good news when we spread the consecration. We must heed the words of our Mother. She will not go away because of willful men. We have angered God more by ignoring her. There is only one way: it is the plan that Mary has given to us at Fatima. He is lifting the veil for those whose hearts are consecrated to the Hearts of Jesus and Mary. Many in the Shepherds of Christ Movement are fervently loving Him. In the Shepherds of Christ Movement, as the apostles spread the consecration to the Church, the family, and the school, the fire of His love will cover the earth and it will be lighted with this love coming from the Sacred Heart of Jesus. The Sacred Heart of Jesus will reign and the Immaculate Heart of Mary will triumph.

We, in the Shepherds of Christ Movement, are spreading the fire of His love across the earth through the consecration. The hearts of men will turn from their sick and desolate ways to hearts gentle as a little lamb. There will be one flock and one Shepherd and His staff will rule over all. Hearts consecrated to Their Hearts will lead the light across the earth. This light will be a light of intense brightness, brighter and hotter than any light from a flame. It will be the fire of God’s love. The Spirit will move in all hearts consecrated to His Heart, and we will know how fire truly spreads, for the love of God is a fire, it is vibrant, it is encompassing, it is smoldering, burning deep within and speedily spreading on the outside. No fires on this earth can ever describe the burning embers that burn from the Sacred Heart of Jesus. No fire burns like the fires coming from His Heart and hearts filled with the love from the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

On October 13, 1917 Our Lady gave to Lucia and 70,000 spellbound people, a great vision: the sun spun in the sky, casting off great lights. This happened three times in about 12 minutes. As quoted from Our Lady of Fatima’s Peace Plan from Heaven:

It seemed that the whole world was on fire with the sun spinning at a greater speed each time. Then a gasp of terror rose from the crowd for the sun seemed to tear itself from the heavens and come crashing down upon the horrified multitudes...just when it seemed that the ball of fire would fall upon and destroy them, the miracle ceased, and the sun resumed its normal place in the sky, shining forth as peacefully as ever.

Mary gave this tremendous sign at Fatima and people did not listen. The events that followed were as she had predicted since we disobeyed her. There was a brutal war, WWII. Mary appeared to me (Rita Ring) almost daily - very few have listened. She told me over and over again of the souls going to hell. She told me in August she could not hold back the hand of her Son anymore. Adam and Eve sinned. God, the Father, sent His Son. Man continues to sin—the Father sends Mary but she is ignored!

On July 2, 1996, my son, Joseph, was taking pictures of all of the Shepherds of Christ members at Tom Arlinghaus’ farm. He took one picture of each person. Jesus told me to tell him to take two pictures of Fr. Carter. The first picture was a normal picture. The second picture was of Fr. Carter covered with a pillar of light.

In front of a statue of Our Sorrowful Mother, Mary was alive in the statue.

Jesus: “Peace will abound when nations, churches, families, and individuals are consecrated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary. The Shepherds of Christ Movement...is a pillar of light in the darkness.”

R. We must encourage all to consecrate their hearts to the Immaculate Heart of Mary and the Sacred Heart of Jesus and to join the Shepherds of Christ chapters, and the Apostles of the Eucharistic Heart of Jesus Movement, to pray for our Church and our world.

Jesus: This is My Movement for renewal of the Church and the world, based in consecration, joining your every act to the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, praying the rosary, and making reparation to Our Hearts, especially on First Fridays and First Saturday. It is through your prayers and sacrifices many souls will be saved. Grace will flow from those whose hearts are consecrated to Our Hearts and the fire of My love will light up this darkened world.

R. Many are living in darkness because they are not obeying Our Lady. The people will see the light when they obey her and consecrate their hearts to her heart and the Heart of Jesus.

To have this intense union with Jesus, with God, we must give ourselves to Our Lady. It is there in the intimacy with Him that we are saturated with His life and that He reveals to us great lights, great insights into His divine mysteries. Yes, indeed, the light will steal across the earth and the hearts of men will be hearts filled with His love. They will know their God with great light imparted to them by the Holy Spirit given to them because of the deep union that they have with Jesus. The Reign of the Sacred Heart is at hand. He is giving to us these great lights at this time for He has lifted the veil and we see many things and the light steals across the sky and we see with clear vision.
 

