Shepherds of Christ          Daily Writing

August 20, 2009

Judges

                    Jephthah fought against Ammonites
                        Jephthah made a
                        promise to God —

'If you deliver the Ammonites into my grasp, the first thing to come out of the doors of my house to meet me when I return in triumph from fighting the Ammonites shall belong to Yahweh, and I shall sacrifice it as a burnt offering.'

                        since Jephthah won

                        It was his daughter who came out of the door of his house — so he sacrificed her

Judges 11: 29-39a

The spirit of Yahweh was on Jephthah, who crossed Gilead and Manasseh, crossed by way of Mizpah in Gilead, and from Mizpah in Gilead crossed into Ammonite territory. And Jephthah made a vow to Yahweh, 'If you deliver the Ammonites into my grasp, the first thing to come out of the doors of my house to meet me when I return in triumph from fighting the Ammonites shall belong to Yahweh, and I shall sacrifice it as a burnt offering.' Jephthah crossed into Ammonite territory to attack them, and Yahweh delivered them into his grasp. He beat them from Aroer to the border of Minnith (twenty towns) and to Abel'Keramim. It was a very severe defeat, and the Ammonites were humbled by the Israelites.

    As Jephthah returned to his house at Mizpah, his daughter came out to meet him, dancing to the sound of tambourines. She was his only child; apart from her, he had neither son nor daughter. When he saw her, he tore his clothes and exclaimed, 'Oh my daughter, what misery you have brought upon me! You have joined those who bring misery into my life! I have made a promise before Yahweh which I cannot retract.' She replied, 'Father, you have made a promise to Yahweh; treat me as the promise that you have made requires, since Yahweh has granted you vengeance on your enemies the Ammonites.' She then said to her father, 'Grant me this! Let me be free for two months. I shall go and wander in the mountains, and with my companions bewail my virginity.' He replied, 'Go,' and let her go away for two months. So she went away with her companions and bewailed her virginity in the mountains. When the two months were over she went back to her father, and he treated her as the vow that he had uttered bound him. She had remained a virgin. And hence, the custom in Israel for the daughters of Israel to leave home year by year and lament over the daughter of Jephthah the Gileadite for four days every year.

Psalm 40: 5, 7-10

How much you have done,
    Yahweh, my God –
your wonders, your plans for us –
    you have no equal.
I will proclaim and speak of them;
    they are beyond number

I said, 'Here I am, I am coming.'

In the scroll of the book it is written of me,
    my delight is to do your will;
your law, my God,
    is deep in my heart.

I proclaimed the saving justice of Yahweh
    in the great assembly.
See, I will not hold my tongue,
    as you well know.

I have not kept your saving justice locked in the depths of my heart,
    but have spoken of your constancy and saving help.
I have made no secret of your faithful and steadfast love,
    in the great assembly.

Matthew 22: 1-14

Jesus began to speak to them in parables once again, ‘The kingdom of Heaven may be compared to a king who gave a feast for his son’s wedding. He sent his servants to call those who had been invited, but they would not come. Next he sent some more servants with the words, “Tell those who have been invited: Look, my banquet is all prepared, my oxen and fattened cattle have been slaughtered, everything is ready. Come to the wedding.” But they were not interested: one went off to his farm, another to his business, and the rest seized his servants, maltreated them and killed them. The king was furious. He despatched his troops, destroyed those murderers and burnt their town. Then he said to his servants, “The wedding is ready; but as those who were invited proved to be unworthy, go to the main crossroads and invite everyone you can find to come to the wedding.” So these servants went out onto the roads and collected together everyone they could find, bad and good alike; and the wedding hall was filled with guests. When the king came in to look at the guests he noticed one man who was not wearing a wedding garment, and said to him, “How did you get in here, my friend, without a wedding garment?” And the man was silent. Then the king said to the attendants, “Bind him hand and foot and throw him into the darkness outside, where there will be weeping and grinding of teeth.” For many are invited but not all are chosen.’

                Alleluia

                Jephthah thought he must go through with his vow
                    Human sacrifice was common
                    then even though God didn't like it —

                In the Gospel
                The Kingdom of heaven is compared to a great Feast
                    and the wedding of the Prince —
                    son of the King
                 

                    Many people who were invited backed out
                    What is happening at that time the
                    Jews were the chosen people, but
                    many would reject the prophets

                The Gentiles were being converted —
                The idea of the wedding garment is — you just don't join
                You must live according to rules —
                    morals and standards if you are
                    going to live according to the followings
                    of Christ

                Let this Mass be
                    A sign of unity and peace
                    Let it bring harmony to the Church

                God our Father help us —
                Lord you are the fountain for all —

                I live united to the Masses going on around the world —
                    Our lives are a sacrifice offered to God to
                        help bring down grace for the souls —

                    We are always united to God —

                    God intends us to come to the wedding feast —
                        our souls are so one with God —

                God the Father sacrificed His Son —
                    We have a choice to be united —
                    We have a choice to come to the Feast

                We honor Christ our King
                "For the Kingdom, the power and the glory are yours"

                Jesus is the Lamb —

                Christ is the Lamb

                We eat His Body — We drink His Blood —               

                Song: "Today as the mountains still cling to the vine, 
                        I'll taste your strawberry, I'll drink your sweet wine 
                        A million tomorrows shall all pass away 
                        err I forget all the joy that is mine today."

