Mary has requested that the daily message be given each day to the
world. It is read nightly at the prayer service from her Image Building in Clearwater,
Florida, U.S.A. This is according to her request. All attempts will be made to publish
this daily message to the world at 11 p.m. Eastern time, U.S.A.
We acknowledge that the final authority regarding these messages
rests
with the Holy See of Rome.
|
 |
May 15, 2003
May 16th Holy
Spirit Novena
Scripture selection is Day 3 Period II. |
The Novena Rosary
Mystery
for May 16th is Luminous. |
December 19, 1996
two days after Mary appeared on the building
"...the moon was
covered with blood."
December 22, 1996
five days after Mary appeared on the building
"And the moon will be covered with blood."
December 22, 2000
was Father Carter's funeral
December 19, 1996 - two days after Mary appeared on
the building
Received in a few minutes after Communion
St. Gertrude Church
Jesus speaks: My Beloved Ones,
You will know a great time of trial and darkness. I have
written to you of the great sufferings to come. The sinfulness of this world
greatly displeases Me. I beg you to pray for forgiveness and turn your hearts to
love.
And darkness covered the earth and the light was cast in
little corners of the earth. Those who were willful remained in intense
darkness, those who were rooted in God, and giving themselves to consecration,
were the children of the light.
And the light shown in the darkness and the darkness grasped
it not, but to as many as responded, they became the children of the light and
from them His life flowed into the hearts that were cold and dark and slowly,
very slowly, the light began to steal across the darkened sky and the moon was
covered with blood. The blood was the blood of the Lamb. The blood represented
the blood He shed to give us life. But the blind just saw ordinary blood and
were scared to death. They responded with the greatest fright and lacked peace,
but those rooted in God, those whose hearts were consecrated to Mary and Jesus,
knew the sign was from God--that the time of reckoning was at hand. Many were
punished and suffered a great chastisement. Many were left to death, but the
children of light prayed the rosary and trusted in God.
And the night was no more for the light of day came stealing
across the sky and myriads of angels filled the sky and the heavens. Sing
Alleluia, Praise the Lord, you saints and angels, show yourselves to the
survivors for they walked in darkness and could not see, but the light was alive
in their hearts and they dwelt within the furnace of His Heart.
Have no fear now, My people, for you are the children of the
light and My hand is forever upon you. You may suffer now a little, but it is
nothing compared to the splendor to come.
Messenger: Oh, reign of peace, reign of the
Sacred Heart, triumph of her Immaculate Heart, we wait for you anxiously for the
nights have been cold and dark and we cried a bitter cry in the darkness but we
knew of the glories to come for we forever trusted in You and Your mighty hand.
Your hand is struck with power. The Virgin Mary warned the
poor children that died an eternal death to mind their ways and they cried out,
"Not me, oh, no, God -- your ways are stiff necked and cruel. I want for
foolish pleasure now and tomorrow will care for itself."
And the Lord called and called and they marched into the
darkness with cold hearts, telling the Almighty God, 'no'.
Mary speaks: Oh, my children, my little
children of light, the time is nigh and many will be lost forever. I appeared
and warned and told all to mind their ways and come to the Heart of my Son and
they said "No, my Lady, not for you or any mother. We are children of
darkness and that we remain, for we seek our pleasure by day and feast on sin
all night and when you called, mother, we laughed at your Son and ignored Him
and His ways." And He called and His call fell on deaf ears.
Please, my children of light, come to my heart now for
although you walked next to the children of darkness. I smite the dragon that
whirled around you and protected you in my heart and you will now feast on the
glories of His Kingdom, my little children of light.
December 22, 1996 - five days after Mary appeared
on the building
Jesus speaks: Brace yourselves in the
Shepherds of Christ. You want to be Christ-like. Is this the true desire in your
heart or is it just words like the other words you give to Me?
Brace yourselves. I will lead the way with My rod and My
staff, but you must be strong to follow for the way is rocky and the rocks are
sharp. They cut through to the soul. They cut through to your heart.
You will be brought to your knees, you will beg for Me, you
will be molded and helped with in the abundant grace flowing from My Heart. My
little shepherd, so willful and so stupid in your ways, but I love you just the
same to My death, child. I love you and you do not see that all I give to you is
for your good.
I am not angry with you, My messenger. You must suffer now to
write My messages for the world. How could you write had you not experienced My
pain in your soul? You are My hand, that I am using to write the messages of My
Heart for the world. My Heart was crowned with thorns. So, too, will your heart
be pierced and wanting to bleed. Bleed, little heart, My Heart bled for you.
And the moon will be covered with blood. It was the blood of
the Lamb and it poured forth on a sinful world to cleanse them of their sin, and
I give you My Body and Blood in the Mass and I am ignored.
He slapped their hands and He smite their cheeks and they
laughed in their pain and continued their willful ways. But the day of reckoning
is at hand and I will separate the sheep from the goats and the sheep I will
take home with Me. The goats will know a day as they never knew before for My
justice will prevail.
When I warned they would not turn from their evil ways and I
could not reach them. They walked as blind men down the path of destruction and
who would have thought that the end of the road was so near. And at the end of
the road they continued to walk for in the darkness they could not see and they
fell into an everlasting pit of doom and suffering.
Justice will prevail. I am a good God. Justice and truth will
kiss. When I gave to them My warning they said, "Oh no, Lord," and
continued their sinful ways.
The time is at hand. My efforts and yours were in vain. I will
wipe their sick smiles from their evil mouths and they will suffer forever the
death of the soul.
I will not have mercy on these hard-necked cowards who
thought, in their pride, they could smite Me. I will throw the book at them and
they will suffer for their sinful ways.
Woe to them who led My children astray. Woe to them. They will
burn the eternal death of intense suffering for the murder of My young. And who
will help them then? They will know a death beyond all deaths and suffering
beyond all suffering. For a few moments of pleasure, they lost their souls
forever.
I am a just and merciful God. I give water to quench your
thirst, I bathe you in My divine love, but to the evil doers, I will curse their
name and wipe them from the face of the earth. I have spoken. Justice will
prevail. My hand is struck with power. The senseless ones will know My might.
Who will you call? You said 'no' to God and He struck you for
your sinful ways.
All honor and glory be to God for He has visited His people
and they cast Him aside. I will light the earth with My love and the dark hearts
will curse the night for they will be no more.
And justice will flourish in His time and fullness of peace
forever.
I have spoken. The deaf will not hear. My hand is the hand of
God and it is struck with power.
I say to the grass to grow and it grows, to the sun to shine
and it shines and to you I say, "Be ready for you know not the day nor the
hour. I come as a thief in the night to take your soul home to Me. Will you be
ready or will you be caught unprepared?"
Prepare ye a way to the Lord. Make ready His steps, My
shepherds. I guard you but you will suffer. You must be strong and not caught
off guard.
Purify your souls for I am coming and the earth will know My
light this Christmas for I will shine in the hearts of the just. I will shine on
My shepherds this Christmas. My light will shine in the hearts of those
consecrated to My Heart and the heart of My Mother.
Alleluia, a King is born this day. Put aside your silly ways,
your bows and tinsel, and praise God. He is in your midst. He reigns this day.
You are ignoring the King of Glory. Oh, sinful world, you are in for a weird
awakening.
And the light stole across the sky and the light of day shown
brighter than seven suns, not to the eye but in the hearts of His faithful ones,
the hearts consecrated to God.
Acts 2: 1-4
When Pentecost day came
round, they had all met together, when suddenly there came from heaven a
sound as of a violent wind which filled the entire house in which they
were sitting; and there appeared to them tongues as of fire; these
separated and came to rest on the head of each of them. They were all
filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak different languages as the
Spirit gave them power to express themselves.
May 15, 2003
Messenger:
Oh Our God is so good to us.
My life is lived for Him.
I love the Persons of the Trinity.
Here is a message Jesus gave to Fr. Carter
Excerpt from Tell My People
The Holy Spirit
Jesus: "My beloved friend, tell My people to pray daily to
the Holy Spirit. They are to pray for an increase in His gifts. My people
must realize that the Holy Spirit comes to transform them. The Spirit
desires to transform you more and more according to My image. Those who are
docile to His touch become increasingly shaped in My likeness. He performs
this marvel within Mary's Immaculate Heart. The more one dwells in My
Mother's Heart, the more active are the workings of the Spirit. The Spirit
leads Mary to place you within My own Heart. In both Our Hearts, then, your
transformation continues. The more you are formed after My own Heart, the
more I lead you to the bosom of My Father. Tell My people all this. Tell
them to pray daily for a greater appreciation of these wondrous gifts. I am
Lord and Master. All who come to My Heart will be on fire to receive the
gifts of the Spirit in ever greater measure! I love and bless My
people!"
end of excerpt from Tell My People
May 15, 2003 message continues
Messenger:
Jesus wants us to be in one mind and one
heart.
Fr. Carter wrote all those years, 18 books
about the Spiritual Life.
The Holy Spirit Novena Jesus gave to me
and asked us to pray it every day at 6:20.
It is now in 4 languages.
Holy Spirit Novena
Shepherds of Christ Publications
China, Indiana
This book is published by Shepherds of Christ Publications, a
subsidiary of Shepherds of Christ Ministries, a tax exempt religious public
charitable corporation organized to foster devotion to the Two Hearts, the
Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
For additional copies, contact us:
Shepherds of Christ Ministries
P.O. Box 193
Morrow, OH 45152-0193
(toll free number) 1-888-211-3041
(phone) 1-513-932-4451
(fax) 1-513-932-6791
http://www.SofC.org
Copyright © 1998 Shepherds of Christ Ministries
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.
First Period
Meditations Nine Days
- Romans
8:14-17
All who are guided by the Spirit of God are sons of God; for what
you received was not the spirit of slavery to bring you back into fear;
you received the Spirit of adoption, enabling us to cry out, 'Abba,
Father!' The Spirit himself joins with our spirit to bear witness that we
are children of God. And if we are children, then we are heirs, heirs of
God and joint-heirs with Christ, provided that we share his suffering, so
as to share his glory.
- Romans
8:5-9
Those who are living by their natural inclinations have their minds on the
things human nature desires; those who live in the Spirit have their minds
on spiritual things. And human nature has nothing to look forward to but
death, while the Spirit looks forward to life and peace, because the
outlook of disordered human nature is opposed to God, since it does not
submit to God's Law, and indeed it cannot, and those who live by their
natural inclinations can never be pleasing to God. You, however, live not
by your natural inclinations, but by the Spirit, since the Spirit of God
has made a home in you. Indeed, anyone who does not have the Spirit of
Christ does not belong to him.
