Shepherds of Christ Daily Writing          

November 10, 2014

November 11th Holy Spirit Novena
Scripture selection is Day 5 Period II.

The Novena Rosary Mysteries 
for November 11th
are Sorrowful.

 

China Retreat
November 10th - 13th
Mass Nov. 11th - 12 noon
Nov. 12th - 12 noon
Nov. 13th - 12 noon

 

Pray for Dan, Jimmy, Blue Book 14,
Fr. Joe's homily book, &
for special intentions.

Please pray for funds & grace.

     
       

 

                Given November 9, 2014

                R. Because of disobedience
                    there is suffering
                    in the world and
                Innocent people
                    suffer because of
                    others' disobedience
                    and willfulness and
                    Jesus paid for our
                        sins –
                    Jesus suffered to
                        pay for our
                        sins

 
 

                November 10, 2014

                R. And yet suffering is what we know God
                    allows us to experience.

                Jesus shows us the Cross leads to resurrection –

                Jesus shows us He endured suffering –

                We know the love of Jesus, we know His
                    suffering –

                To understand suffering that leads to life
                    we need the gift of wisdom –

                Song: Unless a Grain of Wheat – 

                Song: Now the Green Blade Rises

                Song: Without Clouds –

                The baby is such a gift – the baby grows in
                    the womb of the mother, usually 9 long
                    months –
                    there is that condition to endure while
                    the baby grows
                    and then the baby has to be born –
                        there is a suffering to have the baby –
                    There is time and care for the baby as they
                        grow –
     

Genesis 3: 16

    To the woman he said:

    I shall give you intense pain
        in childbearing,
    you will give birth to your children
        in pain.
    Your yearning will be for your husband,
    and he will dominate you.

   

                R. There is death for us –
                    Without death - we could not get to
                    heaven –
                    We know we will go through  death –
                    We know we are getting older –
                    Death/Resurrection –

                We see Jesus showed us
                    Death/Resurrection

                We see our life here is to prepare us for the
                    beatific vision and our heavenly reward
                    in heaven –

                The Holy Spirit helps us to understand the Cross –

                The Cross leads us to life –
                The Cross takes us out of the things that
                    are in the world and in wisdom
                    we understand suffering –
                    We reach for something higher –
                    We can see things in the light of
                        the Heavenly Kingdom –

                Everything we do – we keep in our
                    relationship with God –

                We live in Jesus –

                Our life is to be identified with Jesus –
                Everything in our life indentified with Jesus –

                We live the Christ-life –

                Song: A Song from Jesus


 

                R. We see our Beloved –

                We see the vision of God in all we do –

                We reach beyond this universe and we
                    are one with God as we walk the
                    earth – unity with God

                The Cross of Jesus leads us to greater life
                    in Him –

                We live a certain unrest for we know we
                    were created for heaven –

                We will not rest until we rest in Thee –

                We were made for heaven –

                We will not ever be entirely happy here –
                    we were made for heaven –

                We believe in the seen and unseen –

                We seek God –
                We seek His will –

                We suffer and must identify with Jesus.

                Our soul was made for heaven –

                This world will never satisfy us –

                It takes wisdom and knowledge to know
                    this and to understand more about
                    this –

                Sing: Eye Has Not Seen

                We were made for heaven

                Dear God give us the gifts of
                    Wisdom, Understanding, Counsel,
                    Fortitude, Knowledge, Piety
                    and Fear of the Lord 
 

                Sing: Veni Sanctus Spiritus
   

    From the Lectionary

                        Pentecost Sequence

Come, Holy Spirit, come!
And from your celestial home
    Shed a ray of light divine!

Come, Father of the poor!
Come, source of all our store!
    Come, within our bosoms shine!

You, of comforters the best;
You, the soul's most welcome guest;
    Sweet refreshment here below;

In our Labor, rest most sweet;
Grateful coolness in the heat;
    Solace in the midst of woe.

O most blessed Light divine,
Shine within these hearts of yours,
    And our inmost being fill!

Where you are not, man has naught,
Nothing good in deed or thought,
    Nothing free from taint of ill!

Heal our wounds, our strength renew;
On our dryness pour your dew;
    Wash the stains of guilt away;

Bend the stubborn heart and will;
Melt the frozen, warm the chill;
    Guide the steps that go astray.

