Schedule for February 22, 2004

The next apostle, associate,
Shepherds of Christ / St. Ignatius Retreat
will be April 12, 2004 (at night)
thru April 16, 2004

Excerpt from January 7, 2004

January 7, 2004 message continues

end of excerpt from January 7, 2004

Excerpt from January 8, 2004

Jesus speaks:      

                                In the Reign of My Sacred Heart men
                            will act like pure little docile children
                            of My Father.

                                Mary lived to do the will of the Father.
                            Some will try to manipulate events to
                            be as they desire, they are willful and
                            have a world of their own in their
                            heads.

                                They can be so self-willed they can
                            block out community gatherings and
                            meetings while they willfully block
                            superiors out and pray inside themselves
                            to themselves ignoring everything around
                            them. They have given themselves an agenda
                            of prayers prayed daily and they really
                            fail to be part of the community or obey
                            the rules, they justify what they do by telling
                            themselves they don't have to listen to superiors,
                            but need to pray four rosaries. They completely
                            run their own program and want things
                            their way.

                                Grace is granted to those who follow
                            their superiors, ones who as the song says
                            can bend, though straight and tall.

                                I taught you about obedience.
                                I died on the cross.
                                I sweat Blood.
                                I did the will of My Father.

Messenger:

                            All day we make decisions about what we
                                will do.
                            Someone may direct us or help to direct us,
                                but our will is ours.
                            The purity of intention is in every
                                action we perform.
                            St. Ignatius talks about the 3 classes
                                of men.

                                I saw a person in a store ringing out
                            groceries. They were very present to the whole
                            situation — loving, kind and doing their
                            job whole-heartedly — serving the shopper.

                                Another checker in the grocery acted angrily
                            at the shopper, throwing the items being bought
                            around and never having eye contact with
                            the shopper.

                                How would Jesus and Mary serve if God
                            asked them to have this interaction with
                            the shopper? How would Mary serve to
                            do anything if she knew it was God's will.

                                I have seen some people pray when
                            we were having an important meeting and
                            later hurting things because they weren't
                            listening when the meeting took place.

                                A young novice must learn to listen and
                            follow directions. She doesn't ignore the
                            superior and pray the rosary when
                            directions are given to her.

                                Christ obeyed the Father.
                                He shows us about obedience.
                                Christ, the Son of God, washed the feet
                            of His servants.

                                What an awesome thought that God —
                            the Son of God washes men's feet. St. Peter
                            said something like wash me all over —
                            why didn't St. Peter just obey what
                            Jesus said first.

                                Some people have to have control.
                            Some use the opportunity of trying to
                            ask a question when someone is doing
                            something else surrounded with people.
                            It reminds me of children asking
                            their mom a question while she
                            is on the phone talking to someone
                            else.

                                The devil works in willfulness.
                            The devil wants a person to disobey their
                            superiors, argue with them, manipulate
                            things to get their own way.

                                One thing I have learned through the
                            messages, God tells me what to do and
                            I do it then as He has told me.

                                Another person may try to demand a
                            schedule which can block the messages
                            God gives me.

                                I am a messenger, I am available for
                            the message. I do not tell God when to
                            act on my soul and what to give me. He
                            is the initiator, I am the soul waiting His
                            favor.
  

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.
   

end of excerpt from January 8, 2004

Excerpt from January 9, 2004

Messenger:          True leaders are out for the good of the 
                                Movement. They know that they do not
                                do all things perfectly and try with all 
                                their heart to do what they can for
                                the good of the Movement and to help
                                       save souls.

                             If there is one leader that resist any correction
                                and pouts for days at any correction he is,
                                besides weakening the Movement with
                                lack of cooperation, future work accomplished,
                                giving a very bad example to all those
                                around him.

                             Jesus gives us many gifts and directions
                                to accomplish this work at hand. The leaders
                                are most faithful. This can be measured
                                by their willingness to continually do what is
                                best for the Movement. If correction is needed
                                there is little focus and it does not alter
                                their behavior afterward in any way at
                                all. They continue to make decisions for 
                                the good of the Movement for their focus
                                is to serve God and operate for His
                                honor and glory.

