Ephesians 4: 32

Psalm 1: 1-6

How blessed is anyone who rejects the advice of the wicked
and does not take a stand in the path that sinners tread,
nor a seat in company with cynics,
but who delights in the law of Yahweh
and murmurs his law day and night.

Such a one is like a tree planted near streams;
it bears fruit in season
and its leaves never wither,
and every project succeeds.
How different the wicked, how different!

Just like chaff blown around by the wind
the wicked will not stand firm at the Judgement
nor sinners in the gathering of the upright.
For Yahweh watches over the path of the upright,
but the path of the wicked is doomed.

                R. We are to thank God for the Church
                and do all we can to be holy
                members of the Church. Recognizing
                those in the Church who gave to
                us the teachings of Jesus, the
                martyrs and saints who suffered
                and many died because of their
                faith, showing us the example
                of Jesus and walking in His
                footprints

                    Christ emptied Himself —
                giving Himself as the ransom
                for many — His beloved souls —
                Christ was not like Adam who gave into
                foolish pride for his power and his
                vain glory. Christ who emptied
                Himself.

Prayer for Union with Jesus

Come to me, Lord, and possess my soul. Come into my heart and permeate my soul. Help me to sit in silence with You and let You work in my heart.

    I am Yours to possess. I am Yours to use. I want to be selfless and only exist in You. Help me to spoon out all that is me and be an empty vessel ready to be filled by You. Help me to die to myself and live only for You. Use me as You will. Let me never draw my attention back to myself. I only want to operate as You do, dwelling within me.

    I am Yours, Lord. I want to have my life in You. I want to do the will of the Father. Give me the strength to put aside the world and let You operate my very being. Help me to act as You desire. Strengthen me against the distractions of the devil to take me from Your work.

    When I worry, I have taken my focus off of You and placed it on myself. Help me not to give in to the promptings of others to change what in my heart You are making very clear to me. I worship You, I adore You and I love You. Come and dwell in me now.

-God's Blue Book, January 17, 1994

                R. Christ gave Himself in love, freely doing
                the will of the Heavenly Father —

                    When we are attached to the praise
                and glory others give us, attached to
                what people think — we detach
                ourselves from our purpose being to
                love and serve God and
                being recognized and praised by God —
                to have God's favors — not the empty
                praise of men — who can think like
                men and be deceived in their thinking —
                not thinking as God thinks, but as men
                think with earthly minds —

                    Our desire must be to live by the will
                of God in all things — to live in humility
                admitting the evil and good in all
                of us — admitting the truth — recognizing
                our gifts and our impurities, our imperfections
                and praying for the grace to repent for
                our sins, be responsible for our
                sins and ask God to forgive us —
                thus to die to the ways not likened
                to God — that hurt our relationship
                with God and others and to rise
                in Him — growing in the spiritual
                life — in virtue — giving way
                to tendencies to turn away from Him
                because of sins, vices we develop
                because of our fallen human nature —
                We should pray to know how to live
                in that community aspect of
                knowing how to work with others
                and allow the will of the Father
                to be the rule of life —

                Working as the members of the body
                to help the function of life to
                work unimpededly by no diseased
                members, but members working
                in harmony, bring life to the
                whole body in order and
                working freely as God desires —

                The Trinity the most perfect community —

                The good fruits that are produced by the
                community are evidence of
                their holiness, harmony, order
                and willingness to operate as one
                according to the will of God, the
                Plan of the Father — Those who
                seek to function for their own
                dominance, independently of
                structure and purpose of why
                the community exists, are to
                be ignored —

                    In this world today — the worldly have
                focused on themselves raising above
                others to be supreme for vain glory
                among men — All know that a
                community, be it a family, a
                parish, a school, a religious
                order — where the underlying purpose
                of the individuals is for their
                dominance for dominance sake and
                all working isolated to declare
                their supremacy is like a body
                in which none of its parts
                synchronize — messages within
                the body being egotistical and
                without function with other
                members —

                    This body is, indeed, a diseased
                body — almost a 'cancer' where the
                diseased parts are puffed up
                and trying to take over — To
                try to save such a situation,
                the cancerous member has to
                be reduced in size or cut
                down and wiped out —
                Disease in the body, in a member,
                plays havoc in the life of a
                person —

                So let us spiritually seek to be in
                one accord according to the Father's
                Plan and using the gifts He gave
                us as following the Plan of the
                Architect, who plans the structure,
                not as one who tries to rule after
                the Plan has been selected and
                given into action —

                    If we see and know of the foundation
                of the world and creation of
                the seen and unseen by our
                Creator and God — we know
                that God is much bigger than
                us or that we could even imagine —
                why would a fish in a gold fish
                bowl smite the Master of the house —
                If it is 'little' that we see ourselves,
                it is also 'great' in God's eyes
                we should further see ourselves
                for Jesus died and rose for us — Jesus
                loves us this much — How precious
                we are to Him —

