February 11, 2004

The Retreat for the 12th

Feb 12

Sing: Take Lord Receive

Prayer for Union with Jesus

    Come to me, Lord, and possess my soul. Come into my heart and permeate my soul. Help me to sit in silence with You and let You work in my heart.

    I am Yours to possess. I am Yours to use. I want to be selfless and only exist in You. Help me to spoon out all that is me and be an empty vessel ready to be filled by You. Help me to die to myself and live only for You. Use me as You will. Let me never draw my attention back to myself. I only want to operate as You do, dwelling within me.

    I am Yours, Lord. I want to have my life in You. I want to do the will of the Father. Give me the strength to put aside the world and let You operate my very being. Help me to act as You desire. Strengthen me against the distractions of the devil to take me from Your work.

    When I worry, I have taken my focus off of You and placed it on myself. Help me not to give in to the promptings of others to change what in my heart You are making very clear to me. I worship You, I adore You and I love You. Come and dwell in me now.

     

From The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius, 
    by Louis J. Puhl, S.J.  p. 25

46. PRAYER.  In the preparatory prayer I will beg God
our Lord for grace that all my intentions, actions, 
and operations may be directed purely to the 
praise and service of His Divine Majesty.

  

From The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius, 
    by Louis J. Puhl, S.J.  p. 11

21.                     SPIRITUAL EXERCISES

    Which have as their purpose the conquest of self
    and the regulation of one's life in such a way that
    no decision is made under the influence of any
    inordinate attachment

    
   

          Chapter 1 Gospel of John 

In the beginning was the Word:
the Word was with God
and the Word was God.
He was with God in the beginning.
Through him all things came into being,
not one thing came into being
   except through him.
What has come into being in him was life,
life that was the light of men;
and light shines in darkness,
and darkness could not overpower it.

A man came, sent by God.
His name was John.
He came as a witness,
to bear witness to the light,
so that everyone might believe
   through him.
He was not the light,
he was to bear witness to the light.

The Word was the real light
that gives light to everyone;
he was coming into the world.
He was in the world
that had come into being through him,
and the world did not recognise him.
He came to his own
and his own people did not accept him.

But to those who did accept him
he gave power to become children of God,
to those who believed in his name
who were born not from human stock
or human desire
or human will
but from God himself.
The Word became flesh,
he lived among us,
and we saw his glory,
the glory that he has from the Father
   as only Son of the Father,
full of grace and truth.

John witnesses to him. He proclaims:
‘This is the one of whom I said:
He who comes after me
has passed ahead of me
because he existed before me.’

Indeed, from his fullness
    we have, all of us, received—
one gift replacing another,
for the Law was given through Moses,
grace and truth have come
   through Jesus Christ.
No one has ever seen God;
it is the only Son,
   who is close to the Father’s heart,
who has made him known.

This was the witness of John, when the Jews sent to him priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, ‘Who are you?’ He declared, he did not deny but declared, ‘I am not the Christ.’ So they asked, ‘Then are you Elijah?’ He replied, ‘I am not.’ ‘Are you the Prophet?’ He answered, ‘No.’ So he said, ‘I am, as Isaiah prophesied: 

    A voice of one that cries in the desert: 
    Prepare a way for the Lord. 
    Make his paths straight!’ 

Now those who had been sent were Pharisees, and they put this question to him, ‘Why are you baptising if you are not the Christ, and not Elijah, and not the Prophet?’ John answered them, ‘I baptise with water; but standing among you—unknown to you— is the one who is coming after me; and I am not fit to undo the strap of his sandal.’ This happened at Bethany, on the far side of the Jordan, where John was baptising. 

    The next day, he saw Jesus coming towards him and said, ‘Look, there is the lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world. It was of him that I said, "Behind me comes one who has passed ahead of me because he existed before me." I did not know him myself, and yet my purpose in coming to baptise with water was so that he might be revealed to Israel.’ And John declared, ‘I saw the Spirit come down on him like a dove from heaven and rest on him. I did not know him myself, but he who sent me to baptise with water had said to me, "The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and rest is the one who is to baptise with the Holy Spirit." I have seen and I testify that he is the Chosen One of God.’

The next day as John stood there again with two of his disciples, Jesus went past, and John looked towards him and said, ‘Look, there is the lamb of God.’ And the two disciples heard what he said and followed Jesus. Jesus turned round, saw them following and said, ‘What do you want?’ They answered, ‘Rabbi’—which means Teacher—‘where do you live?’ He replied, ‘Come and see’; so they went and saw where he lived, and stayed with him that day. It was about the tenth hour. 

