December 20, 2015

22 Years Ago 

Angels Will Read the Message

December 20, 1993 - 2:40 a.m.

Jesus:  Who will read the message? Angels will read the message. I will be by their side. I want the messages out. I want them out, I tell you. I want My people to hear all I am telling you. I want, not a few, but all to hear these words. They are private revelations given by Me to My people. The souls are, oh, so hungry for this one. They need to get these messages.

    I am one crying in the desert. Make ready the way of the Lord. Prepare ye a path for the Master. He comes as a child in a stable. His people are asleep. Where are they and what are they doing with their busy lives? The angels will read the messages. They will rock the heavens and all will know My love and My might. From the housetops, shout this. Proclaim, "The day of the Lord is approaching. Make ready a path for Him." Will you comply with this demand to deliver a message to My people?

    Time, child, is so short. You must ready all with My words of love. They are half asleep and dazed. They walk this earth with blinders on their eyes. My day will rock them off their rockers and they will know it is I with Whom they deal. No mistake will be made as to what is happening. All will see My power and My might. From the heavens shall come a sign and all will know from whence it comes. And the days that follow will be days to prepare men's hearts for My coming. I will not come unannounced. I will come with My power and My might and you will know what you will behold. Men will turn their hearts to Me with these messages. Get them out, I tell you, for their need is very great. I am patient and yet I am demanding. Ready yourself for this day of the Lord. I come as a baby into your midst, the angels sing, the choirs of heaven rejoice and you will know soon that I am very close to you all. Indeed you will know!

    What awaits those in their feeble hearts! They run after such useless things when I, God, am talking in these letters. They think their world is their end. What an awakening they will have-a wide awakening!

    I knock to make ready for My coming. You hear Me knock on your door in the night. Make ready this path so My people will read these letters of love. I am mighty and worthy of such praise. My people must realize My love in My intense might. What sign do you need? Do you think these messages were for your ears alone? Such power and wisdom in Rita's purse? This is not the idea. They are for all! My ease goes with you in all your undertakings to get these messages out.

    Slow, too slow, I tell you. Shout My message from the housetops, that I am Lord and I am coming in your midst as a baby, but, with such might! My time is at hand. You tarry too long, My little ones. Time you do not have. This world is crazy! People are so busy at the malls. Oh, what foolish ones. I come as a baby into your midst. This is My birthday and whom do you worship? You worship idols! It is all such a sick world. Make ready My path, My little ones. Time is so short and you must not tarry any longer for into your hands I place My words for the world. They are mighty, little ones. Read them! What do you do with these words? Do you want proof? Look at Me hanging on the cross. It is out of this love of you I died a brutal death! Do you think I would not go to this extent to save the souls of My loved ones? Why would I come to this earth, give My life for all My beautiful creatures, and then, at this stage of the game, not send some mighty medicine to cure My sick little ones? You possess the mighty medicine. I mixed it with such love and I hand-deliver each message to shake My people to My love. The heavens will rock and the Son of Man will appear on a cloud and the glory of the Lord will be shown on high!

    Get busy, you little people. The angels declare My words are given here. This is My gift to My people-distinct, clear letters proclaiming My love. Are you listening? Do you think I would not try everything to save My beloved ones?

    Oh, I will go to any extent to save these little ones, so ornery and so stupid in their ways, so sinful in this evil world, but so precious to Me. I will come in My glory and I want every last soul.

    I am God. Why would I not speak to you? I wait for you. I wait, I wait, but you are all so blind and dense. What you do is so silly. Your ways here have become sick and your hearts have become hard. But shout it from the housetops! I loved you to My death! I love you all in your sickness. I want you united under the mantle of My mother, praying and honoring God.

    America, turn yourselves around before it is too late. Come and heed My harkening. Come, come, My children. Time is so short and a lot of mending must be done in your hearts. You have hardened them and now they must come back to life. Only I can give you this life in your hearts.

    Heed My words here. I am gentle and kind in heart. My heart is a heart of love. I have hand-delivered these messages to My people and you are My delivery boys. Get them going, little ones. You tarry too much.

