Mary has requested that the daily message be given each day to the world. It is read nightly at the prayer service from her Image Building in Clearwater, Florida, U.S.A. This is according to her request. All attempts will be made to publish this daily message to the world at 11 p.m. Eastern time, U.S.A.We acknowledge that the final authority regarding these messages rests with the Holy See of Rome. |
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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.
Messenger: Include Our Lady of the Holy Spirit Center in 6:20 prayers.
Messenger: Please pray for an important intention.
WE DESPERATELY NEED FUNDS!
Please pray for 5 urgent intentions!
Pray for a special priest and Father Mike,
Spread the Blood of Jesus on all involved, cast the devil far
away, ask for the special coming of the Holy Spirit in a special way
and consecrate all hearts to the Sacred Heart and Immaculate Heart.
| July 4th Holy Spirit Novena Scripture selection is Day 6 Period 2. | The Novena Rosary Mystery for July 4th is Glorious. |
Messenger: We do not
have funds for rosary beads for rosary makers.
Please help us.
Pray for 2 urgent intentions
July 3, 2001
Messenger: It is love He wants from us.
Jesus is love.
taken from the Priestly Newsletter
Father Carter used this excerpt frequently
14. The Documents of Vatican II, "Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, " American Press edition, No. 47.
NOTES:
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Newsletter July/August 1997 The Gift of the Eucharist"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) |
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A faithful shepherd takes care of his sheep in all their needs. This includes providing them with the proper food. Jesus, the perfect Shepherd, abundantly provides for the nourishment of His flock. In the Eucharist He gives Himself in His body, blood, soul and divinity for our spiritual growth. He also feeds us through His word, through His teaching. The gospel of John, in Chapter 6:35-59 combines both of these ways-Christ nourishing us through His teaching and through the Eucharist. This particular section of John's gospel gives us Jesus' great discourse on the Bread of Life. The first part, verses 35-50, speaks of the teaching of Jesus as nourishment, as the bread of life. This first part contains, therefore, the so-called sapiential theme. The second part, verses 51-59, speaks of the Eucharist as our heavenly nourishment. This part, therefore, contains the sacramental theme. The Mass, of course, contains both aspects of John's Bread of Life theme. In the Mass we have the Liturgy of the Word and the Liturgy of the Eucharist-and they are profoundly connected.
Both aspects of the Bread of Life theme reveal God's tremendous love for us. The Eucharist is the sacrament of Jesus' great love for us, and His teaching is summed up in terms of love-God's overwhelming love for us and our duty to love God and neighbor. Each day we should pray for an increased realization of how much God, in Christ Jesus Our Lord, loves each of us with a most special, unique love. Growing in this awareness and living according to this awareness are keys to growth in the spiritual life. The more we are convinced of how much Jesus loves us as unique individuals, the more able are we to enter into a deep love relationship with Jesus. And, if we have the proper love relationship with Jesus, everything else falls into place. Yes, as our union with Jesus grows, He leads us, amid all the pain and all the joy, to an ever closer union with the Father in the Holy Spirit with Mary, our Mother, at our side.
The Self-giving of Jesus on Calvary is perpetuated in the Eucharist. The Eucharist is the chief source of our growth in self-giving. There follow various thoughts on the Eucharist which can deepen our appreciation of this magnificent gift of Jesus to us:
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“One reason is that we do not speak enough of it and that we insist only on faith in the presence of Jesus Christ in the Most Blessed Sacrament instead of speaking about His life and His love therein…in a word, instead of showing Jesus Eucharistic with the personal and special love He has for each one of us.
“Another reason is our behavior, which denotes little love in us. From the way we pray, adore, and visit Him, no one would suspect the presence of Jesus Christ in our churches.
“How many among the best Catholics never pay a visit of devotion to the Most Blessed Sacrament to speak with Him from the Heart, to tell Him their love! They do not love our Lord in the Eucharist because they do not know Him well enough.
“But if, in spite of knowing Him and His love and the sacrifices and desires of His Heart, they still do not love Him, what an insult! Yes, an insult!
“For it amounts to telling Jesus Christ that He is not beautiful enough, not good enough, not lovable enough to be preferred to what they love.
“What ingratitude!
“After having received so many graces from this good Savior, made so many promises to love Him, and offered themselves so often to His service, such a treatment of Him is a mockery of His love.
“What cowardice!
“For if they do not want to know Him too well, to see Him at close quarters, to receive Him, to have a heart-to-heart talk with Him, the reason is they are afraid of being caught by His love. They fear being unable to resist His kindness; they fear being obliged to give in, to sacrifice their heart unreservedly, and their mind and life unconditionally.
“They are afraid of the love of Jesus Christ in the Most Blessed Sacrament, and they avoid Him.
“They are disturbed in His presence; they are afraid of yielding. Like Pilate and Herod they avoid His presence.”4
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The Eucharist, then, possesses the richest capacity to help us maintain and develop our personal relationship with God, the members of the Church, and all other members of the human family. And it will do just this if we surrender to its love, its power, its beauty.
1. Scriptural quotations are taken from The Jerusalem Bible, Doubleday & Co.
NOTES:
end of excerpt from Newsletter July/August 1995
Newsletter September/October 1994
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)
A faithful shepherd takes care of his sheep in all their needs. This includes providing them with the proper food. Jesus, the perfect Shepherd, abundantly provides for the nourishment of His flock. In the Eucharist He gives Himself in His body, blood, soul, and divinity for our spiritual growth. He also feeds us through His word, through His teaching. The gospel of John, in chapter 6: 35-59, combines both of these ways—Christ nourishing us through His teaching and through the Eucharist. This particular section of John’s gospel gives us Jesus’ great discourse on the Bread of Life. The first part, verses 35-50, speaks of the teaching of Jesus as nourishment, as the bread of life. This first part contains, therefore, the so-called sapiential theme. The second part, verses 51-59, speaks of the Eucharist as our heavenly nourishment. This part, therefore, contains the sacramental theme.
Both aspects of the Bread of Life theme reveal God’s tremendous love for us. The Eucharist is the sacrament of Jesus’ great love for us, and His teaching is summed up in terms of love—God’s overwhelming love for us and our duty to love God and neighbor in return. Each day we should pray for an increased realization of how much God, in Christ Jesus, loves each of us with a most special, unique love. Growing in this awareness and living according to this awareness are the keys to growth in the spiritual life. The more we are convinced of how much Christ loves us as unique individuals, the more able are we to enter into a deep love relationship with Jesus. And if we have the proper love relationship with Jesus, everything else falls into place. Yes, as our union with Jesus grows, He leads us, amid all the pain and all the joy, to a closer union with the Father in the Holy Spirit with Mary, our Mother, at our side.
NOTES:
1. Scriptural quotations are taken from The Jerusalem Bible, Doubleday & Co.
end of excerpt from Newsletter September/October 1994
Newsletter November/December 1994
6Our personal relationship with Christ is characterized by the realization of the great, special love of His Heart for each of us and of our need to love Him in return. The chief source for growth in this personal relationship with Jesus is the Eucharist. The New Catechism tells us: “The Eucharist is ‘the source and summit of the Christian life.’ The other sacraments, and indeed all ecclesiastical mysteries and work of the apostolate, are bound up with the Eucharist and are oriented toward it. For in the blessed Eucharist is contained the whole spiritual good of the Church, namely Christ himself, our Pasch.”
