Prayer for Grace for our Country

                November 28, 2018

                R. In heaven we will see face to face –

                Both Mary and Jesus have appeared to me and
                    their face is in beautiful light and
                    their face is beyond words.

                Lord, we long to see Your face –

                R. Be faithful until death, says the Lord
                    and I will give you the crown of life.

                We must be faithful to God –

                We see Jesus died and rose from the dead –

                We must see in baptism we receive a sharing
                    in His life – the supernatural world is
                    opened to us. We receive the supernatural
                    virtues of faith, hope and charity.

                God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit dwell in our
                    graced baptized soul.

                God dwells in us in His Divinity if we remain
                    in the state of grace –

                If we go to heaven we will have the fullness
                    of life –

                We will see God, face-to-face.

                We will be wrapped in the everlasting embrace
                    of God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit –

                We will have the beatific vision –

                We know Christ died and rose –

                Like Christ, in Christ, we will rise again.

                God is the living God –

                God wants to live in us – dwell in us –
                    operate in us in the building of
                    His Kingdom, loving through us.

                Death will be overcome –

                    We too shall rise again!

                The Miracle of redemption.

                God has a redeeming plan –

                We help in the work of redemption –

                R. God will judge.

Revelation 14: 14-19

                R. Be watchful and ready:
                    you know not when the Son of Man
                        is coming.
 

                R. In the Pre-Blue Book –
                    at the end of January, 1992
                    I was falling asleep and my pen went
                        up the page –

                    Jesus said:
 

January 27, 1992

Jesus: My child listen to My voice, heed My
direction, days are coming when there will
not be a stone left on a stone, but you
have nothing to fear, trust in Me and know
I am your God and I will watch out after
you. I love you, you are My child.
Go to bed.

I love you Jesus

                R. Then I lost my voice and I realized all my jobs
                    were using my voice –

                I was praying to do God's will and He helped me
                    let go of everything to speak for Him –

                You see in the Pre-Blue Book my struggle
                    in February and March, 1992 with my
                    voice – then I had to give up all
                    my jobs and He gave me
                    the Blue Books.

                    So far 21 Blue Books

Luke 21: 5-11

                R. We will soon die and we will be spending
                    our eternal life somewhere depending
                    on how we obeyed God's will and lived in love –
                    "Soon and very soon we will be go'in to the
                        Lord", We hope!!

                    We should think of our judgment –
                        that is what these readings tell us –

                Jesus: A man who is drowning can
                    "bob" up and down and try to
                    save his life –
                    You do not stay the same in the
                        spiritual life – You are here
                        to grow as a little child grows physically –
                        a person is to live to reach more and more
                        spiritual maturity –

Theme II - The Concept of the Christian Life

Five different views of the Christian life
One basic reality includes the other four
Talking about the Christian life from five different perspectives

What follows will be these 5 perspectives

A.    The Christian life considered as response to God's love

B.    The Christian life considered as participation in God's life

C.    The Christian life considered as elevation of human nature

D.    The Christian life considered as the Christ-life

E.    The Christian life considered as life in the Holy Spirit

Also: Mary's role in the Christian life

                R. Our works are of value only if they are
                    done with the right intention and
                    for the love of God.

                We must examine our motives, our
                    conscience, to keep our relationship
                    united deeply to God – we can't sin
                    and then act like we did nothing –

                Sin offends God –

                Unloving ways - Fr. Carter says - are SINFUL –

                We are to repent for our sins –

                We are to seek forgiveness and mercy.

                God created us and wants us in heaven,
                    but heaven is a reward for
                    those who love and serve the
                    Lord –

                There is also hell – people sinning
                    mortally and not admitting
                    it, can go to hell eternally –

                We are to rise again – In Him –

                We are to work on our defects to live
                    a holy life pleasing to God –

                Remember we will be judged by
                    God –

                R. We are destined by God to live forever –
                    Death separates body from soul
                    temporarily.

                We are made of body and soul –

                Death / Resurrection

                    The pascal mystery

1 Corinthians 15: 20-28

In fact, however, Christ has been raised from the dead, as the first-fruits of all who have fallen asleep. As it was by one man that death came, so through one man has come the resurrection of the dead. Just as all die in Adam, so in Christ all will be brought to life; but all of them in their proper order: Christ the first-fruits, and next, at his coming, those who belong to him. After that will come the end, when he will hand over the kingdom to God the Father, having abolished every principality, every ruling force and power. For he is to be king until he has made his enemies his footstool, and the last of the enemies to be done away with is death, for he has put all things under his feet. But when it is said everything is subjected, this obviously cannot include the One who subjected everything to him. When everything has been subjected to him, then the Son himself will be subjected to the One who has subjected everything to him, so that God may be all in all.

2 Corinthians 6: 14-18

    Do not harness yourselves in an uneven team with unbelievers; how can uprightness and law–breaking be partners, or what can light and darkness have in common? How can Christ come to an agreement with Beliar and what sharing can there be between a believer and an unbeliever? The temple of God cannot compromise with false gods, and that is what we are—the temple of the living God. We have God’s word for it: I shall fix my home among them and live among them; I will be their God and they will be my people. Get away from them, purify yourselves, says the Lord. Do not touch anything unclean, and then I shall welcome you. I shall be father to you, and you will be sons and daughters to me, says the almighty Lord.

                Song; Glory, Glory Glory Lord

ONE YEAR AGO

                November 25, 2017

                R. I looked out and saw a snow ladden
                field and the snow came softly
                before my eyes.

                I saw such beauty I could scarce
                    take it in – in that vision –
                    the vastness of what was once
                    green and bushes and fur
                    trees had been transformed to
                    pure beautiful breath-taking
                    white –

                I know the whites I have seen in
                    visions – seeing Jesus transfigured
                    before me – seeing the Eucharist so
                    white – seeing light surrounding
                    Mary and Jesus when They appear.

                We think of white as purity and it is
                    so beautiful how God paints the
                    earth, transforms it and makes
                    it so beautiful.

                I know the soul is a spirit, but
                    I think of the purity God wants
                    of our soul – to be like this
                    so beautiful –
                    If we could only see our own
                    graced, baptized soul – full of
                    His life – our eyes could not take it in –

                Think how beauty of a soul, filled
                    with grace and so beautiful –
                    the more we are saturated with
                    God's grace in our soul – the
                    more beautiful we are before
                    our beloved too –

                God made us in the image and likeness
                    of God – And Jesus died for us –
                    And rose on the 3rd day –
                    In baptism we receive a
                    sharing in His life –
                    The supernatural world is
                        opened to us –
                    our knowing and loving capacity is
                        elevated –

                Every time we say the Hail Mary we
                    say "Hail Mary, full of grace"
                    can you imagine if we go to
                    heaven we will be full of
                    grace – we will be filled
                    with His life in us –

                Think of the beauty of our Mother.

                R. When she appears, she is full of
                    light beyond expression –
                    it is not white light –
                    it is light, it is glistening –
                    it is golden and mirror like
                    in silver, it is beyond anything
                    I can express –

                Mysticism – we do not know the
                    mystery of God's love, but it
                    is real and the white heat
                    of His love is reality –

                The Heart I saw December 17, 1991
                    was given as I knew only to
                    express –

                And 5 years later

                    December 17, 1996

                Mary appeared like this on
                    the Clearwater building.
   

                R. Then God allowed Mary's image
                    to be gold.

Mary by day July 5, 2000

by night July 5, 2000

July 5, 2003

                November 25, 2017 continues

                R. In life we have crosses we must bear.
                Yesterday was a Feast of Martyrs that
                died for their faith.

                    Jesus showed us that we would
                have to sacrifice and carry crosses.
                Slothfulness is one of the capital
                or deadly sins where a person does
                not do what is necessary to grow
                spiritually.

