Shepherds of Christ Daily Writing

December 17, 2024

28th Anniversary of
Mary's Image appearing
Decemeber 17, 1996

February 29, 2004

Pray for the mailing of Fr. Joe's homily book. 

Please Pray for Bob & special intentions.

Please pray for repose of Sheila's soul. 

Watch the China, IN Funeral live where Sheila prayed. Type in www.sofc.org/SWfuneral.mp4 OR at the top of our homepage www.sofc.org click link to Sheila's funeral video. Fr. Chris Craig did the funeral, Joe Lee: Cantor, Rita Ring: Pianist (click)

  Give your priest and deacon
a gift for Christmas.
Fr. Joe's Homily Books
Order online or
call 888-211-3041.

 

 

December 17, 2024

R. Put God first.

When we are weak, He is strong!!

Oh God, I love You.

Follow the Lord.

Thank You God for Our Lady of Clearwater!!

Thank You God for loving us so much.

John 3:16

For this is how God loved the world:
he gave his only Son,
so that everyone who believes in him 
    may not perish
but may have eternal life.

 

Excerpt from Response to God's Love by Fr. Edward J. Carter, S.J.

 In Jesus' sacrifice, the same five elements occur, although not exactly in the same order. There is the interior offering; Christ as priest offers himself to the Father in love for the purpose of adoration, thanksgiving, petition, and satisfaction for sin. This interior offering is then externalized at the ritual of the Last Supper. The victim, Jesus himself, is immolated upon Calvary. The Father gives a miraculous sign that he accepts Jesus' sacrifice through the resurrection. Finally, there is the sacrificial meal at the Last Supper.

       Because the first element of Jesus' sacrifice is the most important—the interior dispositions of his human will—let us expand a bit upon it. Jesus' offering of himself was a total offering, wondrously diversified in its rich completeness. It was an offering that contained the entire life of Jesus; although Jesus' sacrifice became formalized only at the Last Supper and upon Calvary, it nevertheless embraced his entire life. The offering, or sacrifice, of Jesus contained, then, his teaching, his healing the sick, his acts of kindness to the poor and the ignorant and the unimportant, his patient training of the apostles—all this and more was included. Jesus' offering also included his personal relationships with Mary, Joseph, Lazarus, and others; it embraced, as well, his thrill at the beauty of nature, the simple joys shared with friends, his welcoming the children who loved to come to him, the enthusiasm and zeal that buoyed him as he went about his Father's business. Moreover, Jesus' sacrifice included his endurance of the unpleasant side of the human condition—the pettiness and meanness of some, the hardness of heart he often encountered, the ugly selfishness that bursts forth and often mars the beauty of the person and that, ultimately, put Jesus to death.

 
 

Excerpt from Response in Christ by Fr. Carter

2) The Mass lived out

As the Christian lives out the Mass, he is consequently daily laboring with Christ in furthering the work of the subjective redemption. This is so because Christ’s sacrifice was a redemptive act, and the Church’s reliving of this act in the Mass is also redemptive. In this regard we must remember that the entire universe – not merely man – has been redeemed. The nonrational and rational world alike await the furthering of the redemption. St. Paul tells us: “From the beginning till now the entire creation, as we know, has been groaning in one great act of giving birth; and not only creation, but all of us who possess the first-fruits of the Spirit, we too groan inwardly as we wait for our bodies to be set free.” (Rm 8:22-23).

 

 

May 14, 2024

R. Dear Holy Spirit come to me, possess
my soul, I love You, Holy Spirit.
When I am weak, I am strong in You.
Outpour Your precious love to me. Amen.
I love You, God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

Dear Holy Spirit infuse in my intellect
wisdom, knowledge and understanding.
Counsel me Holy Spirit from the mind of
God.

Help me, dear Holy Spirit to know the loving
embrace of God all the days of my life.
I turn to You. Amen.

When I find doing God's desire for my life
difficult give me the gift of fortitude, dear
Holy Spirit.
Sanctify my heart to act purely for the
honor and glory of God.
I may be willing, but I need Your gift to
give me courage to act as You desire.
Help me to know and love the heavenly
Father's will for me and to do it in love
for the honor and glory of God.

Help me to always put God first in my life,
in love for God in my heart.
Help me to walk realizing, I am the creature,
God is the Creator.

Help me to be patient and strong and
persevere in my life until I rest with Thee
forever in heaven.

