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July 17, 2004
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July 17, 2004
Priestly Newsletter 1998 Issue 4
- Speaking of Eucharistic participation, Vatican II tells us: "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."4
The above words remind us that the universal priesthood gives the faithful a real priestly power of offering the Eucharistic sacrifice. This capacity of offering, of course, differs from that power of offering which the priest receives through ordination. Nevertheless, all of us do participate in the priesthood and victimhood of Jesus, who is chief priest and victim in the Mass.
- Pope John-Paul II, in one of his writings prior to his becoming Pope, points out that the truth of our sharing in the priesthood of Christ is central to the entire teaching of Vatican II: "...the attitude which derives from sharing in the priesthood of Christ is seen as one which contains in a special way all the richness of faith, both as regards content and as regards subjective commitment. The Conciliary teaching, which lays so much emphasis on this attitude, also shows us its proper place in the inner life of every Christian and the life of every Christian community, in which all the wealth of faith must be sought and developed. It can in a sense be said that the doctrine concerning Christ's priesthood and man's share in it is at the very centre of the teaching of Vatican II and contains in a certain manner all that the Council wished to say about the Church, mankind and the world.
"Only against the background of the truth concerning Christ's priesthood, in which all the People of God share, does the Council delineate the mutual 'subordination' between the priesthood of all the faithful and the hierarchical priesthood."5
- The following words of Fr. M. Raymond, O.C.S.O., are closely connected with the above. His words emphasize the great importance regarding personal holiness and one's participation in the Mass. "Mass, insomuch as it is Christ's offering, is not only always acceptable to God, but is of infinite value as well. But, inasmuch as it is your offering and mine, and that of every other member of the Mystical Body...we can limit the effectiveness of God's great Act of Love; we finite beings can set bounds to the veritable flood of God-life made possible by the Infinite Son of the Infinite Father."6
- Yes, the effectiveness of each Mass, which makes the sacrifice of Calvary sacramentally present, depends in part on the holiness of the entire Church offering it with Christ to the Father in the Holy Spirit, including the holiness of the individual priest offering the Mass and the holiness of his participating congregation.
Fr. Maurice de la Taille, S.J., formerly professor of Theology at the Pontifical Gregorian University, and a universally recognized authority on the Mass, points out the great importance of personal holiness in the Church relative to the effectiveness of the Eucharistic sacrifice: "It is, then, of greatest importance that there should be in the Church many holy, many very holy persons. Devout people, men and woman, who should be urged by every means to higher sanctity, so that through them the value of our Masses may be increased and the tireless voice of the Blood of Christ, crying from the earth, may ring with greater clearness and insistence in the ears of God. His Blood cries on the altars of the Church, but, since it cries through us, it follows that the warmer the heart, the purer the lips, the more clearly will its cry be heard at the Throne of God. Would you wish to know why for so many years after the first Pentecost the Gospel was so marvelously propagated; why there was so much sanctity amongst the Christian people; why such purity in heart and mind, such charity, the sum of all perfections? You will find the answer when you recall that in those times the Mother of God was still on earth giving her precious aid in all the Masses celebrated by the Church, and you will cease to wonder that never since has there been such expansion of Christianity, and such spiritual progress."7
If all, then, have a responsibility to grow in holiness in order to render the Mass more efficacious, the priest has a special duty to do so. His goal must always be to grow in holiness--to grow in union with Christ the priest, this Christ Who leads us to the Father in the Holy Spirit with Mary at our side.
- Let us continue to build upon the thought of Fr. de la Taille. He states that the Masses which took place while Our Blessed Mother was still upon earth were extraordinarily effective because of her great holiness.
We can, therefore, make our own participation in the Eucharistic Sacrifice much more effective by striving to develop within us those dispositions of Mary which she brought to her own participation in the Eucharist sacrifice while she was upon earth.
Let us ask Mary to help us participate in the Eucharistic sacrifice as perfectly as possible. She is the perfect model for us in the putting on of Christ crucified and Christ glorified. Mary has been given great insight into how one is to participate more and more in Christ's paschal mystery of death and resurrection, this paschal mystery which becomes sacramentally present upon our altars at the Eucharistic sacrifice.
Mary is the Sorrowful Mother who has cried. She is also the one who is totally wrapped in victory as she stands above the altar of sacrifice. Mary is the Lady of Victory, the Lady of Peace and Joy, the Lady Clothed with the Sun. Through her Immaculate Heart she brings the crying children of Eve into greater light so that grace will flow in great torrents from the altars of sacrifice.
Let us pray that we ourselves will contribute more and more in helping the waters of salvation flow more copiously from our altars to the thirsty earth.
