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June 30, 2018

Sunday's Readings

Wisdom 1: 13-15, 2: 23-24

For God did not make Death,
he takes no pleasure in destroying the living.
To exist—for this he created all things;
the creatures of the world have health in them,
in them is no fatal poison,
and Hades has no power over the world:
for uprightness is immortal.

For God created human beings to be immortal,
he made them as an image of his own nature;
Death came into the world only through the Devil’s envy,
as those who belong to him find to their cost.

Response: I will praise you, Lord, for you have rescued me.

Psalm 30: 2, 4, 5-6, 11-12

Yahweh, my God, I cried to you for help and you healed me.

Make music for Yahweh, all you who are faithful to him,
praise his unforgettable holiness.
His anger lasts but a moment, his favour through life;
In the evening come tears, but with dawn cries of joy.

Carefree, I used to think,
‘Nothing can ever shake me!’

You have turned my mourning into dancing,
you have stripped off my sackcloth and clothed me with joy.
So my heart will sing to you unceasingly,
Yahweh, my God, I shall praise you for ever.

2 Corinthians 8: 7, 9, 13-15

More, as you are rich in everything—faith, eloquence, understanding, concern for everything, and love for us too—then make sure that you excel in this work of generosity too.

You are well aware of the generosity which our Lord Jesus Christ had, that, although he was rich, he became poor for your sake, so that you should become rich through his poverty.

It is not that you ought to relieve other people’s needs and leave yourselves in hardship; but there should be a fair balance—your surplus at present may fill their deficit, and another time their surplus may fill your deficit. So there may be a fair balance; as scripture says: No one who had collected more had too much, no one who collected less had too little.

Mark 5: 21-43

When Jesus had crossed again in the boat to the other side, a large crowd gathered round him and he stayed by the lake. Then the president of the synagogue came up, named Jairus, and seeing him, fell at his feet and begged him earnestly, saying, ‘My little daughter is desperately sick. Do come and lay your hands on her that she may be saved and may live.’ Jesus went with him and a large crowd followed him; they were pressing all round him.

Now there was a woman who had suffered from a haemorrhage for twelve years; after long and painful treatment under various doctors, she had spent all she had without being any the better for it; in fact, she was getting worse. She had heard about Jesus, and she came up through the crowd and touched his cloak from behind, thinking, ‘If I can just touch his clothes, I shall be saved.’ And at once the source of the bleeding dried up, and she felt in herself that she was cured of her complaint. And at once aware of the power that had gone out from him, Jesus turned round in the crowd and said, ‘Who touched my clothes?’ His disciples said to him, ‘You see how the crowd is pressing round you; how can you ask, "Who touched me?" ’ But he continued to look all round to see who had done it. Then the woman came forward, frightened and trembling because she knew what had happened to her, and she fell at his feet and told him the whole truth. ‘My daughter,’ he said, ‘your faith has restored you to health; go in peace and be free of your complaint.’

While he was still speaking some people arrived from the house of the president of the synagogue to say, ‘Your daughter is dead; why put the Master to any further trouble?’ But Jesus overheard what they said and he said to the president of the synagogue, ‘Do not be afraid; only have faith.’ And he allowed no one to go with him except Peter and James and John the brother of James. So they came to the house of the president of the synagogue, and Jesus noticed all the commotion, with people weeping and wailing unrestrainedly. He went in and said to them, ‘Why all this commotion and crying? The child is not dead, but asleep.’ But they ridiculed him. So he turned them all out and, taking with him the child’s father and mother and his own companions, he went into the place where the child lay. And taking the child by the hand he said to her, ‘Talitha kum!’ which means, ‘Little girl, I tell you to get up.’ The little girl got up at once and began to walk about, for she was twelve years old. At once they were overcome with astonishment, and he gave them strict orders not to let anyone know about it, and told them to give her something to eat.

13th Sunday in Ordinary Time

June 28, 2015

INTRODUCTION – The first reading (Wisdom 1,13-15.2.23-24) tells us God did not make death. Rather, it came about through the envy of the devil. This is obviously a commentary on the story of Adam and Eve in the garden – how they tried to find their happiness and fulfillment by making their own rules rather than doing what God told them to do or not do. They thought God wanted to prevent them from being happy instead of trusting that God had their best interests at heart. The two miracles in today’s gospel (Mark 5, 21-43) show us what can happen when people really put their trust in Jesus. The second reading is an appeal to the Corinthians (II Cor. 8,7.9.13-15) for financial help for the poor in Jerusalem.

