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Shepherds of Christ |
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Shepherds of Christ |
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February 10, 2011
February 11th Holy Spirit Novena
Scripture selection is Day 5 Period II.The Novena Rosary Mysteries
for February 11th are Luminous.
China Retreat
February 10th - 13th
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February 10, 2011
Sirach 40: 25-26
Gold and silver will steady your feet;
more esteemed than either, good advice.
Money and strength make a confident heart;
better than either, the fear of the Lord.
With fear of the Lord, nothing is lacking:
no need to seek for other help.
Sirach 41: 3-4
Do not dread death's sentence;
remember those who came before you and those who will come after.
This is the sentence passed on all living creatures by the Lord,
so why object to what seems good to the Most High?
Whether your life lasts ten or a hundred or a thousand years,
its length will not be held against you in Sheol.
Sirach 45: 4-5, 19
For his loyalty and gentleness he sanctified him,
choosing him alone out of all human beings;
he allowed him to hear his voice,
and led him into the darkness;The Lord saw it and was displeased,
his raging fury made an end of them;
he worked miracles on them,
consuming them by his flaming fire.
Sirach 46: 9-10
And the Lord conferred strength on Caleb too,
which stayed by him into old age,
so that he could invest the highlands of the country
which his descendants kept as their inheritance,
so that every Israelite might see
that it is good to follow the Lord.
Sirach 48: 19-20
Then their hearts and hands trembled,
they felt the pangs of a woman in labour,
but they called on the merciful Lord,
stretching out their hands towards him.
Swiftly the Holy One heard them from heaven
and delivered them by the agency of Isaiah;
Isaiah 9: 1
The people that walked in darkness
have seen a great light;
on the inhabitants of a country
in shadow dark as death
light has blazed forth.
Jeremiah 26: 13
So now amend your behaviour and actions, listen to the voice of Yahweh your God, and Yahweh will relent about the disaster that he has decreed for you.
Jeremiah 30: 16
But all those who devoured you
will be devoured,
all your enemies, all, go into captivity,
those who despoiled you will be despoiled,
and all who pillaged you be pillaged.
Sirach 15: 15-20
If you choose, you will keep the commandments
and so be faithful to his will.
He has set fire and water before you;
put out your hand to whichever you prefer.
A human being has life and death before him:
whichever he prefers will be given him.
For vast is the wisdom of the Lord;
he is almighty and all-seeing.
His eyes are on those who fear him,
he notes every human action.
He never commanded anyone to be godless,
he has given no one permission to sin.
R. The rule is —
Matthew 22: 36-40
'Master, which is the greatest commandment of the Law?' Jesus said to him, 'You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and the first commandment. The second resembles it: You must love your neighbour as yourself. On these two commandments hang the whole Law, and the Prophets too.'
There is a breakdown in authority
today — in the Church, the family,
the world —
We are to be spiritually mature —
St. Paul talks of this —
1 Corinthians 2: 6-10
But still, to those who have reached maturity, we do talk of a wisdom, not, it is true, a philosophy of this age or of the rulers of this age, who will not last long now. It is of the mysterious wisdom of God that we talk, the wisdom that was hidden, which God predestined to be for our glory before the ages began. None of the rulers of the age recognised it; for if they had recognised it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory; but it is as scripture says: What no eye has seen and no ear has heard, what the mind of man cannot visualise; all that God has prepared for those who love him; to us, though, God has given revelation through the Spirit, for the Spirit explores the depths of everything, even the depths of God.
R. Above all we are to love ...
Jesus came to show us the rule of love —
Sing: Eye Has Not Seen
R. Jesus says we are not only to pay
attention to what is done,
but the inner motive why
it was done —
the holiness or maliciousness
of the heart —
This inner motive as God wants, is how we
are becoming more and more in that
image and likeness of God —
How we are like the Heart of Jesus —
Sing: Give Me Your Heart Oh Jesus
Mary called for conversion at Fatima —
We must account for why we did
what we did — our motive —
Matthew 5: 17-37
‘Do not imagine that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets. I have come not to abolish but to complete them. In truth I tell you, till heaven and earth disappear, not one dot, not one little stroke, is to disappear from the Law until all its purpose is achieved. Therefore, anyone who infringes even one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be considered the least in the kingdom of Heaven; but the person who keeps them and teaches them will be considered great in the kingdom of Heaven.
‘For I tell you, if your uprightness does not surpass that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never get into the kingdom of Heaven.
‘You have heard how it was said to our ancestors, You shall not kill; and if anyone does kill he must answer for it before the court. But I say this to you, anyone who is angry with a brother will answer for it before the court; anyone who calls a brother "Fool" will answer for it before the Sanhedrin; and anyone who calls him "Traitor" will answer for it in hell fire. So then, if you are bringing your offering to the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your offering there before the altar, go and be reconciled with your brother first, and then come back and present your offering. Come to terms with your opponent in good time while you are still on the way to the court with him, or he may hand you over to the judge and the judge to the officer, and you will be thrown into prison. In truth I tell you, you will not get out till you have paid the last penny.‘You have heard how it was said, You shall not commit adultery. But I say this to you, if a man looks at a woman lustfully, he has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye should be your downfall, tear it out and throw it away; for it will do you less harm to lose one part of yourself than to have your whole body thrown into hell. And if your right hand should be your downfall, cut it off and throw it away; for it will do you less harm to lose one part of yourself than to have your whole body go to hell.
