Mary has requested that the daily message be given each day to the world. It is read nightly at the prayer service from her Image Building in Clearwater, Florida, U.S.A. This is according to her request. All attempts will be made to publish this daily message to the world at 11 p.m. Eastern time, U.S.A. We acknowledge that the final authority regarding these messages rests with the Holy See of Rome.

December 5, 2000

A Prayer for Intimacy with the Lamb, the Bridegroom of the Soul

Oh Lamb of God, Who take away the sins of the world, come and act on my soul most intimately. I surrender myself, as I ask for the grace to let go, to just be as I exist in You and You act most intimately on my soul. You are the Initiator. I am the soul waiting Your favors as You act in me. I love You. I adore You. I worship You. Come and possess my soul with Your Divine Grace, as I experience You most intimately.

Messenger: Include Our Lady of the Holy Spirit Center in 6:20 prayers.

Excerpt from December 4, 2000 Daily Message

Messenger: On December 17, 1996, the Red Rosary Book was shipped from the publisher.

                     On December 17, 1996, Mary appeared on the building.
 

 
Rainbows match.
 

Mary speaks: Today December 4, 2000,

I ask you to publish my Blue Rosary Book and reprint the Red Rosary Book for the 17th of December.

Help me please.

I love you, Mary.

Mary speaks: I ask my Blue Rosary Book be published for December 17, 2000.

I request strongly that Red Rosary Books always be made available. Please they have been out of print for many months because of funds.

All the money in this world and you will not help me get my Rosary Books into the hands of the hungry.

Please help me.

Here is a message my Son gave on the Feast of the Sacred Heart.

(End of excerpt from December 4, 2000 Daily Message)

Introduction from the book, Rosaries from the Hearts of Jesus and Mary, Volume 2.

INTRODUCTION

November 24, 2000

Mary: This is a rosary book We give to you: Rosaries from the Hearts of Jesus and Mary, Volume 2. I desire it to be ready, if possible, by December 17, 2000. It is my Blue Rosary Book.

Pray the healing rosary provided on the back of the book for healing.

Unite your prayers to the Mass and pray through the powerful intercession of Our Lady of Clearwater.

Rosary Book II has come from me to you as my Christmas gift to the world.

Many rosaries were given in the Daily Messages. Some were given from Jesus. Jesus called the meetings October 13, 1996 to help in the completion of the Fatima Mission, these rosary messages beginning October 13, 1996. There were 3 major rosaries from the Hearts of Jesus and Mary given before my appearance on December 17, 1996. There were 3 major rosaries given after the appearance, all were led by the Founder. The rosaries October 13, 1996; November 13, 1996; December 13, 1996; January 13, 1997; February 13, 1997 are included.

Included is a talk given from the Founder February 13, 1997.

Pray the rosary February 13, 1997, and read the talk given from the Founder.

An explanation of my visits can be found in both the Red Rosary book, Rosaries from the Hearts of Jesus and Mary and The First Daily Message Book.

Mary speaks: I ask you to look at the rainbow on the front of this book and look at my picture as I appear on July 5, 2000 on the back. The rainbows match. I am Our Lady of Clearwater. I appear in rainbow color. I am coming to you in shades of blue on my book, Rosaries from the Hearts of Jesus and Mary, Volume 2.

This is my Christmas gift to you.

February 13, 1997

Talk given by Father Edward J. Carter, SJ
Founder of Shepherds of Christ Ministries

Talk given February 13, 1997 National Conference of Shepherds of Christ, held at Our Lady of the Holy Spirit Center, Norwood, Ohio.

Before we begin the rosary, I’d like to say a few words about the great importance of these days on the 13th of each month. Before Our Lord asked me to begin the Shepherds of Christ Ministries, the 1st dimension of that ministries was given to me on May the 31st, 1994. But before Our Lord asked me to start the ministries, I had been given a great devotion to Our Lady of Fatima. And I knew that everything concerning recent Marian apparitions centered around the Fatima message. The Fatima message is key to the peace of the world, as Our Lady of Fatima has told us. So because I had been given a great devotion to Our Lady of Fatima, it was no surprise to me when Our Lord told me, and through me the whole Movement, the great connection that there would be between Shepherds of Christ Ministries and helping to bring the Fatima message to conclusion. I’ll expand more upon that in my talk this afternoon. But here and now I’d like to read just a part of the message I received on October the 13th, 1994, when Our Lord called the full Ministries into existence. It had begun May 31st , some five or six months previous to that. But really October the 13th, 1994, marks the real birth, the complete birth of Shepherds of Christ Ministries. And part of the message I received on that day reads as follows:

"I am giving you this message on this day, the 77th anniversary of the great apparition at Fatima, because of the close connection between the Shepherds of Christ Movement and the Fatima message. The Fatima message is centered in devotion to My Heart and My Mother’s Heart, especially in consecration to Our Hearts. Shepherds of Christ Ministries is also centered in devotion to Our Hearts. I will use Shepherds of Christ Ministries as a great instrument in helping to bring about the triumph of the Immaculate Heart and the Reign of My Sacred Heart. Today then, October the 13th, 1994, the 77th anniversary of the great apparition at Fatima, marks the birth of Shepherds of Christ Ministries. I pour forth the great love of My Sacred Heart to all. I am Jesus, the Chief Shepherd of the Flock."

The calling of Our Lord to Shepherds of Christ to be present if possible at these meetings on the 13th of each month, and if they cannot be present physically, to be present in spirit with us then comes as no surprise. It’s merely another unfolding in the history of the Shepherds of Christ Movement and in the Fatima message.

These 13th of the months meetings are extremely important. They are great instruments which Our Lord and Our Lady are using to help bring to completion the Fatima message, which will result in that great era of peace, which Our Lady of Fatima promised eventually would come to the world.

So I ask you to take these meetings on the 13th of the month with the utmost seriousness, gratitude, thanksgiving, joy that Our Lord, for His own reasons has chosen Shepherds of Christ, the members thereof, the whole Ministries to play such a great part in the completion of the Fatima message. It comes as no surprise either that Our Lord gives special messages during the rosary on the meeting of the 13th, just as Our Lady of Fatima gave messages to the three visionaries at Fatima in 1917, from May through October. So at this stage of the Fatima message’s unfolding, it is no surprise that they continue, and in a new way and a new phase of the Fatima plan, give us these very special messages on the 13th. They are meant not only for us here present, they are meant for all members of the Movement, and eventually for the whole world. All these messages, all these rosaries on the 13th, eventually go onto our Internet with its world-wide audience.