                    We have a free will to say 'yes'
                to God or 'no' to God. God
                created us and has a plan for
                us. God expects us to live our
                vocation, our calling from Him,
                and to grow more and more in the
                image of Jesus.

                    We celebrated Thanksgiving – God
                has blessed us in so many ways and
                being thankful to God and others that
                help us – helps us be happy. Being
                thankful is not for one day of the year –
                it's seeing God's gifts and what others
                do for us and deeply being grateful
                always for the love and kindness
                and gifts we receive in our lives
                every day.

                    Seeing reality as it really is
                is seeing in faith through the eyes
                of our heavenly Father. The more
                a person lives the deadly sins, the
                more numb they become to the truth –
                the more enclosed they become on
                the distorted reality they give into
                with great distortion that if it
                continues leads to greater and
                greater darkness. If all you could
                see was the tip of your nose – what
                sights you would miss.

                    God intends us to carry our crosses
                in life, to be disciplined, to work for
                our bread. God is with us. God
                loves us. In the Blue Books God tells
                us about His love for us, He tells
                us about how He is with us and
                wants us to trust in Him and love
                Him and have a personal relationship
                with Him.

                    God is perfect order. There is structure
                in how God operates. He tells us that
                He is to be first in our lives in the
                commandments.

                    Disorder entered the world when
                Adam and Eve sinned.
                The devil deceived Eve and she
                gave into him and she tempted Adam.
                God told them what to do and they disobeyed
                God.

                    The person that deliberately disobeys
                the commandments of God and
                wants to do evil is really hurting
                themselves. God gives us the commandments
                as rules to live by – to make us happy –
                to live with others – to live by His
                rules.

                    In the Screw tape letters we see how satan
                works – he can move ahead slowly in
                deception, but act like a screw taking
                a person down – because he keeps
                moving ahead leading them down and
                they give into him willingly.

                Satan is the Father of Lies. He acts
                in lies and deception, distorted
                thinking and the reasoning of the
                person gets more and more twisted
                if they give into satan and refuse
                correction, responsibility for their
                actions and consequences for
                themselves and others. They operate
                closed in on themselves and can
                allow themselves such willfulness
                they refuse rules. This usually
                leads to greater and greater pride
                and control where the rules they
                use are opposed to God.
 

                R. They don't see past the nose on their face.

                God wants men to live by His rules
                and when they sin they offend God and
                need to have sorrow for sin and
                with a firm purpose of amendment
                decide to turn from the sin and do
                what God wants of them. They want
                their relationship with God to be
                first in their lives as God commands
                of us. They seek forgiveness and mercy
                from God and turn away from sin
                with a firm purpose of amendment.

The Soul

January 14, 1994 4:30a.m.

Jesus: Take your time and listen now, for I want to tell you about the soul. The soul is the spirit of the body. The soul was created for God and God alone. The soul is mightier than the body. Nobody sees it, but the soul is the spirit to the body!

To have happiness, joy, peace and love, you must tend to the feeding of the soul. The soul is fed by God alone. It was created by The Father to know, love and serve God. To give the soul material goods and expect that to suffice is useless. Only God can feed the soul.

The soul affects the whole operation of the body. If the things of the soul are nurtured, it grows in its love of God and is a vibrant force inside the body. If the things of God are ignored, the soul withers and the spirit of the body dies. All that is tender and loving is dismissed and the heart and eyes that reflect the soul become hard and hollow!

There are as many hearts as there are faces. The heart reflects the condition of the soul. To be void of God, one's heart is hard. It lacks happiness, joy and love. There is no way a person void of God can be happy. There is no way a person void of God is loving.

It is God within Who feeds your soul and you experience the life of Him. This gives the soul a feeling of happiness. To be void of God is to be in a state of sin and no soul is happy in the state of sin.

Feed the soul with soul food. Nothing else can feed a spiritual being. To give a soul material things is useless. The soul is not material. It cannot be touched or felt with the fingers. It can only be fed in the spirit.

Feed the soul the love of God. Then your heart will be free and alive in your chest. You will have peace in your soul and love in your chest. You will never acquire total happiness and peace on earth. Little glimpses I give to you, but you will be in a state of happiness and peace knowing God. I am the Way, the Truth, the Life. He who abides in Me will have the light of life.

end of excerpt

I Want Your Total Trust

October 26, 1993

Jesus: My dear child, when will you believe Me? You are so full of doubt and fear. You know doubt and fear comes from Satan but he sets his traps and you are the first to fall in. All I have told you about doubt and fear! They are like the enemies in a war! You must battle each and every minute of every day. Battle and win the war. I want your total trust. Turn your lives over to Me. Your worry is of no account. It changes nothing. It only keeps you bowed down and in a saddened state. I am God and I command the devils who come to you with doubt and fear to be gone!

Place your heart at My feet. Let Me spray you with a protective coat. This will ward off the evil forces that knock at your ear. Your heart must be a heart totally ready for Me. You are not disturbed by the devil's tactics. He wants you in this saddened state. Then he can get in and work on you. Spray yourself with My light, My power, My presence. You are protected and I dwell in you in a unique way. You are guarded by the angels and set ablaze by the fire of My love. It is hard to let go when he grabs at you. You must let go and let the power of My love enter in. Then you will run and not get weary. You will fly on eagles' wings and you will be doing My work-smiling, being, Christ present to all! In your eyes, they will see Me working. Your eyes must reflect My presence. This only comes from letting go of negative thoughts. It is hard to be happy when he is tormenting you. Only you can let go and give him no power. Send him on his way and he will leave as quickly as he came. He comes on out of nowhere and you are hurt. He grabs with the strongest claws and his grip is paralyzing. Do the hard thing. Recognize him and send him on his way. He will leave as quickly as he came in if you call on Jesus!

Write to Me. I want you to feel Me present and in your heart. I want you to know of My intense, intense love. Why do you worry when I am here and I am God? I am God and I love you with so much love. Focus on My love. Focus on Me. Focus on My face. Be selfless. Focus on My passion-all I suffered for love of you. Every day spend some of your hour focusing on My passion and My suffering. It makes your day's work easier. You realize how I suffered and My intense love for you. Kneel and think of My passion, sweet one. I love you.   end of excerpt

His Kingdom Awaits

November 24, 1993

R. Jesus, Jesus, my beautiful Jesus! I come on bended knee in the night. Nothing is fitting such honor for this King. He has a kingdom to surpass all others and it is not of this world. Entry is not dependent on gold or silver, but on our deeds of love to Him, to each other. How does He love us? With the love of God. He loved us to the point of death and He loves us like that this day. We are unworthy of all His gifts for us but He stands and waits for us at His gates.

Jesus: Come, all you beloved of the Father. I watch and wail and eagerly await your entry. This is your way home. Come to Me with your hearts pure and your souls holy for I ask you to love one another. Be kind to those who hate you. Open up your hearts and let Me dwell there so you will know Me now and forever.

R. Into Thy hands, oh Savior, I commend my spirit. The days are short, the nights are long and I am called to come and be with you. You wait with open arms and bid me to come home to the home of My Father for He is honored and worthy of all praise and we are His heirs, lowly though we be, heirs to a real kingdom. Because of our divine lineage, the angels will come at the appointed hour and carry our souls off to such a reward.

Oh Lord, such a small penitence for serving You! It was indeed the best way to go and then to be rewarded with such royalty. Praise You, my Savior, for I am lowly and You have exalted me. The angels have carried me to Thee and my sight will see You, the one, true God. Alleluia. Praise the Lord.

Jesus: You come, you ask. I tell you what you need to know. Open your heart and wait for My response. My time is not your time. I have a plan. I will make all details available. Pray for this work. I want your trust in Me and in yourselves. There is much grace in trusting in My word. You must do what you think is right. I have written these letters out of love. I will give you more information. Wait and I will tell you what you ask. You must pray for your answer. I do not answer because you ask. I have spoken.