Isaiah 30: 26

“Then moonlight will be bright as sunlight
and sunlight itself be seven times brighter
-like the light of seven days in one-...”
 

Isaiah 30: 25

“On every lofty mountain, on every high hill
there will be streams and water-courses, on the day of
the great slaughter
when the strongholds fall.”

Truly His Heart is the fountain of divine life. It flows through the Church, through the hands of His holy priests. When priests are consecrated to the Hearts of Jesus and Mary and celebrating the Mass, and administering the sacraments, an immense amount of His grace will be outpoured on the earth. A people in darkness have seen a great light. Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, the Light of the World!

Our Father...thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. We will all love as the Father intends, for now He looks to the earth and He sees it covered with darkness. As hearts are consecrated to the Hearts of Jesus and Mary, the earth will be covered with His light.
 

Revelation 12: 1-12

Now a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman, robed with the sun, standing on the moon, and on her head a crown of twelve stars. She was pregnant, and in labor, crying aloud in the pangs of childbirth. Then a second sign appeared in the sky: there was a huge red dragon with seven heads and ten horns, and each of the seven heads crowned with a coronet. Its tail swept a third of the stars from the sky and hurled them to the ground, and the dragon stopped in front of the woman as she was at the point of giving birth, so that he could eat the child as soon as it was born. The woman was delivered of a boy, the Son who was to rule all the nations with an iron scepter, and the child was taken straight up to God and to his throne, while the woman escaped into the desert, where God had prepared a place for her to be looked after for twelve hundred and sixty days.

And now war broke out in heaven, when Michael with his angels attacked the dragon. The dragon fought back with his angels, but they were defeated and driven out of heaven. The great dragon, the primeval serpent, known as the devil or Satan, who had led all the world astray, was hurled down to the earth and his angels were hurled down with him. Then I heard a voice shout from heaven, ‘Salvation and power and empire for ever have been won by our God, and all authority for his Christ, now that the accuser, who accused our brothers day and night before our God, has been brought down. They have triumphed over him by the blood of the lamb and by the word to which they bore witness, because even in the face of death they did not cling to life. So let the heavens rejoice and all who live there; but for you, earth and sea, disaster is coming-because the devil has gone down to you in a rage, knowing that he has little time left.’

We are in her spiritual womb (heart). She is pregnant, bringing forth her children of light. As we go to her heart, she crushes the head of the serpent. Some of the brightest stars that will light up the earth are in the Shepherds of Christ Movement. We are the children of light. We are being sent forth as she brings us forth her children of light to stamp out the darkness. We must give ourselves to Mary.

end of excerpt

^TEN  Christian Love

 
         1. Our Need to Love and Be Loved

Christianity is fundamentally a life of love. The Christian is one who opens himself to God's love, and responds with a love of his own. The Christian also realizes that his life is not only a love relationship with God, but also a going out of his self-centeredness to other human persons in various forms of Christian love. Finally, the Christian is one who realizes that in one way or another he needs the love of others and is willing to open himself to this love.

    The Church, the People of God, must increasingly give witness to these multiple dimensions of Christian love. To the extent that the Church fails to do so, to that degree does she fail to be a faithful continuation of the Incarnation. For the Incarnation is above all a manifestation of love, and this in various ways. First of all, Christ is the tangible and irrevocable expression of God's determination to communicate Himself in love to men: "Yes, God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not be lost but may have eternal life." (Jn 3:16).

    Christ is also the visible expression of mankind's response to God's love, for as man, Christ made this perfect response in love to His Father. Further, Christ is the overwhelming concretization of what it means to love one's fellowman. Finally, He is the visible manifestation of one who perfectly opens Himself to receiving love from others.

