Spirituality Handbook

A Way of Spiritual Life
 

The way of spiritual life proposed to the members of Shepherds of Christ Associates is centered in consecration to the Hearts of Jesus and Mary. All aspects of the spiritual life discussed below should be viewed as means to help members develop their lives in consecration to Christ, the Sacred Heart, and to Mary, the Immaculate Heart.
 

An Overview of the Spiritual Life
 

The Christian life is rooted in the great event of the Incarnation. We must consequently always focus our gaze upon Christ, realizing that everything the Father wishes to tell us has been summed up in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. It only remains for us, then, to strive to understand with greater insight the inexhaustible truth of the Word Incarnate: "In many and various ways God spoke of old to our fathers by the prophets; but in these last days He has spoken to us by a Son, Whom He appointed the heir of all things, through Whom also He created the world." (Heb. 1: 1-2) ¹

What was the condition of the human race at the time of Christ’s coming? In some ways, people were much the same as we are today. There were those just being born into this world of human drama. There were those who, in death, were leaving it, some of whom had grasped but little of life’s meaning. There were those who were healthy and vigorous. There were those who were sick and lame. Some especially felt the burdens, the grief, the suffering of the human condition. Others were ebullient and desired all the pleasures life could provide. There was some good being accomplished. Immorality, however, was rampant. What St. Paul tells us concerning the time that immediately followed Christ’s existence certainly could also be applied to the time of His entrance into the world. It is, in short, an ugly picture that St. Paul depicts for us (Rom. 1: 22-32).

Into such a depraved condition Jesus entered, with a full and generous Heart, to lead the human race from the depths of sinfulness to the vibrant richness of a new life in Himself. Through His enfleshment, this Christ became the focal point of all history. The authentic hopes and dreams of the human family, now so overshadowed by the ugliness of sin, came converging upon this Christ. He would gather them up in Himself, give them a new luster and brilliance and dynamism, and would lead the human family back to the Father in the Holy Spirit.

Christ was radically to release us from the dominion of sin and elevate us to a new level of existence. This life Christ has given us is not a type of superstructure which is erected atop human existence. Although nature and grace are distinct, they do not lie side by side as separate entities. Rather, grace permeates nature. The Christian is one graced person. The Christian is one who has been raised up, caught up, into a deeper form of life in Christ Jesus. Nothing that is authentically human in the life of the Christian has been excluded from this new existence. Whatever is really human in the life of the Christian is meant to be an expression of the Christ-life. The simple but deep joys of family life, the wonderment at nature’s beauty, the warm embrace of a mother for her child, the agony of crucial decision making, the success or frustration that is experienced in one’s work, the joy of being well received by others, and the heartache of being misunderstood--all these experiences are intended to be caught up in Christ and made more deeply human because of Him.

Jesus has come, then, not to destroy anything that is authentically human, but to perfect it by leading it to a graced fulfillment. This is the meaning of the Word’s becoming flesh, the meaning of the Incarnation. The more God-like we become through Christ, the more human we become.

We, through our incorporation into Christ which occurs at Baptism, are meant to relive the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. In doing so, we are not only accomplishing our own salvation, but we are assisting in the salvation of others also. The Incarnation continues all the time. Christ, of course, is the one Who fundamentally continues the Incarnation. But He enlists our help. The world no longer sees Jesus, no longer is able to reach out and touch Him. We are the ones who now, in some way, make Christ visible and tangible. In union with the invisible, glorified Christ, and depending on Him as our source of life, we continue the Incarnation in its visible and temporal dimensions. This is our great privilege. This is our great responsibility.

The Christian is initiated into the mystery of Christ, into his or her role in prolonging the Incarnation, through Baptism. In the words of St. Paul: "Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? We were buried therefore with Him by Baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life." (Rom. 6: 3-4).

It is not sufficient, however, that we be incorporated into Christ through Baptism. All forms of life require nourishment. So, too, our life in Christ must be continually nourished. How can we continually keep in contact with Christ? There are various ways. We contact Christ in a most special way through the liturgy, above all in the Eucharistic liturgy. Here the entire course of salvation history, as centered in Jesus, is sacramentally renewed and continued. Through our most special and most personal meeting with Jesus in the Mass, we are more deeply incorporated into Christ. Also, we should remember that all the sacraments make up part of the Church’s liturgy.