On the faithful, who adore
And confess you, evermore
    In your sev'nfold gift descend;

Give them virtue's sure reward;
Give them your salvation, Lord;
    Give them joys that never end. Amen.
Alleluia.

 

                R. Dear God enlighten our minds –

   

 

Holy Spirit Novena

Daily Novena Prayers

Opening Prayer

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Dear Father, we come to You in the name of Jesus, in union with Him in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, in the Holy Spirit. We come to You united to the Child Jesus of Good Health and the Infant of Prague. We come to You in the perfect, sinless heart of Our Mother Mary, asking her powerful intercession, uniting ourselves to her holy tears. We come to You united to all the angels and saints, and the souls in purgatory.

Prayer for Holy Spirit

We pray for an outpouring of the Holy Spirit on us, to be baptized by the Holy Spirit, that He will descend mightily on us as He did on the Apostles at Pentecost. That the Holy Spirit will transform us from fear to fearlessness and that He will give us courage to do all the Father is asking of us to help bring about the Reign of the Sacred Heart and the triumph of Mary's Immaculate Heart. We pray for the Holy Spirit to descend mightily on the Jesuits and the Poor Clares on the Shepherds of Christ leaders and members and on the whole Body of Christ and the world.

Protection by the Blood of Jesus

We pray that the Blood of Jesus will be spread on us, everyone in our families, and the Shepherds of Christ Movement, that we will be able to move steadfastly ahead and be protected from the evil one.

Healing

We pray for healing in body, mind, and soul and generational healing in ourselves, in all members in our families, and in all members of the Shepherds of Christ Movement, the Jesuit Community, the Poor Clares, the Body of Christ, and the world.

Prayer for Strength and Light

We adore You, oh Holy Spirit. Give us strength, give us light, console us. We give ourselves entirely to You. Oh Spirit of light and grace, we want to only do the will of the Father. Enlighten us that we may live always in the Father's will.

Eternal Spirit fill us with Your Divine Wisdom that we may comprehend more fully insight into Your Divine Mysteries.

Give us lights, Oh Holy Spirit that we may know God. Work within the heart, the spiritual womb of the Virgin Mary, to form us more and more into the image of Jesus.

Prayer to Be One with God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit

We long for You, Oh Spirit of Light, we long to know God, we want to be one with Him, our Divine God. We want to be one with the Father, know Him as a Person most intimately. We want to know the beloved One, the Sacred Heart of Jesus, and live and dwell in Him at all times, every moment of our lives. We want to be one with You, Oh Spirit of Light, that You move in us in our every breath.

Prayer to Be One in Jesus

Let us experience life in the Sacred Heart of Jesus, so we can say as Saint Paul, "I have been crucified with Christ and yet I am alive; yet it is no longer I, but Christ living in me...." Let us live, united to the Mass, all through the day being one in Him. Let us be able to love and know in this elevated state of oneness with our God. We long for Thee, oh beauteous God, we love You, we love You, we love You. We praise You, worship You, honor You, adore You, and thank You, our beloved God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Prayer to Dwell in the Hearts of Jesus and Mary

We seek to be one in God, to live and dwell in the Hearts of Jesus and Mary, our little heaven on earth, to experience life in the all perfect, pure, sinless heart of our Mother. We want the Holy Spirit to move in us and to be united to Jesus as the Bridegroom of our souls and be a most perfect sacrifice offered to the Father at every moment as we unite in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass around the world to help in the salvation of souls.

Prayer for the Holy Spirit and His Gifts

Come Holy Spirit, come, come into our hearts, inflame all people with the fire of Your love.

Leader: Send forth Your Spirit and all will be reborn.
All:  And You will renew the face of the earth.

We pray for the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit, we ask for perfection in our souls to make us holy, holy souls likened to God.

Dear Holy Spirit, we give ourselves to You soul and body. We ask You to give us the Spirit of Wisdom, Understanding, Counsel, Fortitude, Knowledge, Piety, and Fear of the Lord.

Prayer for the Word Alive in Our Hearts

We know, dear Holy Spirit, the Word in His human nature was brought forth within the womb of the woman. We pray that His word will be brought forth in our hearts as He lives and dwells in us. We want the incarnation to go on in our lives. Dear Holy Spirit, work in us.

Little Prayers to the Holy Spirit

Dear Holy Spirit, help us not to be ignorant or indifferent or weak, help us to be strong with the love of God.

