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Shepherds of Christ |
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Shepherds of Christ |
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July 6, 2011
July 7th Holy Spirit Novena
Scripture selection is Day 7 Period II.The Novena Rosary Mysteries
for July 7th are Joyful.
Please pray for Jimmy.
Pray for everything to do with
Fr. Joe's Cycle B Book.
The Florida Book Store
July 6, 2011
R. Jesus is the Alpha and the Omega.
Oh God help us in everything we do to be so close
to You
That all we do, we do for the honor and glory of God
Help me God that I do not fear, but keep that
constant connection with You
Wanting to please my heavenly Father
Knowing that I love God so much, I don't
want to offend God by opposing
the Father's will
Come Holy Spirit fill me with grace, so
I will enthusiastically do what You want me
to do
Help me God to do Your will
Holy Spirit help me to know Your will
Holy Spirit help us in carrying out this mission
You have given to us Help the people
who are called to help You God
We can't pick and choose what God's will
is for us We just do His will willingly when
it may be easy, when it may be difficult
We want what God wants because He is the
one who created us, for a purpose, to love
and serve Him - we belong to God we love
Him we don't want to offend Him we
cannot control others, we cannot, if we oppose
God's will for us, expect to be happy we are God's
This is His world
We were created with unique talents that are
to serve Him
Our work here, doing His will, bears fruit for
the Kingdom of God if it is done for His
honor and glory and not our vain glory
When we act out of jealousy and anger, seeking
dominance for dominance sake,
controlling opposing God's will
We will get results opposed to God's will
We don't want to
act out of the deadly sins, capital sins
pride, greed, envy, wrath, lust,
gluttony,
and sloth
Not acting, holding back not doing
what God wants is acting
In the Holy Spirit Sequence it says:
"Bend the stubborn heart and will
Melt the frozen, warm the chill
Guide the steps that go astray"
If God calls us to do something and we don't
do it holding back
we are acting
we are hurting His Plan
we are opposing what He wants
A mom told a child to put on their shoes
the child was 4 the mom needed to get in
the car and leave
The child that sits on the floor and refuses to
put on their shoes, whining, crying and holding
back is doing something
When Jesus calls us to pray to spend time with
Him and we put other things first and just
stay away from Him it hurts our relationship
with Him
Jesus is a Person
We need to spend time with Him
We will give to what we love
If we hold back what Jesus wants us to give
to God and others, because of anger and
pride, we are not loving God, but offending God
Little children are learning they can pout and
be angry sometimes over nothing
They need to learn to share
They need to know they can't have everything their
way
We learn to discipline ourselves
Mary told the children at Fatima to make
sacrifices for sinners
The devil presses on people who give into
their feelings and have not put the
practice into letting God's will rule their
decisions, but give into their "hurt
feelings" like children if they can get
away with it and they expect someone else to
make them feel better when they have acted wrongly
And they need to forgive and love and ask
for forgiveness for holding back when they
should have reported for the day's work
God had for them
We should make reparation for neglect to waste minutes,
seconds, days nursing our own
angry hearts
God gives us so generously
Jesus gives us Himself in the Eucharist
The 1st commandments says to put God first
not to act in punishing others in any way, for hurt feelings
that we may have given into and nursed
because of giving into temptation by satan
Growing spiritually more and more in the
image and likeness of God
Would Jesus act like this?
Are we grateful for God's gifts to us
Do we forgive as we wish to be forgiven
by God
We will spend time willingly on what we
love
The devil by tempting people, who give in,
can instigate the tearing apart of prayer groups,
marriages, any gathering for holy
purpose by tempting the person to
use the group to nurse bad moods
and hurt feelings
We don't give into hurt feelings that the
devil wants us to have
We do God's will working in love to resolve
conflicts
A person can go to Church and answer so
loud right behind someone already
in the pew
They can think "I am praying and I am
serving God so let my voice 'rip'"
God wants us to pray in unity
I can see 'myself and God' when others are
in front of me, praying the prayers loudly,
blocking those in front of me from being able
to even think or pray because of a loud voice
projected forward
It isn't 'me and God'
It is 'God and me and others'
Being sensitive to others and
praying together as one
Not the "priest" and "me"
Knowing I am with God and others
Not focusing on myself, as if no one else
is around when they are trying to pray too
The rule for our lives is
What is God's will for my actions?
... "Forgive us our trespasses, as we
forgive those, who trespass
against us"
If we don't act for God's will
we let satan win in our self-centered
isolated ways
Let the example of Jesus be our guide so
we grow more and more in His image and likeness
Let us grow in virtue
and not in vices
Humility is truth
Excerpt from Response in Christ by Fr. Edward J. Carter, S.J.