So please, be very grateful to God for the messages He gives us during the rosary. Not everything which Rita says is a message. I think you’ll be able to distinguish when she’s receiving a message from Our Lord or from Our Lady, and when she is speaking from her own heart. Sometimes the transition is very quick and you may miss it, but there are both ways in which meditations are given on the decades: in strict locutions or messages, and then from Rita’s meditations or reflections herself.

(After the Rosary)

I wish to thank everybody who made the effort to be here with us, especially those people who had to travel from out of town. I’m sure the Lord has blessed you already and will continue to do so for your effort to be here. These are extremely important meetings on the 13th of the month. Our Lord has, Himself, instructed us in His great love and mercy for us and the whole world to have them. From these meetings, the messages of Our Lord, the previous message given at Fatima, go out to the whole world...

I sort of left off when I introduced the rosary by reading the rest, or at least a good part of the rest, of that message which I, myself, received on October the 13th, 1994, when Our Lord called the full Shepherds of Christ Ministries into existence.

"My beloved priest-companion, today I come to you with another mission."

He had already asked me on May the 31st of 1994 to start the priestly newsletter and then shortly after that to start the prayer chapters.

"I’m asking you to establish Shepherds of Christ Ministries. At My request you have already begun the priestly newsletter, Shepherds of Christ, and the prayer chapters, Shepherds of Christ Associates...

"I am giving you this message on this day, the 77th Anniversary of the Great Apparition at Fatima, because of the close connection between the Shepherds of Christ movement and the Fatima message. The Fatima message is centered in devotion to My Heart and My Mother’s Heart, especially in consecration to Our Hearts. Shepherds of Christ Ministries is also centered in devotion to Our Hearts. I will use Shepherds of Christ Ministries as a great instrument in helping to bring about the triumph of the Immaculate Heart and the reign of My Sacred Heart. When this occurs, My Church and the world will be experiencing the great era of peace promised by My Mother at Fatima.

"Today, then, October 13, 1994, the 77th Anniversary of the Great Apparition at Fatima, marks the birth of Shepherds of Christ Ministries. I pour forth the great love of My Sacred Heart to all. I am Jesus, Chief Shepherd of the flock."

So (this is) one of the most important messages given in the whole history of our Movement, and I think you can see why. Not only was Our Lord calling the Ministries into full bloom with this message, but He was making that great connection between Shepherds of Christ and the Fatima message.

You see how He says that both the Fatima message and Shepherds of Christ is centered in devotion, and especially in consecration, to the Hearts of Jesus and Mary.

So in my moments here before you this afternoon, I wish to speak a bit about this consecration.

I’ll start off by reading a message of Our Lord and from "Tell My People" which deals with this consecration to the Hearts of Jesus and Mary.

"My beloved friend, tell My people that I desire all to consecrate themselves to My Sacred Heart and to Mary’s Immaculate Heart. Tell them not to just recite words in making the Act of Consecration, but to realize what they are saying. Consecration to Our Hearts means a total gift of self. That means handing over everything to Me and My Mother. Consecration means a willingness to surrender completely to Me. In Baptism, one is consecrated to Father, Son and Holy Spirit. But how many fail to live out their consecration? I extend to all the invitation to renew this Baptismal consecration through consecration to My Heart and to My Mother’s Heart.

"My beloved companion, I have taught you what this consecration means. I have given you great peace, joy and happiness because you have made this consecration. I have taught you that you are to renew this act of consecration each day. I constantly remind you that you are to pray each day for the grace to more and more live the consecration. I have taught you that your consecration to Me and My Mother means that you constantly surrender yourself to Us and to Our care. I have taught you that the more you surrender yourself to Me, the more I live in you, and through you and for you. I have taught you that My great love for you longs to draw you more deeply into My Heart. I have shown you that I wish your Mother Mary to place you there within My Heart, and that the more you dwell within her Heart, the more deeply she places you within My Heart. Dwelling within Our Hearts, the Holy Spirit fashions you more and more in My likeness. The Father thus looks upon you with greater favor and takes you more closely to Himself.

"Tell My people all these wondrous truths. I am Lord and Master and I desire all to listen to My words. (end of message)"

And what beautiful words those are, which Christ gives all, to us all regarding the consecration to His Heart and Mary’s Heart.

I want to - after that message of Jesus telling us what consecration involves, I wish to single out a few aspects of the consecration, what it includes. One aspect of our consecration and especially the consecration which Our Lord has given us for Shepherds of Christ, one aspect of our consecration to Their Hearts is to realize that we are apostles and that we are called to go out into the world as we have heard in the rosary today, and other times to be the apostles of His love, of His love and His Mother’s love, and thus to help bring about that great era of peace promised by Our Lord, Our Lady of Fatima in which love will just dominate. That’s what it means when Our Lady says, "In the end," she says, "my Immaculate Heart will triumph." And along with that triumph of her Immaculate Heart will occur the Reign of the Sacred Heart. The Reign of the Sacred Heart and the triumph of the Immaculate Heart simply is a reign of love, a triumph of love and in that era there will be a type of love existent in the hearts of the members of the human family never known before. We will all be so united in love to the Father and the Holy Spirit through the Hearts of Jesus and Mary. And not only with Them, but with each other. What a glorious era we have to look forward to.

We are apostles. More and more as the Movement has gone on, Jesus is letting us know that, yes, we are supposed to pray. This is one of our primary duties in the chapters and elsewhere, to pray for priests and all others. But more and more He is telling us that now is the time to start to more and more move out from our chapters and to be apostles of His love, to help spread the Movement, to help spread the consecrations in the schools through the consecration cards, the Rosary Aves, both of which have the Imprimatur of the Cincinnati Archdiocese, to help spread all our materials, all our books and all the various rosaries, the rosary tapes. And you are called to do that.

