The
Annunciation
1. Luke 1: 26-38
In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by
God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin
betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the House of David; and the
virgin’s name was Mary. He went in and said to her,
‘Rejoice, you who enjoy God’s favour! The Lord is with you.’ She
was deeply disturbed by these words and asked herself what this
greeting could mean, but the angel said to her, ‘Mary,
do not be afraid; you have won God’s favour. Look! You
are to conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you must name him
Jesus. He will be great and will be called Son of the
Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor
David; he will rule over the House of Jacob for ever and
his reign will have no end.’ Mary said to the angel,
‘But how can this come about, since I have no knowledge of man?’ The
angel answered, ‘The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power
of the Most High will cover you with its shadow. And so the child
will be holy and will be called Son of God. And I tell
you this too: your cousin Elizabeth also, in her old age, has
conceived a son, and she whom people called barren is now in her
sixth month, for nothing is impossible to God.’ Mary
said, ‘You see before you the Lord’s servant, let it happen to
me as you have said.’ And the angel left her.
2.
These are the Joyful mysteries.
3. We
meditate on the mystery of the Annunciation,
It is profound, we pray to the Holy Spirit to inspire us for
insight into this Mystery.
4. Mary
was conceived sinless to carry the child Jesus. Mary conceived Jesus
through the power of the Holy Spirit.
5. Mary
is pure gift God the Father says.
6. We
are to honor and love Mary, mother chosen to be the Mother of our
Savior.
7. The
Angel Gabriel asked Mary to be Jesus’ Mother and told her to not be
afraid.
8.
Sing: Be Not Afraid
9. The
Incarnation goes on in us as we, the baptized, are molded more and
more in the image of Jesus and grow in greater holiness.
10. God
is the ultimate mystery.
Excerpt
from Response to God's Love
by Fr. Edward Carter, S.J.
...
In reference to Christianity, God himself is the ultimate
mystery. Radically, God is completely other and transcendent, hidden
from man in his inner life, unless he chooses to reveal himself. Let us
briefly look at this inner life of God.
The
Father, in a perfect act of self-expression, in a perfect act of
knowing, generates his son. The Son, the Word, is, then, the immanent
expression of God's fullness, the reflection of the Father. Likewise,
from all eternity, the Father and the Son bring forth the Holy Spirit in
a perfect act of loving.
At the destined
moment in human history, God's self-expression, the Word, immersed
himself into man's world. God's inner self-expression now had also
become God's outer self-expression. Consequently, the mystery of God
becomes the mystery of Christ. In Christ, God tells us about himself,
about his inner life, about his plan of creation and redemption. He
tells us how Father, Son, and Holy Spirit desire to dwell within us in
the most intimate fashion, how they wish to share with us their own life
through grace. All this he has accomplished and does accomplish through
Christ.
The
Visitation
1. Luke 1: 39-45
Mary set out at that time and went as quickly as
she could into the hill country to a town in Judah. She went into
Zechariah’s house and greeted Elizabeth. Now it happened that as
soon as Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the child leapt in her
womb and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. She gave a
loud cry and said, ‘Of all women you are the most blessed, and
blessed is the fruit of your womb. Why should I be honoured with a
visit from the mother of my Lord? Look, the moment your greeting
reached my ears, the child in my womb leapt for joy. Yes, blessed is
she who believed that the promise made her by the Lord would be
fulfilled.’
2.
Mystery, Elizabeth, thought barren, conceived John the Baptist in
her old age.
3. The
Angel Gabriel told Mary about Elizabeth’s pregnancy. Mary went to
visit her cousin Elizabeth.
4. When
Mary went to Elizabeth’s, the child in Elizabeth’s womb leapt for
joy in Elizabeth’s womb at the sight of Mary and Jesus in Mary’s
womb.
5. Mary
cried out her Magnificat, “My soul doth magnify the Lord and my
spirit rejoices in God my Savior”…
6.
Zachariah lost His voice, God wanted Elizabeth’s son to be named
John.
God has a plan.
This is a mystery!!
7. John
would suffer beheading, Christ, the baby in Mary’s womb, Jesus, was
crucified.
8.
Jesus is the Son of God, John was Jesus’ cousin.
9. John
was called to prepare the way of the Lord.
10. God
created us with a Plan, too.
When we do not do God’s Plan we are blocking what God wants
uniquely for our lives. Dear Holy Spirit help us to know the will of
God and do the Father’s will in love.
The
Birth of Jesus
1.
Matthew 1: 18-24
Joseph adopts Jesus as his son
This is how Jesus Christ came to be born. His mother Mary
was betrothed to Joseph; but before they came to live together she was found
to be with child through the Holy Spirit. Her husband Joseph, being an
upright man and wanting to spare her disgrace, decided to divorce her
informally. He had made up his mind to do this when suddenly the angel of
the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, ‘Joseph son of David, do not
be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because she has conceived what is
in her by the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son and you must name
him Jesus, because he is the one who is to save his people from their sins.’