    One of these two who became followers of Jesus after hearing what John had said was Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter. The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother and say to him, ‘We have found the Messiah’—which means the Christ— and he took Simon to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, ‘You are Simon son of John; you are to be called Cephas’—which means Rock. 

    The next day, after Jesus had decided to leave for Galilee, he met Philip and said, ‘Follow me.’ Philip came from the same town, Bethsaida, as Andrew and Peter. Philip found Nathanael and said to him, ‘We have found him of whom Moses in the Law and the prophets wrote, Jesus son of Joseph, from Nazareth.’ Nathanael said to him, ‘From Nazareth? Can anything good come from that place?’ Philip replied, ‘Come and see.’ When Jesus saw Nathanael coming he said of him, ‘There, truly, is an Israelite in whom there is no deception.’ Nathanael asked, ‘How do you know me?’ Jesus replied, ‘Before Philip came to call you, I saw you under the fig tree.’ Nathanael answered, ‘Rabbi, you are the Son of God, you are the king of Israel.’ Jesus replied, ‘You believe that just because I said: I saw you under the fig tree. You are going to see greater things than that.’ And then he added, ‘In all truth I tell you, you will see heaven open and the angels of God ascending and descending over the Son of man.’
  

   

          Sing:  Silent Night

                   Song from Jesus

                   Angels We Have Heard on High

                   Hark the Harold Angels Sing

    
   

     

  

          #272  p 119  Jesus in the temple (age 12)

                    St Luke 2: 41-50

   

     
  

 

          #273  p 119  Baptism of Jesus

                   Matt 3: 13-17

   

  
    

          Rosary Meditations of Light Oct 24, 2002

October 24, 2002
  

Baptism of Our Lord

1. Jesus was baptized in the Jordan.

2. And when Jesus had been baptised he at once came up from the water, and suddenly the heavens opened and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming down on him. And suddenly there was a voice from heaven, ‘This is my Son, the Beloved; my favour rests on him.’  Matthew 3:16-17

3. In baptism we receive a sharing in His life.

4. God gives us so many gifts through baptism.

5. We are commissioned to spread the good news.

6. Look at the light of the beautiful sunlit sky.

7. Jesus is the Light of the world.

8. God gives us the sacraments.

9. God gives us the priest.

10.  ...‘This is my Son, the Beloved; my favour rests on him.’ Matthew 3:17

       

    

The Wedding at Cana

1. There was not any more wine.

2. Mary told Jesus the problem.

3. Jesus turned water into wine.

4. Jesus gives the power to the priest to turn bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Jesus.

5. What a gift God gives to us through the priest.

6. Jesus is the Light of the world.

7. Jesus wants us to focus on Him.

8. Jesus is the bridegroom of our soul.

9. Mary is there at every Mass interceding.

 

10. Mary's intercession is so powerful.

      

    

The Kingdom of God

1. The Sacred Heart of Jesus will Reign in the hearts of men.

2. Jesus wants us to give Him our heart.

3. We are commissioned in baptism to spread the good news.

4. Jesus loves His souls so much He gave His life for them.

5. Jesus wants all souls of the earth to honor Him as the Son of God.

6. Listen to the words of the Father ...‘This is my Son, the Beloved; my favour rests on him.’  Matthew 3:17

7. Songs of victory in heaven
After this I heard what seemed to be the great sound of a huge crowd in heaven, singing, ‘Alleluia! Salvation and glory and power to our God! He judges fairly, he punishes justly, and he has condemned the great prostitute who corrupted the earth with her prostitution; he has avenged the blood of his servants which she shed.’ And again they sang, ‘Alleluia! The smoke of her will rise for ever and ever.’ Then the twenty–four elders and the four living creatures threw themselves down and worshipped God seated on his throne, and they cried, ‘Amen, Alleluia.’ 

Then a voice came from the throne; it said, ‘Praise our God, you servants of his and those who fear him, small and great alike.’ And I heard what seemed to be the voices of a huge crowd, like the sound of the ocean or the great roar of thunder, answering, ‘Alleluia! The reign of the Lord our God Almighty has begun; let us be glad and joyful and give glory to God, because this is the time for the marriage of the Lamb. His bride is ready, and she has been able to dress herself in dazzling white linen, because her linen is made of the good deeds of the saints.’ The angel said, ‘Write this, "Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding feast of the Lamb," ’ and he added, ‘These words of God are true.’ Then I knelt at his feet to worship him, but he said to me, ‘Never do that: I am your fellow–servant and the fellow–servant of all your brothers who have in themselves the witness of Jesus. God alone you must worship.’ The witness of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.   Revelation 19: 1-10

8. God calls us to conversion.

9. Mary has appeared at Fatima — she told us until a sufficient amount of people give their hearts to Jesus and Mary we won't have peace in the world.

