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. |
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.
Messenger: Please pray for 5 urgent intentions!
Messenger: WE URGENTLY NEED FUNDS TO PUT OUT THE NEXT NEWSLETTER, PRAY FOR THIS AND FOR THE NEWSLETTER AND ALL INVOLVED.
Messenger: Our Lord has asked us to pray for a special priest and three other special priests and His designated priests.
Please pray for the priestly newsletter and for the intentions on the prayer list at the end of the message.
Excerpt from Mother at Our Side, by Father Edward J. Carter, S.J.
twenty-three
Lourdes—And My Own
Marian Experience
Since my first pilgrimage to Lourdes marked a very definitive stage in Mary's dealings with me—in her call to me—I am going to utilize this entry on Lourdes to share with you certain aspects of my Marian experience. In none of my previous books have I shared my spiritual experience in such a direct fashion. I am doing so now only because I believe it is Mary's wish that I do so. May my sharing of Mary's maternal love manifested to me be an occasion for your own reflection on Mary's goodness to you.
I have always been blessed with a strong devotion to Mary. I feel this gift is one of God's greatest graces given to me. I remember at an early age often repeating the Hail Mary. Later, I was very much attracted to Our Lady's requests at Fatima. I made the five first Saturdays and practiced what I was told were the other aspects of Mary's Fatima message.
After graduating from college I entered the Jesuits. Our first phase of training consists of two years of novitiate—a period in which one is introduced into the spiritual life according to the Jesuit tradition. This first period of Jesuit training marked a very significant growth in my devotion to Mary.
As I progressed in my Jesuit life over the years, Mary was always a loving, caring mother. I always felt, among other things, that she was a lifeline—always there in a special way at particularly difficult stages of the spiritual journey, not only then, but certainly then. I was not always as loyal a child of Mary as I should have been, but she always kept me aware of her very important role in our lives.
In early 1989 I was in Europe—destination Rome. As I was traveling toward Italy from Northern Europe, I made plans to stop at Lourdes. I considered this a very special stop on my itinerary.
As I left Toulouse on the train for Lourdes, it was raining. Not very far from Toulouse, the rain stopped and the sun appeared. I considered this a gift from Mary.
I walked from the Lourdes train station to the Shrine. It was a day in January, sunny and pleasant, but, as would be expected at that time of the year, there were less than 25 pilgrims at the grotto site. The atmosphere was very special. One realized this was a very holy place. I sat on one of the benches and began to pray. All of a sudden, I was deeply impressed with this thought: "I have finally come home." The thought seemed to come from outside of me, similar to an infused idea. I did not fully understand what this idea meant. I had not seriously strayed from God, so the idea of "coming home" did not mean I was returning as a prodigal son. Nor did the idea mean that I had finally found Mary, since, as I have stated above, I have always been blessed with a strong devotion to her. I was, then, somewhat puzzled at what the words "I have finally come home" meant. My experience, however, was a very profound one as I sat there before the grotto of Mary. I wept tears of peace and consolation. This was to be my first experience of the gift of tears at a Marian shrine. Later I would also experience this gift at Fatima, Guadalupe, and Medjugorje. The gift of tears on these occasions would always be in confirmation of a special interior enlightenment.
In the months that followed, whenever I recalled these words impressed upon me at Lourdes, I was still not sure of their meaning. I did, though, decide to write this book on Mary. I had long wanted to write such a book, but did not feel prepared to do so until now.
Mary revealed her will for me—which, of course, is God's will for me—in an extraordinary fashion. This special manifestation, and other recent events, have had a profound impact upon me and have very significantly deepened my spiritual life. This deepening continued in a very special way through my recent pilgrimages to Fatima, Lourdes, Guadalupe, and Medjugorje.
I was privileged to be at Fatima for the 75th anniversary of the October 13 apparition of Mary to the three young visionaries—Lucia, Jacinta, and Francisco. I had a conviction that Mary wanted me there at that particular time. That I was able to be present for this momentous occasion was another special gift of Mary to me.
On October 12, the eve of the anniversary day, I was praying in the basilica at Fatima. I was close to the altar. In the sanctuary was a statue of Our Lady of Fatima. I prayed that Mary would draw me closer than ever to the Heart of Jesus and to her own Immaculate Heart. I also prayed that I would be able, as never before, to work for the spread of devotion to the Hearts of Jesus and Mary.
As I prayed I would often glance at Mary's statue, and when I did, I was often given the gift of tears—I know it was a special gift because I myself had no control over when this would or would not take place. The same thing happened the next day. It was a most profound spiritual experience—even more so than the one at Lourdes.
On the 13th itself, there were about one million pilgrims present for the anniversary occasion. At communion time of the outdoor Mass I felt a special confirmation of the above-mentioned experience.