NOTES:
6. The Catechism of the Catholic Church, p. 397.end of excerpt from Newsletter November/December 1994
Newsletter January/February 1995
It is impossible to incorporate into our lives the dimensions of faithfulness about which the Pope speaks without a meaningful and evolving union with Jesus. Mary was Jesus’ most faithful follower because she had the greatest, the deepest love-union with Him.
Our love-union with Jesus is centered in our Eucharistic devotion, The more we take the means to draw from the infinite source of grace which is the pierced, Eucharistic Heart of Jesus, the more we are united with Him, and, consequently, the more one’s faithfulness grows. Our union with the Eucharistic Christ, in turn, depends greatly on our spirit of prayer. A consistent prayer life is necessary for the proper assimilation of the graces which flow from the Eucharist. Here, then, are our great means for our growth in union with Jesus: the Eucharist and prayer. And, again, increased union with Jesus means increased faithfulness. Let us ask Mary, the faithful Virgin, and our faithful Mother, to obtain for us the grace to grow in our appreciation of the Eucharist and the life of prayer. If we grow in this appreciation, and live accordingly, we come ever closer to Jesus, who desires to lead us to an ever deeper union with the Father in the Holy Spirit.
Some of the above thoughts are contained in the following passage from the Directory on the Ministry and Life of Priests:
“To remain faithful to the obligation of ‘being with Christ’, it is necessary that the priest know how to imitate the Church in prayer…
“Strengthened by the special bond with the Lord the priest will know how to confront those moments in which he could feel alone among men; effectively renewing his being with Christ who in the Eucharist is his refuge and best repose.
“Like Christ, who was often alone with the Father (cf Lk 3:21; Mk 1:35), the priest also must be the man who finds communion with God in solitude, so he can say with St. Ambrose: ‘I am never less alone than as when I am alone'…”5
NOTES:
5. Directory on the Ministry and Life of Priests, op. cit., p.15.
end of excerpt from Newsletter January/February 1995
Newsletter March/April 1995
excerpt from
Newsletter March/April 1995
Bishop Fulton Sheen, one of the most admired and influential speakers of this century, gives witness to the efficacy of praying before the Blessed Sacrament: “When I stand up to talk, people listen to me. They will follow what I have to say. St. Paul says: ‘What do you have that was not given to you? And if it was given, how can you boast as though it were not?’ (1 Cor 4:7). The secret of my power is that I have never in fifty-five years missed spending an hour in the presence of our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament. That’s where the power comes from. That’s where sermons are born. That’s where every good thought is conceived.”6
NOTES:
6. Through the Year with Fulton Sheen, compiled by Henry Dietrick, Servant Books.
end of excerpts from Newsletter March/April 1995
Newsletter May/June 1995
excerpt from
The Role of Private Revelation in the Life of the Church
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“You are under attack, My beloved priests, and you, in your busyness, are being led away from your union with Jesus. Bring yourselves back to Me and let Me give you My love…I wait for My beloved ones at the altar. I long for private union with My beloved ones.
“Come to Me, all who labor and are heavily burdened, and I will give you rest. Come and be lifted up to heights you never dreamed possible. I am God. Put your lives in My hands. Let me run your life. Bring your lives back to Jesus in the tabernacle.”10
NOTES:
10. God’s Blue Book: The Fire of His Love, messages received by Rita Ring,
Shepherds of Christ Publications, p.35.
end of excerpt from Newsletter May/June 1995
Newsletter September/October 1995
The Eucharist is our chief source for growth in trust. We should pray for a deepened awareness of this magnificent Gift.
6. St. Peter Julian Eymard, “The Most Blessed Sacrament Is Not Loved!,” as in
NOTES:
end of excerpt from Newsletter September/October 1995
Newsletter November/December 1995
excerpt from
Our proper Eucharistic participation demands a thorough preparation. It is preparation which we must be willing to achieve all day, every day. This preparation includes the practice of prayer, especially that based on the mysteries of Christ's life, death, and resurrection. This prayer helps one to approach the Mass with the mind of Christ, enabling one to more vitally assimilate the mysteries of Christ which the liturgy makes sacramentally present.
And as we participate in the Mass, we should be aware, of course, that the Eucharist itself is the greatest prayer.
Newsletter November/December 1995
Our greatest prayer is the Eucharist. Here are some thoughts on this great Gift of Jesus to us:
The Catechism tells us: "The Eucharist is the memorial of Christ's Passover, that is, of the work of salvation accomplished by the life, death, and resurrection of Christ, a work made present by the liturgical action." (10)
It is within the Mass, the heart of the liturgy, that the Christian meets Christ and His mysteries in a most special way. In faith, hope, and love the Christian is in union with Jesus in the most intimate fashion, and receives the graces necessary for growth into an ever greater likeness to Christ. Through the graces of the Eucharist, the Christian is enabled to relive the mysteries of Christ's life, death, and resurrection in his or her own life. How true it is to say that the liturgy, centered in the Mass, is aimed at transformation in Christ.
Henri Nouwen observes, "The tragedy is that much resentment is hidden within the Church. It is one of the most paralyzing aspects of the Christian community.
"Still, the Eucharist presents another option. It is the possibility to choose not resentment, but gratitude. Mourning our losses is the first step away from resentment and toward gratitude. The tears of our own grief can soften our hardened hearts and open us to the possibility to say 'thanks'.
"The word 'Eucharist' means literally 'act of thanksgiving'. To celebrate the Eucharist and to live a Eucharistic life has everything to do with gratitude. Living Eucharistically is living life as a gift, a gift for which one is grateful." (11)
NOTES:
10. The Catechism of the Catholic Church, #1409, p.
355.
11. Henri Nouwen, With Burning Hearts, Orbis, p. 30.
end of excerpts from Newsletter November/December 1996
Newsletter January/February 1996
The Eucharist is our chief source for growth in the Christ-life. There follow some thoughts on this magnificent Gift of Jesus to us.
- The Catechism tells us: "The Lord, having loved those who were His own, loved them to the end. Knowing that the hour had come to leave this world and return to the Father, in the course of a meal, He washed their feet and gave them the commandment of love. In order to leave them a pledge of this love, in order never to depart from His own and to make them sharers in His Passover, he instituted the Eucharist as the memorial of His death and Resurrection and commanded his apostles to celebrate it until His return; thereby He constituted them priests of the New Testament." (9)
- When Jesus speaks of His Blood as the "Blood of the Covenant" (Mt 26:28), we are reminded that blood sealed or ratified the Mosaic covenant at Mount Sinai. Moses sprinkled sacrificial blood upon the altar, which represented God, and upon the Jewish people. Because blood was a distinctive symbol of life for the Jewish people, such an action had a deep significance for them. This action of Moses symbolized the sealing or ratification of the covenant-a new life relationship between Yahweh and the Jewish people.
The sacrificial Blood of Jesus has also formed a covenant-the New Covenant. In the shedding of His Blood, Jesus has established a new life relationship between His Father and the human race. Forming a core, focal point of the redeemed human race are the members of the Christian community, the Church. The Eucharist, in recalling and making sacramentally present the shedding of Jesus' covenant Blood, is the Church's great covenant act. The Eucharist sustains the life of the covenant, nourishes it, causes it to grow. Through participation in the Eucharistic liturgy we should be growing in our covenant life. We should be developing a greater love-union with the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. We should be growing in a sense of community, in a deep love for the Church, in a desire to contribute our share to the building up of the body of Christ. We should be learning to curb our selfishness, this selfishness which deadens a dynamic concern for the Christian community and the entire human race. Participation in the Eucharist should also be curbing divisive jealousy, forming us more and more as persons who want deeply to love all so that it can be more often said of us, "See those Christians, how they love one another." The Eucharist can more radically shape us according to these covenant attitudes if we allow it to do so. We repent over the times we have resisted. We rejoice regarding the times we have opened ourselves to the Eucharist's transformative power.