- 1 John
4:12-16
No one has ever seen God, but as long as we love one another God remains
in us and his love comes to its perfection in us. This is the proof that
we remain in him and he in us, that he has given us a share in his Spirit.
We ourselves have seen and testify that the Father sent his Son as Saviour
of the world. Anyone who acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God
remains in him and he in God. We have recognised for ourselves, and put
our faith in, the love God has for us. God is love, and whoever remains in
love remains in God and God in him.
- 1 John
4:17-21
Love comes to its perfection in us when we can face the Day of Judgement
fearlessly, because even in this world we have become as he is. In love
there is no room for fear, but perfect love drives out fear, because fear
implies punishment and no one who is afraid has come to perfection in
love. Let us love, then, because he first loved us. Anyone who says 'I
love God' and hates his brother, is a liar, since whoever does not love
the brother whom he can see cannot love God whom he has not seen. Indeed
this is the commandment we have received from him, that whoever loves God,
must also love his brother.
- 1 John
4:7-11
My dear friends, let us love one another, since love is from God and
everyone who loves is a child of God and knows God. Whoever fails to love
does not know God, because God is love. This is the revelation of God's
love for us, that God sent his only Son into the world that we might have
life through him. Love consists in this: it is not we who loved God, but
God loved us and sent his Son to expiate our sins. My dear friends, if God
loved us so much, we too should love one another.
- Acts of
the Apostles 1:1-5
In my earlier work, Theophilus, I dealt with everything Jesus had done and
taught from the beginning until the day he gave his instructions to the
apostles he had chosen through the Holy Spirit, and was taken up to
heaven. He had shown himself alive to them after his Passion by many
demonstrations: for forty days he had continued to appear to them and tell
them about the kingdom of God. While at table with them, he had told them
not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait there for what the Father had
promised. 'It is', he had said, 'what you have heard me speak about: John
baptised with water but, not many days from now, you are going to be
baptised with the Holy Spirit.'
- Acts of
the Apostles 1:6-9
Now having met together, they asked him, 'Lord, has the time come for you
to restore the kingdom to Israel?' He replied, 'It is not for you to know
times or dates that the Father has decided by his own authority, but you
will receive the power of the Holy Spirit which will come on you, and then
you will be my witnesses not only in Jerusalem but throughout Judaea and
Samaria, and indeed to earth's remotest end.'
As he said this he was lifted up while they looked on, and a cloud took
him from their sight.
- Acts of
the Apostles 1:12-14
So from the Mount of Olives, as it is called, they went back to Jerusalem,
a short distance away, no more than a Sabbath walk; and when they reached
the city they went to the upper room where they were staying; there were
Peter and John, James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and
Matthew, James son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot, and Jude son of
James. With one heart all these joined constantly in prayer, together with
some women, including Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers.
- Acts of the Apostles 2:1-4
When Pentecost day came round, they had all met together, when suddenly
there came from heaven a sound as of a violent wind which filled the
entire house in which they were sitting; and there appeared to them
tongues as of fire; these separated and came to rest on the head of each
of them. They were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak
different languages as the Spirit gave them power to express themselves.
Second Period
Meditations Nine Days
- John
14:21-31
Whoever holds to my commandments and keeps them is the one who
loves me; and whoever loves me will be loved by my Father, and I shall
love him and reveal myself to him.'
Judas-not Judas Iscariot-said to him, 'Lord, what has happened, that you
intend to show yourself to us and not to the world?' Jesus replied:
Anyone who loves me will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we
shall come to him and make a home in him. Anyone who does not love me does
not keep my words. And the word that you hear is not my own: it is the
word of the Father who sent me. I have said these things to you while
still with you; but the Paraclete, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will
send in my name, will teach you everything and remind you of all I have
said to you. Peace I bequeath to you, my own peace I give you, a peace
which the world cannot give, this is my gift to you. Do not let your
hearts be troubled or afraid. You heard me say: I am going away and shall
return. If you loved me you would be glad that I am going to the Father,
for the Father is greater than I. I have told you this now, before it
happens, so that when it does happen you may believe. I shall not talk to
you much longer, because the prince of this world is on his way. He has no
power over me, but the world must recognise that I love the Father and
that I act just as the Father commanded. Come now, let us go.
- John
17:11-26
I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am
coming to you. Holy Father, keep those you have given me true to your
name, so that they may be one like us. While I was with them, I kept those
you had given me true to your name. I have watched over them and not one
is lost except one who was destined to be lost, and this was to fulfil the
scriptures. But now I am coming to you and I say these things in the world
to share my joy with them to the full. I passed your word on to them, and
the world hated them, because they belong to the world no more than I
belong to the world. I am not asking you to remove them from the world,
but to protect them from the Evil One. They do not belong to the world any
more than I belong to the world. Consecrate them in the truth; your word
is truth. As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world,
and for their sake I consecrate myself so that they too may be consecrated
in truth. I pray not only for these but also for those who through their
teaching will come to believe in me. May they all be one, just as, Father,
you are in me and I am in you, so that they also may be in us, so that the
world may believe it was you who sent me. I have given them the glory you
gave to me, that they may be one as we are one. With me in them and you in
me, may they be so perfected in unity that the world will recognise that
it was you who sent me and that you have loved them as you have loved me.
Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, so that
they may always see my glory which you have given me because you loved me
before the foundation of the world. Father, Upright One, the world has not
known you, but I have known you, and these have known that you have sent
me. I have made your name known to them and will continue to make it
known, so that the love with which you loved me may be in them, and so
that I may be in them.
- I
Corinthians 15:20-28
In fact, however, Christ has been raised from the dead, as the
first-fruits of all who have fallen asleep. As it was by one man that
death came, so through one man has come the resurrection of the dead. Just
as all die in Adam, so in Christ all will be brought to life; but all of
them in their proper order: Christ the first-fruits, and next, at his
coming, those who belong to him. After that will come the end, when he
will hand over the kingdom to God the Father, having abolished every
principality, every ruling force and power. For he is to be king until
he has made his enemies his footstool, and the last of the enemies to
be done away with is death, for he has put all things under his feet.
But when it is said everything is subjected, this obviously cannot include
the One who subjected everything to him. When everything has been
subjected to him, then the Son himself will be subjected to the One who
has subjected everything to him, so that God may be all in all.
- Revelation
3:1-3,12,16-19
'Write to the angel of the church in Sardis and say, "Here is the
message of the one who holds the seven spirits of God and the seven stars:
I know about your behaviour: how you are reputed to be alive and yet are
dead. Wake up; put some resolve into what little vigour you have left: it
is dying fast. So far I have failed to notice anything in your behaviour
that my God could possibly call perfect; remember how you first heard the
message. Hold on to that. Repent! If you do not wake up, I shall come to
you like a thief, and you will have no idea at what hour I shall come upon
you.
Anyone who proves victorious I will make into a pillar in the sanctuary of
my God, and it will stay there for ever; I will inscribe on it the name of
my God and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem which is
coming down from my God in heaven, and my own new name as well.
'...but since you are neither hot nor cold, but only lukewarm, I will spit
you out of my mouth. You say to yourself: I am rich, I have made a fortune
and have everything I want, never realising that you are wretchedly and
pitiably poor, and blind and naked too. I warn you, buy from me the gold
that has been tested in the fire to make you truly rich, and white robes
to clothe you and hide your shameful nakedness, and ointment to put on
your eyes to enable you to see. I reprove and train those
whom I love: so repent in real earnest.'
- Revelation
5:9-14
They sang a new hymn: You are worthy to take the scroll and to
break its seals, because you were sacrificed, and with your blood you
bought people for God of every race, language, people and nation and made
them a line of kings and priests for God, to rule the world.
In my vision, I heard the sound of an immense number of angels gathered
round the throne and the living creatures and the elders; there were ten
thousand times ten thousand of them and thousands upon thousands,
loudly chanting:
Worthy is the Lamb that was sacrificed to receive power,
riches, wisdom, strength, honour, glory and blessing.
Then I heard all the living things in creation-everything
that lives in heaven, and on earth, and under the earth, and in the sea,
crying:
To the One seated on the throne and to the Lamb, be all
praise, honour, glory and power, for ever and ever.
And the four living creatures said, 'Amen'; and the elders
prostrated themselves to worship.
- Revelation
7:14-17
I answered him, 'You can tell me, sir.' Then he said, 'These are the
people who have been through the great trial; they have washed their robes
white again in the blood of the Lamb. That is why they are standing in
front of God's throne and serving him day and night in his sanctuary; and
the One who sits on the throne will spread his tent over them. They
will never hunger or thirst again; sun and scorching wind will
never plague them, because the Lamb who is at the heart of the throne
will be their shepherd and will guide them to springs of living water;
and God will wipe away all tears from their eyes.'
- Revelation
12:1-8
Now a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman, robed with the sun, standing
on the moon, and on her head a crown of twelve stars. She was pregnant,
and in labour, crying aloud in the pangs of childbirth. Then a second sign
appeared in the sky: there was a huge red dragon with seven heads and ten
horns, and each of the seven heads crowned with a coronet. Its tail swept
a third of the stars from the sky and hurled them to the ground,
and the dragon stopped in front of the woman as she was at the point of
giving birth, so that it could eat the child as soon as it was born. The
woman was delivered of a boy, the son who was to rule all the
nations with an iron sceptre, and the child was taken straight up to
God and to his throne, while the woman escaped into the desert, where God
had prepared a place for her to be looked after for twelve hundred and
sixty days.
And now war broke out in heaven, when Michael with his angels
attacked the dragon. The dragon fought back with his angels, but they were
defeated and driven out of heaven.
- Revelation
14:1-7
Next in my vision I saw Mount Zion, and standing on it the Lamb who had
with him a hundred and forty-four thousand people, all with his name and
his Father's name written on their foreheads. I heard a sound coming out
of heaven like the sound of the ocean or the roar of thunder; it was like
the sound of harpists playing their harps. There before the throne they
were singing a new hymn in the presence of the four living creatures and
the elders, a hymn that could be learnt only by the hundred and forty-four
thousand who had been redeemed from the world. These are the sons who have
kept their virginity and not been defiled with women they follow
the Lamb wherever he goes; they, out of all people, have been redeemed to
be the first-fruits for God and for the Lamb. No lie was
found in their mouths and no fault can be found in them.