The reading of Scripture provides another special opportunity for meeting Jesus. This is true for both Old and New Testaments. The Old Testament prefigures the New Testament and leads to it. It is obvious, however, that we meet Christ especially in the pages of the New Testament. How true it is to say that not to be familiar with Scripture is not to know Jesus properly. We should resolve to read from Scripture daily.

We also meet Jesus in our interaction with others. Everyone we meet, everyone we serve, is in the image of Jesus. We have to take the means to grow in this awareness. If I truly believe that everyone has been redeemed by the blood of Jesus, how should I treat everyone?

These, then, are some of the ways we keep in contact with Jesus. Common to the various ways of meeting Jesus is a certain degree of prayerful reflection. Our contact with Jesus in the liturgy, in Scripture, and in our interaction with others, and so forth, will not be all that it should be unless we are persons of prayer. The light and strength of prayer enables us to keep in contact with Jesus as we should.

We live out our Christ-life in an atmosphere of love. Indeed, the life Jesus has given us is centered in love. It has its origins in the mysterious love of God: "For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life" (Jn 3: 16).

Our new life in Jesus has arisen out of God’s fathomless love. Christ, in His descent into human flesh, has established a milieu of love. The life He came to give can flourish only in the framework of love. Indeed, we can summarize the meaning of the Christian life by stating that it is our loving response to God’s love. The pierced Heart of Jesus, this Heart which shed its last drop of blood in the greatest love for each one of us, is the symbol of God’s tremendous love for us. Christ’s Heart also calls us to respond by giving ourselves in love to God and neighbor. Yes, Jesus invites us to respond to God’s love by giving ourselves in love to Him in an ever closer union. The more closely we are united to Him, the greater is our capacity to love God and neighbor. The more closely we are united with Jesus, the more closely He unites us to the Father in the Holy Spirit, with Mary our Mother at our side.

1. Scripture quotations are taken from The Revised Standard Version of the Bible, Catholic Edition, St. Ignatius Press, San Francisco.

From the Priestly Newsletter 2001 - Issue 2

Our Time Here is So Short

We must turn ourselves over to Jesus. Jesus is our Savior. We should never doubt Him. He is with us. The days go by with such rapidness, if we loved and served God we will be with Him forever in heaven.

There is an end to all of this and our reward awaits. It seems hard to think of this as ever ending, but time is so short. Soon our life here will be over.

We need to fight a good fight for Jesus. We need to help all we can to know Jesus. Our days here will not go on forever, life is so short compared to all eternity.

Some day if we love and serve God we will be with Him in heaven. Our life is so short compared to eternity. Here today, gone tomorrow. All that remains is how we choose to live, for God or against God!

We are responsible for all our time and our actions and how we lived in service of God. It sounds simple but people alive on earth in sin cannot see anything else but what they are doing now.

Satan blinds men into thinking this life will go on and on when, in fact, it is so short compared to eternity, just a short while. It is so easy to see. Why do we get so caught up in this life here? It is so short. The batting of an eye, the dropping of a pin, and our life is over and eternity awaits. Do these short moments mean so much to us?

Time is so short. Our time is so precious because it determines our eternal life. So short, indeed. We must listen to the voice of our Savior. What we do, how we act, are so small when compared to eternity! This is no laughing matter. It is our soul that is at stake. It is our life forever and ever. Is a few years of life, holding on to such insignificant "stuff" worth all eternity? It is so simple. Love God, love one another. We must put Him first and everything falls into line! It is so simple, but so hard to live by for so many.

Sky and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away. (Luke 21:33)

Here today, gone tomorrow. We must follow the Good Shepherd. He will lead us. He is the Light of the World. He makes the crooked ways straight and He nourishes our souls. We do not know the glories that await him who serves the Lord. We must hold tight to Jesus. We will receive a divine reward forever. May the name of Jesus be exalted in heaven and on earth. The trumpet blares and the Lord ascends His throne. All know His glory. Their lives were not in vain who served Him while in their lives. Their rewards are as golden gems whose splendor no one can comprehend.