NOTES:
9. The Catechism of the Catholic Church, #1337.
Newsletter January/February 1996
excerpt from
John Paul II on the Priesthood
There follow excerpts from an address given by Pope John-Paul II on October 27, 1995 at a symposium in honor of the 30th anniversary of Presbyterorum Ordinis:
-"The priest is a man of the Eucharist. In the span of nearly 50 years of priesthood, what is still the most important and most sacred moment for me is the celebration of the Eucharist. My awareness of celebrating in persona Christ at the altar prevails--Holy Mass is the absolute center of my life and of every day of my life. It is at the heart of the theology of priesthood, a theology I learned not so much from text books as from living examples of holy priests. First and foremost, from the holy Curé of Ars, Jean Marie Vianney. Still today I remember his biography written by Fr. Trochu, which literally overwhelmed me. I mention the Curé of Ars but he is not the only model of priesthood who impressed me. There were other holy priests whom I admired, having known them either through their biographies or personally, because they were contemporaries. I looked to them and from them I learned what the priesthood is, both as a vocation and as a ministry."15
NOTES:
15. Pope John Paul II, as in L'Osservatore Romano, November 15, 1995.
end of excerpts from Newsletter January/February 1996
Newsletter March/April 1996
The Eucharist is the chief source of growth in the spiritual life. We priests, called to have a special kind of union with Christ, should have a unique desire to grow in appreciation of the Eucharist. It is in the Eucharist that we unite with Jesus' paschal mystery in a special way. Here are some reflections on the Eucharist, Jesus' great gift of love to us:
Pope John Paul II tells us: "The Church and the world have a great need of Eucharistic adoration. Jesus waits for us in the sacrament of love. Let us be generous with our time in going to meet him in adoration and 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."10
Archbishop Luis M. Martinez offers us these inspiring words: "If we could dispose ourselves at least to think about what He suffered for each one of us! Our souls are enveloped in His tenderness and in His pain. We are the fruit of His love and His martyrdom. We increasingly receive His gifts of all kinds. We receive them tranquilly, at times joyfully. But those gifts are marked with the blood of Jesus, the blood from His veins and from his Heart. In order that we might taste the least of His heavenly consolations, Jesus had to taste the gall and vinegar of interior desolation...
"Each communion we receive cost Jesus the sacrifice of Calvary...Holy Communion is a banquet from heaven prepared with the blood of Jesus and the bitterness of His Heart."11
NOTES:
10. Pope John Paul II, "On the Mystery of and Worship of the Holy Eucharist", April 1980,
as in Apostles of the Holy Spirit Bulletin, Winter 1995.
11. Archbishop Luis Martinez, Only Jesus, B. Herder Book Co., pp. 212-213.
end of excerpt from Newsletter March/April 1996
Newsletter May/June 1996
excerpt from
NOTES:
9. The Documents of Vatican II, "Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy," op. cit., No. 10.
Newsletter May/June 1996
Here are some reflections on the Glorious Mystery of The Resurrection:
"See vividly before your eyes the body of Jesus as He hung on the cross, covered with blood
and withered. Picture this in your mind so clear, see His body so battered and so bruised, and next to this picture see the Almighty God as He rose victorious on the third day. See Him adorned in the brightest light beyond comprehension-a light that we cannot even imagine or describe. The Almighty God comes forth from the tomb. The Son of God rose victorious from the dead!
"He walked with the disciples on the way to Emmaus and they did not recognize Him and He recounted for them Holy Scripture from the time of Moses that pertained to Him. When they got to Emmaus He broke the bread, and they recognized Him. Later the disciples said, "Did not our hearts burn within us as he talked to us on the road and explained the scriptures to us?" (Lk 24:32). Are not our hearts burning within us? For He is alive! In every word of the Scriptures and in every word of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, He is present to us. God gives Himself as a gift to us. Are not our hearts burning within us that God gives Himself to us? The all powerful God loves us so much that He came to this earth and He rose on the third day so that we could share in His life. He gives Himself to us this day in the Holy Eucharist. Are not our hearts burning within us? This is reality! The unseen is really real. He no longer walks this earth, but He lives in each of us."16
NOTES:
16. Rita Ring, Rosaries from the Hearts of Jesus and Mary, to be published by Shepherds of Christ Publications.
end of excerpts from Newsletter May/June 1996
Newsletter September/October 1996
8St. Thomas Aquinas has left us these inspirational words on the Eucharist, the source and summit of the Christian life: "Since it was the will of God's only begotten Son that men should share in his divinity, he assumed our nature in order that by becoming man he might make men gods. Moreover, when he took our flesh he dedicated the whole of its substance to our salvation.
He shed his blood for our ransom and purification, so that we might be redeemed from our wretched state of bondage and cleansed from all sin. But to ensure that the memory of so great a gift would abide with us forever, he left his body as food and his blood as drink for the faithful to consume in the form of bread and wine.
"O precious and wonderful banquet, that brings us salvation and contains all sweetness! Could anything be of more intrinsic value. Under the old law it was the flesh of calves and goats that was offered, but here Christ himself, the true God, is set before us as our food. What could be more wonderful than this? No other sacrament has greater healing power; through it sins are purged away, virtues are increased, and the soul is enriched with an abundance of every spiritual gift. It is offered in the Church for the living and the dead, so that what was instituted for the salvation of all may be for the benefit of all. Yet, in the end, no one can fully express the sweetness of this sacrament, in which the spiritual delight is tasted at its very source, and in which we renew the memory of that surpassing love for us which Christ revealed in his passion.
"It was to impress the vastness of this love more firmly upon the hearts of the faithful that our Lord instituted this sacrament at the Last Supper. As he was on the point of leaving the world to go to the Father, after celebrating the Passover with his disciples, he left it as a perpetual memorial of his passion. It was the fulfillment of ancient figures and the greatest of all miracles, while for those who were to experience the sorrow of his departure, it was destined to be a unique and abiding consolation."
NOTES:
8. St. Thomas Aquinas, as in The Liturgy of the Hours, op. cit., Volume II, p. 611.end of excerpt
from Newsletter September/October 1996
Newsletter November/December 1996
excerpt from
- The Eucharist
"Then he took some bread, and when he had given thanks, broke it and gave it to them, saying, 'This is my body which will be given for you; do this as a memorial of me.' He did the same with the cup after supper, and said, 'This cup is the new covenant in my blood which will be poured out for you.'" (Lk 22:19-20)
In the Eucharist, through the humanity of Jesus, Father, Son and Holy Spirit communicate themselves to us anew. Through the intimate gift of the Eucharist, they strikingly manifest their love for us and ask for our response of love. In, with, and through Jesus we respond. Each experience of the Eucharist is meant to strengthen our love-bond with Jesus, so that we can say with increased meaning along with St. Paul, "For I am certain of this: neither death nor life, no angel, no prince, nothing that exists, nothing still to come, not any power, or height or depth, nor any created thing, can ever come between us and the love of God made visible in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Rom 8:38-39)
The Eucharist not only deepens our union with God in Christ. In receiving the Eucharist we pledge ourselves to deepen our love-union with all members of the Body which is the Church. We pledge to use those means which foster union. We determine to avoid that which causes selfish divisiveness.
