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                Readings from Mass today

1 John 4: 7-11

My dear friends,
let us love one another,
since love is from God
and everyone who loves
    is a child of God and knows God.
Whoever fails to love does not know God,
because God is love.
This is the revelation
   of God’s love for us,
that God sent his only Son into the world
that we might have life through him.
Love consists in this:
it is not we who loved God,
but God loved us and sent his Son
to expiate our sins.
My dear friends,
if God loved us so much,
we too should love one another.
 

1 John 3: 16-18

This is the proof of love, 
that he laid down his life for us, 
and we too ought to lay down our lives 
    for our brothers. 
If anyone is well–off 
    in worldly possessions 
and sees his brother in need 
but closes his heart to him, 
how can the love of God 
    be remaining in him? 
Children, 
our love must be not just words 
    or mere talk, 
but something active and genuine.

                R. God has put us here to love, to grow to be
                what He wants us to be in His Plan. He has
                a plan for us.

                    We live deeper and deeper in His truth.
                We seek the truth. We seek the truth about
                the world and where there is error so we
                stay rooted in the truth.

                We want the truth about ourselves and others.
                What does God expect of me in the going out in
                relationships with others. How am I to be
                with the others in my life in the eyes of God,
                how am I furthering His Kingdom in the
                Church; how am I furthering His Kingdom
                in the world.

                    I don't just see selfishly myself — I see
                myself as God's child that He has a Plan for
                me. I am constantly strengthen by Him, I am
                living to love and to serve Him. I am His.
                The more I die to my selfish ways, the more
                I see myself through His eyes, His Plan for
                me.

                My thoughts must be the thoughts He wants
                me to have. They are not rooted in jealousies,
                old wounds, envy, pride, negative thoughts
                about proving myself right to others and
                the world.

                    I operate as His agent in the world, living
                His life, death and resurrection in my life
                and bringing that life of resurrection to
                others.

                    My life is important. I am one with Him
                united to the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass at every
                moment. In this I am one with the Triune God,
                Father, Son and Holy Spirit; I am united to Mary as
                my spiritual Mother, there is a oneness with the angels
                and saints and the souls in purgatory and a oneness
                with all of humanity — the souls of the earth.
                To be one in God, is to have this unity in our
                hearts to heaven and earth. Prayer, consecration
                to the Hearts of Jesus and Mary helps me to have this
                oneness with God, living in the Father's will,
                living in love, loving God and others
                and serving God.

                Living in His mystery, seeking knowledge of this
                mystery more and more, knowing there is so
                much to know and seeking it — not being stagnated
                in a routine that is just operating in a
                comfortable cubby hole.

                    I am unsettled from the standpoint I am
                always becoming, being molded more and more
                by the Divine Potter into that image and
                likeness of God.

                    It is like my life is waiting at a Bus
                Stop and my bus has GOD'S WILL on
                it. I don't take the buses marked with
                other routes.

                R. I see with His eyes —
                I see the green rolling hills
                I see the life in the smallest potato bug —
                I see age old trees with their beauty —
                I see the beauty of a single rain drop —
                The fur on a little fuzzy leaf —
                A bug that is pollinating a flower

                The symmetry of the universe —
                    a droplet of water —
                    the back of an insect —
                    the intricacies in a potato bug,
                    the wings and eyes and feet on animals,
                    the trees so high and grass so low

                The mystery of one far greater than us that
                    created this beautiful world and

                I am like a child who sees with wonder
                    all there is to see —

                My eyes are not coated over with dark
                    debris, nor half closed to the beauty
                    and wonder of the mystery of God
                    and His Creation —

                I am alive

                My vision is bright

                The door to my heart open —

                I see with magnified eyes — God's
                wonder, the beauty of the sunset, the
                moon in the sky, the waves on the
                ocean —
  

                R. The devil wants us shut down, fearing, not
                    even seeing what is around us,
                    the beauty of all of the land and water of
                    this earth —

                The wonder of a child, not a year
                    communicating with us - learning
                    to walk,
                    the 2 year old - using sentences WOW
                    the logic of a 3 and 4 year old —
                    the skills of the little fingers of these toddlers
                        learning and in awe

                Learning —
                Yes we are learning —

                I will never exhaust God's mystery —
                My eyes are open in my own life —
                    how I was born, and learned to be loved
                    by mom and dad and the family and
                    how I learned to give love —

                Wow —

                My whole life lived in a milieu of love —
                    like shadows passing in the night —
                    they come and go and my heart is
                    expanded by it all —

                Death / Resurrection —

                Seeing His Plan —

                Our lives lived as a single breath —
                    yet we were little, then in
                    our prime, then slowing down
                    to smell more roses and bask more and
                    more in the light of truth —

                Busy, Busy He says —

                Do we busy ourselves and miss the
                    view —

                Do we miss reality —

                That God created us and it's His world
                    and we live to know, love and
                    serve Him —

                But oh - we missed the beautiful creek
                    in the path, between the tall trees,
                    Somehow we were irritated that it
                    even dared to enter our busy lives —

                How does a person who was so beautiful
                    deal with loss of hair after chemo therapy —

                They know they live —

                The cancer is gone, they don't feel like
                    they once did, but they can feel life
                    that they are so grateful for, when
                    before they had abundant life and
                    didn't feel it at all.

                And the crowning glory of the hair that
                    can be lost in treatment —

                Dear God, please give me the grace to serve
                    You and love You today. Help me to be
                    your instrument in the world.
                    Let me spend that time with You
                    to put the fragmented messages of
                    this world into the right message
                    of knowing Your will —

                I never knew tumble weed, but I see
                    something being tossed in the wind
                    and blown here and there —

                Dear God help me to let go to You that I
                    know You have a plan for my
                    life — You want me to know the
                    joy of living — of being able to
                    do what I can do for You and have
                    joy in living —
                    joy in giving —
                    joy in all I do —

                It is a good life - given to us by God —

                Given the vast sky, the rolling fields,
                    the awesome waters that surround us —
                    the rain and the wind —
                    the sun and the hot and cold —
                    the breezes —
                    the air so fresh —

                Why did God let men have i-phones
                    now and they didn't have phones
                    at all in some time in our
                    lives —

                Does the discoveries make man blind
                    many times to God's beautiful
                    creation —

                Are we focusing on the interior life
                    and relationship with God and
                    others are we
                    getting bogged down in electrical
                    communication and some
                    forgetting God made us with
                    faces to see and hands to
                    touch, arms to hug —

                Do we see Mary's eyes

                R. She appears with eyes of many types,
                    closed, open, one bigger,
                    the Sacred Heart in one

                R. Does she show us her eyes, because
                    we need to see through her
                    loving eyes — TRUTH —
                    REALITY as God wants us to see —

                Are we forgetting about what life really
                    is —

                Life is not life, if it is not rooted in Him —

                Life - what a gift to a person with terminal
                    cancer —

                Why isn't life such a gift, many times,
                    to the healthy —

                Let our hearts beat to Your band God —

                Not beat to the fallacious drumming in
                    this world —

                Let us see with eyes that are open —
                Not one open and one half shut — 

                R. Let us see that the trees go into
                    dormancy that were once
                    filled with foliage —

                Let us see and thank God for our
                    Church, the priest —
                    That God is truly present in
                        the Eucharist, in His
                        Divinity and humanity —
                    That He gives us a sharing in His life and
                    That He feeds this life with Himself.

                Let us see —
                Let us see —
                Let us see —

                Song: See the Eyes That Look at Mary

                Song: A Song from Jesus

                Let us see

                Let us live in Him

Excerpt from Priestly Newsletter 1998 - ISSUE FOUR

    Shortly before he was to die from cancer, Joseph Cardinal Bernardin left us these inspiring words about peace: "It is the first day of November, and fall is giving way to winter. Soon the trees will lose the vibrant colors of their leaves and snow will cover the ground. The earth will shut down, and people will race to and from their destinations bundled up for warmth. Chicago winters are harsh. It is a time of dying.

    "But we know that spring will soon come with all its new life and wonder.

    "It is quite clear that I will not be alive in the spring. But I will soon experience new life in a different way...