Then I saw another angel, flying high overhead, sent to announce the
gospel of eternity to all who live on the earth, every nation, race,
language and tribe. He was calling, 'Fear God and glorify him, because the
time has come for him to sit in judgement; worship the maker
of heaven and earth and sea and the springs of water.'
Revelation 19: 7-8
let us be glad and joyful and give glory to God, because this is the time
for the marriage of the Lamb. His bride is ready, and she has been able to
dress herself in dazzling white linen, because her linen is made of the
good deeds of the saints.'
- 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.
Scriptural quotations are taken from The New Jerusalem Bible,
Doubleday & Co.
Imprimatur granted by Cardinal Hume.
end of Holy Spirit Novena
May 15, 2003 message continues
Messenger:
I love the scripture Jesus told me to
include. It is so beautiful.
May 15, 2003 message continues
Messenger:
Jesus wants us to advance in the
Spiritual life.
The Movement majorly exists to help us
to do this.
Every day is a new day to grow more and
more in our union with God.
Every day we become closer to our
last days to be on this earth.
Excerpt from Priestly Newsletter 1998 - ISSUE FOUR
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."
3
Notes:
3. Joseph Cardinal Bernardin, The Gift of
Peace, Loyola University Press, pp. 151-153.
end of excerpt from Priestly Newsletter 1998 - ISSUE FOUR
Excerpt
from Priestly Newsletter 1998 Issue 1
Suffering
To
follow Jesus entails a willingness to suffer for Him and His cause. The
furthering of any worthwhile cause demands a spirit of sacrifice, a
willingness to endure a variety of hardships and difficulties. We cannot
expect it to be otherwise regarding the cause of Christ. To help further the
process of ongoing redemption demands a price.
There
is an almost endless variety of pains, sufferings, and difficulties which can
arise in following Jesus and promoting His cause. At times seeing few, if any,
visible results of our labors, feeling unappreciated, experiencing opposition,
sometimes comprehending that we are being hated precisely by some of those
whom we are striving to help, at times being laughed at and ridiculed—these
are some of the ways we experience the sufferings of an apostle.
The
suffering involved in contributing to the process of ongoing redemption is
not, however, the complete picture. The happiness resulting from commitment to
Christ and His mission far outweighs the hardships. To be aware that one is so
intimately loved by Jesus, to experience the satisfaction that one is
contributing to a cause that cannot fail, to play a role in helping to bring
to others the love and peace of Jesus—all of this makes for a life that has
no equal. The committed follower of Christ, experiencing what it means to be
closely associated with Jesus, realizes why St. Peter said, Lord,…it is
wonderful for us to be here. (Mt. 17:4).
1 John 4: 7-10
The
source of love
My dear friends,
let us love one another,
since love is from God
and everyone who loves
is a child of God and knows God.
Whoever fails to love does not know God,
because God is love.
This is the revelation
of God’s love for us,
that God sent his only Son into the world
that we might have life through him.
Love consists in this:
it is not we who loved God,
but God loved us and sent his Son
to expiate our sins.
May 15, 2003 message continues
Messenger:
Loving does mean following God's will —
obeying God's commandments —
two people that are sinning in
their relationship with each
other are not acting lovingly
John 15: 9-17
I have loved you
just as the Father has loved me.
Remain in my love.
If you keep my commandments
you will remain in my love,
just as I have kept
my Father’s commandments
and remain in his love.
I have told you this
so that my own joy may be in you
and your joy be complete.
This is my commandment:
love one another,
as I have loved you.
No one can have greater love
than to lay down his life for his friends.
You are my friends,
if you do what I command you.
I shall no longer call you servants,
because a servant does not know
the master’s business;
I call you friends,
because I have made known to you
everything I have learnt from my Father.
You did not choose me,
no, I chose you;
and I commissioned you
to go out and to bear fruit,
fruit that will last;
so that the Father will give you
anything you ask him in my name.
My command to you
is to love one another.
John 14: 23-29
Jesus replied:
Anyone who loves me will
keep my word,
and my Father will love him,
and we shall come to him
and make a home in him.
Anyone who does not love me
does not keep my words.
And the word that you hear
is not my own:
it is the word of the Father who sent me.
I have said these things to you
while still with you;
but the Paraclete, the Holy Spirit,
whom the Father will send in my name,
will teach you everything
and remind you of all I have said to you.
Peace I bequeath to you,
my own peace I give you,
a peace which the world cannot give,
this is my gift to you.
Do not let your hearts be troubled
or afraid.
You heard me say:
I am going away and shall return.
If you loved me you would be glad
that I am going to the Father,
for the Father is greater than I.
I have told you this now,
before it happens,
so that when it does happen
you may believe.
May 15, 2003 message continues
Messenger:
Jesus ascended into heaven and left
us here as apostles to spread
the good news.
Mark 16: 15-20
And he said to them, ‘Go out to
the whole world; proclaim the gospel to all creation. Whoever
believes and is baptised will be saved; whoever does not believe will be
condemned. These are the signs that will be associated with
believers: in my name they will cast out devils; they will have the gift
of tongues; they will pick up snakes in their hands and be
unharmed should they drink deadly poison; they will lay their hands on the
sick, who will recover.’
And so the Lord Jesus, after he had
spoken to them, was taken up into heaven; there at the right hand of God
he took his place, while they, going out, preached everywhere,
the Lord working with them and confirming the word by the signs that
accompanied it.
Matthew 28: 19-20
Go, therefore, make disciples of all
nations; baptise them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the
Holy Spirit, and teach them to observe all the commands I gave
you. And look, I am with you always; yes, to the end of time.’
John 14: 15-17
If you love me
you will keep my commandments.
I shall ask the Father,
and he will give you another Paraclete
to be with you for ever,
the Spirit of truth
whom the world can never accept
since it neither sees nor knows him;
but you know him,
because he is with you, he is in you.
John 14: 23-26
Jesus
replied:
Anyone who loves me will
keep my word,
and my Father will love him,
and we shall come to him
and make a home in him.
Anyone who does not love me
does not keep my words.
And the word that you hear
is not my own:
it is the word of the Father who sent me.
I have said these things to you
while still with you;
but the Paraclete, the Holy Spirit,
whom the Father will send in my name,
will teach you everything
and remind you of all I have said to you.
John 16: 5-7, 12-13
but now I am going to the one
who sent me.
Not one of you asks,
‘Where are you going?’
Yet you are sad at heart
because I have told you this.
Still, I am telling you the truth:
it is for your own good that I am going,
because unless I go,
the Paraclete will not come to you;
but if I go,
I will send him to you.
I still have many things to say to you
but they would be too much for you
to bear now.
However, when the Spirit of truth comes
he will lead you to the complete truth,
since he will not be speaking
of his own accord,
but will say only what he has been told;
and he will reveal to you
the things to come.
May 15, 2003 message continues
Messenger:
Fr. Carter wrote on the spiritual life.
The book he wrote here was a pocket
book synopsis of the spiritual
life with messages Jesus gave
to him.
I beg you to help us get this to the priests
with the prayer manual during
this Easter season.
We have the packages ready to send
to the priests, we need the postage.
We still desperately need the funds for
the printing for this mailing.
Please as a messenger from God,
I beg you to help us do this
which Jesus says.
The Father said the Spirituality Handbook
sent to the priests will help change
the face of the earth.
Please help us.
The Spirit moves within us —
we must follow God's plan
Synopsis of the Spiritual life
Spirituality Handbook —
Shepherds of Christ Associates
SPIRITUALITY HANDBOOK
Contents
We recognize and accept that the final authority regarding these messages
rests
with the Holy See of Rome, to whose judgment we willingly submit.
© Copyright 1995 Shepherds of Christ Publications
Rights for non-commercial reproduction granted:
May be copied in its entirety, but neither re-typed nor edited.
The Shepherds of Christ Spirituality Handbook is available from
Shepherds of Christ Ministries
P.O. Box 193
Morrow, Ohio 45152-0193
Telephone: (toll free) 1-888-211-3041 or (513) 932-4451
FAX: (513) 932-6791
"My beloved priest-companion, I intend to use the
priestly newsletter, Shepherds of Christ, and the movement, Shepherds
of Christ Associates, in a powerful way for the renewal of My Church and
the world.
"I will use the newsletter and the chapters of Shepherds
of Christ Associates as a powerful instrument for spreading devotion to
My Heart and My Mother's Heart.
"I am calling many to become members of Shepherds
of Christ Associates. To all of them I will give great blessings. I will
use them as instruments to help bring about the triumph of the Immaculate
Heart and the reign of My Sacred Heart. I will give great graces to the
members of Shepherds of Christ Associates. I will call them to be
deeply united to My Heart and to Mary's Heart as I lead them ever closer to
My Father in the Holy Spirit."
- Message from Jesus to Father Edward J.
Carter, S.J., Founder, as given on July 31, 1994, feast of Saint Ignatius
Loyola, Founder of the Society of Jesus (The Jesuits)
1
During the summer of 1993, Father Edward J. Carter, S.J.,
Professor of Theology at Xavier University, Cincinnati, Ohio, began to
receive mystical locutions (messages) from Jesus and Mary on a regular
basis.
In a message given on May 31, 1994, Jesus asked Father
Carter to begin the publication of a spirituality newsletter for priests. To
be sent to more than 60,000 priests in the U.S.A., and also to priests in
other countries, the newsletter is published by Shepherds of Christ
Publications, an arm of Shepherds of Christ Ministries, and will be
distributed bi-monthly. The title of the newsletter is Shepherds of
Christ.
Jesus has asked that chapters be formed to pray for the
needs of priests around the world. The chapters are to pray in a special way
for the spiritual success of the priestly newsletter, as well as to aid in
the financial support of this publication. The chapters and members are to
be called Shepherds of Christ Associates.
Our Lord has stressed that Shepherds of Christ Associates
become an international movement.
2
- A primary purpose of the chapters of Shepherds of
Christ Associates is to pray for all priests throughout the
world in all their needs. A coequal purpose is to provide a spiritual
way of life for members of the chapters. The chapters are to pray in a
special way for the spiritual success of the priestly newsletter, Shepherds
of Christ. Prayer for the acquisition of monetary funds to publish
the letter is also in order. The chapters are to meet on a regular
basis, with the members of each chapter to determine the exact frequency
of meetings. All chapters are encouraged to meet on a weekly basis. If
for various other reasons certain chapters cannot meet weekly, they
should meet at least once a month.