‘It has also been said, Anyone who divorces his wife must give her a writ of dismissal. But I say this to you, everyone who divorces his wife, except for the case of an illicit marriage, makes her an adulteress; and anyone who marries a divorced woman commits adultery.
'Again, you have heard how it was said to our ancestors, You must not break your oath, but must fulfil your oaths to the Lord. But I say this to you, do not swear at all, either by heaven, since that is God's throne; or by earth, since that is his footstool; or by Jerusalem, since that is the city of the great King. Do not swear by your own head either, since you cannot turn a single hair white or black. All you need say is "Yes" if you mean yes, "No" if you mean no; anything more than this comes from the Evil One.
R. Why are we to be holy?
Because God is holy —
Matthew 5: 48
...You must therefore be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect.’
R. We are to follow Jesus to be holy —
Dwell in His Sacred Heart —
He is the way, the truth and the life —
Colossians 1: 15
He is the image of the unseen God,
the first–born of all creation,
Leviticus 19: 1-2, 17-18
Yahweh spoke to Moses and said:
‘Speak to the whole community of Israelites and say:
"Be holy, for I, Yahweh your God, am holy.You will not harbour hatred for your brother. You will reprove your fellow–countryman firmly and thus avoid burdening yourself with a sin. You will not exact vengeance on, or bear any sort of grudge against, the members of your race, but will love your neighbour as yourself. I am Yahweh.
Sing: The Lord is Kind and Merciful
1 Corinthians 3: 16-23
Do you not realise that you are a temple of God with the Spirit of God living in you? If anybody should destroy the temple of God, God will destroy that person, because God’s temple is holy; and you are that temple.
There is no room for self-delusion. Any one of you who thinks he is wise by worldly standards must learn to be a fool in order to be really wise. For the wisdom of the world is folly to God. As scripture says: He traps the crafty in the snare of their own cunning and again: The Lord knows the plans of the wise and how insipid they are. So there is to be no boasting about human beings: everything belongs to you, whether it is Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, the world, life or death, the present or the future — all belong to you; but you belong to Christ and Christ belongs to God.
R. Jesus calls us to love our enemies —
Matthew 5: 38-48
‘You have heard how it was said: Eye for eye and tooth for tooth. But I say this to you: offer no resistance to the wicked. On the contrary, if anyone hits you on the right cheek, offer him the other as well; if someone wishes to go to law with you to get your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. And if anyone requires you to go one mile, go two miles with him. Give to anyone who asks you, and if anyone wants to borrow, do not turn away.
‘You have heard how it was said, You will love your neighbour and hate your enemy. But I say this to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you; so that you may be children of your Father in heaven, for he causes his sun to rise on the bad as well as the good, and sends down rain to fall on the upright and the wicked alike. For if you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Do not even the tax collectors do as much? And if you save your greetings for your brothers, are you doing anything exceptional? Do not even the gentiles do as much? You must therefore be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect.’
R. Have faith in God —
Isaiah 49: 14-15
Zion was saying,
'Yahweh has abandoned me,
the Lord has forgotten me.'
Can a woman forget her baby at the breast,
feel no pity for the child she has borne?
Even if these were to forget,
I shall not forget you.
Sing: Only In God
R. Being straight with God
1 Corinthians 4: 1-5
It is widely reported that there is sexual immorality among you, immorality of a kind that is not found even among gentiles: that one of you is living with his stepmother. And you so filled with your own self-importance! It would have been better if you had been grieving bitterly, so that the man who has done this thing were turned out of the community. For my part, however distant I am physically, I am present in spirit and have already condemned the man who behaved in this way, just as though I were present in person. When you have gathered together in the name of our Lord Jesus, with the presence of my spirit, and in the power of our Lord Jesus, hand such a man over to Satan, to be destroyed as far as natural life is concerned, so that on the Day of the Lord his spirit may be saved.
Sing: Seek Ye First the Kingdom of God
R. You can't serve 2 masters
Do you see the birds of the sky —
Matthew 6: 33-34
Set your hearts on his kingdom first, and on God’s saving justice, and all these other things will be given you as well. So do not worry about tomorrow: tomorrow will take care of itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.’
R. Woe to Pharisees who neglect
love of God —
People who talk smoothly —
Mark 11: 23-24
In truth I tell you, if anyone says to this mountain, "Be pulled up and thrown into the sea," with no doubt in his heart, but believing that what he says will happen, it will be done for him. I tell you, therefore, everything you ask and pray for, believe that you have it already, and it will be yours.