Other Christian Virtues
If humility is truth, and therefore allows for the proper recognition of my gifts, it also necessitates my admitting to the evil within me. This is also part of the truth. This truth also must be acted upon; for Christian humility not only allows me to admit that there is evil in me, but it also tells me that as a creature of God I should conform myself to His will and strive to eradicate and control the evil as far as this is possible. In summary, humility allows the Christian to evaluate properly both the good and evil in himself.
Joyful Mysteries
The Annunciation
(1) Mary was conceived without sin
(2) Mary is our model
(3) Mary has an Immaculate Heart
(4) Consecrating ourselves to Mary means
we want to do what Mary would do
(5) Look at how Mary said "yes" to God's will
(6) Mary said "yes" to God despite her suffering
(7) Mary is loving
(8) To see Mary is to see her beauty for her love her
giving to us her children her giving to Christ
(9) Mary gave herself
(10) Mary is the Spouse of the Holy Spirit
Mary is the most perfect human creature.
The Visitation
(1) Sing: Holy Is His Name
(2) Elizabeth and Mary were selfless in the scene
where Elizabeth greeted Mary and John leaped
in her womb and
Mary proclaimed the Magnificat
(3) Mary is the perfect handmaid of the Lord
(4) Mary lived in purity to do the Father's will
(5) Mary shows us she was concerned for
her cousin Elizabeth
(6) This mystery is important to show Mary's humility
(7) Mary did what God wanted
she didn't give into hurt feelings and fear
(8) Mary carried Jesus in her
We see the gift of Mary's love in
the Magnificat
(9) We see Mary's "yes" she was self-less
she did God's will
not self-centered, crying for her hurt feelings
She served in love
She loved God
(10) Mary wanted to please God the Father.
The Birth of Jesus
(1) Jesus is the Divine God
(2) Jesus came in poverty, a baby, not a monarch,
not high and mighty
(3) Jesus came to this earth and
Mary suffered at His birth
Mary suffered at His death
Mary suffered and she endured it because
it was the Father's will
(4) The angels in heaven recognized
God in the highest
(5) The Father gave a sign to show men He
recognized Jesus' birth
He gave the star in the sky
(6) Sing: Angels We have Heard on High
(7)
♫ Oh Little Town of Bethlehem(8) ♫ Silent Night
(9) ♫ Away in a Manager
(10) ♫ A Song from Jesus
The Presentation
(1) Luke 2: 22-40
And when the day came for them to be purified in keeping with the Law of Moses, they took him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lordobserving what is written in the Law of the Lord: Every firstborn male must be consecrated to the Lordand also to offer in sacrifice, in accordance with what is prescribed in the Law of the Lord, a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons. Now in Jerusalem there was a man named Simeon. He was an upright and devout man; he looked forward to the restoration of Israel and the Holy Spirit rested on him. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death until he had set eyes on the Christ of the Lord. Prompted by the Spirit he came to the Temple; and when the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the Law required, he took him into his arms and blessed God; and he said:
Now, Master, you are letting
your servant go in peace
as you promised;
for my eyes have seen the salvation
which you have made ready
in the sight of the nations;
a light of revelation for the gentiles
and glory for your people Israel.As the childs father and mother were wondering at the things that were being said about him, Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, Look, he is destined for the fall and for the rise of many in Israel, destined to be a sign that is opposedand a sword will pierce your soul tooso that the secret thoughts of many may be laid bare.
There was a prophetess, too, Anna the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was well on in years. Her days of girlhood over, she had been married for seven years before becoming a widow. She was now eightyfour years old and never left the Temple, serving God night and day with fasting and prayer. She came up just at that moment and began to praise God; and she spoke of the child to all who looked forward to the deliverance of Jerusalem.
When they had done everything the Law of the Lord required, they went back to Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth. And as the child grew to maturity, he was filled with wisdom; and God's favour was with him.
(2) From the Red Rosary Book -- February 22, 1995
The Seven Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin Mary - The First Sorrow
1. The Prophecy of Simeon
Mary, Joseph and the child Jesus went to the temple. Simeon, the prophet, inspired by the Holy Spirit, met them and told Joseph and Mary of the great sufferings of Jesus and Mary. He told Mary that a sword would pierce her heart. From that point on, Mary ever remembered the prophecy of Simeon whenever she beheld her child. When she looked at His little body, even as an infant, she knew He would suffer. Every time she clothed Him and watched Him at play, her heart was torn in her chest as she knew what He would suffer. And a sword, too, shall pierce your Heart, O Mary!
(3) The Second Sorrow
2. The Flight into Egypt
Joseph was told by the angel to flee. Joseph, Mary and the child Jesus had to flee because of what might happen to Jesus. They had to pack for a long stay. The child Jesus was so small! They left on their journey, hearts full of fear, trying to protect Jesus. They were forced to flee into Egypt.
