| Shepherds of Christ Daily Writing |
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November 7, 2023
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November
8th Holy Spirit Novena |
The Novena Rosary
Mysteries |
Pray for Jeff.
Please pray for Fr. Carter's Homily Book.
Pray for Bob, Chuck & other intentions.
Consecration Prayer for Peace
I consecrate Russia and the Ukraine to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
I further consecrate the priests, the Church and the world to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and Immaculate Heart of Mary.
I do this in the name of Jesus in as far as I am able, united to the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, praying to the Father, in the Holy Spirit, with all the angels and saints and the souls in purgatory through the powerful intercession of Mary, Queen of Peace. Amen.
I further consecrate myself, all members of my family and ask the Holy Spirit to fill us. I spread the Blood of Jesus on all above, I cast the devil into hell away from all of us and consecrate all persons, in as far as I am able, to the Sacred Heart and Immaculate Heart.
Prayer for Grace for Election and our Country
Dear Father united to Jesus in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, the Sacrifice of Calvary sacramentally made present, celebrated around the world, in the Holy Spirit. We offer up all we do united to the Mass. We unite in one mind and one heart as members of the mystical body of Christ, with Christ our head in the pure and holy Hearts of Jesus and Mary, through the powerful intercession of Mary with all the angels and saints and souls in purgatory, and we beg for the saving grace, for our country, the United States. Please help us. We further pray for unity to always do the will of God in love. We spread the Blood of Jesus on the leaders and people of the United States and cast the devil into hell. We consecrate our country to the Sacred Heart and Immaculate Heart and all our dioceses, and beg for an outpouring of the Holy Spirit. God help us. We pray for our families, the priests, the Church and the world. In the Name of Jesus please hear us, we pray. We pray for our president and leaders. We pray that we are united as one nation under God to work together in love as God wants.
November 7, 2023
August 14, 2000
HOMILY – (Matthew 17: 22-27) ‘The Son of man is going to be delivered into the power of men; they will put him to death, and on the third day he will be raised up again.’ (Matthew 17: 22-23) – words towards the beginning of today's Gospel. Jesus paved the way in a very special way for all His disciples but in also a unique way for those who were to be martyred, and today we celebrate the memory of one of those martyrs, St. Maximilian Kolbe. So for the cause of the Father as Jesus gave Himself up to death – so the martyrs for the cause of the Father, in Christ, gave themselves up to martyrdom. They realized that this life here upon earth is only a relative good. They would not trade it in a million years in denial of Christ for the saving of that life, trading it for eternal life. Their whole being shuddered at this idea. They realize that this life – good as it is – is not the ultimate life, eternal life is.
And yet paradoxically in a type of contradiction according to the minds of some, the ones who think in a worldly way, they cannot realize that these very martyrs who gave up life upon this earth took it with utter seriousness, much more, with much more seriousness than do those who do not believe in eternal life. And why do they take it with utter seriousness, this life which they gave up in martyrdom? Because they realized it was a preparation for eternal life and they made the most of it. They knew that each day of their lives their eternity was being shaped, and that's why the saints who even died at an early age, for instance St. Theresa of Lisieux, died at the age I believe it was 24, St. Claude de Columbiere, the great apostle of the Sacred Heart, died at the age of 41. His great partner in spreading the devotion of the Hearts of Jesus and Mary, St. Margaret Mary Alacoque died at the age of 43. Two of the young Jesuit saints, seminarians, died in their twenties. So these saints who died at a relatively early age, we know how much importance they put upon each day, because they knew each day was shaping their eternities and those whom they were called to help on the way to eternal life. So let us not waste our days, each day is so precious. We speak of the age old mountains, the deathless stars, the eternal hills. And yet these expressions we have for timelessness are only a faint indication of the timelessness of eternity.
So let us look upon each day as a precious opportunity to help shape our eternities according to God's will and help others to shape their eternities according to God's will. Even the longest life passes so quickly. Our days are numbered – let us remember that. Let us make the most of them. The Book of Sirach reminds us, in relationship to this earth time-span and the timelessness of eternity, we read, "The length of his life: a hundred years at most. Like a drop of water from the sea, or a grain of sand, such are these few years compared with eternity." (Sirach 18: 9-10)
November 5, 2023
Mysteries of Light
The Baptism of Jesus
1. Matthew 3: 13-17Then Jesus appeared: he came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptised by John. John tried to dissuade him, with the words, ‘It is I who need baptism from you, and yet you come to me!’ But Jesus replied, ‘Leave it like this for the time being; it is fitting that we should, in this way, do all that uprightness demands.’ Then John gave in to him. And when Jesus had been baptised he at once came up from the water, and suddenly the heavens opened and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming down on him. And suddenly there was a voice from heaven, ‘This is my Son, the Beloved; my favour rests on him.’
2. John 1:29
The next day, he saw Jesus coming towards him and said, 'Look, there is the lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world.
3. Jesus began His public
life with St. John baptizing
Him in the Jordon.
4. Jesus prepared for His
public life with 40 days in
the desert.
5. “Behold the Lamb of God.”
6. John the Baptist said: “He
must increase, I must
decrease.”
7. John showed us his
selflessness and how he
focused on Christ.
8. The Apostles of Jesus
were called: John, Andrew,
Simon (Peter), Philip, and
Nathaniel (first 5 Apostles
of Jesus).
9. Jesus taught and worked
many miracles - Jesus
called His 12 Apostles to
follow Him.