As we have indicated, the fruitfulness of each Mass depends greatly on the holiness of the priest offering the Eucharistic sacrifice. An aspect of the priest's holiness is his coming to the altar with that presence of being which allows him to have the greatest appreciation of the awesome event which is to take place. The priest attains the proper presence at the Mass proportionate to his oneness with Christ. In turn, his oneness with Jesus is in proportion to his union with Mary. For it is Mary's God-given role to cooperate with the Holy Spirit in producing the deepening of the image of Jesus within us. Consequently, the more one is united to Mary, the more the Holy Spirit, Whose spouse Mary is, forms us in Christ.
Besides having a duty to grow in appreciation of the greatness of the Mass himself, the priest has a great privilege and responsibility to teach the faithful how to participate more fruitfully in the Mass. Many seem to come to the Mass knowing little regarding the greatness of the event about to occur. Many seem to come to the altar lacking in that proper knowledge and proper overall disposition which would allow for a proper participation in the Eucharistic sacrifice.
In childlike trust, let us ask the Father to grant us through Christ and in the Holy Spirit with the assistance of Mary our Mother, ever greater knowledge and love of the Eucharist: "At that time Jesus exclaimed, 'I bless you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, for hiding these things from the learned and the clever and revealing them to mere children. Yes, Father, for that is what it pleased you to do. Everything has been entrusted to me by my Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father, just as no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him." (Mt 11:25-27)4. The Documents of Vatican II, "Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy", American Press Edition, No. 48.
5. John Paul II, Sources of Renewal: The Implementation of Vatican II, translated by P.S. Falla, Harper & Row,
p. 225.
6. M. Raymond, O.C.S.O., This Is Love, Bruce, p. 106.
end of excerpt from priestly newsletter 1998 Issue 4
Lucia's vision 1929
A Prayer for Intimacy with the Lamb
the Bridegroom of the soulOh 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.
Excerpt from October 8, 1998
Messenger: If we saw our deceased loved ones we would feel such emotion within our hearts. We would not remember the day-by-day annoyances that we remembered when we lived with them. We would be so happy to see them and we would cry from deep within to embrace them.
As members baptized in the Church, we are one body in Him. We unite with our beloved Jesus in His pure Heart, in the pure and Immaculate Heart of Mary, in the Holy Spirit. We, the whole body united, offer this Holy Sacrifice of the Mass to the Father. It is the Sacrifice of Calvary sacramentally made present on the altar through the hands of the specially anointed priest acting in Christ's name.
Oh the wonder of this great gift God gives to man! With such emotion I write to you wishing only to impress upon the world the treasures He has revealed to me about the Mass.
Oh my God, let the floodgates of heaven open wide and the grace pour forth from your most Sacred Heart, let heaven and earth unite on the holy altar as Holy Mother the Church joins in one accord with Christ in offering this sacrifice.
I beg that all those here present are consecrated in their hearts to the pure and holy Hearts of Jesus and Mary so that the Sacrifice is most pure. I beg that the priest is so one with Christ, Priest and Victim, in the pure heart of Mary and in the Holy Spirit in offering the Holy Sacrifice to the Father.
Why do we call this sacrifice holy as far as our participation is concerned if we come with such tainted hearts? Oh God, help us to spread the consecration so that the hearts of men will unite with the pure and holy Hearts of Jesus and Mary and thus offer a most pure sacrifice.
The Victory Song Revelation 19:5-9 ends with: 'Write this: "Blessed are those who have been called to the wedding feast of the Lamb." '
Revelation 19:5-9
Then a voice came from the throne; it said 'Praise our God, you servants of his and those who fear him, small and great alike.' And I heard what seemed to be the voices of a huge crowd, like the sound of the ocean or the great roar of thunder, answering, 'Alleluia! The reign of the Lord our God Almighty has begun; 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 goods deeds of the saints.' The angel said, 'Write this, "Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding feast of the Lamb,"' and he added, 'These words of God are true.'
Revelation 1:6
and made us a Kingdom of Priests to serve his God and Father; to him, then, be glory and power for ever and ever. Amen.
Revelation 5:10
and made them
a line of kings and priests for God,
to rule the world.
Messenger: And we pray this Our Father at Mass.
Our Father Who art in heaven hallowed be
Thy name, Thy Kingdom come,
Thy will be done on earth as it is
in heaven...We come united in such oneness with Our God, we, united with the priest in oneness with Christ, offering ourselves as a sacrifice to Our God and Father.
We wish Our Father to look down and see the gift we offer, ourselves united to Our beloved Jesus, this most pleasing sacrifice to Our Father.
Our intent is to unite in the deepest union with Him, thus we unite to the holy, pure Hearts of Jesus and Mary.
We thank You, we praise You, we love You with the saints and angels, we praise You Lord Our God.
Holy, Holy Holy God, Lord of Hosts.
Father, please accept our offering. Open now the floodgates of heaven and let the grace pour on this earth to water the thirsty, barren earth.