The Eucharist also reminds us of our relationship with all members of the human family. Jesus died and rose for all. The Eucharistic making present of this paschal mystery nourishes our determination to assist in the work of ongoing redemption. The light we receive from the Eucharist points to what we should be doing. The strength of the Eucharist assists us to act according to the light we receive.
The Eucharist, then, possesses the rich capacity to help us maintain and develop our personal relationship with God, with members of the Church, and with all other members of the human family. And it will do just this-if we so allow it.
end of excerpt from Newsletter
November/December 1996
Newsletter January/February 1997
that he has received. Man must never lose sight of the debt,
which he alone, among all other earthly realities, is capable of
acknowledging and paying back as the one creature made in God's own image
and likeness. At the same time, given his creaturely limitations and sinful
condition, man would be incapable of making this act of justice toward the
Creator, had not Christ himself, the Son who is of one being with the Father
and also true man, first given us the Eucharist.
4. Pope John Paul II, Gift and Mystery, Doubleday, pp. 74-75.
NOTES:
end of excerpt from Newsletter January/February 1997
Newsletter March/April 1997
"Do we hear the priest say the words of consecration with the emotion
of Jesus, about to give His life for His beloved souls? And the earth stands
still. There is, at that moment, the sacrifice of Calvary sacramentally made
present through the hands of the priest. Oh, that God so loved this world to
give His only Son as a sacrifice and that God wants us in this deep oneness
with Him. I give You myself, my beautiful God, as You so willingly gave
Yourself to me on Calvary. I want to die with You.4. Documents of Vatican II, Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, Nos. 47-48, America Press edition.
NOTES:
end of excerpt from Newsletter
March/April 1997
Newsletter May/June 1997
The Directory now speaks to us concerning the priest and his relationship with the Eucharist:
"If the services of the Word is the foundational element of the priestly ministry, the heart and the vital center of it is constituted, without a doubt, in the Eucharist, which is, above all, the real presence in time of the unique and eternal sacrifice of Christ.
"The sacramental memorial of the death and Resurrection of Christ, the true and efficacious representation of the singular redemptive Sacrifice, source and apex of Christian life in the whole of evangelization, the Eucharist is the beginning, means, and end of the priestly ministry, since 'all ecclesiastical ministries and works of the apostolate are bound up with the Eucharist and are directed towards it.' Consecrated in order to perpetuate the Holy Sacrifice, the priest thus manifests, in the most evident manner, his identity."There exists, in fact, an intimate rapport between the centrality of the Eucharist, pastoral charity, and the unity of life of the priest, who finds in this rapport the decisive indications for the way to the holiness to which he has been specifically called.
"If the priest lends to Christ, Most Eternal High Priest, his intelligence, will, voice and hands so as to offer, through his very ministry, the sacramental sacrifice of redemption to the Father, he should make his own the dispositions of the Master and, like him, live those gifts for his brothers in faith. He must therefore learn to unite himself intimately to the offering, placing his entire life upon the altar of sacrifice as a revealing sign of the gratuitous and anticipatory love of God."3
NOTES:
3. Directory on the Ministry and Life of Priests, as in special supplement, Inside the Vatican, No. 48.
end of excerpt from Newsletter May/June 1997
Newsletter July/August 1997
"Therefore 'Our Saviour at
the Last Supper on the night when He was betrayed instituted the Eucharistic
Sacrifice of His Body and Blood so that He might perpetuate the Sacrifice of
the Cross throughout the centuries till His coming. He thus entrusted to the
Church, His beloved Spouse, a memorial of His death and resurrection: a
sacrament of love, a sign of unity, a bond of charity, a paschal meal in
which Christ is eaten, the mind filled with grace, and a pledge of future
glory given to us.'
the Host, I know you're here to love and care for
me. I know your love a little now, so dear you are to me. Come give me life,
abundant life, I thirst to be with Thee. I cannot say. There are not words
to say what my heart feels. I love you so, I scarce can breathe when you
come to me. I know your love a little now, so dear you are to to me. Come
give me life, abundant life, I thirst to be with Thee. Your tender Heart, Oh
how it beats for love of each this day. I want to give You all my love,
surrender totally. I know your love a little now, so dear you are to me.
Come give me life, abundant life, I thirst to be with Thee."
NOTES:
2. The Liturgy Documents, "The 1967 Instruction on Eucharistic Worship", Liturgy Training Program, Archdiocese of Chicago, pp 37-41.
3. Fr. Edward Leen, C.S..Sp., In the Likeness of Christ, Sheed and Ward, pp. 250-252..
4. St. Thomas Aquinas, as in The Liturgy of the Hours, Catholic Book Publishing Co., Vol III, pp. 610-611.
5. Through the Year with Fulton Sheen, compiled by Henry Dietrich, Servant Books, p. 15.
6. Henri Nouwen, With Burning Hearts, Orbis, p. 30.
7. St. Peter Julian Eymard, The Real Presence: Eucharistic Meditations, published by Eymard League, as in The Treasury of Catholic Wisdom, Fr. John Hardin, S.J. ed., Ignatius Press, p. 584.
end of excerpts from Newsletter July/August 1997
Newsletter September/October 1997
more deeply with
Christ in the great sacrifice being offered to the Father. In the holy
sacrifice of the Mass, the faithful will see Jesus through the priest
offering sacrifice to the Father. We will lift our eyes and we will feel, at
this great sacrifice, the presence of God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. We
unite in offering sacrifice to the Father. We all unite as one and give
ourselves in such oneness with Jesus, in such love to the Father, in the
Holy Spirit. We die to all those things that are not of Him and join in this
great miracle taking place. The Father looks down and He sees the sacrifice
of His beautiful Son through the consecrated hands of His holy priests.
Heaven unites to earth. Earth cries out in such jubilation at the great gift
given from the Almighty God and we unite as creatures giving ourselves as a
sacrifice to our beloved Creator. Do we experience the presence of God as
His power flows through the hands of a man, the priest who takes ordinary
bread and wine and changes them into the Body and Blood of Our Lord? Do we
hear Jesus cry out, as He did at the last supper, with the intensity in His
voice reflecting all knowledge of the upcoming events of His passion and
death?"109. Directory on the Ministry and Life of Priests as in Inside the Vatican, November 1994,
NOTES:
end of excerpt from Newsletter September/October 1997
Newsletter 1998 Issue 1
In his homily at the World Youth Day Mass in Paris, Pope John Paul II put forth these words on the Eucharist: "‘Rabbi, where are you staying?’ Each day the Church responds: Christ is present in the eucharist, in the sacrament of his death and resurrection. In and through the eucharist you acknowledge the dwelling place of the living God in human history. For the eucharist is the sacrament of the love which conquers death. It is the sacrament of the covenant, pure gift of love for the reconciliation of all humanity. It is the gift of the real presence of Jesus the redeemer…Thanks to the eucharist, constantly renewed among all the peoples of the world, Christ continues to build his church: He brings us together in praise and thanksgiving for salvation, in the communion which only infinite love can forge. Our worldwide gathering now takes on its fullest meaning, through the celebration of the Mass. For Christ is now answering your own question and the questions of all those who seek the living God. He answers by offering an invitation: This is my body, take it and eat. To the Father he entrusts his supreme desire: that all those whom he loves may be one in the same communion."11
The Holy Father offers us further words on the Eucharist. Speaking of Mary, he tells us: "Her motherhood is particularly noted and experienced by the Christian people at the Sacred Banquet—the liturgical celebration of the mystery of the Redemption—at which Christ, his true body born of the Virgin Mary, becomes present.