Song: Choose Life
Sing: Psalm 31
R. Faith is total surrender to God —
Faith like love is surrender to God —
Are you who practice religion
honest —
Matthew 7: 21-27
‘It is not anyone who says to me, "Lord, Lord," who will enter the kingdom of Heaven, but the person who does the will of my Father in heaven. When the day comes many will say to me, "Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, drive out demons in your name, work many miracles in your name?" Then I shall tell them to their faces: I have never known you; away from me, all evil doers!
Therefore, everyone who listens to these words of mine and acts on them will be like a sensible man who built his house on rock. Rain came down, floods rose, gales blew and hurled themselves against that house, and it did not fall: it was founded on rock. But everyone who listens to these words of mine and does not act on them will be like a stupid man who built his house on sand. Rain came down, floods rose, gales blew and struck that house, and it fell; and what a fall it had!’
R. When we are honest we admit as
Fr. Carter says there is evil in us —
We are growing in maturity in Christ —
There is cowardice, egotism,
concupiscence, etc. —
God calls us to convert —
conversion —
do it now — don't wait
Lent is a time to look at ourselves —
Lent is a time to do penance —
Works of penance are worthless
if we are not loving —
Joel 2: 12-18
'But now — declares Yahweh —
come back to me with all your heart,
fasting, weeping, mourning.'
Tear your hearts and not your clothes,
and come back to Yahweh your God,
for he is gracious and compassionate,
slow to anger, rich in faithful love,
and he relents about inflicting disaster.
Who knows if he will not come back,
relent
and leave a blessing behind him,
a cereal offering and a libation
to be presented to Yahweh your God?Blow the ram's-horn in Zion!
Order a fast,
proclaim a solemn assembly,
call the people together,
summon the community,
assemble the elders,
gather the children,
even infants at the breast!
Call the bridegroom from his bedroom
and the bride from her bower!
Let the priests, the ministers of Yahweh,
stand weeping between portico and altar,
saying, 'Spare your people, Yahweh!
Do not expose your heritage
to the contempt,
to the sarcasm of the nations!
Why give the peoples cause to say,
"Where is their God?" 'Then, becoming jealous over his country,
Yahweh took pity on his people.
So we are ambassadors for Christ; it is as though God were urging you through us, and in the name of Christ we appeal to you to be reconciled to God. For our sake he made the sinless one a victim for sin, so that in him we might become the uprightness of God.
As his fellow-workers, we urge you not to let your acceptance of his grace come to nothing. As he said, 'At the time of my favour I have answered you; on the day of salvation I have helped you'; well, now is the real time of favour, now the day of salvation is here.
Matthew 6: 1-6, 16-18
'Be careful not to parade your uprightness in public to attract attention; otherwise you will lose all reward from your Father in heaven. So when you give alms, do not have it trumpeted before you; this is what the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets to win human admiration. In truth I tell you, they have had their reward. But when you give alms, your left hand must not know what your right is doing; your almsgiving must be secret, and your Father who sees all that is done in secret will reward you. 'And when you pray, do not imitate the hypocrites: they love to say their prayers standing up in the synagogues and at the street corners for people to see them. In truth I tell you, they have had their reward. But when you pray, go to your private room, shut yourself in, and so pray to your Father who is in that secret place, and your Father who sees all that is done in secret will reward you.
'When you are fasting, do not put on a gloomy look as the hypocrites do: they go about looking unsightly to let people know they are fasting. In truth I tell you, they have had their reward. But when you fast, put scent on your head and wash your face, so that no one will know you are fasting except your Father who sees all that is done in secret; and your Father who sees all that is done in secret will reward you.
R. HYPOCRISY
Our heavenly Father knows
our hearts —
Sin is breaking our beautiful
relationship with God —
God gives us grace —
God calls us to love Him
with our whole heart, our
whole soul and our
whole being and to love
our neighbor as ourselves
Chapter 3 Genesis tells us about
the fall of man
Romans 5: 12-19
Well then; it was through one man that sin came into the world, and through sin death, and thus death has spread through the whole human race because everyone has sinned. Sin already existed in the world before there was any law, even though sin is not reckoned when there is no law. Nonetheless death reigned over all from Adam to Moses, even over those whose sin was not the breaking of a commandment, as Adam's was. He prefigured the One who was to come . . .
There is no comparison between the free gift and the offence. If death came to many through the offence of one man, how much greater an effect the grace of God has had, coming to so many and so plentifully as a free gift through the one man Jesus Christ! Again, there is no comparison between the gift and the offence of one man. One single offence brought condemnation, but now, after many offences, have come the free gift and so acquittal! It was by one man’s offence that death came to reign over all, but how much greater the reign in life of those who receive the fullness of grace and the gift of saving justice, through the one man, Jesus Christ. One man’s offence brought condemnation on all humanity; and one man’s good act has brought justification and life to all humanity. Just as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so by one man’s obedience are many to be made upright.