In the beginning of the Movement, it was a relatively few people who were carrying the burden and carrying the Ministry on. We have entered a great new episode of the Movement, principally in that episode, principally centers itself around these meetings of the 13th. More and more people are realizing as they hear more and more the messages, more and more people in the Movement are hearing that Jesus is calling each one of us to be apostles of the Movement, to spread the Movement, to help implement the various ministries in all ways possible, to help spread the chapter movements by starting new chapters. Just think if we have something like, I guess, 2500-3000 members in the chapters and the Apostles of the Eucharistic Heart of Jesus Movement here in this country and throughout the world-most of those, thus far, in this country.

But just think if each person would take it upon himself or herself to go all out to get one more new chapter formed. That’s not impossible, I don’t think that’s asking something heroic. That would double our chapters; that would double our prayer power. And so much of the Movement, the success of it, depends upon the prayer power coming out of the chapters and the Apostles of the Eucharistic Heart of Jesus Movement. So He’s calling all of us; and how admirably so many in the Movement are answering. I wish to single out-just because all of you know about the Florida apparition-four or five, six, I don’t know how many now of our members from Rita’s core group have gone down to the apparition site. One of our main members, Tom A., has a home there at St. Petersburg, and Clearwater is just a short distance from there. And they’ve been going down and staying in his house, and each day going over to the apparition site and handing out our materials, especially the rosary message tape, but other materials also. This is what Our Lord, Our Lady has asked us to do. And they’ve had phenomenal success. We can’t keep enough materials down there. They just, the people are just so eager for it. But this is what. . .and they do it on their own time, they drive down, some of them spend three or four days, some a week and they come back. But what a marvelous example of their answering the call to the apostleship to which Jesus calls them in the Movement. And they’re doing just a tremendous amount of good.

And by the way when I’m talking and as long as I’m talking about Florida I might read you part of that message of Our Lady. You have read it, no doubt if you’d gotten a copy of the picture with the message on the back. But for my own purposes I want to read that here and now. So Mary tells us, this is the message which Rita received on December the 19th:

Mary speaks: My dear children, I give to you, my Son, Jesus, born in a stable in Bethlehem on Christmas morn’. He is the Almighty God the Light of the world.

I appear to you, my children on a bank in Florida. You have made money your god! Do you know how cold are your hearts? You turn away from my Son, Jesus for your money. Your money is your god.

I am Mary, your Mother. I do not appear as I once appeared to you.

When Rita got that message and when she gave it to me, both of us for a number of days thought that her number of apparitions was simply decreasing, but we both came to the conclusion; well Rita came to the conclusion and I followed after her, in agreement with her conclusion, Mary says, "I do not appear as I once appeared to you." She was saying apparently that, "I’m appearing to you in this new way, where the whole world can see me."

So many others’ apparition sites have had their believers of course, but many, many people throughout the world have doubted all this talk about the various apparition sites of Mary. She says, "I do not appear as I once appeared to you." She is appearing on a bank for the whole world to see.

Mary continues:

"I am asking you today to circulate my message given on a tape on the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, December 12, 1996. Please circulate this tape now."

That’s one of the main things our apostles down in Florida are doing, handing out the tapes with this message.

Mary continues:

"Please circulate this tape now. Give it to as many people as you can. I am Mary, your Mother. Please circulate my Rosary Book."

She’s referring to a book which Shepherds of Christ Publications came out right around Christmas time. Hopefully all of you have received it in the mail, Rosaries from the Hearts of Jesus and Mary, as given to Rita. Now here’s the point I want to make here and now. Notice how she links up the apparition site with the circulation of her Rosary Book, and we are circulating the book there. But to me, there’s a very great phenomenon connected with the colors on the window, bank windows and the Rosary Book. And Rita herself pointed this out to me. Now this cover on this book-it was designed by Hal K. weeks and even months before the apparition of Our Lady on the bank in Florida. When did you start to design that Hal? (question asked to Harold K.) Almost, two years ago. And the colors were already selected months ago, right? Well if you’ll take the picture of the bank of the apparition of the bank on Florida, and this Rosary Book, you will notice that the colors are the same. To me, that’s a miraculous confirmation of the fact that Our Lady is connecting the apparition site on the bank in Florida with the Shepherds of Christ Ministries in a special way with the rosaries. It’s just phenomenal. You can check the colors out one by one. They’re a little bit brighter on the book, but because of the photography involved I think you can see how they wouldn’t be quite as bright on this. But check out the colors. They’re the same on the Rosary Book and on this. And these colors, as I say, were picked by Hal months and months before the apparition. You can take it for what you want, but for me it’s a miraculous confirmation of this message, that Our Lady chose those same colors which are on the front of her Rosary Book, to show the same colors relative to her apparition there on the bank in Florida.

Therefore, our Florida apostles are one of the many examples I could point out to you of how people in the Movement are more and more taking up the challenge, the invitation of Jesus and Mary to spread this Movement throughout the world. They have chosen the Shepherds of Christ Movement as a great instrument to help bring about the Fatima message. How privileged we are to be part of it, to be called to it. I believe, I’ve told you this before, at least some of you have heard me, I think this Movement is one of the greatest in the history of the Church. And I think history itself will bear that out. So how precious a gift each of us has been given by Our Lord in calling us to be members of this Movement.

Therefore, a very important aspect of our consecration to Their Hearts is to be apostles, to help spread all the ministries. Another aspect of our consecration is the idea of union. I think we’re all very well aware how the consecration unites us to the Hearts of Jesus and Mary, and through Them to the Father and the Holy Spirit. But perhaps we don’t think often enough of that how it unites us with one another, in the Movement, in the Church, throughout the whole world. You cannot grow in union with God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit and Mary, without growing in union with all your neighbors. And this is the tough part. It’s relatively easy to love Father, Son and Holy Spirit and Mary, isn’t it? Three Persons in One God infinitely perfect and Mary a human person, perfect, free from all sin. It’s easy to love the Triune Persons and Mary, relatively speaking. But it’s not all that easy to love each other all the time, isn’t it? And yet that’s what Jesus calls us to. Jesus literally died for each and every person. And no matter how unattractive a person is in their behavior, Jesus still died for that person. If He loved that person enough to die for that person, then certainly we have to love them, him or her, and especially within the Movement. Satan is violently attacking us, he will always try to cause division in the Movement. But if we are going to be examples - and we are called to that, to be examples to the whole Church and the whole world of what it’s going to be like in the new era, when we all exist in such great loving union with each other in Christ. We are the forerunners of that. We’re helping to prepare the way for that for the whole Church, for the whole world. Not only us, but we have been given a special mission for that. So we have to be united in love with each other, if we have differences, we work them out in love and in peace. We work them out in love and in peace. In one of the Blue Books, Jesus says, "The glass is either half-empty or it’s half-full." I look at my neighbor, whether he or she is in the Movement or outside of it. I can either look at the half-empty part of the glass or the half-full part. I can either look at that person’s faults and concentrate on them, or I can concentrate on the great goodness which is inherently theirs. If they are in the state of sanctifying grace, their soul is magnificently beautiful, despite the blemishes of their failings of their sins. When I look at a person, do I look at the half-empty part or the half-full part?