    My gift to My people is My love this Christmas. I am showering all at this Center with grace this season. The devotion there pleases Me, but more must flock and they will be changed from hardened hearts to hearts for God. I am God, little ones. I came and I died a brutal death. I am calling to you all to deliver this now. Make this your top priority so they will hear My message of love and know the love I have for them. Do not tarry. Do this today, little ones.

            end of December 20, 1993

 

December 20, 2015

R. We need to look back. Examining our
conscience is looking back, seeing how
we are doing as God's servant – are we
living like Jesus? Are we doing God's will?
Are we servants, as God wants, like
Mary and fulfilling in our lives what
God wants of us – like Mary did?

    Are we in the right place with God?
God has the plan – He created us – He
wants us to serve Him in our lives –
We are unique – we are to do our part
in helping to build the Kingdom of God –

    Have we been witnesses to our
children that we want God's will
more than our will? Do we live
to serve God first – so those who
watch us, will see us witnessing to
the calling God has given to us – in
the helping to build the Kingdom of God.

    Who do we serve in our lives?

Call – Response –
Mary and Joseph – show us how
to be servants and handmaids
of the Lord.

    Mary is the perfect handmaid
of the Lord. Mary served God.
God had the Plan for Mary's
life.

    Mary said "yes". Mary is the
witness. The Holy Spirit was
in Mary when she spoke the
Magnificat.

    "My Soul doth magnify the Lord" Luke 1: 46

Mary says it perfectly –

Her life was lived for God –

Mary shows us the perfect
    handmaid of the Lord.

The first Eve was tricked by satan –

    She disobeyed God –
    Her children all suffered –
    She was prideful –
    She put herself first

Mary says

    "My soul doth magnify
        the Lord"

Mary brings the peace of God
    to the earth.

Mary perfectly served God –

Mary shows us how her "yes",
    her life made such a
    difference in salvation history.

We see how Eve and her disobedience
    made such a difference.
    Adam and Eve sinned –
    With them came disorder,
    death, lack of harmony –

We know how the sin of
    Adam and Eve effected
    all of us

Mary shows us –

God has called us to be obedient to
    His plan –

Eve was selfish –

Eve was prideful

Eve put herself first

Despite all the gifts God gave her –
    Eve saw herself and it was
    clear she knew what God
    told her –

She listened to satan because of
    her willfulness and pride
    and she coaxed Adam to disobey.

    Whenever we sin we are witnessing
to others to watch us – to follow us –
we can go so far to try to use
authority, tricks, games,
to make them follow us –

    God makes His will clear to us –
He is to be first in our lives –
We are to be like Christ –
We are to witness to Christ –
We are to allow the Holy Spirit to
    counsel us, to work in
    us as God's instruments.
   

 
 

Excerpt from Response in Christ by Fr. Edward J. Carter, S.J.

^ONE    The Concept of the Christian Life

    ...The Christian life essentially consists in God's loving self-communication to us with our concomitant response to Him in love. One peculiar characteristic of this communication of God to man is that it has centered itself within a concrete historical framework. God's gift of Himself therefore establishes the process of salvation history. This process began with man's creation and elevation to the supernatural life, a life which is a participation in God's own divine life. This participation is real and, therefore, somewhat similar to life as it is in God Himself; however, since it is only a created sharing, man possesses it in an infinitely less perfect manner than God who is Himself this life.

    Man rejected this self-communication of God in original sin. Yet God's desire to give Himself to man was not withdrawn. He determined to save man from his sinfulness, and thereafter the divine communication centered around the promised Redeemer. Salvation history preceding the advent of this Redeemer became a preparation for the Redeemer's coming. From the time of His coming, salvation history was and is the establishment and continuation of His redemptive work.
 

         1. The Christian Life as Prefigured in the Mosaic Covenant

In the age prior to the coming of Christ, salvation history was rooted in the Mosaic period. At the heart of this Mosaic era was the great salvific event of the exodus (Ex 15:1-18). Through this event Yahweh led the Israelites out of Egyptian slavery and under Moses formed them into His People. The history of the Jewish people previous to this exodus event was merely a preparation for this central happening. Thus Israel in recalling its ancient traditions could see that Yahweh's covenant with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob was a preparation for the great covenant definitively established through Moses on Mount Sinai.