                            A person from wounded relationships can
                                pout for weeks and may never forget
                                that they were corrected for doing
                                something incorrectly. They harbor
                                resentment inside and their work
                                is majorly affected because they will 
                                not get over being corrected. How can
                                you deal with someone who is so attached
                                to wanting their performance to be
                                spotless and if they do their own thing
                                when asked to do something else — how can
                                you ever get them to do what you 
                                need done.

                            First of all they do what they want, their
                                own way, when asked to do a specific
                                thing — leaving what needed to be done,
                                done incorrectly,
                                then when they are told what they did,
                                they pout for weeks and won't get
                                over the problem being addressed.

                            Where St. Ignatius talks about the three
                                classes of men — we see one doing everything
                                for the honor and glory of God, wanting
                                what needs to be done and giving their
                                all to it.

                            Where one can not be told to do something
                                without doing it their own way
                                and then punishing others for weeks
                                for correcting them — the bottom line to
                                the story is — they won't do what you 
                                ask them to do.

                            A leader that is the class that wants the will
                                of God, will act with the best interest
                                of the Movement, two seconds after they
                                were corrected. They act for the good
                                of the Movement and to please God
                                and do His will always.

                            A person acting above others as a leader,
                                in this case Jesus, is a go between for 
                                people. Why should they lead with such
                                behavior.

                                The purity of intention of the three
                            classes of men can be seen in this
                            meditation of St. Ignatius in the 
                            Spiritual Exercises.

end of excerpt from January 9, 2004

Excerpt from January 11, 2004

Messenger:        Today is the Feast of the Baptism of
                                the Lord

Matthew 3: 13-17

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. 

    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.’

Excerpt from January 10, 2004 message

Messenger:         We must do these things to be holy

                                1) Thank God for our gifts
                                2) Ask for grace to know our sins
                                        and stop sinning.
                                3) Examine our conscience all through the
                                        day to see how we have acted against
                                        God's will in dealing with others, thoughts
                                        words, actions etc.
                                4) To ask God for forgiveness for our faults
                                5) To ask God for help not to sin anymore

                            Pray the Our Father

                            Our purpose for living is to love —
                                not for our own vain glory, but
                                to genuinely love God and others
                                because God wills it.
                                We are acting most like God when
                                    we love and live to promote
                                    His Kingdom.

                            Those who serve falsely for their own power
                                and glory are not happy when their
                                little plan is interrupted.

                            In marriages Father Carter said many married
                                to get love for themselves rather than
                                give love.

                            At the bottom of every action we perform, it
                                must be to give honor and glory to
                                God — to give God love and to be thankful.

                            If we operate without love we are a sounding
                                gong, because God is love and to
                                be part of a religious organization
                                we must live to love, not to sacrifice
                                purity, but to love and do it according
                                to God's will.

                                Loving can be hard when someone is
                                    doing things wrong and we need to
                                    correct them for the good of the
                                    family, institution etc.

                            Love is serving according to God's will —
                            Love is telling the truth —
                            Love is helping to promote God's Kingdom —
                            Love is being wise —
                            Love is thanking God and others and
                                forgiving —
                            Say the Our Father —

                            If you want Me to forgive you, you must
                                forgive one another — harboring
                                resentments is poison for your soul. 

                            I want docile hearts —
                                hearts of love —
                                hearts living by God's will.

                            end of excerpt from January 10, 2004 message

January 11, 2004 message continues

Jesus speaks:    Examine your conscience
                        daily — Say you are sorry for offending
                        Me and hurting others.
                        Be truthful to yourself
                        Pray for grace

Messenger:        The Prep prayer of the St. Ignatius exercises

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.

January 11, 2004 message continues

Messenger:        The purpose of these exercises
 

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

January 11, 2004 message continues

Messenger:        Lets review the First Principle and
                                Foundation

From The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius, 
    by Louis J. Puhl, S.J.  p. 12                     

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

328. RULES FOR DISCERNMENT OF SPIRITS
II

Further rules for understanding the different movements produced in the soul. They serve for a more accurate discernment of spirits and are more suitable for the second week
  

329.  I.  It is characteristic of God and His Angels, when they act upon the soul, to give true happiness and spiritual joy, and to banish all the sadness and disturbances which are caused by the enemy.
   It is characteristic of the evil one to fight against such happiness and consolation by proposing fallacious reasonings, subtilties, and continual deceptions.