Everyday I ask you to pray for a growing unity in the Movement. What Our Lord has allowed us to accomplish so far in less than three years is just miraculous, I think it’s just miraculous. The sign becomes ever and ever greater that He started this Movement, not me. I was just the instrument which He chose to head it up. He has given me so many beautiful people to help me do the Movement and that includes all of you. He has given you so many beautiful companions in the Movement. Let us concentrate on that part of it. This is the only way we’re going to be models to the rest of the Church and the world, of the profound union that Our Lord calls us to, not only with Himself, but with each other.

Strength for all this, day after day, it’s not easy to live this way, is it? But as I said in my homily, the great strength we have for that is the Eucharist. The power of the Eucharist is much greater than your faults or my faults or the faults of others in the Movement that surround you, or the faults of others in your parish, or the rest of the Church and the world. He can give you the strength to arise above your own faults and the faults of others around you, and march forward in the most positive way towards this great new era. Oh what a gift the Eucharist is.

St. Julian Eymard, the founder of the Blessed Sacrament Fathers, who gave us such beautiful writings on the Eucharist, in one of his writings on the Eucharist he says:

"It is true also that the world does all in its power to prevent us from loving Jesus in the most Blessed Sacrament with a real and practical love, to prevent us from visiting Him and cripple the effects of His love. This world engrosses the attention of souls; it finds and enslaves them with external occupations in order to deter them from dwelling too long on the love of Jesus. It even fights directly against this practical love and represents it as optional, as practicable at most only in a convent. And the devil wages incessant warfare on our love for Jesus in the most Blessed Sacrament. He knows that Jesus is there, living and substantially present; that by Himself He is drawing souls and taking direct possession of them. The devil tries to efface the thought of the Eucharist in us, and the good impression made by it; for in his mind, that should decide the issue of the struggle." (That is if we give in to Jesus’ desire to possess us in the Eucharist.) "And yet God is all love. This gentle Savior pleads with us from the Host: "Love Me as I have loved you; abide in My love! I came to cast the fire of love on the earth, and My most ardent desire is that it should set your hearts on fire." ¹

¹St. Peter Eymard, "The Most Blessed Sacrament Is Not Loved!," as in The Treasury of Catholic Wisdom, Fr. John Hardon, S.J., ed.; Ignatius Press, p. 384.

Union amongst ourselves through our union with Jesus and Mary and Father and Holy Spirit. Each of you is so precious to Jesus. He has given each of you a very, very, very special gift, precious gift, in calling you to be involved in this Movement. Very early on in the Movement, it was July 31st of 1994, on the Feast of St. Ignatius, He often gives me very important messages on key feasts, and the Feast of St. Ignatius is a feast for Jesuits, Ignatius Loyola, the founder of the Jesuits. And He told me in that message that He would give great, great, great graces to those who join the Movement, and hope I’m sure, all of you who have been in the Movement have experienced those great graces. In appreciation for the great graces Jesus has given you in the Movement, I ask you, with great joy and a great sense of responsibility and a great sense of privilege, to do what you can to implement the ministries of the Movement. No one else can do your role, can carry out your part. You are preciously unique, no one exists like you now, no one ever has, no one ever will. It’s you alone who can give Jesus the opportunity to do what He wants through your humanity to help spread the Movement. To the extent that you answer Jesus and give yourselves to Him, and work as time and energy permits, as your other duties permit to help spread the ministries, to that extent you give Him an opportunity which no one else can give Him, and to the extent that you hold back, to this extent He loses this opportunity which no one else can give Him.

A precious Savior who has done so much to each of us. Certainly He deserves our full loving response. As I kneel before the crucifix each day, either before a actual crucifix or one in my mind, let us ask ourselves those questions posed to us by Ignatius Loyola, "What have I done for Christ?" "What am I now doing for Christ?" "What ought I to do for Christ?"

(End of February 13, 1997 talk by Fr. Carter)

This is a continuation of the Theme of
Death - Resurrection

We are studying Christian life and how we live it.

Our object is to establish a comprehensive view of what is necessary for the maintenance and development of full Christian living.

Response to God's Love is a book written by Fr. Carter and used as a text book for about 16 years at Xavier University. He taught there for over 30 years. He has authored some 17 books and written six years of priestly newsletters which have been circulated around the world.

Jesus desires this section to be included. This book is so important to Jesus. You will have greater insights into the Divine Mysteries if you read slowly as Jesus requests and pray for vision and grace. Oh God, thank You for this great work.

The moment Fr. Carter took his pen in hand God was giving the world a great body of knowledge to help renew the Church and the world.

Fr. Carter has spiritually directed all of us through his writings and Jesus has directed him his whole life to help renew the Church and the world.

St. Claude de la Colombiere, St. Margaret Mary, St. Francis, St. Clare, St. Ignatius and St. Xavier intercede for us, especially for the Jesuits to help us do this work to help bring about the Reign of the Sacred Heart and triumph of Mary's Heart.

Messenger: In the study of Theme IV - Death-Resurrection it is necessary to read the following material.

Response in Christ - Chapter 1

Response to God's Love - Chapter 4

Mother at Our Side - Chapter 9    

Pain and the Joy - Chapters 2, 15, 26, 31, 32

This is an outline from Father Carter's class.
It is not complete - it is only an outline.

Theme IV - Death and Resurrection

A. Concept of Death-Resurrection in Salvation-History

B. The greatest tragedy of suffering is not that there is so much of it but so much of it seems to be wasted

C. Old Testament

D. Jesus

E. Church: Life of Death-Resurrection

F. Individual Christians

G. Some Particular forms of the Cross (Suffering)

Note: The reading of the material from Response in Christ will be very helpful in understanding this material, therefore after the expanded outline Chapter 1 of Response in Christ will follow.

