C:\Documents and Settings\Owner\My Documents\My Web\template.htm

4^th Sunday of Advent

Micah 5: 1-4

But you (Bethlehem) Ephrathah,
the least of the clans of Judah,
from you will come for me
a future ruler of Israel
whose origins go back to the distant past,
to the days of old.
Hence Yahweh will abandon them
only until she who is in labour gives birth,
and then those who survive of his race
will be reunited to the Israelites.
He will take his stand
    and he will shepherd them
with the power of Yahweh,
with the majesty of the name of his God,
and they will be secure,
    for his greatness will extend
henceforth to the most distant parts
    of the country.

He himself will be peace!

Hebrews 10: 5-10

You wanted no sacrifice or cereal offering,
but you gave me a body.
You took no pleasure in burnt offering'
   or sacrifice for sin;
then I said, 'Here I am, I am coming,'
in the scroll of the book it is written of me,
to do your will, God.

He says first You did not want what the Law lays down as the things to be offered, that is: the sacrifices, the cereal offerings, the burnt offerings and the sacrifices for sin, and you took no pleasure in them; and then he says: Here I am! I am coming to do your will. He is abolishing the first sort to establish the second. And this will was for us to be made holy by the offering of the body of Jesus Christ made once and for all.



Luke 1: 39-45

Mary set out at that time and went as quickly as she could into the hill country to a town in Judah. She went into Zechariah’s house and greeted Elizabeth. Now it happened that as soon as Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the child leapt in her womb and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. She gave a loud cry and said, ‘Of all women you are the most blessed, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. Why should I be honoured with a visit from the mother of my Lord? Look, the moment your greeting reached my ears, the child in my womb leapt for joy. Yes, blessed is she who believed that the promise made her by the Lord would be fulfilled.’ Yes, blessed is she who believed that the promise made her by the Lord would be fulfilled.’



December 24, 2006

INTRODUCTION

The capital of Assyria was in what is today, northern Iraq. The Assyrian army was powerful and was famous for its savagery. They had destroyed the northern kingdom of Israel and did considerable damage to the southern kingdom. They surrounded Jerusalem and were calling for its surrender. Naturally the citizens of Jerusalem were terrified. We hear in today’s first reading words of hope spoken to God's people by the prophet Micah. The book of the prophet Micah is very short and this is the only time in three years we hear from him. He promises salvation would come out of an unimportant little village about seven miles south of Jerusalem, the birthplace of King David: Bethlehem. This savior would rescue God's people and lead them to peace.

HOMILY

Soon we will begin our celebration of the birth of our savior, Jesus Christ. The liturgy today invites us to set aside for an hour from all our busyness and to experience with Mary the wonder of God's coming to us.

Today’s gospel of the visitation is preceded by the story of the annunciation. The angel Gabriel who asked Mary if she would be the mother of our Savior also informed her that her aged cousin Elizabeth, after years of wanting to have a child, was finally going to have one. “In haste” Mary left Nazareth and made the trip of about 65 or 70 miles (probably a four day trip for her) to the home of Elizabeth and Zechariah near Jerusalem. No doubt the youthful Mary was a big help to her cousin in the three months she stayed with her.

To any observer, here was a young girl coming to help out her relative who was six months pregnant. But the Holy Spirit revealed to Elizabeth what was unable to be seen: Mary was carrying within herself the long awaited savior of God's people. God comes to us in simple, ordinary ways, ways our eyes cannot see but in ways that can be seen through faith and the Holy Spirit. Elizabeth wonders how she should be so honored with a visit from Mary and Jesus. We must ask the same question. How is it we should be so honored that Christ has come into our lives, that he speaks to us through the Scriptures, that he feeds us with his own flesh and blood in the Eucharist, that he hears us when we pray (even if he doesn’t always do what we want), that the touches us through the kindness of another.

Sometimes I hear the argument from those who support abortion that we don’t know when the human soul comes into a fetus. Jesus could have been only a few days old, for the gospel tells us Mary went to Elizabeth “with haste” after the annunciation. John the Baptist, still unborn, and Elizabeth recognized Mary was carrying within herself something infinitely more than just a blob of tissue. They recognized the wonderful presence of the Son of God and they were filled with joy.

The whole passage is bursting with joy. Elizabeth was excited by Mary’s visit. John the Baptist, three months from being born was jumping for joy. The Church has taught that at that moment John was set free from original sin and filled with God's grace. Christ came to him before he was born, he was as it were, baptized or christened. Generally the Church celebrates the feast day of a saint only on their date of death, because that’s the day they are born into eternal life. But there are only three holy people whose birthday the Church celebrates, Jesus, Mary and John the Baptist, because they were already in God's grace when they were born. But as Christ came to John before his birth, Christ came to each of us on the day we were reborn through the sacrament of baptism. That should cause all of us to jump for joy, knowing that Christ has come to us, that he has given us his grace and has chosen us to be children of God.