- All persons--lay persons, diocesan clergy, and priests,
brothers, and sisters in religious life--are invited to become members
of Shepherds of Christ Associates. Those who are already
committed to a certain way of spiritual life may adapt the spirituality
of Shepherds of Christ Associates to their own particular
spirituality.
- In addition to the purpose of the chapters as put forth
above, the members of each chapter are encouraged to help raise money to
defray some of the newsletter publication costs and some of the
financial needs of the Shepherds of Christ Associates
movement. One way for chapters to financially aid the newsletter is to
pledge to pay for a certain number of newsletters each year. Our Lord
has asked that the newsletter be sent to the priests free of charge,
although donations may be requested in the newsletter itself.
- A further purpose of the chapters is to undertake those
activities which Jesus, through the Spiritual Director, further reveals
to be His will.
- The formation of as many chapters as is reasonably
possible is to be encouraged. Multiple chapters may exist in the same
city or area. Each chapter is to have its own local coordinator, and
each country its own national coordinator.
- A periodic newsletter for associates will be published
to help establish the desired bond or union between all chapters and all
members.
- Members of Shepherds of Christ Associates
pledge their loyal support to the Holy Father, the Pope, and to the
teaching authority of the Church.
- Shepherds of Christ Associates exists
under Church law as provided in canons 298 and 299.
- The existence and activity of all chapters is to be
placed under the special protection and guidance of the Sacred Heart of
Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Chapters exist so that they may,
according to the mission of Shepherds of Christ Associates,
help to establish the triumph of the Immaculate Heart of Mary and the
reign of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. All chapter members are strongly
encouraged to consecrate themselves to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the
Immaculate Heart of Mary.
3
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.
The Christian life is rooted in the great event of the
Incarnation. We must consequently always focus our gaze upon Christ,
realizing that everything the Father wishes to tell us has been summed up in
the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. It only remains for us, then, to
strive to understand with greater insight the inexhaustible truth of the
Word Incarnate: "In many and various ways God spoke of old to our
fathers by the prophets; but in these last days He has spoken to us by a
Son, Whom He appointed the heir of all things, through Whom also He created
the world." (Heb. 1: 1-2) (1)
What was the condition of the human race at the time of
Christ's coming? In some ways, people were much the same as we are today.
There were those just being born into this world of human drama. There were
those who, in death, were leaving it, some of whom had grasped but little of
life's meaning. There were those who were healthy and vigorous. There were
those who were sick and lame. Some especially felt the burdens, the grief,
the suffering of the human condition. Others were ebullient and desired all
the pleasures life could provide. There was some good being accomplished.
Immorality, however, was rampant. What St. Paul tells us concerning the time
that immediately followed Christ's existence certainly could also be applied
to the time of His entrance into the world. It is, in short, an ugly picture
that St. Paul depicts for us (Rom. 1: 22-32).
Into such a depraved condition Jesus entered, with a full
and generous Heart, to lead the human race from the depths of sinfulness to
the vibrant richness of a new life in Himself. Through His enfleshment, this
Christ became the focal point of all history. The authentic hopes and dreams
of the human family, now so overshadowed by the ugliness of sin, came
converging upon this Christ. He would gather them up in Himself, give them a
new luster and brilliance and dynamism, and would lead the human family back
to the Father in the Holy Spirit.
Christ was radically to release us from the dominion of
sin and elevate us to a new level of existence. This life Christ has given
us is not a type of superstructure which is erected atop human existence.
Although nature and grace are distinct, they do not lie side by side as
separate entities. Rather, grace permeates nature. The Christian is one
graced person. The Christian is one who has been raised up, caught up, into
a deeper form of life in Christ Jesus. Nothing that is authentically human
in the life of the Christian has been excluded from this new existence.
Whatever is really human in the life of the Christian is meant to be an
expression of the Christ-life. The simple but deep joys of family life, the
wonderment at nature's beauty, the warm embrace of a mother for her child,
the agony of crucial decision making, the success or frustration that is
experienced in one's work, the joy of being well received by others, and the
heartache of being misunderstood--all these experiences are intended to be
caught up in Christ and made more deeply human because of Him.
Jesus has come, then, not to destroy anything that is
authentically human, but to perfect it by leading it to a graced
fulfillment. This is the meaning of the Word's becoming flesh, the meaning
of the Incarnation. The more God-like we become through Christ, the more
human we become.
We, through our incorporation into Christ which occurs at
Baptism, are meant to relive the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. In
doing so, we are not only accomplishing our own salvation, but we are
assisting in the salvation of others also. The Incarnation continues all the
time. Christ, of course, is the one Who fundamentally continues the
Incarnation. But He enlists our help. The world no longer sees Jesus, no
longer is able to reach out and touch Him. We are the ones who now, in some
way, make Christ visible and tangible. In union with the invisible,
glorified Christ, and depending on Him as our source of life, we continue
the Incarnation in its visible and temporal dimensions. This is our great
privilege. This is our great responsibility.
The Christian is initiated into the mystery of Christ,
into his or her role in prolonging the Incarnation, through Baptism. In the
words of St. Paul: "Do you not know that all of us who have been
baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? We were buried
therefore with Him by Baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from
the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of
life." (Rom. 6: 3-4).
It is not sufficient, however, that we be incorporated
into Christ through Baptism. All forms of life require nourishment. So, too,
our life in Christ must be continually nourished. How can we continually
keep in contact with Christ? There are various ways. We contact Christ in a
most special way through the liturgy, above all in the Eucharistic liturgy.
Here the entire course of salvation history, as centered in Jesus, is
sacramentally renewed and continued. Through our most special and most
personal meeting with Jesus in the Mass, we are more deeply incorporated
into Christ. Also, we should remember that all the sacraments make up part
of the Church's liturgy.
The reading of Scripture provides another special
opportunity for meeting Jesus. This is true for both Old and New Testaments.
The Old Testament prefigures the New Testament and leads to it. It is
obvious, however, that we meet Christ especially in the pages of the New
Testament. How true it is to say that not to be familiar with Scripture is
not to know Jesus properly. We should resolve to read from Scripture daily.
We also meet Jesus in our interaction with others.
Everyone we meet, everyone we serve, is in the image of Jesus. We have to
take the means to grow in this awareness. If I truly believe that everyone
has been redeemed by the blood of Jesus, how should I treat everyone?
These, then, are some of the ways we keep in contact with
Jesus. Common to the various ways of meeting Jesus is a certain degree of
prayerful reflection. Our contact with Jesus in the liturgy, in Scripture,
and in our interaction with others, and so forth, will not be all that it
should be unless we are persons of prayer. The light and strength of prayer
enables us to keep in contact with Jesus as we should.
We live out our Christ-life in an atmosphere of love.
Indeed, the life Jesus has given us is centered in love. It has its origins
in the mysterious love of God: "For God so loved the world that He
gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have
eternal life" (Jn 3: 16).
Our new life in Jesus has arisen out of God's fathomless
love. Christ, in His descent into human flesh, has established a milieu of
love. The life He came to give can flourish only in the framework of love.
Indeed, we can summarize the meaning of the Christian life by stating that
it is our loving response to God's love. The pierced Heart of Jesus, this
Heart which shed its last drop of blood in the greatest love for each one of
us, is the symbol of God's tremendous love for us. Christ's Heart also calls
us to respond by giving ourselves in love to God and neighbor. Yes, Jesus
invites us to respond to God's love by giving ourselves in love to Him in an
ever closer union. The more closely we are united to Him, the greater is our
capacity to love God and neighbor. The more closely we are united with
Jesus, the more closely He unites us to the Father in the Holy Spirit, with
Mary our Mother at our side.
We have already spoken of how we are incorporated into
Christ at Baptism. Now we shall speak of the life which comes to us in
Baptism in terms of consecration:
"To consecrate means to make sacred, to make holy.
Only God can make a being holy. So to speak of our consecration is to
speak of God's activity in making us holy, His activity of giving us a
share in His own holiness. At Baptism we receive a share in God's life, a
share in His holiness. Christ is the Mediator of this grace life. We are
baptized into Christ, into His death and resurrection. In Baptism we
become holy by sharing in the holiness of Christ. We become consecrated,
sealed with the divine holiness. We belong to the Father, through Christ,
in the Holy Spirit.
"On our part, we must respond to God's consecration
of us. We must live out the consecration of Baptism. We must realize what
God has done for us in Christ and live according to this awareness. We
need to live the life of holiness and grow in it. In other words, we must
develop the life of grace, the Christ-life.
"What God has done for us in Christ involves Mary.
God has given us a Christ-life, our life of grace, and Mary is the Mother
of this Christ-life. Consequently, living out our life of consecration to
God--living out the Christ-life--includes allowing Mary to increasingly be
the Mother of our Christ-life.
"Consecration to Mary, therefore, is an aspect of
our consecration to Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. It is entrusting
ourselves entirely to her maternal love so that she can bring us ever
closer to Jesus, so that we can increasingly live out our consecration to
God in Christ.
"At Fatima, Our Lady asked that we consecrate
ourselves to her Immaculate Heart. Mary shows us her heart as a symbol of
her love for God and us. She asks us to make a return of love to her, to
consecrate ourselves to her, to give ourselves to her completely. She
wants us to entrust ourselves to her completely so that she may help us
love God and neighbor.
"As stated above, consecration to Mary is an aspect
of our consecration to God in Christ and she has asked for consecration to
her Heart so that she may assist us. Christ, in turn, invites us to live
out this consecration to Him through consecration to His Sacred Heart. We
see the divine symmetry: consecration to the Immaculate Heart helps us to
live out consecration to Christ Who reveals His Heart as symbol of His
life of love in all its aspects, including His tremendous love for each of
us individually. His Heart also asks for our love in return, a return
which ideally is summed up in consecration to Jesus' Heart. Through this
consecration we give ourselves completely to Jesus through the Immaculate
Heart. In this consecration to Jesus, we promise to strive to live
according to His Father's will in all things." (2)
He hung upon a cross on a hill called Calvary. Death was
near. How much Jesus had already suffered! He had been brutally scourged.