Dear Holy Spirit, please pray for our needs for us.

Dear Holy Spirit, help us to respect God and to avoid sin. Help us to live in the Father's will.

Dear Holy Spirit, help us to keep Your commandments and to respect authority. Help us to love all things as You will us to love them. Help us to want to pray and always serve God with the greatest love. Help us to know the truth. Help us to have the gift of faith, hope, and love. Help us to know what is right and what is wrong.

A Prayer for Intimacy with the Lamb, the Bridegroom of the Soul

Oh Lamb of God, Who take away the sins of the world, come and act on my soul most intimately. I surrender myself, as I ask for the grace to let go, to just be as I exist in You and You act most intimately on my soul. You are the Initiator. I am the soul waiting Your favors as You act in me. I love You. I adore You. I worship You. Come and possess my soul with Your Divine Grace, as I experience You most intimately.

end of prayers 

   

                R. Let us seek to know about God –

   

Excerpt from Response to God's Love by Fr. Edward Carter, S.J.

    ... In reference to Christianity, God himself is the ultimate mystery. Radically, God is completely other and transcendent, hidden from man in his inner life, unless he chooses to reveal himself. Let us briefly look at this inner life of God.

    The Father, in a perfect act of self-expression, in a perfect act of knowing, generates his son. The Son, the Word, is, then, the immanent expression of God's fullness, the reflection of the Father. Likewise, from all eternity, the Father and the Son bring forth the Holy Spirit in a perfect act of loving.

    At the destined moment in human history, God's self-expression, the Word, immersed himself into man's world. God's inner self-expression now had also become God's outer self-expression. Consequently, the mystery of God becomes the mystery of Christ. In Christ, God tells us about himself, about his inner life, about his plan of creation and redemption. He tells us how Father, Son, and Holy Spirit desire to dwell within us in the most intimate fashion, how they wish to share with us their own life through grace. All this he has accomplished and does accomplish through Christ.

    
 

Ecclesiastes 3: 1-11

There is a season for everything, a time for every occupation under heaven: 

A time for giving birth, 
a time for dying; 
a time for planting, 
a time for uprooting what has been planted. 
A time for killing, 
a time for healing; 
a time for knocking down, 
a time for building. 
A time for tears, 
a time for laughter; 
a time for mourning, 
a time for dancing. 
A time for throwing stones away, 
a time for gathering them; 
a time for embracing, 
a time to refrain from embracing. 
A time for searching, 
a time for losing; 
a time for keeping, 
a time for discarding. 
A time for tearing, 
a time for sewing; 
a time for keeping silent, 
a time for speaking. 
A time for loving, 
a time for hating; 
a time for war, 
a time for peace. 

    What do people gain from the efforts they make? I contemplate the task that God gives humanity to labour at. All that he does is apt for its time; but although he has given us an awareness of the passage of time, we can grasp neither the beginning nor the end of what God does.

   

                R. Let the Holy Spirit guide us - not to want more
                    or less than what God wants
                    us to have of a thing –

                We have problems in this life –

                The Holy Spirit can guide us in all these problems –

                Knowing this reduces our anxiety

   

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. Let us know more and more as we
                    grow to see through the eyes of God –

                God knows every problem we are
                    experiencing

                We seek the gift of counsel –

                We can find a solution to a problem, because
                    of anxiety – the devil presses on this and
                    makes us want to act – to do something
                    to be finished with the anxiety –

                God wants us to wait on His timing –
                    To do it in His order –
                    To do what He wants us to do –

                The saints do not follow men –

                When we act to get the job done against
                    God's will and timing –
                    We make a mess – we can
                        make a bigger problem –

                Men of wisdom follow the counsel of
                    God – there is a way to solve the
                    issue, it must be seen as God
                    desires –
                    When the Holy Spirit tells them what to do –
                    in the light of God –

                God has given some saints, some priests, and people
                    the gift of healing –
                    they must be operating under God –

                A miracle is supernatural –
                A healing is supernatural –

                We do not depend on the natural –

                We look for the power from above –

                We are always seeking God's will –

                We pray for the gift of counsel to know
                    God's will for us

                And we do what His will is

                We seek the gifts of the Holy Spirit
                And we are ruled by the virtues in
                    our lives –
                    faith, hope love, humility,
                    prudence, temperance, justice, fortitude

                We seek the Holy Spirit to guide us with His gifts –
                We live according to good habits in
                    our lives.

