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Shepherds of Christ |
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Shepherds of Christ |
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April 2, 2012
April 3rd Holy Spirit Novena
Scripture selection is Day 7 Period I.The Novena Rosary Mysteries
for April 3rd are Sorrowful.
Holy Week Retreat
Florida Retreat
April 2nd - 5th
1:30pm and 6:20pm
Please tune in!
March 22, 2012
Jesus: My dear people,
Today March 22, 2012, I want you to make available the statues: Our Lady of Fatima and Our Lady of Guadalupe with the glass, so people will honor Mary and pray the prayers as I have requested before the statue praying for the priests, the Church and the world.
Pray the prayers before the statues with glass for healings and blessings for your family, for your country, for the Church and the world. I promise special graces to those praying these prayers, and graces drawing them closer to My Heart and My Mother's heart. I want all to know My Mother's love as their mother. Put the statues with the glass in your homes and Churches, your schools and places of businesses and pray these prayers given to Fr. Carter, S.J., founder of Shepherds of Christ, in the prayer manual for the priests, the Church and the world. I am Jesus, Chief Shepherd of the Flock.
April 2, 2012 - Monday of Holy Week
R. Being in love with Jesus
Our beloved
Not being like burned out cinders
Loving with fire
Love is not possessing
Love is going out
Being a cross outstretched to the world
Arms wide open
Like Jesus on the cross
Selfless not self-centered
Mission — helping to convert souls
Fighting with a sword for Jesus
A soldier
The flaming sword of love —
A two-edged sword —
A sword that cuts out the pride
and anger
and envy
and sloth in us
R. Discipline
Obedience
The lance pierced the Heart of Christ
Mary's heart invisibly pierced with love
The Two Hearts of greatest love —
Mary and Jesus
The crown of thorns surrounding His Heart
Fall in love with Jesus
Have zeal for this mission
Don't be tired, exhausted,
too tired to love
Love of God leads to happiness
Jesus: Are you with Me?
Or are you against Me?
R. Falling in love with Christ
This brings happiness
We proceed with zeal
11 Years Ago
April 5, 2001
R. Jesus knew of His enemies and what
would happen and He went without
hesitation to do the will of the Father —
Jesus is the Light of the world —
He went openly in procession to Jerusalem —
We see four descriptions of the "Suffering Servant"
during Holy Week —
Christ came to do as the Father sent Him
to do —
Christ did it willingly —
We see how Christ's enemies hated Him
more and more as Jesus neared His
crucifixion —
Despite Jesus knew what would happen
to Him - He went willingly —
He never shrank in any way
from His mission —
from God the Father's will —
Isaiah 42: 1-7
Here is my servant whom I uphold,
my chosen one
in whom my soul delights.
I have sent my spirit upon him,
he will bring fair judgement to the nations.
He does not cry out or raise his voice,
his voice is not heard in the street;
he does not break the crushed reed
or snuff the faltering wick.
Faithfully he presents fair judgement;
he will not grow faint,
he will not be crushed
until he has established
fair judgement on earth,
and the coasts and islands
are waiting for his instruction.
Thus says God, Yahweh,
who created the heavens
and spread them out,
who hammered into shape the earth
and what comes from it,
who gave breath to the people on it,
and spirit to those who walk on it:
I, Yahweh, have called you
in saving justice,
I have grasped you by the hand
and shaped you;
I have made you a covenant of the people
and light to the nations,
to open the eyes of the blind,
to free captives from prison,
and those who live in darkness
from the dungeon.
Sing: Remember Your Love
Isaiah 49: 1-6
Coasts and islands, listen to me,
pay attention, distant peoples.
Yahweh called me when I was in the womb,
before my birth
he had pronounced my name.
He made my mouth like a sharp sword,
he hid me in the shadow of his hand.
He made me into a sharpened arrow
and concealed me in his quiver.
He said to me, ‘Israel, you are my servant,
through whom I shall manifest my glory.’
But I said, ‘My toil has been futile,
I have exhausted myself for nothing,
to no purpose.’
Yet all the while
my cause was with Yahweh
and my reward with my God.
And now Yahweh has spoken,
who formed me in the womb
to be his servant,
to bring Jacob back to him
and to re–unite Israel to him;
—I shall be honoured in Yahweh’s eyes,
and my God has been my strength.—
He said, ‘It is not enough for you
to be my servant,
to restore the tribes of Jacob
and bring back the survivors of Israel;
I shall make you a light to the nations
so that my salvation may reach
the remotest parts of earth.
