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Shepherds of Christ
Daily Writing

February 3, 2013

February 4th Holy Spirit Novena
Scripture selection is Day 9 Period II.

The Novena Rosary Mysteries
for February 4th are Luminous.

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February 3, 2013

                Jesus: Be grateful for your mind and your memory, for it is a
                gift. You can use your mind to listen to satan and waste
                this gift I give you. Now seek to remember and know
                your memory is blocked and you can't remember
                no matter how you try. Does your mind almost hurt - where
                were the days when I gave you clear thinking you say –
                You struggle to remember and cannot, why did you waste
                the gift when you had it -- on satan's lure –

                    Seek to ponder the mystery of My love – I love you so very
                much. Seek to anticipate your reception of the Eucharist.
                Seek to be more and more as I want you to be, My instrument
                in the world, not satan's instrument.

                    Time is precious, seek to love, to be converted, to
                ponder the mystery, to discipline your thoughts as the
                doorway to your heart. Open wide to Me, to develop more
                and more in your capacity to love, to know God, to open
                that door to more and more pure giving of yourself in
                your heart.

                    Your heart is like a safe. As long as you have it
                bolted and secured in a dynamite proof container
                who can penetrate your walls - so you can, what? Save
                your heart, what for – I want you to give your heart
                away!!

                    A man had a package, wrapped to perfection, the most
                beautiful package any one ever saw – He refused to
                open it and so it remained closed –

                Open your mind and your heart to Me while you still can
                think freely – Do you know the pain of a blocked heart –
                saved for what, a "safe" bolted against all – bullet-proof –
                50 lb walls and inside a shriveled up -unused heart!!
                Drink in My richness, let Me permeate your soul
                while your days are young and vibrant – spend your
                moments on My love – Meditate on the Incarnation,
                My love for you. Strive more and more to put on Christ
                while the night is young –

Hebrews 10: 4-10

Bulls' blood and goats' blood are incapable of taking away sins,
and that is why he said, on coming into the world:

You wanted no sacrifice or cereal offering,
but you gave me a body.
You took no pleasure in burnt offering'
or sacrifice for sin;
then I said, 'Here I am, I am coming,'
in the scroll of the book it is written of me,
to do your will, God.

He says first You did not want what the Law lays down as the things to be offered, that is: the sacrifices, the cereal offerings, the burnt offerings and the sacrifices for sin, and you took no pleasure in them; and then he says: Here I am! I am coming to do your will. He is abolishing the first sort to establish the second. And this will was for us to be made holy by the offering of the body of Jesus Christ made once and for all.

John 1: 14

                        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.

                R. Thank You God for my memory, for my mind, for
                my heart to love You so deeply and love my fellow
                human beings. Thank You God for the capacity to
                love, to be, to give myself as a sacrifice to
                You and to all.

Mark 4: 21-25

He also said to them, ‘Is a lamp brought in to be put under a tub or under the bed? Surely to be put on the lamp–stand? For there is nothing hidden, but it must be disclosed, nothing kept secret except to be brought to light. Anyone who has ears for listening should listen!’

He also said to them, ‘Take notice of what you are hearing. The standard you use will be used for you—and you will receive more besides; anyone who has, will be given more; anyone who has not, will be deprived even of what he has.’

Jesus: Be filled with gratitude for your mind and heart and
your ability to love and give yourself to Me.

Pains in the memory –

Do you know pains in the
mind –

Thank God for your ability to
love – use your heart –

Thank God for your ability to think –

Do you take your remembering and
thinking and loving for granted –

It is a gift –

Use it for My honor and glory –

                Treasure the gift to remember,
                    treasure the gift to be
                    able to think and to love!!
                    Use it wisely NOW!!
                    Be grateful

Love, Jesus

Feed your mind with Light –

Discipline your thoughts

You have a free will

R. What is it like to be in the life of a saint?
What is it like to be likened to Mary?

God wants to dwell in us most deeply.

                When we see a saint – we see a person who was
                    "out-there", other focused, who was
                    concerned with others, who was a witness,
                    a person with faith and hope and love.

                A saint like St. Paul or St. Augustine may have
                    been in need of a conversion, but in the
                    later years of their lives, they were more and
                    more one-in-Jesus, more and more self-less –
                    living their lives in the self-lessness --
                    of giving themselves in love for Christ –
                    The giving of oneself, the spending of oneself
                    for Christ –

                Our lives united to the Mass
                Our lives united to the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass,
                    the sacrifice of Calvary, sacramentally
                    made present.

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.

-Mass Book, December 27, 1995

                R. We unite our offering to God – we become one in
                    this sacrifice with Jesus in offering ourselves,
                    our lives, to the Father, in the Name of Jesus,
                    in the Holy Spirit, through the powerful intercession
                    of the Blessed Mother, with all the angels and
                    saints and the souls in purgatory.

                Our lives, a complete offering of self-less love
                    to God. And in this offering we love God more,
                    the more we are one in Him, God wants this
                    love – God wants this self-less offering of
                    ourselves, our lives united to the Mass.

                We want our hearts pure. We see the sacrifices
                    of the Old Testament, to offer a spotless lamb, we
                    unite to Christ, the Lamb of God, the Most
                    pleasing sacrifice to the Father, in the Holy Spirit
                    and we want this interior offering to be
                    pure – Our offering in love, not tainted
                    with jealousies, envy, anger, pride,
                    greed, hatred for our brothers –
                    We want our interior offering to be through
                    the Heart of Mary, the sinless Heart of
                    our Mother, Mother of Christ, Mother of
                    the Church, Mother of mankind.

                I always get so deep in my heart to try to meditate
                    on the relationship of Mary, a human person,
                    and Jesus, her Son, a Divine Person.

                The Blue Book 4 has a lot to say about this, that beautiful
                    relationship between Son and Mother, but
                    this is in the Meditations of the Hearts of Jesus
                    and Mary in the rosary –

Love – deeply in action - relationship –
even deeper than St. Paul when he said

Galatians 2: 19-20

...I have been crucified with Christ and yet I am alive; yet it is no longer I, but Christ living in me.

                R. Love beyond love – Love so deep, my pen
                    can't express it, or my heart fathom
                    it – Love God has for us –

Love, Self-lessness, ourselves, giving ourselves
to God, spending our lives on Him.

The devil wants us to be afraid, hold back
our love, be selfish, self-focused.

Spending ourselves for God, for His honor
and glory!!

Morning Offering (For Shepherds of Christ Members)

My dear Father, I offer You this day all my prayers, works, joys and sufferings, my every breath, my every heartbeat, my every thought, all my actions, in union with Jesus in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass throughout the world, in the Holy Spirit. I pray the Holy Spirit is with me every second today, enlightening me to do the will of the Father and filling me with the fire of God's love.

I ask Jesus and Mary to be one in me in all that I do and I unite with all the angels and saints and souls in purgatory to pray continually to the Father for these intercessions, in this prayer, for this day.

For myself, I pray for grace-abundant grace, to know and love God more and more and to follow the will of the Father. I pray to the Holy Spirit to transform me in the heart of Mary to be more and more like Jesus. I pray that I can forever dwell in the Hearts of Jesus and Mary. I pray for conversion of all those I hold dear who need conversion. I pray for each member of my family that they will be filled with Your abundant grace to grow in their knowledge and love of God.

I pray for all my friends that they will receive abundant grace to carry out the great plan of the Father, that they will grow forever closer to Jesus' Heart through Mary's heart, that we will all be led by the Holy Spirit to do His work, that we will, together, carry out the plan of the Father as He intends us to, to spread the love of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and Mary's heart to this world.

Jesus, I pray for myself so the Holy Spirit descends upon me and opens my heart to Your love so I will grow more and more deeply in union with You. I pray that I do not worry what other people think but try always to please the Father and do His will. I pray that I may help lead many to Your burning love.

I pray for the following people in particular that they will be filled with the Spirit and grow deeply in their union with You, that they will receive abundant graces to know, love and serve You more. (Include special friends by name...)

I pray for priests the world over, for the success of the Priestly Newsletter, the Chapters and for the finances needed for the Newsletter. I pray for the circulation of the Blue Book messages, rosary meditations and tapes. I pray for all those involved in the publication of these messages.

I pray that You will shower Your abundant graces onto the priests reading the Newsletter the people reading and hearing the Blue Book messages and Rosary Meditations and all of Fr. Carter's publications.

We pray for the intentions we hold deep within our hearts, for our families and friends, for those requesting our prayers. We pray for children the world over and for the souls in purgatory. We ask God to shower His abundant grace on us and the members of our Shepherds of Christ chapter so that we may grow more and more in our knowledge and love of God.

We consecrate ourselves to the Hearts of Jesus and Mary. We pray for Father Carter, for Father Smith, for Rita Ring, and for John Weickert, for all leaders and helpers in the Shepherds of Christ Movement, for Shepherds of Christ Ministries, and Our Lady of Light Ministry. We pray for all those who are working in these ministries.

We bind ourselves and our children and our friends to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. We place the precious blood of Jesus on ourselves, and all we touch, so that we will be protected from the evil one. We pray to St. Michael to cast the devil into hell.

We love You, God, we love You, we love You. We beg that we may receive the grace to love You more and more deeply. We adore You, we praise You, our beloved Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

end of morning offering

R. The gift of self – the gift of our self-less love –
given to God –

                The capacity of loving we must want to be deeper and
                    deeper in Him, the capacity of knowing and loving
                    we need to grow in which was elevated in baptism.

Song: Give Me Your Heart, oh Jesus, Give Me a Heart like Yours

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.

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.

-God's Blue Book, January 17, 1994

Revelation 21: 1-10

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; the first heaven and the first earth had disappeared now, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride dressed for her husband. Then I heard a loud voice call from the throne, 'Look, here God lives among human beings. He will make his home among them; they will be his people, and he will be their God, God-with-them. He will wipe away all tears from their eyes; there will be no more death, and no more mourning or sadness or pain. The world of the past has gone.'

Then the One sitting on the throne spoke. 'Look, I am making the whole of creation new. Write this, "What I am saying is trustworthy and will come true."' Then he said to me, 'It has already happened. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give water from the well of life free to anybody who is thirsty; anyone who proves victorious will inherit these things; and I will be his God and he will be my son. But the legacy for cowards, for those who break their word, or worship obscenities, for murderers and the sexually immoral, and for sorcerers, worshippers of false gods or any other sort of liars, is the second death in the burning lake of sulphur.'

One of the seven angels that had the seven bowls full of the seven final plagues came to speak to me and said, 'Come here and I will show you the bride that the Lamb has married.' In the spirit, he carried me to the top of a very high mountain, and showed me Jerusalem, the holy city, coming down out of heaven from God.

Revelation 22: 20

The one who attests these things says: I am indeed coming soon.

Amen; come, Lord Jesus.

Holy Spirit Novena

DAILY NOVENA PRAYERS

Opening Prayer

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Dear Father, we come to You in the name of Jesus, in union with Him in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, in the Holy Spirit. We come to You united to the Child Jesus of Good Health and the Infant of Prague. We come to You in the perfect, sinless heart of Our Mother Mary, asking her powerful intercession, uniting ourselves to her holy tears. We come to You united to all the angels and saints, and the souls in purgatory.