"The piety of the Christian people has always rightly sensed a profound link between devotion to the Blessed Virgin and worship of the Eucharist: this is the fact that can be seen in the liturgy of both the West and the East, in the traditions of the Religious Families, in the modern movements of spirituality, including those for youth, and in the pastoral practice of the Marian Shrines. Mary guides the faithful to the Eucharist."12
NOTES:
11. Pope John Paul II, "Homily", as in Origins, CNS Documentary Service, Sep. 4, 1997, Vol 27, No. 12, p. 190.
12. Pope John Paul II, The Mother of the Redeemer, United States Catholic Conference, No. 44.
end of excerpt from Newsletter 1998 issue 1
Newsletter 1998 Issue 2
Fr. David Turaldo has left us these words on the Eucharist:
"In his self-giving, the Lord Jesus consumed the form of his historical and earthly presence. Then he placed himself under the form of bread and wine, so that everyone might eat and drink of him and live.
"Having drawn all things to himself in his experience of death, he has become the source of a creation whose goodness and beauty are based on a harmonious balance stemming from the reconciliation by him and accomplished in him.
"The person who nourishes himself on the life-giving and substantial food that is the body and blood of Christ, acquires a consciousness of being rooted in Christ Jesus. The consciousness becomes the life-giving center of all one’s human resources—which, clothed with new light, constitute the identity of the person ‘conformed to the image of the Son’.
"The person becomes a radiant power in the cosmos of that life-giving substance progressively taking up its dwelling in him.
"Humbly giving his energies to this Eucharistic presence, he collaborates with God’s great and marvelous work for the unity of all."10
Pope John Paul II reminds us that the Eucharist builds the Church: "It is an essential truth, not only of doctrine but also of life, that the Eucharist builds the Church, building it as the authentic community of the People of God, as the assembly of the faithful, bearing the same mark of unity that was shared by the Apostles and the first disciples of the Lord. The Eucharist builds ever anew this community and unity, ever building and regenerating it on the basis of the Sacrifice of Christ since it commemorates his death on the Cross, the price by which he redeemed us. Accordingly, in the Eucharist we touch in a way the very mystery of the Body and Blood of the Lord, as is attested by the very words used at its institution, the words with which those called to this ministry in the Church unceasingly celebrate the Eucharist."11
NOTES:
10. David Turaldo, Revelation of Love, Pauline Books and Media, p. 133.
11. Pope John Paul II, Daily Meditations, Editions Paulines, p. 198.
end of excerpt from Newsletter 1998 issue 2
Newsletter 1998 Issue 3
Fr. David Turoldo observes: "Bread is the image of gratuitous giving. Its fragrant presence in our homes recalls the desire for a unity, the savor of tenderness, the life we would like to experience daily. The breaking of bread reveals the joy of sharing and an inner certitude that impels us to overcome difficult interior and exterior relationships. To be able to break bread every day is to hope to exist not by means of an ephemeral substance, but by means of the true substance that renders our experience of life internally free and externally faithful. To introduce into our life the spirit of the Eucharist that has been celebrated, means to place at the center of our being the mystery the Eucharist contains, as energy generating an authentic response in our way of life. ‘Eucharist’ means ‘thanksgiving.’ Our daily pilgrimage assumes, therefore, a continuity of praise, celebrated in everything that we are, make and experience, even in sufferings and contradictions."12
The Directory on the Ministry and Life of Priests tells us: "It is necessary to recall the irreplaceable value that the daily celebration of the Holy Mass has for the priest… He must live it as the central moment of his day and of his daily ministry, fruit of a sincere desire and an occasion for a deep and effective encounter with Christ, and he must take the greatest care to celebrate it with intimate participation of the mind and heart."13
NOTES:
12. David Turaldo, Revelation of Love, Pauline Books and Media, p.109.
13. Directory on the Ministry and Life of Priests, as in Inside the Vatican, Nov., 1994, Special Supplement, No. 49.
end of excerpt from Newsletter 1998 issue 3
Newsletter 1998 Issue 4
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
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.
NOTES:
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.
7. Maurice de la Taille, S.J., The Mystery of Faith: Book 2, "The Sacrifice of the Church",
translated by Joseph Carroll and P.J. Dalton, Sheed & Ward, p. 240.
end of excerpt from Newsletter 1998 issue 4
Newsletter 1998 Issue 5
The Eucharist
Pope John Paul II reminds us: "The Eucharist is above all else a sacrifice. It is the sacrifice of the Redemption and also the sacrifice of the New Covenant...
"It is therefore very opportune and necessary to continue to actuate a new and intense education, in order to discover all the richness contained in the new liturgy. Indeed, the liturgical renewal that has taken place since the Second Vatican Council has given, so to speak, greater visibility to the Eucharistic Sacrifice. One factor contributing to this is that the words of the Eucharistic Prayer are said aloud by the celebrant, particularly the words of consecration, with the acclamation by the assembly immediately after the elevation.
"All this should fill us with joy, but we should also remember that these changes demand new spiritual awareness and maturity, both on the part of the celebrant-especially now that he celebrates 'facing the people'-and by the faithful. Eucharistic worship matures and grows when the words of the Eucharistic Prayer, especially the words of consecration, are spoken with great humility and simplicity, in a worthy and fitting way, which is understandable and in keeping with their holiness; when this essential act of the Eucharistic Liturgy is performed unhurriedly; and when it brings about in us such recollection and devotion that the participants become aware of the greatness of the mystery being accomplished and show it by their attitude."7He gave His last breath! He gave the last beat of His Heart for love of each one of us! How can we refuse Jesus who spread His arms on the cross and gave His life for you and for me? How can we not trust Him when He loved us so much that He allowed them to tear His flesh, to crown Him with piercing thorns, and, lastly, to hang Him on a cross? He endured all this for love of each of us, and that same love has prompted Him to still be with us in His Eucharistic presence-in the Mass and in the tabernacle. And we can at times take His Eucharistic presence so lightly!
Death has no power over our Savior. Locked in the tomb, He rose triumphant on the third day as He had foretold. He has come to give us life. He gives us the sacrament of Baptism that initiates us into His life. This life He gives us is centered in love-love of God and neighbor. He came to show us the way and His way is love. He died for love of us and He rose for love of us! Each day He calls out to each of us to be His close companions, to march on a world that has to a large degree forgotten God, that has forgotten how to love. It is a struggle to live in the world, but the battle is won with hearts that are filled with His love, hearts that are empowered by the grace that He pours out in the Eucharist. He calls out for us to come to the Eucharistic Sacrifice and be fed with His very flesh and blood! He invites us to converse with Him as we pray before the tabernacle. TheEucharist is our greatest source of spiritual nourishment. It is Jesus' great gift to us-the gift of Himself. This is the love He gives. This is the love He asks us to share.