                    Jesus gives us Himself to eat
                    Jesus comes to me
                    I eat His Body
                    I drink His Blood

                Jesus is the Bread of Life —
                I go to Mass —
                I am fed by His Word
                I eat His Body
                I drink His Blood —

                    His gentle touch
                    His love for us
                    He gives us a free will —
                    He wants our obedience to Him —
                    He wants our love freely given

                God is so good to me —
                Jesus is the Lamb led to the slaughter
                Jesus is the Victim
                Jesus is the Priest
                Jesus is the King

                Jesus is the Lamb led to the slaughter
                Jesus is our God

                We live here and we fight the influences of the
                    world — we fight to be pure — a spotless
                    bride for our King —
                    The wedding of our soul to God —

                We unite to the Mass — we offer up
                    our sacrifice united to the
                    sacrifice of Jesus.

                The Mass is the sacrifice of Calvary
                    sacramentally made present

                We struggle here below
                We receive the Divine God
                    in the Eucharist
                    We are fed with the Bread of Life

                The King is good to us —
                The King gives us Himself
                Because He loves us so much

1 Corinthians 15:20-28

In fact, however, Christ has been raised from the dead, as the first-fruits of all who have fallen asleep. As it was by one man that death came, so through one man has come the resurrection of the dead. Just as all die in Adam, so in Christ all will be brought to life; but all of them in their proper order: Christ the first-fruits, and next, at his coming, those who belong to him. After that will come the end, when he will hand over the kingdom to God the Father, having abolished every principality, every ruling force and power. For he is to be king until he has made his enemies his footstool, and the last of the enemies to be done away with is death, for he has put all things under his feet. But when it is said everything is subjected, this obviously cannot include the One who subjected everything to him. When everything has been subjected to him, then the Son himself will be subjected to the One who has subjected everything to him, so that God may be all in all.

From the Mass Book

ROSARY MEDITATIONS
FOR SORROWFUL MYSTERIES

The Agony in the Garden

1. Always in compliance to the Father's will, we see this as we mediate on all the mysteries of the rosary, how Jesus and Mary always complied to the will of the Father. To have peace and joy in our lives, we must always comply to the will of the Father. We see Jesus in the garden, His face covered with a bloody sweat, and at any moment He could have stopped everything. He could have withdrawn. He, the Almighty God, all powerful and almighty, about to undergo the cruel Passion and His death, and He sees this before Him. He sees all the sins of men and all the men that would reject the grace that He merited for them, but what did He think of? He saw us. He saw us here this night praying, and it filled His Heart with immense joy. It gave Him so much pleasure in His Heart to know that we would love Him so much, for He is a Person and He longs to be loved by His beloved creatures. We do not comprehend and we do not understand how much Jesus is waiting and longing for our love. Let us, in this rosary, give our love to Him by giving our complete attention to Him and listening to the words that He speaks to our hearts. Let us hear Jesus as He outpours His love to us and teaches us about Himself.

2. How many times have we felt like we have gone through this Passion too in our lives? Have we felt buckled over and filled with pain? It is so hard sometimes. We are trying so hard in this world, that does not recognize God as it should, to please the Almighty God, and it seems like we are pressed on and pressed on, and we say, "God please help us. Take this cross away." But He allows us to continue to suffer, and we do not understand. It is in the death that there is the resurrection. Constantly in our lives, we live this Paschal mystery of death - resurrection. Let us mediate on the mysteries of this rosary, His suffering and His death, and let us think all through these mysteries how He rose victorious on the third day, how it is through His death that we share in His Divine life. Let us think of how it is to know God and to love Him. It is because of Jesus, because of His Passion and His death, that we are able to partake in His Divine life. Through our little deaths, there is always the resurrection. As we go through our lives, we grow more and more in this life in Him. Mary, the Mother of our Christ-life, is there with us, is leading us deeply into the Heart of her Son.

3. Treasure beyond all treasures is the Heart of Jesus. The Heart filled with endless, Divine love, the Heart from which the life of God flows. They pierced His Heart with a lance and what came forth was blood and water. Water - a symbol of Baptism whereby we partake in His Divine life. Blood - a symbol of the Eucharist by which we are fed with the Bread of Life. Oh God, how we love You! Let our hearts be focused only on You in this rosary. As we see Your face covered with blood, as we see the blood drop to the ground, as we know the immense mental agony that You suffered in the garden, the suffering to know how You would be rejected and forgotten by those that You gave Your life for, may we know a little bit, just a little, of how much You truly love us. We love You. We love You. We love You, Jesus Christ the Savior of the world.

4. Song:
   "I come to you with greatest love, I am your loving Savior. I am your God, I died for you, I come to you this day."
   He has come to set brother against brother, mother against son, husband against wife. He is Jesus Christ the Son of God. He gives us His life, and He gives us His love. We must focus totally on His love for us. We must come to Him and give Him our love and give love to one another. This is the commandment that He gives to us - that we love God with our whole heart, our whole soul, and our whole being, and we love one another as we love ourselves.