Prayer for Holy Spirit

We pray for an outpouring of the Holy Spirit on us, to be baptized by the Holy Spirit, that He will descend mightily on us as He did on the Apostles at Pentecost. That the Holy Spirit will transform us from fear to fearlessness and that He will give us courage to do all the Father is asking of us to help bring about the Reign of the Sacred Heart and the triumph of Mary's Immaculate Heart. We pray for the Holy Spirit to descend mightily on the Jesuits and the Poor Clares on the Shepherds of Christ leaders and members and on the whole Body of Christ and the world.

Protection by the Blood of Jesus

We pray that the Blood of Jesus will be spread on us, everyone in our families, and the Shepherds of Christ Movement, that we will be able to move steadfastly ahead and be protected from the evil one.

Healing

We pray for healing in body, mind, and soul and generational healing in ourselves, in all members in our families, and in all members of the Shepherds of Christ Movement, the Jesuit Community, the Poor Clares, the Body of Christ, and the world.

Prayer for Strength and Light

We adore You, oh Holy Spirit. Give us strength, give us light, console us. We give ourselves entirely to You. Oh Spirit of light and grace, we want to only do the will of the Father. Enlighten us that we may live always in the Father's will.

Eternal Spirit fill us with Your Divine Wisdom that we may comprehend more fully insight into Your Divine Mysteries.

Give us lights, Oh Holy Spirit that we may know God. Work within the heart, the spiritual womb of the Virgin Mary, to form us more and more into the image of Jesus.

Prayer to Be One with God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit

We long for You, Oh Spirit of Light, we long to know God, we want to be one with Him, our Divine God. We want to be one with the Father, know Him as a Person most intimately. We want to know the beloved One, the Sacred Heart of Jesus, and live and dwell in Him at all times, every moment of our lives. We want to be one with You, Oh Spirit of Light, that You move in us in our every breath.

Prayer to Be One in Jesus

Let us experience life in the Sacred Heart of Jesus, so we can say as Saint Paul, "I have been crucified with Christ and yet I am alive; yet it is no longer I, but Christ living in me...." Let us live, united to the Mass, all through the day being one in Him. Let us be able to love and know in this elevated state of oneness with our God. We long for Thee, oh beauteous God, we love You, we love You, we love You. We praise You, worship You, honor You, adore You, and thank You, our beloved God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Prayer to Dwell in the Hearts of Jesus and Mary

We seek to be one in God, to live and dwell in the Hearts of Jesus and Mary, our little heaven on earth, to experience life in the all perfect, pure, sinless heart of our Mother. We want the Holy Spirit to move in us and to be united to Jesus as the Bridegroom of our souls and be a most perfect sacrifice offered to the Father at every moment as we unite in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass around the world to help in the salvation of souls.

Prayer for the Holy Spirit and His Gifts

Come Holy Spirit, come, come into our hearts, inflame all people with the fire of Your love.

Leader: Send forth Your Spirit and all will be reborn.
All: And You will renew the face of the earth.

We pray for the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit, we ask for perfection in our souls to make us holy, holy souls likened to God.

Dear Holy Spirit, we give ourselves to You soul and body. We ask You to give us the Spirit of Wisdom, Understanding, Counsel, Fortitude, Knowledge, Piety, and Fear of the Lord.

Prayer for the Word Alive in Our Hearts

We know, dear Holy Spirit, the Word in His human nature was brought forth within the womb of the woman. We pray that His word will be brought forth in our hearts as He lives and dwells in us. We want the incarnation to go on in our lives. Dear Holy Spirit, work in us.

Little Prayers to the Holy Spirit

Dear Holy Spirit, help us not to be ignorant or indifferent or weak, help us to be strong with the love of God.

Dear Holy Spirit, please pray for our needs for us.

Dear Holy Spirit, help us to respect God and to avoid sin. Help us to live in the Father's will.

Dear Holy Spirit, help us to keep Your commandments and to respect authority. Help us to love all things as You will us to love them. Help us to want to pray and always serve God with the greatest love. Help us to know the truth. Help us to have the gift of faith, hope, and love. Help us to know what is right and what is wrong.

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.

Song: My Open Heart

Song: Live This Day

From a Lenten Homily, March 24, 2000

Live in the Moment

Today’s Gospel in its story certainly points ahead to Jesus in His Passion and death. And as we read passages such as this during the Lenten season, we are reminded once again that the Church in her Liturgy of the Word gives us an opportunity to undergo a purification, an ever deepening cleansing of ourselves so that we may be a more fit instrument for receiving the great graces which are to be given to us at the time of the Resurrection memorial on Easter. And so all in all, Lent is a time of purification to prepare us for ever-greater gifts of the Lord. It’s a time of self-discipline, a time to renew our efforts to be self-disciplined in the service of the Lord. Self-discipline is an aspect of purification. And I suggest that one of the most difficult acts of self-discipline in the spiritual journey is to concentrate on the present moment. We have a very strong tendency to disregard the importance of the present moment by focusing in a wrong way on the past or in a wrong way on the future. There are proper occasions for thinking of the past and the future. For example, we have to learn from the past and we have to prepare for the future, but our great emphasis has to be upon the present. There is a Latin axiom which says, age quod agis, age quod agis, which means: do what you are doing, concentrate on the present. And of course we are familiar with that term in the history of spirituality: the sacrament of the present moment. And so the discipline of Lent certainly encourages us to include in a deeper self-discipline a greater determination to get as much as we can out of the present moment. People with a terminal illness have an opportunity as they prepare for death for increased prayer, contrition, love of God. However, some are taken very, very quickly. But for those who have the opportunity of knowing with some certainty the time of their death, I’m sure as they look back on their lives, they are saddened by the many times they did not use time and opportunities for the service of the Lord properly, and are overjoyed at those times in which they did use the present opportunity properly. A great means we have of living in the present properly is a greater focus upon our Lord. For if I have that awareness of the fact I am united with Jesus here and now, why should I be concerned so much about the future or the past? Yes, a great help in living in the present and deriving all the good we can from it for ourselves and others is an ever greater focus upon Jesus, because the more I focus upon Jesus and the more I live with Him in the present moment, the more I am satisfied with the present moment. And so let us in our Lenten activity resolve to grow in that self-discipline - which is very difficult at times - to really live in the presence with the fullness of our being as much as is possible, with the help of God’s grace. Now is the day of salvation. Now is the day of salvation.

end of Father Carter's homily

Shepherds of Christ
Priestly Newsletter 2000 - Issue 3

The Father's Will for Us - Our Source of Peace

Pope John Paul II instructs us: "The Church, as a reconciled and reconciling community, cannot forget that at the source of her gift and mission of reconciliation is the initiative, full of compassionate love and mercy, of that God who is love (see 1 John 4:8) and who out of love created human beings (see Wisdom 11:23-26; Genesis 1:27: Psalms 8:4-8)…He created them so that they might live in friendship with Him and in communion with one another.

"God is faithful to His eternal plan even when man, under the impulse of the evil one (see Wisdom 2:24) and carried away by his own pride, abuses the freedom given to him in order to love and generously seek what is good, and (instead) refuses to obey his Lord and Father. God is faithful even when man, instead of responding with love to God’s love, opposes Him and treats Him like a rival, deluding himself and relying on his own power, with the resulting break of relationship with the One who created him. In spite of this transgression on man’s part, God remains faithful in love.

"It is certainly true that the story of the Garden of Eden makes us think about the tragic consequences of rejecting the Father, which becomes evident in man’s inner disorder and in the breakdown of harmony between man and woman, brother and brother (see Genesis 3:12 ff; 4:1-16). Also significant is the Gospel parable of the two brothers (the parable of the ‘prodigal son’; see Luke 15:11-32) who, in different ways, distance themselves from their father and cause a rift between them. Refusal of God’s fatherly love and of His loving gifts is always at the root of humanity’s divisions.

"But we know that God…like the father in the parable (of the prodigal son), does not close His heart to any of His children. He waits for them, looks for them, goes to meet them at the place where the refusal of communion imprisons them in isolation and division. He calls them to gather about His table in the joy of the feast of forgiveness and reconciliation.

"This initiative on God’s part is made concrete and manifest in the redemptive act of Christ, which radiates through the world by means of the ministry of the Church." ¹³

In the evening of that same day, the first day of the week, the doors were closed in the room where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews. Jesus came and stood among them. He said to them, ‘Peace be with you,’ and, after saying this, he showed them his hands and his side. The disciples were filled with joy at seeing the Lord, and he said to them again, ‘Peace be with you. As the Father sent me, so am I sending you.’ (Jn 20:19-21).

The world needs peace. Individual nations need peace and families need peace. The Church needs peace. Each of us individually needs peace. We must work for peace through prayer, fasting, and other Christ-like activities.

And just what do we mean by peace? St. Augustine says peace is the tranquility of order. God has put order into His creation and this order must be respected and promoted if peace is to prevail. To the extent that the human family lives according to God’s will—lives according to the order or the plan God has established for creation—to that extent does peace exist in the various segments of human society. To the extent there are violations of God’s plan, of His will, to that extent peace is absent.

If we are to be instruments of peace, we ourselves must be at peace. Our personal peace is that tranquility of order which results from our doing God’s will. The more we are united through love with God in the doing of His will, the more we experience peace.

Sometimes the sense of peace we experience is so strong that we can "feel" it pulsating throughout our being. These are periods of what we may call the experience of extraordinary peace. This type of peace usually is not an everyday occurrence.

Most of the time we live immersed in a more subdued kind of peace which results from our daily attempts to do God’s will in love. It is that peace which is a welcome and sustaining companion as we walk the path of everyday life with its usual assortments of joys and disappointments, successes and failures, laughter and tears.

Occasionally, very deep suffering may enter our lives. It is during these times that we need special determination to preserve ourselves in a basic peace of spirit despite the very significant pain. One may wonder how a person can be at peace amidst the experience of great suffering. St. Francis de Sales in one of his writings—and I have not been able to locate the exact place—offers an analogy which I think is very helpful. He asks us to picture an ocean body of water at the time of a violent storm. The surface of the water becomes extremely turbulent. Francis asks us, as we use our imagination, to descend beneath the surface of the water into its depth. What do we find? The more deeply one descends away from the turbulent surface, the calmer the water becomes. Likewise, says the saint and doctor of the Church, should it be with us during times of profound suffering. Although the surface of the spirit may be very agitated, one can still maintain basic peace of spirit by going deep down to one’s center where God is more directly experienced. Here the person experiences a calm, a basic peace, although the suffering remains.

If we are trying to do God’s will in love, God intends us to be at peace. The more we conform to God’s will, the more we are living according to the order He intends for us. In turn, the more our lives are in harmony with the order established by God, the more we experience peace—peace being the tranquility of order. The more we ourselves live in this manner, the more fit instruments we become for promoting God’s order and consequent peace throughout the various segments of society.