Much of His sacred body was a bloody, open wound. He had been derisively
crowned with thorns. In a terribly weakened condition, He carried the heavy
cross to the hill of Golgotha. There He was stripped of His garments and
mercilessly nailed to the cross. Try to imagine the excruciating pain Jesus
suffered as the nails penetrated His sacred hands and feet! After all this
brutal and agonizing suffering--of body and spirit--Jesus finally died.
And He did it all for you! Yes, you can truly say that
Jesus did it all for you. I can say that Jesus did it all for me. He
suffered and died for the whole human race, but He did it in a way which
makes it true to say He also did it for each individual. When He was
undergoing all the brutal and horrible suffering, He knew you and He knew me
by name. He was loving each of us with the most tender, and tremendous, and
unique love! He gave the last drop of His precious blood for you
individually and for me individually!
What should be our return to this magnificent Heart of
Jesus which gave until there was no more to give? No less than our entire
selves. No less than a total consecration to this tremendous Lover, to this
magnificent and tender Heart! No less than a day-by-day resolve to strive to
live our consecration with the deepest faith, hope, and love. No less than
the deepest desire to develop the most intimate, personal relationship with
Jesus. The total and the most tender love of Jesus' magnificent Heart for
you and for me deserves nothing less!
As Jesus hung upon the cross in His excruciating
suffering, He gave Mary to us as our spiritual Mother:
"…standing by the cross of Jesus were His
Mother, and His Mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary
Magdalene. When Jesus saw His Mother, and the disciple whom He loved
standing near, He said to His Mother, 'Woman, behold, your son!' Then He
said to the disciple, 'Behold, your Mother!'" (Jn 19: 25-26).
Yes, John, the disciple, represented all of us. Jesus, in
giving Mary to John as His Mother, was giving her to all of us as our
spiritual Mother. We can never thank Jesus sufficiently for this great gift.
Mary is your Mother and she is my Mother. Pope John Paul II tells us how
Mary is Mother to each of us according to each one's uniqueness:
"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…
"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." (3)
Let us always thank Mary that she is the Mother of each of
us according to each one's uniqueness. I can truly say that Mary is my
Mother in an unrepeatable way, and you can truly say that she is your Mother
in an unrepeatable way. Realizing what a great and unique love Mary has for
each of us, what reason could we ever have for not always going to her? What
reason could we ever have for not asking her to take us as her beloved
children and to hold us close to her maternal and Immaculate Heart where we
always experience the love, the warmth, the tenderness of this magnificent
Mother?
The best way to return love to Jesus is through
participation in the Mass. Indeed, the Mass is the chief source for growth
in our life of consecration. Everything in the life of the Church, including
the sacraments--centers around the Eucharistic Sacrifice.
All the faithful are privileged to be able to enter into
the offering of the Mass:
"The sacrifice of the Mass, as we well know, makes
truly present the sacrifice of Calvary. At His sacrifice on Calvary,
Christ was Priest and Victim. We obviously did not offer together with
Him. At the Mass, however, Christ, although He is the chief Priest and
Victim, does not act alone. Through God's gracious design, at Mass all the
members of the Church are priests and victims together with Christ. To be
sure, there is a very significant difference between the priesthood of
bishops and priests and the priesthood of the faithful. The point we wish
to stress, however, is that the universal priesthood, given in Baptism to
all the faithful, is a real participation in Christ's priesthood.
"Vatican II has stressed this concept of the
priesthood of all the Church's members. Speaking of the Mass, the Council
says: '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.'
"During all our Christ-like activities, we are
living the Mass. Working, recreating, laughing, weeping, enjoying success
but also experiencing failure, enjoying the beauties of nature--through
all such activities, we are living the Mass. We are continually offering
ourselves in loving conformity to the Father's will. From time to time
during the day, we should make a conscious act of uniting ourselves and
our activities with the sacrifice of Calvary as it is made present
throughout the world through the Mass.
"A very precious time during the Mass is, of
course, our reception of Jesus in Holy Communion. We should make the most
of these special moments. Let's properly thank Jesus for coming to us with
His Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity. Let's thank Jesus for the tremendous
suffering He experienced in order to be able to give us the Eucharist. As
Jesus dwells within us in this precious way at Communion time, the very
Heart of Christ--this Heart which is symbol of His great love--dwells
within. This Heart cries out for our love in return.
"One of the great means God has given us to help
prepare ourselves for better participation in the Mass is the Sacrament of
Reconciliation. Our Lady of Medjugorje asks us to go to Confession at
least once a month.
"Indeed, we should use all available means to
prepare ourselves for a more fruitful participation in the Eucharistic
Sacrifice. It is a great privilege to be able to be present at, and to
participate in, the Mass. We should show Jesus our appreciation for such a
great gift by preparing ourselves as best we can, and in this way we will
gain the greatest possible benefit from the Mass, both for ourselves and
for others.
"Included in our devotion to the Eucharist should
be our desire to make Eucharistic reparation. One way to do this is to say
often the following Fatima 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 the tabernacles
of the world, in reparation for the outrages, sacrileges, and
indifferences 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 sinners.'" (4)
Besides saying the above prayer, there are other acts of
Eucharistic reparation we can make. One of these is to be sure we make
adequate thanksgiving after Mass. One of the intentions we should have at
this time is to help make reparation for the lack of proper thanksgiving on
the part of many. Pope Pius XII speaks about the duty of spending the proper
time in thanksgiving:
"When at Mass, which is subject to special rules of
the liturgy, is over, the person who has received Holy Communion is not
thereby freed from his duty of thanksgiving; rather, it is most becoming
that, when the Mass is finished, the person who has received the Eucharist
should recollect himself and, in intimate union with the Divine Master,
hold loving and fruitful converse with Him. Hence they have departed from
the straight way of truth who, adhering to the letter rather than the
sense, assert and teach that, when Mass has ended, no such thanksgiving
should be added, not only because the Mass is itself a thanksgiving, but
also because this pertains to a private and personal act of piety and not
to the good of the community." (5)
The Holy Spirit is given to us to transform us in the
likeness of Christ. This is an ongoing process. Here is a message of Jesus
which speaks to the issue:
"My beloved friend, tell My people to pray daily to
the Holy Spirit. They are to pray for an increase in His gifts. My people
must realize that the Holy Spirit comes to transform them. The Spirit
desires to transform you more and more according to My image. Those who
are docile to His touch become increasingly shaped in my likeness. He
performs this marvel within My Mother's Heart. The more one dwells in My
Mother's Heart, the more active are the workings of the Holy Spirit. The
Spirit leads Mary to place you within My Heart. In both of Our Hearts,
then, your transformation continues. The more you are formed after My own
Heart, the more I lead you to the bosom of My Father. Tell My people all
this. Tell them to pray daily for a greater appreciation of these wondrous
gifts. I am Lord and Master! All who come to My Heart will be on fire to
receive the gifts of the Spirit in ever greater measure! I love and bless
My people!" (Message of Jesus given to Father Carter).(6)
God calls us to live Christian existence, the spiritual
life, within the Church--the Church which Christ has established. This
Church is a many splendored reality. It has many different names, images and
dimensions that variously attest to and manifest this multifaceted richness.
All of them, however, speak of the one, same reality. Here is a message of
Jesus which speaks of His Church:
"My beloved priest-companion, remind My people that
the Church was born from My Heart, pierced with the soldier's lance on
Calvary. From My pierced Heart the Church and her sacraments were born.
Two of these sacraments, the Eucharist and Baptism, were symbolized by the
blood and water which flowed from My pierced side.
"As the Church was born from My pierced Heart, so
does the Church's life grow from the graces I continually give to her from
My pierced Heart, this Heart which is now glorified.
"I call all the members of My Church to help build
up My Body, the Church, by coming to My pierced Heart. United to My Heart
and dwelling within It, I will give to each the light and strength to
carry out My Father's will in the building up of My Church.
"Mary is Mother and Model of the Church. As Mother
of the Church, she intercedes for all the graces the members need to
contribute to the building up of My Church. As Model of the Church, as
perfect imitator of Me, she shows the children of the Church how all,
individually and collectively, are to be increasingly formed in My image.
As all come to My Heart for the building up of My Church, let them do so
united in the Heart of Mary.
"My Church is experiencing critical and difficult
times. There are many divisions within My Church. There are many false
teachings, including some put forth by certain theologians. These false
teachings occur because those responsible for such are not in proper union
with My vicar, the Pope, and the Church's Magisterium. I want all My
children to pray daily for the cure of the many and serious ills of the
Church. With the increase of prayers and sacrifices for the health of the
Church, that day will soon come when the Church will be purified and
revitalized. When that day comes, the renewed Church will be characterized
by the triumph of the Immaculate Heart and the reign of My Sacred Heart.
Thus the message of Fatima will have reached its completion.
"I am Lord and Master. I request that all My people
listen to My words and respond to them. I love My people with a tremendous
love and, in this great love, I give them this message!"(Message from
Jesus given to Father Carter). (7)
The life of sanctifying grace expresses itself through the
various Christian virtues. Let us take a brief look at this life:
"The Persons of the Blessed Trinity have
communicated Themselves to us in lavish love. When a person is in the
state of grace, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit dwell within that person in
an extraordinary fashion.
"Such is the intimacy of this Trinitarian
communication that the Persons of the Trinity imprint Their image upon us.
This image is our life of grace, our created participation in the life of
the Trinity. We receive this life at Baptism, and our privilege and
responsibility are to develop it as fully as possible during our earthly
journey before experiencing its culmination in eternal life.
"Because Christ in His humanity is Mediator of our
life of grace, it possesses not only a Trinitarian dimension, but a
Christic aspect as well. We can readily understand, then, why our
grace-life is very appropriately also called the Christ-life.
"Our Christ-life is centered in faith and love.
Christian faith gives us an extraordinary capacity to know realities about
God and the things of God. The virtue of Christian love allows us to
accompany this faith-knowledge with an appropriate love-response.