    We Christians, the People of God, must continue these various manifestations of love contained in the Incarnate Word. By our lives we must give witness to the fact that we have opened ourselves to God's loving self-communication, and that we are responding to that love with all that we are. We must give evidence that we want to give ourselves to others in a life of loving service, and that we are open to the love which others graciously extend to us.

    It is of prime importance that all forms of loving, human relationships flourish in the life of the Church. Examples of such relationships are those found in marriage and family life, religious life and other friendships. These relationships not only witness to our willingness to love others and be loved by them, but they are schools for such reciprocal love. These relationships increase my capacity to love others and increase my openness in receiving love. Furthermore, these various interpersonal relationships help me to be open in receiving God's love and responding to it. However, if these relationships are to be fully authentic, they themselves must be rooted in our love relationship with God.

 
         2. Love of God

It sounds so commonplace and obvious to say that God loves us. But if we could more perfectly realize what it means to be loved by God, our chances for complete transformation in Christ would be enhanced. With God's grace we must keep striving for a deeper comprehension of God's love. This love has brought us into existence, has redeemed us, and has given us a special mission in life. God in His love is ever with me, preserving me in life, asking me to accept Him more and more, desiring to take deeper possession of me in grace. God loves me, and He is my supporting rock, the one who will never fail me, the only one who can be my complete fulfillment.

    God is the tremendous lover. And yet, we know that only too often we fail to respond to Him as we should. But we must keep trying. We must keep trying to fulfill more completely the commandment Christ has given us: "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. . .' " (Mt 22:34-40).

    St. Francis de Sales, a great spiritual master and a Doctor of the Church, aptly describes how we are to love God: "We have two principal ways of exercising our love for God; the first is affective and the second effective, or as St. Bernard calls it, active. By the first we have affection for God and what he loves. By the second we serve God and do what he ordains. The first joins us to God's goodness; the second enables us to fulfill his will. The first fills us with complacence, benevolence, and spiritual impulses, desires, aspirations, and fervors, and causes us to use the sacred infusions and minglings of our spirit with that of God. The second pours into us the solid resolution, firm courage, and inviolable obedience required to carry out the ordinances of God's will, and to suffer, accept, approve, and embrace all that comes from his good pleasure."¹

    Father Joseph de Guilbert gives another excellent version of the distinction and connection between affective (internal) love and effective (external) love: "From what has been said about the Christian life being more perfect in proportion as charity elicits or commands the free acts of man in a more universal, actual, and intense manner, it follows that this perfection depends primarily on the exercise of affective charity. For if that disposition of charity does not inform the soul in some way, even the external acts which are perfectly performed in their own order will be of no supernatural value: and if this disposition is slothfully evoked or influences only weakly the external acts, then the acts will be of little value. But when the disposition is aroused energetically and has strong influence, then the external acts will be of great value. And if in such acts there are any imperfections arising from a source independent of the will (invincible ignorance or some physical or moral impossibility), the supernatural value of the acts will not in any way be lessened."²

    Besides showing the connection between affective and effective love, these words of de Guibert indicate the primary requirement for dynamic progress in the Christian life. Love of God and neighbor must more and more influence everything we do. This love must become more actual, more conscious. Of course, all this must take place without strain. But we cannot equate strain and effort. It takes effort to live increasingly in a spirit of actual love. Sometimes a great effort is required. If we are not willing to pay the price of love, we will never develop into the Christians we are destined to become.

    How do we know if we are loving as we should? If interior (affective) love is the more important, it is not always easy to judge. We have a tendency to confuse our feelings with our wills. If we feel completely dry, or even burdened with a sense of repugnance concerning our Christian lives, we tend to think that we are not loving God properly. Consequently, the best criterion we often have for judging our love of God and neighbor is the manner in which our interior love incarnates itself in external action. If, with the help of God's grace, we are doing our reasonable best to implement God's will in all the various dimensions of our existence, then we can be assured that we are loving as we ought.