From Fatima I went to Lourdes. This time, unlike my first visit, I was present along with thousands of other pilgrims. It is indeed a special experience to be at Lourdes with so many others for the impressive candlelight rosary procession at night and for other activities. Being personally present amidst all this gives one a sense of why Lourdes has been such an attraction for millions and millions of pilgrims over the years. Again, my experience at the grotto of Our Lady was very special, as was the making of the Way of the Cross on the hill high above the basilicas and the grotto.
A few months after my visits to Fatima and Lourdes I was at the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City. It was another special gift to be able to be there for the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe on December 12. What an inspiration it is to be there on this most special day—to see the Mexican people come from miles and miles away for this feast which is so dear to their hearts. Their devotion to Our Lady is most remarkable. Regarding myself, the entire pilgrimage prior to the feast day was rather subdued—peaceful, but no special experience. I remained in such a state on the feast itself up to and including most of the Mass at the Shrine. Then at communion time I was gifted with the same type of deep experience which had occurred at Lourdes and Fatima. I was rather suddenly struck with a deep conviction that I am protected by Mary's mantle and that I should not be afraid or worry. Again, this interior enlightenment was accompanied by the gift of tears.
My final pilgrimage was to Medjugorje—December 28, 1992, to January 4, 1993. Again, after prayer, I had developed the conviction that Mary wanted me there for her great feast of January 1st—which, of course, is the feast of Mary, Mother of God. I thought something special would happen on that day, although I did not know precisely what.
As was the case at Guadalupe, nothing out of the ordinary happened to me on the days previous to January 1. I did not see any phenomena concerning the sun which many pilgrims have observed over the years at Medjugorje. The chain on my rosary did not change to gold—as has occurred with many of the Medjugorje pilgrims. But Mary did have her gift for me. Just as I had hoped, something special did occur on the feast of January 1. At Mass, after receiving communion, I received a profound experience of Mary's motherhood toward me and also a profound conviction of Jesus' love for me. This conviction of Jesus' love for me may be the most special I have ever experienced. Again, these interior enlightenments were accompanied by the gift of tears.
Later that day I had the great privilege of being present in the choir loft for the daily apparition of Our Lady. Ivan was the only visionary present in Church this particular day. Although I felt extremely blessed to be present for the apparition—which, of course, only Ivan himself could see—I had no special inner experience at this time. Others in our group said they did have a special personal experience at the time of the apparition. My special experience of the day had indeed occurred earlier at Mass.
Since that first visit to Lourdes when I was suddenly struck with the thought, "I have finally come home," much has happened regarding my relationship with Mary. I now believe I know the meaning of those words impressed upon me at Lourdes in January, 1989. More than three years later Mary began to instruct me regarding the precise meaning of those words. She has, in her maternal love for me, entered my life as never before. She has led me to consecrate myself to the Heart of Christ and to her Immaculate Heart in a very meaningful manner. In an extraordinary fashion she has given me a mission to fulfill in the service of Jesus. As she cooperates with the Holy Spirit in my ongoing transformation in Christ, she is leading me along paths which I have never traveled before. I can never thank her adequately for her goodness to me.
The above constitutes some of the main aspects of my personal Marian pilgrimage over the years. You also have your own Marian experience, and I am sure you have shed your own tears of joy and peace along the way.
If you have not yet done so, I strongly encourage you to consecrate yourself to the Heart of Jesus and to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. In consecrating yourself to Mary—in entrusting yourself entirely to her—you will be enabling her to lead you ever closer to the Heart of Christ. She will accomplish marvels in you as she aids you, in cooperation with the Holy Spirit, in living out your consecration to the Sacred Heart. Indeed, she will ever be Mother at your side as you come closer to the Father through Christ and in the Holy Spirit.
I have never been happier, never more at peace, than I presently am. Since Mary has drawn me to consecrate myself to her Immaculate Heart, marvelous changes have taken place within me. She has brought me to the Heart of Jesus in a way I had not experienced before.
If you have given yourself totally to Mary—and this is what consecration to her Immaculate Heart means—you have had similar experiences.
Having consecrated ourselves to Mary, we feel secure as we rest in her loving, maternal Heart. There she comforts us when we are sad—there she wipes away our tears. There she rejoices with us when we rejoice. There she smiles as we share with her our accomplishments for Christ. There she encourages us when we are fearful. There she strengthens us for the most difficult tasks.
What a great gift Jesus has bestowed upon us in giving Mary to us as our mother! Let us thank Him each day for this Mother who loves us with an unfathomable love. We must try to grow in the appreciation of this love. The more we do so, the more we want to cry out, "O Mother, how loving, caring, and tender you are! Draw us ever closer to your Immaculate Heart where you accomplish your marvels within us."