St. Dominic was an outstanding witness to the peace of the Lord: "Dominic possessed such great integrity and was so strongly motivated by divine love, that without doubt he proved to be a bearer of honor and grace. He was a man of great equanimity, except when moved to compassion and mercy. And since a joyful heart animates the face, he displayed the peaceful composure of a spiritual man in the kindness he manifested outwardly and by the cheerfulness of his countenance."¹⁴

Shortly before he was to die from cancer, Joseph Cardinal Bernardin left us these inspiring words about peace: "It is the first day of November, and fall is giving way to winter. Soon the trees will lose the vibrant colors of their leaves and snow will cover the ground. The earth will shut down, and people will race to and from their destinations bundled up for warmth. Chicago winters are harsh. It is a time of dying.

"But we know that spring will soon come with all its new life and wonder.

"It is quite clear that I will not be alive in the spring. But I will soon experience new life in a different way…

"What I would like to leave behind is a simple prayer that each of you may find what I have found—God’s special gift to us all: the gift of peace. When we are at peace, we find the freedom to be most fully who we are, even in the worst of times. We let go of what is non-essential and embrace what is essential. We empty ourselves so that God may more fully work within us. And we become instruments in the hands of the Lord."¹⁵

St. Teresa of Avila, one of the three women doctors of the Church, tells us how the spiritual life is summed up in loving conformity to the Father’s will:

"All that the beginner in prayer has to do – and you must not forget this, for it is very important – is to labor and to be resolute and prepare himself with all possible diligence to bring his will in conformity with the will of God. As I shall say later, you may be quite sure that this comprises the very greatest perfection which can be attained on the spiritual road."¹⁶

Again she states: "...love consists ... in the firmness of our determination to try to please God in everything." ¹⁷

NOTES:

13. Pope John Paul II, as in Celebrate 2000!, Servant Publications, pp. 140-141.
14. "From the Various Writings of the History of the Order of Preachers," as in The Liturgy of the Hours, Catholic Book Publishing Co., Vol lV, p. 1302.
15. Joseph Cardinal Bernardin, The Gift of Peace, Loyola University Press, pp. 151-153.
16. St Teresa of Avila, Interior Castle, translated by E. Allison Peers, Doubleday and Co., "Second Mansions", p. 51.
17. Ibid., "Fourth Mansions", p. 76.

The Holy Spirit And Mary

The late Archbishop Luis M. Martinez of Mexico strikingly speaks of the ongoing cooperation of Mary with the Holy Spirit regarding the reproduction of Jesus within us: "Christian life is the reproduction of Jesus in souls…

"Now, how will this mystical reproduction be brought about in souls? In the same way in which Jesus was brought into the world, for God gives a wonderful mark of unity to all His works. Divine acts have a wealth of variety because they are the work of omnipotence; nevertheless, a most perfect unity always shines forth from them because they are the fruit of wisdom; and this divine contrast of unity and variety stamps the works of God with sublime and unutterable beauty.

"In His miraculous birth, Jesus was the fruit of heaven and earth…The Holy Spirit conveyed the divine fruitfulness of the Father to Mary, and the virginal soil brought forth in an ineffable manner our most loving Savior, the divine Seed, as the prophets called Him…

"That is the way He is reproduced in souls. He is always the fruit of heaven and earth.

"Two artisans must concur in the work that is at once God’s masterpiece and humanity’s supreme product: the Holy Spirit and the most holy Virgin Mary. Two sanctifiers are necessary to souls, the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary, for they are the only ones who can reproduce Christ.

"Undoubtedly, the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary sanctify us in different ways. The first is the Sanctifier by essence; because He is God, who is infinite sanctity; because He is the personal Love that completes, so to speak, the sanctity of God, consummating His life and His unity, and it belongs to Him to communicate to souls the mystery of that sanctity. The Virgin Mary, for her part, is the co-operator, the indispensable instrument in and by God’s design. From Mary’s maternal relation to the human body of Christ is derived her relation to His Mystical Body which is being formed through all the centuries until the end of time, when it will be lifted up to the heavens, beautiful, splendid, complete, and glorious.

"These two, then, the Holy Spirit and Mary, are the indispensable artificers of Jesus, the indispensable sanctifiers of souls. Any saint in heaven can co-operate in the sanctification of a soul, but his co-operation is not necessary, not profound, not constant: while the co-operation of these two artisans of Jesus of whom we have just been speaking is so necessary that without it souls are not sanctified (and this by the actual design of Providence), and so intimate that it reaches to the very depths of our soul. For the Holy Spirit pours charity into our heart, makes a habitation of our soul, and directs our spiritual life by means of His gifts. The Virgin Mary has the efficacious influence of Mediatrix in the most profound and delicate operations of grace in our souls. And, finally, the action of the Holy Spirit and the co-operation of the most holy Virgin Mary are constant; without them, not one single character of Jesus would be traced on our souls, no virtue grow, no gift be developed, no grace increased, no bond of union with God be strengthened in the rich flowering of the spiritual life.

"Such is the place that the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary have in the order of sanctification. Therefore, Christian piety should put these two artisans of Christ in their true place, making devotion to them something necessary, profound, and constant." ¹⁸

18. Archbishop Luis M. Martinez, The Sanctifier, op. cit. pp. 5-7.

The Church

We live out our spiritual lives within the Church. The Church is a multi-splendored reality. Let us reflect upon some of the key ideas connected with the Church.

Henri de Lubac states: "The Church is a mysterious extension in time of the Trinity, not only preparing us for the life of unity but bringing about even now our participation in it. She comes from and is full of the Trinity. She is for us – in a favourite phrase of Bossuet – ‘Jesus Christ … communicated’. She is ‘the Incarnation continued.’ She is, as Dietrick Bonhoeffer used to say, ‘the presence of Christ on earth’ –- she speaks with ‘the authority of Christ living and present in her.’… St. Paul applies to her this same word ‘mystery’ which he had first used of Christ. She is after all, the spouse of Christ and his body." ¹⁹

Fr. Bruno Forte tells us: "The Church comes from the Trinity, reflects in itself the Trinitarian communion—oneness in diversity—and journeys toward the Trinity, to the final handing over of all things to Christ, so that he might hand them over to the Father and God might be all in all. As ‘a people gathered in the unity of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,’ the Church is the Church of the Father. In his universal salvific plan, God has willed it to be a sign and instrument of the unity of people among themselves and with him. It is the Church of the Son, who through his incarnation and the paschal mystery has placed it in history as His Body. It is the Church of the Spirit, who makes the Risen Christ present in human history and enriching the people of God with charisms and ministries, leads it toward the promised future goal." ²⁰

The fact that the Church is here on earth a reflection of the Trinitarian Community easily leads us to reflect upon the Church as the Body of Christ, since this name given to the Church also emphasizes the communal aspect of the Church. St. Paul tells us: For as with the human body which is a unity although it has many parts – all the parts of the body, though many, still making up one single body – so it is with Christ. We were baptised into one body in a single Spirit, Jews as well as Greeks, slaves as well as free men, and we were all given the same Spirit to drink. And indeed the body consists not of one member but of many. If the foot were to say, ‘I am not a hand and so I do not belong to the body’, it does not belong to the body any the less for that. Or if the ear were to say, ‘I am not an eye, and so I do not belong to the body’, that would not stop its belonging to the body. If the whole body were just an eye, how would there be any hearing? If the whole body were hearing, how would there be any smelling?

Now Christ’s body is yourselves, each of you with a part to play in the whole. And those whom God has appointed in the Church are, first apostles, secondly prophets, thirdly teachers; after them, miraculous powers, then gifts of healing, helpful acts, guidance, various kinds of tongues. Are all of them apostles? Or all prophets? Or all teachers? Or all miracle-workers? Do all have the gifts of healing? Do all of them speak in tongues and all interpret them? (1 Cor 12:12-17; 27-30)

Some two thousand years ago Christ walked the earth teaching, healing the sick, forgiving sins, extending His mercy and kindness. By such a life which culminated in death and resurrection, Christ redeemed the world. This objective redemption was accomplished by Christ alone. Through it, He won for people of all time the necessary graces for their salvation and sanctification.

However, it is necessary that such graces be distributed to each individual as one plays out his or her part in the drama of human existence. Such a distribution of grace is the work of subjective redemption.

Jesus still walks the earth as the work of redemption continues. However, He now walks the earth according to a different type of existence. He does not walk the earth in His physical body, but rather in His Mystical Body, the Church, the People of God. Through the members of His Church, Christ continues to be present as He teaches, administers the sacraments, extends His mercy – all done through the members of His Body, the Church. This mystical Christ, in turn, derives all supernatural power from Christ, the Head, who reigns gloriously with the Father and the Holy Spirit.

The Church, therefore, is the earthly continuation of Christ’s redemptive Incarnation. This mission which the Church has, although a great responsibility, is also a great privilege. In proportion as each Christian offers and commits himself or herself to Christ, the Church in her entirety more and more mirrors forth Christ to the world. This Christ, whom the Church portrays to the world, is the Christ who is Prophet, King and Priest.

We now reflect upon the Church as Spouse of Christ. Fr. Joseph Murphy, S.J., tells us: "John Paul II always quotes the rich doctrinal and patristic traditions of the Church which refer to Christ as the Spouse of the Church and the Spouse of souls, given to both in the Eucharistic mystery. For him the key to understanding the sacramentality of marriage, not to mention the nature of humanity, is the spousal love of Christ for the Church demonstrated in Ephesians 5. Christ is the Head of the Church as Savior of His Body. The Church is exactly that Body which receives from Him all that through which it becomes and is His Body. As Head and Savior of the Church He is also Bridegroom of His Bride…" ²¹

The Church is a mother to us. Henri de Lubac speaks concerning this beautiful truth:

"The Church is my mother because she brought me forth to a new life. She is my mother because her concern for me never slackens, any more than do her efforts to deepen that life in me, however unenthusiastic my cooperation. And though in me this life may be a fragile and timid growth, I have seen its full flowering in others...

"Happy those who from childhood have learnt to look on the Church as a mother! Happier still those whose experience, in whatever walk of life, has confirmed its truth! Happy those who one day were gripped by (and whose appreciation of it ever grew) the astonishing newness, richness and depth of the life communicated to them by this mother!" ²²

Avery Dulles, S.J., the well-known theologian who has written much about the Church, observes: "The Church, as I have already contended, is essentially a mystery of grace, a wonderful encounter between the divine and the human. Even in its visible structures, the Church is not a mere organization to be judged on grounds of efficiency, but a sacrament of God’s saving deed in Jesus Christ. From this it follows, in my judgment, that the Church’s forms of speech and life, and indeed its entire corporate existence, must be such as to mediate a vital communion with Christ the Lord. The Church must be a place of prayer and worship, praise and witness. Any institutional change in the Church must be carefully assessed for its effect on the spiritual life of the members. Does it intensify their faith, their hope, their charity? Does it help them to center their lives on Christ and to ground their existence in the God who raised him from the dead?"²³

Fr. Gerald Vann, O.P., speaks movingly about our life in the Church:

"If you live in the Church and try to use the power of the Church to increase the life of the Church, then the power of the Church will make you yourself whole; and in your wholeness you will help to make your family and make your world. But you will be building for a more than earthly beatitude because you will be building the city which is eternal. Here you build in shadow, you build for a future which is invisible, and so you can only build in hope. And often your plans will be wrecked and your dreams come crashing about your ears, and you will need the strength of the Rock which is Christ to give you patience and fortitude...