    Finally, we should be aware that God intends our love for Him to be focused in Christ, for it is in Him that God loves us and calls for our loving response. It is in Christ that we are being constantly led to a deeper love of the three divine persons. "For I am certain of this: neither death nor life, no angel, no prince, nothing that exists, nothing still to come, not any power, or height or depth, nor any created thing, can ever come between us and the love of God made visible in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Rm 8:38-39).

 
         3. Love of Man

"My dear people, let us love one another since love comes from God and everyone who loves is begotten by God and knows God. Anyone who fails to love can never have known God, because God is love.  . . . Anyone who says, 'I love God', and hates his brother, is a liar, since a man who does not love the brother that he can see cannot love God, whom he has never seen. So this is the commandment that he has given us, that anyone who loves God must also love his brother." (1 Jn 4:7-21).

    Our God is a God who knows and loves. This divine knowing and loving exists not only among the divine persons themselves. Father, Son and Holy Spirit also go out in knowledge and love to man and the rest of creation. Consequently, since our life in Christ is a share in God's life, we are called to love not only God, but also man and the rest of creation. The Christian has structured within his life of grace this deep desire – sometimes very latent – to give himself to his fellowman in various forms of love. If this desire is not thwarted, it can truly help change the face of the earth.

    What are some of the characteristics of our love for others? First of all, our love of neighbor should exclude no one. It should embrace every single person the world over. As Christ's love for man was universal, so must ours be. And as Christ truly achieved good for men in His love for them, so must we. In other words, in our universal love for men we must be willing to act to help promote their good. We can at least do this in our prayer for their various material and spiritual needs. This constitutes no slight contribution of love, for prayer is one of the great means of channeling God's gifts to the world.

    Secondly, our love for man must take the form of a life service in one form or other. Christ came to serve. He was fully the man for others. Can our lives be orientated in any other direction? Through our lives of loving service we make our contribution to God's creative and redemptive effort. God's love brought about creation and redemption. Our love united to His continues the process. Man and his universe are making their way back to the Father in Christ through the dynamism of love. It is interesting to note that this fact is at the heart of Teilhard de Chardin's cosmic evolutionary process in Christ.³ Teilhard, in contemporary thought patterns, is enunciating a traditional Christian truth.

    Whatever the service is that we offer – as engineer, as doctor, as priest, as teacher, as mother, as nurse – it must be permeated with love. If it is not, it does not achieve its full effect in promoting God's creative and redemptive efforts. 

    At times it is only the motive of love which will keep a person faithful to his particular form of loving service. What but a deep love for her children supports a woman who has been deserted by her husband? What but a deep love of God and man can make a young man give up his family, the prospect of marriage, his homeland – all so that he may become a missionary priest? What but a deep love for the underprivileged can support an inner city worker amidst the squalor, the disease, the bitterness, the hopelessness which he meets daily? No, redemption cannot be continued without love – God's love or ours.

    There is a final point concerning our service of love. We serve not only as individuals. At times we will be able to make our greatest contribution as a member of a group. This is an application of the communal dimension of Christianity. This common service could be as a member of a parish or civic organization, as a member of a religious order or a secular institute. There are numerous possibilities. One important thing members of such groups must realize: it takes love, sometimes great love, to remain properly selfless in group activity. There is no room in such group enterprises for the person who is always mistakenly looking for the wrong type of self-fulfillment at the expense of the particular organization. He who seeks his life shall lose it, and he who loses his life shall find it.

    There is a third characteristic which must accompany our love for others. We must be willing to love without receiving love in return. This is a hard lesson for us to learn, but a most necessary one. Our Christian love is a participation in the love of Christ. And what is one outstanding feature of Christ's love? He has first loved man, and He has not always been loved in return. Yet Christ continues to love. In our love for others we also must be willing to take the initiative. God in His providence wants us to receive love from others also. But if this love seems to be lacking at times, or only faintly manifest, then God can supply for the lack. The important thing is that we ourselves keep on trying to love. 

