Shepherds of Christ  
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August 3, 2008

August 4th Holy Spirit Novena
Scripture selection is Day 2 Period II.

The Novena Rosary Mysteries  
for August 4th are Sorrowful.

       
 

Florida Retreat

Monday at 1pm & 6:20pm

 

August 5, 2008

Come to the Virgin Mary Building

at 1pm & 6:20pm

Please tune in.
 

 

China Retreat

August 10, 11, 12, 13

Rita will be in China.

Exposed Eucharist

 

 

August 3, 2008

                    Well I had the writing about the wreck and the child
                being killed. Last night as I was with others they turned
                on a TV show meant for children. Well I could cry — they
                were robot children that looked like real ones and they were
                on an assembly line — their head had a trap door and a
                brain was dropped in — two children that were real were
                looking for their parents who were tied to some electrodes
                and they showed the dad being shocked. I said I have to go because
                I can't watch this or I will have nightmares — so I excused
                myself. (I never hardly watch any television, so a little
                violence is really hard for me to take — this was
                horrible, I couldn't even watch and it was for children,
                on a children network.)

                    I went to bed and I had a dream — a baby was on
                my lap and across the hall was a gun aimed at the
                baby with a light coming closer and closer — I was sleeping
                and couldn't hardly talk, but I woke up trying to
                fight the sleep with the words — help me, help me, because
                the gun was aimed at the baby and nobody would help me —
                It lasted a while — the light got closer and closer and
                the man holding the gun never shot it — he and his gun
                with the light as I tried to say "help me, help me" —
                the man just kept getting closer with the gun aimed
                at the baby on my lap —

                    My writing the other day was about people in a
                car wreck and a child was killed, but all the people
                involved just thought about themselves and whether
                they were right — they were selfish —

                    I feel Mary has told us the peace plan for our
                children in the schools, consecration and for the family —
                the rosary — going to Church — receiving the sacraments,
                being baptized, praying for the priests, the Church and
                the world —

                    When I was a child there were 3 priests at our
                parish and most children in the schools went
                to daily Mass, instead of all the focus on sports
                and being so educated we were taken to Church
                to sing and pray and we had pictures of the
                Sacred Heart and Immaculate Heart at home and
                calendars.

                    My mom died when I was 5, but we prayed the Family Rosary
                every day — I went to daily Mass most of my life —
                these were always the best years of my life when
                I went to Mass and confession and did adoration and
                prayed the rosary. The Sacred Heart picture was on
                our yearly calendar at home —

                    Television was just coming out when my mom died
                in 1952. We watched Bishop Sheen. Because we ignored
                Mary's message of Fatima, Mary the Queen of Peace — we
                suffered World War II —

                    Listen to Mary's message July 13, 1917 at Fatima

 

Excerpt from The Spirituality of Fatima

by Fr. Edward Carter, S.J.

 July 13, 1917

    "During this same July apparition, Mary showed the three children a vision of Hell. She told them:

    "You have seen Hell, where the souls of poor sinners go. To save them, God wishes to establish, in the world, devotion to my Immaculate Heart. If people do what I tell you, many souls will be saved and there will be peace.

    "The war (World War I, then raging) is going to end. But if people do not stop offending God, another and worse one will begin in the reign of Pius XI. When you shall see a night illuminated by an unknown light [January 2, 1938], know that this is the great sign that God gives you that He is going to punish the world for its many crimes by means of war, hunger, and persecution of the Church and the Holy Father. (12)

    "To prevent this, I shall come to ask for the consecration of Russia to my Immaculate Heart and the Communion of Reparation on the five first Saturdays. If my requests are granted, Russia will be converted and there will be peace. If not, she will scatter her errors throughout the world, provoking wars and persecutions of the Church. The good will be martyred, the Holy Father will have much to suffer, and various nations will be destroyed....

    "But in the end, my Immaculate Heart will triumph, the Holy Father will consecrate Russia to me, Russia will be converted, and a certain period of peace will be granted to the world." (13)

NOTES:

12. For background material on Fatima, I am particularly indebted to 
    Our Lady of Fatima's Peace Plan from Heaven
(Rockford: TAN 
    Books and Publishers, Inc., 1983). pp.4-5.
13. Ibid., p.5.
 
 

                    The more I know about what Mary said — Queen of Peace —
                and the more I speak it — people focus on me — What prophet
                was not persecuted.

                    I want to publish a book of my brother's homilies now —
                they could change our lives and help us to know and love the
                Word so much — just a small book to get it through from
                the end of August to the end of the year. My brother has been
                a very active, holy priest for 44 years. Here is the first
                homily from this book. Reading this each week would help
                the scripture live in our lives. I also have a tremendous book
                of Fr. John's homilies — God called him and he has a tremendous
                vision of the Father's Plan —

    

From Fr. Joe's homilies, my brother

22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time

  

Jeremiah 20: 7-9

You have seduced me, Yahweh,
    and I have let myself be seduced;
you have overpowered me:
    you were the stronger.
I am a laughing-stock all day long,
they all make fun of me.
For whenever I speak, I have to howl
and proclaim, ‘Violence and ruin!’
For me , Yahweh’s word has been the cause
of insult and derision all day long.
I would say to myself,
    ‘I will not think about him,
I will not speak in his name any more,’
but then there seemed to be a fire
    burning in my heart,
imprisoned in my bones.
The effort to restrain it wearied me,
I could not do it.

 

Matthew 16: 21-27

From then onwards Jesus began to make it clear to his disciples that he was destined to go to Jerusalem and suffer grievously at the hands of the elders and chief priests and scribes and to be put to death and to be raised up on the third day. Then, taking him aside, Peter started to rebuke him. ‘Heaven preserve you, Lord,’ he said, ‘this must not happen to you.’ But he turned and said to Peter, ‘Get behind me, Satan! You are an obstacle in my path, because you are thinking not as God thinks but as human beings do.’

Then Jesus said to his disciples, ‘If anyone wants to be a follower of mine, let him renounce himself and take up his cross and follow me. Anyone who wants to save his life will lose it; but anyone who loses his life for my sake will find it. What, then, will anyone gain by winning the whole world and forfeiting his life? Or what can anyone offer in exchange for his life? ‘For the Son of man is going to come in the glory of his Father with his angels, and then he will reward each one according to his behaviour.

 

 

August 28, 2005

INTRODUCTION: (Jeremiah 20, 7-9) Our first reading goes back about 600 B.C. The author of our passage is the prophet Jeremiah. Apparently he thought that people would be grateful to him for speaking God’s word to them. But his job of telling them to change their ways and get right with God only made them hate him. The people ridiculed him, threw him in jail and even tried to kill him. We hear him complaining to God “You duped me! You tricked me, God!” I’m sure it wasn’t the first time God heard the complaint that life is not fair. Jesus’ faithfulness to his mission would bring him suffering too, but Jesus was well aware of what was going to happen to him as we hear him warn his disciples in today’s gospel. In last Sunday’s gospel Jesus praised Peter for acknowledging Jesus as the Messiah. Jesus even promised Peter the keys to the kingdom of heaven. But Peter wasn’t ready for all this talk about suffering and when Peter tried to talk Jesus out of the idea Jesus called him Satan. That’s because Peter was trying to tempt Jesus away from being faithful to his calling.

HOMILY: (Matthew 16, 21-27) Jesus tells us “whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.” At the time St. Matthew was writing, this was literally true for many Christians. It still happens in some parts of the world that those who believe in Christ and follow him end up paying for it with their lives. Do not misunderstand Jesus’ statement. When Jesus said “whoever wishes to come after me must take up his cross and follow me,” that does not mean that if we decide not to follow him we’re not going to have any problems or crosses. If we choose not to follow him in order to avoid the difficulties that might be demanded of us, problems will find us anyway. Problems and crosses are part of everyone’s life, whether they believe in Christ or not. And since Christ came to show us the way to peace and joy, avoiding the hardships involved with following him will only cost us more dearly in the long run.