Come and behold Me, King of all. Honor, glory and praise! Know you are dealing with God, child. I tell you in My time and in My way. You must ready yourself for this undertaking. Tell all to pray and the answer will become obvious to them. Pray and seek and it will open unto you what you are to do. I want you to seek your answers and trust in My guidance. Oh, little one, I have made you be patient all along. Is it not for your own good?

I want you to pray this day. I will reveal to you all-what exactly you are to do. I am the Savior. Open up and pray for guidance on your answer. I have a plan and, if it seems easy, then it is the right way to go. Do all want this undertaking? It is with such love I give these letters to you. It is with love and I want them published. We have a focus on Him Who dearly loves us. Wait on Him and He will grant your heart's request. Wait and pray for His word. Alleluia.

The crooked ways are made straight. I want eagerness in this operation, eagerness to serve Me and My ways, to carry out My plan and feel absolutely sure you are doing this for the love of Jesus. This is an act of love. It is a labor to serve Me. Are you ready for such service? Is this your primary goal? Out of love of Jesus you come and you ask and I answer. Is your intent to serve Me with love? The same love I give to you? I want this a top priority. I want My letters to be treated with the love they were delivered in your heart. Then they are delivered to you to give to My world. All must be an act of love for Me. Such service, to come and serve Me this way!

R. It is an honor to do this work for Jesus, Lord.

Jesus: On bended knee I ask you to pray from your hearts that you are worthy to do My work. I need you and I want you eager to serve Jesus, the Son of God. This is My top priority: that it is in your love of Me that you undertake My writing.

Oh, how I love you. Would you not do the same for Me? I loved you to My death. This is an honor, to work for Jesus and write His letters to be published. Do you do this work with all the honor I deserve? Do you do it from love of Me? Then I will be the one to make your work fly. I will light your paths and make your loads light. I will see to its execution Myself, if the love of God be in your hearts, if you realize it is I Who ask and you who have answered My plea out of love and service to Me. Consider it an honor to be asked to serve Me with My holy words!

I want you to realize this treasure you are working with. It is out of love of you, each one of you, I deliver My letters to you. You must, therefore, respond in love of Me that you do this work. I ask, "Will you help Me deliver My messages?" I will make your loads light and I will give you a heavenly reward. For it is I Who give you passage into My kingdom and I will reward each according to his deeds. To honor Me in this service with love pleases Me greatly and I will give unto you the keys to My kingdom. For many, many hearts will be turned around because of My words here.

Read My messages and know the true treasure you hold here. It is with eagerness I want you to do My work. It is with love and conviction. It is in knowledge of My words that you will do My work well. I love you all so much. Will you serve Me with your love?

R. Oh, Lord, Lord, I want to serve You. I want to do your work.

Jesus: Then do My work. You don't do it in the end. I do it for you. I want this work accomplished, and soon. I will go before you. I will prepare the way. I will open the doors. I use you to do this for Me. Are you willing to serve Me in love and to know the treasure you hold. Read My messages so you will better serve Me. I call, you come. I do the work. You labor and toil, but I have a plan and a way to do it. I only need servants to work My plan. Will you serve Me with love and treasure My works? Do you know how much love you can give to Me and your brothers through this work? I will make your loads light. He that serves the Lord will inherit His kingdom. This reward cannot be bought. It is gained by the love in your hearts.

R. Alleluia.

Jesus: It is your commitment to do this work for Me that makes you right or not right to do the work. I do the work in the end. I will work with you and all lights will be "go" from Him Who loves you and wants this plan carried out. These are My letters of love for all My beautiful people. Each letter was hand-delivered in the greatest love. You must respond in love and know what you are handling. Spend time with Me reading My messages so you know what is here and feel Me talking to each of you. Then you will know the intense love I have for each of you and you will do the best job from knowing Me and My love for you.

Thank you for responding to My call. I am Jesus, Son of the Living God, and I am truly alive with love in each letter to your hearts. I await your response.   end of excerpt

                From Fr. Joe's Corner

Christ the King

November 23, 2014

INTRODUCTION – (Ezekiel 34, 11-12. 15-17; 1 Cor. 15, 20-26,28; Matthew 25, 31-46) Today we honor Christ as our King. Our scripture readings do not picture him as a typical king. In our first reading, Ezekiel, the prophet, pictures God as a shepherd. God is distressed with the shepherds of his people; i.e., the kings and religious leaders. They led God's people away from God and to eventual disaster at the time of the Babylonian invasion. God said he himself would lead them rightly. We see this prophecy perfectly fulfilled in Jesus. In our second reading, the whole 15th chapter from Paul's First Letter to the Corinthians, from which our reading is taken, is on the topic of the resurrection. Paul tells us the risen Jesus will reign until evil in every form has been destroyed. Then Jesus will turn the kingdom over to the Father. In the gospel Jesus is pictured as a judge, a judge who judges us on how we behave toward the lowly and the poor. Thus we have three images of Christ the King: a shepherd, the risen Lord and the judge of all nations.

HOMILY – In Matthew's gospel, Jesus' first major sermon is the Sermon on the Mount. The sermon begins with the beatitudes, one of which is: "blessed are the merciful, for they will obtain mercy." Today's gospel is the last of Jesus' major sermons in Matthew, and it dramatically portrays what Jesus means by "blessed are the merciful."

    Today's gospel is one of the best known of Jesus' parables. It tells us, first of all, that at the end of time there will be only two kingdoms: the kingdom of God where there will be happiness beyond anything we can imagine and there will be the kingdom of Satan where there will be endless remorse and suffering. Notice that we're the ones who make the decision as to which kingdom we will belong - we make that choice not by what we say but by the way we live. Karma is a reality.

    The parable tells us about who Jesus is. He is the Son of Man, a mysterious heavenly being to whom God grants dominion, glory and kingship (Daniel 7,14). Jesus has God for his Father (Mt. 25,34) He is called "king," which indicates Messiah and Son of David in Matthew and is also called "Lord" (Mt. 25, 37). He is both judge and shepherd. Jesus' identity was hidden, except in the    things that he did (forgiving sins, interpreting the Law, healing the sick, raising the dead and various other    miracles), but here Jesus appears in all his glory.

    The usual interpretation of today's gospel is that "all the nations" need to respond to the needs of people experiencing some form of distress, "these least brothers of mine." A person might ask, "What about going to Church on Sunday?" What about the other commandments? Aren't those things important? Of course they are. Jesus did say the first and greatest commandment is to love God with our whole heart and soul and mind and strength. Loving God involves more than giving a sandwich to a hungry person or giving a cup of water to a thirsty person. It does include that, but it also includes prayer and worship and keeping the commandments. "If you love me you will keep my commandments," Jesus told his disciples at the Last Supper.

    One commentator, Fr. Daniel Harrington, had a different interpretation for today's gospel. His interpretation asks what do these two phrases mean: "all the nations," and "these least brothers of mine." He points out when Matthew speaks of all the nations in other places in his gospel, he is speaking of the Gentiles - those who are not Jewish or are not identified as the people of God. When he speaks of the least of his brothers he is talking about Christian missionaries or ordinary Christians. If these translations are correct, the passage is about Jesus judging Gentiles and how they treated Christian missionaries or ordinary Christians. Is this an important question for us? It certainly is a question frequently asked these days: "Can non-Christians get into heaven?" According to Fr. Harrington, this is one of the very few texts in Scripture that deals with the salvation of non-Christians and how they can be saved. They are saved by the way they treat Christian missionaries or ordinary Christians. Why is that so? Because such acts of kindness are done for Christ himself. "Whoever receives you, receives me and whoever receives me, receives him who sent me," Jesus said to his disciples when he sent them out to preach. Well then, does the parable teach us anything about what is expected of us - we who are Christians. We have lots of instructions, the Scriptures, the Sacraments, the Catechism, the lives of saints who are great examples of love of others. If Gentiles are expected to show kindness for God's people, how much more are we expected to show kindness to others.