    There is another characteristic of our love for man which pertains to those whom we directly encounter. Our love for these persons must manifest an appropriate human warmth. We are supposed to love God and man with our entire being. This means, in part, that our love is emotional. This is the way Christ as man loved, with His entire human nature. In the proper sense, Christ was a deeply emotional man. He wept in love over Jerusalem, and He wept in love at the tomb of Lazarus. We know also that the children loved to flock to Christ. He must have been a warm personality, for children shy away from those who are cold and austere. Our love, like that of Christ, must also be properly influenced by the emotions. Otherwise it is not a fully human love, and, therefore, not a fully Christian love. 

    In regard to our direct encounter with others, it is necessary that we be cognizant of another very important point. To a considerable extent, these persons experience God's love for them through ourselves and others like us. This is an application of the law of incarnation. God has loved man through the tangible, visible humanity of Christ. Christ no longer walks this earth, but the same principle holds true. We Christians are extensions of the heavenly Christ. In union with Christ we help in continuing the tangible, visible presence of God's love in this world. Through the love of our visible, concrete persons we continue incarnational love. In loving those whom I directly encounter in this manner – and let us remember I can love a person with a basic Christian love without "liking" things about him – I help to give them the courage to be and to become. Love received is a powerful force in developing the goodness in a person. Truly, when I love a person I help that person become what God destines him to be.

    Furthermore, we in part show our love for others by allowing them to love us. A person grows by loving. In receiving love from others, therefore, we are loving them by giving them this opportunity to grow. We ourselves need this love which others give us. We are not self-sufficient beings; we are social beings who need others in so many different ways in going to the Father in Christ. We have to learn to open ourselves up to others and allow ourselves to be loved by them. At times in our pride we shrink away from this truth: that we need others – a need, of course, which must be always regulated by God's will. But we must resist these moments of pride that tell us we are self-sufficient. Remember, no man is an island.

 
         4. Love of Friendship

 
        a) The Nature of Friendship

In the course of our daily lives we encounter many people, and some of these we encounter rather regularly. We can thus establish amicable relationships with a number of people. We can say therefore that we have many friends. But full, deep friendship, friendship in the stricter sense of the word, is another matter. For various reasons it seems that we can establish this sort of relationship only with a relatively small number of individuals. However, whatever may be the degree and kind of friendship, it is a gift from God. It has its place in the Christian life. Friendship, in fact, is one of the great forms of Christian love. Christ Himself has shown us this. Christ, too, had friends, such as Lazarus, Martha and Mary.

    What is friendship, especially in the stricter sense of the word? It is a mutual self-giving in love. By the mutual gift of one another, friends desire to promote the good of one another. Although I-thou encounters are not limited to friendship, what M. Nédoncelle says concerning these relationships certainly can be applied here: ". . . love is a will to promotion. The I that loves is willing above all the existence of the thou. . ."⁴

    As with all forms of true love, the love for a friend above all desires the total good of that friend. In my love for a friend I desire that this person become everything that he or she can become. But in my love for a friend I not only desire his total development. In the love of friendship I also give myself in a very direct, personal and intimate way to help achieve this growth.

    This desire to give myself to the friend necessitates that the friend also love me. For I cannot give myself fully to the other unless that person reciprocally loves me and opens himself to receive my love. Consequently, the love of friendship means a decision to love and be loved on the part of both involved. "For friendship, it is not sufficient that I love another directly as myself; to be friendship, my love of benevolence must be explicitly reciprocated. Friendship exists only between those who love one another."⁵

    One of the most distinctive qualities of friendship is this mutual love which is given in complete freedom.⁶ Friends are united in a love which does not depend on a tie such as marriage. Friends are radically free to desist loving one another with the love of friendship at any time: yet the fact that they continue to love is one of the glories of friendship. This is not to say that each and every friendship perennially endures. At times, one or both decide for various reasons to end the friendship. But, ideally, friendship is forever. This points up the necessity of not entering lightly into a friendship. Full, deep friendship is an important human relationship, and it should be treated accordingly.