HOMILY – This week our Supreme Court was busy making laws that would change many people’s lives. I do not want to comment right now on either Supreme Court decision, except to state that even though our government decrees something is legal or illegal, there are laws that speak with higher authority. One such example is that our government considers it perfectly legal and ethical to destroy for any reason the life of an unborn child, while we hold to a higher law that says “Thou shalt not kill.” I’m just a simple parish priest with some knowledge of theology and psychology, but I am not prepared, like some TV news anchors, to come out with a profound statement until I get more information. It’s going to take some time for me to digest the ramifications and implications of this week’s Supreme Court decisions. I’ve seen a lot of changes in my 51 years as a priest, changes that have happened very rapidly, and sadly many of these changes conflicted with the morals and values Jesus taught us. Jesus came that we “might have life and might have it to the full.” (John 10,10) He does not tell us there is any other way than his way. Our gospel today tells us we have a God who is interested in our happiness and our well-being and who through revelation calls us to change our lives so we can find the way to truth and life.

    Last Sunday we heard the gospel about Jesus calming a storm on the Sea of Galilee. When he landed in Capernaum, he was immediately approached by the leader of the local synagogue whose 12 year-old daughter was dying. As Jesus was on his way to the house of the synagogue leader to heal her, he was delayed on the way by a woman who had suffered for 12 years with a bleeding problem. We are grateful to Mark for all the detail he gives us about these two miracles, details we don’t usually have. He even tells us what was going through the mind of the lady who was constantly losing blood.

    One thing we see that these two miracles have in common is the power and importance of faith. He tells the woman her faith has saved her and he tells the father of the 12 year-old girl: “do not be afraid, just have faith.” You might wonder, wouldn’t it help people’s faith if they knew Jesus had raised this little girl back to life, yet he tells the apostles not to tell anyone what he had done. I think this was because the people of that time were not capable of understanding the resurrection yet. They wouldn’t understand until after Jesus’ own resurrection.

    I want to call your attention to several items I think one of our stained glass windows depicts this miracle. Jesus healed at least four children that I can immediately think of and it was always the parents who came asking for healing. It is a good reminder to parents of the power and efficacy of intercessory prayer. I want you to notice the sensitivity and tenderness of Jesus. When the woman with the bleeding problem was healed, he knew who did it: the gospel tells us he turned around to see (the Greek says: the woman) who had touched him. He didn’t scold her or embarrass her – which he could have done since by Jewish law, she had just made him ritually unclean. Instead he called her “daughter” and he made sure she was perfectly healed as he dismissed her saying: “go in peace and be cured of your affliction.” We should notice he took time to talk with her even though he was on an urgent mission. Even if everyone else was nervous about whether he would get to the little girl in time to help her, he knew what he would do. Notice also, after raising the little 12 year old girl, he told her parents to feed her. She would have been weak from her ordeal. One other thing to notice, Jesus never had to appeal to God to work these miracles like we have to do. For example we would have to pray to God asking God to make this little girl better. The power of divine life was already in Jesus for he was God Incarnate. All he had to do was say “arise, little girl” and she sat up full of life.

    I’ve not offered the sacrament of the healing of the sick lately for those dealing with sickness or infirmity, even infirmity from old age, so I’ll do so after Mass today. If someone you know would like to receive it but who is not here, just catch me next week. Remember, as a sacrament, it is Christ who is touching you, the same Christ who touches you with his love in Holy Communion. Amen

Matthew 22: 36-40

‘Master, which is the greatest commandment of the Law?’ Jesus said to him, ‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and the first commandment. The second resembles it: You must love your neighbour as yourself. On these two commandments hang the whole Law, and the Prophets too.’

R. Doing God's will brings us
closer to God –

                    Not doing God's will – opposing
                His will leads us away from
                Him –

                    God wants us to be one with
                Him – Do His work – But
                we must be on His page –
                God has a plan and we
                must seek it – live according
                to His will –

                    It is not the other way
                around – where we make up
                the plan to fit us and expect
                God to come down to us and
                our plan.

