June 11, 2009
We are the servants of God.
We should walk fearlessly doing God's will.
What else is there —
What reason to live — if we live not for the
will of God
Living in love — as God has commanded —
Be not afraid
Sing: Be Not Afraid
We are servants of God
Be not Afraid —
The world is afraid of itself —
The world afraid of its future —
Living in oneness with God - diminishes fear —
God is all powerful
God is almighty
God is
God gives us the Word
God gives us the Commandments
God gives us His holy Church —
Jesus remains with us truly present in
His Divinity and humanity
Be not afraid
I go before you, Jesus says —
We follow the Good Shepherd —
We walk behind, Our Lord —
We are focused on Him —
The world of today is lonely —
Open your heart and let God speak in your
heart in these troubled times —
Be under the Standard of Christ
Knowing how powerful is our prayer —
The Church leading us in the torrential waters —
Our hearts consumed with love —
Love is our arms in this cold world —
Love of God - first - doing all things because
we love God and we want to please Him —
Loving others as ourselves —
Walking hand-in-hand
The Lord is my Shepherd
Psalm 23: 1-6
Yahweh is my shepherd, I lack
nothing.
In grassy meadows he lets me lie.
By tranquil streams he leads me
to restore my spirit.
He guides me in paths of saving justice
as befits his name.
Even were I to walk in a ravine as
dark as death
I should fear no danger, for you are at my side.
Your staff and your crook are there to soothe me.
You prepare a table for me
under the eyes of my enemies;
you anoint my head with oil;
my cup brims over.
Kindness and faithful love pursue me
every day of my life.
I make my home in the house of Yahweh
for all time to come.
One follows Jesus with hearts of love —
The devil wants one to be self-focused, selfish
Prayer from
St. Ignatius
Lord,
teach me to be generous.
Teach me to serve you as you deserve;
To give and not to count the cost;
To fight and not to heed
the wounds;
To toil and not to seek for rest;
To labor and not to ask
for any reward,
Save that of knowing
that I am doing your will.
Prayer
for Union with Jesus
Come to me, Lord, and
possess my soul. Come into my heart and permeate my soul. Help
me to sit in silence with You and let You work in my heart.
I am Yours to
possess. I am Yours to use. I want to be selfless and only exist
in You. Help me to spoon out all that is me and be an empty
vessel ready to be filled by You. Help me to die to myself and
live only for You. Use me as You will. Let me never draw my
attention back to myself. I only want to operate as You do,
dwelling within me.
I am Yours, Lord.
I want to have my life in You. I want to do the will of the
Father. Give me the strength to put aside the world and let You
operate my very being. Help me to act as You desire. Strengthen
me against the distractions of the devil to take me from Your
work.
When I worry, I
have taken my focus off of You and placed it on myself. Help me
not to give in to the promptings of others to change what in my
heart You are making very clear to me. I worship You, I adore
You and I love You. Come and dwell in me now.
-God's Blue Book, January
17, 1994
Prayer of St
Ignatius
Soul of Christ, sanctify me
Body of Christ, save me
Blood of Christ, inebriate me
Water from the side of Christ wash me
Passion of Christ, strengthen me
O good Jesus, hear me
Within Thy wounds hide me
Permit me not to be separated from Thee
From the wicked foe defend me
at the hour of my death call me
and bid me come to Thee
That with Thy saints I may praise Thee
For ever and ever. Amen.
From The
Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius,
by Louis J. Puhl, S.J. p.
12
23. FIRST PRINCIPLE AND FOUNDATION
Man is created to praise, reverence and serve God
our Lord, and by this means to save his soul.
p.11
21.
SPIRITUAL EXERCISES
Which have as their purpose the conquest of self
and the regulation of one's life in such a way that
no decision is made under the influence of any
inordinate attachment
Not to act out of impurities
(1) seeking dominance for dominance sake
(2) jealousy
(3) envy
(4) anger
(5) greed
(6) pride
Prayer from
St. Ignatius
Lord,
teach me to be generous.
Teach me to serve you as you deserve;
To give and not to count the cost;
To fight and not to heed
the wounds;
To toil and not to seek for rest;
To labor and not to ask
for any reward,
Save that of knowing
that I am doing your will.
Jesus gives to us the words of life — eternal life
Thank God for His gifts —
Thank God for the priests, hierarchy — pray for them
Thank God for the Church, pray for the Church —
Thank God for the gifts given in this world —
pray for the world —
We are pilgrims on a journey —
The Church, the world, the individual Christian
in the state of becoming
Look at Pentecost — all heard —
The message is the same — the language used
does not change the message of Jesus —
What I write here is truth —
the message of the truth of Jesus —
It is not restricted to English —
Jesus' message is love —
The language used in the Church - long ago was
Latin —
We must see the message of Jesus — as
universal
The Mass — the sacrifice of Calvary sacramentally
made present
the language of Jesus — the truth — the language
of love — obedience to God's commandments —
living by the Word —
Freedom is obedience to God's will — the message
is this — Doing God's will for us in love — it
has no language — the message is in our
hearts — God gives us the Church —
The Catholic Church is
one, holy, Catholic and Apostolic —
Jesus says Be not afraid —
I am with you —
I am your God —
R. Let us pray — meditating on the Divine Mysteries —
Our love of God — knows no language —
Our love for all is in our hearts —
Living by God's rules, in His truth —
Living according to the Father's will —
I live under the Catholic Church —
The pope is my pontiff —
The pope is the vicar of the Church
Our prayers are one — united as members of the mystical
body of Christ — one in the Mass — one in the
Hearts of Jesus and Mary —
Let the Catholics unite in a powerful
prayer with and for the world — for
world peace and love — Let love rule your heart —
following God's commandment and living according to the Word.
