Sheer futility, Qoheleth says. Sheer futility: everything is futile!What profit can we show for all our toil, toiling under the sun?A generation goes, a generation comes, yet the earth stands firm for ever.The sun rises, the sun sets; then to its place it speeds and there it rises.Southward goes the wind, then turns to the north; it turns and turns again; then back to its circling goes the wind. Into the sea go all the rivers, and yet the sea is never filled, and still to their goal the rivers go. All things are wearisome. No one can say that eyes have not had enough of seeing, ears their fill of hearing.

    What was, will be again,
    what has been done, will be done again,
    and there is nothing new under the sun!

    Take anything which people acclaim as being new: it existed in the centuries preceding us. No memory remains of the past, and so it will be for the centuries to come—they will not be remembered by their successors.

  

Psalm 90: 3-6, 12-14, 17

You bring human beings to the dust, 
by saying, ‘Return, children of Adam.’ 
A thousand years are to you 
like a yesterday which has passed, 
like a watch of the night. 

You flood them with sleep
—in the morning they will be like growing grass: 
in the morning it is blossoming and growing, 
by evening it is withered and dry.

Teach us to count up the days that are ours, 
and we shall come to the heart of wisdom. 
Come back, Yahweh! How long must we wait? 
Take pity on your servants. 

Each morning fill us with your faithful love, 
we shall sing and be happy all our days;

May the sweetness of the Lord be upon us, 
to confirm the work we have done!

    

Luke 9: 7-9

    Meanwhile Herod the tetrarch had heard about all that was going on; and he was puzzled, because some people were saying that John had risen from the dead, others that Elijah had reappeared, still others that one of the ancient prophets had come back to life. But Herod said, ‘John? I beheaded him. So who is this I hear such reports about?’ And he was anxious to see him.

Messenger:

We ponder the oneness of the Trinity how there are three persons in one God.

God is.
In Him we have life.
God gives us life.
We exist because God wants us to exist.

 

The creature is dependent on God for their very existence.

How then can we turn away from our creator, as if we could have a purpose without He who created us?

What God shows to me in His creation is knowledge about Himself.

When I am divided with others I do not feel good.

The Spirit is alive in my soul empowering me to do this mission of helping to build the Kingdom and to help save souls. God is my motor force-alive in me.

I live in the Spirit-in baptism God has given to me a special sharing in His life and I live according to His rules loving Him, worshiping Him and wanting an ever greater presence of Him within me
so I seek through my life, through the Church to feast at this fountain of life He gives to us.

When I am hungry I want to eat-I need food to help me live-

my soul thirsts for this outpouring of His grace to me.

I love Him so very much and I know His presence within me.

To me division is a great suffering.
It tears at my heart.
There are problems and facing problems is necessary to life.

We are always to promote God's Kingdom.
If I have a responsibility to be over others it is my duty to see that the institution that I am head of promotes oneness and love according to God's will.
Because of habits that have been taught or learned or because of willfulness, selfishness we may not be "other" focused many times.
In a religious institution our very existence is to show the Light of Christ living in us as a Christian group of persons.

If this Light of Christ-this attractiveness does not show from our existence as a group of people operating, living under one roof or not whatever the organization is -then we cease to be doing as we could to really help promote God's kingdom as we should in the world.

To any spiritual person the existence of malicious hate, anger, competition should through the workings of the institution diminish as learning to grow in greater oneness and harmony become a powerful reality in the organization.

We ponder the oneness of the Trinity-this is the model for all religious orders, Parishes, families.
As members of the Body of Christ, in the Church we strive for ever deeper oneness in Him.

When a group has oneness they experience ever greater productivity.

I know the promise Jesus made to Fr. Carter in the message that to those who pray the prayer in the prayer manual they would go deeper into His Heart and Mary's Heart. The great gift of these prayers is I can meet or talk to people all over the world and even though I do not know them, we are deeply united from praying the prayers in the prayer manual.

Through these prayers there is a deeper life of commitment of living out our baptismal vows-living giving our Hearts to Jesus and Mary helps us to be united deeply as one in the Hearts of Jesus and Mary.

When we get up from our bed our hand or our eye may not work too good.

Having a member of our body in pain-not working right really effects us.