R. God may not be used for
our own gain —
The devil tries to tempt Jesus
Matthew 4: 1-11
Then Jesus was led by the Spirit out into the desert to be put to the test by the devil. He fasted for forty days and forty nights, after which he was hungry, and the tester came and said to him, ‘If you are Son of God, tell these stones to turn into loaves.’ But he replied, ‘Scripture says:
Human beings live not on bread alone
but on every word
that comes from the mouth of God.’The devil then took him to the holy city and set him on the parapet of the Temple. ‘If you are Son of God,’ he said, ‘throw yourself down; for scripture says:
He has given his angels orders about you,
and they will carry you in their arms
in case you trip over a stone.’Jesus said to him, ‘Scripture also says:
Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’
Next, taking him to a very high mountain, the devil showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendour. And he said to him, ‘I will give you all these, if you fall at my feet and do me homage.’ Then Jesus replied, ‘Away with you, Satan! For scripture says:
The Lord your God is the one
to whom you must do homage,
him alone you must serve.’Then the devil left him, and suddenly angels appeared and looked after him.
R. God calls and we are to respond
God called Abraham and he responded
as God wanted
Genesis 12: 1-4
Yahweh said to Abram, ‘Leave your country, your kindred and your father’s house for a country which I shall show you; and I shall make you a great nation, I shall bless you and make your name famous; you are to be a blessing!
I shall bless those who bless you,
and shall curse those who curse you,
and all clans on earth
will bless themselves by you.’So Abram went as Yahweh told him, and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy–five years old when he left Haran.
R. God told Abraham he would
make his descendants as
countless as the stars
of the sky and sands of the
seashore —
God has called us to a holy life —
Jesus died for us —
We are called by Jesus to a holy life —
The devil tempts us not to be holy —
The Transfiguration —
We can be tempted not to focus on God -- A Divine Person --
God is with us —
We were created to thirst after God —
But tormented by thirst, the people complained to Moses. ‘Why did you bring us out of Egypt,’ they said, ‘only to make us, our children and our livestock, die of thirst?’ Moses appealed to Yahweh for help. ‘How am I to deal with this people?’ he said. ‘Any moment now they will stone me! ’Yahweh then said to Moses, ‘Go on ahead of the people, taking some of the elders of Israel with you; in your hand take the staff with which you struck the River, and go. I shall be waiting for you there on the rock (at Horeb). Strike the rock, and water will come out for the people to drink.’ This was what Moses did, with the elders of Israel looking on. He gave the place the names Massah and Meribah because of the Israelites’ contentiousness and because they put Yahweh to the test by saying, ‘Is Yahweh with us, or not?’Exodus 17: 3-7
R. Woman at the well
We see in weekday Masses
We have great witnesses of faith —
Hebrew readings —
A cloud of witnesses
Jesus is the greatest witness
We are to model our lives after Jesus —
We see Jesus healing in the Gospel —
God loves and disciplines His children
we should not be bitter or a
poisonous root.
How deep is the darkness?
People thought of Jesus as familiar —
a carpenter, son of Mary —
they wanted to put Jesus in
a box —
Thus in Mark's Gospel
"No prophet is without honor
except in his native place,
among his own kindred and
in his own house."
"He could work no miracles there . . .
because of their lack of faith."
The old law was given in fear, darkness,
fire.
Jesus is the Mediator of a new covenant —
Now there is joy —
Jesus sent them two by two and
gave them authority over unclean
spirits.
Love — Love — We are led by Christ —
our Leader
John the Baptist loses his head
Colossians 1: 15
He is the image of the unseen God,
the first–born of all creation,
God raises us to such dignity!!
We are to obey God.
We are to follow Jesus.
What good does it do to win the world and lose
your soul —
With all the jobs dwindling —
The priests are so dear and needed
Let us pray for
(1) the pope, hierarchy - descendants
of the Apostles
(2) the priests, religious, deacons
Jesus was tired in the Gospel, but
Jesus the tender Heart has
pity on them and ministers to
them
Jesus' Heart is kind and merciful —
Jesus is love —
His Heart on fire for men
Deuteronomy 7: 6-11
For you are a people consecrated to Yahweh your God; of all the peoples on earth, you have been chosen by Yahweh your God to be his own people.
‘Yahweh set his heart on you and chose you not because you were the most numerous of all peoples—for indeed you were the smallest of all—but because he loved you and meant to keep the oath which he swore to your ancestors: that was why Yahweh brought you out with his mighty hand and redeemed you from the place of slave–labour, from the power of Pharaoh king of Egypt. From this you can see that Yahweh your God is the true God, the faithful God who, though he is true to his covenant and his faithful love for a thousand generations as regards those who love him and keep his commandments, punishes in their own persons those that hate him. He destroys anyone who hates him, without delay; and it is in their own persons that he punishes them.Hence, you must keep and observe the commandments, laws and customs which I am laying down for you today.
This week in February — week days
Goodness of creation
Importance of covenant
God speaks to us through creation
All creation bears the handprint of God.
God gives us His vision
Christ is the light of salvation —
Creation
God creates the world
God creates the seen and unseen —
God creates out of nothing
The human person is the apex of creation
All was created by God with purpose
and meaning, —
created to praise God
God says "Let there be light"
and there was light.