God's language is love —
obedience to God's will in love —
Let the world be one in silent prayer — one in
our hearts — loving God with all our
hearts — following the Good Shepherd
The Good Shepherd laid down His life for the flock —
Let us in the Catholic faith live to be more one united to the
Mass — dwelling in the Hearts of Jesus and Mary and lead
the world in this mission of walking in the footprints
of Jesus
We follow Jesus — we don't get our answers
from men —
We know Jesus is truly present in the Eucharist —
no less present than the day He walked the earth —
God gave us baptism, to share in His
life — we are commissioned to go out and spread the
Good News in baptism —
The Father, Son and Holy Spirit dwell in our graced baptized soul —
We pray for ourselves —
We ask all to pray for us in all we do to be
good servants of the Good Shepherd —
We want to serve God — to follow in His
footprints to not be selfish — to be
living to serve our God — doing His
will and to help others as God works
through us as His instruments.
Thinking of others
Loving — praying for them —
Even the ones who are unloving — to keep our focus
on God — to pray for them
God calls us to serve — to be sensitive to the
plan of God for others
Jesus laid down His life for us —
Jesus is the suffering servant —
God calls us to be servants —
To be under God — obedient to God and
To give ourselves for those under us —
Love is the word
The Good Shepherd laid down His life for
His flock —
Love is the word
From The
Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius,
by Louis J. Puhl, S.J. p.
12
23. FIRST PRINCIPLE AND FOUNDATION
Man is created to praise, reverence and serve God
our Lord, and by this means to save his soul.
From The
Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius,
by Louis J. Puhl, S.J.
Excerpt from
A MEDITATION ON TWO STANDARDS
142. THIRD POINT. Consider the
address he makes to them, how he goads them on to lay snares for men and bind
them with chains. First they are to tempt them to covet riches (as Satan
himself is accustomed to do in most cases) that they may the more easily
attain the empty honors of this world, and then come to overweening pride.
The first step, then, will be
riches, the second honor, the third pride. From these three steps the evil one
leads to all other vices.
end of excerpt
Jesus: I give you this earth and its beauty —
I give you your life to love, to
serve —
I call Servants and Handmaids of the Good Shepherd and Apostles
of the Good Shepherd — to show others how to love and
be servants —
to be models — so others will see your
holy lives — your love for God and others
Parents can learn to be holy and loving in the
family — they love and give themselves for
their family —
building a little community of love
The Trinity is the most perfect community of love —
Religious are to build communities of love to
help strengthen the Church —
Your lives given in prayer praying for
the Children of the Church —
Your lives as models — by your lives given
teaching all to love God and to love
others as yourselves —
Living according to the Father's will
in love
Serving, reverencing your God —
Your God is your focus
God is your Spouse —
The members of the Church your children —
What parent would give their child a snake —
Why do many religious think of themselves
and are not like parents loving the children
of the Church — with genuine love —
like a parent — praying for the souls
of the children of the Church —
religious living so deeply united to the Mass
all day and praying for the souls of
the ones I died for —
Pray for the priests, the Church and
the world - as I taught you —
Laying down your lives — united to the Mass
the sacrifice of Calvary —
your lives an offering for the precious
souls — especially this day — the souls
of the earth —
Be not selfish —
Be selfless —
Give yourself in the Morning Offering
I love you so much —
God created you to serve — in your love
for souls to pray for them —
to spread the Good News —
to be other focused —
Your lives lived walking in My footprints —
Oh My people pray as I have directed you —
honoring My Most Sacred Heart —
teaching others about love through
the Morning Offering —
Love of the 2 Hearts —
I have called you to spread the devotion
to My Sacred Heart and Mary's
Immaculate Heart —
This means you, yourselves are
soldiers of love
of holiness
of joy and peace —
R. We become one in Jesus — one obeying His commandments —
one in living the truth of Jesus — one in His Word —
one in being baptized in Him —
one in our calling in the Church —
one in love — dwelling in the Pure Heart of Jesus and
the heart of Mary in the Holy Spirit.
We are the family of the Father —
we are to live in communal love —
From the Shepherds of Christ Priestly Newsletter
- 2000 Issue 3
We live out our spiritual lives within
the Church. The Church is a multi-splendored reality. Let us reflect
upon some of the key ideas connected with the Church.
-
Henri de Lubac states: "The Church is a
mysterious extension in time of the Trinity, not only preparing
us for the life of unity but bringing about even now our
participation in it. She comes from and is full of the Trinity.
She is for us — in a favourite phrase of Bossuet — ‘Jesus Christ
… communicated’. She is ‘the Incarnation continued.’ She is, as
Dietrick Bonhoeffer used to say, ‘the presence of Christ on
earth’ —- she speaks with ‘the authority of Christ living and
present in her.’… St. Paul applies to her this same word
‘mystery’ which he had first used of Christ. She is after all,
the spouse of Christ and his body."
19
-
Fr. Bruno Forte tells us: "The Church comes from
the Trinity, reflects in itself the Trinitarian
communion—oneness in diversity—and journeys toward the Trinity,
to the final handing over of all things to Christ, so that he
might hand them over to the Father and God might be all in all.