Religion and philosophy have always tried to understand the mystery of suffering, especially the difficult problem of why good people suffer. So many different explanations are out there. None of them can take all the mystery out of suffering. For me, the best answer is found in the gospel. Jesus through his cross and resurrection has given us hope in our pain and hopelessness and has shown us suffering can lead to glory, if we will accept our crosses along with him. That requires total faith in him.

Now Peter, whom we heard in today’s gospel, had faith in Jesus. If you recall last week’s gospel he said of Jesus: “you are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” That profession of faith was made just minutes before the scene in today’s gospel. When Jesus began talking about suffering Peter objected. Peter professed that he believed in Jesus as the Messiah, the Christ, but Peter didn’t think the Messiah should have to suffer. Peter had Jesus’ career path all figured out. Peter’s faith in Jesus was way too limited. He couldn’t see what Jesus was seeing and was trying to tell them. He couldn’t see that if Jesus was determined to be faithful to his mission of teaching and healing, which he was, being faithful would cost him his life. Jesus scolded Peter and called him Satan because he was trying to tempt Jesus away from faithfully staying with his calling. Jesus told him: “you are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do.”

That sounds almost unfair of Jesus to say: “You’re thinking not as God does!” How are we expected to think like God thinks? If we tried really hard, do you suppose we could? With only our human brains to think with, we can only think like human beings do. But there is something that helps us think like God does. It’s faith! Faith enables us to go beyond our own limited human capabilities. It’s just like learning from any great teacher, when God tells us something and we truly believe it, we’re seeing things and knowing things God sees and knows, even if we can’t fully grasp everything at once. We’re beginning to think like God does. Now I interrupt this homily for a brief commercial.

If we are grateful to have the faith and hope in Christ that we have, isn’t this something we would like to share? One way we do this is though our RCIA program which begins this Wednesday evening. Everyone who has gone through our RCIA reports having enjoyed it. If you know anyone who might be interested in knowing more about Christ and the Church, please invite them or better yet, come with them. In a similar vein, we still have room in our school for some more students. All our children receive an excellent education as well as an education about Jesus Christ and his teachings, whether they are Catholic or not. We have a great principal and a great staff. And if a family needs help with tuition there is a very good possibility of getting it. End of commercial.

Coming to Mass, as we are doing now, teaches us to think as God does. We listen to what he tells us in the Scriptures. And we celebrate in a mysterious way Jesus’ death and resurrection. In that event we are given a vision of God’s plan for all who live in his grace. Amen.

end of homily

      

                    We want priests on fire for Jesus, priests so in love
                with Jesus, that celebrate Mass praying to the Father,
                in union with Jesus in the Holy Spirit with all the angels
                and saints and the souls in purgatory so the people know the
                great gift of the Eucharist, the Church —

                   

From Fr. Joe's homilies

23rd Sunday in ordinary Times

 

Ezekiel 33: 7-9

Son of man I have appointed you as watchman for the House of Israel. When you hear a word from my mouth, warn them from me. If I say to someone wicked, "Evil- doer, you are to die," and you do not speak to warn the wicked person to renounce such ways, the wicked person will die for this guilt, but I shall hold you responsible for the death. If, however, you do warn someone wicked to renounce such ways and repent, and that person does not repent, then the culprit will die for this guilt, but you yourself will have saved your life.

 

Romans 13: 8-10

    The only thing you should owe to anyone is love for one another, for to love the other person is to fulfil the law. All these: You shall not commit adultery, You shall not kill, You shall not steal, You shall not covet, and all the other commandments that there are, are summed up in this single phrase: You must love your neighbour as yourself. Love can cause no harm to your neighbour, and so love is the fulfilment of the Law.

 

Matthew 18:15-20

'If your brother does something wrong, go and have it out with him alone, between your two selves. If he listens to you, you have won back your brother. If he does not listen, take one or two others along with you: whatever the misdemeanour, the evidence of two or three witnesses is required to sustain the charge. But if he refuses to listen to these, report it to the community; and if he refuses to listen to the community, treat him like a gentile or a tax collector.

'In truth I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven; whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.

'In truth I tell you once again, if two of you on earth agree to ask anything at all, it will be granted to you by my Father in heaven. For where two or three meet in my name, I am there among them.'

  

September 4, 2005


INTRODUCTION
- (Ezekiel 33, 7-9) (Romans 13, 8-10) (Matthew 18, 15-20) Our first reading takes us back six hundred years before Christ as God explains to his prophet Ezekiel his responsibility as a prophet. He must warn God’s people of their sinful ways or he will be held accountable. It is a prelude to the gospel where Jesus instructs his followers how to help each other stay on the right track. St. Paul’s teaching on love in our second reading reminds us that if we should try to correct one another it should be done out of love.


HOMILY - I happened to meet a lady this week carrying a little baby. I found out the baby’s name was Joseph. I thought: an appropriate name for a handsome little fellow! The encounter got me wondering what I was like when I was an infant and wouldn’t it be interesting to go back in time and experience what it was like to have to be fed and changed, to have to be carried around and cared for and to have to cry and scream when you needed something. When we came into this world, we were totally dependent on other people for our every need. As we grow to become more independent, we sometimes forget how in so many ways we will always remain dependent on others. Labor day is a good reminder that our existence is really a co-existence. How would we ever survive without farmers and electricians and car mechanics and trash collectors and bankers and doctors and the thousands of occupations and services we depend on in our complex society. The scenes from New Orleans and the gulf area we saw on TV this week remind us how dependent we are on others. While many people come to the aid of those suffering from the devastation, we are saddened to hear of people whose only value in life is their own self-interest and who readily take advantage of those who are vulnerable. Tragedies bring out the best and the worst in people. For Christians, St. Paul reminds us that love is the basic law. Love unites us and calls us to care for one another. His words also are good advice for those who let their credit cards get out of control: “owe nothing to anyone, except to love one another,” Paul tells us.

One area where we often forget that we always remain dependent on others is in our spiritual lives. So many these days decide they don’t need to go to church. They can pray on their own, they rationalize. I wonder how often they really do.

Our gospel today presupposes the need for a community of faith and that there be unity and harmony in the community. We can see that Jesus was giving guidelines to be followed in order to restore unity and harmony among the members of the community when there was serious disunity and sin. There is a three step process to follow: 1) Encourage the wrong doer and, tell that person they are doing wrong and not everyone else. Perhaps they can be brought back to the community. This was the job the prophet Ezekiel had to do for all the people of his day. It’s not an easy thing to do. I’ve been slammed down at times for trying to tell someone they’re not living like they should. 2) If that doesn’t work, Jesus gives us another procedure to try in order to build a bridge between a wrong doer and God’s people. He tells us gather two or three others to go with you to talk to the person. That is very similar to what we refer to today as intervention. I’ve done this with alcoholics who deny they have a problem. Family and loved ones come together and bombard them with their concern and their love and try to get the person to see they have a problem and they need to go into treatment. It can be very effective, but sometimes that doesn’t work either. 3) As a final step Jesus said get the entire community on your side.