    God, then, within the framework of salvation history has determined to communicate Himself according to a covenant. What is covenant? In reference to salvation history it is a mutual life relationship in love between God and His People, and among the People themselves. God on His part communicates His own life through grace, and man in return gives himself to God and his fellowman in loving service. There are various laws governing the multiple aspects of this life-relationship. There is a formal worship with its determined ritual. Yet everything centers around the essence of covenant, the life relationship.

    As mentioned, the Mosaic covenant dominated the Old Testament period. At the heart of the formation of this covenant there was a transition process involved as the Jews were led forth from Egyptian slavery to freedom under the leadership of Moses. The Egyptians had finally consented to this departure of the Jews under the pressure of the last of the plagues inflicted upon them. Under this plague the Egyptians' first-born were slain. The Jews escaped this deathblow of Yahweh by marking their doorposts with the blood of the paschal lamb: ". . . I will go through the land of Egypt and strike down all the first-born in the land of Egypt, man and beast alike, and I shall deal out punishment to all the gods of Egypt, I am Yahweh! The blood shall serve to mark the houses that you live in. When I see the blood I will pass over you and you shall escape the destroying plague when I strike the land of Egypt." (Ex 12:12-13).

    As the Jewish people escaped from Egyptian bondage they experienced a transition which was essentially religious in nature. This transition was from a less perfect to a more perfect type of existence, for in being released from slavery they were gradually formed into Yahweh's People. The definitive event of this formation occurred on Mount Sinai. Here the covenant between Yahweh and His People was sealed with sacrificial blood. Moses sprinkled with blood both the altar, representing Yahweh, and the Jewish people. Since blood signified life for the Jews, such an action had deep meaning for them. It symbolized the sealing of the covenant, the establishment of a new life-relationship between Yahweh and themselves. 
 

         2. Life in the New Covenant

This Mosaic covenant prefigured the covenant which was to be established in Christ. . .

    Through Baptism therefore the Christian is incorporated into Christ's death-resurrection. Baptism pledges the Christian to die to sin and ideally to all that is not in accordance with God's will, even though sin is not involved. Baptism also pledges the Christian to live vitally his new life in Christ, his share in Christ's Resurrection. As he is incorporated into Christ through baptism, the Christian is also made a member of the Church. Awareness of this simultaneous incorporation into both Christ and the Church emphasizes for the Christian the fact that his life of holiness in Christ is to be lived out in community. In other words, the Christian lives in Christ within the People of God, within the Church. This stress of contemporary spirituality upon the communal aspect of Christian holiness is firmly rooted in God's revealed truth. Throughout salvation history God has lovingly communicated Himself to man within the covenant framework with its communal dimension. He has also asked for man's response in love within this same covenant framework.

    The Church in union with Christ is the new covenant. Since Christ is the Head of His Church, it follows that the Church with her members must live out the covenant life according to the structure which Christ gives her. The Church has no life, no pattern of life, except that which Christ gives her. This basic pattern or structure is death-resurrection. Christ established the Church by His paschal mystery, His death-resurrection. In so establishing the Church by such an event, Christ also determined how the Church essentially lives out her covenant life down through the ages – through death and Resurrection.

    The Church, then, continues Christ's death-resurrection. She consequently continues the entire mystery of Christ, since Christ's entire life is contained in His passover event.² We see therefore why the Church can be referred to as the continuation of the redemptive Incarnation. Indeed the Church is Christ, the mystical Christ. Because she is the earthly continuation of Christ, the Church has everything within her structure needed to be the source of salvation and sanctification for men of all times. For instance, in reference to the presently much-discussed theme of the Church's relevancy to modern man, we know from theological reflection that the Church has this relevancy radically structured within her very existence. This is simply an application of the reality that the Church actually does prolong the mission of the Incarnate Word; since Christ was relevant to His age, the Church has the capacity to be relevant to all ages.