Oh, my God, for at that moment of Consecration...The Sacrifice of Calvary becomes sacramentally made present on Your altars under the appearance of bread and wine. And now You give us Your Body and Blood.
I cry from the depth of my soul to You, pour out Your life to me.
My God I cry to Thee, I beg
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.And my heart is thus filled with love for my beloved Bridegroom Who gives Himself to sinful me.
Oh, I live only for Jesus, for the moments that I share most deeply with Him in this holy Sacrament, the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist.
For it is truly the Divine God that gives Himself to me. My beautiful Jesus, the most beautiful Sacred Heart, the tenderest of all hearts, the One Who knows my soul and heart far better than I could ever know myself.
Why is it that we are so "taken up" with wanting desires of love from our fellows when He opens wide His Sacred Heart and asks us to go into His Heart and dwell deeply within forever?
End of excerpt from October 8, 1998
~ August 4, 1999 ~
A Prayer for Intimacy with the Lamb, the Bridegroom of the SoulOh 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.
About the Holy Sacrifice of the MassMy God, this is all I care about -- this union with You for all eternity, the rapture of existing in You in the deepest possible, most mature relationship.
My life is a journey to grow in an always deeper relationship with God here on earth so that my relationship with Him in eternity may be as deep as possible. Oh, the glory of it all, this rapturous union, existing in such depth with the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
Since the writings of the day August 2, 1999, morning Mass and 6:20 p.m. prayers (appeared August 3, 1999 Internet), I understand more fully the idea of total consecration. My life was given to Him at Baptism and now there is that complete surrendering of my life, of my will given to Him.
I identify so profoundly with Him in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. I see the meaning of consecration and the prayer He gave me December 27, 1995, the Prayer before the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. It is, indeed, a most powerful prayer, for He acted in my soul so that it would be written for us to pray so we can advance more profoundly to a deeper union in Him in this Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.
A Prayer before the Holy Sacrifice of the MassLet me be a holy sacrifice and unite with God in the sacrament of His greatest love.
I want to be one in Him in this act of love, where He gives Himself to me and I give myself as a sacrifice to Him. Let me be a holy sacrifice as I become one with Him in this my act of greatest love to Him.
Let me unite with Him more, that I may more deeply love Him. May I help make reparation to His adorable Heart and the heart of His Mother, Mary. With greatest love, I offer myself to You and pray that You will accept my sacrifice of greatest love. I give myself to You and unite in Your gift of Yourself to me. Come and possess my soul.
Cleanse me, strengthen me, heal me. Dear Holy Spirit act in the heart of Mary to make me more and more like Jesus.
Father, I offer this my sacrifice, myself united to Jesus in the Holy Spirit to You. Help me to love God more deeply in this act of my greatest love.
Give me the grace to grow in my knowledge, love and service of You and for this to be my greatest participation in the Mass. Give me the greatest graces to love You so deeply in this Mass, You who are so worthy of my love.
-God's Blue Book, December 27, 1995
~ August 4, 1999 continues ~I must stop here and define sacrifice. A sacrifice is a consecrated offering. The Mass is a Sacrifice. One of its purposes is to make atonement to our God for man's sins. We are coming to the altar of sacrifice as sinners, connected to one another as creatures of God, going to God and begging mercy and forgiveness for our sins. We are sorry we have sinned and we recognize our
Today I was given great grace in the Mass, including the ability to dwell in Him in great depths. He takes over my being as I exist in Him. It is He Who chiefly pleads in the Sacrifice to the Father. It is His emotions I experience. Today...I felt as if the flood gates of heaven opened on the earth as I existed in Him.
I was with Him on the cross and my heart was consumed with love, the pain and anguish of the body I no longer felt, for the love for the souls He loves consumed my heart. I felt His love in me and all He wanted was for them to be saved. I wanted them to be loving and as the Father wished from the beginning. The love I felt for each precious soul was so immense, for His desire was that not one be lost, not one, but that every soul be saved . I kept hearing the song One Bread, One Body, as it played within me as my soul joined in. The emotion was so strong for oneness that it made me cry harder, wanting it so very much. It was as if a chorus sang the song, but it came from the depth of my heart as I was one in Him and existed in Him.
It is hard to account this, for things happen, so many things happen all at once in the Mass around the Consecration and thereafter.
A chorus sings as He hangs on the cross. It was as if my soul left my body, for all I knew was love, the love for souls, the fire of burning divine love within my being wanting only creatures existing in Him for all eternity.
I knew the intensity to a small degree of the offering of Himself completely to the Father. I knew the pleading He did with His whole being in satisfaction for the sins of men.
I knew more the purity of a God-made Man giving Himself as a Sacrifice and the power of it for all of the vile sins of all men for all time.