                We act in faith and love –
                We are prudent and temperant in our
                    activities –

                We are just in our dealings with others

                We want the hand of God to guide us –

                We want truth – always truth –

                We walk in the light –

                The Holy Spirit moves us and we respond
                    to His fluttering in our soul –
                    Like leaves in the wind –
                    The Holy Spirit fills us and moves us
                        and helps us to be holy
                    The Holy Spirit works with Mary – as we
                        give our heart to Mary –

                The Holy Spirit, the artist in our soul –
                    paints more and more the image of
                    Christ on us, as we co-operate
                    with His direction.

  

A Prayer for Intimacy with the Lamb, the Bridegroom of the Soul

     Oh Lamb of God, Who take away the sins of the world, come and act on my soul most intimately. I surrender myself, as I ask for the grace to let go, to just be as I exist in You and You act most intimately on my soul. You are the Initiator. I am the soul waiting Your favors as You act in me. I love You. I adore You. I worship You. Come and possess my soul with Your Divine Grace, as I experience You most intimately.

 

                R. The Holy Spirit moves us along the path of life –

                When God has this presence in us –
                    Father, Son and Holy Spirit –
                    we have joy!!!

                God is at work in our soul –

                We are surrendering and willing to be
                    molded more and more into the image
                    of Jesus –
   

 

Revelation 19: 7-8

let us be glad and joyful and give glory to God, because this is the time for the marriage of the Lamb. His bride is ready, and she has been able to dress herself in dazzling white linen, because her linen is made of the good deeds of the saints.'

 

Revelation 12: 1-8

Now a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman, robed with the sun, standing on the moon, and on her head a crown of twelve stars. She was pregnant, and in labour, crying aloud in the pangs of childbirth. Then a second sign appeared in the sky: there was a huge red dragon with seven heads and ten horns, and each of the seven heads crowned with a coronet. Its tail swept a third of the stars from the sky and hurled them to the ground, and the dragon stopped in front of the woman as she was at the point of giving birth, so that it could eat the child as soon as it was born. The woman was delivered of a boy, the son who was to rule all the nations with an iron sceptre, and the child was taken straight up to God and to his throne, while the woman escaped into the desert, where God had prepared a place for her to be looked after for twelve hundred and sixty days.

And now war broke out in heaven, when Michael with his angels attacked the dragon. The dragon fought back with his angels, but they were defeated and driven out of heaven.

 

Revelation 7: 14-17

I answered him, 'You can tell me, sir.' Then he said, 'These are the people who have been through the great trial; they have washed their robes white again in the blood of the Lamb. That is why they are standing in front of God's throne and serving him day and night in his sanctuary; and the One who sits on the throne will spread his tent over them. They will never hunger or thirst again; sun and scorching wind will never plague them, because the Lamb who is at the heart of the throne will be their shepherd and will guide them to springs of living water; and God will wipe away all tears from their eyes.'

 

Revelation 3: 1-3, 12, 16-19

'Write to the angel of the church in Sardis and say, "Here is the message of the one who holds the seven spirits of God and the seven stars: I know about your behaviour: how you are reputed to be alive and yet are dead. Wake up; put some resolve into what little vigour you have left: it is dying fast. So far I have failed to notice anything in your behaviour that my God could possibly call perfect; remember how you first heard the message. Hold on to that. Repent! If you do not wake up, I shall come to you like a thief, and you will have no idea at what hour I shall come upon you.

Anyone who proves victorious I will make into a pillar in the sanctuary of my God, and it will stay there for ever; I will inscribe on it the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem which is coming down from my God in heaven, and my own new name as well.

'...but since you are neither hot nor cold, but only lukewarm, I will spit you out of my mouth. You say to yourself: I am rich, I have made a fortune and have everything I want, never realising that you are wretchedly and pitiably poor, and blind and naked too. I warn you, buy from me the gold that has been tested in the fire to make you truly rich, and white robes to clothe you and hide your shameful nakedness, and ointment to put on your eyes to enable you to see. I reprove and train those whom I love:

 

1 Corinthians 15: 20-28

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. When everything has been subjected to him, then the Son himself will be subjected to the One who has subjected everything to him, so that God may be all in all.