330.  2.  God alone can give consolation to the soul without any previous cause. It belongs solely to the Creator to come into a soul, to leave it, to act upon it, to draw it wholly to the love of His Divine Majesty. I said without previous cause, that is, without any preceding perception or knowledge of any subject by which a soul might be led to such a consolation through its own acts of intellect and will.

331.  3.  If a cause precedes, both the good angel and the evil spirit can give consolation to a soul, but for a quite different purpose. The good angel consoles for the progress of the soul, that it may advance and rise to what is more perfect. The evil spirit consoles for purposes that are the contrary, and that afterwards he might draw the soul to his own perverse intentions and wickedness.

332.  4.  It is a mark of the evil spirit to assume the appearance of an angel of light. He begins by suggesting thoughts that are suited to a devout soul, and ends by suggesting his own. For example, he will suggest holy and pious thoughts that are wholly in conformity with the sanctity of the soul. Afterwards, he will endeavor little by little to end by drawing the soul into his hidden snares and evil designs.

333.  5.  We must carefully observe the whole course of our thoughts. If the beginning and middle and end of the course of thoughts are wholly good and directed to what is entirely right, it is a sign that they are from the good angel. But the course of thoughts suggested to us may terminate in something evil, or distracting, or less good than the soul had formerly proposed to do. Again, it may end in what weakens the soul, or disquiets it; or by destroying the peace, tranquility, and quiet which it had before, it may cause disturbance to the soul. These things are a clear sign that the thoughts are proceeding from the evil spirit, the enemy of our progress and eternal salvation.

334.  6.  When the enemy of our human nature has been detected and recognized by the trail of evil marking his course and by the wicked end to which he leads us, it will be profitable for one who has been tempted to review immediately the whole course of the temptation. Let him consider the series of good thoughts, how they arose, how the evil one gradually attempted to make him step down from the state of spiritual delight and joy in which he was, till finally he drew him to his wicked designs. The purpose of this review is that once such an experience has been understood and carefully observed, we may guard ourselves for the future against the customary deceits of the enemy.

335.  7.  In souls that are progressing to greater perfection, the action of the good angel is delicate, gentle, delightful. It may be compared to a drop of water penetrating a sponge.
    The action of the evil spirit upon such souls is violent, noisy, and disturbing. It may be compared to a drop of water falling upon a stone.
    In souls that are going from bad to worse, the action of the spirits mentioned above is just the reverse. The reason for this is to be sought in the opposition or similarity of these souls to the different kinds of spirits. When the disposition is contrary to that of the spirits, they enter with noise and commotion that are easily perceived. When the disposition is similar to that of the spirits, they enter silently, as one coming into his own house when the doors are open.

336.  8.  When consolation is without previous cause, as was said, there can be no deception in it, since it can proceed from God our Lord only. But a spiritual person who has received such a consolation must consider it very attentively, and must cautiously distinguish the actual time of the consolation from the period which follows it. At such a time the soul is still fervent and favored with the grace and aftereffects of the consolation which has passed. In this second period the soul frequently forms various resolutions and plans which are not granted directly by God our Lord. They may come from our own reasoning on the relations of our concepts and on the consequences of our judgments, or they may come from the good or evil spirit. Hence, they must be carefully examined before they are given full approval and put into execution.

end of excerpt of The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius

                        Sing: Take Lord Receive

January 11, 2004 message continues

Messenger:         Today we will meditate on our sins, the sins of
                                our whole life. Not feeling guilty, but
                                sorry we have offended God and thanking
                                Him for forgiving us. Thanking Him for His mercy.

                            Every time we go to confession we should ask
                                to be forgiven for all the sins of
                                our entire life.

January 11, 2004 message continues

Messenger:          The priest has the power to forgive our sins,
                                what an awesome gift.

January 11, 2004 message continues

Messenger:         God help us to be humble.
                            God help us to be good.
                            God help us to be pure more like Mary.