As ‘a people gathered in the unity of the Father and of the Son
and of the Holy Spirit,’ the Church is the Church of the Father.
In his universal salvific plan, God has willed it to be a sign
and instrument of the unity of people among themselves and with
him. It is the Church of the Son, who through his incarnation
and the paschal mystery has placed it in history as His Body. It
is the Church of the Spirit, who makes the Risen Christ present
in human history and enriching the people of God with charisms
and ministries, leads it toward the promised future goal."
20
________
19. Henri de Lubac, S. J.,
The Church: Paradox and Mystery, translated by James R.
Dunne, Alba House, p. 24.
20. Fr. Bruno Forte, He Loved Them to the End, St. Paul
Books & Media, p. 74-75.
Communal love
God as our Father —
Let us sing: Let There Be Peace on Earth —
Mysteries of Light
Trinitarian
Baptism of Jesus
(1) Voice of the Father is heard
Matthew 3: 17
...‘This is my Son, the Beloved; my favour rests on him.’
Jesus is in the Jordon.
The dove is above.
Matthew 3: 16
And when Jesus had been baptised
he at once came up from the water, and suddenly the heavens opened and
he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming down on him.
(2) We see the Trinitarian relationship here —
But the more we grow in our love for each Person of
the Trinity the more we pray to Jesus — we know
that oneness with the Father and Holy Spirit —
(3) When we pray to the Holy Spirit — we know that oneness
with the Father and Jesus.
(4) When we pray to the Father — we know that oneness
with God, the Son and Holy Spirit —
(5) I know oneness of the 3 Persons — more
and
more deeply and yet I have this deep
relationship with each Person —
(6) The Trinity the most perfect community —
(7) Baptism is a very special gift God gives
us —
We receive a special sharing in His
life —
(8) In Baptism our knowing and loving
capacity
is elevated —
(9) Because of the gift of baptism we can
understand
insight into the hidden mysteries —
God is the ultimate mystery.
(10) Excerpt from Response to God's Love
by Fr. Edward Carter, S.J.
1
The Mystery of
Christ and
Christian Existence
...
In reference to Christianity, God himself is the ultimate mystery.
Radically, God is completely other and transcendent, hidden from man in his
inner life, unless he chooses to reveal himself. Let us briefly look at this
inner life of God.
The Father, in a perfect act of self-expression, in a
perfect act of knowing, generates his son. The Son, the Word, is, then, the
immanent expression of God's fullness, the reflection of the Father.
Likewise, from all eternity, the Father and the Son bring forth the Holy
Spirit in a perfect act of loving.
At the destined moment in human history, God's
self-expression, the Word, immersed himself into man's world. God's inner
self-expression now had also become God's outer self-expression.
Consequently, the mystery of God becomes the mystery of Christ. In Christ,
God tells us about himself, about his inner life, about his plan of creation
and redemption. He tells us how Father, Son, and Holy Spirit desire to dwell
within us in the most intimate fashion, how they wish to share with us their
own life through grace. All this he has accomplished and does accomplish
through Christ.
The Marriage at Cana
(1) This is considered Jesus' first public miracle —
during His public life —
(2) Through the intercession of Our Lady —
Jesus changed water into wine —
(3) Jesus can give us a grace to help us
change to be more like Him —
but we must cooperate with this grace.
(4) Jesus can give us a grace to help us to
love more like Him —
but we have a free will — we must
choose to love more as He wants —
(5) In choosing God's will over our own will
opposed to God's will — lies our
freedom —
freedom is found in obeying God —
In this we become more and more as
God
wanted us to
be when He created us.
(6) God is the Creator, we are the creatures
—
God made us to love Him —
Out of His goodness — God created us
to be
likened to
Him — to love Him —
to love
others as ourselves.
(7) In this lies our happiness in that we
follow
the Father's Plan for why He
made me — not take my free will
and be rebellious to the Creator's
plan —
(8) We are here to change — to be more
likened
to God — to die to the selfish ways —
the imperfect habits —
to be more perfected as Our Heavenly
Father is perfect —
(9) God created men and women to share love
and to
be co-creators in marriage —
bringing forth children
1 Corinthians 13: 1-13
Though I command languages both human
and angelic—if I speak without love, I am no more than a gong
booming or a cymbal clashing. And though I have the power of
prophecy, to penetrate all mysteries and knowledge, and though I
have all the faith necessary to move mountains—if I am without love,
I am nothing. Though I should give away to the poor all that I
possess, and even give up my body to be burned—if I am without love,
it will do me no good whatever.
Love is always patient and kind;
love is never jealous; love is not boastful or conceited, it is
never rude and never seeks its own advantage, it does not take
offence or store up grievances. Love does not rejoice at wrongdoing,
but finds its joy in the truth. It is always ready to make
allowances, to trust, to hope and to endure whatever comes.
Love never comes to an end. But if
there are prophecies, they will be done away with; if tongues, they
will fall silent; and if knowledge, it will be done away with. For
we know only imperfectly, and we prophesy imperfectly; but once
perfection comes, all imperfect things will be done away with. When
I was a child, I used to talk like a child, and see things as a
child does, and think like a child; but now that I have become an
adult, I have finished with all childish ways. Now we see only
reflections in a mirror, mere riddles, but then we shall be seeing
face to face. Now I can know only imperfectly; but then I shall know
just as fully as I am myself known.