Heaven and earth may vanish like smoke, but our deeds will not be forgotten. We must store up treasures in the life hereafter by doing good works. We must keep our eyes on our Father in heaven. Our Father loves us so much. All will be made open in the end and our life will be spent in the hereafter. What a reward for such a short test!

Oh, Jesus, praise to You from the heights. You are so good and loving. We trust in You and Your mercy. Alleluia, Alleluia.

    Sing the song Turn to Me written by John Foley, S.J.

Through Him, With Him
and In Him

Spouse of the Lamb

First Friday, March 6, 1998 
10th Day

My beloved Spouse, the Bridegroom of my soul,

The days go by with such swiftness, yet my focus is entirely on being one with Thee. The days fade in and out in shades of lights and darks, some days I receive immense insight into Your mysteries, some days I am left to tremendous suffering, wanting You so deeply in my soul and not experiencing Your favor.

On this First Friday, I recall vividly the vision of Your precious Heart I hold in my heart. I see it clearly, red and filled with fire, and I know the warmth and glow of Your sacred divine love.

Oh, my Sacred Heart, indeed, Thy love is most sacred. Yet even though I do not ponder as I should on the endless fires of love emitted from your treasured Heart, I have a constant awareness of this love which leads me to march forth in this battle of helping to win souls over for the Kingdom.

Little is accomplished if I nurse my wounds on those dark days and sit in a corner waiting for a great favor from You.

I walk those shaded days as You walked with the cross on Your back, but my awareness of Your Father and His plan for salvation is so limited, and I struggle tremendously as I am pressed on as I travel on my journey to the end of the day.

And then a day of glory comes and You look upon me, my Bridegroom, and give me great favors and allow me to have a day of resurrection from the doom and the struggle.

And how did He walk the earth? He walked it too, in dark and light days. Days in which they chased Him and wanted to kill Him, in which they called Him crazy, in which He sweat the saving Blood because of His anguish, in which He wept, in which He loved Mary His Mother and Mary Magdalene, in which He raised His dear friend Lazarus from the dead, in which He preached about the Kingdom to His followers.

Days of light, days of darkness, but He entered the tomb and came forth victorious in the end.

He rose to give us life, His wounds were glorified, the victory was won.

My Bridegroom, You give to me Yourself this day. I am one in the glorified Lord in the most intimate way. The banquet is prepared. The Lamb has been slain. Now we reap the glory of the risen Lord. We receive the gift of life in Him.

LIGHT and darkness. He is the Bread of Life, He comes to feed the starved soul with Himself. Our most treasured gift, our most treasured Friend, Jesus Christ, the Bridegroom of our soul, gives Himself as a sacrifice that we will share in His life most abundantly.

I love You, Jesus Christ my Bridegroom, come and possess my soul.

January 18, 1997

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.

I tell you all to read the accounts concerning Noah. Nowhere in history has God been offended as He is this day by this sinful world. You will suffer a fate for the offenses against God.

Mary appeared at Fatima to warn you, the sinful children, how they were offending God, but you did not listen. The war did not change the hearts of many evil men.

I warn you through My beloved daughter, Mary. You did not heed her warnings. Disobedience against the Mother I gave you displeases Me greatly. Mary is the Mother of all children. Mary is a gift from Me, but you are willful and abuse the gift I send you.

You do not make reparation to her Immaculate Heart; you continue to offend her. I will not tolerate the deeds of evil men any longer.

My plan will unfold. Any disobedience to these messages given by Me, My Son, or your Mother Mary will cause Me great displeasure.

I am the Father, the Almighty God, the Alpha, the Omega; you are a sinful people, a chosen race sinning against a loving God.

I am angered at your ways for they are not My ways, you have run amuck, you have offended your God, you have disobeyed your Mother and My beloved Son who died to save you.

I will act on all who continue in such sin. The sheep will be separated from the goats; the goats will receive punishment for their deed. Heaven and earth will kiss, there will be love in all hearts, justice will prevail and My children will be children of light, children that obey as I intended from the beginning.