Yes, the Eucharistic Christ calls out ever so gently in His tender voice and with His burning Heart. He calls out to us and says, Come to me, all you who labor and are over burdened, and I will give you rest. (Mt 11:28). But in our blindness we can turn away, forgetting to realize the true treasure in our midst. Jesus remains with us this day in the Eucharist, really present, body and blood, soul and divinity, as really present as He was when He walked this earth. And He calls out in a gentle voice, with a burning Heart, "My beloved friends, I long for your love. Open up your hearts to Me. I am the Son of God! I have all the power! You cannot do anything without Me!"Fr. Robert M. Schwartz, theologian and former president of the United States National Organization for Continuing Education of Roman Catholic Clergy, tells us: "The eucharist is the privileged moment in which the eschatological Christ quickens and guides the pilgrim journey of the church. This celebration nourishes transcendent values, deepens insight into the present identity of the community, and draws attention to its future goal; therefore, it is truly the source of conversion to the life of the kingdom, changing the lives and desires of those who participate in it. There, Jesus himself is offered to the community gathered in worship as a foretaste of the goal of ecclesial existence: perfect communion of life and love in Christ. This dynamic presence of Jesus embodies the grace of his life, death and resurrection, giving power and efficacy to ministry. Since the eucharist renders Jesus present both as crucified servant and as eschatological Lord, it is the source of pastoral charity and the pattern of ministerial spirituality. Because service is the sign of the kingdom and the way which leads to its consummation, the Eucharistic Christ unites the present and the future in himself by nourishing the community with his self-giving love as messianic priest."8
NOTES:
7. Pope John Paul II, Letter, The Mystery and Worship of the Eucharist, Pauline Books and Media, No. 9.
8. Robert M. Schwartz, Servant Leaders of the People of God, Paulist, p. 154.
end of excerpt from Newsletter 1998 issue 5
Newsletter 1999 Issue 1
excerpt from
celebrating the
Easter memorial in order to bring about in history the justice of
the...Kingdom of God."17
NOTES:
17. Fr. Bruno Forte, He Loved Them to the End, St. Paul Books & Media, p. 97.
end of excerpt from Newsletter 1999 issue 1
Newsletter 1999 Issue 2
excerpt from
"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.NOTES:
12. 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 Newsletter 1999 issue 2
Newsletter 1999 Issue 3
excerpt from
"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
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."
NOTES:
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 Newsletter 1999 issue 3
Newsletter 1999 Issue 4
excerpt from
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
come. We must come and sit in silence and let Him work in our
hearts. We must not be filled with fear, we should be filled with hope and
joy. We must pray to the Holy Spirit to give us His wisdom to know the
will of the Father. Mary is our Mother. She will help us with all our
trials and all of our struggles. We must discipline our thoughts and go to
the Heart of Jesus. It is through the Eucharist that we will be
strengthened for our trials.
"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."
NOTES:
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 Newsletter 1999 issue 4
Newsletter 1999 Issue 5
excerpt from
The Eucharist
Archbishop Luis M. Martinez offers us these inspiring words: "If we could dispose ourselves at least to think about what He suffered for each one of us! Our souls are enveloped in His tenderness and in His pain. We are the fruit of His love and His martyrdom. We increasingly receive His gifts of all kinds. We receive them tranquilly, at times joyfully. But those gifts are marked with the blood of Jesus, the blood from His veins and from his Heart. In order that we might taste the least of His consolations, Jesus had to taste the gall and vinegar of interior desolation...
"Each communion we receive cost Jesus the sacrifice of Calvary ... Holy Communion is a banquet from heaven prepared with the blood of Jesus and the bitterness of His Heart."15
"At the Mass we unite in offering sacrifice to the Father. We all unite as one and give ourselves in such oneness with Jesus, in such love to the Father, in the Holy Spirit. We desire to die to all the things that are not of God and join in this great miracle taking place. The Father looks down and He sees the sacrifice of His Son being offered through His priest. Heaven unites to earth. Earth cries out in such jubilation at the great gift of the Almighty God, and we unite as creatures giving ourselves as a sacrifice to our beloved Creator. Do we experience the presence of God as His power flows through His priest, who takes ordinary bread and wine, and changes them into the Body and Blood of our Lord? Do we hear Jesus cry out, as He did at the Last Supper, with the intensity in His voice reflecting the knowledge of the upcoming events of His Passion and death?
"Do we hear the priest say the words of consecration with the emotion of Jesus, about to give His life for His beloved ones? And the earth stands still. There is, at that moment, the sacrifice of Calvary sacramentally made present through the words of the priest. Oh, that God so loved the world to give His only Son as a sacrifice, and that God wants us in this deep oneness with Him! I give You myself, my Savior, my beloved Jesus, as You so willingly gave Yourself to me on Calvary. I want to die and rise more and more with You in the deepest possible love for You and for those for whom You died a brutal, bloody death on Calvary, and for whom You rose gloriously from the dead!"
NOTES:
15. Archbishop Luis Martinez, Only Jesus, B. Herder Book Co., pp. 212-213.
end of excerpt from Newsletter 1999 issue 5
Newsletter 2000 Issue 1
excerpt from
The Eucharist
discovered. A
young priest had to memorize the names of all of those who had received
Communion. After night call and bed check, we would set our guards, darken
the windows, and the lucky one to be chosen to celebrate for this
momentous occasion would carefully brush his pathetic garb, put the stole
over his shoulders, and by the small light of his smuggled candle begin
the commemoration of that great passion... We could understand the Mass.
All that could crowd into the room were there, tears of joy running down
our cheeks. Christ the Lord, who knew what suffering was, was coming... to
bring us strength and consolation. The small hosts were broken into as
many particles as possible so that the greatest number could communicate.
We had to keep a secret roster of those who received. We missed some of
the liturgy perhaps, but I think that God looked down into that prison
room and found a particularly refreshing response to his cry of love from
the cross, ‘I thirst.’ There was nothing that could keep us from doing
all in our power to be closer to God.’ "10
NOTES:
8. Romano Guardini, Jesus Christ, Henry Regnery, as in Daily Readings in Catholic Classics,
edited by Rawley Myers, Ignatius Press, p. 102.
9. St. John Vianney, "Sermon for Holy Thursday", in Eucharistic Meditations, Source Books,
as in Adoration, Ignatius Press, pp. 92-93.
10. Through the Year with Fulton Sheen, Servant Books, pp. 99-100.
end of excerpt from Newsletter 2000 issue 1
Newsletter 2000 Issue 2
excerpt from
The Eucharist
NOTES:
15. Saint John Vianney, "Sermons for Holy Thursday", in Eucharistic Meditations,
editor Sr. Mary Benvenuta, O. P., translated by Abbé H. Convert, as in Adoration,
compiled by Daniel Guernsey, Ignatius Press, p. 96.
end of excerpt from Newsletter 2000 issue 2
Newsletter 2000 Issue 3
excerpt from
The Eucharist
The death-resurrection of Jesus, which
is encountered in a special way through the sacraments, is most
especially renewed in the Eucharistic Sacrifice. Consequently, we can
see the logical connection between the sacraments and the Mass. Indeed,
all of the sacraments point to the Eucharistic Sacrifice.
The following words of Fr. M. Raymond, O.C.S.O., 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."30
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 and the holiness of his participating congregation.
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 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, also points out the great importance of personal holiness in the Church relative to the effectiveness of the Eucharistic sacrifice: "It is, then, of the greatest importance that there should be in the Church many holy, many very holy persons. Devout people, men and women, 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 perfection? 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."31
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.
The Sacrifice of Calvary is
sacramentally made present in the Mass. When we pray the Morning
Offering Prayer, united to the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, we act as
intercessors, pleading to God that great graces be released all day
through our prayerful actions as we act in love according to the
Father’s will. Whether we are eating, taking care of a sick parent,
enjoying time spent with a friend, working at our job, we can help bring
down great graces for the world.
When we pray the Morning Offering Prayer we offer our lives to the Father, through Christ, in the Holy Spirit, with the prayerful assistance of Mary, our Mother. Let us pray together united in our hearts in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. There follows a Morning Offering Prayer.
"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, 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 the 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. Amen."