    Through their mutual love friends can give profound support to one another. To know that I am accepted and loved by another in friendship helps give me the courage to make my full contribution to Christ and to man. Friends look at life together, and they live life together. This is why there must be a basic affinity between friends, a basic set of common ideals and goals. Otherwise the close union of friendship does not seem possible. On the other hand, this basic affinity does not exclude all differences. Each person in the friendship is an unique individual, and he will give his individuality to the other with the inevitable differences which distinguish one person from another. These personal differences, properly blended into the unity of friendship, help to enrich the encounter.

    Friendship is a form of love, and therefore it is a life. As with all life, friendship must be properly nourished. Otherwise, it will wither and die. Each person must realize his responsibility in keeping the friendship alive and healthy. Notice, we are not saying that there should be a morbid anxiety on the part of friends concerning the perdurability of their encounter. We are merely stating that friends, while resting assured in their mutual love, can never afford to take one another for granted, in the pejorative sense of this phrase.

 
        b) Man-Woman Friendships

Some seem to distrust friendships between men and women, unless, of course, these are part of the integral pattern leading to marriage. Is this a correct attitude? We should examine the question, since it is of particular contemporary concern.⁷

    In giving an answer to this question there are two extremes which should be avoided. One extreme says that to achieve personal fulfillment every man and woman must have a deep interpersonal relationship with a person of the opposite sex. If this is not achieved through marriage, it must be achieved through a celibate form of interpersonal communion. The other extreme says that an intimate personal relationship with a person of the opposite sex must always be considered suspect for the unmarried, whether they be priests, religious or laity. Let us briefly examine these two extreme positions.

    There are countless examples of unmarried men and women in the Church who have achieved Christian maturity, including personality development, without intimate, hetero-sexual relationships. This is a fact which is true today, as it has been in the past also. Simply stated, the facts do not substantiate the claim of those who maintain that, whether married or not, every man needs a woman and every woman needs a man. 

    The opposite opinion which condemns every intimate man-woman relationship beyond the vocation of marriage is equally false. Here again, the facts are the proof. There are classical examples of deep friendship involving celibate men and women. Included in such a list are St. Francis de Sales and St. Jane Frances de Chantal, Jordan of Saxony and Diana of Andalo. St. Ignatius Loyola also had friends who were women, and, close to our own day, Teilhard de Chardin maintained a deep, personal relationship with his cherished cousin. The history of the Church, past and present, proves that God's providence can lead certain celibate men and women to meaningful and very beneficial friendships with those of the opposite sex. It is a testimony to God's grace that these friendships can exist, and even become very profound, while the erotic element is properly sublimated. This is not to say that all man-woman friendships among those vowed to celibacy have remained noble, but what other gift of God to man has not also been abused?

    Among other values, such friendships give an eschatological witness to eternal life. In heaven there will be no marriage. But all the saved, whether male or female, will be deeply united in love, not only with God, but also with one another. Consequently, the fact that these relationships are not intended for every celibate man and woman does not mean they are not intended for any of them. If this type of friendship is to remain authentically Christian, however, the persons involved must be committed to a desire for progress in the Christian life. They must have already achieved a certain degree of spiritual and affective maturity, and they should have some worthwhile goal that transcends their own relationship. The achievement of this goal, in fact, is meant to be promoted by their friendship.

    Without becoming anxious, and while not overemphasizing possible dangers involved, those engaged in a man-woman friendship should be realistic and be guided by the virtue of prudence. If one feels reasonably assured that such a relationship is according to God's will, one may prudently expose himself to possible risks involved.

 
        c) Friendship as a School of Love

Friendship is a form of Christian love. It is therefore intended by God to help make me a Christian who loves more sincerely, more deeply, more selflessly. Friendships are not meant to close in upon themselves. Through friendship we should be learning how to go out of ourselves anew in love to God and man. This is true because I cannot authentically love a friend without at the same time growing in my capacity to relate more deeply in love to God and others. In friendship I should be learning how to love more perfectly.

