Shepherds of Christ Daily Writing

December 15, 2015

Prayer Service
December 17th - 6:20pm
Please tune in!

Pray for special intentions.
  

Pray for Dan & Melanie, Jimmy,
Fr. Joe, Mary, Blue Book 16.

Please pray for funds & grace.

                December 15, 2015

                R. We work our life long on relationships –
                Relationships are precious, we can buy many
                things we think can make us happy, but
                nothing can compare to relationships.

                    In the time when people first meet they can
                be very nice to one another, but relationships
                demand a willingness to give to teach others
                and want to give to keep the relationship.

                    The old rule – do unto others as you would
                have them do unto you is a good rule.

                    God has given us the greatest prescription
                for relationships –

                R. Relationships can demand a challenge
                because we come from imperfect families,
                parents, etc.

                    We are being taught about relationships
                in the womb, from the first entrance
                into life – taught about commitment
                and trust and love.

                    We learned about relationships between
                men and women from relationships in
                our homes.

                    We learn about authority and we can
                rebel against it or follow the proper
                authority God has given us.

                    For example a man who is in charge of
                a platoon cannot run his home
                like that or he will have an issue.

                    Men and women in marriage are to
                grow under God to nurture and love
                and raise a family. If the man or woman
                tries to control and manipulate for
                his wounded ways, to work out unfinished
                business and force dysfunction on
                others, the partner can hardly take it
                because dysfunction, co-dependency –
                stifles life – hurts love and relationships.

                    There is the story of the woman who
                had five husbands and she said they
                were all the same, but it was her
                bad habits she never dealt with.

                    In relationships people can reduce
                themselves to self-pity, victims, whatever
                looking very childish trying to get their way –
                holding out is not going to help things to
                work out – the person holding out continually
                is wanting their own way if the way they
                are given is God's way.

                    One can see opposition and rebellion to
                God's way in actions, the innocent other
                the recipient of childish and immature
                selfish behavior can be any innocent
                other the person projects their anger and
                bad habits on and use them as a
                target or "whipping boy".

                    Cod commands us to love
                    God commands us to have charity toward
                                one another.

                    God demands we ask for forgiveness
                        when we have sinned and that
                        we forgive others –

                This Sunday was Gaudatte Sunday –
                    meaning joy –

                The spirit of Advent is about changing,
                    preparing our hearts for Christmas –
                    preparing our hearts for eternity –

                Showing God our hearts of love –

                Loving God

                Loving one another –

                In marriage we learn commitment,
                    a person can't just do what
                    they want –

                A boss at work can't treat their family
                    the same way –

                When we learn about love –
                    we learn of filial love – wisdom –

                One of the gifts of the Holy Spirit is fear of
                    God – this means we fear to not want
                    to offend God with the slightest
                    sin because we love Him and
                    honor Him and don't want to
                    offend Him in any way.

                People who love each other – care about the
                    other, they want to bring happiness
                    as God desires to the other.

                We must control our actions – our actions
                    should always have our eternal end
                    in view, our actions should be
                    governed by right reasoning and
                    doing God's will –

                When a person is wounded and unhealed
                    it can be like a sickness unhealed.
                    A person can spend their whole life
                    dealing with their wounds – their anger
                    (keeping it suppressed), their unforgiveness
                    and be like a clogged vessel –

                    How can a heart that is like that
                be open to the Holy Spirit and the gifts God wants
                to give us to love – the openness to let
                God rule in our hearts with His love –

                    Being closed and wounded, unhealed,
                can be like a "zombie" that is
                not 'hot' or 'cold' – just controlled –
                parading before others
                    "I am here"

                The Holy Spirit breathes life into the
                    person, vigor, energy, emotion,
                    love.

                The inner child can be so controlled a
                    person loses the spontaneity, the
                    energy, the adventure, the
                    life of living in the moment.

                The gift of the Holy Spirit can increase and
                    increase in proportion to how
                    we love God.
                    The more we love God, the more
                    we don't want to offend Him and
                    we don't want to be separate
                    from Him in any way or turn
                    ourselves away from Him –
                    We love Him – we want to
                    be united to Him in love.

                When we want to please God this much –
                    we aren't seeking dominance for
                    ourselves for dominance sake, in
                    foolish pride.

                A man who puts God first is not seeking
                    inordinate attachments of the world.
                    He seeks his happiness in God
                    and His will, in love, in the
                    building of the Kingdom of God –

                    We cannot presume God will give us
                eternal happiness when we live a life
                of being unloving, slothful, angry.
                prideful, envious and jealous –
                Why would we ignore God's command
                to be loving and presume that
                a life of unloving ways toward our
                brothers would pay off? God is a
                God of justice – God will judge us    .           

                    We must seek the absolute truth in God.
                We cannot rebel against the will of God
                and presume God will ignore all the
                hatred in our hearts toward others, the
                hatred that is clung to and not asking
                to be forgiven by God and others.
                We are reconciled by the blood of the
                Lamb.

                    We should offer all we do all day
                united to the Mass, the Sacrifice of Calvary
                sacramentally made present.

                    We need God's grace and mercy to live
                virtuously –

                    A person who will not listen to any
                correction or work in relationships
                in love with others can become
                more and more 'numb' – like a
                man with a pail over his head.

                    We are to repent for sin. A man with
                the attitude God won't punish him for unrepented
                sin is not seeing the truth about God.
                God will forgive us when we come with a
                contrite loving heart – asking for forgiveness.
                The man of pride can listen to satan tell
                him – he does no wrong.

                R. A man cannot treat another with
                continual hatred or a person in
                his family and not recognize
                punishing another for our own anger
                and pride in continuous sin
                is wrong. Nobody is another person's
                whipping boy. The devil deceives the
                person who is an abuser to think
                the other innocent person deserves
                their punishment.

                    The only way of hope is to return
                our hearts love – we pray for faith
                to see through the eyes of God the
                Father, His plan for us to love God
                first and love our neighbor as ourselves –
                We seek true happiness in God. Our goal
                is eternal happiness – above this
                earthly realm.

                    God calls us to joy Sunday in the
                Gospel. A man who is angry and
                hateful, locked in old wounds
                and unloving to innocent others
                is a man of real sadness in his
                heart.

                But the man who is love – going out –
                putting God first in love – does
                not want to offend God and if
                he does he asks for forgiveness
                and mercy – This man sees his
                unloving ways, if he does sin
                and examines his conscience and
                repents, asking for forgiveness
                and saying he will not sin again –
                praying for strength to not sin like that again.

                    God is love – We were created in the image
                and likeness of God – our happiness lies
                in this –

                    If we want to be treated right – we
                must treat others right –

                    Do unto others as you would have
                them do unto you –

                    God is love –

                    God first loved us –

                Song: A Song from Jesus