"And when death has come to you...the Church will bless you for the life you have added to it, and there will be men to heed you better than they did when you were here...

"But you, for your part, will be no longer in the shadow but in the glory of the Light inaccessible; you will be in the City that is yours because you helped to build it; you will see Him at last as He is, and be wholly with Him; and you will have no more any mourning or weeping or any other sorrow, for all these former things will have been transmuted into happiness and peace, and you will walk with Him–together with all those you have helped to bring to Him, even until the end of the world–you will walk with Him in happiness for ever, in the cool of the eternal evening." ²⁴

            19. Henri de Lubac, S. J., The Church: Paradox and Mystery, translated by James R. Dunne, Alba House, p. 24.
            20. Fr. Bruno Forte, He Loved Them to the End, St. Paul Books & Media, p. 74-75.
            21. The Thoughts of Pope John Paul II: A Collection of Essays and Studies, John M. McDermott, S. J., Editor, Editrice Pontificia Universita Gregoriana, p. 135.
            22. Henri de Lubac, S.J., The Church: Paradox and Mystery, op. cit., pp. 2-4.
            23. Avery Dulles, S.J., The Resilient Church, Doubleday & Company, p. 39.
            24. Gerald Vann, O.P., The Heart of Man, Longmans, Green and Co., pp. 151-152.

The Sacraments

The Church’s existence centers in her liturgy. Vatican II says: "The liturgy is the summit toward which the activity of the Church is directed; at the same time it is the fountain from which all her power flows." ²⁵ The Church’s liturgical life is centered in the sacraments and, most especially, in the Eucharistic Sacrifice. We will briefly consider the sacraments in general, and then more extensively develop ideas about the Mass.

The sacraments are special encounters with Christ. Jesus unites Himself with the sacramental sign as He offers His grace to the recipient. In this sense, Christ and His sacraments become one; the sacrament and its minister are merely instruments that Christ employs to give Himself anew. The primary sacramental encounter is between Jesus and the recipient.

Christ offers Himself through the Church and her sacraments so that we might become ever more united to Him. This incorporation into Christ begins at baptism, through which the Christian becomes a member of both Christ and the Church. What is more, this incorporation into the life of Christ means being incorporated into his paschal mystery. Death-resurrection was the summary mystery of Christ’s redemptive existence. Death-resurrection was the central mystery whereby Christ gave us life, and it is the central mystery that the Christian must relive in Christ.

Each one of the sacraments deepens our incorporation into Jesus’ death-resurrection; each one achieves this in a somewhat different manner according to its primary purpose; finally, and very importantly, each of the sacraments deepens this incorporation within an ecclesial framework. The sacraments, because they are realities of both Christ and his Church, intensify the Christian’s relationship not only with Jesus, but also with the members of the Church and, ultimately, with all others.

25. The Documents of Vatican II, "Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy", America Press Edition, No. 10.

The Eucharist

The death-resurrection of Jesus, which is encountered in a special way through the sacraments, is most especially renewed in the Eucharistic Sacrifice. Consequently, we can see the logical connection between the sacraments and the Mass. Indeed, all of the sacraments point to the Eucharistic Sacrifice.

At the Last Supper, on the night He was betrayed, our Saviour instituted the Eucharistic Sacrifice of His Body and Blood. He did this in order to perpetuate the sacrifice of the Cross throughout the centuries until He should come again, and so to entrust to His beloved spouse, the Church, a memorial of His death and resurrection: a sacrament of love, a sign of unity, a bond of charity, a paschal banquet in which Christ is consumed, the mind is filled with grace, and a pledge of future glory is given to us (Vatican II, Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, No. 17)²⁶

The Church, therefore, earnestly desires that Christ's faithful, when present at this mystery of faith, should not be there as strangers or silent spectators. On the contrary, through a proper appreciation of the rites and prayers they should participate knowingly, devoutly, and actively. They should be instructed by God’s word and be refreshed at the table of the Lord’s body; they should give thanks to God; by offering the Immaculate Victim, not only through the hands of the priest, but also with him, they should learn to offer themselves too. Through Christ the Mediator, they should be drawn day by day into ever closer union with God and with each other, so that finally God may be all in all. (Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, No. 48)²⁷

Through the Eucharistic Sacrifice Christ the Lord desired to set before us in a very special way this remarkable union whereby we are united one with another and with our divine Head, a union that no word of praise can ever sufficiently express. For in this sacrifice the sacred ministers act not only as the representative of our Saviour, but as the representative of the whole Mystical Body and of each one of the faithful. Again, in this act of sacrifice, the faithful of Christ, united by the common bond of devotion and prayer, offer to the eternal Father through the hands of the priest, whose prayer alone has made it present on the altar, the Immaculate Lamb, the most acceptable victim of praise and propitiation for the Church’s universal need. Moreover, just as the divine Redeemer, while dying on the Cross, offered Himself to the eternal Father as Head of the whole human race, so now, ‘in this clean oblation’ He not only offers Himself as Head of the Church to His heavenly Father but in Himself His mystical members as well. He embraces them all, yes, even the weaker and more ailing members, with the deepest love of His Heart. (Pope Pius XII, Mystici Corporis AAS, XXXV, 232-233)²⁸

Pope John Paul II states: "This worship, given therefore to the Trinity of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, above all accompanies and permeates the celebration of the Eucharistic Liturgy. But it must fill our churches also outside the timetable of Masses. Indeed, since the Eucharistic Mystery was instituted out of love, and makes Christ sacramentally present, it is worthy of thanksgiving and worship. And this worship must be prominent in all our encounters with the Blessed Sacrament, both when we visit our churches and when the sacred species are taken to the sick and administered to them.

"Adoration of Christ in this sacrament of love must also find expression in various forms of Eucharistic devotion: personal prayer before the Blessed Sacrament, Hours of Adoration, periods of exposition—short, prolonged and annual (Forty Hours) - Eucharistic benediction, Eucharistic processions, Eucharistic congresses. A particular mention should be made at this point of the Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ as an act of public worship rendered to Christ present in the Eucharist, a feast instituted by my predecessor Urban IV in memory of the institution of this great Mystery.

"All this therefore corresponds to the general principles and particular norms already long in existence, but newly formulated during or after the Second Vatican Council.

"…The Church and the world have a great need of Eucharistic worship. Jesus waits for us in this sacrament of love. Let us be generous with our time in going to meet Him in adoration and in contemplation that is full of faith and ready to make reparation for the great faults and crimes of the world. May our adoration never cease."²⁹

The following words of Fr. M. Raymond, O.C.S.O., emphasize the great importance regarding personal holiness and one’s participation in the Mass: "Mass, insomuch as it is Christ’s offering, is not only always acceptable to God, but is of infinite value as well.

"But, inasmuch as it is your offering and mine, and that of every other member of the Mystical Body ... we can limit the effectiveness of God’s great Act of Love; we finite beings can set bounds to the veritable flood of God-life made possible by the Infinite Son of the Infinite Father." ³⁰

Yes, the effectiveness of each Mass, which makes the sacrifice of Calvary sacramentally present, depends in part on the holiness of the entire Church offering it with Christ to the Father in the Holy Spirit, including the holiness of the individual priest offering and the holiness of his participating congregation.

Yes, the effectiveness of each Mass, which makes the sacrifice of Calvary sacramentally present, depends in part on the holiness of the entire Church offering it with Christ to the Father in the Holy Spirit, including the holiness of the individual priest offering and the holiness of his participating congregation.

Fr. Maurice de la Taille, S.J., formerly professor of theology at the Pontifical Gregorian University, and a universally recognized authority on the Mass, also points out the great importance of personal holiness in the Church relative to the effectiveness of the Eucharistic sacrifice: "It is, then, of the greatest importance that there should be in the Church many holy, many very holy persons. Devout people, men and women, who should be urged by every means to higher sanctity, so that through them the value of our Masses may be increased and the tireless voice of the Blood of Christ, crying from the earth, may ring with greater clearness and insistence in the ears of God. His Blood cries on the altars of the Church, but, since it cries through us, it follows that the warmer the heart, the purer the lips, the more clearly will its cry be heard at the Throne of God. Would you wish to know why for so many years after the first Pentecost the Gospel was so marvelously propagated, why there was so much sanctity amongst the Christian people; why such purity in heart and mind, such charity, the sum of all perfection? You will find the answer when you recall that in those times the Mother of God was still on earth giving her precious aid in all the Masses celebrated by the Church, and you will cease to wonder that never since has there been such expansion of Christianity, and such spiritual progress." ³¹

If all, then, have a responsibility to grow in holiness in order to render the Mass more efficacious, the priest has a special duty to do so. His goal must always be to grow in holiness – to grow in union with Christ the Priest, this Christ Who leads us to the Father in the Holy Spirit with Mary at our side.

The Sacrifice of Calvary is sacramentally made present in the Mass. When we pray the Morning Offering Prayer, united to the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, we act as intercessors, pleading to God that great graces be released all day through our prayerful actions as we act in love according to the Father’s will. Whether we are eating, taking care of a sick parent, enjoying time spent with a friend, working at our job, we can help bring down great graces for the world.

When we pray the Morning Offering Prayer we offer our lives to the Father, through Christ, in the Holy Spirit, with the prayerful assistance of Mary, our Mother. Let us pray together united in our hearts in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. There follows a Morning Offering Prayer.

"My dear Father, I offer You this day all my prayers, works, joys, and sufferings in union with Jesus in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, in the Holy Spirit.

"I unite with our Mother, Mary, all the angels and saints, and all the souls in purgatory to pray to the Father for myself, for each member of my family, for my friends, for all the people throughout the world, for all the souls in purgatory, and for all other intentions of the Sacred Heart.

"I love You, Jesus, and I give You my heart. I love you, Mary, and I give you my heart. Amen."32

Fr. Edward Leen, C.S. Sp., tells us: "Unless we are pleasing to God we cannot be saved, we cannot realize the purpose of our divine adoption. We cannot please God unless we resemble Jesus Christ, and the Blessed Sacrament is instituted for the very object of perfecting in us this likeness. Bodily food is transformed into the flesh of him that receives it; this heavenly food, the food of our souls, which is the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ, has the directly opposite effect: it changes him who receives it into Itself. It must not be forgotten that the presence in us which follows the reception of Holy Communion is a living active presence. Our Lord is more present with us than is a person with whom we are speaking. As He influenced whilst on earth those who allowed themselves to fall under the charm of His Personality, so He exercises a profound effect on the soul of the communicant, if that soul wishes to submit to His action. We cannot be in the society of one who is good without being incited to goodness; we cannot be with Our Lord—and we are as close to Him as our desires extend—without receiving the effects of His virtue and without being stirred to become as he was, without being drawn, in a mystical sense to become one with Him, to become ‘Christified’."³³

From a spiritual journal: "Go to the tabernacle. Jesus will give us our answers. He is waiting for us to come. We must come and sit in silence and let Him work in our hearts. We must not be filled with fear, we should be filled with hope and joy. We must pray to the Holy Spirit to give us His wisdom to know the will of the Father. Mary is our Mother. She will help us with all our trials and all of our struggles. We must discipline our thoughts and go to the Heart of Jesus. It is through the Eucharist that we will be strengthened for our trials.