As it is, these remain: faith, hope
and love, the three of them; and the greatest of them is love.
(10) Religious have a special calling to
show the world that they don't
say "I want what I want" but
that they see the big picture —
The Church, the world —
they offer their lives
in a special way for the children of
the world and the Church —
Some one said to me last
week —
"Remember how the nuns used to go
home at night
and stay put — praying
for the
children of the world"
Are we praying for Mary's
children — do we
not hear her cry at Clearwater,
Fatima, Medjugorje —
Pray for the children —
Religious are not single,
they are married
to God and their children are to pray
for the children of the Church and
the world.
The Kingdom of God
(1) Seek ye first the Kingdom of God.
(2)
John 1:
35-51
The next day as John stood there
again with two of his disciples, Jesus went past, and John looked
towards him and said, ‘Look, there is the lamb of God.’ And the two
disciples heard what he said and followed Jesus. Jesus turned round,
saw them following and said, ‘What do you want?’ They answered,
‘Rabbi’—which means Teacher—‘where do you live?’ He replied, ‘Come
and see’; so they went and saw where he lived, and stayed with him
that day. It was about the tenth hour.
One of these two who became
followers of Jesus after hearing what John had said was Andrew, the
brother of Simon Peter. The first thing Andrew did was to find his
brother and say to him, ‘We have found the Messiah’—which means the
Christ— and he took Simon to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said,
‘You are Simon son of John; you are to be called Cephas’—which means
Rock.
The next day, after Jesus had
decided to leave for Galilee, he met Philip and said, ‘Follow me.’
Philip came from the same town, Bethsaida, as Andrew and Peter.
Philip found Nathanael and said to him, ‘We have found him of whom
Moses in the Law and the prophets wrote, Jesus son of Joseph, from
Nazareth.’ Nathanael said to him, ‘From Nazareth? Can anything good
come from that place?’ Philip replied, ‘Come and see.’ When Jesus
saw Nathanael coming he said of him, ‘There, truly, is an Israelite
in whom there is no deception.’ Nathanael asked, ‘How do you know
me?’ Jesus replied, ‘Before Philip came to call you, I saw you under
the fig tree.’ Nathanael answered, ‘Rabbi, you are the Son of God,
you are the king of Israel.’ Jesus replied, ‘You believe that just
because I said: I saw you under the fig tree. You are going to see
greater things than that.’ And then he added, ‘In all truth I tell
you, you will see heaven open and the angels of God ascending and
descending over the Son of man.’
Luke 5: 8-11
When Simon Peter saw this he fell
at the knees of Jesus saying, ‘Leave me, Lord; I am a sinful man.’
For he and all his companions were completely awestruck at the catch
they had made; so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who
were Simon’s partners. But Jesus said to Simon, ‘Do not be afraid;
from now on it is people you will be catching.’ Then, bringing their
boats back to land they left everything and followed him.
Mark 1: 16-20
As he was walking along
by the Lake of Galilee he saw Simon and Simon’s brother Andrew
casting a net in the lake—for they were fishermen. And Jesus said to
them, ‘Come after me and I will make you into fishers of people.’
And at once they left their nets and followed him.
Going on a little
further, he saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John; they too
were in their boat, mending the nets. At once he called them and,
leaving their father Zebedee in the boat with the men he employed,
they went after him.
Matthew 4: 18-22
As he was walking by the Lake of
Galilee he saw two brothers, Simon, who was called Peter, and his
brother Andrew; they were making a cast into the lake with their
net, for they were fishermen. And he said to them, ‘Come after me
and I will make you fishers of people.’ And at once they left their
nets and followed him.
Going on from there he saw
another pair of brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John;
they were in their boat with their father Zebedee, mending their
nets, and he called them. And at once, leaving the boat and their
father, they followed him.
Matthew 9: 9-13
As Jesus was walking on from there he
saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax office, and he said to
him, ‘Follow me.’ And he got up and followed him.
Now while he was at table in the
house it happened that a number of tax collectors and sinners came
to sit at the table with Jesus and his disciples. When the Pharisees
saw this, they said to his disciples, ‘Why does your master eat with
tax collectors and sinners?’ When he heard this he replied, ‘It is
not the healthy who need the doctor, but the sick. Go and learn the
meaning of the words: Mercy is what pleases me, not sacrifice.
And indeed I came to call not the upright, but sinners.’
From The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius,
by
Louis J. Puhl, S.J. p. 120
275. THE VOCATION OF THE APOSTLES
FIRST POINT.
St. Peter and St. Andrew seem to have
been called three times. First, to some knowledge of
our Lord. This is evident from the first chapter of St.
John. Secondly, to a following of Christ in some way,
but with the intention of returning to the possessions
they had left. St. Luke tells us this in the fifth chapter.
Thirdly, to follow Christ our Lord forever, St.
Matthew, chapter four, and St. Mark, chapter one.
SECOND POINT.
He called Philip, as we read in the first
chapter of St. John. He called Matthew, as is recorded
by St. Matthew himself in the ninth chapter.
THIRD POINT.
He called the other Apostles, of whom
no special call is mentioned in the Gospel.
Three other points must also be considered:
1. That the Apostles were uneducated and from a
humble condition of life.
2. The dignity to which they were so gently called.
3. The gifts and graces by which they were raised
above all the Fathers of the Old and New Testaments.