We see God's call — our response
Father Carter's book
Response to God's Love
$10.00 plus shipping
Call 1-888-211-3041
LIGHT - "DAY" DARKNESS - "NIGHT"
God creates
God orders
God creates
God is all good —
There is rain and snow
Sun and moon and stars => ORDERED
Vegetation — Natural order
Birds, swimming creatures
"Be fruitful and multiply"
Animals
God creates ADAM in His image and likeness
God made male and female to
propagate species
Genesis 1:26-27
God said, 'Let us make man in our own image, in the likeness of ourselves, and let them be masters of the fish of the sea, the birds of heaven, the cattle, all the wild animals and all the creatures that creep along the ground.'
God created man in the image of himself,
in the image of God he created him,
male and female he created them.
God is the ruler
God is love
We are meant to love
Mark tells us how
people flocked to Jesus
Genesis is not scientific, but to
teach religious lessons —
How good is God's creation
Jesus rested on the 7th day
Genesis 1: 26-27
God said, 'Let us make man in our own image, in the likeness of ourselves, and let them be masters of the fish of the sea, the birds of heaven, the cattle, all the wild animals and all the creatures that creep along the ground.'
God created man in the image of himself,
in the image of God he created him,
male and female he created them.
Mark 7: 6-8
...This people honours me
only with lip–service,
while their hearts are far from me.
Their reverence of me is worthless;
the lessons they teach
are nothing but human commandments.You put aside the commandment of God to observe human traditions.’
We are to live our lives being like
Jesus
Jesus is all pure
Jesus was in constant prayer
Jesus forgave
Jesus was selfless
We can be dull to the spiritual life
and what God is trying to teach
us
We were created to be like God
I studied Math —
Do you understand "OBTUSENESS"
What makes us impure is our
hearts
Wash ourselves
and have dark impure hearts —
that is stupid
Wash the vase
fill it with mud
How deep are the evils in a
man's heart —
Are we
Rooted in God
Rooted in evil
A man who lives lying deceives
himself most —
he becomes more and more
dull to the truth
A lying person gets confused
We are to live a virtuous life
not a life filled with vices —
To live a life of being a
Victor for Christ
Revelation 3: 11-13
I am coming soon: hold firmly to what you already have, and let no one take your victor's crown away from you. Anyone who proves victorious I will make into a pillar in the sanctuary of my God, and it will stay there for ever; I will inscribe on it the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem which is coming down from my God in heaven, and my own new name as well. Let anyone who can hear, listen to what the Spirit is saying to the churches."
John 8: 12
When Jesus spoke to the people again, he said:
I am the light of the world;
anyone who follows me
will not be walking in the dark,
but will have the light of life.
Spread the Blue Books
Rooted in the truth
God created a peaceful, loving,
orderly, harmonious, good
world without sin or evil —
The world reflected the love of
God and His creatures —
NO WAR
NO VIOLENCE
There are 3 awarenesses and love
Fr. Carter says in his Response to
God's Love
(1) Love of God
(2) Love of others
(3) Love of self
Fr. Carter says
The individual Christian,
the world and the Church
are in the state of
becoming
Fr. Carter had a dream.
The world is seen as a desert, barren —
Water is on the surface of the world
God breathes life
We are formed from the ground
We need the earth to survive
The earth is to be fertile
Look at God flooding earth
at time of Noah because
they disobeyed
God put man in a garden
God is the Creator
Man the creature
Man must recognize his dependence
on God
God speaks to man
God does not speak to animals and plants
Woman is created from the rib of man
The Church is born from the side
of Christ
God orders everything —
animals etc. —
Woman is helper to man
A woman's daughter in the
Gospel has demons
Jesus casts them out —
Jesus is the Way, the Truth and
the Life
Song: Glory, Glory, Glory Lord
Fall of Man
Fall of first parents
We all have a wounded human
nature because of our
first parents
Adam and Eve
We see in Mark's Gospel —
the deaf man is healed —
Jesus sticks His finger into
the man's ears
Jesus spit and touched the
man's tongue
He looked to the heavens
"Be opened" - Jesus said —
The man's ears were opened and
He spoke clearly
We must be humble and talk
to Jesus
Open our heart to talk to
Jesus
Be open
Not rebellious
or act foolishly
Look at Jesus —
Follow Jesus not the way
of the world —
Adam and Eve are banished
from the Garden because
of their sin
The core of sin is seeking to live
independent of God —
make decisions like this
Sin is revealed
Because of sin there is
disharmony
disorder
LUST, ENVY, JEALOUSY,
COVETOUSNESS,
PRIDE
Man's image of himself is distorted
Man's image of God is distorted
Man's image of others is distorted
There was harmony
Now there is disobedience
The Church is showing us in
these daily readings
that we are sinners
because of our
wounded human
nature
We are accountable for
our disobedience and
sin against God
In Lent we look inside
ourselves and admit our
sin so God can heal
us —
Because of the garden
Blame enters the world
Seeking dominance for
dominance sake
Concupiscence enters the world —
Attraction to sin —
Grace moves us toward God
Concupiscence moves us to sin —
Man can rebel against God's
will
Sin upsets the order willed
by God
Childbearing has pain —
We must work
Hard life
We must choose to do God's will
Jesus feeds the multitude with
7 loaves and a few fish
Psalm 23: 1-6
Yahweh is my shepherd, I lack nothing.