At the end of his instruction about preserving unity and harmony in the community, Jesus teaches us about our need to pray with one another. Certainly we should pray on our own, but there is a unique power in praying with others. It’s like logs in a fireplace. One log has a hard time burning all by itself. But two or three together make a nice fire. Praying with others is something husbands and wives and children should do more of. It’s something we do every time we celebrate the Eucharist, the special prayer Jesus gave us at the Last Supper and which he told us to celebrate in his memory. The Church makes it a serious obligation to come to Mass each week lest we get lazy or too busy with too many things that we forget that he has asked us to gather in his name and in his memory.

In another place in his epistles St. Paul tells us “we are the body of Christ.” A body must be united for it to operate properly because all the parts depend on one another. We all depend on one another, not only for our material and emotional needs, but also for our spiritual needs. And that dependence doesn’t end at age 16 or 17 or 35 or 85. It continues on as long as we share in Christ’s life. For we are one body with him. I want to thank you all for coming today. Amen.

end of homily

   

Fr. John's homilies

Twenty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time (Mt. 16:21-17)
Cycle A
WORLD VS. CHRIST

    Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta came across a man lying in one of the gutters of the streets of Calcutta. No one dared to help him, for he was part of the lowest caste in Indian society. Many walked by without looking, some spat on him, and still others cursed him and kicked him as they walked by.

    Mother Teresa, with the help of her sisters, helped to lift him up out of the gutter. The man was near death, filled with sores, infested with lice and worms. She embraced him in her arms like Mary embraced Jesus at the foot of the cross as depicted so beautifully in the statue The Pieta.

    As Mother Teresa embraced this man, a passerby looked down upon her in disgust and said, “I wouldn’t do what you are doing for a million dollars!” Mother Teresa looked back at the man and said, “I wouldn’t do this for a million dollars either. I only do this for and to Christ!”

    Jesus today reminds Peter that he must not think like the world thinks, but as God thinks. To think otherwise, is to think in an evil or distorted manner. And so Jesus could say, “Get behind me Satan!”

    Mother Teresa of Calcutta perceived the world very differently than the man looking down upon her in disgust. She was perceiving reality through different eyes than the man with the negative comments. She was seeing the world through the eyes of Christ.
Mother Teresa of Calcutta had acquired what is known in spiritual theology as the spiritualization of the senses. She had developed mystical senses, whereby all of reality is seen though different lenses. As Galatians 2:20 explains, “It is no longer I who lives, but Christ who lives in me.” Mother Teresa was experiencing life with Christ, in Christ, and for Christ.

    Origen, one of the greatest ecclesiastical writers of the third century would say of these spiritual senses:

“Since Christ is a “fountain” and rivers of living water flow from him” (cf. Jn. 7:38), and since he is “bread” and gives “life,” it should not seem strange that he is also “nard” and “gives forth fragrance” and is the “ointment” (cf. Cant. 1:12) by which those who are anointed themselves become Christ, as it says in the Psalm: “Touch not my Christs” (Ps. 105:15). And perhaps, according to what the Apostle says, in those “who have their faculties trained by practice to distinguish good from evil (cf. Heb. 5:14), each one of the senses of the soul becomes Christ. For that is why he is called the “true light” (cf. 1 Jn. 2:8) so that the souls might have eyes with which to be illumined; and why he is called the “Word” (cf. Jn. 1:1), that they might have ears with which to hear; and why he is called “bread of life” (cf. Jn. 6:35), that the souls might have a sense of taste with which to taste. So too is he called “ointment” or “nard” so that the soul’s sense of smell might receive the fragrance of the Word. And so too is he called perceivable, and touchable by hand, and the “Word became flesh” (cf. Jn. 1:14), so that the inner hand of the soul might be able to make contact with the Word of Life…. What do you think they will do when the Word of God takes over their hearing and sight and touch and taste? and when he gives to each of their senses the powers of which they are naturally capable? So that the eye, once able to see “his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father” (Jn.1:14), no longer wants to see anything else, nor the hearing want to hear anything other than the “Word of life” (1 Jn. 1:1)…, nor will the taste, once it has “tasted the goodness of the Word of God” (Heb. 6:5) and his flesh…(Jn. 6:33, 52-58), be willing to taste anything else after this…. For just as in the body there are different senses of tasting and seeing, so are there…divine faculties of perception.”

Saint John of the Cross explains this experience in the following manner in Ascent, Bk. I, Chs. 5, 7:

“[When one has reached the top of the mountain] the soul will be clothed in a new understanding of God in God (through removal of the old understanding) and in a new love of God in God, once the will is stripped of all the old cravings and satisfactions. And God will vest the soul with new knowledge when the other old ideas and images are cast aside (Col. 3:9). He causes all that is of the old self, the abilities of one’s natural being, to cease, and he attires all the faculties with new supernatural abilities.”

The spiritual writer, Carryll Houselander, in her book A Rocking-Horse Catholic, describes this seeing not as the world sees, but as God sees in the following manner.

“I was in an underground train, a crowded train in which all sorts of people jolted together, sitting and strap-hanging—workers of every description going home at the end of the day. Quite suddenly I saw with my mind, but as vividly as a wonderful picture, Christ in them all. But I saw more than that; not only was Christ in every one of them, living in them, dying in them, rejoicing in them, sorrowing in them—but because He was in them, and because they were here, the whole world was here too, here in this underground train; not only the world as it was at that moment, not only the people in all the countries of the world, but all those people who had lived in the past, and all those yet to come. I came out into the street and walked for a long time in the crowds. It was the same here, on every side, in every passer-by, everywhere—Christ.”

    This is without doubt a beautiful way to walk through life. But how do we reach this stage in the spiritual life? How are we able to see as God sees and not as the world sees?

    We begin by continually saying “yes” to God with an “open, soft, humble heart,” a heart so humble that one begins to see oneself the way one authentically is and the world the way it authentically is—the way Christ sees it.

    We are called to listen to God as he expresses his presence, handprint, and plan on creation.

    We are moved to respond to his grace-filled call to holiness which heals, elevates, and builds upon our human nature, thereby perfecting it, thereby making our “old self” into a “new self.”

    He has placed in us a conscience to be informed, an innate moral law to be listened to, virtues to be acquired and elevated by grace, pillars and doorways of holiness such as humility, mortification, detachment, surrender and trust, to be opened.

    He has gifted us with supernatural gifts such as faith, hope, and love. He has blessed us with the evangelical counsels of poverty, chastity and obedience, with the gifts of the spirit—knowledge, understanding, wisdom, counsel, piety, fortitude, and fear of the Lord—with the desire to live out the “Beatitudes” and the “Our Father,” the commandments, and the innate moral law through the love of God and neighbor.

    He has blessed us with the ability to engage in the spiritual battle against concupiscence—that inclination towards sin--and thereby to engage in the spiritual battle against the sins of life. He enables us to recognize not only our personal sins, but the communal nature of sin, and often the solidarity we engage in with regard to the realization of sin in society.

    We are called to engage in a life of prayer, and at times the “battle of prayer.” We are moved in grace to recognize prayer as a gift, a covenant, and a communion with God and one another.

    God calls us to vocalize our prayers, to meditate, to contemplate.

    We are called to bless in our human heart the one who is the source of every blessing, to adore the one worthy of all adoration, to petition God for our needs, to intercede for others, and to thank and praise him for all his glory.

    We are asked by God to immerse ourselves in the Sacraments, particularly the Eucharist, the source and summit of our faith, the source and summit of our nourishment for the journey, and in the Sacrament of Penance, for the Sacrament of Penance is the sacrament of self-awareness.
Spiritual growth is about perfecting ourselves, through grace, into the image of God. One cannot grow in perfection if one does not recognize imperfection! The more one makes use of the gifts of the Sacrament of Penance the more one becomes aware of one’s need for growth and how to go about accomplishing it. The more one makes use of the Sacrament of Penance the more one becomes aware of one’s blind sides and one’s predominant faults and inclinations.