Please Holy Spirit give me the gift of fear
of God that I do not offend you in sins
of unloving ways against God.
You are so good and deserving of all my
love.
I worship You and love You -
Help my interior disposition at Mass to be
that of purity in pleasing the Heavenly
Father, in my offering united to Jesus in
the Mass.
Dear Holy Spirit please help me in the gift
of piety to do that which pleases my Heavenly
Father with the tenderness as His little child.
Thank you God for all You give to me.
I pray this "All for the honor and Glory of
God". Amen.
 

Matthew 22: 36-40

'Master, which is the greatest commandment of the Law?' Jesus said to him, 'You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and the first commandment. The second resembles it: You must love your neighbour as yourself. On these two commandments hang the whole Law, and the Prophets too.'

Dear Holy Spirit, strengthen our will and
move like a Divine breath in our soul, to
be docile sons and daughters of our
Heavenly Father. Amen.

Alleluia.

 

March 10, 2024

Novena to St. Joseph, Patron and Father (2024)

Begins March 11, 2024 - March 19, 2024

Dear Saint Joseph,

I turn to you, you who cared and
protected the child Jesus and the
Virgin Mary.
You taught men and women, the
love of God by your example in life,
and by your faithfulness of living
your calling in greatest commitment
and love.

You loved Mary and Jesus with the
most gentle, bonds of love.

You showed us how you
lived in loving conformity to the
Heavenly Father's will.

You guided Jesus and Mary's precious
lives with the Holy Spirit, Spouse of
the Virgin Mother of God.

Protect us and our family this day and
every day of our lives, like
you did the Holy Family of Nazareth.
We seek your powerful intercession.

How intimately you knew and loved
Jesus and Mary. You were so close to
them. You showed us love.

Your heart was pure and gentle and
yet you were strong in being their
manly protector on earth, intercede
for us to depend more and more on
God for all our needs, for when we
are weak we are strong in God.

St. Joseph please intercede for a
peaceful and holy death for us and
our sick loved ones.
Amen.

St. Joseph help us now in this nine
day novena to you.
Amen.

 

December 17, 2024

R. Mary appeared in Clearwater
28 years ago.

 

Glorious Mysteries

The Resurrection

1. Luke 24: 1-12

On the first day of the week, at the first sign of dawn, they went to the tomb with the spices they had prepared. They found that the stone had been rolled away from the tomb, but on entering they could not find the body of the Lord Jesus. As they stood there puzzled about this, two men in brilliant clothes suddenly appeared at their side. Terrified, the women bowed their heads to the ground. But the two said to them, ‘Why look among the dead for someone who is alive? He is not here; he has risen. Remember what he told you when he was still in Galilee: that the Son of man was destined to be handed over into the power of sinful men and be crucified, and rise again on the third day.’ And they remembered his words.

And they returned from the tomb and told all this to the Eleven and to all the others. The women were Mary of Magdala, Joanna, and Mary the mother of James. And the other women with them also told the apostles, but this story of theirs seemed pure nonsense, and they did not believe them.

Peter, however, went off to the tomb, running. He bent down and looked in and saw the linen cloths but nothing else; he then went back home, amazed at what had happened.

2. Sing: Glory, Glory, Glory Lord!!

3. Alleluia: Christ rose on the third day.

4. Jesus was locked in the tomb for 3 days.

5. Jesus rose, the Father is well pleased!!

6. Jesus is King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

7. John 11:25

    Jesus said: I am the resurrection. Anyone who believes in me, even though that person dies, will live,

8. John 5:55

    John was a lamp lit and shining and for a time you were content to enjoy the light that he gave.

9. We believe Jesus appeared to His Mother, Mary.

10. Romans 8:11

and if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead has made his home in you, then he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will give life to your own mortal bodies through his Spirit living in you.

 

The Ascension

1. Luke 24:50-53

Then he took them out as far as the outskirts of Bethany, and raising his hands he blessed them. Now as he blessed them, he withdrew from them and was carried up to heaven. They worshipped him and then went back to Jerusalem full of joy; and they were continually in the Temple praising God.

2. Jesus went to prepare a place for us.

3. The world belongs to Christ.

4. Man's sinfulness has marred the earth.

5. Our striving is intimacy with
    God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit, to
    see God face to face in the beatific vision.