Fr. Edward Leen, C.S. Sp., tells us: "Unless we are pleasing to God we cannot be saved, we cannot realize the purpose of our divine adoption. We cannot please God unless we resemble Jesus Christ, and the Blessed Sacrament is instituted for the very object of perfecting in us this likeness. Bodily food is transformed into the flesh of him that receives it; this heavenly food, the food of our souls, which is the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ, has the directly opposite effect: it changes him who receives it into Itself. It must not be forgotten that the presence in us which follows the reception of Holy Communion is a living active presence. Our Lord is more present with us than is a person with whom we are speaking. As He influenced whilst on earth those who allowed themselves to fall under the charm of His Personality, so He exercises a profound effect on the soul of the communicant, if that soul wishes to submit to His action. We cannot be in the society of one who is good without being incited to goodness; we cannot be with Our Lord—and we are as close to Him as our desires extend—without receiving the effects of His virtue and without being stirred to become as he was, without being drawn, in a mystical sense to become one with Him, to become ‘Christified’."32
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."33
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."34
NOTES:
30. M. Raymond, O.C.S.O. This Is Love, Bruce, p. 106.
31. Maurice de la Taille, S. J., The Mystery of Faith, Book 2, "The Sacrifice of the Church",
translated by Joseph Carroll and P. J. Dalton, Sheed and Ward, p. 240.
32. Fr. Edward Leen, C.S..Sp., In the Likeness of Christ, Sheed and Ward, pp. 250-252.
33. Mother Teresa, Rosary Meditations from Mother Teresa, contact Missionaries of the
Blessed Sacrament, PO Box 1701, Plattsburgh, New York.
34. St. Peter Julian Eymard, Eucharistic Handbook, Emmanuel Publications, as in Adoration,
Ignatius Press, p.97.
end of excerpt from Newsletter 2000 issue 3
Newsletter 2000 Issue 4
excerpt from
From a spiritual journal we are given these words: "When a priest is filled with the love of Jesus, he unites more deeply with Christ in the great sacrifice being offered to the Father. The faithful more easily see Jesus, through the priest, offering sacrifice to the Father. They more easily experience, at this great sacrifice, the presence of Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
"At the Mass we unite in offering sacrifice to the Father. We all unite as one and give ourselves in such oneness with Jesus, in such love to the Father, in the Holy Spirit. We desire to die to all the things that are not of God and join in the great miracle taking place. The Father looks down and He sees the sacrifice of His Son being offered through His priest. Heaven unites to earth. Earth cries
out in such jubilation at the great gift of the Almighty God, and we unite as creatures giving ourselves as a sacrifice to our beloved Creator. Do we experience the presence of God as His power flows through His priest, who takes bread and wine, and changes them into the Body and Blood of our Lord? Do we hear Jesus speak, as He did at the Last Supper, with the intensity in His voice reflecting the knowledge of the upcoming events of His passion and death?
"Do we hear the priest say the words of consecration with the emotion of Jesus about to give His life for His beloved ones? And the earth stands still. There is, at that moment, the sacrifice of Calvary sacramentally made present through the words of the priest. Oh, that God so loved the world to give His only Son as a sacrifice, and that God wants us in this deep oneness with Him! I give You myself, my Savior, my beloved Jesus, as You so willingly gave Yourself to me on Calvary. I want to die and rise more and more with You in the deepest possible love for You and for those for whom You died a brutal, bloody death on the cross, and for whom You rose gloriously from the dead!"
end of excerpt from Newsletter 2000 issue 4
Newsletter 2001 Issue 2
excerpt from
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...5
Ephesians 1: 11-14
And it is in him
that we have received our heritage,
marked out beforehand as we were,
under the plan of the One
who guides all things
as he decides by his own will,
chosen to be,
for the praise of his glory,
the people who
would put their hopes in Christ
before he came.
Now you too, in him,
have heard the message of the truth
and the gospel of your salvation,
and having put your trust in it
you have been stamped with the seal
of the Holy Spirit of the Promise,
who is the pledge of our inheritance,
for the freedom of the people
whom God has taken for his own,
for the praise of his glory.
Days pass and we grow older.
Some of us wither and die.
Some are killed in car wrecks.
Today is the day to turn our lives over to God.
Please help us pass out these little cards to all souls.
Say daily
God, I give you my life in union
with the Mass as an offering for
the souls, the Church and the
priestsHelp us!
Your life is so important for souls,
you can help bring down great grace.
These are available from Shepherds of Christ free of charge.
NOTES:
5. Pope Paul VI, Encyclical Letter, Mysterium Fidei, St. Paul Books and Media, pp. 5, 25, 26.
Newsletter 2001 Issue 2
October 20, 2000
I give my heart to Jesus and Mary with you in love. I want to pray united to you as a body all day. Yesterday as I prayed I realized how important it is we stay united to the Mass the whole time we are praying. Great grace is released as we stay united to the Mass and pray in union with the Masses being offered around the world. Whenever we do the hourly prayers or pray the rosary or do God’s will in our activities we are so consciously aware of our union to the Mass being celebrated at that moment. There is such grace that can be released from our union with the Mass. Here is Lucia’s vision.
Whether I am at the Mass so actively present or I am in my home or my car or in a church, I want to be so united to the Masses going on around the world. I realized as never before that so much grace could be released. This deep connection to the Mass is so important so tremendous grace will be released. The sacrifice is being offered through the hands of a priest. I pray and tremendous grace can be released. I want to be so connected to this font of grace as the Mass is being celebrated. I want my prayer to be most pure so I unite myself to the pure and holy Hearts of Jesus and Mary. I want all I do to be a sacrifice united to their pure and holy Hearts. I want the most tremendous grace possible to be released from the offering of my life and my prayers so I unite so deeply to this font of grace. I realized more than ever before in my life how Jesus is Chief Priest and Victim. The priest is the instrument God uses. But in every Mass, Christ Himself is celebrating through the priest. The Mass is so powerful because it is Christ Who is the Chief Priest. We stand with Mary under the cross and we beg God to release grace. Our every action should be cognitively united to the Masses going on around the world. Great grace will be released from our prayers and offerings.
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. Amen.
Imprimatur: Most Reverend Daniel E. Pilarczyk, Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, January 22, 1997. (applies to this prayer only)
end of excerpt from Newsletter 2001 issue 2
Messenger: Jesus
asks us to pray for special things.
Spread the Blood of Jesus, Consecrate their hearts,
Cast the Devil far away, ask for the coming of the Holy
Spirit.
1) Pray for urgent intention, a special priest
and all involved.
2) Pray for Father Mike and Father Laurentin.
3) Pray for special Bishops and Archbishops
4) Pray for a special man and son,
and family and all involved.
5) Pray for all priests, Bishops and Cardinals
receiving the Newsletter.
Pray for grace for them to respond especially
by beginning prayer chapters.
6) Pray for the telephone operators.
7) Pray for communication and business in
general.
8) Pray for people to respond to fund letters.
9) Pray for money to circulate pictures.
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March 5, 2001 |
March 5, 2001 |
10) Pray for funds and grace.
11) Pray for all Shepherds of Christ apostles,
handmaids, servants.
12) Pray for availability Prayer manuals.
13) Pray for second priestly Newsletter Book.
14) Pray for documentary and all involved.
15) Pray for special intentions of our donors.
A PLEDGE FROM AN APOSTLE OF THE SACRED HEART
Messenger:
I am but a little speck on this earth,
Oh dear and precious Heart of Jesus
I am Rita your precious soul.
Use me to help to spread this burning
I am yours, take me, use me as you
I surrender myself to you.
