| Shepherds of Christ Daily Writing |
 |
| Shepherds of Christ Daily Writing |
|
September 27,
2014|
September 28th Holy Spirit Novena |
The Novena Rosary
Mysteries |
Please pray for funds & grace.
September 27, 2014
26th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Ezekiel 18: 25-28
‘Now, you say, "What the Lord does is unjust." Now listen, House of Israel: is what I do unjust? Is it not what you do that is unjust? When the upright abandons uprightness and does wrong and dies, he dies because of the wrong which he himself has done. Similarly, when the wicked abandons wickedness to become law–abiding and upright, he saves his own life. Having chosen to renounce all his previous crimes, he will most certainly live: he will not die.
Psalm 25: 4-9
DIRECT me in your ways, Yahweh,
and teach me your paths.ENCOURAGE me to walk in your truth and teach me
since you are the God who saves me.FOR my hope is in you all day long—
such is your generosity, Yahweh.
GOODNESS and faithful love have been yours for ever,
Yahweh, do not forget them.HOLD not my youthful sins against me,
but remember me as your faithful love dictates.INTEGRITY and generosity are marks of Yahweh
for he brings sinners back to the path.JUDICIOUSLY he guides the humble,
instructing the poor in his way.
Philippians 2: 1-11
So if in Christ there is anything that will move you, any incentive in love, any fellowship in the Spirit, any warmth or sympathy—I appeal to you, make my joy complete by being of a single mind, one in love, one in heart and one in mind. Nothing is to be done out of jealousy or vanity; instead, out of humility of mind everyone should give preference to others, everyone pursuing not selfish interests but those of others. 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.
Matthew 21: 28-32
‘What is your opinion? A man had two sons. He went and said to the first, "My boy, go and work in the vineyard today." He answered, "I will not go," but afterwards thought better of it and went. The man then went and said the same thing to the second who answered, "Certainly, sir," but did not go. Which of the two did the father’s will?’ They said, ‘The first.’ Jesus said to them, ‘In truth I tell you, tax collectors and prostitutes are making their way into the kingdom of God before you. For John came to you, showing the way of uprightness, but you did not believe him, and yet the tax collectors and prostitutes did. Even after seeing that, you refused to think better of it and believe in him.
26th Sunday in Ordinary Time
September 25, 2011
INTRODUCTION – (Ezekiel 18:25-28; Matthew 21:28-32) In 587 B.C. when the Babylonians conquered the Jews, destroyed their cities and Temple, and took the surviving Jews to Babylon as captives and slaves, the Jews concluded God was punishing them for the sins of their ancestors. They complained that God was not being fair to them. In our first reading we hear God tell them, through his prophet Ezekiel, it is their own sins that created the disaster they were suffering. Yet with God the situation is never hopeless. They can always change their ways. We hear a similar message in today’s gospel. If we have damaged our relationship with God, we can always change our ways.
September 28, 2008
– Jesus asks for our thoughts about the story we just heard in St. Matthew’s gospel. “What do you think of this? A man had two sons.” I do not want to confuse things, but I wonder if you remember another parable that begins: “A man had two sons.” This other parable is in St. Luke and if you do not know which one it is, it is the story of the prodigal son. The older son was an obedient and hard working son. The younger decided he wanted his share of the inheritance so he could get off the farm and go have lots of fun in the big city. After he spent all his inheritance, he realized what a fool he had made of himself and came home to a most loving and forgiving father. Today’s gospel from Matthew is somewhat similar. There are two sons. In Matthew’s story the father had a problem with both of his sons. However, the son who said “no” to his father realized he made a mistake and changed his mind. That is key to understanding both parables. The prodigal son and the son who told his father “I will not” in today’s gospel both had a change of heart. The son in today’s parable who said “no” to his father wasn’t as bad as the son who blew away half his father’s money. It may not sound like a big deal in today’s culture – a lot of kids have no trouble saying “no.” But when I was growing up, it was close to committing suicide to say “I will not” to my father. After his change of heart, the son was soon working side by side with his father in the vineyard and was back in his father’s good graces.HOMILY
Jesus’ point, in both of these parables as in everything he taught us, is it’s never too late to change our mind if we have not been living the way God wants us to. Ezekiel had the same message in today’s first reading. He told the Jews in exile to take responsibility for what they did and stop making excuses or blaming someone else.