In grassy meadows he lets me lie.By tranquil streams he leads me
to restore my spirit.
He guides me in paths of saving justice
as befits his name.Even were I to walk in a ravine as dark as death
I should fear no danger, for you are at my side.
Your staff and your crook are there to soothe me.You prepare a table for me
under the eyes of my enemies;
you anoint my head with oil;
my cup brims over.Kindness and faithful love pursue me
every day of my life.
I make my home in the house of Yahweh
for all time to come.
Romans 5: 5-11
and a hope which will not let us down, because the love of God has been poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit which has been given to us. When we were still helpless, at the appointed time, Christ died for the godless. You could hardly find anyone ready to die even for someone upright; though it is just possible that, for a really good person, someone might undertake to die. So it is proof of God’s own love for us, that Christ died for us while we were still sinners. How much more can we be sure, therefore, that, now that we have been justified by his death, we shall be saved through him from the retribution of God. For if, while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son, how much more can we be sure that, being now reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. What is more, we are filled with exultant trust in God, through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have already gained our reconciliation.
Luke 5: 3-7
Then he sat down and taught the crowds from the boat.
When he had finished speaking he said to Simon, ‘Put out into deep water and pay out your nets for a catch.’ Simon replied, ‘Master, we worked hard all night long and caught nothing, but if you say so, I will pay out the nets.’ And when they had done this they netted such a huge number of fish that their nets began to tear, so they signalled to their companions in the other boat to come and help them; when these came, they filled both boats to sinking point.
July 31, 1994
Words of Jesus to Members of
Shepherds of Christ Associates:"My beloved priest-companion, I intend to use the priestly newsletter, Shepherds of Christ, and the movement, Shepherds of Christ Associates, in a powerful way for the renewal of My Church and the world.
"I will use the newsletter and the chapters of Shepherds of Christ Associates as a powerful instrument for spreading devotion to My Heart and My Mother's Heart.
"I am calling many to become members of Shepherds of Christ Associates. To all of them I will give great blessings. I will use them as instruments to help bring about the triumph of the Immaculate Heart and the reign of My Sacred Heart. I will give great graces to the members of Shepherds of Christ Associates. I will call them to be deeply united to My Heart and to Mary's Heart as I lead them ever closer to My Father in the Holy Spirit."
- Message from Jesus to Father Edward J. Carter, S.J., Founder, as given on July 31, 1994,
feast of Saint Ignatius Loyola, Founder of the Society of Jesus (The Jesuits)
Apostles of the Eucharistic Heart of Jesus
My dear fellow Associate Members,
Jesus is calling special apostles to join a new division of the Shepherds of Christ Movement. Here is a message from Jesus given to Father Carter:
My beloved priest-companion, I am requesting that a new prayer movement be started under the direction of Shepherds of Christ Ministries. I am asking for volunteers who are willing to pray before the Blessed Sacrament for one hour, twice-weekly. Members of the Shepherds of Christ prayer chapters, as well as others, are to be invited to join this movement.
These apostles are to pray for the intentions I am giving you. For part of the hour they are to use the prayers of the Shepherds of Christ Associates Handbook. They may spend the rest of the hour as they so choose.
I will use this new prayer movement within My Shepherds of Christ Ministries in a powerful way to help in the renewal of My Church and the world. I will give great graces to those who join this movement. The name, Apostles of the Eucharistic Heart of Jesus, is to be given to this movement.
I am inviting My beloved Rita Ring to be coordinator for this activity.
I pour out the great love of My Sacred Heart to all. I am Jesus, Chief Shepherd of the flock.
This is indeed a special calling for us to unite in one heart with His Eucharistic Heart and pray for the following intentions:
For the spread of the devotion to the Hearts of Jesus and Mary culminating in the reign of the Sacred Heart and the triumph of the Immaculate Heart.
For the Pope.
For all bishops of the world.
For all priests.
For all sisters and brothers in the religious life.
For all members of the Shepherds of Christ Movement, and for the spread of this movement to the world.
For all members of the Catholic Church.
For all members of the human family.
For all souls in purgatory.
end of Apostles of the Eucharistic Heart message
October 13, 1994
77th Anniversary of Mary's appearance at Fatima
The Birth of the Full Ministries
of the Shepherds of Christ
"I wish to share with you part of a message which Jesus gave us on October 13, 1994. The message tells us about the expansion of the Shepherds of Christ movement:
'My beloved priest-companion, today I come to you with another mission. I am 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.'
"Jesus has told us that Shepherds of Christ Ministries includes: the priestly newsletter, Shepherds of Christ, Shepherds of Christ Associates prayer chapters, various publications, including books, whatever else Our Lord directs us to undertake.
"As members of Shepherds of Christ Associates, you are an extremely important part of Shepherds of Christ Ministries. You have given great joy to the Heart of Jesus by responding to His invitation to become members of Shepherds of Christ Associates. As He draws you closer to His Heart and to His Mother's Heart as Associates members, He will fill you with an ever-increasing experience of His love, peace, and joy."