    "What I would like to leave behind is a simple prayer that each of you may find what I have found—God's special gift to us all: the gift of peace. When we are at peace, we find the freedom to be most fully who we are, even in the worst of times. We let go of what is non-essential and embrace what is essential. We empty ourselves so that God may more fully work within us. And we become instruments in the hands of the Lord."³

---

Notes:

3. Joseph Cardinal Bernardin, The Gift of Peace, Loyola University Press, pp. 151-153.

Shepherds of Christ

A Spirituality Newsletter for Priests

1999 - ISSUE TWO

CONTENTS

• His Body, the Church

• Assimilation to Jesus

• The Eucharist

• The Holy Spirit and Mary

• Priesthood

• Prayer

• Words from Henri Nouwen

• Various Thoughts

• Trust in the Lord

• The Christian and the Social Order

• A Prayer for Priests

• Act of Consecration

• Letters

• Notes

• Masthead

Chief Shepherd of the Flock

His Body, the Church

I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd is one who lays down his life for his sheep. The hired man, since he is not the shepherd and the sheep do not belong to him, abandons the sheep and runs away as soon as he sees a wolf coming, and then the wolf attacks and scatters the sheep; this is because he is only a hired man and has no concern for the sheep. I am the good shepherd; I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for my sheep. (Jn 10:11-15¹)

Yes, the Good Shepherd has laid down His life for us. He gave His life so that we might have life in Him. This life we gloriously possess in Christ, we live within the Church. The Church herself came forth from the pierced side of Jesus. Vatican II tells us: "For it was from the side of Christ as He slept the sleep of death upon the cross that there came forth the wondrous sacrament which is the whole Church."²

There follow various thoughts concerning the Church.

• St. Paul speaks to us concerning the Church as the Body of Christ: For as with the human body which is a unity although it has many parts—all the parts of the body, though many, still making up one single body—so it is with Christ. We were baptised into one body in a single Spirit, Jews as well as Greeks, slaves as well as free men, and we were all given the same Spirit to drink. (l Cor 12:12-13)
  
  Now Christ’s body is yourselves, each of you with a part to play in the whole (1 Cor 12:27).

• The Church considered as Body of Christ certainly emphasizes the sense of corporateness that should permeate the consciousness of the Church’s members. We must think in terms of both what is good for the entire Church and, through this Church, what is good for the total human community. Even when we disagree among ourselves, we do so not because we want to glory in having the upper hand, but because we believe that to disagree here and now is necessary so that the truth might emerge for the good of the community. St. Paul speaks to us about this sense of corporateness: So if in Christ there is anything that will move you, any incentive in love, any fellowship in the Spirit, any warmth or sympathy—I appeal to you, make my joy complete by being of a single mind, one in love, one in heart and one in mind.
  
  Nothing is to be done out of jealousy or vanity; instead, out of humility of mind everyone should give preference to others, everyone pursuing not selfish interests but those of others. (Phil 2:1-4)
  
  In our sense of corporateness, that is, as we are motivated by a common purpose and a common good, we should learn to rejoice in the gifts and achievements of others. These are not isolated gifts and achievements. Rather, they redound to the good of the whole body. We all probably know of numerous instances of jealousy and a false sense of competition that have harmed the work of the Church. If the work of Christ is being accomplished, and if I am striving to do my part, does it really matter whether I or someone else is responsible for this or that particular accomplishment? Does it matter whether this or that group, or organization receives credit?
  
  St. Paul again has words for us: For what is Apollos and what is Paul? The servants through whom you come to believe, and each has only what the Lord has given him. I did the planting, Apollos did the watering, but God gave growth. (1 Co 3:5-6)

• The Church continues the work of the Incarnation. With Christ as the Head of His Body, the Church, she continues the life and the work of Jesus according to the pattern and characteristics of Christ Himself. Because Christ’s existence was centered in death-resurrection, so also is the Church’s existence centered in death-resurrection.

• Fr. Avery Dulles, S.J., tells us: "The Church therefore is…a sign. It must signify in a historically tangible form the redeeming grace of Christ. It signifies that grace as relevantly given to men of every age, race, kind, and condition."³
  
  God in His love was in a pre-eminent manner signified by Jesus in His incarnation.
  
  Pope John Paul II says: "Making the Father present as love and mercy is, in Christ’s own consciousness, the fundamental touchstone of his mission as the Messiah…"⁴
  
  Because the Church continues the mission of Jesus, she also must above all signify, or give witness to, love. The Church must give witness to God’s merciful love for us and our response of love, a response which includes love of God, neighbor and self.

• Vatican II points out to us: "…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. For the goal of apostolic works is that all who are made sons of God by faith and baptism should come together to praise God in the midst of His Church, to take part in her sacrifice, and to eat the lord’s supper." ⁵

• The community which is Church is a terrestrial reflection of the ultimate and absolute community—The Blessed Trinity. The Trinitarian community is a community of profound relationships. Because the Church reflects Trinitarian community, we, her members, are intended to have relationships not only with the persons of the Trinity, but likewise with one another. Authentic interpersonal relationships not only unite in a deeper knowledge and love the persons directly involved. They also make a person more capable of loving all others more deeply and, therefore, more capable of helping to deepen the bonds of community.

• Speaking to us concerning the maternal role of the Church regarding us, Henri de Lubac says: "Whether it is a question of the entire history of the human race or each of our individual lives, it can never be said that Christ is completed in any of us. In consequence, the maternal action of the Church towards us never ceases…Her mission of giving birth always remains. We do not cease to draw life from her…
  
  "One consequence resulting from this is of great significance. We know Saint Paul teaches that since the fullness of time has come to pass we are no longer children, enslaved by the elements of the world or imprisoned under custody of the law. For us the time of pedagogues is past. According to the logic of our faith, we must become adults in Christ. On the other hand, Jesus said, In truth I tell you, unless you change and become like little children you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. (Mt 18:3). At first glance, these two instructions might appear contradictory. But they are not at all. Nor will we merely say that it is possible to reconcile them, that the Christian can become an adult and still preserve a childlike spirit. Such language would be completely inadequate. In reality, we must speak, not of reconciliation, but of correlation. The more the Christian becomes an adult in Christ, as Saint Paul understands this, the more also does the spirit of childhood blossom within him, as Jesus understands it. Or, if you prefer, it is in deepening this childlike spirit that the Christian advances to adulthood, penetrating ever deeper, if we can put it this way, into the womb of his mother."⁶

• Fr. Gerald Vann, O.P., speaks movingly about our life in the Church:
  
  "If you live in the Church and try to use the power of the Church to increase the life of the Church, then the power of the Church will make you yourself whole; and in your wholeness you will help to make your family and make your world. But you will be building for a more than earthly beatitude because you will be building the city which is eternal. Here you build in shadow, you build for a future which is invisible, and so you can only build in hope. And often your plans will be wrecked and your dreams come crashing about your ears, and you will need the strength of the Rock which is Christ to give you patience and fortitude…
  
  "…And when death has come to you…the Church will bless you for the life you have added to it, and there will be men to heed you better than they did when you were here…
  
  " But you, for your part, will be no longer in the shadow but in the glory of the Light inaccessible; you will be in the City that is yours because you helped to build it; you will see Him at last as He is, and be wholly with Him; and you will have no more any mourning or weeping or any other sorrow, for all these former things will have been transmuted into happiness and peace, and you will walk with Him—together with all those you have helped to bring to Him, even until the end of the world—you will walk with Him in happiness for ever, in the cool of the eternal evening."⁷

Assimilation to Jesus

The spiritual life is centered in assimilation to Jesus. Here are words which offer insight into our life in Christ: "No mere human courage carried even to the highest degree could rise to the strength of soul needed to carry into practice the principles of life on which the Man-God acted. Mere conviction that His way and His conduct are most excellent and most worthy of imitation, is not sufficient for us. It is more disheartening than inspiring to have to approve and yet to be unable to imitate. And admiration that does not lead to imitation is a sterile thing. The Christian by his very vocation is called to express Christ in his own life. To do this demands a divine energy. That energy is, in a mysterious manner, latent in the mysteries of the Savior’s life on earth. These mysteries are quasi-sacramental in their character. Each is a manifestation of the divine. It is that and something more. For those, who by faith, lay hold of Christ in a willingness to be united with Him in act, the mystery possesses a divinizing power. It can make contact with the ordinary experiences of the Christian’s life and impart to them a superhuman dignity and worth.

"The mysteries of the life of Jesus are not dead, static…They are living and dynamic. They have been lived for the members of Christ. All the states that the Savior traversed, all the human experiences that he willed to go through, have for their purpose the sanctification of all that enters into a man’s deliberate life. These mysteries of His love accumulated vast reservoirs of merit in order to communicate this human-divine quality to the Christian’s doings and sufferings…

"That this divinizing process take place, there is required a willed contact between the individual and Christ. This contact is effected by the activity of the virtue of faith. It is perfected by sympathy and love. The Christian who wills to have the life of Christ develop in himself, must consent to ‘steep’ mind, imagination and heart in the earthly career of Jesus. He must aim at a sympathy with the Savior in all that he went through. He must strive to identify himself with the divine Master, to think with Him, to feel with Him, to judge with Him, to see with His eyes and to speak with His tongue. He must will to be as the Savior was in all these incidents…

"The Son of man is ever at the service of His brethren for their good. The transformation of their souls is His chief concern, though He is not indifferent to their bodily welfare. It is certain, then, that if a soul lays hold of Him in faith and trusts to receive an inflow of divine life through that contact, its expectations will be fulfilled. Christ Himself states that He came to give life. By life He meant the supernatural life of divine grace.