    One last thought about this gospel. It gave me some insight into why heaven will be such a happy place. Consider the kind of people God invites into his kingdom - people who care about others, not people whose care is only about themselves. If you were surrounded only by people who were caring and loving people, wouldn't life be much more pleasant? Amen.

                November 29, 2018 continues

                R. We will rise again!!

                Give glory to God –

                Praise God!

Luke 21: 20-28

‘There will be signs in the sun and moon and stars; on earth nations in agony, bewildered by the turmoil of the ocean and its waves; men fainting away with terror and fear at what menaces the world, for the powers of heaven will be shaken. And then they will see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. When these things begin to take place, stand erect, hold your heads high, because your liberation is near at hand.’

                R. We know not the day nor the hour –

                'There will be the weeping and the gnashing
                    of teeth'  Matthew 22: 13

2 Corinthians 5: 10

John 5: 29

  those who did good
  will come forth to life;
  and those who did evil
      will come forth to judgement.
  

Matthew 25: 46

And they will go away to eternal punishment, and the upright to eternal life.’

                Song: Eye Has Not Seen

                November 28, 2018

                R. God is the Living God –

                    God calls us to have courage to
                serve Him first. God is constant.
                The woes of satan are unpredictable.
                Those that live in pride and close
                down begin to collapse in the
                clamor, confusion and chaos they
                bring to life. Satan can press to a
                point where a person serving him
                will lie better and better to deceive
                as satan counsels, but will tell
                any lie necessary to deceive, but not
                tell the truth. Satan wants
                them to deny their sins. Satan
                is a liar and a person giving into him
                can learn to lie instantly with any lie
                needed to complete a deception, but
                they will, under the influence of satan,
                not tell the truth that could incriminate
                them.

                    This is where we blatantly see the perfection
                of lying – living a lie, making right - wrong
                and wrong - right. The devil wants to
                manipulate events so there is only division,
                tearing apart, no love, no work,
                sadness, anger, self-pity and finally
                a collapsing of one-self into utter
                control –

                    And if the time continues it's the same
                deceptive story rotting in untruth –

                    God is absolute truth. He is the
                living God. He wants to dwell in our
                hearts. A person in the state of grace
                has the Father, Son and Holy Spirit
                living in them. He is the living God,
                enduring forever.

                    A person being formed more and
                more in the image and likeness
                of God is growing in virtue. God
                opens the supernatural world to us.
                God counsels us – God is increasing
                supernatural faith, hope and love
                in us.

                    The Holy Spirit is operating in
                this person of holiness – moving
                like the wind – operating so
                they are instruments of God.

                    Where a person of darkness that
                lives lies, continues in darkness,
                counseled day by day by satan –
                When satan counsels and the person
                gives in, lives by satan's prompting,
                satan has nothing to lose –
                he doesn't give up if the person
                gives him reign in lying hearts.

                    He works undercover, so the
                prideful person, in their independence
                is fooled thinking they are ruling
                when in fact they can become
                more and more enslaved to him –
                Satan is a sneak, a liar, a
                manipulator. Satan wants destruction
                like we saw in World War II – the tearing
                apart – death – hatred – selfishness –
                debasement –

                    But we see Jesus who gave and gave
                in love. Who gave to us shedding his
                blood for our sins so we could be
                saved – God is the King – God is love –
                God is to be honored and given glory.
                God is omnipotent.

                    Men who give into satan as their
                ruler will suffer in the end.
                Tearing apart your own place is
                not a victory – Giving your own
                body to be burned for darkness –
                you lose out –

                On the judgment day – God's people will
                have joy because salvation will be
                near.

                    They threw Daniel in the lion's den
                and God closed
                the mouths of the lions. Oh God
                help us to fight for You, to do all
                this work in purity and truth and
                love. Oh God You are all powerful
                and Almighty and no one has power
                over You. We are Your servants
                Lord and under Your laws. We
                live in obedience to You God.

                    The fool opposes God and some
                even parade before Him in
                impudence. God in His love
                has given us a free will to
                do good and grow in love and virtue or
                to do evil and grow in hatred serving
                satan.

Revelation 18: 1-2, 21-23

After this, I saw another angel come down from heaven, with great authority given to him; the earth shone with his glory. At the top of his voice he shouted, 'Babylon has fallen, Babylon the Great has fallen, and has become the haunt of devils and a lodging for every foul spirit and dirty, loathsome bird.

Then a powerful angel picked up a boulder like a great millstone, and as he hurled it into the sea, he said, 'That is how the great city of Babylon is going to be hurled down, never to be seen again.

Never again in you
will be heard
    the song of harpists and minstrels,
the music of flute and trumpet;
never again will craftsmen of every skill
    be found in you
or the sound of the handmill be heard;
never again
    will shine the light of the lamp in you,
never again will be heard in you
the voices of bridegroom and bride.
Your traders were the princes
    of the earth,
all the nations were led astray
    by your sorcery.

In her was found the blood of prophets and saints, and all the blood that was ever shed on earth.'

Revelation 19: 1-3, 9

After this I heard what seemed to be the great sound of a huge crowd in heaven, singing, ‘Alleluia! Salvation and glory and power to our God! He judges fairly, he punishes justly, and he has condemned the great prostitute who corrupted the earth with her prostitution; he has avenged the blood of his servants which she shed.’ And again they sang, "Alleluia! The smoke of her will rise for ever and ever.’

The angel said, ‘Write this, “Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding feast of the Lamb,” ’ and he added, ‘These words of God are true.’ 

                R. God wants us to live to build His
                Kingdom. We are to be His servants,
                fighting for what He wants us to do.
                We are to honor and praise God
                and grow in intimate love in
                our relationship with God. God
                is love and in Him is no darkness.

Revelation 20: 1-4, 11

Then I saw an angel come down from heaven with the key of the Abyss in his hand and an enormous chain. He overpowered the dragon, that primeval serpent which is the devil and Satan, and chained him up for a thousand years. He hurled him into the Abyss and shut the entrance and sealed it over him, to make sure he would not lead the nations astray again until the thousand years had passed. At the end of that time he must be released, but only for a short while.

    Then I saw thrones, where they took their seats, and on them was conferred the power to give judgement. I saw the souls of all who had been beheaded for having witnessed for Jesus and for having preached God’s word, and those who refused to worship the beast or his statue and would not accept the brand–mark on their foreheads or hands; they came to life, and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.

    Then I saw a great white throne and the One who was sitting on it. In his presence, earth and sky vanished, leaving no trace.

 

Revelation 21: 2

I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride dressed for her husband.

                R. God is a living God –

                    "Night will be no more for the
                    Lord God will give them light"

                God gives

                    Life - give water to the thirsty
                    There will be no more lies.

Luke 21: 34-36

‘Watch yourselves, or your hearts will be coarsened by debauchery and drunkenness and the cares of life, and that day will come upon you unexpectedly, like a trap. For it will come down on all those living on the face of the earth. Stay awake, praying at all times for the strength to survive all that is going to happen, and to hold your ground before the Son of man.’

                "Be watch, be ready for you know
                    not when the Son of God is coming"

Jeremiah 26: 5-6

and pay attention to the words of my servants the prophets whom I have never tired of sending to you, although you never have paid attention, I shall treat this Temple as I treated Shiloh, and make this city a curse for all the nations of the world.” ’

Jeremiah 26: 13

So now amend your behaviour and actions, listen to the voice of Yahweh your God, and Yahweh will relent about the disaster that he has decreed for you.

                R. The thief comes to steal – He comes
                    in darkness –

                Satan works in darkness, undercover
                    to steal a man's heart –

                Satan works in the deadly sins
                    of pride, anger, jealousy, envy,
                    slothfulness, gluttony and lust.