Jesus speaks: I ask you to include here this section, "Death and Resurrection" from Father Carter's book, Response to God's Love.

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

                                                        4

                                                        Death and Resurrection

 

                                                        Our incorporation into the mystery of Christ at baptism, and the gradual maturing of that life in the process of becoming, is centered in the pattern of death-resurrection. Indeed, the theme of death-resurrection is at the heart of salvation history. Let us briefly consider its place in the Old Testament, in the New Testament, and in God's ongoing self-communication, always remembering that any form of death—that is, any form of suffering—is meant to lead to greater life, greater peace, and greater happiness.

       The theme of death-resurrection is at the heart of Old Testament history. The Jewish people, under the leadership of Moses, experienced death-resurrection as they were formed into the people of the covenant—Yahweh's people. In the great Exodus event, they escaped Egyptian slavery, went on to Mt. Sinai where the covenant was ratified, and then progressed to the Promised Land. As members of the Mosaic covenant—as Yahweh's people—the Jews experienced a religious transition; they passed over to a higher level of religious existence, to a more intimate union with God.

       This religious transition contained death-resurrection. For the Jews to become people of the covenant, to remain so, and to grow in the life of the covenant, it was necessary that they undergo a mystical or spiritual death. In short, the Jews had to be willing to pay a price; they had to be willing to bear with that which was difficult in covenant life; they had to be willing to die to that which was not according to Yahweh's will. This mystical death, however, had a very positive purpose; it was directed at life in the covenant and at growth in that life. This spiritual death, in other words, was aimed at resurrection.

       Christ perfectly fulfilled the Old Testament theme of death-resurrection. In doing so, he, too, was experiencing a religious transition. He was passing over—gradually, at first, and then definitively in his death—to a new kind of existence, to the life of his resurrection, which he achieved not only for himself, but for all mankind. To achieve this new life of resurrection, Jesus was willing to pay the price; Jesus was willing to suffer, even unto death. That it had to be this way—that the only way Christ could have achieved resurrection was through suffering and death—was pointed out by Jesus himself to the two disciples on the road to Emmaus: "Then he said to them, 'What little sense you have! How slow you are to believe all that the prophets have announced! Did not the Messiah have to undergo all this so as to enter into his glory?' Beginning, then, with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted for them every passage of Scripture which referred to him" (Lk 24:25-27).

       Christ has structured the Christian life by the way he lived, died, and rose from the dead. It is obvious, then, that the pattern of death-resurrection must be at the heart of the Church's life. Individually and collectively, we continually die with Christ so that we may continually rise with him. Thus, we pass over in a process of continued religious transition to a greater participation in Jesus' resurrection. It is true that our participation in Christ's resurrection will reach its completion only in eternity. Nevertheless, we begin the life of resurrection here upon this earth, in the here and now of human life, in the midst of joy and pain, in the experience of success and failure, in the sweat of our brow, in the enjoyment of God's gifts. As Christians, we should have a sense of growth concerning our here-and-now life of resurrection. Some Christians seem to have a rather static view of the Christian life. They do not seem to have a vital and efficacious realization that the Christian life, centered in death-resurrection, should become more conscious, more experiential, more dynamically relative to daily existence.

       We cannot maintain the life of resurrection or grow in it without a willingness to suffer. This does not mean that we need to feel overwhelmed and heavily burdened by the suffering in our lives. The greater portion of suffering for most Christians seems to be an accumulation of ordinary hardships, difficulties, and pains. At times, however, deep suffering—even suffering of agonizing proportions—can enter one's life. During these oppressive periods of suffering, a person's sense of anguish can become so great that the prospect of continuing life becomes an agony in itself. Whether the sufferings of Christians are of either the ordinary variety or the rare and extreme type, Christians must nevertheless convince themselves that to properly relate to the cross is to grow in resurrection—and for an individual Christian to grow in resurrection means that he or she will also have an increased capacity to help give resurrection to others.

       One of the most traditional forms of the experience of the cross—that is, of dying with Jesus—that spiritual masters have always treated is self-discipline or asceticism. All forms of life demand self-discipline: The athlete must subject himself or herself to rigorous training; the musician must endure long hours of practice; the doctor must be willing to order his or her life to the rigorous demands of the medical profession.

       The Christian life, too, has its own form of discipline or control that has as its comprehensive purpose the greater assimilation of the Christian's total being to Christ. Christian self-discipline, or asceticism, allows for the proper development of the Christ-life in all its dimensions. Like all forms of authentic discipline, it is at the service of life; when it is properly exercised, asceticism helps us to grow in our capacity to love God and others.

       This proper, grace-inspired control over the complete person is necessary because the various sense and spiritual faculties do not automatically follow the lead of grace. Because of original sin and personal sin, there are various tendencies within us that, if they are not properly controlled, will lead us away from Christ and our spiritual development. The Christian, therefore, must be willing to exercise a reasonable self-discipline despite the difficulty that is involved. Moreover, this control must extend to all of the person's faculties.

       Regarding our intellectual lives, there are various tendencies inimical to the spiritual life that must be disciplined. There can be a laziness, for instance, that might prevent the proper pursuit of study that is necessary for our own particular role in the Church. There can be an unwholesome curiosity that might lead us to want to know that which is pleasing, rather than, first of all, that which is necessary. There can be an intellectual pride that might manifest itself in various ways; some people, for example, find it extremely difficult to be open to the ideas of others or to admit their own mistakes.

       The will, the decisive faculty of the human person, must receive special attention. It must become both supple and strong: supple in order to be open to the varied movements of the Holy Spirit; and strong in order to guide the entire person, including those forces that can so powerfully lead away from God. Concerning concrete decision making, there are two extremes that must be avoided: On the one hand, we must avoid precipitous action that is devoid of reflection that is rooted in an appropriate openness to the movements of the Spirit; on the other hand, we must not fall prey to the habit of indecision. Some people are prone to spending an excessive amount of time in making decisions about even the simplest matters. Life is short, and we must condition ourselves to make decisions after appropriate reflection, which, in many of our ordinary actions and decisions, is practically instantaneous. Unhealthy fear and other factors that are responsible for indecision must be curbed despite the great pain that this can, at times, cause for certain temperaments.