"Christ’s mysteries belong to all Christ’s members. To secure the advantages that follow from their privileged condition the members of Christ must deliberately aspire to harmonize thoughts, affections and aspirations with those of the Lord. They must try to be, in fact, one spirit with Him. It is this ‘Oneness’ in spiritual ideal that releases the streams of life accumulated through Christ’s merits and permits them to circulate through the soul…

"The events of the thirty-three years are not to be laid hold of by the Christian in the sense that he has to undergo exactly similar things. It is the spirit of these experiences that is important. And it is by putting that spirit into his own encounters with circumstances that the Christian posits the condition that enables the virtue and the merits of Christ to transmute his actions into something of divine worth. An excellent imitation of the Lord may be realized without demanding anything extraordinary in the way of poverty, sufferings, trials or persecutions." ⁸

The Eucharist

• At the Last Supper, on the night He was betrayed, our Saviour instituted the Eucharistic Sacrifice of His Body and Blood. He did this in order to perpetuate the sacrifice of the Cross throughout the centuries until He should come again, and so to entrust to His beloved spouse, the Church, a memorial of His death and resurrection: a sacrament of love, a sign of unity, a bond of charity, a paschal banquet in which Christ is consumed, the mind is filled with grace, and a pledge of future glory is given to us (Vatican II, Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, No. 17)⁹

• The Church, therefore, earnestly desires that Christ's faithful, when present at this mystery of faith, should not be there as strangers or silent spectators. On the contrary, through a proper appreciation of the rites and prayers they should participate knowingly, devoutly, and actively. They should be instructed by God’s word and be refreshed at the table of the Lord’s body; they should give thanks to God; by offering the Immaculate Victim, not only through the hands of the priest, but also with him, they should learn to offer themselves too. Through Christ the Mediator, they should be drawn day by day into ever closer union with God and with each other, so that finally God may be all in all. (Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, No. 48)¹⁰

• Through the Eucharistic Sacrifice Christ the Lord desired to set before us in a very special way this remarkable union whereby we are united one with another and with our divine Head, a union that no word of praise can ever sufficiently express. For in this sacrifice the sacred ministers act not only as the representative of our Saviour, but as the representative of the whole Mystical Body and of each one of the faithful. Again, in this act of sacrifice, the faithful of Christ, united by the common bond of devotion and prayer, offer to the eternal Father through the hands of the priest, whose prayer alone has made it present on the altar, the Immaculate Lamb, the most acceptable victim of praise and propitiation for the Church’s universal need. Moreover, just as the divine Redeemer, while dying on the Cross, offered Himself to the eternal Father as Head of the whole human race, so now, ‘in this clean oblation’ He not only offers Himself as Head of the Church to His heavenly Father but in Himself His mystical members as well. He embraces them all, yes, even the weaker and more ailing members, with the deepest love of His Heart. (Pope Pius XII, Mystici Corporis AAS, XXXV, 232-233)¹¹

• Fr. Slavko Barbaric, O.F.M., observes: "The spirit of the Eucharist implies willingness to offer ourselves to others. It means to oppose completely the spirit of pride and selfishness which accomplishes not peace but war, destruction, violence and killing…Everything we give through Eucharistic love is transformed into something beautiful and new and creates a new relationship." ¹²

• Pope John Paul II states: "This worship, given therefore to the Trinity of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, above all accompanies and permeates the celebration of the Eucharistic Liturgy. But it must fill our churches also outside the timetable of Masses. Indeed, since the Eucharistic Mystery was instituted out of love, and makes Christ sacramentally present, it is worthy of thanksgiving and worship. And this worship must be prominent in all our encounters with the Blessed Sacrament, both when we visit our churches and when the sacred species are taken to the sick and administered to them.
  
  "Adoration of Christ in this sacrament of love must also find expression in various forms of Eucharistic devotion: personal prayer before the Blessed Sacrament, Hours of Adoration, periods of exposition—short, prolonged and annual (Forty Hours) - Eucharistic benediction, Eucharistic processions, Eucharistic congresses. A particular mention should be made at this point of the Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ as an act of public worship rendered to Christ present in the Eucharist, a feast instituted by my predecessor Urban IV in memory of the institution of this great Mystery.
  
  "All this therefore corresponds to the general principles and particular norms already long in existence, but newly formulated during or after the Second Vatican Council.
  
  "…The Church and the world have a great need of Eucharistic worship. Jesus waits for us in this sacrament of love. Let us be generous with our time in going to meet Him in adoration and in contemplation that is full of faith and ready to make reparation for the great faults and crimes of the world. May our adoration never cease."¹³

The Holy Spirit and Mary

The late Archbishop Luis M. Martinez of Mexico strikingly speaks of the ongoing cooperation of Mary with the Holy Spirit regarding the reproduction of Jesus within us: "Christian life is the reproduction of Jesus in souls…

"Now, how will this mystical reproduction be brought about in souls? In the same way in which Jesus was brought into the world, for God gives a wonderful mark of unity to all His works. Divine acts have a wealth of variety because they are the work of omnipotence; nevertheless, a most perfect unity always shines forth from them because they are the fruit of wisdom; and this divine contrast of unity and variety stamps the works of God with sublime and unutterable beauty.

"In His miraculous birth, Jesus was the fruit of heaven and earth…The Holy Spirit conveyed the divine fruitfulness of the Father to Mary, and this virginal soul brought forth in an ineffable manner our most loving Savior, the divine Seed, as the prophets called Him…

"That is the way He is reproduced in souls. He is always the fruit of heaven and earth.

"Two artisans must concur in the work that is at once God’s masterpiece and humanity’s supreme product: the Holy Spirit and the most holy Virgin Mary. Two sanctifiers are necessary to souls, the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary, for they are the only ones who can reproduce Christ.

"Undoubtedly, the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary sanctify us in different ways. The first is the Sanctifier by essence: because He is God, who is infinite sanctity; because He is the personal Love that completes, so to speak, the sanctity of God, consummating His life and His unity, and it belongs to Him to communicate to souls the mystery of that sanctity. The Virgin Mary, for her part, is the co-operator, the indispensable instrument in and by God’s design. From Mary’s maternal relation to the human body of Christ is derived her relation to His Mystical Body which is being formed through all the centuries until the end of time, when it will be lifted up to the heavens, beautiful, splendid, complete, and glorious.

"These two, then, the Holy Spirit and Mary, are the indispensable sanctifiers of souls. Any saint in heaven can co-operate in the sanctification of a soul, but his co-operation is not necessary, not profound, not constant; while the co-operation of these two artisans of Jesus of whom we have been speaking is so necessary that without it souls are not sanctified (and this by the actual design of Providence), and so intimate that it reaches to the very depth of our soul. For the Holy Spirit pours charity into our heart, makes a habitation of our soul, and directs our spiritual life by means of His gifts. The Virgin Mary has the efficacious influence of Mediatrix in the most profound and delicate operations of grace in our souls. And, finally, the action of the Holy Spirit and the co-operation of the most holy Virgin Mary are constant; without them, not one single character of Jesus would be traced on our souls, no virtue grown, no gift be developed, no grace increased, no bond of union with God be strengthened in the rich flowering of the spiritual life.

"Such is the place that the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary have in the order of sanctification. Therefore, Christian piety should put these two artisans of Christ in their true place, making devotion to them something necessary, profound, and constant."¹⁴

Priesthood

• Fr. Richard Nahman, O.S.A., speaks incisively concerning the priest’s union with Jesus: "The priest, too, may accept Christ, have a deep affection for him, appreciate him as the completely loving Savior, Redeemer, Lord, etc., but if he has not developed the deep knowledge of Christ through attentive awareness, he may no longer be able to accept him as the unique, single other in union with whom he will attain his full identity as a person. And thus a conflict…a search for identity…
  
  "A priest constantly faces the fact that only with an absolute appreciation of the truth that he finds himself only by completely surrendering himself to Christ, that ‘he must increase by my decrease’, can he attain…meaning to his life."¹⁵

• The life of Fr. Eugene Hamilton was a most unique one. Among other things he was ordained a priest just three hours before he died of cancer. He had received special dispensation from Rome to be ordained despite the fact he had not finished the studies required for ordination. The dispensation notice included Pope John Paul’s blessing.
  
  Fr. Hamilton very much wanted to be a priest—and his wish was granted. He was not granted a priestly life made up of many years of ministry. But from the remarks of those who knew him well, one could say that, if he had lived a long priestly life, he most probably would have lived his years of ministry in a most fruitful way. All this gives those of us who are priests a chance to reflect on what is our sense of gratitude for the great gift of priesthood and on how well we use this gift in our daily existence.
  