                Jesus tells us He is the resurrection
                    and the life.

                We have to walk in the light, follow
                    in the footsteps of Jesus –
                    walk courageously when men
                    surround us with swords.
                    Walk in faith, the victory has
                        been won.

                The man walking in the dark doesn't
                    know where he is going –
                    We have to keep the faith –
                    Walk courageously in God.

                We are children of the light.
 

                R. We can't have 2 Master –

John 12: 31-32

‘Now sentence is being passed
   on this world;
now the prince of this world
   is to be driven out.
And when I am lifted up from the earth,
I shall draw all people to myself.’

                R. God instructs us – gives us
                    the commandments –
                    the man defying God is
                    condemning himself.

                Jesus washed the feet of His Apostles
                    and He was the Teacher –
                    We are to serve God and one
                    another as He did –

                "No slave is greater than their Master"
                                                    John 13: 16

                We can't just talk about these
                    things – we must live them,
                    put them into practice –

                Men will know we belong to
                    Christ by our love –
                    because God is love –

                Jesus promised to those who love and
                    serve Him to prepare a
                    place for us –
                    He says in His house are
                    many dwelling places.

                Jesus says:

                    I am the way, the truth
                        and the life –

                Jesus: You must love and learn
                    to give what the Father
                    wills to one another –
                    I am the way, the truth
                    and the life.

John 15: 5-6

I am the vine,
you are the branches.
Whoever remains in me, with me in him,
bears fruit in plenty;
for cut off from me you can do nothing.
Anyone who does not remain in me
is thrown away like a branch
—and withers;
these branches are collected
     and thrown on the fire
and are burnt.

                Jesus: I have called you –
                    You are to co-operate and
                    love and serve Me as the
                    heavenly Father wills you to do.

                R. God puts His laws in our minds
                    and writes them on our
                    hearts –

                Testing the Spirits

1 John 4: 1-4

My dear friends,
not every spirit is to be trusted,
but test the spirits
   to see whether they are from God,
for many false prophets
   are at large in the world.
This is the proof of the spirit of God:
any spirit
    which acknowledges Jesus Christ,
        come in human nature,
is from God,
and no spirit
    which fails to acknowledge Jesus
is from God;
it is the spirit of Antichrist,
whose coming you have heard of;
he is already at large in the world.
Children, you are from God
and have overcome them,
because he who is in you
is greater than he who is in the world.

                Jesus: I am the Alpha and the
                    Omega, I am the Living
                    God. I came so you could
                    be saved –
                    I came to give you life –
                    Life is in Me –

                Song: A Song from Jesus

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.

“Nothing is more practical than finding God, that is, than falling in a love in a quite absolute, final way. What you are in love with, what seizes your imagination will affect everything. It will decide what will get you out of bed in the mornings, what you will do with your evenings, how you spend your weekends, what you read, who you know, what breaks your heart, and what amazes you with joy and gratitude. Fall in love, stay in love, and it will decide everything.”  Pedro Arrupe

                        Looking at the Crucifix

"What have I done for Christ?"
"What am I doing for Christ?"
"What ought I to do for Christ?"
 

Revelation 19: 5-8

    Then a voice came from the throne; it said, ‘Praise our God, you servants of his and those who fear him, small and great alike.’ And I heard what seemed to be the voices of a huge crowd, like the sound of the ocean or the great roar of thunder, answering, ‘Alleluia! The reign of the Lord our God Almighty has begun; let us be glad and joyful and give glory to God, because this is the time for the marriage of the Lamb. His bride is ready, and she has been able to dress herself in dazzling white linen, because her linen is made of the good deeds of the saints.’

               Song: A Song from Jesus

                Song: God's Love

                November 27, 2018

                R. Love of God is an act where we want
                to give God our love – we will to love God
                first above all things – we want to know
                God because we love Him and because we
                love Him so much we want to serve Him.

                    God is All Good – We will to love Him
                above all things. God wants our affectionate
                love for Him – We praise and worship Him.
                This is a grace God gives us to love Him
                so much, but we must want and seek
                to love Him and put Him above everyone else.

                    Our love for God does not change when
                we are suffering – we still love Him first –
                we can share God's loving activity because of baptism –
                A person that truly loves God has real
                joy in their heart and soul and peace even
                in suffering. A person who is loving
                is a thankful, generous person.

                    Love of self means I care for my
                eternal salvation and care for my health,
                etc.

                    Fr. Carter teaches us about the 3 loves.
                We are to love our enemies and hate
                sin and all evil, but we cannot hate
                sinners –

Matthew 5: 44-46

                R. All sin offends God. We have a duty
                to give love to God. We have a duty
                to love our neighbor as ourselves.
                Sins against love offends God –
                Hatred for God gravely offends God –
                Hatred for our neighbor deeply offends God.

                What is love to you?    (think a minute)

                Fr. Carter's definition of love is

                R. In baptism our knowing and loving
                    capacity is elevated –

                We are to mature and grow in loving
                    on a supernatural level
                    because of this.

                Love is in the heart –

                Supernatural love means God
                    operates in loving in us –

                We never arrive at Christian perfection
                    during our lives – we are always
                    growing – maturing –
                    loving more likened to Christ!

                Name acts of love we give in our
                    hearts –
                    TRUST, FAITH, PRAYER –

                R. Fr. Carter gave us 5 things to reach.
 

Theme II - The Concept of the Christian Life

Five different views of the Christian life
One basic reality includes the other four
Talking about the Christian life from five different perspectives

What follows will be these 5 perspectives

A.    The Christian life considered as response to God's love

B.    The Christian life considered as participation in God's life

C.    The Christian life considered as elevation of human nature

D.    The Christian life considered as the Christ-life

E.    The Christian life considered as life in the Holy Spirit

Also: Mary's role in the Christian life

                R. Baptism gives us a sharing in Divine
                    Life and opens up the
                    supernatural life to us.

                We can compare maturity in the
                    spiritual life to how we grow –
                    childhood, youth and maturity.

                Spiritual Childhood –

                    The Holy Spirit helps us
                        to root out our faults –

                    We discern the spirits –

                    We do not want to sin –

                    We have master over what
                        we are doing –
                        We are accountable and
                        responsible for our actions –

                    We want to learn about God –
                        spend time alone in silent prayer –

                    We discipline ourselves, our actions –

                    We deny those impulses that are
                        temptations to sin –
                        that are unloving and hurt others –

                    We tell the truth –

                    We work to perfect the virtues:
                        faith, hope, love, humility,
                        obedience, prudence, temperance,
                        fortitude and justice.

                Spiritual youth –

                    We continue uprooting faults,
                        but we walk and follow
                        Jesus.
   

                    R. We grow in selflessness.

                    R. We grow in holiness –

                    We do not want to offend our
                        beloved –

                    We live the Christ-life –

                    We are likened to Christ –

                    We must discern the spirits –

                    We want the Holy Spirit directing
                        our soul –
                        not the evil spirit –

                    Life in the Spirit –

        From the Priestly Newsletter Book III by Fr. Edward Carter, S.J.

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 the virginal soil 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 artificers of Jesus, 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 just 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 depths 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 grow, no gift be developed, no grace increased, no bond of union with God be strengthened in the rich flowering of the spiritual life. mm

"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." ¹⁸

18. Archbishop Luis M. Martinez, The Sanctifier, op. cit. pp. 5-7.

   

           From Tell My People by Fr. Edward J. Carter, S.J.

