| Shepherds of Christ Daily Writing |
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| Shepherds of Christ Daily Writing |
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August 14, 2016
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August 15th Holy Spirit Novena |
The Novena Rosary
Mysteries |
Pray for special intentions.
Pray for Dan & Melanie, Mary W, Jimmy,
Fr. Joe, Mary, Catherine, Blue Book 17.
Please pray for funds & grace.
Pray for
Father's Day Mailing,
Fr. Joe's new book, a special couple.
Give the gift that Counts.
Blow Out Sale for Reprinting of Blue Book 1, 2 & 3
While Supplies Last
Blue Book 1 - $4 each plus postage
Blue Book 2 - $4 each plus postage
Blue Book 3 - $3 each plus postageCall 1-888-211-3041 for Doris
Blue Book 16 is available.
August 14, 2016
Fr. Joe's 10th Book
is coming up.
Jeremiah 38: 4-6, 8-10
The chief men then said to the king, 'You must have this man put to death: he is unquestionably disheartening the remaining soldiers in the city, and all the people too, by talking like this. This man is seeking not the welfare of the people but their ruin.' King Zedekiah answered, 'He is in your hands as you know, for the king is powerless to oppose you.' So they took Jeremiah and put him into the storage-well of the king's son Malchiah in the Court of the Guard, letting him down with ropes. There was no water in the storage-well, only mud, and into the mud Jeremiah sank.
Ebed-Melech came out from the palace and spoke to the king. 'My lord king,' he said, 'these men have done a wicked thing by treating the prophet Jeremiah like this: they have thrown him into the storage-well. He will starve to death there, since there is no more food in the city.' At this the king gave Ebed-Melech the Cushite the following order: 'Take thirty men with you from here and pull the prophet Jeremiah out of the storage-well before he dies.'
Psalm 40: 2-4, 17
He pulled me up from the seething chasm,
from the mud of the mire.
He set my feet on rock,
and made my footsteps firm.How blessed are those
who put their trust in Yahweh,
who have not sided with rebels
and those who have gone astray in falsehood.Poor and needy as I am,
the Lord has me in mind.
You, my helper, my Saviour,
my God, do not delay.
Hebrews 12: 1-4
With so many witnesses in a great cloud all around us, we too, then, should throw off everything that weighs us down and the sin that clings so closely, and with perseverance keep running in the race which lies ahead of us. Let us keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, who leads us in our faith and brings it to perfection: for the sake of the joy which lay ahead of him, he endured the cross, disregarding the shame of it, and has taken his seat at the right of God’s throne. Think of the way he persevered against such opposition from sinners and then you will not lose heart and come to grief. In the fight against sin, you have not yet had to keep fighting to the point of bloodshed.
Luke 12: 49-53
'I have come to bring fire to the earth, and how I wish it were blazing already! There is a baptism I must still receive, and what constraint I am under until it is completed!
'Do you suppose that I am here to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather division. For from now on, a household of five will be divided: three against two and two against three; father opposed to son, son to father, mother to daughter, daughter to mother, mother-in-law to daughter-in-law, daughter-in-law to mother-in-law.'
20th Sunday in Ordinary Time
August 18, 2013
INTRODUCTION – (Jeremiah 38:4-6, 8-10; Hebrews 12:1-4; Luke 12:49-53) Suffering and turmoil have been part of everyday life in the Middle East for centuries. Our first reading goes back 600 years before Babylon, was successfully conquering all the nations that surrounded Babylon. The events we will hear in our first reading took place as the Babylonians were attacking Jerusalem. Jeremiah, one of the greatest prophets of all time, kept telling the Jewish leaders as well as anyone who would listen to him that it was useless for them to defend themselves; they should just surrender to the Babylonians or Jerusalem would be destroyed. Such talk was viewed as unpatriotic and Jeremiah was called a traitor. Many of the Jewish leaders decided to kill Jeremiah and they persuaded their king, Zedekiah, to get rid of the prophet. Zedekiah gave permission for Jeremiah to be thrown into a cistern to die. Later, Ebed-Melech, a Cushite (which means an Ethiopian), one of Jeremiah’s friends, persuaded the king to change his mind.
HOMILY – Today’s readings are not cheerful. First we heard of Jeremiah who was faithful to God in every way and who spoke God’s message to God’s people. He was rewarded by being thrown down a cistern and left to die. I’m sure some of us feel like Jeremiah at times. By the way, Jeremiah was correct. Because of the resistance of the Jews, the Babylonians completely destroyed Jerusalem and that led to the Babylonian Exile.
In the gospel we hear of Jesus, THE greatest prophet ever. Luke tells us Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem knowing fully well what was ahead for him. Jesus described this in three ways: as a fire he wished to cast upon the earth, as a baptism he was to receive, and that he would be a cause of division. The fire and baptism he spoke of are vague: (1) fire can symbolize judgment, purification or discernment. It also could symbolize the fire of the Holy Spirit that came upon the apostles at Pentecost. What Jesus meant by fire is unclear. (2) Jesus also spoke of a baptism he would undergo. This is a strange symbol for Jesus to use, especially since he had already received the baptism of John the Baptist. The baptism he was to receive might be clearer if we recall that once Jesus referred to his suffering and death as a baptism when he asked James and John, two apostles who wanted the highest places of honor in God’s kingdom, “can you drink the cup that I am to drink or be baptized with the baptism that I shall undergo?” If baptism and fire are difficult to understand, we have no difficulty understanding Jesus when he talks about (3) the division that he would create. “Do you think that I have come to establish peace on the earth? No, I tell you, but rather division.” This word foretold the sufferings and even the martyrdom some of his followers would experience. Here Jesus focused specifically on division within families for family bonds were one of the strongest and most sacred bonds in the society of Jesus’ time. The example of division that Jesus chose illustrates that membership in God’s kingdom was even more important than family ties.