- From In the Hearts of Jesus and Mary, Newsletter of Shepherds of Christ Associates
by Fr. Edward J. Carter S.J., Volume 1, No. 1, 1995. p. 2.
from Tell My People
Age Of The Two Hearts
Jesus: "My beloved priest-companion, I have allowed you to experience in extraordinary fashion the riches contained in My Heart and My Mother's Heart. I desire that you tell all My people about these riches. I desire that My people consecrate themselves to My Sacred Heart and to Mary's Immaculate Heart. My people are living in the beginnings of the age of the Two Hearts.
"After the time of the purification is completed, this new era of the Church and the world will become firmly established. This era will be characterized by the triumph of the Immaculate Heart and the reign of My Sacred Heart. All those who consecrate themselves to My Heart and to My Mother's Heart will help to establish this glorious new age. I am Lord and Master. Please listen to My urgent request. Within Our Hearts you will experience the love and security, the peace and the joy, which you all desire. I love My people with a tremendous love, and in My love I give them this message!"
Reflection by Fr. Carter:
This is the Age of the Two Hearts! The surest road to sanctity in these our times is through consecration to the Hearts of Jesus and Mary. In making this consecration, and striving with God's grace to live it as best we can each day, we are contributing to the establishment of the triumph of the Immaculate Heart and to the arrival of the reign of the Sacred Heart.
Excerpt from The Spirituality of Fatima
by Fr. Edward Carter, S.J.
(3)Before receiving the six apparitions of Our Lady, May through October of 1917, the three Fatima visionaries were visited by an angel on three different occasions during the preceding year. He appeared to them in the spring, summer, and fall. Lucia (now Sr. Lucia) describes the springtime apparition of the angel:
On reaching us, he said: "Do not be afraid! I am the Angel of Peace. Pray with me."
Kneeling on the ground, he bowed down until his forehead touched the ground and made us repeat these words three times: "My God, I believe, I adore, I hope and I love You! I ask pardon of You for those who do not believe, do not adore, do not hope and do not love You."
Then, rising he said: "Pray thus. The Hearts of Jesus and Mary are attentive to the voice of your supplications."
His words engraved themselves so deeply on our minds that we could never forget them
During the summer of 1916, the angel again appeared to the three visionaries. He said to them:
(4)Pray! Pray a great deal. The Hearts of Jesus and Mary have merciful designs on you. Offer prayers and sacrifices continually to the Most High. Make everything you do a sacrifice, and offer it as an act of reparation for the sins by which God is offended, and as a petition for the conversion of sinners. Bring peace to our country in this way.... I am the Guardian Angel of Portugal Accept and bear with submission all the sufferings the Lord will send you.
In the fall of the same year, the angel visited the visionaries a final time:
(5)The angel came...bearing a golden chalice in one hand and a Host above it in the other. The amazed children noticed that drops of blood were falling from the Host into the chalice. Presently, the angel left both suspended in mid-air and prostrated himself on the ground, saying this beautiful prayer: "Most Holy Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, I adore You profoundly. I offer You the most precious Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ, present in all tabernacles of the world, in reparation for the outrages, sacrileges, and indifference by which He is offended. By the infinite merits of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and [the intercession of] the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I beg of Thee the conversion of poor sinners."
Sr. Lucia relates how the angel gave them Communion:
Then, rising, he took the chalice and the Host in his hand. He gave the Sacred Host to me and shared the Blood from the chalice between Jacinta and Francisco, saying as he did so:
(6)"Take and drink the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ, horribly outraged by ungrateful men! Make reparation for their crimes and console your God."
___________________
3. Louis Kondar, SVD,
editor, Fatima in Lucia's Own Words (Fatima: Postulation
Center, 1976), p.62. Distributed in the U.S.A. by the Ravengate
Press, Cambridge, MA.
4. Our Lady's Peace Plan, op cit., pp.1-2.
5. Ibid., p.2 (The words in brackets are my own-added for
clarification).
6. Fatima in Lucia's Own Words, op cit., pp.64-65.
Excerpts from The Spirituality of Fatima
by Fr. Edward Carter, S.J.
May 13, 1917
"Do not be afraid, I will do you no harm..... I am from Heaven.
"I have come to ask you to come here for six months in succession, on the 13th day, at the same hour. Later on, I will tell you who I am and what I want
"Are you willing to offer yourselves to God and bear all the sufferings He wills to send you, as an act of reparation for the sins by which He is offended, and in supplication for the conversion of sinners?
"Pray the Rosary every day in order to obtain peace for the world, and the end of the war." (8)
June 13, 1917
"God wishes you to remain in the world for some time because He wants to use you to establish in the world the devotion to my Immaculate Heart. I promise salvation to those who embrace it, and their souls will be loved by God as flowers placed by myself to adorn His throne." (10)
July 13, 1917
"During her appearance in July, Our Lady, in answer to Lucia's plea, promised that in October she would work a great miracle so that all might believe and know who she was. Again, the Mother of God told the children to sacrifice themselves for sinners and to say many times, especially when making a sacrifice, this prayer: "O my Jesus, I offer this for love of Thee, for the conversion of poor sinners, and in reparation for all the sins committed against the Immaculate Heart of Mary." (11)
"During this same July apparition, Mary showed the three children a vision of Hell. She told them:
"You have seen Hell, where the souls of poor sinners go. To save them, God wishes to establish, in the world, devotion to my Immaculate Heart. If people do what I tell you, many souls will be saved and there will be peace.