R. Jesus, the Suffering Servant —
We see in the Gospel this week, the Last Supper —
We hear Jesus announce one of
the 12 will betray Him —
Oh so sad!
Then Jesus has the debates with
the scribes and ancients —
They challenge the authority of Jesus —
The 3rd Suffering Servant
Isaiah 50: 4-9
Lord Yahweh has given me
a disciple’s tongue,
for me to know how to give
a word of comfort to the weary.
Morning by morning
he makes my ear alert
to listen like a disciple.
Lord Yahweh has opened my ear
and I have not resisted,
I have not turned away.
I have offered my back
to those who struck me,
my cheeks to those
who plucked my beard;
I have not turned my face away
from insult and spitting.
Lord Yahweh comes to my help,
this is why insult has not touched me,
this is why I have set my face like flint
and know that I shall not
be put to shame.
He who grants me saving justice is near!
Who will bring a case against me?
Let us appear in court together!
Who has a case against me?
Let him approach me!
Look, Lord Yahweh is coming
to my help!
Who dares condemn me?
Look at them, all falling apart
like moth-eaten clothes!
R. Jesus was insulted and beaten
Jesus, the Son of God
The people in Jesus' day wanted
a criminal to die before as
many as possible and the
persecution and crucifixion
be as awful as possible before
the people —
We see the Passion Movie
and know this is seen like
this in this Movie —
Jesus suffered so for our sins and
He knew all that would
happen and he never held
back —
He did the Father's will —
What a lesson for us —
We are called by Christ —
We are anointed at baptism —
Christ is the Messiah —
Christ is the anointed one —
Sing: He Has Anointed Me
Isaiah 61: 1
The spirit of Lord Yahweh
is on me
for Yahweh has anointed me.
He has sent me to bring the news
to the afflicted,
to soothe the broken–hearted,
Luke 4: 16-21
He came to Nazara, where he had been brought up, and went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day as he usually did. He stood up to read, and they handed him the scroll of the prophet Isaiah. Unrolling the scroll he found the place where it is written: The spirit of the Lord is on me, for he has anointed me to bring the good news to the afflicted. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives, sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim a year of favour from the Lord. He then rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the assistant and sat down. And all eyes in the synagogue were fixed on him. Then he began to speak to them, ‘This text is being fulfilled today even while you are listening.’
Excerpt from Mother at Our Side,
by Father Edward J. Carter, S.J.Preface
It was the hour of Jesus' agony. He hung on a cross, on a hill called Calvary. He had already suffered excruciating pain. He had been brutally scourged—can we comprehend what this did to Jesus? He had been crowned with thorns. He had carried the heavy cross and then was mercilessly nailed to it. After all this, the excruciating suffering continued as the weight of His body pulled downward against the nail-inflicted wounds of His hands and feet. Besides the intense physical suffering, there was the spiritual anguish which pierced Jesus' Heart.
Amidst this unfathomable suffering, Jesus spoke to Mary and John as they stood at the foot of the cross: Woman, behold, your son. Then He said to the disciple, Behold, your mother. (Jn. 19: 26-7).
John represented all of us. In giving Mary to him as spiritual mother, Jesus was also giving Mary to all of us as our spiritual mother.
In these our times, the spiritual motherhood of Mary is being manifested in an extraordinary fashion. There have been alleged apparitions of Mary in many parts of the world. Many seem to bear the marks of authenticity. A small number of these apparition sites have already received official Church approval. Regarding the others, we await the Church's final judgment and express our willingness to submit to her ultimate decision.
Why such an extraordinary proliferation of Marian apparitions and messages? Because we live in extraordinary times. Mary is telling us that the Church and the world are experiencing a time of great crisis brought about by an unprecedented wave of sin which has been sweeping across the face of the earth.
Through Mary, God is using extraordinary means to call us to conversion. Mary tells us that her Immaculate Heart is leading the Church and the world along the way of conversion as she leads us in an extraordinary fashion to Jesus, the Light of the world. She is beseeching us in a special way to give our assistance to help fulfill the mission God has entrusted to her.
In writing this book on Mary's role in the Christian life, I have drawn upon the teaching of Scripture and upon Church documents. I have used messages Mary has given at apparition sites, as well as the locutions or messages allegedly given to certain of her chosen ones over and above those associated with her apparitions. I have also used the thoughts of other theologians. Minor portions of this book have been drawn from some of my previously published books.