10. Excerpt from The Spirituality of Fatima

    ...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: 19. Our Lady of Fatima ’s Peace Plan from Heaven (Rockford:
                      TAN Books and Publishers, Inc., 1983). p.9.

  

     

Transfiguration

1. The Transfiguration
Six days later, Jesus took with him Peter and James and John and led them up a high mountain on their own by themselves. There in their presence he was transfigured: his clothes became brilliantly white, whiter than any earthly bleacher could make them. Elijah appeared to them with Moses; and they were talking to Jesus. Then Peter spoke to Jesus, ‘Rabbi,’ he said, ‘it is wonderful for us to be here; so let us make three shelters, one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.’ He did not know what to say; they were so frightened. And a cloud came, covering them in shadow; and from the cloud there came a voice, ‘This is my Son, the Beloved. Listen to him.’ Then suddenly, when they looked round, they saw no one with them any more but only Jesus. Mark 9:2-8

2. God gives us His Love, His Sacred Heart is burning and on fire for love of men.

3. Do you realize how bright the sun is.

4. Can you envision Jesus appearing so bright before you, you could hardly see — and yet you see Him and when you look away your eyes are blinded from the vision.

5. Hear the voice of the Father speak —  ...‘This is my Son, the Beloved; my favour rests on him.’  Matthew 3:17

6. We cannot even imagine the beauty of our own graced soul.

7. God is Light.

8. God gives us Himself in the Eucharist.

9. We are able to go to the Church sometimes and worship before the exposed Eucharist.

10. God's love fills my heart — He is the Light
We must carry this love to others so they can see His life alive in us.

      

   

    

The Last Supper

1. Jesus was gathered with His Apostles at the Last Supper.

2. Jesus remains with us today.

3. Our priests have the power to change bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Jesus.

4. Our priests are so important to us.

5. This Movement Shepherds of Christ is to pray for the priests, the Church and the world.

6. The Mass is so powerful.

7.

A Prayer before the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass

    Let me be a holy sacrifice and unite with God in the sacrament of His greatest love.

    I want to be one in Him in this act of love, where He gives Himself to me and I give myself as a sacrifice to Him. Let me be a holy sacrifice as I become one with Him in this my act of greatest love to Him.

    Let me unite with Him more, that I may more deeply love Him. May I help make reparation to His adorable Heart and the heart of His Mother, Mary. With greatest love, I offer myself to You and pray that You will accept my sacrifice of greatest love. I give myself to You and unite in Your gift of Yourself to me. Come and possess my soul.

    Cleanse me, strengthen me, heal me. Dear Holy Spirit act in the heart of Mary to make me more and more like Jesus.

    Father, I offer this my sacrifice, myself united to Jesus in the Holy Spirit to You. Help me to love God more deeply in this act of my greatest love.

    Give me the grace to grow in my knowledge, love and service of You and for this to be my greatest participation in the Mass. Give me the greatest graces to love You so deeply in this Mass, You who are so worthy of my love.                     -God's Blue Book, December 27, 1995

8. Jesus died and Jesus rose on the third day.

9.   "      "     "      "       "     "   "     "      "  
        This is the paschal mystery.

10. God is with us today. He is no less present in the Eucharist than He was when He walked the earth.

   

   

   

   

  

From The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius, 
    by Louis J. Puhl, S.J.
 

          #136  2 standards     30 minutes

                   p. 60-63

 
     
  

 

   Mysteries of Light Nov 1, 2002

    

November 1, 2002

Mysteries of Light for Children
 

Baptism of Jesus

1. These are mysteries of light.

2.   Matthew 3: 13-15
Then Jesus appeared: he came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptised by John. John tried to dissuade him, with the words, ‘It is I who need baptism from you, and yet you come to me!’ But Jesus replied, ‘Leave it like this for the time being; it is fitting that we should, in this way, do all that uprightness demands.’ Then John gave in to him.

3.  Jesus speaks:
        Oh children your Father loves you so much.

4.  Jesus speaks: 
        Oh children God the Father is with you —

     John 3: 17  
       For God sent his Son into the world 
       not to judge the world,
       but so that through him
          the world might be saved.

5.  Jesus speaks: 
        God the Father loves you so very much.

6.  John 3: 17  
       For God sent his Son into the world 
       not to judge the world,
       but so that through him
          the world might be saved.