"This is how I am with Jesus. I am empty. I want Him to make Himself known to me. I didn’t have much theological knowledge when I started sitting in front of the tabernacle. I was looking for love from Jesus. Nobody loved me the way my soul wanted to be loved. I craved to be with Jesus. I wanted my heart filled. I wanted the craving I felt inside satisfied. I thirsted for love. I sat with Him present in the tabernacle and He filled me. He revealed Himself to me. He was the Bridegroom of my soul and I His bride. As I became more intimately united to Him, sitting there in silence and going to Him, I cried. I was so filled with love. I found what I was looking for all my life. He wrote the knowledge of Himself on my soul. He wrote this knowledge in the intimate moments I spent with Him at Mass after Communion and before the tabernacle.

"I struggle intently to do His work, and I am weary from running the race. I am tired, I am truly human, but the unquenchable love I have for Him in my heart is at the core of my existence. It is in Him I exist and in Him I love. I love Him so intently and yet I am so unworthy of His gifts given to me. I long more for the desire to help souls, and His desires become mine through my deep union with Him especially after the reception of the Eucharist. On this day (Feast of the Assumption), I felt the unquenchable purity of the Heart of Mary and the joy of dwelling deeply in His Heart in her pure love. It was a special gift He gave to me, to be wrapped in Mary’s Heart despite my faults. He gave Himself so completely to me. I only long for this, knowing this presence.34

Mother Teresa of Calcutta shares these thoughts with us: "I make a holy hour each day in the presence of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. All my sisters of the Missionaries of Charity make a daily holy hour, as well, because we find that through our daily holy hour our love for Jesus becomes more intimate, our love for each other more understanding, and our love for the poor more compassionate. Our holy hour is our daily family prayer where we get together and pray the Rosary before the exposed Blessed Sacrament for the first half hour, and the second half hour we pray in silence. Our adoration has doubled our vocations. In 1963, we were making a weekly hour together, but it was not until 1973, when we began our daily holy hour that our community started to grow and blossom."³⁵

St. Peter Julian Eymard, founder of the Blessed Sacrament Fathers, tells us: "The Eucharist, behold the Christian's treasure, his delight on earth. Since Jesus is in the Eucharist for him personally, his whole life ought to be drawn to it like a magnet to its center."³⁶

26. The Documents of Vatican II, "Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy", America Press Edition, No. 17.
27. Ibid, No. 48
28. Pope Pius XII, Encyclical Letter, Mystici Corporis, AAS XXXV, pp. 232-233.
29. Letter of Pope John Paul II, The Mystery and Worship of the Eucharist, Pauline Books and Media, No. 3
30. M. Raymond, O.C.S.O. This Is Love, Bruce, p. 106.
31. Maurice de la Taille, S. J., The Mystery of Faith, Book 2, "The Sacrifice of the Church", translated by Joseph Carroll and P. J. Dalton, Sheed and Ward, p. 240.
32. Rita Ring, Rosary Meditations for Parents and Children, Shepherds of Christ Publication, p. 189
33. Fr. Edward Leen, C.S..Sp., In the Likeness of Christ, Sheed and Ward, pp. 250-252.
34. Rita Ring, Mass Book - A Journey into the Heart of Jesus, Shepherds of Christ Publication, p. 101
35. Mother Teresa, Rosary Meditations from Mother Teresa, contact Missionaries of the Blessed Sacrament, PO Box 1701, Plattsburgh, New York.
36. St. Peter Julian Eymard, Eucharistic Handbook, Emmanuel Publications, as in Adoration, Ignatius Press, p.97.

From the Priestly Newsletter 1999 - Issue 1

Priesthood

I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd is one who lays down his life for his sheep. The hired man, since he is not the shepherd and the sheep do not belong to him, abandons the sheep and runs away as soon as he sees a wolf coming, and then the wolf attacks and scatters the sheep; this is because he is only a hired man and has no concern for the sheep. I am the good shepherd; I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for my sheep. (Jn 10:11-15¹)

Yes, the Good Shepherd has given His all for us. Through His life, His brutal and agonizing suffering and death on the cross, and His glorious resurrection, He has achieved new life for us. Through the sacrament of Holy Orders, Jesus has provided His Church with priests who play a major role in the dispensing of this life which Jesus has come to give and to give most abundantly. There follow various thoughts on the priesthood.

Pope John Paul II states: "It is within the Church's mystery, as a mystery of Trinitarian communion in missionary tension, that every Christian identity is revealed, and likewise the specific identity of the priest and his ministry. Indeed, the priest, by virtue of the consecration which he receives in the sacrament of orders, is sent forth by the Father through the mediatorship of Jesus Christ, to whom he is configured in a special way as head and shepherd of his people, in order to live and work by the power of the Holy Spirit in service of the Church and for the salvation of the world."²

The Holy Father further states: "The priest finds the full truth of his identity in being a derivation, a specific participation in and continuation of Christ himself, the one high priest of the new and eternal covenant. The priest is a living and transparent image of Christ the priest. "³

Fr. Richard Nahman, O.S.A., tells about the priest's relationship with Christ.

"All too often Christ is one known about-maybe better known about than Napoleon, Alexander the Great, John F. Kennedy-but still only known about and not known. Much can be said, much can be appreciated and a great deal of dedication can spring from knowledge about someone. But a personal relationship cannot be built on mere knowledge about another. Knowledge about an individual and knowing anyone differs not in the order of knowledge but in the order of experience. One may have studied every conceivable expression of the reality 'friendship', and may know as much as there is to know about friendship, but if he has never had a friend, then he does not know friendship.

"It might be profitable here to ask the question: Does priestly formation today emphasize, if not in theory at least in practice, knowledge about Christ or knowledge of Christ?

"A priest is a man to whom Christ offers himself as the other in response to Whom he will find his own identity. A priest is called to come to know Christ, him crucified. And this knowledge leads to love, and this love to union and this union to identity...

"The crisis of identity within the priest fraternity can only be met by establishing the ground of the individual's identity really with full intellectual conviction, in that of Christ. This is the Christian paradox-losing oneself to find oneself-to which the priest gives witness, not by what he does, but by what he is. It is the abandon in faith. But all too frequently one's reaction is one of a drowning man, clinging desperately to the neck of his would-be-saver. The more tenaciously he hangs on to what is immediately at hand, the more certainly he is bringing his own destruction.

For the priest, the dynamics of being himself, achieving and coming to realize his own identity, lies totally in the depth and intensity of his personal relationship with Christ as a person whose dynamic, vital and real presence is 'experienced' and 'realized' in his daily life." ⁴

Scriptural quotations are taken from The Jerusalem Bible, Doubleday & Co.

Pope John Paul II, Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation, I Will Give You Shepherds, St. Paul Books & Media, No. 12.

Ibid., No. 12.

Fr. Richard Nahman, O.S.A., "I Am a Priest-What Am I?" Homiletic and Pastoral Review, January, 1971, pp. 272-273.

CHRIST IN US –

From the Mass Book, by Rita Ring, p. 107

    “‘My God, I believe, I adore, I hope and I love You! I ask pardon of You for those who do not believe, do not adore, do not hope and do not love You.’

    Then, rising he said: ‘Pray thus. The Hearts of Jesus and Mary are attentive to the voice of your supplications.’…” 27

    During the summer of 1916, the angel again appeared to the three visionaries. He said to them: “Pray! Pray a great deal. The Hearts of Jesus and Mary have merciful designs on you. Offer prayers and sacrifices continually to the Most High. Make everything you do a sacrifice, and offer it as an act of reparation for the sins by which God is offended, and as a petition for the conversion of sinners. Bring peace to our country in this way…I am the Guardian Angel of Portugal. Accept and bear with submission all the sufferings the Lord will send you.”28

    In the fall of the same year, the angel visited the visionaries a final time:

    “The angel came…bearing a golden chalice in one hand and a Host above it in the other. The amazed children noticed that drops of blood where falling from the Host into the chalice. Presently, the angel left both suspended in mid-air and prostrated himself on the ground, saying this beautiful prayer: ‘Most Holy Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, I adore You profoundly. I offer You the most precious Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Jesus Christ, present in all tabernacles of the world, in reparation for the outrages, sacrileges, and indifference by which He is offended. By the infinite merits of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and [the intercession of] the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I beg of Thee the conversion of poor sinners.’”29 30

    Holy Hearts of Jesus and Mary appear in the foreground as the inseparable Mediators of the Father of Mercies.

27. Fatima in Lucia's Own Words op. cit, p. 62
28. Our Lady's Peace Plan, op cit., pp.1-2.
29. Ibid., p.2
30. The Spirituality of Fatima and Medjugorje, op. cit, pp. 8-9



John. 1:1-13:

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 over power 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.


    Life flows from the pierced Heart of Christ. Man is redeemed by the Blood of Jesus. And the light shines in the darkness and the darkness grasped it not.

    I love You. I love You. I love You. I want to know You, to seek You, to have You more and more and more. My heart craves Your love - You are my Beloved.

    We were born because God wanted us to be born. If we are baptized, we have a special sharing in His divine life. We are sons of God and heirs of His kingdom if we love and serve the Lord.

    God existed. He was completely happy. He lacked nothing. He wantedto communicate His goodness and love so He created man.

    Adam and Eve, our first parents, sinned. God prepared men for the coming of Jesus. This is given in the Old Testament. The New Eve, Mary, and the New Adam, Jesus, came to this earth. Mary is our Spiritual Mother, the Mother of our spiritual life. Eve is the mother of the living. God promises to send a Redeemer. Jesus comes and gives Himself that we will have life, that we will share in His divine life. God keeps His promise. God is always faithful to His Word.

October 9, 1995

TO KNOW HIM IS TO LOVE HIM

    Mary has said at Fatima that we will not have peace in the world until a sufficient number of people are consecrating their hearts to Jesus and Mary. Mary will be faithful to the promises of Fatima.

    The Sacred Heart of Jesus will reign and the Immaculate Heart of Mary will triumph.

    Salvation History includes the story of man’s willfulness and sinfulness. God is faithful with His infinite mercy and love.

    God was completely happy. He created man from His goodness and love to communicate His love to His creatures.

    Many times man is blind and deaf and does not see the plan. This is the plan of Salvation History that man was created to know, love, and serve God.

    To love God more, we must know Him. He is revealing Himself to us in the Scriptures. We must read them to love Him more.

    From the side of the first Adam came Eve. From the side of Christ came the Church.