"The war (World War I, then raging) is going to end. But if people do not stop offending God, another and worse one will begin in the reign of Pius XI. When you shall see a night illuminated by an unknown light [January 2, 1938], know that this is the great sign that God gives you that He is going to punish the world for its many crimes by means of war, hunger, and persecution of the Church and the Holy Father. (12)
"To prevent this, I shall come to ask for the consecration of Russia to my Immaculate Heart and the Communion of Reparation on the five first Saturdays. If my requests are granted, Russia will be converted and there will be peace. If not, she will scatter her errors throughout the world, provoking wars and persecutions of the Church. The good will be martyred, the Holy Father will have much to suffer, and various nations will be destroyed....
"But in the end, my Immaculate Heart will triumph, the Holy Father will consecrate Russia to me, Russia will be converted, and a certain period of peace will be granted to the world." (13)
August 19, 1917
She told them she was greatly displeased by the action of the mayor. As a result, the miracle promised for October would not be as impressive as originally planned. (15)
September 13, 1917
More than 30,000 people were present in September, and saw a shower of mysterious white petals fall to within 10 feet of the ground before dissolving into the air. Many also saw the globe of light bearing the Lady come to rest atop the tree, and the branches bend as though someone were standing on them. Later, they saw the cloud depart into the east, from whence it had come.(16)
October 13, 1917
I am the Lady of the Rosary. I have come to warn the faithful to amend their lives and to ask pardon for their sins. They must not offend Our Lord any more, for He is already too grievously offended by the sins of men. People must say the Rosary. Let them continue saying it every day.(17)
While the people in attendance were beholding the great Miracle of the Sun, the three young visionaries, and they alone, were privileged to see striking visions in the heavens:
As Our Lady had promised, St. Joseph had come with the Holy Family and had blessed the world. Then, Our Lady appeared as the Mother of Sorrows, accompanied by her Divine Son, Who also blessed the world. Finally, Lucy had seen the Blessed Virgin, dressed in the brown robes of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, crowned as Queen of Heaven and Earth, holding a brown Scapular in her hand, with her infant Son upon her knee. However, in none of these visions had any of the figures spoken to the children. (18)
Besides the messages associated with the major Fatima apparitions, there were other revelations given by Our Lady. Before Jacinta died, she told of other messages given her (during her illness) by Mary:
More souls go to Hell because of sins of the flesh than for any other reason.
Certain fashions will be introduced that will offend Our Lord very much.
Many marriages are not good; they do not please Our Lord and are not of God.
Priests must be pure, very pure. They should not busy themselves with anything except what concerns the Church and souls. The disobedience of priests, to their superiors and to the Holy Father, is very displeasing to Our Lord.
I can no longer restrain the hand of my Divine Son from striking the world with just punishments for its many crimes.
If the government of a country leaves the Church in peace and gives liberty to our Holy Religion, it will be blessed by God.
Tell everybody that God gives graces through the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Tell them to ask grace from her, and that the Heart of Jesus wishes to be venerated together with the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Ask them to plead for peace from the Immaculate Heart of Mary, for the Lord has confided the peace of the world to her. (19)
NOTES:
8. Frere Michael de la Trinite', The Whole Truth about Fatima
(Buffalo: Immaculate Heart Publications, 1989), pp.112-114.
9. For background material on Fatima, I am particularly indebted to
Our Lady of Fatima's Peace Plan from Heaven (Rockford: TAN
Books and Publishers, Inc., 1983). p.30.
10. Ibid., p.3.
11. Ibid., pp.3-4.
12. Ibid., pp.4-5.
13. Ibid., p.5.
14. Rev. Edward Carter, S.J., Mother at Our Side: Mary's Role in
the Spiritual Life (1993: Faith Publishing Co., Milford, Ohio), p.21.
15. Our Lady's Peace Plan, op cit., p.6.
16. Ibid., p.6.
17. Ibid., p.7.
18. Ibid., p.8.
19. Ibid., pp.9-10.
Lent is like the
desert
Easter is like the
blooms of spring
the fruits of new
life
We need funds for the mailing
of Fr. Joe's book
Our Lord wants out.
Call 1-888-211-3041
We need to
print the
Tiny Tot Rosary Books.
Can anyone please help us with the this?
1-888-211-3041
$1.00 plus shipping
| Rita Ring |
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Get a canvas print of Mary's image
with a sliver of glass and
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Infant of Prague w/glass - 24
Sacred Heart of Jesus w/glass - 24
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Our Lady of Lourdes w/glass - 24
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$300 Our Lady of Lourdes w/glass 18"
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Rights for non-commercial
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Revised: January 1, 2011
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