  There follow some remarks of Fr. Hamilton’s brother, Tom, concerning the final moments of his priest-brother’s life. These remarks are found in Fr. Benedict Groeschel’s book, A Priest Forever, The Life of Father Eugene Hamilton: "At 5:00 p.m., my father arrived home…held Gene’s hand and didn’t say anything. He didn’t have to! Gene knew he was there. At one point, Gene said to my mother, ‘I’m going away now.’ My mother kept telling him that we would all be okay and he could go to Jesus. My mother kept repeating, ‘Jesus, Jesus, Jesus!’ Gene also mouthed the name of Jesus over and over again. While no sound came from his mouth, I saw his tongue move against his teeth and he mouthed ‘Jesus’ with my mother. During the last hour, I saw one or two tears roll down his face. They didn’t seem to be tears of pain or suffering. His anxiety and fear ended when my father came. He knew he was ordained a priest forever! The tears rolled down his cheeks as he was getting closer to death. During the last half hour before his death, Gene’s breathing slowed. His breath became shorter and shorter. At 7:04 p.m. Father Gene Hamilton was peaceful. It was a relief to see that his suffering was finally over."¹⁶

• Fr. Nicholas Cachia speaks to us about the priest as shepherd: "The priest is always conscious that the flock does not belong to him but to Christ who shed his blood for it. The priest was entrusted with something very dear to Christ and, thus, needs to care for the flock with great love and dedication. The under-shepherds who are intimately associated to Christ, the Good Shepherd, need to render an account of their ministry to him who is the Chief Shepherd of the flock. The measure of judgment will be one’s conformity or not to the example set by Jesus himself…
  
  "…Constantly open to the presence of the Holy Spirit within them, they are to grow in their communion with Jesus, as their Good Shepherd, and learn from him the ‘art of arts’ in leading, sustaining, instructing and protecting his sheep…"¹⁷

Prayer

Now it happened that Jesus was in one of the towns when suddenly a man appeared, covered with a skin-disease. Seeing Jesus he fell on his face and implored him saying, ‘Sir, if you are willing you can cleanse me.’ He stretched out his hand and touched him saying, ‘I am willing. Be cleansed.’ At once the skin-disease left him. He ordered him to tell no one, ‘But go and show yourself to the priest and make the offering for your cleansing just as Moses prescribed, as evidence to them’.But the news of him kept spreading, and large crowds would gather to hear him and to have their illnesses cured, but he would go off to some deserted place and pray. (Lk 5: 12-15)

All of us no doubt have told ourselves on more than one occasion that we were too busy to pray. We are speaking about set, formal periods of prayer. We are not speaking about prayer in action, or that prayerful attitude which should permeate our daily activity. Such prayer in action allows us to bring a deeper Christian awareness to what we are doing and why we are doing it.

We cannot tell ourselves that we are busier than Jesus was, that we have more important work to accomplish than He did. Yet, as the above Scripture passage reminds us, Jesus set aside special time for prayer. Many, many holy Christian men and women from all states of life have likewise always found the time to pray. Moreover, they were more effective in their work precisely because they did pray.

Prayer serves various purposes. One of its functions is to mold us to become more effective workers in the Father’s vineyard. Prayer helps us to control worry and anxiety. Worry and anxiety obviously can make us less efficient in our work. We cannot expect prayer to remove all anxiety from life. But prayer has a significant contribution to offer in making us Christians who are basically permeated with the peace of Christ. If we are persons of prayer, we grow in the awareness of what it means to be loved by Jesus, and, consequently, are in a position to control worry and anxiety. Prayer also aids us in our work by giving the motivation to do the right thing at the right time. Sometimes we can fail to do the work of the Lord precisely because we are not properly motivated. Prayer can also aid in making our work of a higher Christian quality—prayer can help permeate our work with a deeper faith, hope and love.

These are some of the ways prayer assists us to go about our work more effectively. When we pause to analyze the situation, then, we have to admit that we really are not too busy to pray.

Words from Henri Nouwen

Henri Nouwen has been one of the most prolific and well-known spiritual writers of our time. There follow excerpts from some of his writings.

• Nouwen tells about a meeting with Mother Teresa: "Once, quite a few years ago, I had the opportunity of meeting Mother Teresa of Calcutta. I was struggling with many things at the time and decided to use the occasion to ask Mother Teresa’s advice. As soon as we sat down I started explaining all my problems and difficulties—trying to convince her of how complicated it all was! When, after ten minutes of elaborate explanation, I finally became silent, Mother Teresa looked at me quietly and said: ‘Well, when you spend one hour a day adoring your Lord and never do anything which you know is wrong…you will be fine!’
  
  "When she said this, I realized, suddenly, that she had punctured my big balloon of complex self complaints and pointed me far beyond myself to the place of real healing. In fact, I was so stunned by her answer that I didn’t feel any desire or need to continue the conversation.
  
  "The many people waiting outside the room to see her could probably use her time better than I. I thanked her and left. Her few words became ingrained on my heart and mind and remain to this day. I had not expected those words, but in their directness and simplicity, they cut through to the center of my being. I knew that she had spoken the truth and that I had the rest of my life to live it.
  
  "Reflecting on the brief but decisive encounter, I realize that I had raised a question from below and that she had given an answer from above. At first, her answer didn’t seem to fit my question, but then I began to see that her answer came from God’s place and not from the place of my complaints. Most of the time we respond to questions from below with answers from below. The result is more questions and more answers and, often, more confusion.
  
  "Mother Teresa’s answer was like a flash of lightning in my darkness. I suddenly knew the truth about myself."¹⁸

• "To know God in the world requires knowing him by heart. To know God by heart is the purpose of a contemplative discipline. It is a very hard discipline, especially for those of us who are ‘heady’ people. But if we are serious about the task of ministry, we must be willing to engage in the tough and often agonizing struggle to break through all our mental defenses and know our God by heart.
  
  "Let us not underestimate the intensity of this struggle. Surrounded by books, papers and professors, and inundated by lectures, talks, presentations, chats, and chitchat, we are constantly in danger of letting God’s Word become caught in the network of our clever distinctions, elaborate arguments, and sheer verbosity. As ministers of the Word of God we urgently need a discipline of contemplative prayer…

• "Contemplative prayer requires that we listen, that we let God speak to us when he wants and in the way he wants. This is difficult for us precisely because it means allowing God to say what we might not want to hear. But if we listen long and deeply, God will reveal himself to us as a soft breeze or a still, small voice; he will offer himself to us in gentle compassion."¹⁹

• "Christians are called to bear witness to the truth that God has gathered all people into one family. Yet wherever we look we see the devastating fear people have of one another. Fear between races, religions, nations, continents. Fear between rich and poor, North and South, East and West. Wherever this fear rules division breeds leading to hatred, violence, destruction and war…
  
  "We need new eyes to see and new ears to hear the truth of our unity, a unity which cannot be perceived by our broken, sinful, anxious hearts. Only a heart filled with perfect love can perceive the unity of humanity. This requires divine perception. God sees his people as one, as belonging to the same family and living in the same house. God wants to share this divine perception with us. By sending the only beloved son to live and die for us all, God wants to open our eyes so that we can see that we belong together in the embrace of God’s perfect love.
  
  "Living in the intimacy of God’s house, we gradually come to know the mysterious truth that the God who loves us with a perfect love includes all people in that love without diminishing in any way the unique quality of God’s love for each individual person."²⁰

Various Thoughts

• We read from a spiritual journal: "We cannot have deep intimacy with Jesus if we only give him part of ourselves. We think we are holding on to things we need when in reality we are blocking that which we most desire deep within our hearts—profound union with Jesus. There is only one way to achieve this union. We must give Jesus what He wants. In this lies our true peace, and only in this."

• Isolation allows a person to stay locked in his or her imperfections. Relating to others according to God’s will helps us to grow to be more like Christ. We can find it very difficult at times to interact with others because the interaction is calling us to die to old behavior patterns which interfere with our relating to others as we should. It is through prayer and love, through God’s grace acting within us, that, in dying more and more to our imperfections, we will grow in greater oneness.
  
  God intends us to walk hand in hand, interacting, and depending on one another. When we are hurt and bleeding because of interaction with others, many times we wish to close our arms and close the door to others. At these times let us look at Jesus on the cross, His arms outstretched. He continued to love even those who crucified Him. He did not close His arms. He hung, arms outstretched to the end.
  
  We must keep our eyes on the goal. We must keep our arms outstretched in loving surrender to Jesus. Many times we are weary and are tempted not to so act. In loving interaction with others, our brothers and sisters help us hold our arms outstretched.
  
  When we begin to think, "I don’t need you, it is Jesus and I, I can do it alone," we are closing our arms. We obviously need God to accomplish our God-given destiny, but it is not only God that we must love. In the normal progression of love, there must be healthy interaction with others. This is the way of Jesus. In love we help each other live according to the Father’s plan. We help each other keep our arms outstretched. We grow more and more in Christ’s ways as we learn to love. The more we die to our imperfect ways of loving, the more we merge toward oneness with each other in Christ Jesus, Our Lord and Master.