Luke 1: 46-55

                The Magnificat

And Mary said:

My soul proclaims
    the greatness of the Lord
and my spirit rejoices
    in God my Saviour;
because he has looked upon
    the humiliation of his servant.
Yes, from now onwards
    all generations will call me blessed,
for the Almighty
    has done great things for me.
Holy is his name,
and his faithful love extends age after age
    to those who fear him.
He has used the power of his arm,
he has routed the arrogant of heart.
He has pulled down princes
    from their thrones
        and raised high the lowly.
He has filled the starving with good things,
    sent the rich away empty.
He has come to the help
    of Israel his servant,
        mindful of his faithful love
—according to the promise
    he made to our ancestors—
of his mercy to Abraham
    and to his descendants for ever.

Excerpt from Priestly Newsletter

Humility

Humility is a very important virtue given to us for the spiritual journey.

Humility is both the realization of what we are as creatures of God and the concrete implementation of this realization in our Christian lives. Humility, therefore, is not an exercise in self-depreciation; it is not telling yourself that you are no good, that you really have nothing of any significance to contribute to the service of God. Humility is based on truth. It is compatible with the recognition that God has given a person certain gifts, even great gifts, of nature and grace. If we do not recognize our God-given gifts, we do not thank God for them as we should, nor properly develop these gifts according to His will. God wants us not only to recognize the good that is in us, but also to realize the source of this goodness. Although we have a responsibility to cooperate with His graces, God is the One Who is chiefly responsible for what we are. If one person has advanced to a level in the Christian life that is beyond the level of another, it is ultimately because God has given that person greater graces.

If humility is based on truth and, consequently, allows us to properly recognize our gifts, it also necessitates that we admit to the evil within us, which is also part of the truth and must be acted upon. Humility not only bids us to admit that there is evil in us, but also tells us that, as creatures of God, we should conform to His will and work against this evil side of our persons. In summary, humility allows us to properly evaluate both the good and evil within ourselves.

Here is a quotation from St. Paul which helps us to preserve, and grow in, humility: Who made you so important? What have you got that was not given to you? And if it was given to you, why are you boasting as though it were your own? (1 Cor 4:7).

And in the Letter of James we read: Humble yourselves before the Lord and he will lift you up. (Jm 4:10)

                            Sing: Amazing grace

Dear Jesus,

    I want to be close to you. I want to have that

oneness with you that is so deep. I want to act

as You act in me at every second. I want to do

Your holy will I want to be one in You in my

every breathe.

    I give myself to You. I give You the Movement

and the people -- it is Your Movement to run as You

desire. I give you the building and the people

who come and go. Help us to do as you desire

always, always maintaining the purity of the

Movement. Help the Church to recognize us

and help us to begin prayer chapters all

over the world. Help us to reach the priests

with the writings you have given. Help people

to recognize Mary's image.

  

    I want to talk about the Spiritual Exercises
of St. Ignatius.

    We are to see this retreat as a time to be alone
with God. To be in silence, to be only with Him,
to see His plan for us in helping to bring about
what He wants to do in us as we live out our
vocation. Here it is to live the Shepherds of
Christ way of life.

    Our life is lived every moment in union
with our Divine God. We center our day daily
around the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. We,
who are servants, handmaids and apostles attend
daily Mass when able and center our day around
that Mass, united to all the Masses going on around
the world all day, being special intercessors
praying for the priests, the Church and the world.

    We spend, as servants, handmaids and apostles,
at least one hour daily before the Blessed Sacrament
in adoration as far as we are able and we try to stop
on the hour and pray, especially united for the needs
of the Movement and our needs.

    We pray nightly (or at least daily) the Shepherds of
Christ Prayers and the rosary, along with the Holy
Spirit Novena. Most of us try to pray daily at 6:20
united at all the centers and the sub-centers
for the priests, the Church, and the world, for healing
for ourselves, our family and all mentioned above
and for special grace for us.

    Why do we make this particular retreat in
China, Indiana? When retreats are given the
silence will begin on the 10th of that month at 
night with the individual reading the discernment of
spirit sections from St. Ignatius Spiritual Exercises
and the beginning parts about the retreat.
The first meditation will be given on the 10th.

The Spiritual Exercises will be conducted with
    this purpose in mind.

China, Indiana

end of excerpt from January 11, 2004

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

Copyright © 2004 Shepherds of Christ.
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before any distribution takes place. Please contact us for more information.
All scripture quotes are from the New Jerusalem Bible, July 1990, published by Doubleday.
Revised: February 19, 2004
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