5. Mental torment, how He suffered mental torment in the garden, but His thoughts were comforted by the love that we give to Him this evening. Put aside all of the thoughts in our hearts that do not pertain to Him, and focus totally on our beloved Savior. He gave His life for us. Will we give Him our minds and our hearts at this moment, and let Him fill us with His grace that we will share more and more in His life? He is giving to us a great treasure at this moment. We must open our hearts and let Him pour His grace into our hearts and into our souls. He is Jesus. He loves us with the most burning love we do not even comprehend. Our souls are thirsty for the love of God. We were created for this love. Nothing on this earth will satisfy this craving, this appetite within. We must put aside all of the thoughts in our minds, in our hearts and focus on Him, for He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. He is Jesus the Son of God, our Savior, our Redeemer, our King, our Lover. Open our hearts, and He will fill our hearts with Divine love. He loves us. He loves us. He loves us.

6. Hail Mary…

7. Much of the world is asleep. They are walking in darkness. They are covered with a cloud. Their eyes do not see, and their ears do not hear. He has lifted the veil for us, His chosen ones, and He is giving to us a great grace that we will see with eyes unveiled and hear with ears that are open to His Word. We have been called, and we have been chosen. We will walk into the dark night as lights shining, and His light will radiate from our hearts and from our souls. We must go to Him and let Him bathe us in His love, in His most Sacred Heart.

8. He is alive. He is alive. He is alive and He lives in our hearts, and He lives in this world as we walk the streets. It is through us that His grace will touch many hearts. We must surrender totally and give ourselves to Him. Give ourselves. Give our hearts to His Mother for she will turn our cold hearts into warm hearts that will unite with His Heart. He loves us, His dear ones. He is telling us the secrets of His Heart, that we will know the true treasure, the treasure that this world has cast aside and is suffering for its ignorance and neglect. See with eyes unveiled He is giving to us great graces. We are His apostles that will carry the flag across this earth, that will carry His flag, full of love, to the world that is hurting and in pain.

9. And He saw it all. He saw the whole Passion before Him. He knew vividly every pain. He knew every beating, every thorn prick. He knew all that He would suffer. He knew the pain on the cross and three agonizing hours that He would suffer. He knew all the souls that would go to hell despite His suffering. But despite all of this, He gave Himself. He gave Himself for me and He gave Himself for you, knowing full well everything that He would suffer, because of His great love for us, that we would be saved, that we would share in His Divine life, that we might be with Him forever and ever in heaven.

10. Oh Heart of Jesus, Treasure beyond all treasures, give me the grace to dwell forever in Your Heart.
    Song:
    Oh Burning Heart, Oh Love divine, how sweet You are to me. I see the Host, I know You're here to love and care for me.

The Scourging at the Pillar

1. They took Him away and they tied Him to the pillar, and they began to beat Him. They took turns beating our beloved Savior. Stand there. Let us picture ourselves tied to the pillar. Picture us. How is the love in our hearts? Would we stand at the pillar and allow men that we loved to tear our flesh, knowing full well that we could stop it at any moment? He stood at the pillar and they tore His flesh, and His blood fell to the ground. He withstood this for our sins. Do we know how He suffered for our sins, the sins that we commit towards our brothers, when we talk about our brothers, those that He loves? His way is love. We are His apostles of love. We must be holy. Our hearts must be filled with holiness. We must go into the world and always show others how to love. We cannot talk about others. We must have hearts filled with love. Only in love will our hearts unite to His Heart. People are watching us. We are the stars against the darkest night. Will we shine or will we be dull? In order to shine, our hearts must be likened to His Heart. We must give Him our hearts, and He will turn our hearts to hearts of love.

2. How we insist and insist to do it our way and try and try and try. Do we know that He is with us at every moment? We must admit our dependency on Him. We must surrender and say, "Jesus, I am totally dependent on You. I want to be loving, but I fall. I am a little baby. I need You to help me to love like You. I cannot do it on my own." We must go to confession, and tell the priest of the times when we talked about our beloved brothers, for He stood at the pillar and He was beaten for our sins, and He was beaten for our brothers that He loves. He is teaching us in the Shepherds of Christ Movement to be of one mind and one heart. Our hearts will unite in the deepest union with His Heart, but we must surrender. We must not let thoughts of bitterness and hatred toward one another creep into our hearts. He is allowing us to suffer, and He is allowing us to watch ourselves fall, for we will come crawling on our knees and beg Him, "to help me." "Help me, God," you will say. "Help me. I want to love like You, but I cannot do it myself."

3. He was beaten for us. We do not know how sins against our brothers offend Him and hurt Him. How He was beaten for those words that we speak in hatred toward one another. We are the stars that will shine against the darkness. We are His apostles, but our hearts must be pure. We must come to Him for we cannot do this on our own. He will give us the grace to love, to love as He loved, as He loved each and every soul. We are dependent on Him. Watch ourselves fall on our faces and know that we need Him to help us.