Using all of the above sources—and others not listed—I have tried to delineate Mary's role as spiritual Mother to us. In doing so, I have also tried to give an overview of the spiritual life. My prayerful hope is that the book will help the reader grow in appreciation of Mary's motherhood regarding us. Indeed, we go to the Father through Christ in the Holy Spirit, with Mary as Mother at our side.
Edward Carter, S.J.
Xavier University
John 19: 25-27
Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary of Magdala. Seeing his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing near her, Jesus said to his mother, ‘Woman, this is your son.’ Then to the disciple he said, ‘This is your mother.’ And from that hour the disciple took her into his home.
Excerpt from Mother at Our Side,
by Father Edward J. Carter, S.J.
2two
Mother At Our Side
Standing by the cross of Jesus were His mother and His mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary of Magdala. When Jesus saw His mother and the disciple there whom He loved, He said to His mother, "Woman, behold, your son." Then He said to the disciple, "Behold, your mother." (Jn. 19:25-27).
"In an utterly singular way she cooperated by her obedience, faith, hope, and burning charity in the Savior's work of restoring supernatural life to souls. For this reason she is a mother to us in the order of grace." (Vatican II).
Jesus has given us Mary as our spiritual mother. As He hung upon the cross, Jesus told John to look upon Mary as his mother, this John who represents all of us. In His moment of deepest anguish and suffering, Jesus was thinking of us. As the indescribable physical pain racked His body from head to toe, as the unfathomable spiritual anguish penetrated to the depths of His Heart, Jesus was thinking of us. If we allow this scene to penetrate into our hearts, if we take the time to contemplate the depth of Jesus' and Mary's love for us as Their Hearts were pierced with grief, we are truly overwhelmed with the magnificent greatness and tenderness of the scene. Jesus was proclaiming Mary to be Mother of the Redemption. He was telling us that Mary is Mother to all peoples.
The fact that Mary is our mother,
the fact that she has such a powerful role to play in our salvation in
no way detracts from the mediatorship of Christ. Vatican II states:
3"We have but one Mediator, as we know from the words of the Apostle: "For there is one God, and one Mediator between God and men, himself man, Christ Jesus, who gave himself as ransom for all." (1 Tim. 2:5-6). The maternal duty of Mary toward men in no way obscures or diminishes this unique mediation of Christ, but rather shows its power. For all the saving influences of the Blessed Virgin on men originate, not from some inner necessity, but from the divine pleasure. They flow forth from the superabundance of the merits of Christ, rest on His mediation, depend entirely on it, and draw all their power from it. In no way do they impede the immediate union of the faithful with Christ. Rather they foster this union."
In saying that Mary is our spiritual mother, we are saying that Mary is the mother of our Christ-life. What is this life? Can we define it?
At Baptism the Persons of the Trinity communicate so intimately to us that, as a result, they leave their imprint or image upon us. This Trinitarian image is our life of sanctifying grace. This life of grace is a created participation in God's life, and since this gift of grace is mediated by Christ in His humanity, this Trinitarian image also has a Christic aspect. Christ as man has shown us how to live a God-like existence. He has shown us how to live the life of grace. This life of grace we possess allows us to enjoy the special presence of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Truly, the divine Persons dwell within us.
Whether we refer to this life as
the Christ-life, the life of grace, life in the Holy Spirit, or by other
names, we are referring to one and the same reality. This reality,
again, is the Christic, Trinitarian image given us through the
Trinitarian communication.
St. Paul speaks of our life of grace in terms of our being baptized
into the death and resurrection of Jesus (Rom. 6:1-11). Again,
Jesus mediates our life of grace. He has shown us how to live a
Christ-like existence. Since Jesus' paschal mystery of
death-resurrection sums up His own human existence, so it sums up our
own. This is what St. Paul is telling us. Paul tells us that we live our
life of Baptism, our life of grace, by continually dying and rising with
Jesus—rising to a greater share in Christ's resurrection. Indeed, we
live resurrection now and hereafter. Living death-resurrection involves
all of our Christian activities. While not giving an all-inclusive list,
we do include the following: the reading of Scripture, prayer, the
performance of daily duties, the doing of penance, making sacrifices,
our jobs, periods of rest and relaxation, sharing meals with loved ones,
reception of the sacraments, and, especially, participation in the
Eucharist which is both sacrifice and sacrament.