       The faculties of memory and imagination must also be controlled. These can be of great value if properly guided; if they are not properly guided, however, they can, in their unruliness, become great obstacles to spiritual progress. An undisciplined memory and imagination can, for example, seriously interfere with our prayer life. Similarly, memory and imagination that are not properly controlled can also give rise to numerous temptations against the various virtues.

       We must also properly control the emotions. A considerable portion of past spiritual literature has not given due allowance to the role that God intends the emotions to exercise. When we speak of controlling the emotions, therefore, we are not suggesting either an aggressive repression or an inhuman rigidity; rather, we speak of a control that permits the emotions to contribute to the richness and overall value of our actions. We must remember that the emotions, when they are properly integrated with the movements of the intellect and will, enhance the goodness of our acts.

       It is obvious, however, that we must strive to discipline the emotions' evil tendencies if these emotions are to contribute to spiritual growth. The emotions can cause havoc if such a discipline is lacking. At times, they can reduce a person to an almost brute existence; at other times, they can seriously constrict a person and, consequently, seriously impede the proper exercise and development of the Christian life.

       It is equally obvious that a person's bodily nature should also be the subject of proper discipline. The body is essentially holy, partaking in the holiness of Christ's body; however, the body is also subject to numerous evil tendencies that are at war with the spiritual life and must be controlled with a sound asceticism. St. Paul reminds us of this: "I do not run like a man who loses sight of the finish line. I do not fight as if I were shadowboxing. What I do is discipline my own body and master it, for fear that after having preached to others I myself should be rejected" (1 Cor 9:26).

       Renunciation is another form of dying with Jesus that, over the ages, has been given much attention in the teaching of the spiritual masters. Indeed, the New Testament itself attests to the undeniable role that renunciation plays in the Christian life. The gentle St. Luke, for example, teaches with a peculiar intransigence Jesus' message of renunciation—a message that Jesus himself lived. Renunciation was by no means the only aspect of Christ's life, but it was an undeniable one. Christians, because they are followers of Christ, must also include renunciation in their lives regardless of their individual vocations. Again, it is well to remind ourselves that the cross is always intended to be connected with life and love. Paradoxically, then, we embrace renunciation for the sake of life. This was the purpose of renunciation in Jesus' life, and it must have the same purpose in the Christian's existence. Let us now consider some of the various ways in which the principle of renunciation applies.

       Self-discipline or asceticism, which we have already discussed, does not necessarily include the aspect of renunciation. A person can exercise self-discipline in the positive use of created goods, and renunciation would not be involved; rather, the person would be relating to a created good according to God's will. Renunciation is, however, sometimes related to the practice of self-discipline; a person cannot always properly relate his or her total being to God's creation unless, from time to time, he or she is willing to renounce particular goods and values. Consider this example: A person will not always properly employ his or her external senses in using God's creation unless, at times, he or she denies the senses what they naturally desire. If we are not willing to admit this, we are being falsely optimistic about human nature. There is a sinful element within us that inclines us to a misuse of creation. To control this tendency toward misuse, we must exercise renunciation of those goods toward which our various spiritual and sense faculties are oriented.

       In addition to being an aid to self-discipline, there are other uses of renunciation. The choice of a particular vocation or life's work, for instance, demands a renunciation of various other created goods and values. A person who chooses marriage has to be willing to sacrifice certain values and activities that might well be appropriate for a single person, but are incompatible with the married vocation. The Christian scholar, who is called by God to make his or her contribution to the life of the Church in the academic sphere, must also learn the lesson of renunciation; such a person cannot be true to the demanding work of scholarship unless various human values—all of which are good in themselves—are nevertheless sacrificed.

       Another use of renunciation is its special witness to the transcendent aspect of the Christian life, one element of which is that our life of grace is a participation in the transcendent life of God. This life has a radical thrust of desiring God as he is in himself; this particular desire will not be completely satisfied until we achieve the beatific vision in which we will possess God as he is in himself, without the mediation of the world. Here on this earth, however, we can, to a certain extent, go out to God as he is in himself. Among the methods for achieving this goal is the practice of renunciation. Speaking of this kind of renunciation, which is expressive of transcendent love of God, Karl Rahner observes: "For such renunciation is either senseless or it is the realized and combined expression of faith, hope and charity which reaches out toward God precisely insofar as he is in himself, and without any mediation of the world, the goal of man in the supernatural order" (Theological Investigations, vol. 3, pp. 51-52). God, then, wants us to seek him not only as he is immanent in creation, but also as he is transcendent in himself. To reiterate, one way to achieve this is through the prudent, periodic renunciation of created goods and values.

       We have been discussing two main forms of dying with Jesus, namely, self-discipline, or asceticism, and renunciation. These traditional forms of the Christian cross actually permeate the experience of numerous and various kinds of pain, suffering, hardship, bearing with the difficult—whatever name one wishes to apply. Let us consider some of these ways in which we are daily called to mystically share in the death of Jesus.

       A common form of suffering is the experience of loneliness. Trying to cope with loneliness, in fact, seems to be one of the major problems of our day, and some think that the problem is perhaps greater in the United States than anywhere else in the world. Loneliness, of course, is not limited to urban centers, but it does seem to haunt our crowded cities in a special way. Ironically, it seems that the more populated an area becomes, the more possibilities there are for loneliness.

       There are two basic kinds of loneliness—that which need not be and that which cannot be avoided. The first type of loneliness results from the fact that we are not in proper touch with our true selves, with God, or with others; the second type results from our existential situation as wayfarers, as pilgrims, who have not yet arrived at our final destination. The pain that results from the first type need not be, and we should work to eliminate its causes. The suffering and dying that are related to the second kind, however, are inevitable. As Christians, we should use this suffering and dying to grow in various ways, among which is the maturing realization that we have no lasting home here on earth.

       There is, in addition, the very prosaic type of suffering that is involved in the proper living of each day. There is nothing dramatic about this form of pain, and, precisely because it seems so uneventful, it is very difficult to properly relate to it in a consistent fashion. On particular occasions, we might feel that a quick death by martyrdom would be preferable to the daily dying that involves all sorts of little sufferings. But this daily dying is a precious type of suffering, and to grow in the realization of its importance is a significant sign of spiritual progress. It is a sign that we have the spiritual keenness to comprehend that God so often situates the cross within the ordinariness of everyday life.