Now all this took place to fulfil what the Lord had spoken through the
prophet:
Look! the virgin is with child
and will give birth to a son
whom they will call Immanuel,
a name which means ‘God–is–with–us’. When Joseph
woke up he did what the angel of the Lord had told him to do: he
took his wife to his home;
2.
Joseph and Mary could not find a place for Jesus to be born in the
Inn.
3. It
is a mystery that Jesus, the Son of God loves us so much to pay for
men's sins He took flesh and came to this world, in the womb of
Mary, His Mother.
4.
Jesus was born in a stable in Bethlehem. We could meditate on this
the rest of our lives, it is a mystery!!!
5.
Think of the 3 Kings finding Jesus in a stable. The star put them in
the right place, also inspiration from the Holy Spirit.
6.
Sing: We Three Kings!!!
7.
Sing: Angels we have Heard on High
8. We
do not see everything so clearly, God, the Holy Spirit gives us
inspiration.
9.
Sing: O Holy Night
10.
Sing: Silent Night
The
Presentation in the Temple
1.
Luke 2: 36-40
There was a prophetess, too,
Anna the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was well on
in years. Her days of girlhood over, she had been married for seven
years before becoming a widow. She was now eighty–four years old and
never left the Temple, serving God night and day with fasting and
prayer. She came up just at that moment and began to praise God; and
she spoke of the child to all who looked forward to the deliverance
of Jerusalem.
When they had done everything
the Law of the Lord required, they went back to Galilee, to their
own town of Nazareth. And as the child grew to maturity, he was
filled with wisdom; and God's favour was with him.
2.
Simeon told Mary and Jesus of sufferings to come, while Mary came
with her little baby - such sorrow!!
3. Mary
suffered at the Presentation in the temple, she didn’t feel sorry
for herself - she moved on!
4. Then
Mary suffered at the flight into Egypt she moved on.
5. Mary
and Joseph lost the child Jesus in the Temple,
for three days, she moved on according to the Father’s Plan.
6. Mary
saw her Son suffer on Calvary - how awful that must have been - Mary
moved on!!!
7. Mary
stood under the cross, she moved on.
8. Mary’s Message -
from the Rosary of August 27,
1996
Mary:
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.
end of Mary's Message
9. Mary
held the lifeless body of Jesus under the cross, so hard - she moved
on.
10.
Mary saw Jesus locked in the tomb for 3 days.
Do you
see, Mary did not sit on a pity-pot!! Mary did the Father’s will no
matter the horrendous suffering she endured. Mary did the Father’s
will always! Mary always moved on!!!
The
Finding of Jesus in the Temple
1.
Luke 2: 41-52
Every year his parents used to go to Jerusalem for
the feast of the Passover. When he was twelve years old, they went
up for the feast as usual. When the days of the feast were over and
they set off home, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem without
his parents knowing it. They assumed he was somewhere in the party,
and it was only after a day’s journey that they went to look for
him among their relations and acquaintances. When they failed to
find him they went back to Jerusalem looking for him everywhere.
It happened that, three days
later, they found him in the Temple, sitting among the teachers,
listening to them, and asking them questions; and all those who
heard him were astounded at his intelligence and his replies. They
were overcome when they saw him, and his mother said to him, ‘My
child, why have you done this to us? See how worried your father and
I have been, looking for you.’ He replied, ‘Why were you looking
for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?’
But they did not understand what he meant. He went down with them
then and came to Nazareth and lived under their authority. His
mother stored up all these things in her heart. And
Jesus increased in wisdom, in stature, and in favour with God and
with people.
2. From the Seven Sorrows November 26, 2021
3. Jesus
was Lost in the Temple
R. Mary and Joseph suffered so looking for Jesus for 3 days.
Three days losing one’s child must have felt like a long time, but they
knew on top of this, it was Jesus, The Son of God.
Suffering,
think of all the moms and dads that have children lost in their
spiritual life.
Is this a big cross?
Mary appeared over and over again at the Holy Spirit Center, crying out
about her lost children of the world.
Mary’s
message was hard to experience.
Mary‘s
Message -
from the Rosary of August 27, 1996
Mary:
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.
end of Mary's Message
R. Mary loves us more than any earthly mother.
To Mary old people lost are her lost children.
Mary begs
us to take the message of Our Lady of Clearwater seriously.
Last 5th she said, "souls are going to hell tonight" and begged us not
to block her message.
Oh, please
help us deliver this message of Mary.
A sword
too, will pierce your heart, oh Mary. end of excerpt
3.
Jesus was doing the Father’s business talking to the doctors in the
Temple,
He almost had to be without Joseph and Mary to be alone with
the doctors in this dialogue.
4.
After the finding in the temple, Jesus lived the quiet life until He
was 30, 18 years.
This is a mystery, we probably would have constructed Jesus’
life differently.
5. God
shows us the importance of the every day, ordinary life.
6. God
intends us to live our life simple or more complex, the best we can
be for God.
7.
Sing: I Am Your Sacred Heart!!
8.
Sing: Give me me your Heart of Jesus
9. Mary
is Mother at our side!!!
10.
Sing: Ave, Ave Maria
Sing: A Song From Jesus!!
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© 2022 Shepherds of Christ.