I knew Him in His love, He was consumed for souls. I knew the complete offering of Himself, the begging for souls to be saved. His whole being was consumed with wanting souls saved. From deep within He offered Himself because of the greatness of His love.
Love is a consuming force.
God is love.
I was with Him on the cross, experiencing to a small extent the desires of His Heart for His beloved creatures. I was participating in the Mass in which the Sacrifice of Calvary is sacramentally made present for us today. I realized as I participated in the Mass in Him that He in this oneness in my soul was pleading for His beloved souls in Me.
I begged for mercy, mercy for all generations, for all my ancestors and I could hear Him in the
words of the Mass, He being so one in the priest, offering this Sacrifice to the Father for His beloved souls.
Oh mercy, we plead for mercy from our God. I heard the words of Jesus in the priest and I heard the words, "through Him, with Him and in Him".
We offer sacrifice, consumed in the deepest love in the holy all-pure Hearts of Jesus and Mary.
We empty ourselves, for this is what He did.
He, God, emptied Himself completely and gave Himself for love of His precious souls so that they would be saved.
We offer ourselves, I emptied myself. I want this most complete Consecration to Them so that I can partake to the greatest possible degree in purity in this Sacrifice and plead as He did for His precious souls. I am pleading in Him for our earth, for all priests, for all souls, as I exist in a place of deepest love for Them, pleading for forgiveness, wanting to make reparation to the Hearts of Jesus and Mary for the offering of sacrifices that could have been more pure and holy and for ignoring Them entirely many times.
I plead as I exist in the New Adam, as I am united to the Hearts of Jesus and Mary, the New Adam and the New Eve.
I know a little more of this greatest Sacrifice. God gave His Son as our Savior. He came through a human person, pure and spotless, Mary the Immaculate Virgin.
Help me to spread this knowledge of this most powerful gift, the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass in which the Sacrifice of Calvary is sacramentally made present so that we will all partake more fully in this great act of offering Sacrifice. Pray that great grace and mercy will be outpoured on the earth. Unite all your activities to the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass for the Church and the world and the intentions of the Shepherds of Christ Movement, His Movement, by saying the Morning Offering.
Morning OfferingMy 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.
~ August 4, 1999 continues ~At the end of this little Morning offering say,
"We offer our day to help in the salvation of souls, for our priests, the renewal of the Church and the world and for the Shepherds of Christ intentions."
Oh God, Lamb of God, You take away the sins of the world, HAVE MERCY ON US.
I feel as Lucia in this vision at Mass. Pray with me like this at Mass.end excerpt from August 4, 1999, Daily Message
Priestly Newsletter 1999 Issue 4
At the Last Supper, on the night He was betrayed, our Saviour instituted the Eucharistic Sacrifice of His Body and Blood. He did this in order to perpetuate the sacrifice of the Cross throughout the centuries until He should come again, and so to entrust to His beloved spouse, the Church, a memorial of His death and resurrection: a sacrament of love, a sign of unity, a bond of charity, a paschal banquet in which Christ is consumed, the mind is filled with grace, and a pledge of future glory is given to us (Vatican II, Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, No. 17)9
The Church, therefore, earnestly desires that Christ’s faithful, when present at this mystery of faith, should not be there as strangers or silent spectators. On the contrary, through a proper appreciation of the rites and prayers they should participate knowingly, devoutly, and actively. They should be instructed by God’s word and be refreshed at the table of the Lord’s body; they should give thanks to God; by offering the Immaculate Victim, not only through the hands of the priest, but also with him, they should learn to offer themselves too. Through Christ the Mediator, they should be drawn day by day into ever closer union with God and with each other, so that finally God may be all in all. (Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, No. 48)10
Through the Eucharistic Sacrifice Christ the Lord desired to set before us in a very special way this remarkable union whereby we are united one with another and with our divine Head, a union that no word of praise can ever sufficiently express. For in this sacrifice the sacred ministers act not only as the representative of our Saviour, but as the representative of the whole Mystical Body and of each one of the faithful. Again, in this act of sacrifice, the faithful of Christ, united by the common bond of devotion and prayer, offer to the eternal Father through the hands of the priest, whose prayer alone has made it present on the altar, the Immaculate Lamb, the most acceptable victim of praise and propitiation for the Church’s universal need. Moreover, just as the divine Redeemer, while dying on the Cross, offered Himself to the eternal Father as Head of the whole human race, so now, ‘in this clean oblation’ He not only offers Himself as Head of the Church to His heavenly Father but in Himself His mystical members as well. He embraces them all, yes, even the weaker and more ailing members with the deepest love of His Heart. (Pope Pius XII, Mystici Corporis AAS. XXXV, 232-233)11
Pope Paul VI instructs us in his encyclical, The Mystery of Faith: "The Catholic Church has always devoutly guarded as a most precious treasure the mystery of faith, that is, the ineffable gift of the Eucharist which she received from Christ her Spouse as a pledge of His immense love, and during the Second Vatican Council in a new and solemn demonstration she professed her faith and veneration for this mystery. When dealing with the restoration of the sacred liturgy, the Fathers of the council, by reason of their pastoral concern for the whole Church, considered it of the highest importance to exhort the faithful to participate actively with sound faith and with the utmost devotion in the celebration of this Most Holy Mystery, to offer it with the priest to God as a sacrifice for their own salvation and for that of the whole world, and to find in it spiritual nourishment.