Trust in the Lord

St. Claude La Colombière, one of the great apostles of devotion to the Heart of Christ, speaks eloquently concerning confidence or trust in God. Trust in God is one of the great fruits of devotion to the Heart of Christ. Claude says: "My God, I am so convinced that you keep watch over those who hope in you, and that we can want for nothing when we look for all from you, that I am resolved in the future to live free from every care, and to turn all my anxieties over to you…

"Man may deprive me of possessions and honor, sickness may strip me of strength and the means of serving you…but I shall never lose my hope. I shall keep it till the last moment of my life; and at that moment all the demons in Hell shall strive to tear it from me in vain…

"Others may look for happiness from their wealth or their talents; others may rest on the innocence of their life or the severity of their penance, or the amount of their alms, or the fervor of their prayer. As for me, Lord, all my confidence is my confidence itself. This confidence has never deceived anyone. No one, no one has hoped in the Lord and has been confounded.

"I know, alas! I know only too well that I am weak and unstable. I know what temptation can do against the strongest virtue. I have seen the stars of heaven fall, and the pillars of the firmament; but that cannot frighten me. So long as I continue to hope, I shall be sheltered from all misfortune; and I am sure of hoping always, since I hope for this unwavering hopefulness.

"Finally, I am sure I cannot hope too much in you, and that I cannot receive less than I hoped for from you. So I hope that you will hold me safe on the steepest slopes, that you will sustain me against the most furious assaults, and that you will make my weakness triumph over my most fearful enemies. I hope that you will love me always, and that I too shall love you without ceasing. To carry my hope once for all as far as it can go, I hope from you to possess you, O my Creator, in time and in eternity. Amen."²¹

The Christian and the Social Order

Pope John Paul II states: "The historical experience of the West, for its part, shows that even if the Marxist analysis and its foundation of alienation are false, nevertheless alienation—and the loss of the authentic meaning of life—is a reality in Western societies too. This happens in consumerism, when people are ensnared in a web of false and superficial gratifications rather than being helped to experience their personhood in an authentic and concrete way. Alienation is found also in work, when it is organized so as to ensure maximum returns and profits with no concern whether the worker, through his own labor, grows or diminishes as a person…

"The concept of alienation needs to be led back to the Christian vision of reality, by recognizing in alienation a reversal of means and ends. When man does not recognize in himself and in others the value and grandeur of the human person, he effectively deprives himself of the possibility of benefiting from his humanity and of entering into that relationship of solidarity and communion with others for which God created him. Indeed, it is through the free gift of self that one truly finds oneself. This gift is made possible by the human person’s essential ‘capacity for transcendence’. One cannot give oneself to a purely human plan for reality, to an abstract ideal or to a false utopia. As a person, one can give oneself to another person or to other persons, and ultimately to God, who is the author of our being and who alone can fully accept our gift. A person is alienated if he refuses to transcend himself and to live the experience of self-giving and of the formation of an authentic human community oriented towards his final destiny, which is God. A society is alienated if its forms of social organization, production and consumption make it more difficult to offer this gift of self and to establish this solidarity between people."²²

A Prayer for Priests

Letters

NOTES:

Pensamientos Varios

Confía en el Señor

Cartas

Shepherds of Christ Associates

PRAYER MANUAL

Chapter Meeting Prayer Format

The prayer format below should be followed at chapter meetings of Shepherds of Christ Associates. All prayers, not just those said specifically for priests, should include the intention of praying for all the needs of priests the world over.

1. Hymns. Hymns may be sung at any point of the prayer part of the meeting.

2. Holy Spirit Prayer. Come, Holy Spirit, almighty Sanctifier, God of love, who filled the Virgin Mary with grace, who wonderfully changed the hearts of the apostles, who endowed all Your martyrs with miraculous courage, come and sanctify us. Enlighten our minds, strengthen our wills, purify our consciences, rectify our judgment, set our hearts on fire, and preserve us from the misfortunes of resisting Your inspirations. Amen.

3. The Rosary.

4. Salve Regina. "Hail Holy Queen, Mother of mercy, our life, our sweetness, and our hope. To you do we cry, poor banished children of Eve. To you do we send up our sighs, our mourning, our weeping in this vale of tears. Turn, then, most gracious advocate, your eyes of mercy toward us and after this, our exile, show unto us the blessed fruit of your womb, Jesus, O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary."

5. The Memorare. "Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that anyone who fled to your protection, implored your help, or sought your intercession was left unaided. Inspired by this confidence, I fly unto you, O Virgin of virgins, my Mother. To you I come, before you I stand, sinful and sorrowful. O Mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not my petitions, but, in your mercy, hear and answer me. Amen."

6. Seven Hail Marys in honor of the Seven Sorrows of Mary. Mary has promised very special graces to those who do this on a daily basis. Included in the promises of Our Lady for those who practice this devotion is her pledge to give special assistance at the hour of death, including the sight of her face. The seven sorrows are:

(1) The first sorrow: the prophecy of Simeon (Hail Mary).

(2) The second sorrow: the flight into Egypt (Hail Mary).

(3) The third sorrow: the loss of the Child Jesus in the temple (Hail Mary).

(4) The fourth sorrow: Jesus and Mary meet on the way to the cross (Hail Mary).

(5) The fifth sorrow: Jesus dies on the cross (Hail Mary).

(6) The sixth sorrow: Jesus is taken down from the cross and laid in Mary's arms (Hail Mary).

(7) The seventh sorrow: the burial of Jesus (Hail Mary).

7. Litany of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Lord, have mercy on us. Christ, have mercy on us.
Lord, have mercy on us. Christ, hear us. Christ, graciously hear us.
God, the Father of heaven, have mercy on us.
God, the Son, Redeemer of the world, have mercy on us.
God, the Holy Spirit, have mercy on us.
Holy Trinity, one God, have mercy on us.

Holy Mary, pray for us (repeat after each invocation).
Holy Mother of God,
Holy Virgin of virgins,
Mother of Christ,
Mother of the Church,
Mother of divine grace,
Mother most pure,
Mother most chaste,
Mother inviolate,
Mother undefiled,
Mother most amiable,
Mother most admirable,
Mother of good counsel,
Mother of our Creator,
Mother of our Savior,
Virgin most prudent,
Virgin most venerable,
Virgin most renowned,
Virgin most powerful,
Virgin most merciful,
Virgin most faithful,
Mirror of justice,
Seat of wisdom,
Cause of our joy,
Spiritual vessel,
Vessel of honor,
Singular vessel of devotion,
Mystical rose,
Tower of David,
Tower of ivory,
House of gold,
Ark of the Covenant,
Gate of heaven,
Morning star,
Health of the sick,
Refuge of sinners,
Comforter of the afflicted,
Help of Christians,
Queen of angels,
Queen of patriarchs,
Queen of prophets,
Queen of apostles,
Queen of martyrs,
Queen of confessors,
Queen of virgins,
Queen of all saints,
Queen conceived without original sin,
Queen assumed into heaven,
Queen of the most holy rosary,
Queen of families,
Queen of peace,

Lamb of God, who take away the sins of the world, spare us, O Lord.
Lamb of God, who take away the sins of the world, graciously hear us, O Lord.
Lamb of God, who take away the sins of the world, have mercy on us.
Pray for us, O holy Mother of God, that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Let us pray: Grant, we beseech You, O Lord God, that we Your servants may enjoy perpetual health of mind and body and, by the glorious intercession of the blessed Mary, ever virgin, be delivered from present sorrow, and obtain eternal joy. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

We fly to your patronage, O holy Mother of God. Despise not our petitions in our necessities, but deliver us always from all dangers, O glorious and blessed Virgin. Amen.