Elizabeth said to Mary “Blessed are you who believed that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled.” The Greek word used here for “blessed” also means “happy.” Mary was happy because she truly believed what the Lord had spoken to her and if you get out your bibles and read what follows today’s gospel passage, you will see how truly happy she was. She sang a beautiful hymn of praise to God, a hymn known as the Magnificat. It is this song of praise that we will use for our offertory hymn. Do we really want to be happy? This is the key, do not doubt God, do not doubt his love, do not doubt his presence, do not doubt his teachings. He doesn’t always do things the way we think he should, and we don’t always know what he thinking. That’s why we just have to trust him. Mary didn’t always know either what he was up to, but she trusted him always and was always ready to say as her son would in his own life “Behold, I come to do your will, O God.”

In a short time we will celebrate the birth of Mary’s son. May we always feel the joy that his birth can give us, the assurance that in Jesus God is with us and God loves us. Amen.

Prayer Card 4" x 6"

.50¢ each plus postage

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

Statues


Sacred Heart of Jesus w/glass - 18	Our Lady-Guadalupe w/glass - 12	Limpias - 8

Immaculate Heart w/glass - 18	I Heart - Ivory w/glass - 18	Our Lady of Grace w/glass - 18

Our Lady-Mt. Carmel w/glass - 18	Our Lady of Lourdes w/glass - 18	Infant of Prague w/glass - 24

Sacred Heart of Jesus w/glass - 24	Sacred Heart -Blessing w/glass - 24	Sorrowful Mother w/glass - 24

I Heart - Ivory w/glass - 24	I Heart of Mary w/glass - 24	Our Lady of Lourdes w/glass - 24

Our Lady-Guadalupe w/glass - 28	Our Lady of Grace w/glass - 24	Our Lady-Mt. Carmel w/glass - 24

Fatima w/glass - 11	Pilgrim Virgin w/glass - 12	Pilgrim Virgin w/glass - 15

Fatima w/glass - 18	Pilgrim Virgin w/glass - 18	Pilgrim Virgin w/glass - 27

St. Padre Pio	St. Joseph	St. Therese

St. Francis	St. Anthony	St. Claire

Limpias	St. Jude	Divine Mercy

Holy Family	Angel	St. Philomena

Pieta - Marble	Pieta - Color	Holy Family

St. Anthony - 18	St. Francis - 18	St. Joseph - 18

St. Therese - 18	St. Rita - 18	St. Clare - 12

St. Rita - 12	St. Padre Pio - 12	Divine Mercy - 12

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

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

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

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

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

Call Kathleen

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

Fr. Joe's Homily Books

Guiding Light -
The Word Alive in Our Hearts

$10.00

Guiding Light -
Focusing on the Word

$10.00

Fr. Carter's Books

Priestly Newsletter Book I

12 Newsletters
July 1994 - June 1996

$12.00

Priestly Newsletter Book 2

17 Newsletters
1996 - 1999

$12.00

Priestly Newsletter Book 3

4 Newsletters & Prayers
2000

$12.00

Synopsis of the Spiritual Life

Spirituality Handbook
$3.00

Messages given
by Jesus and Mary 1994

Tell My People
$10.00

The Pain and the Joy

$10.00

Priestly Newsletter on CD
2000 - Issue 1

$10.00

Priestly Newsletter on CD
2000 - Issue 2

$10.00

Fr. Pasquini's Books

Authenticity

Prayers and Meditations

$10.00

In Imitation of Two Hearts

For those suffering or
in Nursing Homes

$10.00

Light, Happiness and Peace

Journeying through traditional
Catholic Spirituality

$10.00

Medicine of Immortality

Prayers and Meditations - will assist the reader in growth toward a deeper understanding of the mystery of the Eucharist

$10.00

Ecce Fides - Pillar of Truth

Ideal for RCIA, Adult & Youth Bible Study, Homeschooling, Catholic
Identity Studies

$10.00

Shepherds of Christ Newsletters
9 Newsletters
2006 - 2008

$36.00

DVDs and CDs by Fr. Pasquini

Authenticity DVD
Prayers on the Ocean

$10.00

Nursing Home Mass DVD

$10.00

Consolation DVD

$10.00

Medicine of Immortality
Read by Rita Ring

2 CDs - $17.00

In Imitation of Two Hearts DVD

$10.00

Consolation CD
by Fr. John

$8.00

Nursing Home Mass CD

$8.00

Holy Spirit Novena DVD

$10.00

Divine Mercy Chaplet DVD

$10.00

plus shipping

Call Kathleen

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

God’s Blue Books

God’s Blue Book 1 –
Teachings to Lift You Up

$10.00

God’s Blue Book 4 –
The Love of the Hearts of
Jesus and Mary

$5.00

God’s Blue Book 2 –
The Fire of His Love

$10.00

God’s Blue Book 5 –
So Deep Is the Love of His Heart

$5.00

God’s Blue Book 3 –
Love God, Love One Another
(Fr. Carter's favorite)
$10.00

God’s Blue Book 6 –
He Calls Us to Action

$10.00

Rosary Books

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

Available for $10.00 each plus postage

1-888-211-3041

Call Kathleen

We are trying to get

Response to God's Love

and the Mass Book out.

Anybody who wants to help us

with a donation to get these 2 books

out in the Priestly/hierarchy mailing —

Please call Kathleen 1-888-211-3041

July 31, 1994

Words of Jesus to Members of
Shepherds of Christ Associates:

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

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

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

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