    What do we mean by saying Christ was relevant to His age? Christ revealed the Father and communicated the Father's life to men by adapting Himself in a fundamental way to the life situation which existed at that particular time in Jewish history. Since Christ through His humanity adapted His message to the people of His times, so the Church must use her innate capacity to be relevant for the men of this or that age. She must in a sense be constantly reincarnating Christ, for she is the only visible Christ which this world now has. This reincarnation largely means being relevant.

    As the Church is the continuation of Christ, so is the life of the Christian. Just as the Church centers her life in Christ's death-resurrection, so does the life of the Christian. Both Church and Christian then are continually dying with Christ, dying to all which is not of Christ. At the same time Church and Christian are meant to rise more and more with Christ, assimilating ever more perfectly His life through grace. This life of grace is the Church's and the Christian's share in Christ's Resurrection. It is true that this life of grace will have its completion only in eternity. Nevertheless, it does have very real beginnings here in this life.

    It is therefore apparent why the Church's life is directed to the liturgy, especially the eucharistic liturgy.³ For it is within the liturgy culminating in the Mass that the death-resurrection of Christ is constantly renewed in a special manner. In the Mass the People of God have the constant opportunity to assimilate the death-resurrection of Christ more and more into their lives. As they do so collectively and individually, the People of God are continuing Christ's life and mission upon earth.

    The Christian life, then, is a response to God's gift of Himself. God in love gives us a life of grace, a share in His own divine life. We respond in love by giving ourselves to God and our fellowman, by dynamically living out this life of grace, this Christ-life, in the pattern of death-resurrection. This life of grace is meant to be exercised constantly, as the Christian loves God and man, in Christ, according to the will of the Father. Also, to reiterate, God intends that our life in Christ be lived out in the community of the Church. The Christian life can never solely be an individual's response to his God.

    As the Christian lives out this life of grace in community, he is offering Christ a new humanity through which He can reincarnate Himself. It is not only through the Church as a whole that Christ reincarnates Himself, but also, ideally, through each Christian within the Church. Each Christian has a special responsibility and privilege. No one else can offer Christ the unique opportunity of reincarnating Himself as can this or that particular Christian. For each Christian is a unique, created imitation of God never again to be repeated. Each Christian has a unique humanity to offer Christ. To the extent that he fails to do so, to that degree Christ has lost this opportunity to reincarnate Himself through this humanity.

    Consequently, the Christian life can be conceived as the Christian permitting Christ to live more and more through his total person. Christian holiness is continual growth in the assimilation of that great thought of St. Paul, ". . . I live now not with my own life but with the life of Christ who lives in me." (Ga 2:20).

    There are many ways in which the Christian can permit Christ to live in and through him. Love of the Father and love of all men, of course, are the two great themes which will channel this reincarnation of Christ. These were the great driving forces in Christ's life, and consequently they will be so in the life of the Christian.  

    If the Christian is to grow in projecting Christ through his Christian personality, he must be aware of the many various ways in which Christ loved His Father, and His will. He must be aware of the various ways in which the Father's will comes to him, and thus he will realize the multiple ways in which he is to love the Father in embracing that will. The Father's will can come to him in joy and happiness or in pain and sorrow; in work or in relaxation; in a life of great obscurity as well as in a life which commands public attention; in frustration or in success. These and many other channels of the Father's will offer the Christian the opportunity to continue this witness of Christ's life: no matter how easy or difficult, the Father's will must be lovingly embraced in all things. This is how Christ radically saved the world. This is how the Church, living according to the same principle, cooperates with Christ in furthering His redemptive work.

    Christ's great love and concern for men must also be continually reincarnated through the Christian. Contemporary spirituality makes considerable use of personalism.⁴ One basic way we can apply personalism to our present theme is as follows: God revealed His love to men in a concrete way, through a Person possessing a tangible, visible human nature. Although this tangible, historical Christ is no longer with us upon earth, the basic plan of the Father continues. To a considerable degree He still continues to give Himself, His love, through tangible, visible human natures. It is through the Christian united with Christ that God continues in many ways to make His love tangible, visible – and human – to mankind.