We live in a world where anything we’ve ever done can come back to haunt us. If we were a goof off in school, if we got in trouble with the law, smoked pot, got a traffic ticket, had to declare bankruptcy, robbed a bank or whatever, it’s all there in someone’s memory and perhaps in public records. Especially if we tried to run for public office. The media would let the world know everything we did, and everything anyone related to us did as well. To some extent that makes sense. What a person did in the past tells a lot about their character and may be a predictor or what they’ll do in the future. It’s the only basis on which we can evaluate someone, to decide whether we want them as our president, or our friend or our doctor or financial advisor or someone we can trust with our children. But God judges us differently and that’s because he can see what kind of person we are right now. If we’ve been bad and decide to change, he sees our change of heart. Conversely, if we’ve been good and decide otherwise, he sees that too. Today’s gospel tells us no matter what we’ve done in the past, it’s where we are now that matters with God. It’s a message that brings healing and peace if we’ve made mistakes in the past (and who hasn’t because we’re all sinners). I have a little story to tell that I love. I got it from Scott Peck. There was a lady who claimed that Jesus was appearing to her. And she went to tell her bishop about it. He was skeptical and said he wanted some proof it was happening. So he told her that the next time Jesus appeared to her she was to ask Jesus what the bishop confessed the last time he went to confession. The next time she saw the bishop he asked her to report on what happened. Did she ask Jesus what the bishop said the last time he went to confession? She did ask she said. “And what did he answer?” the bishop asked. She said he forgot. Scott Peck said that was a genuine vision or the lady was a pretty smart cookie because that’s the way it is with God: when we repent and change our hearts, God forgets the past. It brings healing and peace to know that we can change and God gives us a chance to start over. The message in today’s gospel should also shake a few people out of their spiritual lethargy if they, like the son who didn’t show up at work, say to themselves it doesn’t matter how I live or what I do, God won’t notice. Yes God will.
As I conclude, let us return to another lesson from the parable of the prodigal son. There were two sons. Remember the older son was very responsible. He worked hard on the farm. He never did anything to displease his father, but he resented his father for welcoming his younger brother back and celebrating when he returned. The older son lacked compassion. God wants us to be responsible, hard working, obedient and faithful and we will be blessed. He wants us to say “yes” and be willing to follow him when he calls, that is the point of today’s gospel. He wants us to have a compassionate heart as well: “have in you the same attitude that is also in Christ Jesus,” St. Paul tells us in today’s second reading. When Jesus asks in today’s gospel: “What is your opinion?” he is asking what kind of son or daughter are you and am I. Are we like any of these sons we heard about today. Or are we like Christ, the faithful Son who always says “yes” to the Father and goes to work doing what he asks of us. If we’re lots of talk and offer lots of excuses and blame others for why we don’t do what God wants, God can see right through us and it will get us nowhere. If we’ve said “no” to the Father, we can change our mind. If we feel we’ve been pretty faithful to God throughout our lives, trying to always say “yes” and doing what God wants, then there are a few things we need to pray for: pray to be humble, thank him for the graces he’s given us, pray for the grace to remain close to him, pray for those who have forgotten about God and ask for a heart that does not hold grudges. Amen.
This statue was handmade and
hand-painted
and has a little piece of the glass
from the image face of Mary –
|
PV-Fatima w/glass - 27  |
PV-Fatima w/glass - 18  |
PV-Fatima w/glass - 15  |
OL-Fatima w/glass - 18  |
PV-Fatima w/glass - 12  |
OL-Fatima w/glass - 11  |
|
OL-Guadalupe
w/glass - 28  |
OL-Grace
|
OL-Mt.
Carmel w/glass - 24  |
OL-Lourdes
|
IH-Mary
|
IH-Ivory
|
|
SH-Jesus
w/glass - 24  |
SH-Blessing
w/glass - 24  |
Sorrow
M
w/glass - 24  |
Inf.-Prague
w/glass - 24  |
OL-Lourdes
|
OL-Mt.
Carmel w/glass - 18  |
|
I
Heart
|
I
Heart
-
Ivory
|
OL-Grace
|
SH-Jesus
w/glass - 18  |
OL-Guadalupe
w/glass - 12  |
We
cannot
get
these
statues
any
more
–
the
men
making
them
were
from
Portugal
and
no
longer
do
so
We
will
have
a
limited
number
until
they
are
gone
–
These statues are a treasure, a work of art
At
the
end
of
this
message
are
healings
from
statues
and
the
Jesus
and
Mary
waters
–
Give
the
gift
that
keeps
giving
in
these
challenging
times
–
God's
Blue
Books
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Guiding Light Homily Books
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Priestly Newsletter Books
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Rosary Books, Mass Books, Nursing Home Books
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Coloring Books
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Daily Message Books
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
$20.00
Given March 21, 2014
R. Pray for These Things
1) Pray for the Pope & hierarchy to help us start prayer chapters.