    In an intense spiritual life, a life we are all asked to live, we begin to develop the gifts enabling us to discern the spirit of God from the spirit of the world and the flesh.

    Because God moves us toward happiness, he purges, illumines, and unites us to him.

    It is along this spiritual journey that we can become like Mother Teresa, like Origen, like Carryll Houselander! It is along this spiritual journey that we can become what Christ desires us to be!

    In a world that fails to see the image and presence of God in the embryo, the fetus, in the aborted child, we need to see more as Christ sees! In a world where divorce is rampant, contraception and the contraceptive mentality is a part of life, we need to see more as Christ sees! In a world where cloning and other forms of inappropriate genetic engineering and artificial reproduction abound, we need to see more as Christ sees! In a throw-away world, where the ill and old are euthanized, are thrown away, we need to see more as Christ sees! In a world where sexual promiscuity, homosexual acts, pedophilia, rape, and molestations of all sorts are daily news items, we need to see more as Christ sees! In a world that makes movie stars out of serial killers, we need to see more as Christ sees! In a world that fails to feed its hungry, cure its ill, provide adequate health care and financial security for its needy, we need to see more as Christ sees! Where war, torture, and the death penalty abound, we need to see more as Christ sees! Where workers’ rights, solidarity among nations and social justice is trampled upon, we need to see more as Christ sees!

    We have allowed Satan to dominate too long. We must address him and exclaim, “Be gone Satan! Get behind me Satan!”

O God may we see as you see, hear as you hear, feel as you feel, and experience life as you experienced it. In so doing we will find the power and the victory of our lives!

end of homily

    

Twenty-third Sunday of Ordinary Time (Mt. 18:15-20)
Cycle A
EXCOMMUNICATION AND LOVE

    We as people often mistake unconditional love with unconditional acceptance. This misunderstanding has led to many tragedies. Unconditional acceptance leads people into a life of sin, a life based on lies—all under the guise of love.

    God, like a good parent, desires our good. And sometimes as a good parent he must chastise us and even punish us so that we may do what is right! True parents unconditionally love, but do not unconditionally accept.

    As a former schoolteacher, I remember two brothers who were well-known behavior problems. From grade one to grade twelve these two brothers caused their teachers more headaches and fear than one could imagine.

    The main reason for the problem was their parents. They had confused unconditional acceptance with unconditional love. Their children were never wrong. It was always the teachers who did not understand their children or were incompetent in their work. Year after year teachers were called into the principal’s office to address the parents’ concerns. This made teachers apprehensive in correcting these two brothers. No one likes to go to the principal’s office, even teachers! This led to the two brothers having free reign to do as they pleased. Teachers would often say to other teachers, “Wait till next year; you’ll have to deal with this family!”

    What happened to these two children when they grew into adulthood? One was shot and killed in a failed robbery attempt, the other died of a drug overdose in rehab!

    Unconditional acceptance is not love but a false sense of love. In fact it is cruelty, for to allow one to live a lie, to live in sin, is to ultimately promote the moral and psychological disintegration of the person.

    Unconditional love is based on absolute truth.

    Unconditional acceptance is built upon the fads of the modern era such as utilitarianism, relativism, and pragmaticism. Utilitarianism argues that love is that which produces the greatest pleasure over pain. Therefore, hedonism becomes the moral compass that people live their lives by. Relativism argues that what is true for you may not be true for me. Therefore, the concept of love is different for different people in different circumstances. There is no absolute truth. Pragmaticism argues that truth is based on the practical consequences of a belief. Therefore, love is dependent on practical, useful consequences and likewise not on an absolute truth. Truth and love simply become expressions of preferred consequences or inclinations. These philosophies build a culture built on political correctness, probabilities, convenience and personal preferences. In all these cases the individual becomes the determiner, the decider of truth!

    The fads of the modern era have eliminated absolute truth. Where there is no absolute truth, there is no God, and where there is no God and therefore absolute truth there can be no absolute love. The inevitable consequence of these fads, these modern era philosophies, is the loss of authentic unconditional love and its replacement with unconditional acceptance.

    How do we know where to find truth? We find truth in natural revelation and divine revelation.

    Natural revelation is expressed in Paul’s statement to the Romans (1:20): “since the creation of the world God’s invisible nature has been clearly seen in the things that have been made.” Natural revelation is based on the very nature of the world and the human person. Through the observation of movement, becoming, contingency, the world’s order and beauty, the nature of conscience and the quest for happiness, one can come to a knowledge of God as the origin and end, the first principle and final end of all realities.

    Divine revelation is found in the Sacred Scriptures, Sacred Tradition—as properly interpreted by the successors of the apostles, the magisterium.

    The Gospel today teaches us how true love is to be exercised. After many attempts to bring a loved one back to the truth, if one continues to refuse, the Bible teaches us to “treat him as you would a Gentile or a tax collector,” for “whatever the [Church] binds on earth is bound in heaven, and whatever the [Church] shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” In other words, one is to excommunicate the unrepentant person.

    Protecting the souls of the faithful is at the heart of excommunication. Paul reminds the Corinthians to “purge the evil from [their] midst” (5:13) and to “deliver [the unrepentant evil one] to Satan for the destruction of [their] flesh” (5:5). In his second letter to the Thessalonians the community is reminded to “shun any brother who conducts himself in a disorderly way and not according to the tradition they received from us” (3:6), and “if anyone does not obey our word…take note of this person so as not to associate with him” (3:14). In 1 Timothy we read how Hymenaeus and Alexander have been “handed over to Satan to be taught not to blaspheme” (1:20). And in Titus 3:10f we read: “After a first and second warning, break off contact with a heretic, realizing that such a person is perverted and sinful and stands self-condemned” (11).

    From first appearances, the idea of excommunication may seem cruel, but quite the contrary is true. Excommunication is the Church’s way of warning people about their eternal destiny. It is a way of warning people of the consequences of their actions. In a sense, it is the Church’s manner of shaking a person and saying, “wake up, you’re headed for disaster.” Excommunication is a loving call to holiness of life, a call to come home into the heart of the Church, a call to avoid the pitfalls of disaster.

    God, like a good parent, desires our good. And sometimes as a good parent he must chastise us and even punish us so that we may do what is right! True parents unconditionally love, but do not unconditionally accept.

    Today God teaches us this reality.

end of homily

        

                    ON FIRE FOR THE WORD OF GOD

                    The Word and the Eucharist is the Bread of Life

 

Deuteronomy 8: 2-3

Remember the long road by which Yahweh your God led you for forty years in the desert, to humble you, to test you and know your inmost heart -- whether you would keep his commandments or not. He humbled you, he made you feel hunger, he fed you with manna which neither you nor your ancestors had ever known, to make you understand that human beings live not on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of Yahweh. 

 

Today's Mass

Isaiah 55: 1-3

 

Oh, come to the water 
    all you who are thirsty; 
though you have no money, come! 
Buy and eat; come, buy wine and milk 
without money, free! 
Why spend money on what cannot nourish 
and your wages on what fails to satisfy? 
Listen carefully to me, 
and you will have good things to eat 
and rich food to enjoy. 
Pay attention, come to me; 
listen, and you will live. 

I shall make an everlasting covenant 
    with you 
in fulfilment of the favours 
    promised to David. 

   

                Soon it will be the Feast of the Assumption

                    Since August 15, 2006 we circulated over 2,000,000 Newsletters
                of Fr. John's to hierarchy and priests and 100,000 of
                Fr. Pasquini's Books to hierarchy and we have
                10 inches high of letters from the hierarchy thanking
                us for the Priestly Newsletter, the Books and the prayers
                from the prayer chapters.