The Holy Spirit

Jesus: "My beloved friend, tell My people to pray daily to the Holy Spirit. They are to pray for an increase in His gifts. My people must realize that the Holy Spirit comes to transform them. The Spirit desires to transform you more and more according to My image. Those who are docile to His touch become increasingly shaped in My likeness. He performs this marvel within Mary's Immaculate Heart. The more one dwells in My Mother's Heart, the more active are the workings of the Spirit. The Spirit leads Mary to place you within My own Heart. In both Our Hearts, then, your transformation continues. The more you are formed after My own Heart, the more I lead you to the bosom of My Father. Tell My people all this. Tell them to pray daily for a greater appreciation of these wondrous gifts. I am Lord and Master. All who come to My Heart will be on fire to receive the gifts of the Spirit in ever greater measure! I love and bless My people!"

Reflection: The Holy Spirit is given to us to fashion us ever more according to the likeness of Jesus. And the more we are like Jesus, the more Jesus leads us to the Father. Do we, each day, pray to the Holy Spirit to be more open to His transforming influence? Do we strive each day to grow in union with Mary? The greater our union with our Mother, the spouse of the Holy Spirit, the greater is the transforming action of the Holy Spirit within us.

end of excerpt

                Sing: Come Holy Ghost

Luke 12: 49

John 13: 35

It is by your love for one another,
that everyone will recognise you
as my disciples.

                R. In confirmation we became strengthened,
                    soldiers of Jesus.

                We see the Apostles were afraid and
                    hid in the upper room until
                    the Holy Spirit came upon them on
                    Pentecost
                    and they were transformed
                    from fear to fearlessness.

R. The gifts of the Holy Spirit are
    Wisdom, Understanding, Counsel,
    Fortitude, Knowledge, Piety
    and Fear of the Lord.

The fruits of the Holy Spirit are
    charity, joy, peace, patience,
    benignity (kindness), goodness,
    long-suffering, mildness,
    faith, modesty, continency,
    and chastity.

                We must use the gifts –

                Excerpt from November 20, 2018

                R. In Confirmation we are strengthened in
                    our faith and in doing right.
                    We have a special power to do
                    right if we want to –
                    We become soldiers of Christ –
                    This is spiritual strength –
                    Physical strength is in our
                        bodies.

                Confirmation strengthens our
                    faith –

                We receive the power to
                    lead others to Christ –
                    to holiness.

                Confirmation helps us be spiritual adults.
                    It makes us ready to share the
                    life we received in baptism
                    with others –

                It gives us the mission to lead
                    others to Christ –
                    It gives us a new calling,
                        a new job.
                    We are interested in the
                        salvation of others –
                        to do all we can to
                        help this –

                We can speak for Christ –
                    be witnesses of Christ –

                Given November 16, 2018 

                R. Christ showed us how He loved sinners,
                Christ showed Himself loving and socializing
                with others. Christ picked 12 men He spent
                time teaching and spending time with to teach
                His message and run the Church.

                    Christ ate with others. We see Christ
                eating so much, which tells us He intended
                us to be with others at meals.

                    God created us and we must eat to
                sustain life. God created us to help each
                other, to eat together.

                    Imagine Jesus eating with Mary and
                Joseph. Imagine Jesus eating with the
                Apostles. Think of the Multiplication of
                the loaves and fish.

                    See the Mass – that Jesus says we
                are one in Him. We receive the Eucharist
                together at Mass.

                R. See Christ at the Last Supper –

                We eat food to sustain our life –
                make our bodies strong –

                God gives us a sharing in His life
                in baptism –

                He gives us His Body and Blood
                    in the Mass so we become
                    more and more likened to Him –

                We pray for the Church to be a
                strong body and be fed by the Bread of Life –
                the Word and the Eucharist.

                God works in structure –

                God wants our living in order –

                The devil wants disorder –
                    The devil wants his plan –
                    DISORDER

                    He wants God under him –
                        so he tempts people
                        to covet power –
                        to cause disorder –

                    The devil works in people – he
                    doesn't come in red tights with
                    horns and a pitch-fork –

                    He deceives people with pride that they
                        are free when they do what they
                        want – even if it offends God –
                        then the devil acts like the person
                        is thinking this when he tempts
                        them – talks in their head –

                    Passive - aggressive –

                    Attacking in sneaky ways – then
                    the person says – I DID Nothing –

                the devil is the Prince of Darkness
                the devil is the Father of Lies

Revelation 14: 4-5

These are the sons who have kept their virginity and not been defiled with women; they follow the Lamb wherever he goes; they, out of all people, have been redeemed to be the first–fruits for God and for the Lamb. No lie was found in their mouths and no fault can be found in them.

                R. It says "No lie was found in their
                mouths and no fault can be found
                in them."

1 Corinthians 15: 20-28

                R. We are brought fourth in the Holy Spirit,
                The Holy Spirit – the Spirit of Truth –

                Revelation ends –

                R. Jesus gave us the Song from Jesus
                    October 7, 1994 – 24 years ago.

                R. We are children being brought forth
                    in the spiritual womb of Mary,
                    Our Mother, her Immaculate Heart –
                    in the Spirit –

                This makes us more and more like Jesus –

                We were created in the image and likeness
                    of Jesus –

                Our mission to spread the dwelling
                    of ourselves in the Hearts of Jesus and Mary –
 

From the Holy Spirit Novena 

Prayer to Dwell in the Hearts of Jesus and Mary

   

English

Spanish

French

Portuguese

Polska

From the Holy Spirit Novena 

Prayer for the Holy Spirit and His Gifts

                R. God gave us the Holy Spirit Novena –

                It is so powerful for dwelling
                    in God –
                    for God in us –
                    for the Holy Spirit to possess us.
 

From the Holy Spirit Novena 

Prayer for Strength and Light

                R. This Movement is about God in us.

           From Tell My People by Fr. Edward J. Carter, S.J.

Excerpt from Blue Book 18

2 Corinthians 4: 7-11

         The hardships and hopes of the apostolate

But we hold this treasure in pots of earthenware, so that the immensity of the power is God’s and not our own. We are subjected to every kind of hardship, but never distressed; we see no way out but we never despair; we are pursued but never cut off; knocked down, but still have some life in us; always we carry with us in our body the death of Jesus so that the life of Jesus, too, may be visible in our body. Indeed, while we are still alive, we are continually being handed over to death, for the sake of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus, too, may be visible in our mortal flesh.

Father Carter's talk continues

    So we suffer with Jesus, so that here below and in eternity, so that we may live more with Him, and that we may become more fit instruments for helping to channel His life to others. We have a particular way of doing that, a magnificent way within the Shepherds of Christ Movement. He hung upon a cross on a hill called Calvary. He had already suffered so much, had He not? He had been brutally scourged at the pillar, crowned with thorns, laughed at, ridiculed, without sleep. He had to carry the heavy cross up the hill, upon reaching the hill He was mercilessly nailed to the cross. He hung there in that agonizing suffering until death came. His side was pierced and from His pierced Heart flowed blood and water, symbols of sacramental life in the Church, Baptism and the Eucharist. And as He hung on that cross nearing death in that brutalized suffering, St. Francis de Sales, who was a Doctor of the Church—a Doctor of the Church means that the Church recognizes not only the great holiness of the person, but the great learning, the great wisdom—in one of his classic works, St. Francis de Sales, his work Treatise on God's Divine Love, he says, “As Jesus hung upon the cross there in that brutal suffering each of us was present to Him. He knew each of us intimately and the perfect one gave His last drop of blood for you and for me.” So if we ever have problems with our motivation in the Movement, I suggest that we come to the foot of the cross and we realize what Jesus has done for me and continues to do. It is payback time. St. Ignatius Loyola, founder of the Jesuits, has left us this beautiful prayer, “Lord teach me to be generous, teach me to serve you as you deserve, to give and not to count the cost, to fight and not to heed the wounds, to toil and not to seek for rest, to labor and not to ask for reward save that of knowing that I do your will.”        