    Through these brief indications we can realize the various and many possibilities through which Christ lives again in the Christian. As the Christian in this manner projects Christ to his contemporary world he relives the total mystery of Christ. All the mysteries of Christ's life will be apparent somehow in such a Christian existence. But as the Christian puts on Christ more and more, death-resurrection will be especially apparent. For the Christian will be more and more going out of a self-centered existence, dying to that which is not really life at all, and increasingly passing over into a greater existence, into the life of Christ Himself. In this manner the Christian continues that transition process of passing from a lower to a higher mode of existence. We have seen this transition process to be at the heart of salvation history. We saw it in the exodus-event of the Jewish people. We saw it in the death-resurrection of Christ. We continue to find it in the life of the Christian as he prolongs the paschal mystery of Christ.

    Yes, we live a new life in Christ. Christ, therefore, wants to share everything relating to our existence – sin alone excepted. When He united us to Himself in assuming human nature, He united to Himself all our authentic concerns, values and interest. He is truly a man, and He wants to share with us all our truly human experiences. He and His grace want to touch these experiences. Nothing which is really human is alien to our life in Christ. . . .

    This first chapter has purposely centered the reality of the Christian life around the death-resurrection of Christ. In the remaining chapters we will expand upon the essentials we have treated briefly in these first pages. As we progress, we hope to show in detail that Christian holiness is life in Christ, for our life in Christ contains everything – our love of God, our love of men, our love of all creation. We hope to portray the Christian as one who believes from the depths of his being that to live is Christ.

_______
      
        3.  Cf. Second Vatican Council, The Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, No. 10.
     

        

4th Sunday of Advent

Micah 5: 1-4

But you (Bethlehem) Ephrathah,
the least of the clans of Judah,
from you will come for me
a future ruler of Israel
whose origins go back to the distant past,
to the days of old.
Hence Yahweh will abandon them
only until she who is in labour gives birth,
and then those who survive of his race
will be reunited to the Israelites.
He will take his stand
    and he will shepherd them
with the power of Yahweh,
with the majesty of the name of his God,
and they will be secure,
    for his greatness will extend
henceforth to the most distant parts
    of the country.

He himself will be peace!

 

Hebrews 10: 5-10

 

You wanted no sacrifice or cereal offering,
but you gave me a body.
You took no pleasure in burnt offering'
   or sacrifice for sin;
then I said, 'Here I am, I am coming,'
in the scroll of the book it is written of me,
to do your will, God.

He says first You did not want what the Law lays down as the things to be offered, that is: the sacrifices, the cereal offerings, the burnt offerings and the sacrifices for sin, and you took no pleasure in them; and then he says: Here I am! I am coming to do your will. He is abolishing the first sort to establish the second. And this will was for us to be made holy by the offering of the body of Jesus Christ made once and for all.

  

Luke 1: 39-45  

Mary set out at that time and went as quickly as she could into the hill country to a town in Judah. She went into Zechariah’s house and greeted Elizabeth. Now it happened that as soon as Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the child leapt in her womb and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. She gave a loud cry and said, ‘Of all women you are the most blessed, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. Why should I be honoured with a visit from the mother of my Lord? Look, the moment your greeting reached my ears, the child in my womb leapt for joy. Yes, blessed is she who believed that the promise made her by the Lord would be fulfilled.’ Yes, blessed is she who believed that the promise made her by the Lord would be fulfilled.’

 

4th Sunday of Advent

December 23, 2012

INTRODUCTION: Micah 5, 1-4a; Hebrews 10, 5-10; Luke 1, 39-45 --In today's first reading the prophet Micah is speaking words of hope to God's people in Jerusalem during an attack by the Assyrians about 700 years before Christ. He promises salvation would come, and it would come out of an unimportant little village about seven miles south of Jerusalem named Bethlehem. Bethlehem had been the birthplace of King David 300 years before the prophet Micah. The greatness of the savior to come would reach to the ends of the earth. When the Magi came to Jerusalem looking for the newborn king of the Jews, 700 years later, this was the Scripture passage that guided them to where Jesus was. What an amazing prophecy; what an amazing way in which God fulfilled it!