6. We realize more and more this love over
    us, Divine Love.

7. We live to prepare ourselves for this
    oneness with God, forever in heaven.

8. When we love genuinely, we are truly
    loving in our relationship with God.

9. Sing: Jesus, my Lord, My God, My All

10. Envision yourself before God,
    surrounded by angels and saints.

 

The Descent of Holy Spirit on the Apostles

1. Acts 2: 1-4

When Pentecost day came round, they had all met together, when suddenly there came from heaven a sound as of a violent wind which filled the entire house in which they were sitting; and there appeared to them tongues as of fire; these separated and came to rest on the head of each of them. They were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak different languages as the Spirit gave them power to express themselves. 

2. The Holy Spirit forms Christ in us.

    The Spirit helps us in living in loving
    conformity to the Father’s will.

    The Father, Son and Holy Spirit are
    three Divine Persons in one God.

    God is the ultimate mystery.

3. Matthew 7:21

'It is not anyone who says to me, "Lord, Lord," who will enter the kingdom of Heaven, but the person who does the will of my Father in heaven.
 

    We must seek to live in loving conformity
    to the Father’s will.

    We seek to be humble.

    Fr. Carter says the more proud a person is
    they alienate themselves more and more
    from God.

4. A humble person sees themselves as a
    creature of God and are more desirous of
    doing God’s will.

    We must strive to have peace of spirit, to
    have energy to do what is needed to stay
    deeply one in God.

    John 14:27

Peace I bequeath to you, my own peace I give you, a peace which the world cannot give, this is my gift to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid.

5. We need peace in suffering and joy.

    Peace is found in our soul in difficult
    times, if we go down far enough in the
    center of our heart.

    We are consistent in seeking the will of
    our Heavenly Father in trials and in joys,
    in suffering and in light, at the center of
    our being, if we go deep enough is peace
    in God.

6. There is true peace and false peace.

    True peace may still be to do a difficult
    task.

    Some may use a choice to remove
    themselves from a difficult task
    because they don’t want to do it.

7. Peace of spirit comes in doing what
    the Father wants of us, if easy or
    difficult.

    Mary loved the will of the Father if
    asked to carry a boulder or a pebble.

8. Spiritual freedom is found in doing
    what the Father’s will is for us, in love!!!

    We should want only what God wants.

    We should live to please our Heavenly
    Father, like Jesus did.

    St. Ignatius in the spiritual exercises
    says their purpose is to not make decisions
    based on inordinate attachments.

9. A person can block the voice of God,
    by putting all their energy on an inordinate
    attachment, they put first before God.

10. May 14, 2024

R. Dear Holy Spirit come to me, possess
my soul, I love You, Holy Spirit.
When I am weak, I am strong in You.
Outpour Your precious love to me. Amen.
I love You, God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

Dear Holy Spirit infuse in my intellect
wisdom, knowledge and understanding.
Counsel me Holy Spirit from the mind of
God.

Help me, dear Holy Spirit to know the loving
embrace of God all the days of my life.
I turn to You. Amen.

When I find doing God's desire for my life
difficult give me the gift of fortitude, dear
Holy Spirit.
Sanctify my heart to act purely for the
honor and glory of God.
I may be willing, but I need Your gift to
give me courage to act as You desire.
Help me to know and love the heavenly
Father's will for me and to do it in love
for the honor and glory of God.

Help me to always put God first in my life,
in love for God in my heart.
Help me to walk realizing, I am the creature,
God is the Creator.

Help me to be patient and strong and
persevere in my life until I rest with Thee
forever in heaven.

Please Holy Spirit give me the gift of fear
of God that I do not offend you in sins
of unloving ways against God.
You are so good and deserving of all my
love.
I worship You and love You -
Help my interior disposition at Mass to be
that of purity in pleasing the Heavenly
Father, in my offering united to Jesus in
the Mass.
Dear Holy Spirit please help me in the gift
of piety to do that which pleases my Heavenly
Father with the tenderness as His little child.
Thank you God for all You give to me.
I pray this "All for the honor and Glory of
God". Amen.
 

Matthew 22: 36-40

'Master, which is the greatest commandment of the Law?' Jesus said to him, 'You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and the first commandment. The second resembles it: You must love your neighbour as yourself. On these two commandments hang the whole Law, and the Prophets too.'

Dear Holy Spirit, strengthen our will and
move like a Divine breath in our soul, to
be docile sons and daughters of our
Heavenly Father. Amen.

Alleluia.