    We are fed through His Body and Blood.

end of Mass Book excerpt

Ephesians 1: 11-14

And it is in him
    that we have received our heritage,
marked out beforehand as we were,
under the plan of the One
    who guides all things
as he decides by his own will,
chosen to be,
for the praise of his glory,
the people who
    would put their hopes in Christ
        before he came.
Now you too, in him,
have heard the message of the truth
    and the gospel of your salvation,
and having put your trust in it
you have been stamped with the seal
    of the Holy Spirit of the Promise,
who is the pledge of our inheritance,
for the freedom of the people
    whom God has taken for his own,
for the praise of his glory.

From the Priestly Newsletter 2001 - Issue 2

Through Him, With Him and In Him

Spouse of the Lamb

First Friday, March 6, 1998 - 10th Day

     My beloved Spouse, the Bridegroom of my soul,

     The days go by with such swiftness, yet my focus is entirely on being one with Thee. The days fade in and out in shades of lights and darks, some days I receive immense insight into Your mysteries, some days I am left to tremendous suffering, wanting You so deeply in my soul and not experiencing Your favor.

     On this First Friday, I recall vividly the vision of Your precious Heart I hold in my heart. I see it clearly, red and filled with fire, and I know the warmth and glow of Your sacred divine love.

     Oh, my Sacred Heart, indeed, Thy love is most sacred. Yet even though I do not ponder as I should on the endless fires of love emitted from your treasured Heart, I have a constant awareness of this love which leads me to march forth in this battle of helping to win souls over for the Kingdom.

     Little is accomplished if I nurse my wounds on those dark days and sit in a corner waiting for a great favor from You.

     I walk those shaded days as You walked with the cross on Your back, but my awareness of Your Father and His plan for salvation is so limited, and I struggle tremendously as I am pressed on as I travel on my journey to the end of the day.

     And then a day of glory comes and You look upon me, my Bridegroom, and give me great favors and allow me to have a day of resurrection from the doom and the struggle.

     And how did He walk the earth? He walked it too, in dark and light days. Days in which they chased Him and wanted to kill Him, in which they called Him crazy, in which He sweat the saving Blood because of His anguish, in which He was tempted, in which He wept, in which He loved Mary His Mother and Mary Magdalene, in which He raised His dear friend Lazarus from the dead, in which He preached about the Kingdom to His followers.

     Days of light, days of darkness, but He entered the tomb and came forth victorious in the end.

     He rose to give us life, His wounds were glorified, the victory was won.

     My Bridegroom, You give to me Yourself this day. I am one in the glorified Lord in the most intimate way. The banquet is prepared. The Lamb has been slain. Now we reap the glory of the risen Lord. We receive the gift of life in Him.

     LIGHT and darkness. He is the Bread of Life, He comes to feed the starved soul with Himself. Our most treasured gift, our most treasured Friend, Jesus Christ, the Bridegroom of our soul, gives Himself as a sacrifice that we will share in His life most abundantly.

     I love You, Jesus Christ my Bridegroom, come and possess my soul.

end of excerpt

God is with us

Matthew 1:18-23

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’.

Please pray for Gene, Dan, Beth, Doris,
Amanda, Betty, Adeline, Jimmy, Andrew,
Monsignor and all the people.

For a limited time only

24" Pilgrim Virgin Fatima Statue without crown
w/glass from image face

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Special sale statue with glass

11" Our Lady of Fatima
15" Pilgrim Virgin Fatima
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12" Our Lady of Lourdes - $70

12" Sacred Heart & Infant of Prague statues - $100
Holy Family statue is $125

while supplies last

Get a canvas print of Mary's image with
a sliver of glass and a little bottle of
Jesus and Mary water.

The glass will be fixed behind the
back of the picture.

Cost — $200.00

Call Rosie

1-888-211-3041

Rita Ring

Books written by the cofounder of Shepherds of Christ Ministries

Mass Book
A Journey Into the Heart of Jesus - Author: Rita Ring. Discerned by: Fr. Edward J. Carter S.J. Imprimatur
$ 12.00 plus postage

Mass Book, by Rita Ring: Many of the entries in the Priestly Newsletter Volume II from a spiritual journal came from this book. These entries
are to help people to be more deeply united to God in the Mass. This book is available in English and Spanish with the Church’s Imprimatur.
$12

Rosary Meditations for Parents and Children
From the Hearts of Jesus and Mary Author: Rita Ring. Discerned by: Fr. Edward J. Carter S.J. Imprimatur
$ 10.00 plus postage

Rosary Meditations for Parents and Children, by Rita Ring, Short Meditations for both parents and children to be used when praying the
rosary. These meditations will help all to know the lives of Jesus and Mary alive in their Hearts. Available in both English and Spanish with
the Church’s Imprimatur. $10

God's Blue Book I
Teachings to Lift You Up. Author: Rita Ring. Discerned by: Fr. Edward J. Carter S.J.
$ 10.00 plus postage

God's Blue Book I by Rita Ring. Open Anywhere — This book will change your life. These are beautiful love letters to us from Jesus. A million books have been printed and circulated. Jesus loves us so much — He wants a personal relationship with us — He wants us to go to the Eucharist and be with Him before the tabernacle. $10

God's Blue Book II
The Fire of His Love. Author: Rita Ring. Discerned by Fr. Edward J. Carter S. J.
$ 10.00 plus postage

God's Blue Book II by Rita Ring. Letters from Jesus about His on fire love — Jesus wants this great intimacy with us — On fire love — Personal love letters from Jesus about the love of His Heart — A book on surrender Fr. Carter said! $10

God's Blue Book III
Love God, Love One Another. Author: Rita Ring. Discerned by Fr. Edward J. Carter S.J.
$ 10.00 plus postage

God's Blue Book III by Rita Ring. Fr. Carter's favorite book — It is about loving and forgiving each other — Being pure in heart — A book for unity in family, community, in life!! $10

God's Blue Book 4
The Love of the Hearts of Jesus and Mary Author: Rita Ring
$ 5.00 plus postage

God's Blue Book IV by Rita Ring. This book is about the love Jesus has for Mary and Mary has for Jesus and Jesus and Mary have for us — It is truly the Love of the Two Hearts. Mary appeared every day at the Holy Spirit Center — Fr. Carter was there. Mary's first apparition July 5, 1994. $5

God's Blue Book 5
So Deep Is the Love of His Heart. Author: Rita Ring.
$ 5.00 plus postage

God's Blue Book V by Rita Ring. Jesus wants to be the bridegroom of our soul — He is our beloved — Jesus tells us about pure love — how we are to be pure of heart and love God and love others. It is a must, to hear about love from Jesus — Jesus is love — $5

God's Blue Book 6A
He Calls Us to Action Author: Rita Ring.
$ 10.00 plus postage

God's Blue Book 6A by Rita Ring. Rosaries from Their Hearts during apparitions. Jesus and Mary appeared every day and I received rosaries from Them and They were transcribed from a tape. Also messages of love from Jesus on days of January, 1995 — About Baptism — writings from Fr. Carter and the Scriptures. $10

God's Blue Book 6B
He Calls Us to Action Author: Rita Ring.
$ 10.00 plus postage

God's Blue Book 6B by Rita Ring. Jesus and Mary appeared every day in February, 1995 — So beautiful — transcribed from a tape — the Stations, 7 Sorrows, prayers in the Prayer Manual, the Holy Spirit Novena Book and the Song Book. Pure love — loving and forgiving — a book about Jesus' love, baptism, grace and Fr. Carter's Newsletter. $10

Rosaries From the Hearts of Jesus and Mary - Volume I
Red Rosary Book - Author: Rita Ring. Discerned by: Fr. Edward J. Carter S.J.
$ 10.00 plus postage

Rosaries from the Hearts of Jesus and Mary Book 1. Mary appeared in Clearwater December 17, 1996 in rainbow color and these rosaries left the printer the same day from Apparitions of Jesus and Mary — transcribed from a tape. $10

Blue Rosary Book
Rosaries From the Hearts of Jesus and Mary - Volume II
$ 12.00 plus postage

Rosaries from the Hearts of Jesus and Mary Book 2. This is a book of so many rosaries - transcribed from a tape. So many beautiful rosaries. pages $12

Short Rosary Meditations for the Ederly, Ill, and Homebound
From the Hearts of Jesus and Mary: Author: Rita Ring. Discerned by: Fr. Edward J. Carter S.J. Imprimatur
This book is 8 1/2" by 11" and you can open it up and sit it on your lap.
$ 10.00 plus postage

Short Rosary Meditations for the Elderly, Ill and Homebound. This book is so important with pictures they can open it and lay it on their laps and pray the rosary. $10

Messages From Jesus
Given by Jesus to His Messenger Author: Rita Ring. Discerned by: Fr. Edward J. Carter S.J.
This book is 8 1/2" by 11" and you can open it up and sit it on your lap.

$ 10.00 plus postage

Messages for the Elderly, Ill and Homebound. This is a big book of loving messages for nursing home people and homebound from Jesus and Mary — Their lives are so important — united to the Mass offering up their suffering, their lives for the souls of this earth. $10

Daily Messages From Heaven 1
From the Florida Apparition Site Author: Rita Ring. Discerned by: Fr. Edward J. Carter S.J.
$ 10.00 plus postage

Daily Messages From Heaven Volumes 2 thru 5 (Spiral bound)
From the Florida Apparition Site Author: Rita Ring. Discerned by: Fr. Edward J. Carter S.J.
$25.00 each plus postage

Daily Messages from Heaven. First book of Daily Messages. $10

Rosary Meditations for Little People and Elderly
Short Meditations for the Rosary
$ 3.00 plus postage

Color the Lives of Jesus and Mary, Books 1 thru 5
A Coloring Book with Short Meditations on the 15 mysteries of the rosary. Author: Rita Ring. Discerned by: Fr. Edward J. Carter S.J.
$ 5.00 each plus postage

Color the Lives of Jesus and Mary. Volumes 1 through 7. Coloring books and meditations for grade school children and others on the mysteries of the rosary - really good. $5 each.

Coloring the Lives of Jesus and Mary Books 6 and 7
Mysteries of Light
$ 5.00 each plus postage

Color the Lives of Jesus and Mary. Volumes 6 through 7. Coloring books and meditations for grade school children and others on the mysteries of the rosary - really good. $5 each.