4. Hearts that are haughty and prideful cannot unite to His Heart. There are many this day that are in control, that continue to control with proud hearts. He gives to many authority and power. It is to be used only according to the Father's will. Our hearts must be soft and gentle as His Heart. We must not let power and control go to our heads. We have authority only as the Father gives us authority.
   This is from the reading today:
   "Son of man, say to the ruler of Tyre, 'The Lord Yahweh says this:
   Because your heart has grown proud,
   you thought: I am a god;
   I am divinely enthroned
   far out to sea.
   Though you are human, not divine,
   you have allowed yourself
   to think like God.
   So, you are wiser than Daniel;
   no sage as wise as you!
   By your wisdom and your intelligence
   you have made yourself a fortune,
   you have put gold and silver
   into your treasuries.
   Such is your skill in trading,
   your fortune has continued to increase,
   and your fortune has made your heart
   grow prouder.
   'And so, the Lord Yahweh says this:
   Since you have allowed yourself
   to think like God,
   very well, I am going to bring foreigners
   against you,
   the most barbarous of the nations.
   They will draw sword against
   your fine wisdom,
   they will desecrate your splendour,
   they will throw you down into the grave
   and you will die a violent death
   far out to sea.
   Will you still think: I am a god,
   when your slaughterers confront you?
   But you will be human, not divine,
   in the clutches of the ones
   who strike you down!
   You will die like the uncircumcised at the hand of foreigners.
   'For I have spoken-declares the Lord Yahweh.'" (Ezk. 28:2-10)

5. He is gentle, and He is kind of Heart. He has made men the head of their homes. He has given to the priests authority and a great gift to be called a priest and to offer sacrifice. He has bestowed on men great honor, but within the heart of every man that is given power must be the heart of gentleness and love. He stood at the pillar, and He was beaten and His skin was torn because of the haughty hearts, because of the pride, because of men that wanted their will and not the will of the Father. Everything that we do must be in accordance with the Father's will. He showed us the way. He stood at the pillar and was beaten because it was the Father's will. We must strive always to do the will of the Father with love. Love is our primary purpose, to love God above all things and love one another as we love ourselves.

6. We have been called here. He teaches us. We are called to live the Scriptures and we must answer this call. He is giving to us His grace. Praise and thank our God for the gifts that we are given.

7. We carry His word into the world. We will be the lights that shine in the darkest night. He stood at the pillar, and He was beaten. He was beaten because of the haughty hearts. Our hearts must be likened to His. We are His apostles that will carry this message into this world. We do not comprehend this great mission. Each one of us have been called here. We must respond to the call for He is asking us to help in the salvation of many souls. What we do will help many souls to be saved. He stood at the pillar, and they tore His flesh. He loves each soul with the most burning love that He allowed them to put Him to death. Will you go into this world? Will we walk fearlessly ahead despite the persecution and the verbal battering that we receive? Will we say to this world, "This is the Almighty God. He is alive this day, and He loves us. He loves us. He loves us. Come. Come to Him, and He will give to us what our hearts desires."?

8. 1 Co. 12:12-26:
   For as with the human body which is a unity although it has many parts-all the parts of the body, though many, still making up one single body-so it is with Christ. We were baptized into one body in a single Spirit, Jews as well as Greeks, slaves as well as free men, and we were all given the same Spirit to drink. And indeed the body consists not of one member but of many. If the foot were to say, "I am not a hand and so I do not belong to the body," it does not belong to the body any the less for that. Or if the ear were to say, "I am not an eye, and so I do not belong to the body," that would not stop its belonging to the body. If the whole body were just an eye, how would there be any hearing? If the whole body were hearing, how would there be any smelling?
   As it is, God has put all the separate parts into the body as he chose. If they were all the same part, how could it be a body? As it is, the parts are many but the body is one. The eye cannot say to the hand, "I have no need of you," and nor can the head say to the feet, "I have no need of you."
   What is more, it is precisely the parts of the body that seem to be the weakest which are the indispensable ones. It is the parts of the body which we consider least dignified that we surround with the greatest dignity; and our less presentable parts are given greater presentability which our presentable parts do not need. God has composed the body so that greater dignity is given to the parts which were without it, and so that there may not be disagreements inside the body but each part may be equally concerned for all the others. If one part is hurt, all the parts share its pain. And if one part is honoured, all the parts share its joy.

9. We cannot be divided with any person and have peace in our hearts. Our hearts must be hearts of love. We must give up any bitterness and division in our hearts towards any person, for He is God and in His Heart there is not division. He is calling us His apostles of love, His little army that He has called and brought to this room this evening. We must be as the brightest stars shining against the darkened night, for He is Jesus; He is the Almighty God, and He has called us to carry the messages of His burning love to this world, to the priests, to the sisters, to all those that are hurting and in pain. As He stood at the pillar and He was whipped for the sins of men, He knew that we would answer this call. And it was joy to His Heart as the blood ran down His body. His Heart was comforted, and He was filled with such pleasure because of the work and love that we would give to others, because of the souls that we would help to be saved. We are His stars that will shine in the darkest night. We have been called. We have been chosen, and He has given to us such grace that we can carry out this mission. We can say "no" to Him, but it was there when He was scourged that our "yes" comforted Him. In His greatest agony, He saw us as He hung on the cross. His body withered and in pain, He saw us, and He saw the love that would go forth from our hearts into this world. He loves us with such love. He gave Himself for love of us and for all souls. Will we help our brothers to know His love?