                    We are to see ourselves, humbly,
                through the eyes of the one who
                created us — with all our talents
                given to share and help build the
                Kingdom of God —

                The life we have is a window
                in this vast salvation history —
                a thread in the tapestry of the
                Father and yet our lives so important
                to God — that He chose us out
                of all the possible people He
                could create — He made us
                unique in our ways of loving
                and our talents to contribute
                this gift to His magnificent
                Plan of salvation history —
                We indeed are so personally
                and dearly loved by God —

                And Jesus says:

                    And as I died I knew you
                by name, the love in Me
                swelled in My Heart, that I
                emptied Myself for love of
                you, My beloved one —

                R. What love is this that God so loved
                the world —

                    It is by faith we know our
                God — praying for the increase
                of faith, hope and love and thanking
                God for giving this sharing in His
                life in baptism to us and elevating
                our knowing and loving capacity —
                Our hearts were made for love —
                Our hearts were made for Him —
                Our hearts were made to be formed as
                    He desires, not pompous,
                    hard, proud, jealous
                    and stingy —

                R. The greatest commandment is
 

                R. We can have ambition for ourselves
                and not God and throw away the
                opportunity to prepare ourselves
                on our journey here in seeking
                to learn to love as He commands
                of us to inherit eternal life —

                Song: A Song from Jesus

                R. We must stand firm in our faith —
                Avoid putting ourselves on the throne
                and serving God with our whole
                heart, our whole soul and our
                whole being —
                We wait the fulfillment of
                God's promises to us —

                We want the Reign of the Sacred Heart and
                    the Triumph of Mary's Immaculate Heart

                The life, death and resurrection
                    of Jesus, we live in our
                    lives — following in His footsteps
                    and loving as He commands —
                    helping to bring the Good News
                    to the world —
                    as we reach out in love —

                God comes first in our vision —
                not us —

                Not asking ourselves how can I
                    promote myself — then
                    trying to guise this impurity
                    under a veil of using religion
                    not for God's glory, but for our
                    recognition or power or affections for oneself —

                We struggle against satan —
                The gods of this time in our world —

                The men of vain glory seeking
                    power and recognition and
                    affections for oneself —

                God is ruler of all —
                God is to be as it says in
                    this writing
     

Philippians 1: 18-26

But what does it matter? Only that in both ways, whether with false motives or true, Christ is proclaimed, and for that I am happy; and I shall go on being happy, too, because I know that this is what will save me, with your prayers and with the support of the Spirit of Jesus Christ; all in accordance with my most confident hope and trust that I shall never have to admit defeat, but with complete fearlessness I shall go on, so that now, as always, Christ will be glorified in my body, whether by my life or my death. Life to me, of course, is Christ, but then death would be a positive gain. On the other hand again, if to be alive in the body gives me an opportunity for fruitful work, I do not know which I should choose. I am caught in this dilemma: I want to be gone and to be with Christ, and this is by far the stronger desire—and yet for your sake to stay alive in this body is a more urgent need. This much I know for certain, that I shall stay and stand by you all, to encourage your advance and your joy in the faith, so that my return to be among you may increase to overflowing your pride in Jesus Christ on my account.

                R. What is important is to be
                    with Christ —
                    in life and in death —
                    It is to be with Christ —

                God has called us to the
                    table of the Lord and
                    given us Himself to eat —

                God calls us to be in one mind and
                    one heart — not to be
                    competitive for vain
                    glory over our brothers,
                    but to seek God's Plan
                    for ourselves and our brothers,
                    but we are to be taught by Him —
                    He has revealed His love, Himself
                    in His coming to this earth and
                    teaching us about the Divine God.

                He has given us His Word —
                He has given us the Church —

                We are to seek to know
                    Him more and more deeply in
                    our hearts —

Philippians 2: 5-11

    Make your own the mind of Christ Jesus: 

Who, being in the form of God, 
did not count equality with God 
something to be grasped. 

But he emptied himself, 
taking the form of a slave, 
becoming as human beings are; 
and being in every way 
    like a human being, 
he was humbler yet, 
even to accepting death, 
    death on a cross. 

And for this God raised him high, 
and gave him the name 
which is above all other names; 

so that all beings 
in the heavens, on earth 
    and in the underworld, 
should bend the knee at the name of Jesus 
and that every tongue should acknowledge 
Jesus Christ as Lord, 
to the glory of God the Father.

                Sing: We Praise You oh Lord

                R. Why do we argue to prove ourselves
                    right before God — should
                    we not seek His truth in
                    all things as our ultimate
                    goal —
                    Bending low as learners
                    being taught — not as a
                    fool who knows little,
                    but lives to prove he
                    knows it all, when God
                    is a mystery and we
                    are grossly uninformed
                    but with a humble and docile
                    heart seek greater clarity —

                One that reaches for the stars
                    is ever reaching — one who
                    reaches to crown his own
                    head may achieve this act,
                    but he has not gone but
                    more than 6 or 7 feet from
                    the ground —

                Reach and Seek hidden insight
                    into the Mystery of God —
                    being as a learner and
                    one eager for the knowledge,
                    the love and service of God

                Fools crown their own head.