God's Blue Book I on CD, Disk #1
God's Blue Book I, Disk #1 Read by author: Rita Ring. Discerned by: Fr. Edward J. Carter S.J.
$ 10.00 plus postage

Mysteries of Light Rosary Book
Rosaries From the Hearts of Jesus and Mary - Volume I
$ 5.00 plus postage

Mysteries of Light Rosary Book
Rosaries From the Hearts of Jesus and Mary - Volume II
$ 5.00 plus postage

Apostle's Manual
Shepherds of Christ Overview: Very carefully discerned by Fr. Edward J. Carter S. J.
$ 20.00

Apostles Manual. About the Movement - the structure of the Movement — All Ministries - from the time 3 months before Mary appeared in Clearwater and 3 months after. Rosaries of the 13ths, Fr. Carter's Newsletters. Messages from God the Father — Reaching the priests, the Church, the schools and the world. $20

Songs From Jesus
Given by Jesus to His Messenger Author: Rita Ring. Discerned by: Fr. Edward J. Carter S.J.
$ 3.00

Songs from Jesus Songbook. These loving songs were given from Jesus. So beautiful — Love Songs from Jesus of His love - helping us have pure and loving hearts. $3

Shepherds of Christ Holy Spirit Novena
Holy Spirit Novena by: Rita Ring
$ 1.00 plus postage

Holy Spirit Novena Booklet. In four languages with the Imprimatur with 18 scripture readings for two complete novenas – this very powerful Holy Spirit Novena has prayers for prayers for Protection by the Blood of Jesus, Healing, Strength and Light, To Be One with God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, One with Jesus, To Dwell in the Hearts of Jesus and Mary, Prayer for the Holy Spirit and His Gifts, and the Word Alive in Our Hearts. All these prayers take about 10 minutes daily recited out loud. $1

Shepherds of Christ Holy Spirit Novena CD
Holy Spirit Novena Read by: Rita Ring
$ 10.00 plus postage

Holy Spirit Novena CD. Prayers and scripture readings from the Holy Spirit Novena Booklet read by Rita Ring. $10

Colorea 1 thru 5
las vidas de Jesús y María (recibido el Imprimátur)
$ 5.00 each plus postage

Para Comprender Mejor La Santa Misa
Una Jornada Hacia el Corazón de Jesús
$ 10.00

Meditaciones del Rosario
para Pequenos y Ancianos
$ 10.00

Fr. Joe Robinson

Inspiring Homilist & Author

Fr. Joseph Robinson has dedicated his life to serving Christ and the Church for over 40 years.

Guiding Light - Reflect on the Word
Inspiring Homilies Covering Cycle B of the Liturgical Year
$ 15.00 plus postage

Guiding Light homily series - Reflect on the Word - Cycle B — The Word leaves an impression on our souls. In my thoughts and reflections are born a more tangible understanding of these eternal concepts presented in the Gospels and the readings. Anyone can read a sentence, but not anyone can absorb it's true meaning. Truth, in this day and age, is almost a matter of opinion or individual entitlement. We believe that Christ's truth is our Roman Catholic Church. We, as priests, champion it's teachings; we are ambassadors for the Pope and Christ to those faces looking at us. We are the light by which our congregation reads to reflect upon real truth and we do it hand in hand. $15

Guiding Light - Steadfast to the Son
Inspiring Homilies Covering Cycle A of the Liturgical Year
$ 15.00 plus postage

Guiding Light homily series - Steadfast to the Son - Cycle A — The sunflower is a great example of how we should be steadfastly guided by light. What a powerful thought that this exceptional plant is not stuck in one pose day in and day out, yet adaptable and magnetized to the sun. We feel the same about our Son. Our heads turns to face Christ as each day presents its challenges to find light. We join together like plants in a field and soak up the Son through the pulpit. We are a warm circle of strength using the wind of our breath to carry our priests' words, Christ's words, to new rich soil. $15

Guiding Light - Feed My Soul
Inspiring Homilies Covering Cycle C of the Liturgical Year
$ 10.00 plus postage

Guiding Light - Feed My Soul
Inspiring Homilies Covering Cycle C of the Liturgical Year
$ 15.00 plus postage

Guiding Light - Feed My Soul - Cycle C — In a world rapidly advancing and encouraging personal gain, we are faced with modern problems. There is a challenge to find time in our busy schedules for Sunday Mass or a family meal. We are able to research, shop, bank and even work without hearing one human voice. It is no wonder that we may often feel disconnected and famished at our week's end. In Fr. Joe's third book of homilies from Cycle C, we are reminded of the charity that Christ intended us to show each other. We have a calling to turn the other cheek and be the Good Samaritan to others. We are rewarded with the Father's kingdom and love when we are not worthy. We are not left alone or hungry. $15

Guiding Light - Focusing on the Word
Inspiring Homilies Covering Cycle B of the Liturgical Year
$ 15.00 plus postage

Guiding Light - Focusing on the Word - Cycle B — At times we may feel that our path to Christ is a bit "out of focus". Like the disciples in the Book of Mark, this ordinary life clouds our vision of Christ's Divinity. We may doubt the practicality or possibility of applying His teachings and example to our modern life. Cycle B's homilies are a "guiding light" to help us realize Jesus' Messianic greatness and His promise of better things to come. $15

Guiding Light - The Word Alive in Our Hearts
Inspiring Homilies covering partial year of Cycle A by Fr. Joe Robinson
$ 10.00 plus postage

Guiding Light - The Word Alive in Our Hearts. - Cycle A (partial) — Homilies by the Reverend Joe Robinson given at St. Boniface Church in Cincinnati, Ohio. It is a tremendous honor Fr. Joe has allowed us to share these great gifts with you – for greater holiness and knowing more and more about God. $10

Fr. Edward J. Carter

Books written by the founder of Shepherds of Christ Ministries

Response to God's Love
...God Himself is the Ultimate Mystery
$ 10.00 plus postage

Response to God’s Love by Fr. Edward J. Carter, S.J. In this book Fr. Carter speaks of God as the ultimate mystery. We can meditate on the interior life of the Trinity. Fr. Carter tells us about our uniqueness in the Father's Plan for us, how the individual Christian, the Church and the world are in the state of becoming. Imprimatur. $10

Shepherds of Christ Spirituality Newsletters 1
Selected Writings on Spirituality—for All People Editor: Fr. Edward J. Carter S.J. Imprimatur
$ 10.00 plus postage

Shepherds of Christ - Selected Writings on Spirituality for all People as Published in Shepherds of Christ Newsletter for Priests. Contains 12 issues of the newsletter from July/August 1994 to May/June 1996. $15

Shepherds of Christ Spirituality Newsletters 2
Selected Writings on Spirituality — for All People Editor: Fr. Edward J. Carter S.J. Imprimatur
$ 12.00 plus postage

Shepherds of Christ - Volume 2: by Fr. Edward J. Carter, S.J. Contains issues 13-29 of the newsletter (September/October 1996 - Issue 5, 1999) $15

Shepherds of Christ Spirituality Newsletters 3
Selected Writings on Spirituality — for All People Editor: Fr. Edward J. Carter S.J.
$ 10.00 plus postage

Shepherds of Christ - Volume 3 by Fr. Edward J. Carter, S.J. Contains Newsletter Issues 1 through 4 of 2000 including Fr. Carter’s tremendous Overview of the Spiritual Life $10

Tell My People
Messages from Jesus and Mary Author: Fr. Edward J. Carter S.J. Imprimi Potest
$ 10.00 plus postage

Tell My People. Messages from Jesus and Mary (As given to Fr. Edward Carter, S.J.) — One of Fr. Edward Carter, S.J.'s Synopsis of the Spiritual Life — From Jesus to Fr. Carter "On Holy Saturday, 1994, Jesus told me that on the following day, Easter, I would also begin to receive messages for others. Our Lord also told me that some of these were eventually to be published in a book—and here is that book." $10

Spirituality Handbook
Shepherds of Christ Associates Spirituality Handbook - A Way of Spiritual Life
Author: Fr. Edward J. Carter S.J. Imprimi Potest
$ 3.00 plus postage

Spirituality Handbook. Fr. Edward Carter, S.J. did 3 synopsis of the spiritual life. The Spirituality Handbook, the Priestly Newsletter 20he Tell My People book. The way of spiritual life proposed to the members of Shepherds of Christ Associates is centered in consecration to the Hearts of Jesus and Mary. All aspects of the spiritual life discussed below should be viewed as means to help members develop their lives in consecration to Christ, the Sacred Heart, and to Mary, the Immaculate Heart. $3

The Spirituality of Fatima
Fatima: The Setting, The Message, The Spirituality of Consecration
$ 5.00 plus postage

The Spirituality of Fatima by Fr. Edward J. Carter, S.J. The Fatima apparitions and messages received official Church approval in 1930. In giving her official approval to the Fatima event, the Church tells us that what took place at Fatima involving the three young visionaries is worthy of our belief. $5

Shepherds of Christ Prayer Manual
Shepherds of Christ Associates Prayers
Author: Fr. Edward J. Carter S.J.
$ .50 plus postage

Shepherds of Christ Prayer Manual. The Shepherds of Christ has prayer chapters all over the world praying for the priests, the Church and the world. These prayers that Father Carter compiled in the summer of 1994 began this worldwide network of prayer. Currently the prayers are in eight languages with the Church’s Imprimatur. We have prayed daily for the priests, the Church, and the world since 1994. Associates are called to join prayer Chapters and help us circulate the newsletter centered on spreading devotion to the Sacred Heart and Immaculate Heart and helping to renew the Church through greater holiness. Please form a Prayer Chapter & order a Prayer Manual.

Shepherds of Christ 6:20 Prayers CD
Holy Spirit Novena, Associates Prayer Manual and the Rosary Led by: Fr. Edward J. Carter S.J.
$ 10.00 plus postage

Priestly Newsletter 2000 Issue 1
Audio CD - Read by Father Edward J. Carter
$ 10.00 plus postage

Priestly Newsletter - 2000 #1 - CD. - Christ is Our Strength - Fr. Edward Carter, S.J. read it the year he died. It is so beautiful. "This brief passage contains one of the greatest lessons of the spiritual life. As we progress along our spiritual journey, we become increasingly aware of how weak we are in our-selves, but how strong we are in Christ. To experience our weakness involves suffering. The degree and kind of suffering can vary. The suffering can include the experience of the classical dark night of the spirit as described by St. John of the Cross. One of the main purposes of the dark night is to make a person keenly aware of his or her helplessness without God." quote by Fr. Carter from the newsletter $10

Priestly Newsletter 2000 Issue 2
Audio CD - Read by Father Edward J. Carter
$ 10.00 plus postage

Priestly Newsletter - 2000 #2 - CD. - Suffering: A Source of Life - Fr. Edward Carter, S.J. read it the year he died. Fr. Carter knew suffering that year. His voice is so powerful as he read each Newsletter from his heart and soul. "Every man has his own share in the redemption. Each one is also called to share in that suffering through which the redemption was accomplished. He is called to share in that suffering through which all human suffering has also been redeemed. In bringing about the redemption through suffering, Christ has also raised human suffering to the level of the redemption. Thus each man in his suffering can also become a sharer in the redemptive suffering of Christ..." quote by Fr. Carter from the newsletter $10

Statues/Religious Items

Statues, Crucifixes, and Religious Artwork
These items are very special additions to your home or place of worship.