For if the sacred liturgy holds the first place in the life of the Church, the Eucharistic Mystery stands at the heart and center of the liturgy, since it is the font of life by which we are cleansed and strengthened to live not for ourselves but for God, and to be united in love among ourselves...
"It is to be desired that the faithful, every day and in great numbers, actively participate in the Sacrifice of the Mass, receive Holy Communion with a pure heart, and give thanks to Christ Our Lord for so great a gift...
"In the course of the day the faithful should not omit to visit the Blessed Sacrament, which according to the liturgical laws must be kept in the churches with great reverence in a most honorable location. Such visits are a proof of gratitude, an expression of love, an acknowledgment of the Lord’s presence.
"No one can fail to understand that the Divine Eucharist bestows upon the Christian people an incomparable dignity. Not only while the sacrifice is offered and the sacrament is received, but as long as the Eucharist is kept in our churches and oratories, Christ is truly the Emmanuel, that is ‘God with us’. Day and night He is in our midst, He dwells with us, full of grace and truth. He restores morality, nourishes virtues, consoles the afflicted, strengthens the weak. He proposes His own example to those who come to Him that all may learn to be, like Himself, meek and humble of heart and to seek not their own interests but those of God.
"Anyone who approaches this august Sacrament with special devotion and endeavors to return generous love for Christ’s own infinite love, will experience and fully understand--not without spiritual joy and fruit--how precious is the life hidden with Christ in God... for there is nothing more consoling on earth, nothing more efficacious for advancing along the road of holiness.
"Further, you realize, venerable brothers, that the Eucharist is reserved in the churches and oratories as in the spiritual center of a religious community or of a parish, yes, of the universal Church and of all humanity, since beneath the appearance of the species, Christ is contained, the invisible Head of the Church, the Redeemer of the World, the Center of all hearts...
"From this it follows that the worship paid to the Divine Eucharist strongly impels the soul to cultivate a ‘social’ love... Let us consider as our own the interests of the community, of the parish, of the entire Church, extending our charity to the whole world, because we know that everywhere there are members of Christ".12
"We may have to face many sufferings; we will not be harmed. We are being protected by our heavenly Mother, she spreads her mantle over us. We must surrender to the Heart of Jesus and to the Heart of Mary. We must be deeply united in Their Hearts. We must meditate on the presence of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit within us. We must pray for the grace to know and love God more. We should pray to the Father, in union with Jesus in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, in the Holy Spirit, through the powerful intercession of the Virgin Mary."
9. The Documents of Vatican II, "Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy", America Press Edition, No. 48.
10. Pope Pius XII, Encyclical Letter, Mystici Corporis, AAS, XXXV, pp. 232-233.
11. Pope Paul VI, Encyclical Letter, Mysterium Fidei, St. Paul Books and Media, pp. 5, 25, 26.
12. Nicholas Cachia, The Image of the Good Shepherd As A Source for the Spirituality of the Ministereal
Priesthood, (last quotation within the quotation from J. O’Donnell - S. Rendina, Sacerdozio, p. 46),
Pontificia Universita Gregoriana, pp. 312-313.
end of excerpt from priestly newsletter 1999 Issue 4
Excerpt from Priestly Newsletter 1999 Issue 2
The Eucharist
- Fr. Slavko Barbaric, O.F.M., observes: "The spirit of the Eucharist implies willingness to offer ourselves to others. It means to oppose completely the spirit of pride and selfishness which accomplishes not peace but war, destruction, violence and killing…Everything we give through Eucharistic love is transformed into something beautiful and new and creates a new relationship." 12
- Pope John Paul II states: "This worship, given therefore to the Trinity of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, above all accompanies and permeates the celebration of the Eucharistic Liturgy. But it must fill our churches also outside the timetable of Masses. Indeed, since the Eucharistic Mystery was instituted out of love, and makes Christ sacramentally present, it is worthy of thanksgiving and worship. And this worship must be prominent in all our encounters with the Blessed Sacrament, both when we visit our churches and when the sacred species are taken to the sick and administered to them.