Christian hope is the chief support of faith and love. Finally, all the
other Christian virtues are variously connected with these three main
Christian capacities." (8)
We hear much about faith and love, the two main Christian
virtues. However, hope is also extremely important. One of the aspects of
the virtue of hope is trust. Let's listen to a message of Jesus regarding
trust:
"My beloved priest-companion, tell my people to
trust Me unreservedly. I am Lord and Master. I am God. So many fail to
trust Me as they should. I love all My people much more than they love
themselves! The great love I have for each person should encourage all to
trust Me! The more you realize how much a friend loves you, the more you
place your trust in that person. I am your perfect Friend. I love you
much, much more than your best earthly friend! Tell My people to trust Me
completely. Tell them to say often, 'Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place my
trust in You.'" (Message of Jesus as given to Father Carter). (9)
Here is a message from Mary on prayer. She tells us of the
great importance of prayer regarding the spiritual life:
"My beloved priest-son, many times I have taught
you the great importance of prayer. I have obtained for you the grace so
that you love to pray, not only during your set periods of prayer, but
also during the day in a way which permits you to perform your daily
duties. I have taught you to always be aware that all prayer should be
made in union with the Mass. Indeed, the Eucharistic sacrifice is itself
the greatest prayer. All other prayer should be consciously united with
the Mass which is constantly being offered throughout the world. I have
taught you the great importance of praying before the tabernacle. My Son
is present there in the Eucharist--Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity.
Special graces are given to those who pray before the tabernacle.
"There is much to pray for in these most critical
times. The Church and the world exist in most difficult times. I desire
that all my children pray daily for all the needs of the Church and the
world. I ask for special prayer for the conversion of sinners.
"I ask that my children pray the rosary each day.
Very special graces are given to those who do so. During these days of
great purification, I promise special protection to those who regularly
pray the rosary. I also promise protection to their loved ones.
"Whatever form of prayer my children use, it should
always be made in union with my Immaculate Heart. The more my children are
united to me, the more I lead them to make their prayer in the Heart of my
Son, Jesus. He, in turn, places all prayers in the bosom of the Father in
the unity of the Holy Spirit.
"My dear son, keep reminding all my little ones of
the great importance of prayer for their own needs and the needs of all
others. Keep telling them of the great necessity of prayer for growth in
love of God and neighbor. I love all my children with the most tender
love. I desire that all listen to my words and live them in their daily
lives!" (Message of Mary as given to Father Carter). (10)
Our incorporation into Christ at Baptism, and the gradual
nurturing in that life, is centered in the pattern of death-resurrection.
Indeed, the theme of death-resurrection is at the heart of salvation
history. Let us briefly consider its place in the Old Testament, in the New
Testament, and in our own lives, always remembering that any form of
death--that is, any form of suffering--is meant to lead to greater life,
greater peace, greater happiness.
The theme of death-resurrection is at the heart of Old
Testament history. The Jewish people, under the leadership of Moses,
experienced death-resurrection as they were formed into the people of the
covenant, God's people. In the great Exodus event, they escaped Egyptian
slavery, went on to Mt. Sinai where the covenant was ratified, and then
progressed to the Promised Land. As members of the Mosaic covenant, as God's
people, the Jews experienced religious transition. They passed over to a
higher level of religious existence, to a more intimate union with God.
This religious transition contained death-resurrection.
For the Jews to become people of the covenant, to remain so, and to grow in
the life of the covenant, it was necessary that they undergo a mystical or
spiritual death. In short, the Jewish people had to be willing to bear that
which was difficult in covenant life. They had to be willing to die to that
which was not according to God's will. This mystical death, however, had a
very positive purpose. It was directed at life in the covenant and at growth
in that life. This spiritual death, in other words, was aimed at
resurrection.
Christ perfectly fulfilled the Old Testament theme of
death-resurrection. In doing so, He, too, was experiencing a religious
transition. He was passing over--gradually at first, then definitively in
His death--to a new kind of existence, to the life of His resurrection,
which He achieved not only for Himself, but for the entire human race. To
achieve this newness of life, Jesus was willing to pay the price. Jesus was
willing to suffer, even unto death. That it had to be that way, that the
only way Christ could have achieved resurrection was through suffering and
death, was pointed out by Jesus Himself to the two disciples on the road to
Emmaus: "O foolish men, and slow of heart to believe all that the
prophets have spoken! Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer
these things and enter into His Glory?" (Lk 24: 25-26).
Christ has structured the Christian life by the way He
lived, died, and rose from the dead. It is obvious, then, that the pattern
of death-resurrection must be at the heart of the Church's life.
Individually and collectively, we continually die with Christ so that we may
continually rise with Him. Thus we pass over, in a process of continued
religious transition, to a greater participation in Jesus' resurrection. It
is true that our participation in Jesus' resurrection will reach its
completion only in eternal life. Nevertheless, we begin the life of
resurrection here on earth, in the here and now of human life, in the midst
of joy and pain, in the experience of success and failure, in the sweat of
our brow, in the enjoyment of all of God's gifts. As Christians, we should
have a sense of growth concerning our here-and-now life of resurrection.
Some seem to have a rather static view of the Christian life. They do not
seem to have a vital and efficacious realization that the spiritual life,
centered in death-resurrection, should become more conscious, more
experiential, more dynamically relative to daily existence.
We cannot maintain the life of resurrection--our newness
of life in Christ--without a willingness to suffer, a willingness to follow
Jesus in the carrying of the cross. This does not mean that we need to feel
overwhelmed and heavily burdened by the suffering in our lives. The greater
portion of suffering for most Christians seems to be an accumulation of
ordinary hardships, difficulties, and pains. At times, however, deep
suffering, even suffering of agonizing proportions, can enter one's life.
Whether our sufferings are of either the ordinary variety or the extreme and
rare type, we must convince ourselves that to properly relate to the cross
is to grow in resurrection. And to grow in resurrection ourselves means that
we have an increased capacity to help give resurrection to others.
The pierced Hearts of Jesus and Mary are the great symbols
reminding us that to love God and neighbor requires a willingness to suffer.
How much Jesus and Mary suffered for love of you and me! Our consecration to
Their Hearts includes a willingness to carry the cross, not as an end in
itself, but as a means to greater life. As we bear the cross in loving
conformity to the Father's will, we grow in the Christ-life. With Mary at
our side we come closer to Christ. Jesus, in turn, leads us closer to the
Father in the Holy Spirit. And as we ourselves grow in the Christ-life, we
become more apt instruments in helping to channel this life to others. Yes,
the cross of Christ always points to life!
The true Christian is imbued with a proper consciousness
of others. That is to say, the true Christian is keenly aware that a great
part of God's plan for us tells us that we must, according to His will,
relate in various ways to our fellow human beings. Indeed, the Christian
imperative tells us that we are to walk life's path, not in isolation, but
hand in hand with our brothers and sisters of the human family.
To relate to others according to God's will, we must be
properly aware of who they really are. We must, in short, be able to go
beneath surface appearances, which may or may not be appealing to us, and
contact others in their core existence. When we are truly in touch with
others at the core of their beings, we are aware of their awesome dignity.
We are conscious that these persons are created and redeemed by God's love.
We are conscious that our merciful and loving Jesus shed His last drop of
blood for each of them, that His Heart was pierced on the cross because He
loved each of them without measure! We are conscious that this magnificent,
pierced Heart, now in Its glorified state, still beats with the most special
love for each individual upon this earth. Realizing all this, and doing so
consistently, gives us the basis and the motivation to try to relate to
all--both those we directly contact and those billions we never physically
meet--with the greatest love.
In order to be in touch with the inner self of others, we
must be aware of, or in touch with, our own true self. This awareness is a
realization that our self is likewise made in the image of God, that we have
been redeemed by Christ, and that we can only find true happiness through
the constant effort to grow in love of God and neighbor. Here, then, we can
see the profound interaction among the three awarenesses and
loves--awareness and love of God, neighbor, and self. As Christians,
consequently, we should have a maturing sense of how our existence is, in
varied ways, profoundly linked with the existence of others. Again, this
feeling of union with others is not limited to those we directly meet, but,
in various ways, is directed to all members of the human family.
The world in which we live is an amazing mixture of that
which is good and beautiful and brilliant and that which is sinful and ugly
and dreadful. We have the privilege and responsibility of shaping this
contemporary world according to its Christological imprint. Jesus put this
image of Himself upon the world order by the way He lived and died and rose.
We have to help in directing our fellow humans and their values along the
path which has been made by the footprints of Jesus of Nazareth--a task that
is not always easy. There are so many forces in today's world that work
against Christ, His message, and the order He came to establish! But are we
going to allow the forces of evil to discourage us from doing all we
possibly can to make this a better world according to the designs of Christ?
Jesus paid a terrible price to redeem the world. His Heart, which was
pierced on the cross for our redemption, cries out to us in His great love
for us. He asks us to do our part in helping make the world better reflect
His image. In response to the great love which the Heart of Jesus has for
each of us, let us, in union with Mary our Mother, often ask ourselves,
"What have I done for Christ, what am I now doing for Christ, what am I
going to do for Christ?"
St. Joseph is Patron of the Universal Church. His power of
intercession is indeed great. Joseph, while on earth, enjoyed extraordinary
closeness to Jesus and Mary. And His union with them in heaven is even
greater. Let us each day pray to St. Joseph to obtain for us the grace to
come ever closer to the Hearts of Jesus and Mary.
We should also pray to the other saints in heaven,
especially our favorite saints. The saints are members of the Church
triumphant. We should also pray for the souls in purgatory and to them (they
can help us). The souls in purgatory are members of the Church suffering.
We, who are members of the Church militant here on earth, make up one Church
with the saints in heaven and the souls in purgatory. We should be aware of
the common bond which unites us in Christ.
We should also pray to the angels for help, especially to
the archangels Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael, and to our own guardian
angels.
We have given a proposed way of spiritual life for members
of Shepherds of Christ Associates. All aspects of this way of
life center in the living out of the act of consecration to the Hearts of
Jesus and Mary. Making and living out this consecration is our return of
love to Jesus and Mary and, through them, our return of love to the Father
and the Holy Spirit. Indeed, our consecration to the Hearts of Jesus and
Mary is also consecration to the Father and the Holy Spirit. We should
always remember that our consecration to the Sacred Heart and to the
Immaculate Heart is the way according to which Jesus and Mary invite us to
live out our baptismal consecration, the consecration which originally made
us belong to the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Let us always remember that
we go to the Father through Christ, in the Holy Spirit, with Mary our Mother
at our side.
We strongly encourage members of Shepherds of Christ
Associates to reread regularly all of the above in a prayerful
manner. This will provide an ongoing aid to help members grow in their
consecration to the Hearts of Jesus and Mary.
Notes:
1. Scripture quotations are taken from The Revised
Standard Version of the Bible, Catholic Edition, St. Ignatius Press, San
Francisco.