It is your might behind me, your power
Sacred Heart of Jesus I place my
Father hear us please. We beg through
A Note from the President of Shepherds of Christ:
If you are devoted to Our Lady's rosary, we need your help! A member of our ministry is very devoted to Our Blessed Mother and he is helping to teach us how to grow our volunteer rosary makers. He estimates that we will need approximately $37,000 this year for beads alone! This translates into 22,339,500 rosary beads (yes, 22 million beads) assembled by volunteers into 378 thousand rosaries. The biggest users of our rosaries are the Catholic schools, who requested more than 100,000 rosaries last year.
Can you help us? I appeal to you for funds, whether large or small. We give because we love God, we love our Blessed Mother, and we love souls. We will accept gifts in many forms, besides cash or check donations, we can receive gifts directly in the form of stocks or property. These gifts can offer large tax advantages to the donor and increase the monetary value of the gift to us. Also if you can help assemble rosaries we need your help! If you can help us in anyway, please call or write us. God Bless!
I love you,
John Weickert
A rosary can be used to pray for healing. It is powerful to unite our prayers to the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass and pray through the powerful intercession of Our Lady of Clearwater.
In times of trouble, for special prayer, we can use our rosary and pray as follows.
A Rosary for Healing or for Someone with Cancer.
On one Hail Mary bead or as many as you desire, say:
May God heal through the intercession of Our Lady of Clearwater in union with the Mass and all the Masses being celebrated around the world.
Pray the Hail Mary or Hail Mary's then pray this after the Hail Mary.
May the cancer be uprooted and thrown into the sea.
We believe with all our hearts.
After the Glory Be — pray the following petition.
May be healed through the intercession of Our Lady of Clearwater if it be the holy will of God.
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Note: You can look at Mary on the image rosary while you pray this rosary. |  |
Note: The above section can be printed out from a PDF file, and you can pray the rosary looking at the pictures.
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December 17, 2000, Mary speaks: Help me to circulate my red and blue This is a gift we give you. |
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To order your Rosary Book fill out this form and send your donation to Shepherds of Christ Ministries, PO Box 193, Morrow, Ohio 45152-0193, Telephone: (toll free) 1-888-211-3041 or (513) 932-4451.
Name: _________________ Street: _____________________________
City: _________________ State: _________________ Zip: ________
Donation price: $7 A $15 A $25 A $50 A $100 A Other $_____ A
Messenger: CAN YOU HELP US BY GIVING US ROSARIES FOR THE SCHOOLS REQUESTING THEM?
Mary speaks: PLEASE MAKE WALTER'S ROSARIES. THE SCHOOLS WANT ROSARIES AND THERE ARE NOT ANY ROSARIES LEFT.
Messenger: Pray for Ron, Fernando and Perry.
Prayer List for apostles for interior use in the Movement. Pray hourly.
Spread the Blood of Jesus on everyone involved with Shepherds of Christ in any way, consecrate their hearts, cast the devil out, pray for coming of the Holy Spirit in a special way for all people involved on this list.
Please pray for one new very important intention.
Pray for the 5 urgent intentions.
Pray for the Pope and everyone we need to help us.
* Pray for the priestly newsletter, for funds for it and for all involved.
Pray for the taping of the priestly newsletter.
Pray for the reproduction of disks.
Pray for the Newsletter that went from China and Eden Prairie.
Pray for priests receiving the Newsletter for grace.
Pray for fund letters, all donors, and getting the right names.
Pray for setting up telephone communications at the Morrow Center for priests receiving the newsletter and wanting the Prayer Manuals.
Pray for open communications within the Shepherds of Christ Ministries.
Consecrate Hearts of all Priests in the world saying Mass today.
Pray to see the vision of the Reign of the Sacred Heart and the Era of Peace.
Pray for the prison ministry.
Pray for Michael B.
Pray for the Documentary.
Pray for all mankind, Church and the world.
Pray to make amends to God for the sins of the men of this earth.
Pray to make reparation to the Hearts of Jesus and Mary.
Pray for Don, Don, Mike, Bob, Bob, Dave, Reggie, Bush, all donors and those who Jesus wants to help us financially.
Pray for Father Carter and the Jesuits, the people at Colombiere.
* Pray for 2 special priests.
* Pray for funds and grace.
Pray for designated priests, Fr. Mike, Fr. Laurentin, Fr. Joe, Fr. Lou B., Fr. Jim, Fr. Willig, Fr. Smith, Fr. Ken, Fr. Sevilla and all priests involved in the Imprimaturs translations including all bishops and all bishops over us. Pray for Bishop Ed, Fr. Don, Father at Tuesday Masses, Fr. Tom, Fr. Bill, all priests involved with Walter, Fr. Hagee and special priests, priests who help us in China, and priests who help us in Florida.
Pray for Father's sister Merle, for all of us servants, handmaids, apostles and vocations to all 7 categories.
Pray for the Internet team and the daily messages.
Pray for people reading the Internet.
Pray for prayer book, Mass Book II, and Daily Message Books.
Pray for all covers, pray for Cathy.
Pray for the elected officials.
Pray for an audience with the Pope.
Pray for all Jesuits involved, all those over us.
Pray for Mike and Dan.
Pray for the rights to the books, pray for Jesuits in Father's house.
Pray for the process of getting Father's books on the Internet.
Pray for money to reprint the books.
Pray for the Imprimatur on the Priestly Newsletter Book II.
Pray we can send it to all bishops and Jesuits.
Pray for Fernando, Ron, Joseph, Peter, Ed, Jane, Sonia, Don, Sue & Ken.
Pray for Perry and family and discernment.
Pray for all sub-centers and all out-of-state rosaries; Denver, Iowa, Pennsylvania, Toledo, St. Louis, Memphis and California.
Pray for the sisters' mailing, nursing home mailing, bus mailing.
Pray for Genevieve's daughter and Sheila's mom and the repose of the soul of Jerry's dad.
Pray for Paul and Joan discernment.
Pray for B & M and Tina and Terry, all printing jobs, companies involved.
Pray for 5th, the 13th, the 17th.
Pray hourly for the Rosary on the 5th & all attending and those traveling to Florida.
Pray for building up of Morrow, Ohio, Dale, Indiana, Toledo, Ohio, Sidney, Ohio, Iowa, and other sub-centers.
Pray for the Holy Spirit Center and all involved.
Pray for all our families, children in school, college mailing.
Pray for lots and lots of people to help us get prayer manuals and pictures.
Pray for Rosary Factory and rosary beads.
Pray for lots of rosary makers and rosaries for the schools.
Pray for Paul C., Margaret Mary, Steve and Sheila, Monica, Angie, Marian, Cathy, Joe, Nick, Mary, Emily, Joe, Doris, Glaci, Dunkers, Joan R., Morgan, Mark, Walter, Janice, Mike A., Margaret, Ron, Harold, Scott, Nathan, Don, Rosalie, and Dennis.
Pray for everyone who has asked us to pray for them.
Pray for Steve and Sheila and repairs.
Pray for Fred doing the paper and all involved in priestly "start-up".
Please pray for all Shepherds of Christ children.
Pray for Victor's son, Michael. (Victor and Frances)
Pray for Delores and organization of writings and other material.
MY VALENTINE FOR JESUS AND MARY
AND THE WORLDI _________________ give my heart to
You Jesus and Mary on this day
_________________
I promise to help spread the devotion to
the Hearts of Jesus and Mary.
Q:
Copyright
© 2001 Shepherds of Christ.Shepherds of Christ Ministries
PO Box 193
Morrow, Ohio 45152-0193
Telephone: (toll free) 1-888-211-3041 or (513) 932-4451
FAX: (513) 932-6791