                King Saul and Judas despaired
                so much they took their
                    own life —
                    Men can reach for their
                    own vain glory — not
                    the glory of God —

                Be imitators of Christ for
                    we were created in His
                    image and likeness and
                    this is being what God
                    planned for us to be —

                Following men who live by worldly
                    ways is like following a
                    hollow tunnel that goes
                    to the man with the crown
                    he put on his own head —
                    one follows the ways of the
                        insolent and at the
                        end of a tunnel the
                        insolent man is sitting
                        on his throne in a
                        dung heap pile —

                Reach for the stars and the
                    heavens — Reach with
                    a pure heart — Follow a
                    path of milk and honey and
                    walk after Jesus who came
                    to show us the way —
                    Make Jesus the King of your
                    hearts and not insolent men
                    and at the end of the
                    journey one will see the
                    King of Heaven and Earth —
                    The One — Son of Man
                                     Son of God
                    adorned in gold and silver and
                    on a cloud of love
                    ready to bring the
                    faithful one who served and
                    loved Him into the
                    Palace of God —

                Make no mistake our lives
                    here are a journey to
                    prepare us for this
                    "Promised - Land of Eternal Life"

                Our lives are the journey as
                    we follow Jesus on the road to
                    His death on the cross — We
                    fall - we get up, we fall -
                    we get up, we fall and get up
                    again.

                But when it is done
                    the gift that waits
                    the man who endured
                    the every day dying and
                    rising in Him!!

                Living the Pascal Mystery of
                    death/resurrection in
                    our lives —

                Until finally —

                R. Be imitators of Christ Jesus —
   

Philippians 3: 17

                R. We walk by faith and leaders
                    are to lead people to
                    God — not see themselves
                    as 'great' and lording-over
                    men —

                The servant is one who serves
                    many and
                    the leader is a servant
                    before men —

                The leader does not exist to
                    serve oneself - but the
                    leader exists to serve
                    others and teach them
                    about Christ the
                    Supreme Servant —
                    The Suffering Servant —

                The one who came out of love
                    to teach us about being a
                    servant —

                On a ship a captain serves —
                    The lives of those on the
                    ship are in his hands and
                    he is to help and protect
                    them —

                Some Peacocks have been
                    called proud because
                    of their posture —

                A proud sea captain can
                    be so caught up in himself,
                    the people of the ship are in
                    grave danger —

                for his eyes are not to reach
                    out and protect his people,
                but his first thoughts are
                    thoughts of himself to
                    prove he is great —

                God crated us all with a
                    purpose — with a mission —
                    the man who thinks
                    inferiorly of himself —
                    not through God's vision, God's eyes —
                    is missing his beauty in the
                    world God has called him
                    to serve —

                He is stuck in a man-made
                    bucket of his own
                    inferiority —

                When indeed he is the
                    beauty of the Divine
                    Creator — with a
                    mission to serve
                    uniquely in
                    the army of the Lord —

                Jesus: I come, I walk among you —
                    I taught you about God —
                    I took on flesh that you
                    would model your
                    manly hood on the God-Man,
                    not on the men who seek
                    to honor themselves in
                    their pride —

                I came that men would reach
                    to be likened to Me —
                    to put on Christ —
                    to be imitators of God —
                    to love self-lessly —
                    to give joyfully —
                    to trust in God —
                    to have faith in the
                        Divine Plan —

                What is it that men gives
                    into the world and its
                    ways, when you see
                    the disorder and dysfunction
                    from their vanity —
                    Vanity, oh vanity and God
                    gives you a garden of
                    heavenly Sapphires and you
                    turn toward costume jewelry —

                Men of the earth
                    bolted to the ground —

                Read My Blue Book letters
                    of love — You were
                    chosen for the Heart of your
                    Savior — on fire with
                    Divine love and

                You go to the bramble
                    bushes and stick yourself
                    with their sticker and
                    your bleeding is from
                    your own choices —

                You are ignorant because
                    of seeking your own
                    vain glory and because
                    of your pride, your
                    inferiority complex you
                    wish to fix —

                You will be able to be filled
                    by Me, when you empty
                    yourselves of yourself —

                How do I fill you - when
                    you are full of yourself —

                Die to yourself and Rise in Me

                Be an empty vessel
                    ready to be filled —

                Wait on the Lord and He will
                    grant your hearts
                    request —

                Do you serve Me to help
                    promote My Kingdom and
                    do the Father's will —

                Do you do deeds in the
                    Church to make
                    yourself look good
                    because of your
                    own inferior vision
                    of yourself —

                From the Priestly Newsletter