2. Edward Carter, S.J., Mother at Our Side, Faith
Publishing, Milford, Ohio, 1993, pp. 15-17.
3. Pope John Paul II, The Mother of the Redeemer (Redemptoris
Mater), United States Catholic Conference, Washington, D.C., 1987, No.
38.
4. Edward Carter, S.J., The Spirituality of Fatima and
Medjugorje, Faith Publishing, Milford, Ohio, 1994, pp. 89-92. Vatican II
quotations are from The Documents of Vatican II, America Press edition.
5. Pope Pius XII, Mediator Dei, No. 123.
6. From Tell My People, Shepherds of Christ
Publications, Cincinnati, Ohio, 1994, p. 9.
7. Ibid.
8. Edward Carter, S.J., Prayer Perspectives, Alba
House, Staten Island, New York, 1987, p. 12.
9. Tell My People, op. cit.
10. Ibid.
May 15, 2003 message continues
Messenger:
We have many packets ready to go
May 15, 2003 message continues
Messenger:
Here is the Spirituality Handbook in
Spanish.
We are trying to reach 10,000 priests
before the Easter season is over as
Jesus wants.
Please help us —
It's almost over
May 15, 2003 message continues
Jesus speaks:
Oh My people,
My beloved ones in Florida —
do not lose heart —
I have called you to be a united body
and follow My directions
Glorious Mysteries
Between decades Glory, Glory, Glory
Lord
Resurrection
1.
Jesus rose from the dead.
2. The
stone was pushed back.
3. I
feel like a stone is in the way trying
to tell
the people what Jesus has said.
4. He
can outpour His grace on the people
of the
earth and give them special
grace to
respond.
5. We
must not lose heart in our prayers —
Mary
appears to tell us to keep
praying
for light for those in darkness.
6. God
is light in Him there is no darkness.
7. Jesus
is God.
8. We must spread this
good news and
the fact
Jesus love us so much.
9. God
the Father loves us — He sent
His only
Son.
10. God
the Holy Spirit loves us — He
wants to
fill our hearts on fire
with
love.
Ascension
1.
Jesus ascended into heaven.
2. Jesus
left the apostles here to do His work.
3. We are apostles today
continuing that work.
4. Life
is short here on earth.
5. Look at how things age
and die.
6. We
can constantly progress more and more in the
spiritual
life.
7. God
can outpour His grace on us.
8. God
can outpour His grace on us so we
will see
with the light of 7 suns.
9. God
gives us so many gifts.
10. God gives us the priests, the
Church and the sacraments.
Sing: Come Holy Spirit fill our hearts
enkindle in us the fire of God's love
Descent of Holy Spirit on the Apostles
1.
The Shepherds of Christ is a big part of the
completion of the Fatima mission.
2. October
13, 1994
The Birth of the Full Ministries of the Shepherds of
Christ
"I wish to share with you part of a message
which Jesus gave us on October 13, 1994. The message tells us about the
expansion of the Shepherds of Christ movement:
'My beloved priest-companion, today I come to you with another mission. I
am asking you to establish Shepherds of Christ Ministries. At My request
you have already begun the priestly newsletter, "Shepherds of
Christ", and the prayer chapters, Shepherds of Christ Associates...
'I
am giving you this message on this day, the 77th Anniversary of the Great
Apparition at Fatima, because of the close connection between the
Shepherds of Christ movement and the Fatima message. The Fatima message is
centered in devotion to My Heart and My Mother's Heart, especially in
consecration to Our Hearts. Shepherds of Christ Ministries is also
centered in devotion to Our Hearts. I will use Shepherds of Christ
Ministries as a great instrument in helping to bring about the triumph of
the Immaculate Heart and the reign of My Sacred Heart. When this occurs,
My Church and the world will be experiencing the great era of peace
promised by My Mother at Fatima.
'Today, then, October 13, 1994, the 77th Anniversary of the Great
Apparition at Fatima, marks the birth of Shepherds of Christ Ministries. I
pour forth the great love of My Sacred Heart to all. I am Jesus, Chief
Shepherd of the flock.'
end of October 13, 1994
message given to Fr.
Carter
3.
John 7: 37-39
The promise of living water
On the last day, the great day of the festival, Jesus
stood and cried out:
‘Let anyone who is thirsty come to me!
Let
anyone who believes in me
come and drink!
As scripture says, "From his
heart shall flow streams of living water." ’
He was
speaking of the Spirit which those who believed in him were to receive; for
there was no Spirit as yet because Jesus had not yet been glorified.
4. John
14: 15-17
If you love me
you will keep my commandments.
I shall ask the Father,
and he will give you another Paraclete
to be with you for ever,
the Spirit of truth
whom the world can never accept
since it neither sees nor knows him;
but you know him,
because he is with you, he is in you.
5.
John 14: 23-26
Jesus
replied:
Anyone who loves me
will keep my word,
and my Father will love him,
and we shall come to him
and make a home in him.
Anyone who does not love me
does not keep my words.
And the word that you hear
is not my own:
it is the word of the Father who sent me.
I have said these things to you
while still with you;
but the Paraclete, the Holy Spirit,
whom the Father will send in my name,
will teach you everything
and remind you of all I have said to you.
6. John
16: 5-7, 12-13
but now I am going to the one
who sent me.
Not one of you asks,
‘Where are you going?’
Yet you are sad at heart
because I have told you this.
Still, I am telling you the truth:
it is for your own good that I am going,
because unless I go,
the Paraclete will not come to you;
but if I go,
I will send him to you.
I still have many things to say to you
but they would be too much for you
to bear now.
However, when the Spirit of truth comes
he will lead you to the complete truth,
since he will not be speaking
of his own accord,
but will say only what he has been told;
and he will reveal to you
the things to come.
7. Acts
2: 1-4
When Pentecost day came
round, they had all met together, when suddenly there came from heaven a
sound as of a violent wind which filled the entire house in which they
were sitting; and there appeared to them tongues as of fire; these
separated and came to rest on the head of each of them. They were all
filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak different languages as the
Spirit gave them power to express themselves.
8. Matthew
28: 19-20
Go, therefore, make disciples of all
nations; baptise them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the
Holy Spirit, and teach them to observe all the commands I gave
you. And look, I am with you always; yes, to the end of time.’
9. Luke
4: 18-19
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.
10. We
are imprisoned when we are
caught in
the web of sin.
Sing: Come Holy Ghost
Assumption
1.
Sing: Immaculate Mary
2. Mary
was taken into heaven.
3. We
want to be pure.
Mary is
our model.
4. Message given to Fr. Carter
Mary Our Mother - from Tell My People
Jesus: "My beloved friend, tell My people to come to My
Mother. From the cross, as I was suffering indescribable agony, I gave Mary
as spiritual Mother to the world. My great love for My people prompted Me to
do this. I am Lord and Master, and I want My people to come to My Mother and
their Mother. If you wish to be close to Me, come to Mary. Consecrate
yourselves to her. In this way you will grow into the closest union with Me.
Through her Immaculate Heart, you will be drawn more and more into My own
Heart. It is My desire that you allow My Mother to place you within My Heart
which loves you with an unfathomable love! This is My wish—that you
come to Me enfolded by Mary's mantle, cradled in her arms, pressed against
her Heart."
5. Message given to Fr. Carter
The Riches of the Immaculate Heart - from Tell
My People
Mary: "My beloved priest-son, how often I have pressed you to
my maternal and Immaculate Heart in the greatest love! How often I allow you
to taste the sweetness of this Heart. How often I make you aware that my
Heart is your refuge where you feel so much loved, where you feel so secure,
where you feel bathed in peace! I desire that you tell all the people about
the riches contained in my Immaculate Heart. Tell my people to come to my
Heart each day. I will caress them with my maternal love. I will lead them
ever closer to the Sacred Heart of my Son. I will tell them to listen to
Jesus. I will remind them that He is their Lord and Master. I will remind
them to do whatever He tells them to do.
"Yes, my dearly beloved son, tell my people all these things. Keep
reminding them of my great love for them. Keep reminding them how I love to
draw them to my maternal and Immaculate Heart!"
6. Message given to Fr. Carter
The Tears and Sorrows of Mary - from Tell My
People
Mary: "My beloved priest-son, I have given you a great
devotion to my sorrows and tears. Tell my people about this devotion. Tell
them I promise great blessings to all who say seven Hail Marys each day in
honor of my tears and seven sorrows. Included in my promise is that of
granting special assistance at the hour of death. At this moment, all who
practice this devotion will see my face."
7. Message given to Fr. Carter
Mary, Model and Teacher of Love - from
Tell My People
Mary: "My beloved priest-son, I have led you to greatly
increase your prayers and sacrifices for others. I have often reminded you
of my teaching at Fatima—that many souls go to Hell because they have no
one to pray and make sacrifices for them. My Immaculate Heart longs that
all my little ones be saved. Tell my little ones that they must love their
neighbor through prayer, sacrifices, and other ways, too. All should learn
from me. My Heart is symbol, not only of my great love for God, but also
of my tender love for all my little ones. Imitate my love for God and all
my children. If you love Jesus and me, this means you also love all of
God's children. Jesus died for all. You cannot exclude anyone from your
love.
"My Heart is the perfect imitator of the Heart of my Son. I will
teach you how to love the Father and all mankind after the example of
Jesus. All my little ones, I long for you to come to my Heart so I can
teach you the ways of love! I love you so much! Come to my Immaculate
Heart. Pressed against my Heart, I will hold you in my arms. I will clothe
you with my motherly and protective mantle. As I hold you close to my
Heart, I will teach you the ways of love!"
8. August 1, 1994
Pray For The Success Of The Priestly
Newsletter - Shepherds of Christ
Messenger: The following is the first
official message I received before the statue of Mary at Our Lady of the Holy
Spirit Center. It is a personal message for Father Carter.
Mary speaks: (in front of the glowing
statue of Our Lady of Sorrows) I am the Immaculate Heart. My Heart is glowing
for love of all my beloved children. I am your most loving Mother. I am with
you this day. Pray for the success of the priestly newsletter Shepherds of
Christ. I am guarding your way. You will receive such graces to accomplish
this task! Grace from God is so abundantly bestowed on you and will lead to
the success of this endeavor! Pray for this cause at the Center. The priests
will lead the people to the love of My beloved Son. This is no little task. It
will take many prayers and graces. Pray hard, little one. Your prayers will
change many hearts.