(3)
Matthew 14: 22-33
And at once he made the
disciples get into the boat and go on ahead to the other side while
he sent the crowds away. After sending the crowds away he went up
into the hills by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there
alone, while the boat, by now some furlongs from land, was hard
pressed by rough waves, for there was a head–wind. In the fourth
watch of the night he came towards them, walking on the sea, and
when the disciples saw him walking on the sea they were terrified.
‘It is a ghost,’ they said, and cried out in fear. But at once Jesus
called out to them, saying, ‘Courage! It’s me! Don’t be afraid.’ It
was Peter who answered. ‘Lord,’ he said, ‘if it is you, tell me to
come to you across the water.’ Jesus said, ‘Come.’ Then Peter got
out of the boat and started walking towards Jesus across the water,
but then noticing the wind, he took fright and began to sink.
‘Lord,’ he cried, ‘save me!’ Jesus put out his hand at once and held
him. ‘You have so little faith,’ he said, ‘why did you doubt?’ And
as they got into the boat the wind dropped. The men in the boat
bowed down before him and said, ‘Truly, you are the Son of God.’
(4)
Matthew 8: 23-27
Then he got into the boat followed by
his disciples. Suddenly a storm broke over the lake, so violent that
the boat was being swamped by the waves. But he was asleep. So they
went to him and woke him saying, ‘Save us, Lord, we are lost!’ And
he said to them, ‘Why are you so frightened, you who have so little
faith?’ And then he stood up and rebuked the winds and the sea; and
there was a great calm. They were astounded and said, ‘Whatever kind
of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him?’
(5) Sing: Crown Him with Many Crowns
How blessed are the poor in spirit:
the kingdom of Heaven is theirs.
Blessed are the gentle:
they shall have the earth as inheritance.
Blessed are those who mourn:
they shall be comforted.
Blessed are those
who hunger and thirst for uprightness:
they shall have their fill.
Blessed are the merciful:
they shall have mercy shown them.
Blessed are the pure in heart:
they shall see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers:
they shall be recognised
as children of God.
Blessed are those who are persecuted
in the cause of uprightness:
the kingdom of Heaven is theirs.
Being meek means we are
not combatal —
arguing for dominance for dominance
sake —
Jesus is meek and tender
of Heart
(6) Single-hearted —
We keep our focus on Jesus —
Our eyes are on the Good Shepherd —
Not on what the world may say
Sing: Teach Me to
Love with Your Heart
(7) We feed the hungry with these letters of
His love.
From Blue Book I
To the Reader
Jesus wants to share His love with you.
He comes in these letters to tell you how you can be in intimate
union with Him.
All of us possess everything we need to
have an intimate union with Him. He has written to me since October
of 1991. For at least a year I sat in front of the tabernacle and
begged him to talk to me. I wanted words. I prayed to the Holy
Spirit and begged and begged Him to baptize me. After a long and
seemingly endless search, trying to hear God, He told me to "feed
the hungry." For six weeks this was all I heard. I thought maybe I
wasn't feeding my children well or eating well enough myself. What a
long wait for three words! At long last one day, as I was writing to
Jesus, I received a letter back. He told me, "I am Jesus, Son of the
Living God." I did not want to write this but it kept coming-and so
many other messages. I knew nothing of anyone getting messages. I
wrote them, reluctantly, and hid my notebooks. The letters kept
coming-a lot in the night-and I would be awakened by long letters
which I felt compelled to get up and write down. I read these
letters privately and my life began to change. I felt a new life
within me.
end of excerpt
(8) Sing: To Jesus Christ our
Sovereign King
(9) Excerpt of The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius,
by Louis J. Puhl, S.J. P.60-61
136. THE FOURTH DAY
A MEDITATION ON TWO STANDARDS
The one of Christ, our supreme leader
and lord,
the other of Lucifer, the deadly enemy of our
human nature
PRAYER. The usual preparatory prayer.
 |
|
window at a former Jesuit
Seminary |
137. FIRST PRELUDE. This is the
history. Here it will be that Christ calls and wants all beneath His standard,
and Lucifer, on the other hand, wants all under his.
138. SECOND PRELUDE. This is a
mental representation of the place. It will be here to see a great plain,
comprising the whole region about Jerusalem, where the sovereign
Commander-in-Chief of all the good is Christ our Lord; and another plain about
the region of Babylon, where the chief of the enemy is Lucifer.
139. THIRD PRELUDE. This is to
ask for what I desire. Here it will be to ask for a knowledge of the deceits
of the rebel chief and help to guard myself against them; and also to ask for
a knowledge of the true life exemplified in the sovereign and true Commander,
and the grace to imitate Him.
FIRST PART
THE STANDARD OF SATAN
140. FIRST POINT. Imagine you
see the chief of all the enemy in the vast plain about Babylon, seated on a
great throne of fire and smoke, his appearance inspiring horror and terror.
141. SECOND POINT. Consider how
he summons innumerable demons, and scatters them, some to one city and some to
another, throughout the whole world, so that no province, no place, no state
of life, no individual is overlooked.
142. THIRD POINT. Consider the
address he makes to them, how he goads them on to lay snares for men and bind
them with chains. First they are to tempt them to covet riches (as Satan
himself is accustomed to do in most cases) that they may the more easily
attain the empty honors of this world, and then come to overweening pride.
The first step, then, will be
riches, the second honor, the third pride. From these three steps the evil one
leads to all other vices.