I know in the Shepherds of Christ, God has sent many members, but it amazes me how we are so uniquely different in our talents and gifts and yet how deeply one we are in mind and heart rooted in the truth loving God so deeply-living in the Hearts of Jesus and Mary.

We are all extremely different in our precious gifts given to us for His Mighty service.

We have grown in using these gifts to what we are today by trying to work as one and facing imperfections and trying to grow in greater holiness.

God intends us to love one another.

A person that does not want to change a bad habit may think it not nice, to them, when it is addressed, but it is the very way that satan can use to break down that power house to function proficiently to do the tremendous work we can do. Severe bad habits effecting the community must be addressed such as jealousies, isolation effecting ones role as leader coordinator, etc., unkindness.

Imperfections and bad habits, selfishness show up, many times, in the group, when the vitalness of operating as one are interrupted by the imperfections and bad habits blocking the important task we are trying to accomplish. Again focus on the oneness of the Trinity-perfect love-oneness.

Unreliability, lying, not being accountable blocks our work. Seeing the big picture, wanting uppermost to do the mission and not stage a "selfish stupor" and give into feelings of self pity on an important day, like when all the pilgrims are coming for the big prayer service  for the 5th, 13th, the retreat.

I watch how God is working with all of us in our vocation to help us to grow in greater perfection and work as a power house as one.

We are here in this mission to pray for the priests, the Church and the world.

It is unloving for me to allow one person to try to block through a bad habit, the work of a particular day when God calls us to work together in love. We are always one, together in this mission, in our hearts even when operating alone, we are aware of our unified efforts.

There are people who do many jobs by themselves, some pray most of the day, others live alone in some houses, others work at a job by themselves a good part of the day, Our Lord wants us all to have much time alone with Him every day-one hour in adoration-time at Mass is spent for some being in the same Church, but in this they are one with the others, but can be very deeply united in an intimate union with the Trinity themselves.

I remember the word I heard from Jesus "versatility."

I saw a woman yesterday, 36 and she has been pregnant for three months she has been sick with the morning sickness and she spoke as her other children ran about-
she has a very good marriage of 11 years and she is an important person in a business-she is "other" focused and in it all -she  had joy in her heart to play some silly Muppet song for me, she was joyful-not blaming and being angry or grumpy inside.

She is "other" focused.

Being "other" focused is being  likened to  Jesus and Mary.
Living with Jesus and Mary as our model is being a light.

We can have many problems, but the more we know God and how truly magnificent His plan for us- this sinful earth-the more me must see ourselves as soldiers in the army of love and be consumed with love within us.

Mary and Jesus suffered greatly, but they show us the Light.

The Christian should always have the great vision of hope before there eyes.

If we are to be an organization with hope for the world we do not allow our selves to be crippled so much that we get into a way of "unaccountability" or "willfulness" and block the big event that God has planned to lead the pilgrims-the telephone customers to Him.

A person calls-we are ready- "other" focused
A big prayer service- "other" focused.

The devil knows this and every month at the precise time of the monthly retreat or big prayer service- it can take one person to rob that power source by giving into a tap or tug from satan on their heart when they remembered an old wound and started acting out their feelings of selfishness and age old problems involving commitment to their vocation.
God has called us to the floor-
When I know I do a prayer service-write a writing-I need to get deep in my heart and be as one with Him as I can be to be deeply able to hear what He wants of us as a unit serving Him and be united with others in love.

It can come from the devil to get us to have a problem for example, about the faithfulness of our vocation.

The young woman with 2 children, one on the way, and a husband -does not get up and ask if they are  happily married at 6 A.M. when she begins with morning sickness- she deals with the morning sickness,
So the new born baby gets up at two and needs to be fed-do you leave the baby and take the opportunity to argue with you husband about your vocation-you could, but
it is the time to do the job of feeding the baby.

Religious sisters and brothers and priests and monks should be most like Christ.

Even a hermit is other focused- deeply he is united to praying for the Church and the world.

He gives His life for others.

What does the Good Shepherd tell us

HE LAID DOWN HIS LIFE FOR HIS FLOCK.