    Now I will give the blessing. May the blessing of Almighty God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit descend upon you and remain forever. Amen.

end of Father Carter's talk February 1, 1998

 

    

 

 Excerpt from Blue Book 18

March 7, 1998 - 11th Day

R. My dear Spouse,

    You take us to Your mountain top and show us Your light and the world slumbers and sleeps and the throng below the hill shakes the tree and the dead fruit falls, but they do not see it.

    We hear the voice of the Father speak, “This is My beloved Son in Whom I am well pleased.” and we hear the voice of the Good Shepherd speak as He reveals His Father to us and His plan for the salvation of all men living according to His will.

    The voice of the Good Shepherd will be heard as men listen to Jesus. In this Movement, Shepherds of Christ, we pray for our priests, the Church and the world. end of excerpt

        R. This is what the Father said in His message delivered in January of 1997, especially January the 18th, where He says –

God the Father: My Dear Children,

    I am the Father. My plan is unfolding through you, My beloved priest, Fr. Carter, and Rita and the core group in the Shepherds of Christ Movement.

        R. And it’s through the writings and messages of Fr. Carter and Rita that many will be touched.

January 18, 1997 continues

God the Father: My Son has revealed Himself as never beforein history into His tremendous love for men and you treat Our gift with such indifference.

        R. This is from January the 18th from the Father of 1997.

January 18, 1997 continues

God the Father: I am talking through these messages given by My Son and Mary to tell you how to accomplish this task of carrying out My plan.

R. He speaks through Jesus, His Son, the Son of God, God-made-Man. He further states this in this message. I haven’t received a long message from the Father in long time and then the Father spoke really since that, well, I got one on February the 10th, I know. So I can’t say I haven’t received, they were mostly in 1997. So the other day, I got this message, March the 7th from the Father. “Oh ye of little faith,” That is the word. It’s faith.

 

God the Father: Oh, ye of little faith, you do not comprehend the gifts I give to you and that I am revealing Myself to you in these messages. Come atop the mountain and I will speak to you, and to those who slumber and sleep, they will be comforted by the words you deliver from on high. The earth will be transformed and the earth will shine with light. I created the light in the darkness, a new day dawns on those who fear the Lord and harkens to the voice of My Son. Those who reject Him will suffer a dark day. My shepherds, My Son talks to you here. The dead will know they labor in vain, for when I spoke to you through My Son, Jesus, they defiled My word I gave to you and worshiped the molten calf, a thankless generation of stiffs. Every person who operates in the Shepherds of Christ Movement must operate from the heart. Treat one another as brothers in Christ. I am the Father. Mary is your Mother and his is the holy family that I want on this earth - a holy family of brothers and sisters living according to My will. Live in Christ Jesus, My Son, the Savior of the world. Holy Spirit, come and enlighten the hearts of the faithful

Song: You are Mine

                end of excerpt
 

                R. 27 Years Ago

                God calls us by name –

                Jesus wants a personal union with
                    us – this is our strength
 

                R. Pray for the grace you need most.

                        p. 25

46. PRAYER.  In the preparatory prayer I will beg God
our Lord for grace that all my intentions, actions, 
and operations may be directed purely to the 
praise and service of His Divine Majesty.  

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

21.                     SPIRITUAL EXERCISES

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

                        23. FIRST PRINCIPLE AND FOUNDATION

                            Man is created to praise, reverence and serve God 
                        our Lord, and by this means to save his soul.

                R. Gratitude, Praise, Love,
                    Honor – Giving God what
                    is our duty –

                God put a "wild card" in us –
                    He gave us a free will and
                        expects us to do His will
                        and commands us to love –

                It is freedom to obey a greater
|                    will than ours

                Freedom finds its essence in
                    obedience.

                The angels - some of them –
                    rebelled against God –

                The fallen angels go through the world trying
                    to get men to rebel –
                    they can talk in a man's head
                    and he thinks he is thinking
                    the temptation unless he
                    discerns it –

                Men awake think the whole time –
                    the devil can work in this –
                    he wants souls rebelling against God –
                    that's his game –

                The devil wants people he commands
                    and operates out of, to
                    do the opposite of God's Plan –

                Men disobeyed God and Jesus
                    paid for their sins on the
                    cross –

                God gives us His Plan –
                    of Love – we have a
                    free will to listen to satan and rebel
                    against God –

                If we want a good relationship with
                    God we must be obedient to God –
                    Submission must be there for
                    the child to obey their parents
                    and to obey God –

                The selfish person often says –
                    "I will obey nobody –
                    I do what I want" –

                Freedom in love, teaches us we
                    are under God, and we must
                    obey Him, authority, His Plan.

                Obedience brings joy and peace
                    and gives honor to God –

                Disobedience against God offends God –
                    Jesus paid for our sins of disobedience
                    and lack of love and unity.

                We see the Holy Trinity –
                    3 Persons in one Divine God

                God is the perfect community of love –

                Every religious community has
                    the Trinity as their model –

                To be divided and give into
                    chaos and confusion is
                    serving satan –

                Satan says:
                    "You can do whatever
                    you want" –
                    no accountability –
                    no responsibility –
                    denying sin
                    saying, "you are
                    right"!!

                Satan says
                    "Nobody can be over you or
                        tell you what to do –
                        the Law, People,
                        God etc."

                Satan says –
                    "Do what you want"

                What he is really saying because he
                    is hidden
                        "Do what I want"
                        "Rebel against God's will"

                Sin is rebellion against God!

                R. In the Trinity each person
                    wants the other happy –
                    happiness is in God –

                Satan says – "People are your enemies,
                    be jealous, envious –
                    don't let relations form –
                        no relationships –
                        you might get cheated
                        if people work as one"

                Love gives freely –
                    love isn't selfish, possessive,
                        punishing, lying.

                Love is harmonious –

                Obedience is love –

                We are not completely free like satan lies and says –

                In reality:
                    We are under God –
                    We are under His Laws
                    We are under Laws of Nature
                    etc.

                The angels rebelled against God –
                    they said
                    "we will not serve"

                They rebelled in pride.

                A person that rebels against
                    God turns more and more
                    in on themselves.

                The devils are turned in on
                    themselves –

                God is perfect
                God is love
                God is perfect harmony –

                The devils want people to put
                    themselves first, above God –

                The man who lives by the deadly
                    sins, puts himself first,
                    above God.

                The commandments tell us God –
                    must be first.

                The devils hate God and hate
                    the worship and love and
                    prayers, songs raised
                    to God.

                This is DISORDER –
                    putting yourself above God –

                The hearts of those living
                    by the deadly sins
                    have hearts of ice –

                The devils bring this
                    disconnect to God to a man's
                    heart they operate in –
                    their hearts can become
                    like ice – hard hearts
                    not like God.

                Song: Give me Your Heart oh Jesus

                R. The angels that rebelled eternally
                    turn in on themselves –
                    They are the Princes of Darkness –

                They are full of lies and pride –

                A man living by the deadly
                    sins is full of self –

                Think of this: We can follow
                    God – obey God – love God
                    and gain eternal life –

                We can follow the fallen
                    angels and rebel against
                    God –
                    let the devils counsel us –
                    let them operate in us
                    and then do the work of
                    satan in the world.

Excerpt of The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius, by Louis J. Puhl, S.J. pp.60-61
 

136. THE FOURTH DAY

        A MEDITATION ON TWO STANDARDS

The one of Christ, our supreme leader and lord,
the other of Lucifer, the deadly enemy of our
human nature

PRAYER.   The usual preparatory prayer.

window at a former Jesuit Seminary

137. FIRST PRELUDE.   This is the history. Here it will be that Christ calls and wants all beneath His standard, and Lucifer, on the other hand, wants all under his.

138. SECOND PRELUDE.   This is a mental representation of the place. It will be here to see a great plain, comprising the whole region about Jerusalem, where the sovereign Commander-in-Chief of all the good is Christ our Lord; and another plain about the region of Babylon, where the chief of the enemy is Lucifer.