SECOND PART
THE STANDARD OF CHRIST
143. In a similar way, we are to
picture to ourselves the sovereign and true Commander, Christ our Lord.
144. FIRST POINT. Consider
Christ our Lord, standing in a lowly place in a great plain about the region
of Jerusalem, His appearance beautiful and attractive.
145. SECOND POINT. Consider how
the Lord of all the world chooses so many persons, apostles, disciples, etc.,
and sends them throughout the whole world to spread His sacred doctrine among
all men, no matter what their state or condition.
146. THIRD POINT. . . .
end of excerpt of The Spiritual Exercises of St.
Ignatius
(10) If we love Jesus we will want to serve
Him —
everything we do is because
we love Him
and want to please Him
Build His
Kingdom.
The Transfiguration
(1) Jesus was sent by the Father
we hear Jesus say this over and
over again in the scriptures.
(2) We know Jesus is the Perfect
Son of the Father.
(3) We have to be willing to change —
Jesus led His Apostles up Mt.
Tabor and was transfigured before
them —
We hear again the voice of the Father —
Matthew 17: 5
‘This is my Son,
the Beloved; he enjoys my favour. Listen to him.’
We see the dove.
In the Baptism of Jesus and the Transfiguration
we have a very important realization
of the Trinity.
For me my spiritual life is like this —
I live united to the Mass —
I offer my life to the Father —
united deeply to the sacrifice of Calvary
in the Holy Spirit —
I stand with Mary and the Church under
the crucifix of Our Lord
The Mass the Sacrifice of Calvary
Sacramentally made present —
My life an offering to the Father, united
in the sacrifice of Jesus in
the Holy Spirit through the
intercession of Mary —
with all the angels and saints,
the souls in purgatory and
united to the Church
(4) From the Response in Christ by Fr. Edward J. Carter, S.J.
Relationship with Members of the Church
e) Relationship with Members of the Church
There
is but one true Church of Christ. Yet this one Church has three different
states of existence. There is the pilgrim Church, the Church of this world,
composed of members who have received the grace of Christ and strive for its
development. They have not yet obtained the goal of their efforts, as have
the members of the heavenly Church, who enjoy God in eternal happiness. The
Church suffering is an intermediate state of existence necessary for those
who had not achieved the required purification as members of the pilgrim
Church. Although there are these three phases of the Church’s existence,
there is a profound union existing between all the members. All these
members possess the same basic life of grace in Christ, and this common life
establishes the most intimate bonds of love. In our preceding chapter, we
discussed the pilgrim Church. Let us now consider the Church suffering and
the heavenly Church.
The
members of the Church suffering are those who have departed from this life
in an incomplete state of Christian development. Their development is
incomplete in the sense that grace has not fully taken possession of them,
and, as a result, they are yet closed in upon themselves to a greater or
lesser degree. They as yet cannot open themselves out in complete love to
the Triune God in the beatific vision. They must undergo a further
purification, a purification which could have been achieved upon earth with
merit. Now the purification must be achieved with no merit attached. The
pain of this purification is mixed with the certain expectation of achieving
the vision of God. We can hasten the advent of this vision for this people
by the offering of prayers and other good works. Scripture itself refers to
our action on behalf of those in purgatory in Chapter 12 of the Second Book
of Maccabees beginning with verse 38.
The
members of the heavenly Church are those in whom the life of grace has taken
full possession and has reached its completion in the life of glory. Faith
now is unnecessary, as the light of glory gives the human intellect a new
strength and capacity for seeing God face-to-face. While the Christian was a
wayfarer, he received the imprint of the indwelling Trinity as he shared in
God’s own life. Now in heaven that grace-life and possession of God
reaches its completion—the absolute completion is not achieved, however,
until the resurrection of the body. The divine persons give Themselves to
the beatified in a profound union far surpassing that of the indwelling of
the Trinity experienced here below.
This
life of heaven is still the Christ-life, for just as we possess a share in
Trinitarian life here below as mediated by Christ, and exercise this
grace-life as structured by Him, so also in heaven is the mediation of
Christ present. In the words of Rahner, "One always sees the Father
through Jesus. Just as immediately as this, for the directness of the vision
of God is not a denial of the mediatorship of Christ as man."14
And not only does the humanity of Christ unite the blessed to
God, but also, in some way, to the whole of creation. This is merely a
completion of what is begun here below, namely, the union with Christ in His
humanity establishing the Christian in a special relationship with God, with
other men, and with the whole of creation. We have a glimpse, therefore, of
the fullness of life which members of the heavenly Church possess.
The
heavenly Church, as St. Thomas says, is the true Church.15
The Church of this earth and the Church of purgatory are,
each in its own way, reaching out in loving hope for the heavenly Jerusalem.
Vatican II puts it very simply: "The Church, to which we are called in
Christ Jesus, and in which we acquire sanctity through the grace of God,
will attain her full perfection only in the glory of heaven."16
The
members of the heavenly Church can help us in living our life of grace until
we too share its fullness with them. Their power of intercession on our
behalf is but another ramification of the communal aspect of Christianity.
We are meant to help others grow in Christ. We, in turn, are intended by God
to receive aid from others—yes, from members of the heavenly Church, as
well as from those with whom we dwell here below.