10. There will be peace and joy in our hearts when we comply always to the Father's will. The Father has a plan for us. Jesus is the Way. He is the Truth. He is the Life. We have been called. We have been chosen. Will we answer His call, His apostles of love?

The Crowning with Thorns

1. Think of the minds of men, and think of how Satan presses on the minds of men. Think of how our thoughts can be so influenced by the evil one, how we can worry about what other people think, how we can think others are talking about us, how we can make ourselves miserable by giving into our thoughts. Jesus showed us His head crowned with thorns. How He suffered such pain to His head, yet we cannot discipline our thoughts. Let us pray for the grace to ask God to help us to keep our thoughts always thoughts of love, of harmony, of oneness with one another.

2. We must not give in to the seeds of division that Satan plants in our minds. We must say, "I love that person. I love that person." But do we know that we cannot do this on our own? Do we know that we depend totally on Him? He has allowed us to fall on our faces many times. We would be wretched if it was not for His grace. We are dependent on His grace. If we are holy, it is because of the grace that He is giving to us. He is Jesus. We are dependent on Him, His loved ones. We must come to Him and ask for the grace to love. He wants to love through us in this world.

3. We must come to the Father as the little, dependent child. We must tell Him of our love and tell Him of our needs.

4. I picture myself in a chair surrounded by those people that I love the most. Do I see all the people I love? And then watch, as those I love the most come to me and pound a crown of thorns into my head, and I feel the blood come from my head and fall on my body.

5. How many times have we crowned Him with thorns by our thoughts of hatred and anger toward one another. He suffered immense pain because of the thoughts of men. We are His chosen ones. Pray that we do not wound His Heart with thoughts of hatred and bitterness for He loves us. He loves us so much, and it wounds His Heart when we hate one another.

6. We must model our lives after our Mother. We must look at our Mother, her heart pure and sinless. It is only in purity that we will unite to Their Hearts.

7. I go to the heart of His Mother and mine, and ask the Holy Spirit to sanctify me that I may unite in the deepest union in His Heart.

8. We do not know the hatred and the bitterness, the thoughts in the hearts and minds of some men. How He suffered so much pain to His head for the ugly, horrible thoughts of mankind. God is offended by the acts of man this day. Help make reparation to Him for our sins and the sins of mankind. Reparation given to His Heart delights Him, His dear ones. God is offended by sinful men.

9. Song:
   "Oh Burning Heart, Oh Love divine, how sweet You are to me. I see the host, I know You're here to love and care for me."
   Jesus is alive. Jesus is alive. Jesus is alive, and He lives within our hearts.

10. Song:
    "Give me Your Heart Oh Jesus, Give me a heart like Yours. Teach me to love You with this new heart, Oh I know little of how to love You. Create in me Oh precious Saviour this special heart."
    He loves you. He loves you. He loves you.

The Carrying of the Cross

1. We must carry our crosses. He watches us as we walk, and He places that cross on our backs, but He knows that it is in carrying the cross that we will be given much life. We want to put the cross aside, but it is in carrying the cross that we will grow more and more in our knowledge and love of Him.

2. He watches us carry the cross, and He watches us move it from shoulder to shoulder. He watches as it slips down our arms and we fall to the ground, and He is so close to us. He stands beside us and He says, "Carry it a little while longer. Carry it a little longer." His dear ones, for we do not know the great gift that we will receive. At the end of the darkest tunnel, there is the brightest light. He is Jesus. He gives to us according to our needs. He gives to us suffering. We must learn to endure the suffering and realize that it is a gift in which we will grow more and more in our life in Him.

3. My Jesus, I carried the cross and carried the cross and the tunnel was so dark and so black, and I felt as if I would never smile again. But I remember those times, and it was so hard. It was so hard when I felt as if I was dying on the cross with You, and then the light began to steal across the sky, and the glory was beyond all suffering. For after the death, there is the resurrection, our lives, a constant dying and rising in Him.

4. Help me realize that we are given suffering and that we must endure the suffering until He lifts the suffering. When we are backed up against a wall, we must surrender and accept all that He gives to us and give ourselves to Him, for He is breathing on our necks when we are wrapped up in pain. He is looking in our eyes when we are down under the cross. He is holding our hands when we think He is so far away, and He knows all things. He knows of the great gifts that will come when we endure the sufferings that He is giving to us. There is always the life after the death when we stay rooted in Him. We must carry the cross on our backs, and remember that there is light at the end of the tunnel.

5. It's a rocky road that He trod on the way to Calvary, and He knew that it would end in His death, but He knew of the Resurrection. He carried the cross and it bumped along, and He saw into the eyes of His Mother that comforted Him. Look into His eyes. Be wrapped in the embrace of the love of Their two Hearts. In the suffering, we must go to Their Hearts and know that we are never alone and He will never abandon us. He is almighty, all powerful. He is God, and He is with us to the end of time.

6. And there will come the day when we are lifted into heaven, and we will be wrapped in the Divine embrace, that we will know the embrace of the Almighty God. We must carry our crosses on our backs. Each day, carry the cross and share in the Resurrection. Our lives are this dying and rising, each day.