8. Prayer to St. Joseph. St. Joseph, guardian of Jesus and chaste spouse of Mary, you passed your life in perfect fulfillment of duty. You supported the Holy Family of Nazareth with the work of your hands. Kindly protect those who trustingly turn to you. You know their aspirations, their hardships, their hopes; and they turn to you because they know you will understand and protect them. You too have known trial, labor, and weariness. But, even amid the worries of material life, your soul was filled with deep peace and sang out in true joy through intimacy with the Son of God entrusted to you, and with Mary, His tender Mother. Amen. —(Pope John XXIII)

9. Litany of the Sacred Heart, promises of the Sacred Heart.

Lord, have mercy on us. Christ, have mercy on us.
Lord, have mercy on us. Christ, hear us.
Christ, graciously hear us.
God the Father of heaven, have mercy on us (repeat after each invocation).
God the Son, Redeemer of the world,
God the Holy Spirit,
Holy Trinity, one God,
Heart of Jesus, Son of the eternal Father,
Heart of Jesus, formed by the Holy Spirit in the womb of the Virgin Mother,
Heart of Jesus, substantially united to the Word of God,
Heart of Jesus, of infinite majesty,
Heart of Jesus, sacred temple of God,
Heart of Jesus, tabernacle of the Most High,
Heart of Jesus, house of God and gate of heaven,
Heart of Jesus, burning furnace of charity,
Heart of Jesus, abode of justice and love,
Heart of Jesus, full of goodness and love,
Heart of Jesus, abyss of all virtues,
Heart of Jesus, most worthy of all praise,
Heart of Jesus, king and center of all hearts,
Heart of Jesus, in whom are all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge,
Heart of Jesus, in whom dwells the fullness of divinity,
Heart of Jesus, in whom the Father is well pleased,
Heart of Jesus, of whose fullness we have all received,
Heart of Jesus, desire of the everlasting hills,
Heart of Jesus, patient and most merciful,
Heart of Jesus, enriching all who invoke You,
Heart of Jesus, fountain of life and holiness,
Heart of Jesus, propitiation for our sins,
Heart of Jesus, loaded down with opprobrium,
Heart of Jesus, bruised for our offenses,
Heart of Jesus, obedient even to death,
Heart of Jesus, pierced with a lance,
Heart of Jesus, source of all consolation,
Heart of Jesus, our life and reconciliation,
Heart of Jesus, victim of sin,
Heart of Jesus, salvation of those who hope in You,
Heart of Jesus, hope of those who die in You,
Heart of Jesus, delight of all the saints,
Lamb of God, Who take away the sins of the world, spare us, O Lord.
Lamb of God, Who take away the sins of the world, graciously hear us, O Lord.
Lamb of God, Who take away the sins of the world, have mercy on us.
Jesus, meek and humble of heart, make our hearts like unto Yours.

Let us pray: O almighty and eternal God, look upon the Heart of Your dearly beloved Son and upon the praise and satisfaction He offers You in behalf of sinners and, being appeased, grant pardon to those who seek Your mercy, in the name of the same Jesus Christ, Your Son, Who lives and reigns with You, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, world without end. Amen.

Promises of Our Lord to those devoted to His Sacred Heart
(these should be read by the prayer leader):

(1) I will give them all the graces necessary in their state of life.

(2) I will establish peace in their homes.

(3) I will comfort them in all their afflictions.

(4) I will be their refuge during life and above all in death.

(5) I will bestow a large blessing on all their undertakings.

(6) Sinners shall find in My Heart the source and the infinite ocean of mercy.

(7) Tepid souls shall grow fervent.

(8) Fervent souls shall quickly mount to high perfection.

(9) I will bless every place where a picture of My Heart shall be set up and honored.

(10) I will give to priests the gift of touching the most hardened hearts.

(11) Those who promote this devotion shall have their names written in My Heart, never to be blotted out.

(12) I promise you in the excessive mercy of My Heart that My all-powerful love will grant to all those who communicate on the first Friday in nine consecutive months the grace of final penitence; they shall not die in My disgrace nor without receiving their sacraments; My divine Heart shall be their safe refuge in this last moment.

10. Prayer for Priests. "Lord Jesus, Chief Shepherd of the Flock, we pray that in the great love and mercy of Your Sacred Heart You attend to all the needs of Your priest-shepherds throughout the world. We ask that You draw back to Your Heart all those priests who have seriously strayed from Your path, that You rekindle the desire for holiness in the hearts of those priests who have become lukewarm, and that You continue to give Your fervent priests the desire for the highest holiness. United with Your Heart and Mary's Heart, we ask that You take this petition to Your heavenly Father in the unity of the Holy Spirit. Amen"

11. Prayer for all members of the Shepherds of Christ Associates. "Dear Jesus, we ask Your special blessings on all members of Shepherds of Christ Associates. Continue to enlighten them regarding the very special privilege and responsibility you have given them as members of Your movement, Shepherds of Christ Associates. Draw them ever closer to Your Heart and to Your Mother's Heart. Allow them to more and more realize the great and special love of Your Hearts for each of them as unique individuals. Give them the grace to respond to Your love and Mary's love with an increased love of their own. As they dwell in Your Heart and Mary's Heart, abundantly care for all their needs and those of their loved ones. We make our prayer through You to the Father, in the Holy Spirit, with Mary our Mother at our side. Amen"

12. Prayer for the spiritual and financial success of the priestly newsletter. "Father, we ask Your special blessings upon the priestly newsletter, Shepherds of Christ. We ask that You open the priest-readers to the graces You wish to give them through this chosen instrument of Your Son. We also ask that You provide for the financial needs of the newsletter and the Shepherds of Christ Associates. We make our prayer through Jesus, in the Holy Spirit, with Mary at our side. Amen"

13. Prayer for all members of the human family. "Heavenly Father, we ask Your blessings on all Your children the world over. Attend to all their needs. We ask Your special assistance for all those marginalized people, all those who are so neglected and forgotten. United with our Mother Mary, we make this petition to You through Jesus and in the Holy Spirit."

14. Prayer to St. Michael and our Guardian Angels:

"St. Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle. Be our safeguard against the wickedness and snares of the devil. May God rebuke him, we humbly pray, and do thou, O prince of the heavenly hosts, by the power of God, cast into hell Satan and all the other evil spirits who prowl about the world seeking the ruin of souls. Amen."

"Angel of God, my guardian dear, to whom God's love commits me here, ever this day be at my side, to light and guard, to rule and guide. Amen."

15. Pause for silent, personal prayer. This should last at least five minutes.

16. Act of consecration to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

"Lord Jesus, Chief Shepherd of the flock, I consecrate myself to Your most Sacred Heart. From Your pierced Heart the Church was born, the Church You have called me, as a member of Shepherds of Christ Associates, to serve in a most special way. You reveal Your Heart as a symbol of Your love in all its aspects, including Your most special love for me, whom You have chosen as Your companion in this most important work. 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 a member of Shepherds of Christ Associates, a movement created by your Son as a powerful instrument for the renewal of the Church and the world. 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, Chief Shepherd of the flock."

17. Daily Prayers. All members should say the Holy Spirit prayer daily and make the act of consecration daily. They should also pray the rosary each day. They are encouraged to use the other above prayers as time allows.

end of prayer manual - English

Asociados

de los Pastores de Cristo

MANUAL DE ORACIONES

Formato para la Oración en las Reuniones de los Grupos

El siguiente es el formato de oración que se deberá seguir en las reuniones de los capítulos de los de los Asociados de los Pastores de Cristo. Todas las oraciones-y no solo las que se hacen específicamente por los sacerdotes-deberán hacerse con la intención de orar por todas las necesidades de los sacerdotes del mundo entero.

1. Himnos. Los himnos podrán ser cantados en cualquier momento del tiempo dedicado a la oración en la reunión.

2. Oración al Espíritu Santo. "Ven, Espíritu Santo, Santificador todopoderoso, Dios de amor, que llenaste a la Virgen María de gracias, que cambiaste admirablemente los corazones de los apóstoles, que le comunicaste a tus mártires un milagroso valor, ven y santifícanos. Ilumina nuestras mentes, fortalece nuestras voluntades, purifica nuestras conciencias, rectifica nuestro juicio, pon fuego en nuestros corazones, y presérvanos de la desgracia de no hacerle caso a tus inspiraciones. Amén."

3. El Rosario.

4. La Salve. "Dios te salve, Reina y Madre, Madre de Misericordia, Vida y dulzura y esperanza nuestra. Dios te salve, a ti llamamos los desterrados hijos de Eva. A Ti suplicamos gimiendo y llorando en este valle de lágrimas. Ea, pues, Señora y abogada nuestra. Vuelve a nosotros Tus ojos misericordiosos, y después de este destierro muéstranos a Jesús, fruto bendito de Tu vientre. ¡Oh clemente! ¡Oh piadosa! ¡Oh dulce Virgen María! Ruega por nosotros, santa Madre de Dios. No desprecies las súplicas que te dirigimos en nuestras necesidades. Antes bien, líbranos de todo peligro, Virgen gloriosa y bendita. Ruega por nosotros, santa Madre de Dios para que seamos dignos de alcanzar las promesas de nuestro Señor Jesucristo. Amén."

5. El Acordados. "Acordaos, oh piadosísima Virgen María, que jamás se ha oído decir que ninguno de los que han acudido a vuestra protección, implorando vuestro auxilio, reclamando vuestra asistencia, haya sido desamparado. Animado por esta confianza, a vos acudo oh Madre Virgen de las Vírgenes, y gimiendo bajo el peso de mis pecados me atrevo a comparecer ante Vos, Madre de Dios. No desechéis mis súplicas, antes bien escuchádlas y acogedlas benignamente. Amén."