 

Available in 7 languages with the
Church's Imprimatur

 

                    We need to publish Fr. Pasquini's Priestly Newsletter on the
                Our Father — here are a few comments —

 

2008 Comments

1. I write to acknowledge receipt of your kind letter of October 13th, enclosing a copy of the newsletter Shepherds of Christ and the Shepherds of Christ Associates' Prayer Manual. While thanking you for the same, I assure you of my prayers. 2-2008 Cardinal Vatican

2. Dearest one in the Lord, you can send the Shepherds of Christ Ministries to me and I will distribute them to my brother Archbishops, Bishops and priests of my country poor Myanmar. 3-2008 Bishop Myanmar

3. Thank you very much for the book entitled, Shepherds of Christ-Spirituality Newsletters 2, written by Rev. Edward Carter, SJ, and the Shepherds of Christ Prayer Manual and the Newsletter. Your kindness in sending this material to me is greatly appreciated. 3-2008 Bishop USA

4. Thank you for the collection of Shepherds of Christ Spirituality Newsletters 2 by Rev. Edward Carter, SJ as well as the "Shepherds of Christ Associates Prayer Manual." Know as well that all the associates of Shepherds of Christ Ministries are greatly appreciated. 3-2008 Bishop USA

5. Thank you for your recent kindness to me in sending a copy of Shepherds of Christ: Spirituality Newsletters along with the prayer manual. Your thoughtfulness is much appreciated. 3-2008 Bishop USA

6. Thank you for sending me the Shepherds of Christ Associates Prayer Manual, the book, Shepherds of Christ Spirituality 2 Newsletters by Fr. Edward Carter, S.J., and the 2008 Issue No. 1 Newsletter for priests by Rev. John J. Pasquini. Thank you for your concern and prayers for priests and the Church. May God bless your work. 3-2008 Bishop USA

7. I write to thank you for the copy of Shepherds of Christ: Spirituality Newsletters 2, by Fr. Edward Carter, SJ, which you so graciously sent to me. Please be assured of my gratitude for your promise of prayers. 3-2008 Archbishop USA

8. Thank you for your recent letter and the book, Shepherds of Christ #2. I ask for your support and prayers before the Tabernacle for more priestly vocations. May God continue to bless the good work you do! 3-2008 Archbishop USA

9. Thank you for forwarding the recent materials from the Shepherds of Christ. I do appreciate your willingness to continue to support the Catholic priesthood. 3-2008 Bishop USA

10. Thanks for sending me the copy of the Shepherds of Christ News Letter, the Prayer Manual and the Book of Spirituality 2 Newsletters. 3-2008 Bishop USA

11. Thank you very much for the book containing Priestly Newsletters and Prayer Chapters! God bless you at Easter and always. 3-2008 Bishop USA

12. I do express my great appreciation to you for all that you are doing to encourage prayer in the presence of the Eucharist for us bishops and priests. May God reward you abundantly for this good effort. I truly appreciate as well the gift of the second edition of Shepherds of Christ by Edward Carter, S.J. May God continue to bless you and those whom you encourage and serve. 3-2008 Archbishop USA

13. I thank you for your book about the activity of your movement "Shepherds of Christ Ministries". I really appreciate your mission in support of the Catholic Church. 3-2008 Mons. Vatican

14. Thank you for your prayers before the Blessed Sacrament, the prayer manual and the Shepherds of Christ Spirituality Newsletters by Fr. Edward Carter, SJ. I will continue to keep you in my prayers. 3-2008 Cardinal Vatican

15. I received the book by Fr. Ed Carter safely. Thank you very much. Best wishes and greetings. 3-2008 Cardinal Vatican

16. His Excellency has asked me to thank you for the letter and materials sent to him under the date of March 5, 2008. The Bishop is grateful for your kindness and graciousness in your letter and in sending Fr. Carter's book. Your prayers before our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament are certainly deeply appreciated by the Bishop, both for our work and for all bishops. 3-2008 Bishop USA

17. I would like to thank you for sharing with me the book Shepherds of Christ: Spirituality 2 Newsletters, the newsletter Shepherds of Christ and the prayer manual Shepherds of Christ. Assuring you of my prayers and best wishes. 3-2008 Romanian USA

18. Thank you for your letter of March 5, 2008, with which you enclosed materials published by the Shepherds of Christ Ministries. I appreciate your thoughtfulness in providing me with this information. Asking God's blessings upon you and your work. 3-2008 Bishop USA

19. Thank you for sending me a copy of the book Shepherds of Christ: Spirituality Newsletters 2. Your dedication and continued support is much appreciated. 3-2008 Bishop USA

20. Thank you for send me a copy of the collection of Shepherds of Christ Spirituality Newsletters. I hope that clergy and laity alike may draw benefit from them. 3-2008 Archpriest Vatican

21. I wish to thank you for the book "Shepherds of Christ - Spirituality Newsletters" by Fr. Edward Carter, you have sent to me. I also would like to express my gratitude for the prayers that you and your Movement dedicate to my intentions. 3-2008 Archbishop Brasil

22. I thank you for the publication you sent me in the past and for your recent letter. Be assured of my prayers for your ministry. 3-2008 Archbishop Albania

23. I received your letter of 5 March 2008, together with the enclosed current newsletter and the book reproducing the contents of previous newsletters. I thank you for the kind consideration and I thank you for the prayers that you offer to Almighty God for the ministry of priests. 3-2008 Archbishop New Zealand

24. I received your letter dated 5 March 2008, wherein you kindly enclosed a copy of the Shepherds of Christ Spirituality 2 Newsletters, as well as a copy of the Prayer Manual. Thank you very much for your consideration in this regard. 3-2008 Cardinal Vatican

25. We acknowledge receipt of your letter and a publication of three years of Priestly Newsletters. Please accept my heartfelt thanks. 3-2008 Bishop USA

26. I sincerely thank you for your letter of March 5, 2008 and also for the book, Shepherds of Christ: Spirituality and Newsletters by Fr. Edward Carter, SJ and the Prayer Manual. I also thank you for the Newsletters for Priests which you have been sending to us. Those news letters have been given to our priests. I went through the book and read some of the topics. I liked them very much. I will take time out to read it. It is a great service you are doing to priests. 3-2008 Bishop India

27. Cardinal has asked me to acknowledge receipt of your recent letter and the enclosed copy of Fr. Carter's book and to respond on his behalf. Thank you for taking the time to share this important spiritual work, please know that the Cardinal has great faith in the power of prayer offered in the presence of the Eucharist. Thank you, also, for remembering Cardinal in your holy hour intentions, be assured of his prayers for the work of the Shepherds of Christ Ministries. 3-2008 Cardinal USA

28. Thank you very much once again for your letter enclosed with a copy of Shepherds of Christ Newsletter and a book, "the Voice of the Good Shepherd". I deeply appreciate your kind and thoughtful gesture. Allow me to take this opportunity to congratulate you then, to continue the good works you have began. As I renew my sentiments of gratitude for your prayers for your humble servant and for all the clergy, I wish to impart to you my paternal blessing. 3-2008 Cardinal Philippines

29. These few lines to thank you for the literature you had sent recently and you have been sending on Shepherds of Christ Ministries. Yes, I make use of this literature for my talks and meditation. After that I pass it on to our other priests. Hence these few words of appreciation. I am happy to tell you that I too am one of those who spend an hour in the presence of the Lord in the afternoon. It brings a lot of peace and joy. 3-2008 Bishop India