I am Mary, your Immaculate Mother. I bring
this message to My beloved priest-son.
9. July
31, 1994 message given to Fr. Carter
"My beloved priest-companion, I intend to use the
priestly newsletter, Shepherds of Christ, and the movement, Shepherds
of Christ Associates, in a powerful way for the renewal of My Church and
the world.
"I will use the newsletter and the chapters of Shepherds
of Christ Associates as a powerful instrument for spreading devotion to
My Heart and My Mother's Heart.
"I am calling many to become members of Shepherds of
Christ Associates. To all of them I will give great blessings. I will
use them as instruments to help bring about the triumph of the Immaculate
Heart and the reign of My Sacred Heart. I will give great graces to the
members of Shepherds of Christ Associates. I will call them to be
deeply united to My Heart and to Mary's Heart as I lead them ever closer to
My Father in the Holy Spirit."
10.
Age of the Two Hearts - Given to Fr. Carter from Tell My
People
Jesus speaks: "My beloved priest-companion, I have
allowed you to experience in extraordinary fashion the riches contained in
My Heart and My Mother's Heart. I desire that you tell all My people about
these riches. I desire that My people consecrate themselves to My Sacred
Heart and to Mary's Immaculate Heart. My people are living in the beginnings
of the age of the Two Hearts.
"After the time of the purification is completed,
this new era of the Church and the world will become firmly established.
This era will be characterized by the triumph of the Immaculate Heart and
the reign of My Sacred Heart. All those who consecrate themselves to My
Heart and to My Mother's Heart will help to establish this glorious new age.
I am Lord and Master. Please listen to My urgent request. Within Our Hearts
you will experience the love and security, the peace and the joy, which you
all desire. I love My people with a tremendous love, and in My love I give
them this message!"
Coronation
1.
Revelation Chapter 12
The vision of the woman and the dragon
Now a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman, robed with
the sun, standing on the moon, and on her head a crown of twelve stars. She
was pregnant, and in labour, crying aloud in the pangs of childbirth. Then
a second sign appeared in the sky: there was a huge red dragon with seven
heads and ten horns, and each of the seven heads crowned with a coronet. Its
tail swept a third of the stars from the sky and hurled them to the
ground, and the dragon stopped in front of the woman as she was at the
point of giving birth, so that it could eat the child as soon as it was
born. The woman was delivered of a boy, the son who was to rule
all the nations with an iron scepter, and the child was taken straight
up to God and to his throne, while the woman escaped into the desert, where
God had prepared a place for her to be looked after for twelve hundred and
sixty days.
And now war broke out in heaven, when
Michael with his angels attacked the dragon. The dragon fought back with
his angels, but they were defeated and driven out of heaven. The great
dragon, the primeval serpent, known as the devil or Satan, who had led all
the world astray, was hurled down to the earth and his angels were hurled
down with him. Then I heard a voice shout from heaven, 'Salvation and power
and empire for ever have been won by our God, and all authority for his
Christ, now that the accuser, who accused our brothers day and night before
our God, has been brought down. They have triumphed over him by the blood of
the Lamb and by the word to which they bore witness, because even in the
face of death they did not cling to life. So let the heavens rejoice and all
who live there; but for you, earth and sea, disaster is coming-- because the
devil has gone down to you in a rage, knowing that he has little time left.'
As soon as the dragon found himself
hurled down to the earth, he sprang in pursuit of the woman, the mother of
the male child, but she was given a pair of the great eagle's wings to fly
away from the serpent into the desert, to the place where she was to be
looked after for a time, two times and half a time. So the serpent
vomited water from his mouth, like a river, after the woman, to sweep her
away in the current, but the earth came to her rescue; it opened its mouth
and swallowed the river spewed from the dragon's mouth. Then the dragon was
enraged with the woman and went away to make war on the rest of her
children, who obey God's commandments and have in themselves the witness of
Jesus.
2.
Mary
speaks: My
beloved nursing home ones,
And I call you children for you are my children and I am your Mother Mary.
Oh my beloved people of the earth, oh my beloved elderly, I ask you to offer
your days every day — whatever
it is that you do that day in trying to do God’s will offer it as a
sacrifice and an offering to God in union with the Mass to help to bring
down grace for the souls of this earth. Your life is so important. There are
so many today that are sinning and in need of healing grace. In your
suffering at the nursing home think of the souls of the earth that are
crying out because of their pain and how they need to know of God’s love.
Offering up your days in the nursing home and the elderly can make such a
difference to the souls of this earth when you offer your days as a
sacrifice united to the Mass that grace will be released for the souls that
are hurting. I am the Mother of love and I want the children of this earth
to know the love of my Son Jesus. I appear here on this building in
Clearwater and you are given this recording as a special gift to circulate
it and to show it to your friends and others so that all the earth will know
that I am Mary your Mother and I appear here to reach my hurting children of
this earth in need of grace. I ask you my elderly to especially offer up
your lives for the souls that are hurting in this world. Your life is so
important for the souls of this earth. My Son Jesus gave His life on the
cross for the precious souls and He has asked me today to ask you to offer
up the little things that you do everyday in trying to do God’s will in
union with the Mass that grace will be released for the souls of this earth.
I am Mary your Mother. My children are hurting and many are dropping into
hell like rain. My children will you help me? Will you hear the plea of my
Son Jesus? For He wants them to know that He loves them so dearly and He
wants them to love Him in return.
The prayer has been given
to you. It is on a card and it is a very small prayer. Say it every day and
throughout the day to remind yourself how important your life is when you
offer it up in trying to do God’s will for the souls of this earth. I am
Mary your Mother. Will you hear my cry to you today? Will you circulate
these videos that my children of the earth will know that I am Mary and I
appear here? These videos are not only for the nursing homes. They are for
all the souls of the earth that they will be able to see me...
Mary
speaks: I
am Mary your Mother. This is a gift that God the Father has given to this
earth. I have appeared on this building every day for over 6 years. I ask
you to help circulate the pictures of this image that people will know that
I am speaking to them, that my Son Jesus is calling out to the world to obey
the commandments.
My children God loves
you. This is the love your heart
craves. Your time is so short on this earth. Please hear the words that
I speak to you today and see Our images as We appear here before you...
3. Mary speaks:
This Movement, Shepherds of Christ,
is my Son's Movement to help
bring about the completion of the
mission I began at Fatima.
4. Mary
speaks: Please reach the priests
with the Spirituality Handbook
my Son gave Fr. Carter.
5. The
Holy Spirit - Given to Fr. Carter in Tell My People
book
Jesus: "My beloved friend, tell My people to pray daily to
the Holy Spirit. They are to pray for an increase in His gifts. My people
must realize that the Holy Spirit comes to transform them. The Spirit
desires to transform you more and more according to My image. Those who
are docile to His touch become increasingly shaped in My likeness. He
performs this marvel within Mary's Immaculate Heart. The more one dwells
in My Mother's Heart, the more active are the workings of the Spirit. The
Spirit leads Mary to place you within My own Heart. In both Our Hearts,
then, your transformation continues. The more you are formed after My own
Heart, the more I lead you to the bosom of My Father. Tell My people all
this. Tell them to pray daily for a greater appreciation of these wondrous
gifts. I am Lord and Master. All who come to My Heart will be on fire to
receive the gifts of the Spirit in ever greater measure! I love and bless
My people!"
6. Mary
speaks: Pray for grace my children.
7. Mary
speaks: Pray the prayers my Son has given
you in the prayer manual.
8. Mary speaks:
I am Mary your Mother.
9. Mary speaks:
My children are crying, they need this
message. Help me.
10. Mary speaks: I
am Mary your Mother I love you so much.
Sing: Immaculate Mary
We spent $1700 yesterday
on postage for the priest mailing.
Can anyone help us?
Envelopes are ready
to be mailed for priests
but we don't have
any postage money.
We need money for the
Spanish speaking priestly mailing.
You can put it on your
credit card,
call Morrow.
Shepherds of Christ Ministries
P.O. Box 193
Morrow, OH 45152
(toll free) 1-888-211-3041
1-513-932-4451
The Nursing Home Video
January 5, 2003
is available.
We urgently, urgently
need
funds for the
priestly mailing!
Please help us!
Here
is the schedule for our web radio
May 16, 2003.
4:00
a.m. - Mass
4:37
a.m. - November 13, 1996 Live
Rosary
5:57
a.m.
- Songs from Jesus
6:20
a.m. - 6:20 prayers led by Father Carter
Holy Spirit Novena
Shepherds of Christ Prayer Manual
Rosary
7:23
a.m. - Grace by Father Carter
read by Father Mike Paraniuk
8:31
a.m. - August 20, 1996 Rosary
from the Mass Book
9:43
a.m. - Spirituality Handbook
read by Father Carter
11:17
a.m. - January
13, 1996 Live
Rosary
12:47
p.m. - Newsletter 2001 Issue 2
read by Father Mike
Paraniuk
3:26
p.m. - Songs from Jesus
4:00
p.m. - Mass
4:37
p.m. - Tell My People
read by Father Carter
6:08
p.m. - Songs from Jesus
6:20
p.m. - 6:20 prayers led by Father Carter
Holy Spirit Novena
Shepherds of Christ Prayer Manual
Rosary
7:23
p.m. - Spirituality Handbook
read by Rita Ring
8:38
p.m. - Choose Life
9:40
p.m. - Mary's Message
10:37
p.m. - Response to God's Love chapter 1
11:35
p.m. - Messages from December 12, 2002
feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe
12:23
a.m. - Newsletter 2000 Issue 1
read by Father Carter
1:42
a.m. - Love Songs and Messages
October 1, 1994
2:46
a.m. - Rosary of Light led by Rita Ring
3:40
a.m. - Songs from Jesus
4:00
a.m. - Mass
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© 2003 Shepherds
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Translations are welcome but they must be reviewed for moral and
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All scripture quotes are from the
New Jerusalem Bible, July 1990, published by Doubleday.
Revised: May 15,
2003
URL: http://www.sofc.org
Contact Information for Shepherds
of Christ
Email: info@SofC.org
Shepherds of Christ Ministries
P.O. Box 193
Morrow, Ohio 45152-0193
Telephone: (toll free) 1-888-211-3041 or (513) 932-4451
FAX: (513) 932-6791