                    When we oppose God's will
                we move further from God –
                God has all the power –
                God gives us light –

In baptism we share in God's
life –

                Our knowing and loving capacity
                    is elevated in baptism –
                    but it is a capacity –
                    we must develop in –

                God is Divine – Baptism opens
                    the supernatural
                    world to us –

Grace permeates nature –

Grace is His life –

We have a wounded human
nature –

God opens the supernatural
world to us in baptism –

                Why would a person oppose
                    God's will and choose
                    the woe and darkness
                    of a man bogged down
                    in despair –

                God wants to operate in us, live
                    in us, do His work in us,
                    but we must be surrendering.

So someone says "I have been
wounded, I can't trust others"

                Look at Christ on the cross –
                    He was wounded for our
                    sins and He turned those
                    wounds into Victory –

                Jesus came forth from the tomb
                    with Glorious wounds
                    on Easter –

Jesus is our Savior –

                He died a brutal death – was
                    locked in the tomb and
                    rose to new life –

                Recovery is in understanding
                    Christ living in us –
                    He gives us the Mighty Medicine
                    His love –

The Medicine is God's love –
God living in us –

In the hand of a child –

Here is a love letter from Jesus
May 13, 1993.

Cling to Me

May 13, 1993

Jesus: My dear child, if you stay close to Me, then I live in you and you live in Me. I am He Who created you and I love you with such an intensity that you will never know. My words are your truth. You must abide in My heart in all things. There is no room for doubt. My ways are steadfast, direct, and without error.

    You must stay rooted in Me to ward off the power of the evil one. His grip is paralyzing and crippling. His power is stronger every day.

    When you live in Me, I am in your heart and he has no power over Me. I am your God. I am your true lover. I want to protect you. I want to guard you from this force. Stay rooted firmly in Me and he will have no power.

    I am He Who comforts you. My hand is upon you. Hold tight to Me, My child. My eyes are fixed right on you. You are My most precious child. I love you as no other can. My arms are about you. My tenderness surrounds you. My love is in your heart. You go not alone. I walk with you.

    I share every aspect of your life with you. Cling to Me, feel My presence. It is warm and secure within your chest. There is no room for fear, for I cast out fear and bring you comfort and joy.

end of May 13, 1993

R. Jesus' letters of love

                R. We receive the infused virtues
                of supernatural faith, hope and
                love –

Put aside doom and gloom –

The loneliness of the dark tomb
the isolated life –

                We are called to be one with
                    God and others –
                    We are open and going out
                    to others in love –
                    It is safe to love and trust
                    trustworthy others in our lives.
                    Change our vision –
                    see through the eyes
                        of God.

It's not all black and white –

                We discern – we are rooted in God –
                    deep union with God –
                    He is our rear-guard –
                    He is our fore-guard
                    He is with us –

                If I let my self – live by the Blue Books,
                    live the Word – obey the commandments
                    I will forget about being
                    isolated, not trusting those
                    God has put in our lives to love
                    and the anger at others will
                    vanish – as I have fun and
                    love as God wants of us –
                    Union – loving our brothers –

It is not life to be in a tomb
feeling sorry for myself –

                    I need to live life – to work
                on relationships of peace –
                not division that can be a very
                bad habit – have gratitude
                for every day –

                    How can I love God and others
                when there is not love inside.
                To go out and give love –
                there must be –
                        LOVE INSIDE!

See through the eyes of the
heavenly Father –

Not do the same loser
works – harder –

                If I want to get healed, I have
                    to share this program in
                    love with others –

Live - Life – In God –
according to His plan –

                Be willing to
                Change those old stinkin
                    thinkin ways to thoughts
                    that are light - according to
                    God's vision –

                That is faith – seeing through
                    God's eyes – believing in
                    God's plan –

                The devil wants division, chaos,
                    confusion – living a
                    dark dismal isolated
                    existence
                    NO FRUIT

                The seven deadly sins are
                    pride, greed, envy, wrath,
                    lust, gluttony, and sloth

                This dark dysfunctional living
                    brings great problems,
                    darkness, opposing God's will –

Footprints – stepping stones –

Good –

Have courage to
Change bad behaviors –

Change the vision of myself
to see through God's eyes.