7. The world tells us that we should not suffer, but He shows us the way. Look at Him, His face covered with blood, His head crowned with thorns, the cross bearing down on His back. He could barely move and He fell to the ground, but on the third day He rose victorious.

8. Thump. Thump. Thump. Hear the cross of Jesus. See the stress on His face. See the blood as it pours from His body. See Him fall under the cross. Do you hear the crowd? Do you hear them holler at our beloved Savior? He withstood all of this in silence. Mary, knowing that He was the Almighty God, stood by, her heart torn within her chest watching her Son suffer. And They are appearing to us this day. They are appearing to tell us of Their love. This is love that Jesus carried the cross, that He gave His Body and His Blood, that He wants the world to know that He is alive and that He loves and wants to be loved by man.

9. Song:
   "Give me Your Heart Oh Jesus, Give me a heart like Yours. Teach me to love You with this new heart, Oh I know little of how to love You. Create in me Oh precious Saviour this special heart."

10. Hail Mary…

The Crucifixion

1. The greatest sacrifice of all, the Son of God comes to this earth, and He gives Himself as a sacrifice for love of us that we will be saved.

2. The sacrifice is sacramentally made present at every Mass, the priest offers this sacrifice. We must unite in this sacrifice and give ourselves. As Jesus sacrificed Himself on the cross, we sacrifice ourselves in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass in union with Him. It is in uniting in this oneness with Christ that the grace will be released on this earth and that many souls will be saved. This is the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. We are not there as spectators. We are there to offer sacrifice, to give ourselves. It is when we give ourselves that grace is outpoured on the earth.

3. We must pray for holy priests, that priests will be holy in their hearts and unite in such oneness with the Heart of Jesus, that as they celebrate the Mass and offer sacrifice, that they too offer themselves as a sacrifice in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. The sacrifice of Calvary is sacramentally made present at every Mass.

4. The grace that was merited by Christ through His life and death on the cross is released in abundant proportion in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. The more we unite in this oneness with the Mass, the more this grace is released. Our world is in a desperate state. We must unite in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, in our morning offering, every morning, uniting each one of our activities with the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.

5. All of our actions are magnified, and immense amount of grace is released on us and on this world when we unite to the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass in all of our actions.

6. Each one of our actions, when performed in accordance with the Father's will with love, are heroic actions when we unite them to the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, for grace rains on the earth and the people on this earth. Many will be saved as we unite to the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass in all of our actions and as we become one in Their Hearts. This is the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, the fountain of God's life outpoured on the earth. Jesus gave Himself. "This is My Body. This is My Blood." Let us tap into this fountain of His life at every second as we unite every action to the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.

7. And they pierced His Heart, and the sacramental life of the Church was born.

8. His life is a fountain of life pouring out on the earth from the side of Christ.

9. We must pray for grace. We must unite every morning, in the morning offering, to the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass that all our actions are magnified, for His grace will spill upon this earth and it will be lighted with the brightest light. We are His fervent souls that He has called and that He is joining to His Heart. In this oneness, the grace will be released on the earth, and many souls will be saved. Do not underestimate the value of every action we perform when we unite to the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass in the morning offering. He is Jesus. He came to this world to save each and every soul. Bring Him souls! Bring Him souls! We are His apostles. We will help save many souls. Many will know the fire of His burning love. We cannot underestimate the importance of our lives. We will struggle, and we will suffer. Look at Him as He hung on the cross. He showed us the way. He showed us His way. But in the death there is the resurrection, and His life will spill out on the earth. We must give Him ourselves. He wants our love. He wants us to talk to Him all through the day. When we are worried and troubled, He wants us to say in our hearts, "Jesus, I love You. Jesus, I love You." We must put aside the thoughts that Satan is planting in our heads, the seeds of doubt and division, and say, "Jesus, I love You." Take that moment to spend time with Him, loving Him, and He will strengthen us. He wants our love. He wants us to long and to thirst for His love. He wants us to tell Him we love Him. He is a Person. He wants us to love Him. He gave His life for us. Will we give our hearts to Him?

10. It is in complying to the will of the Father that we will have peace and joy in our lives. We see Jesus in the arms of His Mother. Jesus complied to the will of His Father to His death, and Mary complied to the will of the Father. She did not shout all through the Passion and holler, "This is God! What is the matter with you?" She was silent and she accepted the suffering, for she knew the Father had a plan, and she knew that she must endure the suffering. She knew that Jesus must die. She complied always to the will of the Father. Jesus complied to the will of the Father to His death. He shows us the way. His way is suffering and life. The world shows us another way. They show us a way that leads our hearts to hunger and to pain. His way is the way to joy, peace, and love. He loves us. He loves us. He loves us. He is Jesus. He gives Himself to us. It is in giving ourselves to Him that we will unite. He gives Himself to us in love, but to become one with Him, we must give ourselves to Him. We will share in His Divine love. Nothing on the face of this earth can compare to this love relationship with His Divine Heart. Love is relationship. He gives Himself to us. We will share in accordance to how much of ourselves we give to Him. He wants our all. He will give us peace, love, and joy in our hearts when we give our hearts to Him. He loves us. To His death, He loved us. He would die for us this day. Will we give Him our hearts?

end of August 20, 1996

New!