Oh indeed My sweet messenger, I look to the earth and see the darkness, I see the disobedience of men against their Mother. I know the deeds committed and the evil in the hearts of so many. Justice will prevail and I will wipe out the earth. Only the children of light will remain, those who have given their hearts to their Mother Mary.

Do you think I send your Mother Mary as a messenger to be disobeyed by willful children? What do you think about at night, the cat, the dog, the fish? You don't know love. You don't love God or one another. This is My command to you, to love. You are a sinful, willful race, and the devil will vanish from the hearts of the children of light for they will be under the protection of her Immaculate Heart, the other children will be wiped off the face of the earth.

Disobey My messenger, ignore your Mother, ignore the Son in these messages. Ignore My Son who died for you.

Oh you sinful people filled with pride and disobedience, I give you the directions here to turn your hearts to love.

My Son has revealed Himself as never before in history into His tremendous love for men and you treat Our gift with such indifference.

I am angered at the lack of support to spread the messages of My Son's love for all.

You worry for funds, worry more, I am God the Father, the Almighty God. You disobeyed Mary, you disobeyed Jesus, now you will disobey Me?

You must obey My directions, the directions given through My Son, Jesus for the unfolding of the Father's plan.

No longer will I wait while willful men check and deliberate and disobey.

My plan will unfold through the Shepherds of Christ Movement.

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.

You must obey. The directions are given in these messages to spread the fire of God's love across this earth, to renew the Church and the world.

Because of willful men these messages have been held in check.

I am God, the maker of all things. You have made money your god. I want obedience, the funds will come when you obey all of the directions I have given to you.

Anyone who interferes with these messages will be removed.

These are the messages I give to the world. Fr. Carter's newsletter will teach the priests, all they need to know to be holy, loving priests.

Many priests are not loving, they are cold in their hearts. I will instruct the clergy through the newsletter.

My Son is the Chief Priest and Teacher. He has taught the world the secrets of His Heart through the writings of Fr. Carter and Rita, to go to men to check the value of these writings displeases Me.

You must have faith, you must study the entire revelations given here. You are not valuing My great gift to you.

I am the power, I am God, to the ends of the earth, I will be with you. My plan will unfold. You must think big, not on a human level. You must come to Me.

Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy Name, Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

I am telling you to circulate the tape of January 13 (1997) as soon as possible. This tape must be released to the world. It is the message to go with the apparition on the building in Florida.

You must make every connection with Mary's message given December 12 (1996) and the messages given by Mary with the apparition of her on the building in Florida.

Time is very short and My patience is very thin. I will strike the earth and the evil men will scatter and there will be a reign of peace where men will love God as I intended. The evil men will be chastised for I sent your Mother to warn you and you disobeyed. I gave My Son as a sacrifice and you treated Him with indifference. I am angry at the creatures on this earth. I will lessen the chastisement if you make reparation to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

Oh willful children, you disobey your Mother, you are unloving and willful and your ways are evil. You are a sinful race.

I am sending water, rain to quench your thirst, My beloved children of light; I am sending fire to burn the fields for the sinful children, they will suffer drought and will fall to the ground dead, they will know fire, they will know the wrath of God. For I speak and I am ignored.

I am using the Shepherds of Christ Movement to majorly carry out the plan begun at Fatima. Every day lost is a lost day. I give to you Rosaries from the Hearts of Jesus and Mary as your directions to help the plan unfold. Circulate these rosaries to all chapters and stress their importance.

The tape of January 13 (1997) is important to the world. The tape must be circulated with the apparition in Florida and the messages typed and put on the Internet with the rest of the messages I have given. The connection must be made between the apparition and the Shepherds of Christ Movement.

Satan will attack you strongly, he will create division and give messages through other visionaries to get you off coarse. You must obey My directions given in these messages to help bring about the completion of the Fatima message.

I will weed out anyone interfering with My plan.

I will tell you when you have deviated from My plan, do not taunt My messenger, this displeases Me. Read the messages for direction and obey them.

The directions given are strong to correct a sick world. You must quit focusing on the messenger and obey Me.

I am the Father, these are My messages to bring about the reign of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the triumph of Mary's Immaculate Heart.

You think of money and miss the gift given. You are men bolted to the earth. You must obey Me. I have all the power.

end of January 18, 1997