Not
only can we be aided by the saints’ intercession, but the example of the
canonized saints can also be of great value to us. They have concretely
proved that full holiness is possible. Such an inspiration is of real worth
when we are tempted to think that Christian sanctity in its higher degrees
is impossible of attainment. Moreover, the canonized saints, in their
diversity, teach us that there are many authentic versions of Christian
holiness. They can be innovators in showing us that there are numerous
possibilities in assimilating the mystery of Christ, although the basic
assimilation remains the same for all Christians of all times. In the
opinion of Rahner this is one of the chief roles the canonized saints exert
in the life of the Church.17
NOTES:
14Karl Rahner,
Theological Investigations, Vol. III (Baltimore: Helicon, 1967),
p. 44.
15Cf. St. Thomas Aquinas, In Ad Ephes., c. 3, Lect.
3.
16Second Vatican Council, Constitution on the
Church, No. 48.
17Cf. Karl Rahner, Op. cit., pp. 100-101.
(5) I am united to the Trinity —
My life an offering —
Tell people to say the
Morning Offering.
Morning Offering (For Shepherds of Christ Members)
My dear Father, I offer You this day all
my prayers, works, joys and sufferings, my every breath, my every
heartbeat, my every thought, all my actions, in union with Jesus in
the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass throughout the world, in the Holy
Spirit. I pray the Holy Spirit is with me every second today,
enlightening me to do the will of the Father and filling me with the
fire of God's love.
I ask Jesus and Mary to be one in me in
all that I do and I unite with all the angels and saints and souls
in purgatory to pray continually to the Father for these
intercessions, in this prayer, for this day.
For myself, I pray for grace-abundant
grace, to know and love God more and more and to follow the will of
the Father. I pray to the Holy Spirit to transform me in the heart
of Mary to be more and more like Jesus. I pray that I can forever
dwell in the Hearts of Jesus and Mary. I pray for conversion of all
those I hold dear who need conversion. I pray for each member of my
family that they will be filled with Your abundant grace to grow in
their knowledge and love of God.
I pray for all my friends that they will
receive abundant grace to carry out the great plan of the Father,
that they will grow forever closer to Jesus' Heart through Mary's
heart, that we will all be led by the Holy Spirit to do His work,
that we will, together, carry out the plan of the Father as He
intends us to, to spread the love of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and
Mary's heart to this world.
Jesus, I pray for myself so the Holy
Spirit descends upon me and opens my heart to Your love so I will
grow more and more deeply in union with You. I pray that I do not
worry what other people think but try always to please the Father
and do His will. I pray that I may help lead many to Your burning
love.
I pray for the following people in
particular that they will be filled with the Spirit and grow deeply
in their union with You, that they will receive abundant graces to
know, love and serve You more. (Include special friends by name...)
I pray for priests the world over, for
the success of the Priestly Newsletter, the Chapters and for the
finances needed for the Newsletter. I pray for the circulation of
the Blue Book messages, rosary meditations and tapes. I pray for all
those involved in the publication of these messages.
I pray that You will shower Your
abundant graces onto the priests reading the Newsletter the people
reading and hearing the Blue Book messages and Rosary Meditations
and all of Fr. Carter's publications.
We pray for the intentions we hold deep
within our hearts, for our families and friends, for those
requesting our prayers. We pray for children the world over and for
the souls in purgatory. We ask God to shower His abundant grace on
us and the members of our Shepherds of Christ chapter so that we may
grow more and more in our knowledge and love of God.
We consecrate ourselves to the Hearts of
Jesus and Mary. We pray for Father Carter, for Father Smith, for
Rita Ring, and for John Weickert, for all leaders and helpers in the
Shepherds of Christ Movement, for Shepherds of Christ Ministries,
and Our Lady of Light Ministry. We pray for all those who are
working in these ministries.
We bind ourselves and our children and
our friends to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. We place the precious
blood of Jesus on ourselves, and all we touch, so that we will be
protected from the evil one. We pray to St. Michael to cast the
devil into hell.
We love You, God, we love You, we love
You. We beg that we may receive the grace to love You more and more
deeply. We adore You, we praise You, our beloved Father, Son, and
Holy Spirit.
end of morning offering
(6) Say Daily Card
(7)
Morning Offering
My dear Father, I offer you this day all
my prayers, works, joys, and sufferings in union with Jesus in the
Holy Sacrifice of the Mass throughout the world, in the Holy Spirit.
I unite with our Mother Mary, all the
angels and saints, and all the souls in purgatory to pray to the
Father for myself, for each member of my family, for my friends, for
all people throughout the world, for all the souls in purgatory, and
for all other intentions of the Sacred Heart.
I love You, Jesus, and I give You my
heart. I love you, Mary, and I give you my heart.
(8) Christ is the fulfillment of
the law and the prophets —
(9) We lay down our lives as members of
the mystical body of Christ — with
Christ our head — we pray for the
priests, the Church and the world —
(10) Believe, Believe, Believe —
I am a messenger from God —
This is the Shepherds of Christ
Movement —
We follow Jesus, the Good Shepherd —
We have been
called by Jesus
to pray this way as baptized
Catholics, as members of the
mystical body of Christ
Sing: By Name I
Have Called You
Sing: Here I Am
Lord
The Institution of the Eucharist
(1)
I Love You - April 13, 1994 (excerpt)
Words of Jesus. Read before the
Tabernacle.