DVDs Available

plus shipping
   

19.95

Call Kathleen

1-888-211-3041
1-812-273-8405
1-888-321-7671
1-727-725-9312

 

 

Shepherds of Christ   P. O. Box 627
China, IN  47250   1-888-211-3041

 

  Statues

 

Sacred Heart of Jesus w/glass - 18	Our Lady-Guadalupe w/glass - 12	Limpias - 8
Immaculate Heart w/glass - 18	I Heart - Ivory w/glass - 18	Our Lady of Grace w/glass - 18
Our Lady-Mt. Carmel w/glass - 18	Our Lady of Lourdes w/glass - 18	Infant of Prague w/glass - 24
Sacred Heart of Jesus w/glass - 24	Sacred Heart -Blessing w/glass - 24	Sorrowful Mother w/glass - 24
I Heart - Ivory w/glass - 24	I Heart of Mary w/glass - 24	Our Lady of Lourdes w/glass - 24
Our Lady-Guadalupe w/glass - 28	Our Lady of Grace w/glass - 24	Our Lady-Mt. Carmel w/glass - 24
Fatima w/glass - 11	Pilgrim Virgin w/glass - 12	Pilgrim Virgin w/glass - 15
Fatima w/glass - 18	Pilgrim Virgin w/glass - 18	Pilgrim Virgin w/glass - 27

St. Padre Pio	St. Joseph	St. Therese
St. Francis	St. Anthony	St. Claire
Limpias	St. Jude	Divine Mercy
Holy Family	Angel	St. Philomena
Pieta - Marble	Pieta - Color	Holy Family
St. Anthony - 18	St. Francis - 18	St. Joseph - 18
St. Therese - 18	St. Rita - 18	St. Clare - 12
St. Rita - 12	St. Padre Pio - 12	Divine Mercy - 12

 

       

Shepherds of Christ Ministries P. O. Box 627 China, IN  47250

Toll free - 1-888-211-3041 Local - 1-812-273-8405 fax - 1-812-273-3182 web: www.sofc.org e-mail: info@sofc.org

	Size	Price	Quantity
Holy Family	24"	$180
Limpias	24"	$125
St. Anthony	24"	$125
St. Claire	24"	$125
St. Francis	24"	$125
St. Joseph	24"	$125
St. Jude	24"	$125
St. Padre Pio	24"	$125
St. Therese	24"	$125
Divine Mercy	22"	$125
Angel	22"	$100
St. Philomena	20"	$100
St. Philomena	16"	$65
St. Joseph	18"	$65
St. Francis	18"	$65
St. Anthony	18"	$65
St. Rita	18"	$65
St. Therese	18"	$65
Pieta - Color	15"	$75
Pieta - Marble	15"	$75
Holy Family	12"	$60
St. Padre Pio - standing	12"	$40
St. Padre Pio - sitting	8"	$50
St. Rita	12"	$40
Divine Mercy	12"	$40
St. Claire	12"	$40
Limpias	8"	$25
Our Lady of Guadalupe w/glass	28"	$500
Our Lady of Mt. Carmel w/glass	24"	$500
Immaculate Heart of Mary w/glass	24"	$500
Immaculate Heart - Ivory w/glass	24"	$500
Infant of Prague w/glass	24"	$500
Our Lady of Grace w/glass	24"	$500
Our Lady of Lourdes w/glass	24"	$500
Sacred Heart of Jesus w/glass	24"	$500
Sacred Heart -Blessing w/glass	24"	$500
Sorrowful Mother w/glass	24"	$500
Immaculate Heart of Mary w/glass	18"	$300
Immaculate Heart - Ivory w/glass	18"	$300
Sacred Heart of Jesus w/glass	18"	$300
Our Lady of Lourdes w/glass	18"	$300
Our Lady of Grace w/glass	18"	$300
Our Lady of Mt. Carmel w/glass	18"	$300
Our Lady of Guadalupe w/glass	12"	$200
Fatima w/glass	11"	$150
Fatima w/glass	18"	$250
Pilgrim Virgin w/glass	12"	$160
Pilgrim Virgin w/glass	15"	$200
Pilgrim Virgin w/glass	18"	$250
Pilgrim Virgin w/glass	27"	$450

Call for Shipping Price (1-888-211-3041)
Name	Sub-Total
Address	IN Tax (7%)
City	Shipping
State                                            Zip	Donation
Telephone	Order Total

 

 

      

Fr. Joe's Homily Books  

Guiding Light - The Word Alive in Our Hearts $10.00

Guiding Light - Focusing on the Word $10.00

 

Fr. Carter's Books
  

Priestly Newsletter Book I 12 Newsletters July 1994 - June 1996 $12.00	Priestly Newsletter Book 2 17 Newsletters 1996 - 1999 $12.00	Priestly Newsletter Book 3 4 Newsletters & Prayers 2000 $12.00
Synopsis of the Spiritual Life Spirituality Handbook $3.00	Messages given by Jesus and Mary 1994 Tell My People $10.00	The Pain and the Joy $10.00
	Priestly Newsletter on CD 2000 - Issue 1 $10.00	Priestly Newsletter on CD 2000 - Issue 2 $10.00

 