This is our glorious existence made
possible by God's great love for us and a major truth of this glorious
existence is the fact that Jesus has given us Mary as our spiritual
mother. Mary is the Mother of our Christ-life. In her loving, maternal
role, she cooperates with the Holy Spirit in forming Christ in us. Pope
John Paul II tells us:
4"The Church knows and teaches that all the saving influences of the Blessed Virgin on mankind originate from the divine pleasure. . .This saving influence is sustained by the Holy Spirit, Who, just as He overshadowed the Virgin Mary when He began in her the divine motherhood, in a similar way constantly sustains her solicitude for the brothers and sisters of her Son.''
Mary our mother is ever with us, guiding us, teaching us, caring for us, protecting us, loving us. With her maternal assistance we go to the Father through and with Christ in the Holy Spirit.
Mary nourishes our growth in Christ
with a very tender and specialized love for each of us. She regards each
of us as a precious, unique individual. John Paul II again speaks to us:
4"Of the essence of motherhood is the fact that it concerns the person. Motherhood always establishes a unique and unrepeatable relationship between two people: between mother and child and between child and mother. Even when the same woman is the mother of many children, her personal relationship with each one of them is of the very essence of motherhood. For each child is generated in a unique and unrepeatable way, and this is true both for the mother and for the child."
The Holy Father then applies these
ideas to Mary and us:
5"It can be said that motherhood in the order of grace preserves the analogy with what in the order of nature characterizes the union between mother and child. In the light of this fact it becomes easier to understand why in Christ's testament on Golgotha, His Mother's new motherhood is expressed in the singular, in reference to one man. Behold, your son."
This is the awesome and consoling truth—you and I are very precious to Mary. She loves us much more than we can ever fathom. It is our great privilege and responsibility to love her in return. She asks for this love, she asks for our trust. As we give our love and trust to our mother, she wants us to come to her at all times and in all circumstances.
Are we sorrowful, anxious, troubled? Let us go to Mary our mother and ask her to console us. Let us ask her for the grace to handle our sorrow, our anxieties, our troubles properly—according to God's will. In this way our suffering will bring us closer to Christ as it simultaneously allows us to contribute to the ongoing Christianization of the world.
Are we joyful, happy, basking in the glow of a goal successfully accomplished? Let us go to Mary and ask her to help us handle our joy, our happiness, our success as God intends. Let us petition her not to allow our joy to make us forgetful of God, our God Who is the source of all true joy, success, and happiness.
Are we finding it particularly
difficult to follow Christ in the here-and-now? In child-like trust we
can approach our mother. Let us ask her for the grace to realize that
the following of Christ is not always easy—that at times being a
follower of Christ challenges our courage in a special way. We can also
ask Mary to help us realize that even at such difficult times, Christ's
grace makes our burden relatively light. Jesus has told us:
Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest.
Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for yourselves. For my yoke is easy, and my burden light. (Mt.11:28-30).
Are we finding it is particularly
easy to follow Christ in the here-and-now? Let us go to Mary and ask her
for the grace to remain humble. Let us beseech Mary to keep us from
being inflated with pride, and ask her to help us realize that without
Jesus we can do nothing.
Mary, then, asks for our complete trust. She wants us always to seek shelter under her maternal mantle. She invites us to come to her in all circumstances—whether it be in joy or sorrow, success or failure, laughter or tears. Mary wants us to share in her maternal wisdom so that we may understand how to use our various experiences to come closer to God in Christ. Sharing our lives with Mary in this fashion, and on a consistent basis, requires that we love her, that we trust her, that we surrender ourselves to her maternal love.
Help us, Mother Mary, to probe ever more deeply into the depths of your love for us. Help us to realize more and more that to be loved by you is to experience a sweetness, a warmth, a tenderness, a serenity, a security, which makes us cry out, "O Mother, how good and loving you are!"
Notes
The Documents of Vatican II (New York: The America Press, 1966), Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, No. 61.
Ibid., No. 62.
Ibid., No. 60.
Pope John Paul II, The Mother of the Redeemer (Redemptoris Mater) (Washington: United States Catholic Conference, 1987), No. 38.
Ibid., No. 45.
ord,
too, shall pierce your Heart, O Mary!
5. Jesus
Dies on the Cross
7. Jesus
Is Locked in the Tomb
Statues,
Crucifixes, and Religious Artwork 
Copyright
© 2012 Shepherds of Christ.