    Since friendship is a school of love, it is evident why it cannot be exclusive. A friendship which makes me less loving towards others needs examination. Although, I have a special love for my friends, exclusiveness must be avoided. Jealousy or neglect of duty arising from a friendship are other indications that not all is right with the relationship. These and other possible negative characteristics should not overly surprise us if they appear, especially in a minor way. If they appear, they are merely a sign that we are still learning to love, and that at times we fail to some extent. However, negative characteristics, especially those of a serious nature, must be either eliminated or properly controlled. If there is a case of a serious disorder which cannot be corrected, the course of action seems obvious. The friendship – or what was a friendship – should be terminated, for the relationship has ceased to be a form of real Christian love.

    As always, though, we should accentuate the positive. We should be optimistic about our friendships, confident that with God's grace they will always remain what they should be. This grace of God has been made concrete for us in the person of Christ. For the Christian, Christ should be present in every friendship. It is in His presence and with His help that our friendships are to be rooted. In this way they will flourish and become more beneficial, more profound and more beautiful.

 
         5. Christian Love Exercised According to the Various Vocations

Since the Christian life is rooted in love, all of its various vocations are primarily vocations to love. The single life in the world, the married life, the religious life and the priestly life, are all various life-forms in which the multiple dimensions of Christian love are to be exercised and experienced. In this context of Christian love we will make brief observations concerning each of these vocations.

    Some choose to remain single; others have to resign themselves to such a vocation. In either case the committed Christian will positively choose to use the single state in a loving service of God and man. If such a positive choice is made, the single state can be a very meaningful life of dedicated love, even visibly so. A single person who has given such a witness is Dr. Thomas Dooley, the young American doctor who gave his life to the poor, diseased, forgotten people in a far-off corner of the world.

    The lives of the vast majority of single persons will be much more hidden than that of Dr. Dooley. The important matter is that these also be lives of love. The single person should be convinced that he or she can make a contribution to the Church that those in other vocations cannot. This type of life can be a full and happy one despite the inevitable loneliness which at times will make itself felt. This loneliness can to a large extent be offset by the formation of meaningful friendships and other healthy personal encounters. In such relationships the single person can receive the acceptance and love which in part will help him to grow in his particular form of Christian life.

    As we turn our attention to the vocation of marriage, we immediately notice a significant difference which distinguishes this vocation from the others. Marriage is a life-form of love which binds two human beings in the closest union possible. This fact gives a very definite structure to the manner in which man and wife approach the Christian life.

    Union in marriage first of all gives a basic orientation to one's stance before God. Ideally, it is a question of approaching God in various ways with another person. This, of course, does not mean that a married person does not often approach God just as does the non-married. But the undeniable truth does remain. Married people in many ways stand together before God in love, and together receive His love.

    By their exercise of married love, man and wife should be growing in the capacity of loving God and receiving His love. For in learning to give themselves as completely as possible to one another spiritually, physically, and in every other way, man and wife should be learning how to give themselves more perfectly to God. And in opening themselves to one another's love, they should be learning to open themselves more authentically to God's love.

    The married have to be related in love not only to God, to one another, and to their children, but also to all men – and to some in a very direct manner. Here again marriage is a school of love. Man and wife in their mutual sharing of love are to learn how to give and receive love in reference to those outside the family circle. They should realize their responsibility as married persons in contributing to the building of a better world influenced by the truth of Christ. Man and wife, precisely because of their married love, have their own special responsibility to love man and his world. They have received a gift in one another's love, and this gift is meant to overflow into the world of men. The married love of husband and wife is intended not only to enrich their own lives, but those of many others, who are the recipients of their capacity to love, a capacity which is increased by the proper exercise of married and parental love.

    Finally, we now consider the celibate love of priests and religious. This type of love is also a life-form of loving. This form of Christian loving has its own particular contribution to make to the Church and world. One facet of this contribution is the powerful witness value of celibate love. The celibate priest and religious give an unmistakable manifestation that God has entered this world and given Himself in love to man. For celibate love, with its renunciation of marriage, is a striking testimony that God can seize a person with His loving grace and enable that person to sacrifice one of man's most treasured gifts, marriage. This visible witness of God's love among us is always a necessity in the Church, and no other vocation can give this witness in the same way as can that of publicly professed celibacy.