"Adoration of Christ in this sacrament of love must also find expression in various forms of Eucharistic devotion: personal prayer before the Blessed Sacrament, Hours of Adoration, periods of exposition—short, prolonged and annual (Forty Hours) - Eucharistic benediction, Eucharistic processions, Eucharistic congresses. A particular mention should be made at this point of the Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ as an act of public worship rendered to Christ present in the Eucharist, a feast instituted by my predecessor Urban IV in memory of the institution of this great Mystery.
"All this therefore corresponds to the general principles and particular norms already long in existence, but newly formulated during or after the Second Vatican Council.
"…The Church and the world have a great need of Eucharistic worship. Jesus waits for us in this sacrament of love. Let us be generous with our time in going to meet Him in adoration and in contemplation that is full of faith and ready to make reparation for the great faults and crimes of the world. May our adoration never cease."1312. Slavko Barbaric, O.F.M., Celebrate Mass with Your Heart, Faith Publishing, p. 109.
13. Letter of Pope John Paul II, The Mystery and Worship of the Eucharist, Pauline Books and Media, No. 3.end of excerpt from priestly newsletter 1999 Issue 2
Excerpt from Priestly Newsletter 1999 Issue 3
The Eucharist
- Fr. Benedict Groeschel, C.F.R., gives us these thoughts concerning the revival of Eucharistic devotion: "Eucharistic devotions of all kinds are coming back. A legitimate question is why...There is, I think, a historical reason that needs to be considered--especially by those interested in the pastoral life of the Church. We live in very lonely times...
"It should be no surprise then that the mysterious and personal presence of Christ should have a profound human appeal. Nor need there be any fear that this devotion could lead to any kind of spiritual isolation, so long as we carefully keep the Eucharistic Presence linked with the Paschal mystery which encompasses all men and women, and with Holy Communion, which draws together all the faithful disciples of Christ."14
- Mother Teresa of Calcutta shares these thoughts with us: "I make a holy hour each day in the presence of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. All my sisters of the Missionaries of Charity make a daily holy hour, as well, because we find that through our daily holy hour our love for Jesus becomes more intimate, our love for each other more understanding, and our love for the poor more compassionate. Our holy hour is our daily family prayer where we get together and pray the Rosary before the exposed Blessed Sacrament for the first half hour, and the second half hour we pray in silence. Our adoration has doubled our vocations. In 1963, we were making a weekly hour together, but it was not until 1973, when we began our daily holy hour that our community started to grow and blossom."15
- St. Peter Julian Eymard, founder of the Blessed Sacrament Fathers, tells us: "The Eucharist, behold the Christian's treasure, his delight on earth. Since Jesus is in the Eucharist for him personally, his whole life ought to be drawn to it like a magnet to its center."16
Here is a Eucharistic prayer: "Lord Jesus. I love you so much! Help me grow in love for you. Help me to grow in the realization of the great love with which Your Heart beat for me upon Calvary. Let me grasp, with deeper knowledge, that Your Heart was pierced on Calvary with a soldier's lance for love of me. Take me, Jesus, ever more closely to Your pierced, glorified, Eucharistic Heart. And there, let me draw faith from this burning furnace of charity. Thus, strengthened, refreshed, and encouraged, let me go forth to live the Mass all day, every day."
14. Benedict Groeschel, C.F.R., "In the Presence of Our Lord", as in Living Faith, Creative Communications
for the Parish, April-May-June, 1999 Issue.
15. Mother Teresa, Rosary Meditations from Mother Teresa, contact Missionaries of the Blessed Sacrament,
PO Box 1701, Plattsburgh, New York.
16. St. Peter Julian Eymard, Eucharistic Handbook, Emmanuel Publications, as in Adoration, Ignatius Press,
p.97.end of excerpt from priestly newsletter 1999 Issue 3
Excerpt from Priestly Newsletter 1999 Issue 2
I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd is one who lays down his life for his sheep. The hired man, since he is not the shepherd and the sheep do not belong to him, abandons the sheep and runs away as soon as he sees a wolf coming, and then the wolf attacks and scatters the sheep; this is because he is only a hired man and has no concern for the sheep. I am the good shepherd; I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for my sheep. (Jn 10:11-151)
Yes, the Good Shepherd has laid down His life for us. He gave His life so that we might have life in Him. This life we gloriously possess in Christ, we live within the Church. The Church herself came forth from the pierced side of Jesus. Vatican II tells us: "For it was from the side of Christ as He slept the sleep of death upon the cross that there came forth the wondrous sacrament which is the whole Church."2
There follow various thoughts concerning the Church.