2) Pray for Dan, Sally Jo, Richard, Carol, Margaret, Sue,
Jack, Jean, Amanda, Special intentions
3) Pray for the priests, the Church and the world!
4) Pray for the spread of prayer chapters,
also for the spread of priests doing prayer chapters.
5) Pray for the spread of Blue Books.
6) People going to Florida and China.
7) Vocations to all 7 categories.
8) Pray for spread of Consecration and Rosary.
9) Pray for pope helping us.
10) Pray for Jeff - sales & health. Pray for Nick.
11) Blue Book 14 cover; Blue Book 13 – all involved.
For our Publisher and all involved
12) All intentions on my list, Jerry's list.
13) Priests getting Fr. Joe's book.
14) Pray for Fr. Joe's new book, cover & funds for printing & postage.
15) Donors and members and their families.
16) Healing of the Family tree.
17) Dan & Melanie, Catherine & mom, Gary, Mary Jo,
Jim & statues, Fr. Ken, Monsignor, Kerry, Tom & wife.
18) All who asked us to pray for them.
19) All we promised to pray for.
20) Rita, John, Doris, Sheila, Jerry, Regina, Sanja,
Betty, Sophie, Lisa, Eileen, Fr. Mike, Louie,
2 Dons, Mary Ellen, Fr. Joe, all priests helping us,
Ed, Jimmy, Steve, a special couple, Rosie & all involved.
21) 2 babies and moms.
22) Funds and insurance.
23) Jerry's garage.
24) In thanksgiving for gifts, graces, & blessings received.
25) Spread the Blood of Jesus on all of us here.
26) Consecrate all hearts.
27) Cast the devil out of all of us here and all in Movement.
We need money for
Fr. Joe's new homily book
(we sent almost 40,000 to priests,
cardinals, bishops)
Can you please help us?
888-211-3041
The Wedding Rosary
Crystal Image Rosary
$40 plus shipping
Special First Communion Rosary with Image Center
in a gift box
white blue red
and an 8 x 10 picture of Our Lady of Clearwater
and a 4 x 6 picture of Our Lady of Clearwater$10 plus postage
Original Image Rosary
8mm glass beads
in a matching gift box$40 plus shipping
Special Sale Statues with image glass
15" Pilgrim Virgin Fatima – $85
12" Our Lady of Fatima – $75
plus shipping
while supplies lastCall Regina 1–727–776–2763
Call Rosie 888–211–3041
In Spanish with the Imprimatur
Also we are ready to print
5000 copies of the
Parents and Children's Rosary Book
in SPANISH.
Can you help with a donation?
Give the gift that counts.
Give to your priests Fr. Carter's Books plus postage.
Tell My People $5.00
Response to God's Love $8.00
Response in Christ $8.00
God's Blue Books 4, 5, 6A, 6B, 6C, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13
$4.00 each plus postage
Blue Book 4
Blue Book 5
Blue Book 6A
Blue Book 6B
Blue Book 6C
Blue Book 7
Blue Book 8
Blue Book 9
Blue Book 10
Blue Book 11
Blue Book 12 & 13
Old Mass Books with the Imprimatur
$2.00 plus postage
New Mass Book with Imprimatur
$8.00 plus postage
New Parents & Children's Book with the Imprimatur
$8.00 plus postage
Fr. Joe's Cycle A – Steadfast to the Sun – Starts in Advent
$5.00 plus postage
Give the gift that keeps on giving!
Give to your priest.
Fr. Carter's Priestly Newsletters Book II
$6.00 plus postage
Special sale statue with glass
27" Statue of Our Lady of Fatima
$175 plus postage
Get a canvas print of Mary's image
with a sliver of glass and a little
bottle of Jesus and Mary water.
The glass will be fixed behind the
back of the picture.
$200.00 plus postage
Dan called and gave the report to me, when I hung up I saw this rainbow and took a picture for him.
Shepherds of
Christ Ministries P.O. Box 627 China, Indiana 47250
Telephone: (toll free) 1-888-211-3041 or (812) 273-8405
FAX: (812) 273-3182
Copyright
© 2014 Shepherds of Christ.