6. Siete Avemarías en honor de los siete dolores de María. María ha prometido gracias muy especiales para aquellos que la honran de esta manera diariamente. Incluida entre estas promesas de Nuestra Señora para aquellos que practican esta devoción, está su compromiso de otorgar especial asistencia a la hora de la muerte, incluso de ver su faz. Los siete dolores son:

(1) Primer dolor: La profecía de Simeón (Ave María).

(2) Segundo dolor: La huida a Egipto (Ave María).

(3) Tercer dolor: La perdida del niño Dios en el Templo (Ave María).

(4) Cuarto dolor: Jesús y María se encuentran en el camino a la Cruz (Ave María).

(5) Quinto dolor: Jesús muere en la Cruz (Ave María).

(6) Sexto dolor: Jesús es bajado de la Cruz y puesto en los brazos de María (Ave Maria).

(7) Séptimo dolor: Jesús es enterrado (Ave María).

7. Letanías de la Santísima Virgen.

Señor, ten piedad de nosotros. Cristo, ten piedad de nosotros.
Señor, ten piedad de nosotros. Cristo, óyenos.Cristo, escúchanos.
Padre Celestial, ten piedad de nosotros.
Dios Hijo, Redentor del mundo, ten piedad de nosotros.
Dios Espíritu Santo, ten piedad de nosotros.
Santísima Trinidad, que eres un solo Dios, ten piedad de nosotros.
Santa María, ruega por nosotros (se repite despuéde cada invocación).
Santa Madre de Dios,
Santa Virgen de las vírgenes,
Madre de Cristo,
Madre de la Iglesia
Madre de la divina gracia,
Madre Purísima,
Madre castísima,
Madre siempre virgen,
Madre inmaculada,
Madre amable,
Madre admirable,
Madre del Buen Consejo,
Madre del Creador,
Madre del Salvador,
Madre de la Iglesia,
Virgen prudentísima,
Virgen digna de veneración,
Virgen digna de alabanza,
Virgen poderosa,
Virgen clemente,
Virgen fiel,
Espejo de justicia,
Trono sabiduría,
Causa de nuestra alegría,
Templo del Espíritu Santo,
Templo lleno de gloria,
Modelo de entrega a Dios,
Rosa mística,
Torre de David,
Torre de marfil,
Casa de oro,
Arca de la Nueva Alianza,
Puerta del cielo,
Estrella de la mañana,
Salud de los enfermos,
Refugio de los pecadores,
Consoladora de los afligidos,
Auxilio de los cristianos,
Reina de los ángeles,
Reina de los patriarcas,
Reina de los profetas,
Reina de los apóstoles,
Reina de los mártires,
Reina de los confesores,
Reina de las vírgenes,
Reina de los santos,
Reina concebida sin pecado original,
Reina elevada a los cielos,
Reina del Santísimo Rosario,
Reina de familias
Reina de la paz,
Cordero de Dios, que quitas el pecado del mundo, perdónanos, Señor.
Cordero de Dios, que quitas el pecado del mundo, ten piedad de nosotros.
Ruega por nosotros, Santa Madre de Dios, para que nos hagamos dignos de las promesas de Cristo.

Oración: Concede, Señor y Dios nuestro, a tus siervos gozar de perpetua salud de alma y cuerpo; y por la gloriosa intercesión de la bienaventurada siempre Virgen María, líbranos de las tristezas presentes y llévanos a gozar de las alegrías eternas. Te lo pedimos por Cristo Nuestro Señor. Amén.

Bajo tu amparo nos acogemos, oh Santa Madre de Dios, no desprecies las súplicas que te dirigimos en nuestras necesidades, antes bien, líbranos siempre de todos los peligros, oh Virgen gloriosa y bendita. Amén.

8. Invocación a San José. "San José, guardián de Jesús y casto esposo de María, tu empleaste toda tu vida en el perfecto cumplimiento de tu deber. Tu mantuviste a la Sagrada Familia de Nazaret con el trabajo de tus manos. Protege bondadosamente a los que se vuelven confiadamente a ti. Tu conoces sus aspiraciones y sus esperanzas. Ellos se dirigen a ti porque saben que tu los comprendes y proteges. Tu también supiste de pruebas, cansancio y trabajo. Pero, aun dentro de las preocupaciones materiales de la vida, tu alma estaba llena de profunda paz y cantó llena de verdadera alegría debido al íntimo trato que gozaste con el Hijo de Dios que te fue confiado a ti a la vez a María, su tierna Madre. Amén." — El Papa Juan XXIII

9. Letanías al Sagrado Corazón de Jesús, Promesas del Sagrado Corazón.

Señor, ten piedad de nosotros. Cristo, ten piedad de nosotros.
Señor, ten piedad de nosotros. Cristo, óyenos. Cristo, escúchanos.
Dios, Padre Celestial, ten piedad de nosotros (se repite despué de cada invocación).
Dios Hijo, Redentor del mundo,
Dios, Espíritu Santo,
Santísima Trinidad, que eres un solo Dios,
Corazón de Jesús, Hijo del Eterno Padre,
Corazón de Jesús, formado en el seno de la Virgen Madre por el Espíritu Santo,
Corazón de Jesús, unido sustancialmente al Verbo de Dios,
Corazón de Jesús, templo santo de Dios,
Corazón de Jesús, tabernáculo del Altísimo,
Corazón de Jesús, casa de Dios y puerta del cielo,
Corazón de Jesús, horno ardiente de caridad,
Corazón de Jesús, santuario de la justicia y del amor,
Corazón de Jesús, lleno de bondad y de amor,
Corazón de Jesús, abismo de todas las virtudes,
Corazón de Jesús, digno de toda alabanza,
Corazón de Jesús, formado en el seno de la Virgen Madre por el Espíritu Santo,
Corazón de Jesús, unido sustancialmente al Verbo de Dios,
Corazón de Jesús, templo santo de Dios,
Corazón de Jesús, tabernáculo del Altísimo,
Corazón de Jesús, casa de Dios y puerta del cielo,
Corazón de Jesús, horno ardiente de caridad,
Corazón de Jesús, santuario de la justicia y del amor,
Corazón de Jesús, lleno de bondad y de amor,
Corazón de Jesús, abismo de todas las virtudes,
Corazón de Jesús, digno de toda alabanza,
Corazón de Jesús, Rey y centro de todos los corazones,
Corazón de Jesús, en quien se hallan todos los tesoros de la sabiduría, y de la ciencia,
Corazón de Jesús, en quien reside toda la plenitud de la divinidad,
Corazón de Jesús, en quien el Padre se complace,
Corazón de Jesús, de cuya plenitud todos hemos recibido,
Corazón de Jesús, deseado de los eternos collados,
Corazón de Jesús, paciente y lleno de misericordia,
Corazón de Jesús, generosos para todos los que te invocan,
Corazón de Jesús, fuente de vida y santidad,
Corazón de Jesús, propiciación por nuestros pecados,
Corazón de Jesús, triturado por nuestros pecados,
Corazón de Jesús, hecho obediente hasta la muerte,
Corazón de Jesús, traspasado por una lanza,
Corazón de Jesús, fuente de todo consuelo,
Corazón de Jesús, vida y resurrección nuestra,
Corazón de Jesús, paz y reconciliación nuestra,
Corazón de Jesús, víctima por los pecadores,
Corazón de Jesús, salvación de los que en ti esperan,
Corazón de Jesús, esperanza de los que en ti mueren,
Corazón de Jesús, delicia de todos los santos,
Cordero de Dios, que quitas el pecado del mundo, perdónanos Señor.
Cordero de Dios, que quitas el pecado del mundo, ten piedad de nosotros.
Jesús, manso y humilde de Corazón, haz nuestro corazón semejante al tuyo.

Oración: Oh Dios todopoderoso y eterno, mira el Corazón de tu amantísimo Hijo, las alabanzas y satisfacciones que en nombre de los pecadores te ofrece y concede el perdón a éstos que piden misericordia en el nombre de tu mismo Hijo, Jesucristo, el cual vive y reina contigo por los siglos de los siglos. Amén.

Promesas de Nuestro Señor para los devotos de su Sagrado Corazón
(deberán ser leídas por el que guía la oración):

(1) Les daré todas las gracias necesarias en su estado de vida.

(2) Estableceré la paz en sus hogares.

(3) Los consolaré en todas sus aflicciones.

(4) Seré su refugio en su vida y sobre todo en la muerte.

(5) Bendeciré grandemente todas sus empresas.

(6) Los pecadores encontrarán en Mi Corazón la fuente y el océano infinito de misericordia.

(7) Las almas tibias crecerán en fervor.

(8) Las almas fervorosas alcanzarán mayor perfección.

(9) Bendeciré el hogar o sitio donde esté expuesto Mi Corazón y sea honrado.

(10) Daré a los sacerdotes el don de tocar a los corazones más empedernidos.

(11) Los que propaguen esta devoción, tendrán sus nombres escritos en Mi Corazón, y de El, nunca serán borrados.