10. Sing song: Jesus, Jesus the
Light of the World
The Marriage at Cana
1. John 2:1-11On the third day there was a wedding at Cana in Galilee. The mother of Jesus was there, and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited. And they ran out of wine, since the wine provided for the feast had all been used, and the mother of Jesus said to him, ‘They have no wine.’ Jesus said, ‘Woman, what do you want from me? My hour has not come yet.’ His mother said to the servants, ‘Do whatever he tells you.’ There were six stone water jars standing there, meant for the ablutions that are customary among the Jews: each could hold twenty or thirty gallons. Jesus said to the servants, ‘Fill the jars with water,’ and they filled them to the brim. Then he said to them, ‘Draw some out now and take it to the president of the feast.’ They did this; the president tasted the water, and it had turned into wine. Having no idea where it came from—though the servants who had drawn the water knew—the president of the feast called the bridegroom and said, ‘Everyone serves good wine first and the worse wine when the guests are well wined; but you have kept the best wine till now.’
This was the first of Jesus' signs: it was at Cana in Galilee. He revealed his glory, and his disciples believed in him.
2. Jesus went to the
wedding with Mary and
some of His disciples.
3. Jesus performed His first
miracle of His public life at
the wedding.
4. We see Christ’s power to
change water into wine.
5. We see Mary’s powerful
intercession.
6. We see His endorsement of
the relationship of marriage
as a celebration.
7. We see Jesus enforced
gatherings with others that
were important to celebrate
and be happy about it.
8. If Jesus changed water into
wine, could He not change
wine into His Blood?
9. The Church is the Bride of
Christ.
10. Jesus is the Bridegroom
of our soul.
Building the Kingdom of God
1. Matthew 5: 3-12How blessed are the poor in spirit:
the kingdom of Heaven is theirs.
Blessed are the gentle:
they shall have the earth as inheritance.
Blessed are those who mourn:
they shall be comforted.
Blessed are those
who hunger and thirst for uprightness:
they shall have their fill.
Blessed are the merciful:
they shall have mercy shown them.
Blessed are the pure in heart:
they shall see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers:
they shall be recognised
as children of God.
Blessed are those who are persecuted
in the cause of uprightness:
the kingdom of Heaven is theirs.Blessed are you when people abuse you and persecute you and
speak all kinds of calumny against you falsely on my account.
Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven; this
is how they persecuted the prophets before you.
2. Jesus worked many
miracles.
3. Jesus cast out demons,
Jesus healed the sick
-
physically and spiritually.
4. Jesus healed lepers, Jesus
forgave sins.
5. Jesus healed a man with a
withered hand, He
healed
the blind man.
6. Jesus taught in the Sermon
on the Mount.
7. Jesus addresses anger, evil
desires, Love of
enemies,
divorce, swearing,
revenge, forgiveness, pride,
etc.
8. Jesus taught us how to pray
in the Our Father
Prayer.
9. Jesus told us about hypocrisy
and disciplining self.
10. Jesus taught us many things.
Jesus used
parables.
There are 40 parables.
The Transfiguration
1. Matthew 17:1-13
Six days later, Jesus took with him Peter and James and his brother John and led them up a high mountain by themselves. There in their presence he was transfigured: his face shone like the sun and his clothes became as dazzling as light. And suddenly Moses and Elijah appeared to them; they were talking with him. Then Peter spoke to Jesus. ‘Lord,’ he said, ‘it is wonderful for us to be here; if you want me to, I will make three shelters here, one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.’ He was still speaking when suddenly a bright cloud covered them with shadow, and suddenly from the cloud there came a voice which said, ‘This is my Son, the Beloved; he enjoys my favour. Listen to him.’ When they heard this, the disciples fell on their faces, overcome with fear. But Jesus came up and touched them, saying, ‘Stand up, do not be afraid.’ And when they raised their eyes they saw no one but Jesus.
As they came down from the mountain Jesus gave them this order, ‘Tell no one about this vision until the Son of man has risen from the dead.’ And the disciples put this question to him, 'Why then do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?' He replied, 'Elijah is indeed coming, and he will set everything right again; however, I tell you that Elijah has come already and they did not recognise him but treated him as they pleased; and the Son of man will suffer similarly at their hands.' Then the disciples understood that he was speaking of John the Baptist.
2. Jesus took Peter, James
and John up
Mt. Tabor.
3. Jesus was transfigured
before them.
4. There were with Him
Moses representing the
Old
Law, Elijah representing the
Prophets.
5. The voice of the Father
was heard:
“This is
My
beloved Son in whom I am
well pleased, listen
to Him.”
6. This was a special gift given
to the Apostles
like none
other of His miracles.
7. Jesus came to show us the
way - we must listen
to Him
if we want to please our
Heavenly Father.
8. This may have helped them
prepare for what
was
coming!!!!
9. The Pascal Mystery: Death /
Resurrection.
10. Jesus is the Light of the
world.
Sing song: Jesus, Jesus, the
Light of the world
The Institution of the Eucharist
1.
Matthew 26: 26-29
Now as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and when he had said the blessing he broke it and gave it to the disciples. ‘Take it and eat,’ he said, ‘this is my body.’ Then he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he handed it to them saying, ‘Drink from this, all of you, for this is my blood, the blood of the covenant, poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. From now on, I tell you, I shall never again drink wine until the day I drink the new wine with you in the kingdom of my Father.’