    Another advantage attached to the celibate life is that it allows for a type of service to Church and world which marriage ordinarily does not allow. Celibacy gives a physical and material freedom which is not possible in marriage. A married person always has to be aware of his obligation to spouse and children. God intends such a person to render a service to Church and world which is compatible with these obligations. Inevitably, this usually means a certain limitation on the contributions the married vocation can make to the life of the Church, although, as already indicated, the service married couples are intended to give is great in its own way. What we are actually saying is that each vocation in the Church has its own limitations as it makes its own peculiar contribution to the work of Christ.   

    We believe that history proves our point concerning celibacy. The celibate life has played a major role in much of the apostolic work of the Church throughout the ages. It seems impossible that the same degree of apostolic service could have been achieved without religious and priestly celibacy. (Notice, that in regard to the priesthood, we are not claiming that a married clergy alongside a celibate clergy in the Western Church will not be able to make its own particular contribution if the Church eventually permits it.)

    In claiming that celibacy has attached to it a peculiar freedom which is meant to allow a more universal type of service given to one's fellowman, we are not pretending that this freedom to love and serve has not at times been hindered, sometimes severely so. As Church structures are renewed, we must strive to eliminate those unnecessary obstacles which have exteriorly hindered priests and religious from rendering the type of service to man which their celibate life-form itself permits. Notice, we speak of an exterior hindrance. For no one and no structure can ever prevent one from loving interiorly. In God's plan of redemption this interior love has its own great salvific force.

    There is a final point we wish to make in reference to the celibate love of religious life. We refer to the various types of personal encounter which are possible both within and without the religious community. For many, many years deep friendship between fellow religious was looked upon askance by many. It was thought that such a relationship detracted from the universal love which a religious should have for all members of the religious family. This theory is based upon a false psychology and theology of love. We have observed above that friendship is a school of love. The love of friendship helps increase my capacity to love God and all others. To the extent that a friendship does not make me a person with a capacity to love everyone more deeply, to that degree it is less a real friendship. Authentic friendships between fellow religious, then, ultimately make for the greater happiness and union in love of the entire religious family. Furthermore, there is no reason why a religious should not have the opportunity of forming friendships with those outside his or her own religious community.

    In conclusion, we repeat that every state of life within the Church is fundamentally a particular life-form of Christian love. According to his vocation it is the primary task of the Christian to open himself to God's love and to respond to that love, to love man and to open himself to receive love from other human persons. These various dimensions of love are at the heart of our participation in Christ's death-resurrection. It is in trying to love properly that we really learn what it means to die with Christ. Receiving God's love and giving ourselves in return can cost us much, very much, at times. And to love others and open ourselves to their love can involve its own share of pain, hurt and frustration. Yes, to love properly truly means to die with Christ. Yet more importantly, to love properly also means to share in His Resurrection, His newness of life. Life here and hereafter is essentially a life of love. Without love there is no real happiness, no real joy, no real peace. If we are not willing to pay the price of loving, then we do not really wish to experience life in its fullness. For the Christian especially, to live is to love.

_______
 
       1. St. Francis de Sales, On the Love of God, Vol. 1, Bk. 6, Ch. 1 (New York: Doubleday Image Books, 1963), p. 267.
       2. Joseph de Guibert, The Theology of the Spiritual Life (New York: Sheed & Ward, 1953), p. 53.
       3. Cf. R. Faricy, Teilhard de Chardin's Theology of the Christian in the World (New York: Sheed & Ward, 1967), pp. 185-196.
       4. M. Nédoncelle, Love and the Person (New York: Sheed & Ward, 1966), p. 8.
       5. Robert Johann, The Meaning of Love (Glen Rock, New Jersey: Paulist Press, 1966), p. 46.
       6. Cf. L. Vander Kerken, Loneliness and Love (New York: Sheed & Ward, 1967), pp. 129-130.
       7. Cf. Eugene Kennedy, Fashion Me a People (New York: Sheed & Ward, 1967), pp. 93-108.

 

 

 

 

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