Jesus loves us –

We were created by God the Father –

We were wonderfully made –

Two men looked out prison doors

                R. Many people did not learn to be
                    happy from childhood –
                    attitude –
                    communication –
                    talking things out –
                    working together –
                    trusting others wasn't
                        possible because
                        of dysfunction –

NO TALK

NO TRUST

NO FEEL

                Children need to learn to
                    handle problems in
                    love –

Problems must be worked
through with solutions –

                Children need to learn
                    trust and love and
                    things are safe –

                    A person who has bad habits
                needs recovery – this takes
                effort and time and it
                makes life easier – life
                becomes more pleasant –
                Every day is a blessing!
                Stinkin thinkin, must be
                changed –

Real living – seeking God's
will –

                Opposing God's will leads to
                    chaos, confusion –
                    turmoil –

Anger is a dud! !

Anger is an energy that
is not helpful –

We want to be the person
God wants us to be –

Anger and love do not
co-exist –

God is love –

God commands us to love

                    We in the Church are
                members of the mystical
                body of Christ, with Christ
                the head, we wouldn't
                hate our own body –

I had a flat tire

R. I could go no where –

                If 4 people are to work together
                    for a given plan and
                    one person insists on
                    division, chaos, confusion –
                    opposing the plan –
                    It can't work right at
                        all

It's like the flat tire –

All 4 tires needed to be
working –

                Some people make division
                    because it is normal to
                    them and so they start
                    it to always hold out –
                    this is a bad habit
                    against God's commandments
                    of love and unity and working
                    with each other for the
                    building of the Kingdom of God –

                Being angry is a dud – it
                    "sucks out" the power of
                    God's help working in us.
                    The devil knows this –
                    He uses division and
                    anger, pride – seeing
                    our brothers as enemies
                    to tear things apart –

                Why give your great gifts
                    God has given us to
                    destructive behavior –

We must be willing to live
by God's will –

Not oppose God's will –

Matthew 7: 21

'It is not anyone who says to me, "Lord, Lord," who will enter the kingdom of Heaven, but the person who does the will of my Father in heaven.

                R. We receive a character that
                marks us as participants
                in the priesthood of Jesus
                in Baptism and Confirmation.
                We as laity have a calling
                by God to fulfill our office.
                We are called to help in
                the sanctification of mankind.

                Confirmation strengthens us –
                    it prepares us for our
                    calling in Baptism –
                    we are soldiers for Christ –

We receive the Holy Spirit in a special
way in Confirmation –

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R. Confirmation empowers
us –

                R. We need this strength of the Holy Spirit
                    to fight the spiritual enemy –
                    We need the virtues to
                    grow in greater holiness –
                    fortitude, prudence, justice,
                    temperance –

                A person thinking they can
                    isolate and rely on
                    the deadly sins –
                    bad habits – need
                    to stop it and beg for
                    an increase in the
                    (good habits) virtues for strength.

Pray for the gifts of the Holy Spirit.

From Tell My People by Fr. Edward J. Carter, S.J.

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!"

Reflection: The Holy Spirit is given to us to fashion us ever more according to the likeness of Jesus. And the more we are like Jesus, the more Jesus leads us to the Father. Do we, each day, pray to the Holy Spirit to be more open to His transforming influence? Do we strive each day to grow in union with Mary? The greater our union with our Mother, the spouse of the Holy Spirit, the greater is the transforming action of the Holy Spirit within us.

end of excerpt

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

April 3, 2017

A Prayer for Grace and Holiness today
A prayer to work in love and holiness

John 16: 23

"If you ask the Father anything in my name,
    He will give it to you"

R. God wants our unity – we ask for this
    unity – that the Spirit of God fill
    us and help us to be holy –
    that we do not hold onto any of the deadly
    sins that block us from this unity –
    that the Holy Spirit can work in our souls,
    so we can be His instruments of love
    and peace and joy among our brothers.

We pray this heavenly Father in the name of
    Jesus who said ask in my name and
    it will be given to you.

    Let us experience the joy of unity and love
    on a supernatural level and know You
    our beloved God – more and more supernaturally.
    We want our hearts to be sanctified in
    our love and work so we are holy and
    pleasing to You God.

Come to us Lord and possess our soul.

We want to walk as God intends us
    to walk today in the plan of God,
    in the work He has called us to do today.