       Crucial decision making is also a distinct form of dying. Making a decision, we realize, is extremely important for both ourselves and others. There might be two possibilities or three or even more. We might seek advice from others, but in the last analysis, we know—oh, how well we know—that, ultimately, we alone must make the decision before God. We pray for light and strength, for we realize that we need help not only to make the proper decision, but also to properly deal with the pain that is inevitably involved.

       The experience of failure is another suffering that we encounter in various degrees along the path of life. Some fail in their attempts to achieve the type of employment they so much desire; others fail to perform properly once they have been so employed. Some are not very successful in initiating interpersonal relationships; others are not very successful in maintaining the ones in which they do become involved. Some experience failure because they strive to accomplish too little; others experience failure because they strive to do too much. Some encounter failure because they have not given the proper effort; others feel failure's pain despite their conscientious perseverance. In these and in other types of failure there is a double pain—the pain of having failed and the pain in having to begin over again. The pain of having failed, however, must not be wasted; we must use it to become better persons. If we do use it, we are able to cope more maturely with the effort that is involved in beginning afresh.

       Experiencing various types of transition along the path of life also produces its own kind of pain. Periods of transition from one age of life to another are numerous, and some are obviously much more radical than others. The transitions from childhood to adolescence, from adolescence to young adulthood, from young adulthood to middle age, from middle age to old age produce various, and sometimes rather intense, kinds of sufferings. There is the classic kind of pain that adolescents experience, for example, as they grope for some kind of self-identity, as they try to cope with various types of peer pressure, as they struggle for a new kind of relationship with parents because their childhood relationship no longer suffices. These periods of transition, or life-stages, also involve changing interests and goals; that which held our interest at one stage of life leaves us bored at another. To establish a new set of interests and challenges is sometimes painful, but not so painful as the boring vacuum that we must exist in if we fail to replace those now-dead interests and goals with new ones.

       Another type of transition involves our work-life. During the past decade, people have increasingly experienced the necessity, and sometimes the desirability, of making work or professional changeovers. Whereas in the past a person would more or less be expected to remain in the same skilled labor or professional position for the duration of his or her working years, today it is not uncommon for a person to embark upon several or more career changes. These changes, even when the desire for a change rather than a circumstance of necessity has been the catalyst, involve the inevitable difficulties that accompany the adjustment to new surroundings, different coworkers, and different responsibilities.

       Furthermore, work or professional changeovers sometimes demand a change in residence, not only to vastly different parts of the country, but even to other parts of the world. The transition that involves a change of residence, in fact, is a growing characteristic of our times. We are definitely becoming a much more mobile and transient population; however, even when persons freely seek these changes in residence, they can experience considerable hardship. One must die a bit—one must separate himself or herself from people, places, customs, landmarks that he or she has perhaps cherished over a long time. Not to feel this jolt, this separation, this dying, would mean that one possessed less than a sensitive heart.

       Rejection, in various forms, is another pain not uncommon to human experience. Rejection because of race, religion, or ethnic origin has been, sad to say, a rather prominent part of our country's history. Blacks, in particular, have felt the wrath of racial rejection and discrimination. Others, too, have not been immune—this group includes, among others, American Indians, Puerto Ricans, and Mexican-Americans.

       Although we ourselves might not have suffered racial, ethnic, or religious rejection, we are certainly susceptible to other types. We may have experienced, for instance, a certain ostracism in not being accepted—or being only reluctantly accepted—by this or that group, by this or that organization. When our ideas and opinions are not accepted by others, we feel the sting of yet another type of rejection. Further still is that very painful yet all too common rejection of not feeling loved by the person whom we dearly love.

       The type of rejection that we experience—no matter what it might be—carries with it its own kind and degree of suffering that we can neither deny nor instantaneously cause to go away; we can, however, profit from its painful presence. One of the things we must do in order to grow from the rejection that we experience is to refuse to harbor bitterness against the person or persons who have caused us pain. Not to be bitter can be difficult—at times, it can be very difficult. If we do remain bitter, however, our suffering is increased by a type of pain—the pain of bitterness—that is not growth promoting, but is, rather, pernicious to the well-being of our personality.

       The experience of various kinds of uncertainty is another type of suffering, or dying. The list of examples of human uncertainty is a long one. There is the uncertainty that is connected with the approach of a first experience: the young doctor who is still in training, for example, is understandably apprehensive as he or she prepares for his or her first surgery. There is the uncertainty of the young man and the young woman who are about to marry. Both begin to realize the uncertainties that are attached to marriage: Am I really marrying the right person? Will the children be normal and healthy? Will my partner love me over a lifetime, or is it possible that love will turn to coldness or even hatred? Likewise, the young businessman wonders whether the financial investment that he is about to make will result in increased earnings or ultimately lead to bankruptcy. There is also that common uncertainty that has plagued men and women of our contemporary age—namely, the question of whether life as we now know it on this earth will suddenly end in a nuclear holocaust.

       Christians, of course, experience these same uncertainties to the same extent that non-Christians experience them. Christians, however, precisely because they are Christians, should react to uncertainty and assimilate it in a manner that will differ from that of non-Christians. The Christian life is, after all, supposed to extend to all the dimensions of authentic human existence—including the experience of uncertainty.

       There is, however, a way in which Christians experience uncertainty in a manner that differs from non-Christians. There are specific uncertainties that explicitly arise out of Christian practices. Let us consider a few examples. In deciding one's basic state of life, the doubt, confusion, and anxiety that can temporarily accompany a choice of vocation can be agonizingly painful for some people. There are, in addition, the uncertainties and obscurities that, at times, accompany spiritual development in general. In the practice of prayer, for instance, there can be dryness, or an apparent inability to encounter God, even though God is really present to the person. There can also be a certain repugnance as one feels the demanding effort that is required to pray in present circumstances, as well as the bothersome uncertainty that makes us wonder whether our prayer is the proper type for us here and now.