30. We receive your Priestly Newsletter regularly. It is a marvelous spiritual work and it is a great help for us. I specially thank you for the same. I am glad to learn that you are praying for us everyday before the Blessed Sacrament. It is our strength. I am grateful to you for your prayerful support. 3-2008 Bishop India

31. I thank you for your recent letter to me dated 5th March 2008 - along with a copy of the book: "Shepherds of Christ" by Fr. Edward Carter SJ which you sent on to me. I thank you for sending on this book by your founder. Hopefully many priests will be led closer and closer to Jesus Christ through reading it. 3-2008 Cardinal Scotland

32. I am very happy to acknowledge receipt of a book "Shepherds of Christ - Spirituality 2 Newsletters" by Fr. Edward Carter SJ. This book and other newsletters are indeed spiritual nourishment. Many thanks for your prayers and kindness. 4-2008 Archbishop Malawi

33. Cardinal has received the Shepherds of Christ Spirituality 2 Newsletter for Priests and the Prayer Manual of the Shepherds of Christ Associates. He has asked that I express to you his appreciation both for the publications recently sent and for all the efforts undertaken by your Organization to enhance the spirituality of priests. 4-2008 Cardinal Vatican

34. Thank you for your letter dated 5th March 2008 together with the Book Shepherd of Christ Spirituality Newsletters 2 and the Shepherds of Christ Associates Prayer Manual. I wish to congratulate you and your team for keeping up the apostolate of late Fr. Edward Carter, SJ. 4-2008 Archbishop Pakistan

35. I have received your circular of March 5, 2008 and the book by Fr. Carter, SJ, your founder. Thank you very much for the thoughtfulness. I have the highest appreciation for the great apostolate you are engaged in. 4-2008 Bishop India

36. Thank you very much for the book of Fr. Carter's Priestly Newsletters and of the Prayer Manual of the Shepherds of Christ Associates. May these efforts and prayers be a source for a spiritual renewal and an invitation for many. 4-2008 Cardinal Vatican

37. Thank you for sending always the issues of Shepherds of Christ and now the book of Fr. Edward Carter SJ Spirituality Newsletters 2. I am enjoying always your sending. 4-2008 Archbishop Rumania

38. I acknowledge receipt of your kind letter, dated March 5th, 2008 by which you sent me the Prayer Manual as well as the book "Shepherds of Christ - Spirituality Newsletters volume 2", by Fr. Edward Carter, SJ, the Founder of the Shepherds of Christ Movement. I thank you very much for sending me this precious book which offers a beautiful way to deepen and to foster our Priestly spirituality and invites us not to forget to pray for priests and the renewal of the Church and the world. 4-2008 Archbishop Lithuania

39. I have received your letter dated March 5, 2008 and I thank you for your information about your spiritual movement. I really appreciate your prayers in order to support the Catholic Church. 4-2008 Cardinal Vatican

40. In behalf of my Bishop, I'm writing this letter to present my thanks for your prayers and the book "Shepherds of Christ" and the "Prayer Manual" 4-2008 Bishop Ecuador

41. Thank your also for your letter of April 9th and the accompanying materials which I received today! 4-9-2008 Bishop USA

42. I would like to thank you for your letter of last March 5, where you send us a copy of the book Shepherds of Christ, Spirituality Newsletters, and your most recent issue of the Shepherds of Christ Newsletter. We will read your publications with much interest. 4-2008 Cardinal Vatican

43. I received your letter of 9 April 2008 and I write to thank you for the many materials from the Shepherds of Christ Ministries, which you so graciously enclosed with your correspondence. 4-2008 Archbishop USA

44. Thank you for your letter and for the enclosed Prayer Manual, Newsletter and book, Shepherds of Christ Spirituality Newsletters 2. I appreciate you thinking of me and taking the time to send the material. 4-2008 Bishop USA

45. Thank you for your letter of March 5, 2008, together with the "Shepherds of Christ Ministries" newsletter. 4-2008 Cardinal Vatican

46. Thanks a lot for your letter dated March 5, 2008 and for the book "Shepherds of Christ" by Fr. Edward Carter SJ which I consider to be very valuable. I read it part by part. Please accept my deep gratitude for your prayers for me. 4-2008 Bishop India

47. I am very happy to receive the Shepherds of Christ, (Newsletters, Vol. 2). While expressing my sincere thanks, I congratulate you as well as all the contributors and assure you of my prayerful support for all your future endeavors. 4-2008 Archbishop India

48. I am to give some talks to elderly people at a retirement home. I shall read your books and perhaps make it easier to really do what I am asked. I must say I do admire your wonderful work. I thank you sincerely for sending these things to me. I shall look at them and pass them on to my friends who are also retired from very busy ministries. 4-2008 Bishop Australia

49. Thank you for your letter of March 5, 2008, and for Fr. Edward Carter's "Shepherds of Christ Newsletter 2" which you sent to Cardinal. His Eminence was grateful to receive both the materials and the promise of your prayers. 4-2008 Cardinal Vatican

50. Thank you very much for your kind letter and the copies of Shepherds of Christ Priestly Newsletter. 4-2008 Bishop India

51. We received your letter, dated March 5, 2008. We appreciate your concern, thoughtfulness and generosity and we want to extend to you our sincere gratitude for the same. It is truly a source of spiritual nourishment for us all and an invitation for renewal of our spiritual life each time we read the book - "The Voice of the Good Shepherd." It is because of the prayers of dedicated persons like you that we are sustained and encouraged in all our pastoral and missionary works. 4-2008 Bishop India

52. I acknowledge receipt of your letter dated March 5th instant, with which you have enclosed a book entitled "Shepherds of Christ", a Spirituality Newsletter and a prayer manual. I wish to thank you for your kind thoughtfulness to send these and with my sentiments of appreciation and assurance of prayers impart my blessing to you all. 4-2008 Archbishop India

53. I want to thank you for sending me the beautiful book "Shepherds of Christ" which I found very inspiring. 4-2008 Bishop India

54. Please accept my sincere thanks for your letter and for the enclosed Issue No. 1 2008 of the Spirituality Newsletter "Shepherds of Christ Newsletter for Priests by Rev. John J. Pasquini, and for the book "Shepherds of Christ - Associates prayer manual. 4-2008 Bishop Kazakhstan

55. Thank you for your Priestly Newsletter we have been receiving and all the Prayer Manuals along with them. Today, I have received the Newsletter dated March 5, 2008 and I am grateful for all the messages they contain. 4-2008 Bishop Uganda

56. Thank you for the news letter and also thank you for the prayers. It is great to hear that people have so much faith in the Blessed Eucharist. 4-2008 Bishop Kenya

57. With best wishes from Kazakhstan I would like to thank you for your magazine Shepherds of Christ, as well as for the book Spirituality Newsletters 2, which you kindly sent me. I assure you of my constant prayer support for your precious ministry. 4-2008 Bishop Kazakhstan

58. I would like to convey my sincere gratitude for this Priestly Newsletter "Shepherds of Christ Ministries". It is enriching News Letter for us and for the good of the church; that would be shared with priests of the Archdiocese. We will appreciate if you will continue to supply this valuable material for our spiritual enrichment to the Shepherds in Tanzania. 4-2008 Archbishop Tanzania

59. Cardinal has asked me to acknowledge receipt of recent letter and the enclosed collections of newsletters. On behalf of the Cardinal, thank you for sending these materials and for sharing your ongoing commitment to the faithful support of the priesthood and the Church. 4-2008 Cardinal USA

60. Thank you very much for the book Shepherds of Christ: Spirituality Newsletters. 4-2008 Cardinal USA

61. This is to acknowledge with many thanks your letter of 5th March 2008, and Spirituality Newsletters No. 2, which you thoughtfully sent me. My clergy and I are deeply grateful to you and your collaborators for the service you render to priests around the world. 5-2008 Bishop Sri Lanka