Selfishness is an issue -

When the big prayer service and the people are coming-pilgrims

Why then would you give into a temptation from satan to question your vocation or other matters if it involves blocking the event with the darkness of isolation, willfulness and disharmony and going against the plan to go out to others.

The religious are to be most like Christ.

Their intention is always to have the vision of the greater good in their hearts as they do God's particular will for them.

If God wants me in Florida-I am in Florida not China- I am always aware of God's will for me.

A mother may have to leave her children some days and do particular tasks-for her husband, for her work- she does not abuse her role as a mother if she must leave some times, as long as she takes care of their needs sufficiently as God would want her to.

The sign is in the sky-God wants us to be united.

Giving into satan and blocking the whole process because of selfish feelings on a day when you are supposed to do an important task can be suspect. We need to looking into a temptation to be used to block a big event.

We are to always focus on what God wants of us.
If we are to communicate with others about the Ministry- we put aside temptations to be grouchy and not even take time to work for Jesus.

We are one unit.

What one does in one center effects others in other places.

We are one powerhouse working to be more perfected likened to God and grow in greater oneness as the persons of the Trinity.

There are Three Persons in one God.

What is life to me?

When I am plagued with a problem-I go to Him
He is there waiting for me in the tabernacle-
I can always go to Him there -He is truly present He pours out His grace to me.

I can always pray to Him where ever I am and He hears me.

We cannot lose our vision- become so caught up in ourselves that all that we see is our own selfish interests.

Look at Mary under the cross.
Look at the seven sorrows of Mary-
Why are the seven Sorrows of Mary in the Prayer Manual
so we see the sorrows of Mary and see how Mary said "YES".

The Seven Sorrows

The Prophecy of Simeon
The Flight into Egypt
Jesus Is Lost, In the Temple
Jesus Carries His Cross
Jesus Dies on the Cross
Jesus Is Taken Down from the Cross
Jesus Is Locked in the Tomb

Our work in the Shepherds of Christ can be likened to the 7 Sorrows- We can see ourselves on a donkey like the flight into Egypt and looking for the big picture and having faith.

See the vision dealing with the problem and waiting for the Lord.

The prophesy of Simeon "knowing suffering is inevitable and saying "yes" not thinking that there will be no suffering  as His soldiers at war in this battle for souls.

The finding of Jesus in the Temple- being patient in enduring sufferings and knowing God works in these for His greater good.

Looking in the Blood stained face of Jesus on the way to the cross like Mary did. When we are really suffering and know we can't remove the suffering to remember how Mary looked into His Blood stained face on the way to Calvary-Thy Will Be Done- Surrender when God is asking us to suffer and we can't move it-look into Jesus' Blood stained face.

And He hung on the cross of Calvary and Mary had to endure that.-Saying "yes" to the suffering we cannot move- think of Mary under the cross-
She knew the Plan of the Father- she endured the suffering she had to endure-the vision was always there-she was the most perfect disciple.

She saw her son placed in the tomb and wept bitterly outside-but she endured the suffering-she was the most perfect disciple of Jesus.

Seven Sorrows of Mary-look at her face -she did not Bleed, but she endured the invisible wounds she suffered during His life-she was the most perfect disciple.

What does every religious need to know, as do all of us

to study the lives of Jesus and Mary
The New Adam and the New Eve
Mary was the most perfect Disciple of Jesus.

Vision-seeing the big picture and not giving into selfishness.

A religious has many children they are to tend to the children of the Church.

Being "other" focused is there job praying for the priests, the Church, and the world.

Laying down our lives in the morning offering.

Attending daily Mass- for a religious is so important.
Spending time with Jesus -the Spouse of our soul.
Being a light and filled with the joy of the resurrection.

Christ has died,
Christ has risen,
Christ will come again.

Fr. Carter always said
What have I done for Christ?
What am I doing for Christ?
What ought I to be doing for Christ?

 

Oneness-we must rid ourselves of built up hate and anger, we can be more one giving our hearts to Jesus and Mary
They are perfect.

We must be docile to want to change our imperfections so we can be more deeply united.

Imperfections in us stop us from being one with each other-we must all seek after the pure life-living in love and not giving into selfish temptations to abandon the big picture because we don't feel good (meaning selfish and controlling).