Special 27" Pilgrim Virgin of Fatima/Clearwater Statue with Glass
27" Statue with crown
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Special 18" Pilgrim Virgin of Fatima/Clearwater Statue with Glass
$ 250.00 plus shipping

Special 15" Pilgrim Virgin of Fatima/Clearwater Statue with Glass
White gown with gold trim around mantel
$ 200.00 plus shipping

Special 12" Pilgrim Virgin of Fatima/Clearwater Statue with Glass
White gown with gold trim around mantel
$ 160.00 plus shipping

Special 18" Our Lady of Fatima/Clearwater Statue with Glass
Blue and Pink gown with a rosary over her hand.
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Special 11" Our Lady of Fatima/Clearwater Statue with Glass
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$ 150.00 plus shipping

Crucifix by Felix - Hand Carved
Crucifix with incredible detail!
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Imitation of Two Hearts
Giclee Art Print on Canvas
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Lucia's Vision
Giclee Art Print on Canvas by Harold Kellner
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Mary's Image 12 x 16
Giclee Art Print on Canvas of Mary's image with a sliver of glass and a little bottle of Jesus and Mary water. The glass will be fixed behind the back of the picture.
$ 200.00 plus shipping

Blue Crystal Rosary
Rosary with the Image of Our Lady of Clearwater
6mm - $ 30.00 plus shipping
8mm - $ 40.00 plus shipping

Red Crystal Rosary
Rosary with the Image of Our Lady of Clearwater
6mm - $ 30.00 plus shipping
8mm - $ 40.00 plus shipping

Clear Crystal Rosary
Rosary with the Image of Our Lady of Clearwater
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Mug
Mug with the Image of Our Lady of Clearwater
$ 15.00 plus shipping

Call Rosie
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or
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Statues

OL-Guadalupe
w/glass - 28

OL-Grace
w/glass - 24

OL-Mt. Carmel
w/glass - 24

OL-Lourdes
w/glass - 24

IH-Mary
w/glass - 24

IH-Ivory
w/glass - 24

SH-Jesus
w/glass - 24

SH-Blessing
w/glass - 24

Sorrow M
w/glass - 24

Inf.-Prague
w/glass - 24

OL-Lourdes
w/glass - 18

OL-Mt. Carmel
w/glass - 18

I Heart
w/glass - 18

I Heart - Ivory
w/glass - 18

OL-Grace
w/glass - 18

SH-Jesus
w/glass - 18

OL-Guadalupe
w/glass - 12

PV-Fatima
w/glass - 27

PV-Fatima
w/glass - 18

PV-Fatima
w/glass - 15

OL-Fatima
w/glass - 18

PV-Fatima
w/glass - 12

OL-Fatima
w/glass - 11

St. Padre Pio

St. Joseph

St. Therese

St. Francis

St. Anthony

St. Claire

Limpias

St. Jude

Divine Mercy

Holy Family

Angel

St. Philomena

Pieta - Marble

Pieta - Color

Holy Family 12

St. Anthony - 18

St. Francis - 18

St. Joseph - 18

St. Therese - 18

St. Rita - 18

St. Clare - 12

St. Rita - 12

St. Padre Pio - 12

Divine Mercy - 12

St. Michael - 11

Limpias - 8

Shepherds of Christ Ministries
P. O. Box 627
China, IN 47250

Toll free - 1-888-211-3041
Local - 1-812-273-8405
fax - 1-812-273-3182
web: www.sofc.org
e-mail: info@sofc.org

Size

Price

Quantity

Holy Family

24"

$180

Limpias

24"

$125

St. Anthony

24"

$125

St. Claire

24"

$125

St. Francis

24"

$125

St. Joseph

24"

$125

St. Jude

24"

$125

St. Padre Pio

24"

$125

St. Therese

24"

$125

Divine Mercy

22"

$125

Angel

22"

$100

St. Philomena

20"

$100

St. Philomena

16"

$65

St. Joseph

18"

$65

St. Francis

18"

$65

St. Anthony

18"

$65

St. Rita

18"

$65

St. Therese

18"

$65

Pieta - Color

15"

$125

Pieta - Marble

15"

$125

Holy Family

12"

$75

St. Padre Pio - standing

12"

$100

St. Padre Pio - sitting

9"

$100

St. Michael

11"

$40

St. Rita

12"

$40

Divine Mercy

12"

$50

St. Claire

12"

$40

Pieta - Color

8"

$75

Pieta - Marble

8"

$75

Limpias

8"

$25

Our Lady of Guadalupe w/glass

28"

$500

Our Lady of Mt. Carmel w/glass

24"

$500

Immaculate Heart of Mary w/glass

24"

$500

Immaculate Heart - Ivory w/glass

24"

$500

Infant of Prague w/glass

24"

$500

Our Lady of Grace w/glass

24"

$500

Our Lady of Lourdes w/glass

24"

$500

Sacred Heart of Jesus w/glass

24"

$500

Sacred Heart -Blessing w/glass

24"

$500

Sorrowful Mother w/glass

24"

$500

Immaculate Heart of Mary w/glass

18"

$300

Immaculate Heart - Ivory w/glass

18"

$300

Sacred Heart of Jesus w/glass

18"

$300

Our Lady of Lourdes w/glass

18"

$300

Our Lady of Grace w/glass

18"

$300

Our Lady of Mt. Carmel w/glass

18"

$300

Our Lady of Guadalupe w/glass

12"

$200

Fatima w/glass

11"

$150

Fatima w/glass

18"

$250

Pilgrim Virgin w/glass

12"

$160

Pilgrim Virgin w/glass

15"

$200

Pilgrim Virgin w/glass

18"

$250

Pilgrim Virgin w/glass

27"

$450

Call for Shipping Price (1-888-211-3041)

Name


Sub-Total

Address


IN Tax (7%)

City


Shipping

State                                            Zip


Donation

Telephone


Order Total

Call Rosie
1-888-211-3041
or
1-727-725-9312

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_{Table of Contents}

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Main Shepherds of Christ Page

Copyright © 2012 Shepherds of Christ.
Rights for non-commercial reproduction granted:
May be copied in its entirety, but neither re-typed nor edited.
Translations are welcome but they must be reviewed for moral and
theological accuracy by a source approved by Shepherds of Christ Ministries
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: January 1, 2012
URL: http://www.sofc.org
Contact Information for Shepherds of Christ
Email: info@SofC.org

Shepherds of Christ Ministries
P.O. Box 627
China, Indiana 47250

Telephone: (toll free) 1-888-211-3041 or (812) 273-8405
FAX: (812) 273-3182

	Mysteries of Light Rosary Book Rosaries From the Hearts of Jesus and Mary - Volume I $ 5.00 plus postage
	Mysteries of Light Rosary Book Rosaries From the Hearts of Jesus and Mary - Volume II $ 5.00 plus postage

	Apostle's Manual Shepherds of Christ Overview: Very carefully discerned by Fr. Edward J. Carter S. J. $ 20.00 Apostles Manual. About the Movement - the structure of the Movement — All Ministries - from the time 3 months before Mary appeared in Clearwater and 3 months after. Rosaries of the 13ths, Fr. Carter's Newsletters. Messages from God the Father — Reaching the priests, the Church, the schools and the world. $20
	Songs From Jesus Given by Jesus to His Messenger Author: Rita Ring. Discerned by: Fr. Edward J. Carter S.J. $ 3.00 Songs from Jesus Songbook. These loving songs were given from Jesus. So beautiful — Love Songs from Jesus of His love - helping us have pure and loving hearts. $3

	Shepherds of Christ Holy Spirit Novena Holy Spirit Novena by: Rita Ring $ 1.00 plus postage Holy Spirit Novena Booklet. In four languages with the Imprimatur with 18 scripture readings for two complete novenas – this very powerful Holy Spirit Novena has prayers for prayers for Protection by the Blood of Jesus, Healing, Strength and Light, To Be One with God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, One with Jesus, To Dwell in the Hearts of Jesus and Mary, Prayer for the Holy Spirit and His Gifts, and the Word Alive in Our Hearts. All these prayers take about 10 minutes daily recited out loud. $1

OL-Guadalupe w/glass - 28	OL-Grace w/glass - 24	OL-Mt. Carmel w/glass - 24	OL-Lourdes w/glass - 24	IH-Mary w/glass - 24	IH-Ivory w/glass - 24
SH-Jesus w/glass - 24	SH-Blessing w/glass - 24	Sorrow M w/glass - 24	Inf.-Prague w/glass - 24	OL-Lourdes w/glass - 18	OL-Mt. Carmel w/glass - 18
I Heart w/glass - 18	I Heart - Ivory w/glass - 18	OL-Grace w/glass - 18	SH-Jesus w/glass - 18	OL-Guadalupe w/glass - 12
PV-Fatima w/glass - 27	PV-Fatima w/glass - 18	PV-Fatima w/glass - 15	OL-Fatima w/glass - 18	PV-Fatima w/glass - 12	OL-Fatima w/glass - 11
St. Padre Pio	St. Joseph	St. Therese	St. Francis	St. Anthony	St. Claire
Limpias	St. Jude	Divine Mercy	Holy Family	Angel	St. Philomena
Pieta - Marble	Pieta - Color	Holy Family 12	St. Anthony - 18	St. Francis - 18	St. Joseph - 18
St. Therese - 18	St. Rita - 18	St. Clare - 12	St. Rita - 12	St. Padre Pio - 12	Divine Mercy - 12
St. Michael - 11	Limpias - 8

	Size	Price	Quantity
Holy Family	24"	$180
Limpias	24"	$125
St. Anthony	24"	$125
St. Claire	24"	$125
St. Francis	24"	$125
St. Joseph	24"	$125
St. Jude	24"	$125
St. Padre Pio	24"	$125
St. Therese	24"	$125
Divine Mercy	22"	$125
Angel	22"	$100
St. Philomena	20"	$100
St. Philomena	16"	$65
St. Joseph	18"	$65
St. Francis	18"	$65
St. Anthony	18"	$65
St. Rita	18"	$65
St. Therese	18"	$65
Pieta - Color	15"	$125
Pieta - Marble	15"	$125
Holy Family	12"	$75
St. Padre Pio - standing	12"	$100
St. Padre Pio - sitting	9"	$100
St. Michael	11"	$40
St. Rita	12"	$40
Divine Mercy	12"	$50
St. Claire	12"	$40
Pieta - Color	8"	$75
Pieta - Marble	8"	$75
Limpias	8"	$25
Our Lady of Guadalupe w/glass	28"	$500
Our Lady of Mt. Carmel w/glass	24"	$500
Immaculate Heart of Mary w/glass	24"	$500
Immaculate Heart - Ivory w/glass	24"	$500
Infant of Prague w/glass	24"	$500
Our Lady of Grace w/glass	24"	$500
Our Lady of Lourdes w/glass	24"	$500
Sacred Heart of Jesus w/glass	24"	$500
Sacred Heart -Blessing w/glass	24"	$500
Sorrowful Mother w/glass	24"	$500
Immaculate Heart of Mary w/glass	18"	$300
Immaculate Heart - Ivory w/glass	18"	$300
Sacred Heart of Jesus w/glass	18"	$300
Our Lady of Lourdes w/glass	18"	$300
Our Lady of Grace w/glass	18"	$300
Our Lady of Mt. Carmel w/glass	18"	$300
Our Lady of Guadalupe w/glass	12"	$200
Fatima w/glass	11"	$150
Fatima w/glass	18"	$250
Pilgrim Virgin w/glass	12"	$160
Pilgrim Virgin w/glass	15"	$200
Pilgrim Virgin w/glass	18"	$250
Pilgrim Virgin w/glass	27"	$450

Call for Shipping Price (1-888-211-3041)
Name	Sub-Total
Address	IN Tax (7%)
City	Shipping
State Zip	Donation
Telephone	Order Total