       What is more, various uncertainties surround the seemingly contradictory manifestations of God's will. There might be, for example, a certain indication that God would have us act in a particular way, yet his will, as it is channeled to us from a different perspective, seems to suggest another course of action. Of course, God never contradicts himself; the contradiction is only an apparent one. We are not without pain, however, as we work through the confusion and uncertainty.

       How should we Christians act in times of uncertainty? We must be conscious of the two great realities of love and trust. First, we must try to be particularly conscious of how much God loves us in Christ. This deepened realization, in turn, will lead us to return that love in such a way that our love will be characterized by an abandoning trust in God's providence for us. Consequently, times of uncertainty can be times of tremendous growth. For we are creatures who all too often can become self-complacent before God; we are prone to forget just how weak and helpless we are without God. The discomfort of uncertainty, then, can help arouse us from this false sense of security because at these times we become more conscious of our helplessness and we approach God for guidance, strength, and consolation.

       When we experience uncertainty we should also be aware that, although we do not possess all possible light, we do have enough light to properly cope. The general pattern of Christ's life is always before us as an example and can be lived out in circumstances of uncertainty as well as at any other time. We can also utilize particular means that can lessen or even dispel the uncertainty, or that will at least help us to properly cope. Examples of such means are prayer and the seeking of advice from competent persons—if the particular uncertainty indicates that the counsel of another or others would be helpful.

       We have been discussing some of the specific ways in which we experience suffering. Let us now end this discussion in the same way that we began—by reminding ourselves of suffering's purpose in God's overall plan. Suffering, when it is properly encountered, leads us to a more mature Christian existence, that is, to an increased participation in Jesus' resurrection. If it is unchristian to flee the suffering that God intends for us (we are, of course, allowed to take proper means, as indicated by God's will, to dispel or alleviate suffering), it is also unchristian to view suffering out of perspective. We should view suffering, or dying with Christ, in relation to growth in the life that Jesus came to give us in abundance. As we properly encounter suffering, we are more and more cutting through the layers of the false self and increasingly coming in touch with the true, Christic self. If we live according to this true self, we become more capable of loving God and our fellow human beings. We become more vibrant personalities, more sensitive to the true, the good, the beautiful. We concentrate on the good that God's love has put in creation rather than on the evil therein that results from man's sinfulness.

       Although we might endure suffering with a proper Christian perspective, this is not to say that we find it easy to suffer. We need constant motivation for the proper assimilation of the suffering that daily faces us. This motivation, in turn, must be centered in the remembrance of the one who has suffered before us:

                Though he was harshly treated, he
                             submitted
                       and opened not his mouth;
                Like a lamb led to the slaughter
                       or a sheep before the shearers,
                       he was silent and opened not his
                             mouth.
                Oppressed and condemned, he was
                             taken away,
                       and who would have thought any
                             more of his destiny?
                When he was cut off from the land of
                             the living,
                       and smitten for the sin of his people,
                A grave was assigned him among the
                             wicked
                       and a burial place with evildoers,
                Though he had done no wrong
                             nor spoken any falsehood.
                                                                 —Is 53:7-9

(End of Excerpt from Response to God’s Love)

A Rosary for Healing or for Someone with Cancer.

On one Hail Mary bead or as many as you desire, say: (this is given for Fr. Carter, you can replace your loved one's name).

May God heal Fr. Carter through the intercession of Our Lady of Clearwater in union with the Mass and all the Masses being celebrated around the world.

Pray the Hail Mary or Hail Mary's then pray this after the Hail Mary.

May the cancer be uprooted and thrown into the sea.

We believe with all our hearts.

After the Glory Be— pray the following petition.

May Fr. Carter be healed through the intercession of Our Lady of Clearwater if it be the holy will of God.

Note: You can look at Mary on the image rosary while you pray this rosary.

Note: The above section can be printed out from a PDF file, and you can pray the rosary looking at the pictures.

Messenger: CAN YOU HELP US BY GIVING US ROSARIES FOR THE SCHOOLS REQUESTING THEM?

Mary speaks: PLEASE MAKE WALTER'S ROSARIES. THE SCHOOLS WANT ROSARIES AND THERE ARE NOT ANY ROSARIES LEFT.

Messenger: ALL APOSTLES THAT CAN COME ON DECEMBER 17, 2000 TO FLORIDA - 4TH ANNIVERSARY OF MARY'S APPARITION ON THE BUILDING IN CLEARWATER, FLORIDA.

Messenger: Mary wants the Red Rosary Book printed. It will cost $12,000 - $14,000 to get them reprinted.

Can you help with the printing of the new Blue Rosary Book Volume II of Rosaries from the Hearts of Jesus and Mary?

Messenger: Pray for Perry.

(Please copy and pass out to family and friends.)

Mary's Message from the Rosary of August 27, 1996

Mary speaks: I stood beneath the cross of my Son, and my Heart was in such pain for I saw Him before my eyes. I saw Him covered with blood. I saw Him die. My Heart, my children, my Heart to watch my Son, but my Heart, my Heart, how I suffered for my little children of the world that give in to this world and give up the love of my Son. O my little children of light, I give you this message. Carry this light into the darkness for your Mother Mary, for I stood beneath the cross and I cried. I cried for the little ones. I cried for the young ones, the ones that do not care and will lose their souls. How do I make you see for you will not listen to me? What can I do? I come. I appear. I beg. I plead. I give you these gifts from my Son, and you reject me. I do not deliver messages very often anymore for I have been ignored. The message is the same. You do not read the messages I have given to you. Please help me. Help the little children. I appear. I appear. I appear, and I am ignored. I stood beneath the cross, and I cried. I cried, and my Heart was in such anguish for my little children, for I am searching for them this day as I searched for the Child Jesus. Please, please help me. I cannot hold back the hand of my Son any longer. I am Mary, your Mother. I ask you to help my children. You are my children of light.

Song: O Lady of Light, shining so bright, be with us this day, guiding our way, O Lady, O Lady of Light.

Mary speaks: I appear to you as Our Mother of Sorrows.

^{(End of Mary's Message)}

MY VALENTINE FOR JESUS AND MARY AND THE WORLD I _________________ give my heart to You Jesus and Mary on this day _________________ I promise to help spread the devotion to the Hearts of Jesus and Mary.

Question for married couples and others in intimate relationships:

Q: When I feel tired and weary, how do I feel after I write this letter and share with you?

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