1. Scripture quotations are taken from The New Jerusalem Bible, Doubleday.
St. Paul speaks to us concerning the Church as the Body of Christ: For as with the human body which is a unity although it has many parts—all the parts of the body, though many, still making up one single body—so it is with Christ. We were baptised into one body in a single Spirit, Jews as well as Greeks, slaves as well as free men, and we were all given the same Spirit to drink. (l Cor 12:12-13)
Now Christ’s body is yourselves, each of you with a part to play in the whole (1 Cor 12:27).The Church considered as Body of Christ certainly emphasizes the sense of corporateness that should permeate the consciousness of the Church’s members. We must think in terms of both what is good for the entire Church and, through this Church, what is good for the total human community. Even when we disagree among ourselves, we do so not because we want to glory in having the upper hand, but because we believe that to disagree here and now is necessary so that the truth might emerge for the good of the community. St. Paul speaks to us about this sense of corporateness: So if in Christ there is anything that will move you, any incentive in love, any fellowship in the Spirit, any warmth or sympathy—I appeal to you, make my joy complete by being of a single mind, one in love, one in heart and one in mind.
Nothing is to be done out of jealousy or vanity; instead, out of humility of mind everyone should give preference to others, everyone pursuing not selfish interests but those of others. (Phil 2:1-4)
In our sense of corporateness, that is, as we are motivated by a common purpose and a common good, we should learn to rejoice in the gifts and achievements of others. These are not isolated gifts and achievements. Rather, they redound to the good of the whole body. We all probably know of numerous instances of jealousy and a false sense of competition that have harmed the work of the Church. If the work of Christ is being accomplished, and if I am striving to do my part, does it really matter whether I or someone else is responsible for this or that particular accomplishment? Does it matter whether this or that group, or organization receives credit?
St. Paul again has words for us: For what is Apollos and what is Paul? The servants through whom you come to believe, and each has only what the Lord has given him. I did the planting, Apollos did the watering, but God gave growth. (1 Co 3:5-6)The Church continues the work of the Incarnation. With Christ as the Head of His Body, the Church, she continues the life and the work of Jesus according to the pattern and characteristics of Christ Himself. Because Christ’s existence was centered in death-resurrection, so also is the Church’s existence centered in death-resurrection.
Fr. Avery Dulles, S.J., tells us: "The Church therefore is…a sign. It must signify in a historically tangible form the redeeming grace of Christ. It signifies that grace as relevantly given to men of every age, race, kind, and condition."3
God in His love was in a pre-eminent manner signified by Jesus in His incarnation.
Pope John Paul II says: "Making the Father present as love and mercy is, in Christ’s own consciousness, the fundamental touchstone of his mission as the Messiah…"4
Because the Church continues the mission of Jesus, she also must above all signify, or give witness to, love. The Church must give witness to God’s merciful love for us and our response of love, a response which includes love of God, neighbor and self.Vatican II points out to us: "…the liturgy is the summit toward which the activity of the Church is directed; at the same time it is the fountain from which all her power flows. For the goal of apostolic works is that all who are made sons of God by faith and baptism should come together to praise God in the midst of His Church, to take part in her sacrifice, and to eat the lord’s supper." 5
- The community which is Church is a terrestrial reflection of the ultimate and absolute community—The Blessed Trinity. The Trinitarian community is a community of profound relationships. Because the Church reflects Trinitarian community, we, her members, are intended to have relationships not only with the persons of the Trinity, but likewise with one another. Authentic interpersonal relationships not only unite in a deeper knowledge and love the persons directly involved. They also make a person more capable of loving all others more deeply and, therefore, more capable of helping to deepen the bonds of community.
- Speaking to us concerning the maternal role of the Church regarding us, Henri de Lubac says: "Whether it is a question of the entire history of the human race or each of our individual lives, it can never be said that Christ is completed in any of us. In consequence, the maternal action of the Church towards us never ceases…Her mission of giving birth always remains. We do not cease to draw life from her…
"One consequence resulting from this is of great significance. We know Saint Paul teaches that since the fullness of time has come to pass we are no longer children, enslaved by the elements of the world or imprisoned under custody of the law. For us the time of pedagogues is past. According to the logic of our faith, we must become adults in Christ. On the other hand, Jesus said, In truth I tell you, unless you change and become like little children you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. (Mt 18:3). At first glance, these two instructions might appear contradictory. But they are not at all. Nor will we merely say that it is possible to reconcile them, that the Christian can become an adult and still preserve a childlike spirit. Such language would be completely inadequate. In reality, we must speak, not of reconciliation, but of correlation. The more the Christian becomes an adult in Christ, as Saint Paul understands this, the more also does the spirit of childhood blossom within him, as Jesus understands it. Or, if you prefer, it is in deepening this childlike spirit that the Christian advances to adulthood, penetrating ever deeper, if we can put it this way, into the womb of his mother."6- Fr. Gerald Vann, O.P., speaks movingly about our life in the Church:
"If you live in the Church and try to use the power of the Church to increase the life of the Church, then the power of the Church will make you yourself whole; and in your wholeness you will help to make your family and make your world. But you will be building for a more than earthly beatitude because you will be building the city which is eternal. Here you build in shadow, you build for a future which is invisible, and so you can only build in hope. And often your plans will be wrecked and your dreams come crashing about your ears, and you will need the strength of the Rock which is Christ to give you patience and fortitude…
"…And when death has come to you…the Church will bless you for the life you have added to it, and there will be men to heed you better than they did when you were here…
" But you, for your part, will be no longer in the shadow but in the glory of the Light inaccessible; you will be in the City that is yours because you helped to build it; you will see Him at last as He is, and be wholly with Him; and you will have no more any mourning or weeping or any other sorrow, for all these former things will have been transmuted into happiness and peace, and you will walk with Him—together with all those you have helped to bring to Him, even until the end of the world—you will walk with Him in happiness for ever, in the cool of the eternal evening."7