Didn’t Jesus come to bring peace? Certainly! At his birth the angels sang “glory to God in the highest, and peace on earth to people of good will.” When Jesus sent his disciples out on mission, they were instructed that when they entered a person’s house they were to say: “Peace to this house.” At the Last Supper he promised his disciples a “peace which the world cannot give.” After his resurrection, his first words to the disciples when he appeared to them were: “Peace be with you.” The greatest source of peace in my life is my relationship with God. Peace is more than just the absence of war, it is a figure for the many blessings that he and his ministry would bring to human beings. (Fitzmyer, Anchor Bible, pg 225) So when Jesus speaks of division, he is speaking of the ongoing battle between good and evil, between those who believe and follow him and those who reject him. It is Jesus’ intention to offer God’s forgiveness and love to all who would accept it. Division results from the fact that there will always be those who resist Jesus’ offer.
This battle can go on even within our own selves – with part of us wanting to love God and follow his ways and a part of us wanting to go in the opposite direction. The second reading today from Hebrews encourages us to persevere in running the race and keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus for he is the true source of a peace that will have no end.
We come here today with our challenges, our worries and struggles, whether within ourselves, or with our relatives or our neighbors, or our politicians or the world at large. Typically, we work to achieve some peace and stability in our lives, but I suppose there will always be challenges. So we come to our Lord for strength and guidance, for his love and for his peace. Amen.
Give the gift that keeps giving.
Blue Book 1 & 2 – $4.00 each plus postage
Blue Books 13, 12, 11, 10, 9, 8, 7,
6A, B, C, 3 –
$3.00 each plus postage
Blue Books 4 & 5 –$2.00 each plus postage
Blue Books 14, 15 & 16 –$5.00 each plus postage
The more you use the Blue Books and
become one with Jesus – more
intimate with Jesus –
the more your lives are a blessing and
everything you do in life can help
to bring down great grace for the world
because of your being so
one with Jesus.
Guiding Light Homily Book Series
Fr. Joe’s Books
Cycle A –
Steadfast to the Son
Cycle B –
Focusing on the Word
Cycle C –
Feed My Soul
Cycle A –
Inspired to be Genuine4 for $20 plus postage of $6.95
These books can be given to:
1) All Priests
2) Good for Music Ministers
7) Good for Mom and Dads
3) Good for DRE's
4) Good for Deacons
5) Good for Principals of Schools
6) Good for Teachers
Given March 21, 2014
R. Pray for These Things
1) Pray for the Pope & hierarchy to help us start prayer chapters.
2) Pray for Dan, Sally Jo, Richard, Carol, Margaret, Sue,
Jack, Jean, Amanda, Matthew, Special intentions.
3) Pray for the priests, the Church and the world!
4) Pray for the spread of prayer chapters,
also for the spread of priests doing prayer chapters.
5) Pray for the spread of Blue Books.
6) People going to Florida and China.
7) Vocations to all 7 categories.
8) Pray for spread of Consecration and Rosary.
9) Pray for pope helping us.
10) Pray for Jeff - sales & health. Pray for Nick.
11) Blue Book 17 and cover and all involved.
For our Publisher and all involved
12) All intentions on my list, Jerry's list.
13) Priests getting Fr. Joe's book.
14) Pray for Fr. Joe's new book, cover & funds for printing & postage.
15) Donors and members and their families.
16) Healing of the Family tree.
17) Dan & Melanie, Catherine & mom, Gary, Mary Jo,
Jim & statues, Fr. Ken, Monsignor, Kerry, Tom & wife.
18) All who asked us to pray for them.
19) All we promised to pray for.
20) Rita, John, Doris, Sheila, Jerry, Regina, Sanja,
Betty, Sophie, Lisa, Eileen, Fr. Mike, Louie, Laverne,
2 Dons, Mary Ellen, Fr. Joe, all priests helping us,
Ed, Jimmy, Steve, a special couple, Rosie & all involved.
21) 2 babies and moms.
22) Funds and insurance.
23) Jerry's garage.
24) In thanksgiving for gifts, graces, & blessings received.
25) Spread the Blood of Jesus on all of us here.
26) Consecrate all hearts.
27) Cast the devil out of all of us here and all in Movement.
The Wedding Rosary
Crystal Image Rosary
$40 plus shipping
Original Image Rosary
8mm glass beads
in a matching gift box$40 plus shipping
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Give to your priests Fr. Carter's Books plus postage.
Tell My People $5.00
Response to God's Love $8.00
Response in Christ $8.00
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Fr. Joe's Cycle A – Steadfast to the Sun – Starts in Advent
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