62. I have received your mail, the packet containing your letter, the book by Fr. Carter, a collections of Newsletters and the 2008 issue No. 1 Shepherds of Christ and a copy of prayer manual. I thank you for sending all these plus mailing Shepherds of Christ letter copies for my priests, All my priests read and benefit from these letters. Please continue to send me Shepherds of Christ. 5-2008 Bishop India

63. I am very glad to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated March 5, 2008 with a book entitled, Shepherds of Christ, Spirituality Newsletters, Vol. 2, by Fr. Edward Carter, SJ. I appreciate very much this wonderful gift. Also, I wish to thank you most sincerely for praying for me. 5-2008 Archbishop Philippines

64. I acknowledge the receipt of the spirituality newsletters and a book of spirituality newsletter for priests. 5-2008 Cardinal Japan

65. I write to acknowledge receipt of your kind letter of March 5th, enclosing a copy of the first issue of the newsletter Shepherds of Christ for the year 2008, and the Shepherds of Christ Associates' Prayer Manual. While thanking you for the same, I assure you of my prayers. 5-2008 Cardinal Vatican

66. With pleasure, I have received the most recent publications of the Shepherds of Christ Ministries: "A Book of Spirituality Newsletters for Priests" and "Selected Writings on Spirituality - for all people". Thanks for the initiative and also for your continued support of my Ministry, through your prayers. 5-2008 Archbishop Brasil

67. This is to acknowledge your letter of May 5, 2008 and to thank you for keeping me informed about your apostolate and the work of Fr. Edward Carter, SJ. 5-2008 Archpriest Vatican

68. Thank you very much for your letter of May 5, 2008, and for the enclosed prayer cards, booklet, book and newsletter, produced by Shepherds of Christ Ministries. I appreciate your sharing these materials with me. I am looking forward to having the opportunity to read them. 5-2008 Bishop USA

69. Thank you for your letter of 5 May 2008, enclosing a copy of Selected Writings on Spirituality as published in Shepherds of Christ newsletters for priests. With prayerful best wishes for the work of the Shepherds of Christ, and your own responsibilities in carrying out its work. 5-2008 Cardinal Vatican

70. Archbishop would like to acknowledge receipt of your letter and enclosures of 5 March 2008 and to thank you for the beautiful reminder re one hour before the Blessed Sacrament with Jesus. 5-2008 Archbishop Philippines

71. Thank you for your kind letter and the enclosures, Shepherds of Christ, Prayer Manual, and the Book of Priestly Newsletters. I appreciate this inspirational gift. 5-2008 Bishop USA

72. I have received your letter of May 5th and the enclosed materials and Spirituality Newsletters for priests. Thank you for providing me with Shepherds of Christ. 5-2008 Bishop USA

73. This is to acknowledge receipt of your letter of May 5th. Thank you for sending me your materials: the prayer cards, the prayer manual, the Shepherds of Christ Newsletter for Priests edited by Rev. Edward J. Carter, SJ and the Shepherds of Christ - a Book of Spirituality Newsletters for Priests by Rev. John J. Pasquini I appreciate having these materials. 5-2008 Bishop SA

74. Thank you for sending me copies of the Newsletters for Priests and a copy of Shepherds of Christ. Thank you also for your prayers and support for all priests. I also pray for you and your ministry. 5-2008 Bishop USA

75. Thank you for the Priestly Newsletter and for the book of Rev. Edward Carter, SJ. As one seeks constantly to dwell in the Hearts of Jesus and Mary ever so intimately, a sustained theological and spiritual reflection is much appreciated. I wish you the good fruits of your ministry and apostolate. 5-2008 Archbishop USA

76. I received your letter of 5 May 2008 and I write to thank you for the many materials from the Shepherds of Christ Ministries, which you so graciously enclosed with your correspondence. Please be assured of my gratitude for your promise of prayers. 5-2008 Archbishop USA

77. I write once again to express my appreciation for the inspiring and reflective materials you and the Shepherds of Christ Ministries make available to us bishops and priests. 5-2008 Archbishop USA

78. On behalf of our bishop, I would like to thank you for sharing with us the book Selected Writings on Spirituality - for all people - as published in Shepherds of Christ Newsletter for Priests edited by Rev. Edward Carter SJ. 5-2008 Chancellor USA

79. I write to acknowledge your letter of 5 May last and to thank you for the gift of a volume containing a selection of writings on spirituality, originally published in Shepherds of Christ newsletter. I very much appreciated your kind thought. I assure you of a special remembrance in prayer, especially in the celebration of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. 5-2008 Cardinal Vatican

80. I want to thank you for your letter of the 5th March and for sending me a copy of Shepherds of Christ: Spirituality Newsletters by Fr. Edward Carter SJ. It is a most attractive production and extremely valuable. It is very inviting, enabling one to access the profound thoughts of a wide variety of spiritual writers, saints and theologians. I am deeply grateful to you for sending me this priestly newsletter which is so attractively produced. 5-2008 Archbishop Ireland

81. I received your letter of May 5, 2008. Thank you for the Priestly Newsletter you sent and the Shepherds of Christ Prayer Manuel. 5-2008 Archbishop USA

82. Thank you for your kind letter of May 5, 2008, together with the two enclosures. Please know of our gratitude for the prayer and sacrifices you offer in support of priests. 5-2008 Cardinal Vatican

83. We received the copy of the Prayer Manual, the copy of Shepherds of Christ: a Spirituality Newsletter for Priests by Rev. John J. Pasquini and the copy of Selected Writings on Spirituality - for all People -- as published in Shepherds of Christ Newsletter for Priests, that you kindly sent for the Vatican Library. I gladly take this opportunity to express my gratitude for the books and for your kind attention to our Institution. 5-2008 Cardinal Vatican

84. Thank you for your letter and for the enclosed books, Shepherds of Christ: Spirituality Newsletters and Shepherds of Christ: A Book of Spirituality Newsletters for Priests. I am especially grateful for your prayers. 5-2008 Bishop USA

85. For some years now I receive your magazine as a free copy, for which I'm grateful. 5-2008 Cardinal Netherlands

86. Thank you for sending me a copy of the book Shepherds of Christ: Spirituality Newsletters. Your dedication and continued support is much appreciated. 5-2008 Bishop USA

87. Today I received a huge packet with your letter of May 5, A Book of Spirituality Newsletters for Priests by Fr. John J. Pasquini and the book, "Shepherds of Christ - Spirituality Newsletters, plus the prayer manual and several prayer cards. God reward you for your kindness. Thank you and God reward you for your kind letter to me in which you inform me that a network of prayer chapters of pious people pray for me and my 17 priests engaged in pastoral and charitable work in our sprawling diocese. God be praised for this network of prayer, united in the Hearts of Jesus and Mary, coming from your love for us. 5-2008 Bishop Kazakhstan

88. I received recently our new Priestly Newsletter with other material intended for the priests and other Catholics who favor Eucharistic adorations. Thank you for this new material which I will hand over to the Library of our Theological seminary to be used by professors and students who know English. 5-2008 Archbishop Croatia

89. I write to acknowledge receipt of your kind letter of May 5th, enclosing a copy of Shepherds of Christ, A Book of Spirituality Newsletters for Priests, by Rev. John J. Pasquini. While thanking you for the same, I assure you of my prayers. 5-2008 Cardinal Vatican

90. I just want to deeply express to you my gratitude and inspiration for your great faith in our Church, the priestly vocation and your deep spirit of prayer for the Church, especially its shepherds. 6-2008 Bishop Philippines