Jesus: How, child, do I, Jesus,
tell you I love you? You hold on to silly things when God is in your
midst and is ardently loving you. I am Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
I am writing to each precious child this day. I am on fire for love
of you. I remain in the Eucharist to be with you with My ardent
love. I did not want to leave My beloved ones at the Last Supper. I
love you so, My dear and ardently loved children. I remain with you
this day in the Blessed Sacrament, the same Jesus Who died a brutal
death on the Cross.
end of excerpt
(2) Are not our hearts burning within
us? Jesus gives us Himself in
the Eucharist —
Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity
(3) Jesus is truly present in the Eucharist
no less present than the day He
walked the earth —
Apostles
of the Eucharistic Heart of Jesus
My dear fellow
Associate Members,
Jesus is calling special apostles to join a new division
of the Shepherds of Christ Movement. Here is a message from Jesus given to
Father Carter:
My beloved priest-companion, I am requesting that a new prayer movement be
started under the direction of Shepherds of Christ Ministries. I am asking
for volunteers who are willing to pray before the Blessed Sacrament for one
hour, twice-weekly. Members of the Shepherds of Christ prayer chapters, as
well as others, are to be invited to join this movement.
These apostles are to pray for the intentions I am giving you. For part of
the hour they are to use the prayers of the Shepherds of Christ Associates
Handbook. They may spend the rest of the hour as they so choose.
I will use this new prayer movement within My Shepherds of Christ Ministries
in a powerful way to help in the renewal of My Church and the world. I will
give great graces to those who join this movement. The name, Apostles of the
Eucharistic Heart of Jesus, is to be given to this movement.
I am inviting My beloved Rita Ring to be coordinator for this activity.
I pour out the great love of My Sacred Heart to all. I am Jesus, Chief
Shepherd of the flock.
This is indeed a special calling for us to unite in one heart with His
Eucharistic Heart and pray for the following intentions:
-
For the spread of the devotion to the Hearts of Jesus
and Mary culminating in the reign of the Sacred Heart and the triumph
of the Immaculate Heart.
-
For the Pope.
-
For all bishops of the world.
-
For all priests.
-
For all sisters and brothers in the religious life.
-
For all members of the Shepherds of Christ Movement,
and for the spread of this movement to the world.
-
For all members of the Catholic Church.
-
For all members of the human family.
-
For all souls in purgatory.
end of Apostles of the Eucharistic
Heart message
(4) Pray — focus on the Almighty All Powerful
God —
Develop your love affair
Live to love and serve Him and do His will.
Sing: Come to me Lord and Possess my Soul
Prayer for
Union with Jesus
Come to me, Lord, and
possess my soul. Come into my heart and permeate my soul. Help me to
sit in silence with You and let You work in my heart.
I am Yours to
possess. I am Yours to use. I want to be selfless and only exist in
You. Help me to spoon out all that is me and be an empty vessel
ready to be filled by You. Help me to die to myself and live only
for You. Use me as You will. Let me never draw my attention back to
myself. I only want to operate as You do, dwelling within me.
I am Yours, Lord. I
want to have my life in You. I want to do the will of the Father.
Give me the strength to put aside the world and let You operate my
very being. Help me to act as You desire. Strengthen me against the
distractions of the devil to take me from Your work.
When I worry, I have
taken my focus off of You and placed it on myself. Help me not to
give in to the promptings of others to change what in my heart You
are making very clear to me. I worship You, I adore You and I love
You. Come and dwell in me now.
-God's Blue Book, January 17,
1994
(5)
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.
(6) Say Lamb of God
Lamb of God
Lamb of God, Who takes away the sins of the
world, have mercy on us.
Lamb of God, Who takes away the sins of the world, have
mercy on us.
Lamb of God, Who takes away the sins of the world, grant us
peace.
(7) Sing: A Song from Jesus
(8) Sing: Jesus, Jesus come and fill
Your Lambs
(9) Sing: I Am the Bread of Life
(10) Sing: Take Lord Receive
Prayer from
St. Ignatius
Lord,
teach me to be generous.
Teach me to serve you as you deserve;
To give and not to count the cost;
To fight and not to heed
the wounds;
To toil and not to seek for rest;
To labor and not to ask
for any reward,
Save that of knowing
that I am doing your will.
Prayer of St Ignatius
Soul of Christ, sanctify me
Body of Christ, save me
Blood of Christ, inebriate me
Water from the side of Christ wash me
Passion of Christ, strengthen me
O good Jesus, hear me
Within Thy wounds hide me
Permit me not to be separated from Thee
From the wicked foe defend me
at the hour of my death call me
and bid me come to Thee
That with Thy saints I may praise Thee
For ever and ever. Amen.
These are the Mysteries of Light —
To live in this deep union with
God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit —
To grow in our relationship with
the Father
To grow in our relationship with
the Son
To grow in our relationship with
the Holy Spirit
To know that unity of the Trinity —
To know that fullness of loving
God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit
Sing: Your Presence Pervades My Soul
Sing: Glory, Glory, Glory Lord — the
Victory has been won —
Being one with God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit
To live in the Father's will —
in love
Jesus, the Good Shepherd, laid down
His life for His flock
John 10: 11-15
I am the good shepherd:
the good shepherd lays down his life
for his sheep.
The hired man,
since he is not the shepherd
and the sheep do not belong to him,
abandons the sheep
as soon as he sees a wolf coming,
and runs away,
and then the wolf attacks
and scatters the sheep;
he runs away
because he is only a hired man
and has no concern for the sheep.
I am the good shepherd;
I know my own
and my own know me,
just as the Father knows me
and I know the Father;
and I lay down my life for my sheep.