(End of Excerpt from Mother at Our Side)
February 13, 1997
Talk given by Father Edward J. Carter, S.J.
Founder of Shepherds of Christ MinistriesTalk 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 movement by starting new prayer 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)
(End of Mary's Message)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.
A rosary can be used to pray for healing. It is powerful to unite our prayers to the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass and pray through the powerful intercession of Our Lady of Clearwater.
In times of trouble, for special prayer, we can use our rosary and pray as follows.
A Rosary for Healing or for Someone with Cancer.
On one Hail Mary bead or as many as you desire, say:
May God heal 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 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.
December 17, 2000, Mary speaks: Help me to circulate my red and blue This is a gift we give you. |
To order your Rosary Book fill out this form and send your donation to Shepherds of Christ Ministries, PO Box 193, Morrow, Ohio 45152-0193, Telephone: (toll free) 1-888-211-3041 or (513) 932-4451.
Name: _________________ Street: _____________________________
City: _________________ State: _________________ Zip: ________
Donation price: $7
A $15 A $25 A $50 A $100 A Other $_____ AMessenger: Mary wants the Red Rosary Book printed. It will cost $12,000 - $14,000 to get them reprinted. Mary has asked us to always circulate them. They go with the apparition in Florida.
Messenger: The new Blue Rosary Book Volume II of Rosaries from the Hearts of Jesus and Mary has been printed. It cost $21,000. Please pray with us for funds.
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: Pray for Ron, Fernando and Perry.
Spread the Blood of Jesus on everyone, consecrate their hearts, cast the devil out, pray for coming of the Holy Spirit in a special way for all people involved on this list.Prayer List for apostles for interior use in the Movement. Pray hourly.
Pray for the priestly newsletter, for funds for it and for all involved.
Pray for the taping of the priestly newsletter, circulation and duplication of
disks and tapes.
Pray for Father Carter and the Jesuits, the people at Colombiere.
Please pray for one new very important intention.
Pray for 2 special priests.
Pray for designated priests, Fr. Mike, Fr. Joe, Fr. Jim S., Fr. Lou B., Fr.
Smith, Fr. Ken, all priests involved in the Imprimaturs translations
including all bishops. Pray for Fr. Laurentin, Bishop Ed, Fr. Don, Father at
Tuesday Masses, Fr. Tom, Fr. Bill, all priests involved with Walter, Fr. Hagee
and special priests, priests who help us in China, and priests who help us in
Florida.
Pray for Father's sister Merle, for all of us servants, handmaids, apostles and
vocations to all 7 categories.
Pray for prayer book.
Pray for all book covers, pray for Cathy.
Pray for all translations and all involved.
Pray for the elected officials.
Pray for an audience with the Pope.
Pray for all Jesuits involved, all those over us. Pray for the 4 urgent
intentions.
Pray for the rights to the books.
Pray for the process of getting Father's books on the Internet.
Pray for money to reprint the books.
Pray for the Imprimatur on the Priestly Newsletter Book II.
Pray we can send it to all bishops and Jesuits.
Pray for Perry and family and discernment.
Pray for all sub-centers and all out-of-state rosaries.
Pray for the sisters' mailing, nursing home mailing, bus mailing.
Pray for Rosary Factory.
Pray for Genevieve's daughter and Sheila's mom and the repose of the soul of
Jerry's dad, Bernice's daughter.
Pray for Paul and Joan discernment.
Pray for B & M and Tina and Terry, all printing jobs, companies involved.
Pray for 5th, the 13th, the 17th.
Pray for the Internet team and the daily messages.
Pray for building up of Morrow, Ohio, Dale, Indiana, other sub-centers.
Pray for the Holy Spirit Center and all involved.
Pray for all our families, children in school, college mailing.
Pray for lots of rosary makers and rosaries for the schools.
Pray for funds and grace.
Pray for Paul C., Margaret Mary, Steve and Sheila, Monica, Angie, Marian, Cathy,
Joe, Nick, Mary, Emily, Joe, Doris, Glaci, Dunkers, Joan R., Morgan, Mark,
Walter, Janice, Mike A., Margaret, Ron, Harold, Scott, and Nathan.
Pray for Fred doing the paper and all involved in priestly "start-up".
Please pray for all Shepherds of Christ children.
Pray for Victor's son, Michael. (Victor and Frances)
Pray for Delores and organization of writings and other material.
Pray for Diane A.'s dad.
(Please copy and pass out to family and friends.)
MY VALENTINE FOR JESUS AND MARY
AND THE WORLDI _________________ 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.
Q: How do I feel when we have a problem and we pray with great unity together?
Shepherds of Christ Ministries
PO Box 193
Morrow, Ohio 45152-0193
Telephone: (toll free) 1-888-211-3041 or (513) 932-4451
FAX: (513) 932-6791