91. It was with pleasure that I have received your kind and thoughtful letter and the books written by Rev. John J. Pasquini: "Shepherds of Christ, a book of spirituality, newsletters for priests" and "Selected writings on spirituality for all people as published in Shepherds of Christ newsletter for priests". Please, accept my sincere gratitude for all these spiritual gifts which may be useful for daily meditation. 6-2008 Archbishop Belgium

92. Thank you for all writings sent. This exquisite spiritual reading arrives to my grand seminary! God bless you! 6-2008 Bishop Romania

93. I received your letter of May 5, 2008, together with the enclosed publications. I thank you for the kind consideration and I am grateful for the prayers that you offer to Almighty God for the ministry of priests, which are urgently needed in this part of the world. 6-2008 Archbishop New Zealand

94. Thank you for your missive of March 5 with the enclosed material of the Shepherds of Christ Ministries, particularly the Newsletter for Priests. 7-2008 Bishop Vatican

95. Thank you very much for your kind letter of July 5. Also many thanks for the books and prayer booklets you sent me. I am impressed by the fact that you spread 6 million Priestly Newsletters the past 14 years to priests and hierarchy. I am very pleased with the central place which the Eucharist occupies in the movement. 7-2008 Cardinal Belgium

96. Thank you, for sending so many materials of prayers and spiritual reflections, circulated in many languages for already 14 years. I hope the Shepherds of Christ movement may acquire ecumenical reception and understanding as well. 5-2008 Cardinal Japan

97. This note to acknowledge receipt of the materials you sent to Cardinal on 5 July 2008. Thank you for making this material available to him. 7-2008 Cardinal Australia

   

                    Please help us — we must do what Mary said at Fatima,
                spread the Consecration for peace in the world — Bishops and
                Archbishops spread the Consecration in their dioceses and consecrate
                their dioceses to the Sacred Heart and Immaculate Heart.

  

1 Corinthians 15: 20-27

    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.

     

                    Please help me.

 

Luke 1: 46-55

And Mary said:
My soul proclaims
    the greatness of the Lord
and my spirit rejoices
    in God my Saviour;

because he has looked upon
    the humiliation of his servant.

Yes, from now onwards
    all generations will call me blessed,
for the Almighty
    has done great things for me.
Holy is his name,
and his faithful love extends age after age
    to those who fear him.

He has used the power of his arm,
he has routed the arrogant of heart.
He has pulled down princes
    from their thrones
        and raised high the lowly.
He has filled the starving with good things,
    sent the rich away empty.
He has come to the help
    of Israel his servant,
        mindful of his faithful love

according to the promise
    he made to our ancestors

of his mercy to Abraham
    and to his descendants for ever.

  

John 19: 25-27

Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary of Magdala. Seeing his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing near her, Jesus said to his mother, ‘Woman, this is your son.’ Then to the disciple he said, ‘This is your mother.’ And from that hour the disciple took her into his home.

 

                Please I beg you to help us

      

                                                                                   

August 13, 1917

"Because of the excitement caused by the apparitions, the civil authorities were so alarmed that they kidnapped the three young visionaries and put them in jail. The incarceration period included the day of August 13. Consequently, Our Lady did not appear to the children on this particular 13th. The authorities, fearing reaction on the part of the people, quickly released the children. (from The Spirituality of Fatima)

 

Mary by day
July 5, 2000

by night
July 5, 2000

 

 

Statues

 

Our Lady of Mt. Carmel

24" - $125 plus shipping

Our Lady of Lourdes

   

24" - $125 plus shipping

Our Lady of Grace

24" - $125 plus shipping

 

  

 

 

Sorrowful Mother

24" - $125 plus shipping

Immaculate Heart - Ivory

24" - $125 plus shipping

Immaculate Heart of Mary

24" - $125 plus shipping

 

 

 

 


Limpus

24" - $125 plus shipping

Sacred Heart of Jesus -Blessing

24" - $125 plus shipping

Sacred Heart of Jesus

24" - $125 plus shipping

 

 

 

 

Infant of Prague

24" - $125 plus shipping

Divine Mercy

22" - $100 plus shipping

Holy Family

24" - $180 plus shipping

 

 

 

 


St. Jude

24" - $125 plus shipping

 

Our Lady of Guadalupe

  24" - $125 plus shipping

Holy Family

12" - $60 plus shipping

 

 

 

 

St. Therese

  24" - $125 plus shipping

St. Francis

  24" - $125 plus shipping

St. Anthony

24" - $125 plus shipping

 

 

 

 

St. Claire

24" - $125 plus shipping

St. Padre Pio

24" - $125 plus shipping

St. Joseph

24" - $125 plus shipping

 

 

 

 

St. Francis

18" - $65 plus shipping

St. Therese

18" - $65 plus shipping

St. Philomena

20" - $100 plus shipping
16" - $65 plus shipping

 

 

 

 

Angel

22" - $100 plus shipping

St. Rita

12" - $40 plus shipping

Our Lady of Guadalupe

12" - $40 plus shipping

     

Pieta - Color

$75 plus shipping

 

Pieta - Marble

$75 plus shipping

 

Fatima w/glass

 11" - $150 plus shipping

 

 

 

 

Pilgrim Virgin w/glass

 12" - $160 plus shipping

 

Fatima w/glass

 18" - $250 plus shipping

 

Pilgrim Virgin w/glass

27” - $450.00 — 18” - $250.00
15” - $200.00 - (plus shipping)

 

       


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"

$125

 

 Immaculate Heart of Mary

 24"

$125

 

 Immaculate Heart - Ivory

 24"

$125

 

 Infant of Prague

 24"

$125

 

 Limpus

 24"

$125

 

 Our Lady of Grace

 24"

$125

 

 Our Lady of Guadalupe

 24"

$125

 

 Our Lady of Lourdes  

 24"

$125

 

 Our Lady of Mt. Carmel

 24"

$125

 
 Sacred Heart of Jesus

 24"

$125

 
 Sacred Heart of Jesus -Blessing

 24"

$125

 

 Sorrowful Mother

 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

 
 Angel

22"

$100  
 Divine Mercy

22"

$100  
 St. Philomena

20"

$100  
 St. Philomena

16"

$65  
 St. Francis

18"

$65  
 St. Therese

18"

$65  
 Pieta - Color 15" $75  
 Pieta - Marble 15" $75  
 Holy Family

12"

$60  
 Our Lady of Guadalupe

12"

$40  

 St. Rita

12"

$40  
       

 Fatima w/glass

 11"

$150  

 Fatima w/glass

 18"

$250  
 Pilgrim Virgin w/glass

 12"

$160  
 Pilgrim Virgin w/glass 15" $200.00  
 Pilgrim Virgin w/glass 18" $250.00  
 Pilgrim Virgin w/glass

27"

$450.00  


Call for Shipping Price (1-888-211-3041)
 

  Name
   
 Sub-Total
  Address
         
 IN Tax (7%)
  City
  
 Shipping
  State                                            Zip
  
 Donation
  Telephone
   
 Order Total

 

          

 

Go to the new store.

It has wonderful books and statues.

 

Click anywhere on the picture below

  

 


 

 

This is a most powerful disc

        that can lift you all through the day.

 

Holy Spirit Novena
with all the scriptures

$7.00 plus postage

 

 

        

Available for $750.00

 

 
 
Fatima/Clearwater Glass Statues available.

Call or go to China

1-888-211-3041

6015 N. State Rd 62
China, IN  47250

 

or call Clearwater

21649 US 19 N
Clearwater, FL  33765

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

     

 

Brand New Internet Store

 

Click picture

   

 


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