2. The Documents of Vatican II, "Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy," America Press Edition, No. 5.
3. Avery Dulles, S.J. Models of the Church, Doubleday & Co., p. 63.
4. Pope John Paul ll, Encyclical Letter, Rich in Mercy, United States Catholic Conference, No. 3.
5. The Documents of Vatican II, "Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy", America Press Edition, No. 10.
6. Henri de Lubac, The Motherhood of the Church, Ignatius Press, pp. 71-72.
7. Gerald Vann, O.P., The Heart of Man, Longmans, Green and Co., pp. 151-152.end of excerpt from priestly newsletter 1999 Issue 2
July 17, 2004 message continaues
Mary speaks: Please send
these writings
to the priests.
It is necessary that the
times be connected.
(time of Fr. Carter's writings and Rita's writings)
March 15, 2002 After Mass
I just wanted to be alone with Him after communion. I wanted
intimacy with Him. I can go so deeply in an ecstatic experience
with Him. I want to be in such deep union with Him in my heart. When
I am one with Him I feel so one with the souls of the earth.
I feel one with those in the Church. I feel one with His chosen priests.
I long for the deep oneness amongst the people of the earth, as
He desires. My oneness with Him is always in that deep connection
with the Universal Church. My oneness reaches such heights in these
ecstatic experiences where I am so one with the Father, knowing
Him so intimately as His little child and loving so deeply all souls,
wanting so deeply in my soul the Father's will for all souls of
the earth.
My very deep connection is in such oneness with God, Father,
Son and Holy Spirit, I exist so deeply in God in the Mass, I want
what He wants, my prayer so deep within me is for the will
of God on this earth.
And I cannot help but constantly, incessantly tell God of my
deep, deep, burning love for Him at Mass. I am so united to God, I
know each Person so deeply and so intimately, the depth of this
union so far beyond this pen and paper. It is in knowing each
Person so intimately, in loving God more deeply every moment
of my existence here on earth that I relate so deeply with Him in
this Most Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.
My depth of union and my knowledge of the Father ever deepens
my desire for completeness with my God is the thirsting
within my soul.
My relationship with Jesus, my beloved Spouse, my Divine Bridegroom
takes on a deeper meaning every moment of my existence. My journey
into the spiritual life ever deepens. The flooding love within my
soul for God in the Mass I cannot ever explain. The Holy Spirit
fills my soul with the deepened presence of God's love.
March 15, 2002 continues
I am one in God. I want a deeper fullness in His divine Life.
I want completeness in Him. My heart longs for the beatific vision.
My God! I love Him so much. My deep love I cannot express.
I am taken into ecstasy in Him. My burning desire
for God in the Eucharist is so strong, I want Him, I
love Him, I want His Body and His Blood. I want this
intimacy with my God.
My soul cries for mercy for all the souls of the earth -
"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."At the beginning of Mass, we beg for grace to be released,
with all my heart I cry to our God.
Oh my tongue is parched and my soul longing for God.
I cry the day long for grace to be outpoured on the hungry
souls.
I feel so much depth in my heart when I communicate with Him.
I pray for the souls of the earth and our priests and our
Church and I know He hears me.
This is the promise God gave to Fr. Carter for those who pray
the Shepherds of Christ prayers.
13th Promise
Jesus speaks: "...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."
— July 31, 1994
March 15, 2002 continues
To those Churches who pray these prayers Jesus has given
so many promises.Look at this my faithful ones.
Do you think God would give such a sign for no reason.
July 5, 2000
March 15, 2002 continues
And He picked a priest in good standing, author of all
these books on the spiritual life to carry the
message.
It is intimacy we all crave and
God wants this intimacy with men.
This is the message.
The sickness is this: many seek intimacy, they
crave this, but they look in the wrong places.
Jesus promised Fr. Carter greater intimacy to those
who pray the prayers.
This is about this ever deeper union with the Father, Son
and Holy Spirit our souls crave.
The following writing was written by Fr. Carter in 1967-
33 years before the end of the second millennium.
This has been translated in 3 other languages early in
the seventies.end of excerpt from March 15, 2002
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