139. THIRD PRELUDE.   This is to ask for what I desire. Here it will be to ask for a knowledge of the deceits of the rebel chief and help to guard myself against them; and also to ask for a knowledge of the true life exemplified in the sovereign and true Commander, and the grace to imitate Him.
   

FIRST PART

THE STANDARD OF SATAN

140. FIRST POINT.   Imagine you see the chief of all the enemy in the vast plain about Babylon, seated on a great throne of fire and smoke, his appearance inspiring horror and terror.

141. SECOND POINT.   Consider how he summons innumerable demons, and scatters them, some to one city and some to another, throughout the whole world, so that no province, no place, no state of life, no individual is overlooked.

142. THIRD POINT.   Consider the address he makes to them, how he goads them on to lay snares for men and bind them with chains. First they are to tempt them to covet riches (as Satan himself is accustomed to do in most cases) that they may the more easily attain the empty honors of this world, and then come to overweening pride.

   The first step, then, will be riches, the second honor, the third pride. From these three steps the evil one leads to all other vices.
   

SECOND PART

THE STANDARD OF CHRIST

143.   In a similar way, we are to picture to ourselves the sovereign and true Commander, Christ our Lord.

144. FIRST POINT.   Consider Christ our Lord, standing in a lowly place in a great plain about the region of Jerusalem, His appearance beautiful and attractive.

145. SECOND POINT.   Consider how the Lord of all the world chooses so many persons, apostles, disciples, etc., and sends them throughout the whole world to spread His sacred doctrine among all men, no matter what their state or condition.

146. THIRD POINT.   . . .   

end of excerpt of The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius

                R. Think of choosing eternal life.
                Think of choosing eternal darkness.

                Jesus is the way, the truth
                    and the life!!

                Satan comes to destroy –
                    to divide – to lie –
                    to bring chaos and confusion
 

                "It is I"

                R. Jesus walked on the water –

                Job 9: 8

                "He alone stretches out the heavens and
                    treads upon the crests of the sea."

Jeremiah 28: 1-17

                R. They didn't believe Jeremiah – Jeremiah
                paid a price of suffering and persecution
                to deliver the message – God chose Jeremiah,
                Jeremiah didn't go looking for the job,
                but like Jesus he persevered and persevered
                and he was strengthened because he carried
                the cross Jesus gave him.

                Jesus feeds us with the Bread of Life.

                God was strengthening their faith as
                    they wondered in the desert –
                    When we suffer in love and have
                        to endure trials God brings us
                        to greater life in Him –

John 6: 35

INTRODUCTION – (Daniel 12,1-3; Hebrews 10,11-14; Mark 13,24-32) Most of us, I am sure, are familiar with the last book of the Bible, the Book of Revelation. Because the entire New Testament was originally written in Greek, and the Book of Revelation began with the Greek word “apocalypsis,” a word which means revelation, the book is also referred to as the Apocalypse. What most people do not know is there are a number of other sections of the Bible that are apocalyptic in nature; that is, they reveal to God’s people what is going to take place. Usually they were composed during a time when God’s people were being persecuted to give hope to God’s people during those difficult times. The message usually was that if God’s people remained faithful to God, their sufferings would soon be at an end and God, or perhaps God’s delegate, the Messiah, would overcome God’s enemies and would initiate an era of peace. This era of peace was spoken as God’s reign or God’s kingdom. Our first reading today, from the Book of Daniel, written about 165 BC, is an example of apocalyptic writing. The Jews were being forced to adopt the pagan religion of the Greeks, otherwise they were persecuted and killed. The time was described as “unsurpassed in distress.” In today’s passage, Daniel the seer predicts that soon the Archangel Michael, the guardian of the Jews, would come to the aid of God’s people. The passage contains a clear belief in resurrection to glory for those who remained faithful and a resurrection to everlasting horror for those who had not.

HOMILY – For those who like to use big words, I have one for you: eschatology. It means a study of the last things. It derives from the Greek eschaton – the things that are to take place at the end of the world. As the year draws to a close, our scripture readings want us to remember that our world as we know it will not continue on forever. God has other plans for us – to be with him forever. It is basic common sense, if we are aware of what is ahead, we will be better prepared to deal with it when it comes.

    We just heard a little bit of what the Bible teaches us about the end time, the eschaton. Prior to today’s reading, Mark tells us the topic came up as the apostles were admiring the Temple. Jesus prophesied its destruction (which was to take place in the year 70 AD); then he began speaking of wars and natural disasters and families breaking apart and other tribulations that his people would suffer. Then we come to today’s gospel. The central feature of the end time will be the return of the glorified Jesus and his calling together those who have lived as God has desired we should. Today’s first reading, taken from the Book of Daniel, said they will live forever. Daniel doesn’t say what will happen to the others who have not followed God’s ways, but it isn’t pretty.

    Let me repeat that Jesus’ return is the key feature of the end time. In today’s gospel, Jesus is telling us that the whole cosmos will signal his coming. The sun and moon and stars will no longer be needed, for Christ himself will be our light. Just as we know that summer is coming from signs in nature, so there will be signs that the Son of Man is coming soon. Just how soon is the big question. It is vague enough to urge us to always be ready to meet the Lord. That’s a message that bears repeating, and so Jesus repeats this message in a second parable a few verses after today’s gospel when he compares the coming of the Son of Man to a man who goes on a long journey. His servants do not know when he might return, whether in the evening or midnight or early morning or whenever, and he warns his servants that when he returns he doesn’t want to find them goofing off. It is a parable that exhorts us to constant vigilance.

    Almost always, Jesus refers to himself as the Son of Man. It is an ambiguous title and Jesus probably uses it to make people think deeply about what it might mean. No one (none of the apostles or anyone) used this title to refer to Jesus, except Jesus himself. Basically it means “a human being,” but there is a passage in the Book of Daniel (not today’s passage) which describes one like a “Son of Man” who comes on the clouds of heaven and who is presented to God (referred to as “the Ancient One”) who gives this Son of Man authority, honor and royal power over all the nations of the world so people of every race and nation and language would obey him. It is obvious that this second meaning far surpasses the idea of just “a human being.”

    There are a couple of things in today’s gospel that really challenge Scripture scholars. Jesus said “this generation will not pass away until all these things have taken place.” Some scholars interpret “this generation” to mean the Jewish people, or Christians or the human race in general. Others say it refers to the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple; i.e., the signs that will announce Jesus’ coming. It certainly reflects the immanence of his coming, perhaps it refers to his coming to each one of us at the time of our death.

    Another challenge for scholars is Jesus’ statement about when he shall return. He says: “of that day or hour, no one knows, neither the angels in heaven nor the Son, but only the Father.” It could refer to his human nature, which had to grow in wisdom and age and grace just as we do, and his human nature was not informed of the day nor the hour. Some scholar refer to the words “nor the Son” as an addition by a scribe. Nowhere else in Mark’s gospel does Jesus refer to himself as simply “the Son.” As a matter of fact, in the Acts of the Apostles (1,7), Jesus said to the apostles “it is not for you [disciples] to know the times or periods.” He does not say “it is not for me to know,” but he says “it is not for you to know.” There is no conclusive understanding; maybe he did know and wouldn’t say, or maybe he didn’t know because of his human limitations.

    100% of those who have predicted the second coming of Christ and the end of the world at a certain day and time have been wrong. Just two weeks ago, I got a warning by email that it will happen before the end of the year. If they are right, they would be the first person in 2000 years who was. How do we live in this period of expectation of Christ’s second coming? Some people expect it’s right around the corner. Some think, “oh, we have to hear about that again. It probably won’t happen for a million years.” While others are too busy to think about any of this stuff right now and they have forgotten that Jesus wants us to live in expectation of his return, so when he comes we can meet him not as a stranger but as a friend.