We know that we must cooperate with the grace
    You are giving us – now and today to
    bring unity and peace and love to this
    day as we serve to do the work – You are
    calling us in our vocation to do.

Dear Heavenly Father, hear our prayer,
    in the name of Jesus, we pray,
    we ask, heavenly Father for these
    graces necessary this day to
    bring peace, love and joy to
    our relationships and work – as You
    work in us.

    We seek perfection in our souls to be holy
    souls likened to You – in work
    and in play – to be holy in prayer –
    we invite You Holy Spirit to be
    the Guest of our soul.

We seek order in our lives, not disorder.

We beg for the virtues of faith, hope, love,
    prudence, temperance, fortitude, justice,
    and humility. We seek to be obedient
    to the will of God and live obedient to
    the will of God in love.

Come Holy Spirit Come into our hearts. Transform
    us from fear to fearlessness to serve
    You as You desire in our lives.

Help our actions to be for the glory and honor
    of God with the goal of these actions
    to one day be in heaven with Thee,
    our beloved God.

Heal our hearts and our bodies – Help
    us to have health of body now in
    this work you call us to do.

Instill in us a desire to want to only
    do the will of the heavenly Father
    and to walk in holiness and love.

We pray all these prayers heavenly Father,
    united to Jesus, in His name for
    grace and holiness today and always.

Help us to live by right reasoning in
    our lives – to have the truth
    in our every thought and to live
    in order as You operate in us
    in unity and love.

Come to me Lord and possess my soul.

We seek order in our lives – Your order
    to love in us, to help us to act as
    You desire, to have the thoughts
    that are in right reasoning and in
    Your order, Lord.

Give us the grace to use our faculties
    to love and serve You and do
    Your work.

Give us faith and right reasoning.

Help us to love and be just in our actions.

Help us to seek Your Divine Will and to
    perform those actions, which are actions
    pleasing to You in everything.

Come to us Lord and purify our consciences,
    our souls.

Help us to hope and love in Thee.

We seek heavenly vision – to see
    things through the eyes of
    the heavenly Father and to be
    perfected more and more in doing
    God's will in our lives.

We pray for the gifts and fruits of the Holy Spirit.

We pray for this purity in our souls –
    to live virtuously, to be perfected
    more and more and filled with the
    gifts of the Holy Spirit –
    Wisdom, Understanding, Counsel,
    Fortitude, Knowledge, Piety
    and Fear of the Lord

    and to have the fruits of the Holy Spirit –
    charity, joy, peace, patience,
    benignity (kindness), goodness,
    long-suffering, mildness,
    faith, modesty, continency,
    and chastity.

We do not want the enemies to
    invade our thoughts, our
    actions, our lives –

We pray to give up ugly bad habits of the
    deadly sins –
    pride, greed, envy, wrath, lust, gluttony, and sloth

We know on this journey we will
    experience sufferings and joys
    and we accept the struggles
    in life and ask You to help us,
    strengthen us in our lives to
    suffer and rejoice as You
    desire us to do in our lives.

We want to be a reflection of Your
    heavenly love – to be full of light –
    Your light in us. To operate in
    light and not darkness – IN You,
    our beloved God.

We want to follow in the footsteps
    of Jesus in giving love and
    light and unity to those
    we contact in our lives –



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

April 4, 2017

                R. Dear Holy Spirit please come to me the
                Guest of my soul. Please pour
                into me Your virtues and gifts.

                    Dear Father, Son and Holy Spirit dwell in me.
                Please fill me with the
                supernatural gifts I received at
                baptism – that they may grow
                ever greater to know and love supernaturally.

Dear Holy Spirit,

                    Please mold in me more and
                more the image of Jesus in my
                heart and soul.

From Tell My People by Fr. Edward J. Carter, S.J.

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!"

Reflection: The Holy Spirit is given to us to fashion us ever more according to the likeness of Jesus. And the more we are like Jesus, the more Jesus leads us to the Father. Do we, each day, pray to the Holy Spirit to be more open to His transforming influence? Do we strive each day to grow in union with Mary? The greater our union with our Mother, the spouse of the Holy Spirit, the greater is the transforming action of the Holy Spirit within us.