(12) Yo les prometo, en el exceso de la infinita misericordia de mi Corazón, que Mi amor todopoderoso le concederá a todos aquellos que comulguen nueve primeros viernes de mes seguidos, la gracia de la penitencia final; no morirán, en Mi desgracia ni sin recibir los sacramentos; Mi divino Corazón será su refugio seguro en este último momento.

10. Oración por los Sacerdotes. "Señor Jesús, Pastor Supremo del rebaño, te rogamos que por el inmenso amor y misericordia de Tu Sagrado Corazón, atiendas todas las necesidades de tus sacerdotes, pastores del mundo entero. Te pedimos que retomes en Tu Corazón todos aquellos sacerdotes que se han alejado de tu camino, que enciendas de nuevo el deseo de santidad en los corazones de aquellos sacerdotes que han caído en la tibieza, y que continúes otorgando a Tus sacerdotes fervientes el deseo de una mayor santidad. Unidos a tu Corazón y el Corazón de María, te pedimos que envíes esta petición a Tu Padre celestial en la unidad del Espíritu Santo. Amén."

11. Oración por todos los Asociados de los Pastores de Cristo. "Amado Jesús, Te pedimos tus bendiciones especiales sobre todos los Asociados de los Pastores de Cristo. Continua iluminándolos sobre el privilegio y responsabilidad tan especial que les has otorgado a los miembros de este movimiento tuyo: Asociados de los Pastores de Cristo. Atráelos todavía más cerca de Tu Corazón y del de tu Madre. Permíteles que comprendan más y más el gran y especial amor de Sus Corazones por cada uno de ellos como individuos únicos. Concédeles la gracia de corresponder a tu amor y al amor de María con un mayor amor de parte suya. Al habitar en tu Corazón y en el Corazón de María, atiende abundantemente todas sus necesidades y las de sus seres queridos. Hacemos esta plegaria por Ti al Padre, en el Espíritu Santo, con María nuestra Madre a nuestro lado. Amén."

12. Oración por el éxito espiritual y financiero del Boletín Sacerdotal. "Padre, te pedimos tu bendición especial sobre el Boletín Sacerdotal, Pastores de Cristo. Te pedimos que abras los corazones de los sacerdotes que lo lean a las gracias que deseas concederles a través de este instrumento escogido de Tu Hijo. También te pedimos que nos proporciones los medios económicos necesarios para editar el boletín y Asociados de los Pastores de Cristo. Hacemos nuestra oración por Jesús, en el Espíritu Santo con María a nuestro lado. Amén."

13. Oración por todos los miembros de la familia humana. "Padre Celestial, te pedimos tus bendiciones sobre todos los niños del mundo entero. Atiende todas sus necesidades. Te pedimos tu especial asistencia para todos los marginados, los que están descuidados y olvidados. Unidos con nuestra Madre María, te hacemos esta petición a Ti, por Jesús, en el Espíritu Santo. Amén."

14. Oración a San Miguel y nuestros Angeles de la Guardia:

"San Miguel Arcángel, defiéndenos en la lucha. Sé nuestro amparo contra las asechanza y perversidad del demonio. Reprímale Dios, pedimos suplicantes, y tu príncipe de la milicia celestial arroja al infierno a Satanás y a demás espíritus malignos que vagan por el mundo para la perdición de las almas. Amén."

"Ángel de mi Guardia, mi dulce compañía, no de desampares ni de noche ni de día. Amén."

15. Pausa para oración personal y en silencio. Que tenga una duración de al menos cinco minutos.

16. Acto de consagración al Sagrado Corazón de Jesús y al Inmaculado Corazón de María.

"Señor Jesús, Supremo Pastor, yo me consagro a tu Sagrado Corazón. De tu Corazón traspasado nació la Iglesia, la Iglesia a la cual me has llamado, como miembro de los Asociados de los Pastores de Cristo, a servir en una forma muy especial. Tú revelas Tu Corazón como un símbolo de Tu amor en todos los aspectos, incluyendo Tu amor muy especial hacia mi, a quien has escogido como Tu compañero en éste tan importante trabajo. Ayúdame a corresponder siempre a Tu amor. Ayúdame a entregarme totalmente a Ti. Ayúdame siempre a derramar mi vida en amar a Dios y mi prójimo! Corazón de Jesús, pongo mi confianza en Ti!

"Amada y bendita Virgen María, yo me consagro a tu maternal e inmaculado Corazón, este Corazón que es símbolo de tu vida de amor. Tú eres la Madre de mi Salvador. Tú eres también mi Madre. Tú me amas con amor muy especial como miembro de Asociados de los Pastores de Cristo, una cruzada creada por Tu Hijo, como un instrumento poderoso para la renovación de la Iglesia y el mundo. Correspondiendo al amor, yo me entrego totalmente a tu amor maternal y protección. Tú seguiste a Jesús perfectamente. Tú eres Su primer y perfecto discípulo. Enséñame a imitar en ante poner a Cristo. Sé mi maternal intercesora, para que, a través de tu Corazón Inmaculado, sea conducida a una unión más cercana al Corazón herido de Jesús, Pastor Supremo del rebaño."

17. Oraciones diarias. Todos los miembros deberán hacer el acto de consagración diariamente. También deberán rezar el rosario cada día. Los exhortamos a que recen las oraciones aquí mencionadas, si el tiempo lo permite.

end of Manual de Oraciones - Español

  

Resurrection

1. I gave My life for you.

2. How precious you are to Me.

3. This is the month of My Sacred Heart.

4. My Heart is on fire for you.

5. Thomas did not believe until he touched My wounds.

6. Where is your faith?

7. My Mother appears, one so fair, for those who are filled with doubt to remind you she is there as your spiritual Mother.

8. See the glory of that first Easter morn.

9. See Me clothed in white, Victorious after the brutal death.

10. I am the Sacred Heart of Jesus, the risen Lord is with you today in the Eucharist.

Ascension

Jesus: I ascended into heaven, I left you here to help continue the work I began.

1. I am the Bread of Life.

2. I am the One Who saves.

3. I am the One Who sets the captives free.

4. I open the minds of the blind.

5. I gave My Apostles the power to forgive sins.

6. I gave you My Church, My Bride.

7. I sent the Holy Spirit to come to you.

8. I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life.

9. The Spirit of Truth comes to you.

10. You must walk in the ways of truth.

8. Mary's promises for those that recite the rosary are:

1. Whoever shall faithfully serve me by the recitation of the Rosary, shall receive signal graces.

2. I promise my special protection and the greatest graces to all those who shall recite the Rosary.

3. The Rosary shall be a powerful armor against Hell, it will destroy vice, decrease sin, and defeat heresies.

4. It will cause virtue and good works to flourish; it will obtain for souls the abundant mercy of God; it will lift them to the desire of eternal things. Oh, that souls would sanctify themselves by this means.

5. The soul which recommends itself to me by the recitation of the Rosary shall not perish.

6. Whoever shall recite the Rosary devoutly applying himself to the consideration of its sacred mysteries shall never be conquered by misfortune. God will not chastise him in His justice, he shall not perish by an unprovided death; if he be just he shall remain in the grace of God, and become worthy of eternal life.

7. Whoever shall have a true devotion for the Rosary shall not die without the sacraments of the Church.

8. Those who are faithful to recite the Rosary shall have during their life and at their death the light of God and the plenitude of His graces; at the moment of death they shall participate in the merits of the saints in paradise.

9. I shall deliver from purgatory those who have been devoted to the Rosary.

10. The faithful children of the Rosary shall merit a high degree of glory in Heaven.

11. You shall obtain all you ask of me by the recitation of the Rosary.

12. All those who propagate the Holy Rosary shall be aided by me in their necessities.

13. I have obtained from my Son that all the advocates of the Rosary shall have for intercessors the entire celestial court during their life and at the hour of death.³¹

9. The promises of My Sacred Heart given to St. Margaret Mary are:

1. I will give them all the graces necessary in their state of life.

2. I will establish peace in their homes.

3. I will comfort them in all their afflictions.

4. I will be their refuge during life and above all in death.

5. I will bestow a large blessing on all their undertakings.

6. Sinners shall find in My Heart the source and the infinite ocean of mercy.

7. Tepid souls shall grow fervent.

8. Fervent souls shall quickly mount to high perfection.

9. I will bless every place where a picture of My Heart shall be set up and honored.

10. I will give to priests the gift of touching the most hardened hearts.

11. Those who promote this devotion shall have their names written in My Heart, never to be blotted out.

12. I promise you in the excessive mercy of My Heart that My all-powerful love will grant to all those who communicate on the first Friday in nine consecutive months the grace of final penitence; they shall not die in My disgrace nor without receiving their sacraments; My divine Heart shall be their safe refuge in this last moment.

10. The promise I made to your Founder is:

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