(4) The Third Sorrow
3. Jesus Is Lost, In the Temple
Imagine the sufferings in Mary's heart when she realized the child Jesus was not with them. Think of how it would be to lose your child and not know where he was or if anything happened to him. With sorrow in their hearts, Mary and Joseph returned to Jerusalem to look for the child Jesus. And a sword, too, shall pierce your heart, O Mary!
(5) The Fourth Sorrow
4. Jesus Carries His Cross
Song: See the eyes that look at Mary, her tender infant child. See the child's Heart beat so tenderly, the Savior of the world!
See the eyes of Jesus and Mary as they met on Calvary. Mary's Heart knew Jesus' Heart so well! From the first moment of conception and throughout His life, Mary was so connected with Jesus and now she peered into His eyes. The crown of thorns adorned His Head! Blood ran down His face! A heavy cross on His back! Wounded, His whole body covered with bleeding wounds! And her whole life flashed before her, the life that she had spent with Jesus. This was the beloved child that she had held in her arms when Simeon told Mary that 'a sword, too, shall pierce your Heart, O Mary!'
(6) The Fifth Sorrow
5. Jesus Dies on the Cross
Mary stood under Jesus' cross as He was put to death. The child that she had held in her arms as Simeon prophesied, And a sword, too, shall pierce your Heart, O Mary! Now Jesus is dead on the cross! He gave His flesh, He gave His blood so that we might be with Him forever in heaven. He held not back. He gave His all. He calls out to us this day to see through the eyes of His mother as she appears and calls out with a Heart of great love, "Return to the love of my Son! He is with you this day. He remains with you, no less present than the day that He hung on the cross, in the Eucharist. He longs for you to come and be with Him. He is in your brother. How can you not love your brother when Jesus died for your brother?"
Her Heart was pierced with a sword. His Heart was pierced with a lance. What came forth was blood and water, the sacramental life of the church. He lives with us this day in the Church. He gives to us His sacraments, the source of His life! He gives to us the Sacrament of Penance whereby any sin that we commit can be taken away through the priest. He wants us to be so close to Him! He gives us everything to be close to Him. But we see with such limited vision only those things that are right before our face, when the true reality is that which we don't see with our eyes, the reality of the invisible divinity of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, in the consecrated Host! This is reality! This is our life! This is our power! This is God! And a sword, too, shall pierce your Heart, O Mary!
(7) The Sixth Sorrow
6. Jesus Is Taken Down from the Cross
If we ever doubted for one second that we were loved, we could visualize the picture of Mary as she sat beneath the cross with the lifeless, battered, bruised and bloodied body of her Son in her arms, the same child that she held when Simeon prophesied her suffering. He gave His last breath. He gave the last beat of His Heart. He gave His all! This is the way He complied with the Will of the Father. He came to show us the way. He died in perfect peace. To His death He was in peace because He knew the Father's love. The Father loves us so much that He gave His only begotten Son for love of us! The Spirit descended upon the Virgin Mary and the Word was made flesh! The love of the Two Hearts! Such immense love beating for us!
In all love there is suffering. Her Heart was pierced with a sword. His Heart was pierced with a lance. And a sword, too, shall pierce your Heart, O Mary!
(8) The Seventh Sorrow
7. Jesus Is Locked in the Tomb
And now Jesus, His body lifeless, is locked in a tomb! What cold reality for Mary to realize that His body is now gone! A stone separated her from her Son!
He gave His last breath! He gave the last beat of His Heart for love of each one of us! And she comes to us this day with her sweet, beautiful voice and she asks us to go to her Son and love Him! How can we refuse Jesus who spread His arms and gave His life for each and every one of us? 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 truly gave His life for us! He, truly God, is with us this day, the same as the day He died on the cross, in the tabernacle! And we take it so lightly! Death has no power over Him! Locked in the tomb for three days, He rose triumphant on the third day as He had foretold. He comes to give us life. He gives us the sacrament of Baptism that initiates us into His life, that makes us children of God and heirs of heaven if we remain in the state of grace. He asks two things: love of God and love of one another! He came to show us the way and His way is love. To His death on the cross He loved each one of us! He calls out to each one of us here today to be His soldiers, to march on a world that has forgotten God, that has forgotten what it is like to love! It is a battle to live in this world. But the battle is won with hearts that are filled with His love, empowered by the grace and might that He pours out in the Eucharist. He calls out for us to come to the Eucharist and to the tabernacle and be fed with His very flesh and blood. To feed on Divine Life, the greatest nourishment, the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ, the Son of God! This is the love He gives. This is the love He asks us to share.
(9) ♫ Little Baby Hands and Feet
(10) ♫ See the Eyes that Look at Mary
Finding in the Temple
(1) Mary cries out to us to reach her children
with the truth about the love of Jesus
(2) Mary's Message - from the Rosary of August 27, 1996
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