Prayer: Come, Holy Spirit, fill us with your gifts of wisdom, understanding, knowledge, counsel, fortitude, piety, and fear of the Lord. As we dwell in the Heart of Mary, Your spouse, fashion us more and more according to the Heart of Jesus.

end of excerpt

                R. Help me to live my life praising
                and loving God in love and
                being as God wants me to be.
                Holy Spirit be the Guest of my soul.
                Come Holy Spirit fill me with the Spirit –
                Let the Spirit of God be in me.

John 16:12-15

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.
He will glorify me,
since all he reveals to you
will be taken from what is mine.
Everything the Father has is mine;
that is why I said:
all he reveals to you
will be taken from what is mine.

Sing: Come Holy Ghost

Sing: Come Holy Spirit

R. Let the Light of Christ live
in my soul. Amen.

                    We see when the Holy Spirit lives
                in us there is cooperation with
                the Plan of God, Our heavenly Father.
                The Holy Spirit brings unity to the soul –
                order in our hearts – direction
                according to and with God,
                our heavenly Father who
                created us in the image and
                likeness of God.

Genesis 1: 26-27

God said, ‘Let us make man in our own image, in the likeness of ourselves, and let them be masters of the fish of the sea, the birds of heaven, the cattle, all the wild animals and all the creatures that creep along the ground.’

God created man in the image of himself,
in the image of God he created him,
male and female he created them.

                R. The Holy Spirit opens our hearts and
                souls to God – so God can dwell
                in us more abundantly.

Come to me God and possess my
soul –

Sing: 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.

                    We are imperfect – the Holy Spirit
                comes to transform our souls
                more and more in the image and
                likeness of Jesus –

Come to me Lord and possess
my soul –

God fills us more and more abundantly
with His life –

Sing Song: I Love You Jesus

                R. The Holy Spirit is the Spouse of the
                Virgin Mary – perfect handmaid
                of the Lord.

                    The Holy Spirit wants to transform
                us more and more into the image of Jesus.
                We were created for this –

                    Oh God, we are so grateful for
                the sacrament of baptism and
                the other sacraments. We are
                so grateful for the Eucharist
                whereby, you feed the life you
                gave to us.

                    God gives us a sharing in
                His life in baptism and feeds
                us with the Body and Blood
                of Jesus in the Eucharist.

Come to me Lord and possess my soul –

Sing: Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

1 Corinthians 3: 16

Do you not realise that you are a temple of God with the Spirit of God living in you?

R. We consecrate ourselves to God.
We give ourselves to the Hearts of Jesus and Mary.

From the Shepherds of Christ Prayer Manual

Holy Spirit Prayer

Come, Holy Spirit, almighty Sanctifier, God of love, who filled the Virgin Mary with grace, who wonderfully changed the hearts of the apostles, who endowed all Your martyrs with miraculous courage, come and sanctify us. Enlighten our minds, strengthen our wills, purify our consciences, rectify our judgment, set our hearts on fire, and preserve us from the misfortunes of resisting Your inspirations. Amen.

Act of consecration to the Sacred Heart of Jesus
and the Immaculate Heart of Mary

"Lord Jesus, Chief Shepherd of the flock, I consecrate myself to Your most Sacred Heart. From Your pierced Heart the Church was born, the Church You have called me, as a member of Shepherds of Christ Associates, to serve in a most special way. You reveal Your Heart as a symbol of Your love in all its aspects, including Your most special love for me, whom You have chosen as Your companion in this most important work. Help me to always love You in return. Help me to give myself entirely to You. Help me always to pour out my life in love of God and neighbor! Heart of Jesus, I place my trust in You!

"Dear Blessed Virgin Mary, I consecrate myself to your maternal and Immaculate Heart, this Heart which is symbol of your life of love. You are the Mother of my Savior. You are also my Mother. You love me with a most special love as a member of Shepherds of Christ Associates, a movement created by your Son as a powerful instrument for the renewal of the Church and the world. In a return of love, I give myself entirely to your motherly love and protection. You followed Jesus perfectly. You are His first and perfect disciple. Teach me to imitate you in the putting on of Christ. Be my motherly intercessor so that, through your Immaculate Heart, I may be guided to an ever closer union with the pierced Heart of Jesus, Chief Shepherd of the flock."

end of april 3/4, 2017