    Sing: Come Holy Ghost

 

The Assumption

1. Sing: Immaculate Mary

2. Dear God the Holy Spirit, we want to do
    the will of our Heavenly Father and rest
    in You.

    Come to me now and possess my soul,
    I surrender to You.

    Amen.

3. Praying the Rosary from the Hearts of
    Jesus and Mary brings down love and
    grace for healing.

    Prayer works!!!

    Ask and you shall receive, seek and
    you shall find, knock and it shall
    be open to you…

    For everyone who asks receives, and he
    who seeks finds, and to him who knocks
    it will be opened.”  Matthew 7:7

4. Freedom of spirit - Doing what the
    Father wants of us.

    Peace - living even in suffering doing the
    Father’s will in love.

5. Preparing ourselves by growing in our
    relationship with the Trinity.

    Praying deeply united to Father, Son and
    Holy Spirit in us.

    Deeply praying united to the Mass - all day
    through the powerful intercession of Mary
    for the priests, the Church and the world
    and our needs.

    Living the mystery of Christ in our lives,
    Jesus' life, death and resurrection.

6. There are 5 Blasphemies against Mary. The
    Litany of Mary honors Mary.

    Love, real love is heartfelt devotion -
    really loving Jesus in a personal union.

7. Mary is a Virgin, spouse of the Holy Spirit.

    Jesus came a baby, approachable, we need
    to be humble and docile.

8. From the Magnificat.

    "He casts down mighty from their thrones
    and lifts up the lowly."

9. "The Mighty one has done great things to me,
    Holy is His Name."

10. Mary has powerful intercession.

    Mary was still down on earth with the
    Apostles and praying after Jesus died.

    Mary prayed with the Apostles in the
    upper room after the Ascension.

    The Holy Spirit appeared to Mary and
    the Apostles in tongues of fire.

    Mary is the highest human person.

    Think of how important it is to please
    our Heavenly Father.

    Seek being one with Jesus.

    God must be first.

    We are creatures, God is Creator.

    "My soul doth magnify the Lord."

    Mary kept her focus on Jesus.

    Mary, teach us to pray.

    Luke 12: 49-50

'I have come to bring fire to the earth, and how I wish it were blazing already! There is a baptism I must still receive, and what constraint I am under until it is completed.
 

Mary is Queen of Heaven and Earth

1. Revelation 12:1-2

Now a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman, robed with the sun, standing on the moon, and on her head a crown of twelve stars. She was pregnant, and in labour, crying aloud in the pangs of childbirth.

2. Sing: Hail Holy Queen

3. Mary said “Do whatever He tells you.”

    The Father said at the Transfiguration…
    "Listen to Him."

    Mary said: “the Mighty One has done
    great things for me, and holy is his name.”

    John 15: 9-12

I have loved you just as the Father has loved me. Remain in my love. If you keep my commandments you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my own joy may be in you and your joy be complete. This is my commandment: love one another, as I have loved you.

    Mary is Mother of the priest.

    Mary stood beneath the cross of Jesus.

    Mary wants us to reach her children with
    the rosary.

5. Mary suffered from the loss of the child
    Jesus in the Temple.

    Mary is Mother of her children, can you
    imagine her calling to us to reach our little
    children in today’s world.

6. Why do we not listen to our Mother Mary.

    Mary is Mother of the Eucharist. Mary is
    trying to reach her lost children in this
    troubled world.

7. Mary calls us to holiness to help us answer
    the calling God is giving to us to reach the
    children of America with the message of
    Jesus’ burning love.

8. Mary calls us to spread the Good News.
    Mary calls us to be witnesses of the truth
    of Jesus.

    Amen.

9. Mary calls us to help her, do we answer
    this call of Mary?

    MARY-LEAD US TO HIM.

    Mary is mother of the Eucharist. We are
    Mary’s little children. We pray through
    her powerful intercession for our lives
    for the priest, the Church and the world.
    Mary is Mother at our side. Mary leads
    us to the Eucharistic Heart of Jesus.

    Jesus comes to us body, blood, soul,
    and Divinity in the Eucharist.

10. We go to Mary’s Heart and the Holy
    Spirit molds us in the image of Jesus.
    Mary Mother of the Eucharist we pray
    as your children through your powerful
    intercession.

    Mary stood beneath the cross on Calvary -
    she cries out to reach her little children.

    What about devotion to Jesus’ Sacred
    Heart and Mary’s Immaculate Heart.

    Like we love Them so very much.

    Mary Mother at our side.

    Sing: Our Lady of Clearwater!!