HOMILY: St. Matthew and St. Luke tell us about events that happened at the time of Jesus' birth. Matthew focuses mostly on St. Joseph and Luke focuses primarily on the Blessed Virgin.

Today's short gospel describes the visitation of Mary to her cousin Elizabeth. In reading today's gospel earlier this week, I asked myself why Luke was telling us this story. My homily helped answer that question for me; I hope what I discovered will be helpful to you in knowing Jesus and Mary better. Our gospel today takes place right after Luke's account of the Annunciation, the beautiful gospel where the angel Gabriel asked Mary if she would consent to be the mother of the Messiah. Mary could never say "no" to God. On that occasion Gabriel also told Mary that her much older relative, Elizabeth, had conceived and already was in her sixth month. The next thing Luke tells us is that Mary went in haste to be with her and that is the beginning of today's gospel. When I pray the rosary, I frequently reflect on Mary's eagerness to help her cousin. Mary could have been filled with pride knowing she was to be the mother of a son, a great person who would be called Son of the Most High and who would inherit the throne of King David, which no one had occupied for almost 600 years. She could have considered herself too important to help her aged relative, but she didn't. She went with haste. But possibly there is another reason for her haste. The angel Gabriel had told her that it was in God's plan for Elizabeth to have a child; it wasn't just an unplanned pregnancy. "Nothing is impossible for God," Gabriel said. Mary's haste is indicative of her enthusiastic obedience to participate in God's plan.

Luke is thus telling us something about Mary. Luke presents her to us as the example of the always faithful disciple. Once when Jesus was preaching, a woman in the crowd called out: "blessed is the womb that bore you and the breasts that nursed you." (only Luke tells us of this event - Luke, 11,27) and Jesus answered, "Rather blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it." Jesus' answer tells us it is faith in God and doing what God wants that makes the ideal disciple. So when Elizabeth says to Mary: "Blessed are you who believed that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled," Luke is putting Mary before us as the example of the always faithful disciple. This is the second time in today's short gospel that Elizabeth said Mary was blessed. The first time was when Elizabeth said: "blessed are you among women and blessed is the fruit of your womb," a phrase we repeat whenever we say the "hail Mary." The two blessings that Elizabeth speaks tell us that Mary is indeed twice blest, she is the physical mother of the Messiah and she is first and most faithful among Jesus' disciples. Mary's response to these praises coming from Elizabeth is to bless God for the gracious privilege God has given her. She prays the beautiful Magnificat which follows this gospel passage: "my soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord".

Luke is not only telling us about Mary, but this scene also reveals to us something about Jesus, something more than Gabriel told Mary in the Annunciation. In the Annunciation we learned that Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit. Now we learn that Jesus brings that Spirit to others. Luke tells us Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit at the visit of Mary and Jesus. So was the unborn John the Baptist. Because Elizabeth was filled with the Spirit, she could interpret John's movement within her: he leaped for joy. The Spirit that brings us joy entered John at that moment too. Earlier Luke told us that when Gabriel appeared to Zachariah, John's father, that John "would be filled with the Holy Spirit even from his mother's womb." (Lk. 1,15). The gift of the Spirit on this occasion foreshadows Jesus' sending the Spirit on his disciples on Pentecost.

Another important statement about Jesus is in Elizabeth's question: "how does this happen that the mother of my Lord should come to me?" It is the same question that King David asked (1000 years earlier) when the Arc of the Covenant was brought into Jerusalem: "How can the ark of the Lord come to me?" (2 Sam. 6,9) The ark symbolized the presence of Israel's God among God's people. Mary's visit to Elizabeth blessed her home with the presence of God. As we prepare for Christmas we too ask ourselves that awesome question. and we are still unable to comprehend the profound answer we know to be true: "How does this happen that my Lord should come to me?" Amen.