Fr. Pasquini's Books
   

Authenticity   Prayers and Meditations $10.00	In Imitation of Two Hearts For those suffering or in Nursing Homes   $10.00	Light, Happiness and Peace Journeying through traditional Catholic Spirituality $10.00
Medicine of Immortality Prayers and Meditations - will assist the reader in growth toward a deeper understanding of the mystery of the Eucharist $10.00	Ecce Fides - Pillar of Truth Ideal for RCIA, Adult & Youth Bible Study, Homeschooling, Catholic Identity Studies $10.00	Shepherds of Christ Newsletters 9 Newsletters 2006 - 2008 $36.00

  

DVDs and CDs by Fr. Pasquini
 

Authenticity DVD Prayers on the Ocean $10.00	Nursing Home Mass DVD $10.00	Consolation DVD $10.00
Medicine of Immortality Read by Rita Ring 2 CDs - $17.00	In Imitation of Two Hearts DVD $10.00	Consolation CD by Fr. John $8.00
Nursing Home Mass CD $8.00	Holy Spirit Novena DVD $10.00	Divine Mercy Chaplet DVD $10.00

plus shipping
   

 

Call Kathleen

1-888-211-3041
1-812-273-8405
1-888-321-7671

 

God’s Blue Books

God’s Blue Book 1 – Teachings to Lift You Up     $10.00	God’s Blue Book 4 – The Love of the Hearts of Jesus and Mary $5.00
God’s Blue Book 2 – The Fire of His Love $10.00	God’s Blue Book 5 – So Deep Is the Love of His Heart $5.00
God’s Blue Book 3 – Love God, Love One Another (Fr. Carter's favorite) $10.00	God’s Blue Book 6 – He Calls Us to Action $10.00

  

 

Rosary Books
 

Rosaries from the Hearts of Jesus and Mary $10.00	Rosaries from the Hearts of Jesus and Mary $12.00	Rosary Meditations for Parents and Children's $10.00
Mysteries of Light 1 $5.00	Mysteries of Light 2 $5.00	Little People & Elderly Rosary Book $10.00
Coloring Book $5.00 each	Coloring Book $5.00 each	Coloring Book $5.00 each
Coloring Book $5.00 each	Coloring Book $5.00 each	Coloring Book $5.00 each

 

 

   

Available for $10.00 plus postage

1-888-211-3041

Call Kathleen

   

We are trying to get

Response to God's Love

and the Mass Book out.
 

Anybody who wants to help us

with a donation to get these 2 books

out in the Priestly/hierarchy mailing —

Please call Kathleen 1-888-211-3041

   

 

 

Prayer Cards

size 5 1/2" x 8 1/2"
$1.00 plus postage

 

 

 

 

 

 

Prayer Card  4" x 6"

.50¢ each plus postage

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

  

Holy Cards available

2" x 3"

Holy Spirit Prayer	Act of Consecration to Immaculate Heart of Mary	Act of Consecration to Sacred Heart of Jesus	Prayer for Priests

 

Prayer before the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass

Prayer for Union with Jesus

Available for .25¢ each plus postage

Call Kathleen

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We are trying to get

Response to God's Love

and the Mass Book out.
 

Anybody who wants to help us

with a donation to get these 2 books

out in the Priestly/hierarchy mailing —

Please call Kathleen 1-888-211-3041

 

 

July 31, 1994

Words of Jesus to Members of
Shepherds of Christ Associates:

"My beloved priest-companion, I intend to use the priestly newsletter, Shepherds of Christ, and the movement, Shepherds of Christ Associates, in a powerful way for the renewal of My Church and the world.

"I will use the newsletter and the chapters of Shepherds of Christ Associates as a powerful instrument for spreading devotion to My Heart and My Mother's Heart.

"I am calling many to become members of Shepherds of Christ Associates. To all of them I will give great blessings. I will use them as instruments to help bring about the triumph of the Immaculate Heart and the reign of My Sacred Heart. I will give great graces to the members of Shepherds of Christ Associates. I will call them to be deeply united to My Heart and to Mary's Heart as I lead them ever closer to My Father in the Holy Spirit."

- Message from Jesus to Father Edward J. Carter, S.J., Founder, as given on July 31, 1994,
feast of Saint Ignatius Loyola, Founder of the Society of Jesus (The Jesuits)

 

  

 

  

 

The China Church is over 140 years old

and we pray in there 24 hours a day.

It needs stucco and so does

the community building.

Can you please help us?

Call Kathleen 1-888-211-3041

 

Likewise the priest house

is 150 years old.

Jesus told us to repair it

which we have been doing.

We need $13,000.00 for this work.

 

 

 

 

 

 

You can help put the Blue Book V

in the hands of 1,000 people

we need $1,200 postage for this

It is ready to go

Call Kathleen

1-888-211-3041

  

You can help put Fr. Joe's homily

book in the hands of

1,000 priests — it costs $1,100

This can help 1,000 parish priests

talk about Covenant for Lent 

Please help us

It is ready to go

Call Kathleen  1-888-211-3041

1-888-321-7671
1-727-725-9312

 

Crucifix — hand carved by Felix

   

Available for $750.00

 

 

 

Brand New Internet Store

 

 

Click picture

   

 

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