 

John 14: 21-31

Whoever holds to my commandments and keeps them is the one who loves me; and whoever loves me will be loved by my Father, and I shall love him and reveal myself to him.'

Judas-not Judas Iscariot-said to him, 'Lord, what has happened, that you intend to show yourself to us and not to the world?' Jesus replied:

Anyone who loves me will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we shall come to him and make a home in him. Anyone who does not love me does not keep my words. And the word that you hear is not my own: it is the word of the Father who sent me. I have said these things to you while still with you; but the Paraclete, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything and remind you of all I have said to you. Peace I bequeath to you, my own peace I give you, a peace which the world cannot give, this is my gift to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid. You heard me say: I am going away and shall return. If you loved me you would be glad that I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I. I have told you this now, before it happens, so that when it does happen you may believe. I shall not talk to you much longer, because the prince of this world is on his way. He has no power over me, but the world must recognise that I love the Father and that I act just as the Father commanded. Come now, let us go.

 

Acts 2: 1-4

When Pentecost day came round, they had all met together, when suddenly there came from heaven a sound as of a violent wind which filled the entire house in which they were sitting; and there appeared to them tongues as of fire; these separated and came to rest on the head of each of them. They were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak different languages as the Spirit gave them power to express themselves.

 

                Sing: Come Holy Ghost

                Sing: Glory, Glory, Glory Lord

 

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

   

From the Priestly Newsletter Book III by Fr. Edward Carter, S.J.

The Holy Spirit And Mary

The late Archbishop Luis M. Martinez of Mexico strikingly speaks of the ongoing cooperation of Mary with the Holy Spirit regarding the reproduction of Jesus within us: "Christian life is the reproduction of Jesus in souls…

"Now, how will this mystical reproduction be brought about in souls? In the same way in which Jesus was brought into the world, for God gives a wonderful mark of unity to all His works. Divine acts have a wealth of variety because they are the work of omnipotence; nevertheless, a most perfect unity always shines forth from them because they are the fruit of wisdom; and this divine contrast of unity and variety stamps the works of God with sublime and unutterable beauty.

"In His miraculous birth, Jesus was the fruit of heaven and earth…The Holy Spirit conveyed the divine fruitfulness of the Father to Mary, and the virginal soil brought forth in an ineffable manner our most loving Savior, the divine Seed, as the prophets called Him…

"That is the way He is reproduced in souls. He is always the fruit of heaven and earth.

"Two artisans must concur in the work that is at once God’s masterpiece and humanity’s supreme product: the Holy Spirit and the most holy Virgin Mary. Two sanctifiers are necessary to souls, the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary, for they are the only ones who can reproduce Christ.

"Undoubtedly, the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary sanctify us in different ways. The first is the Sanctifier by essence; because He is God, who is infinite sanctity; because He is the personal Love that completes, so to speak, the sanctity of God, consummating His life and His unity, and it belongs to Him to communicate to souls the mystery of that sanctity. The Virgin Mary, for her part, is the co-operator, the indispensable instrument in and by God’s design. From Mary’s maternal relation to the human body of Christ is derived her relation to His Mystical Body which is being formed through all the centuries until the end of time, when it will be lifted up to the heavens, beautiful, splendid, complete, and glorious.

"These two, then, the Holy Spirit and Mary, are the indispensable artificers of Jesus, the indispensable sanctifiers of souls. Any saint in heaven can co-operate in the sanctification of a soul, but his co-operation is not necessary, not profound, not constant: while the co-operation of these two artisans of Jesus of whom we have just been speaking is so necessary that without it souls are not sanctified (and this by the actual design of Providence), and so intimate that it reaches to the very depths of our soul. For the Holy Spirit pours charity into our heart, makes a habitation of our soul, and directs our spiritual life by means of His gifts. The Virgin Mary has the efficacious influence of Mediatrix in the most profound and delicate operations of grace in our souls. And, finally, the action of the Holy Spirit and the co-operation of the most holy Virgin Mary are constant; without them, not one single character of Jesus would be traced on our souls, no virtue grow, no gift be developed, no grace increased, no bond of union with God be strengthened in the rich flowering of the spiritual life.

"Such is the place that the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary have in the order of sanctification. Therefore, Christian piety should put these two artisans of Christ in their true place, making devotion to them something necessary, profound, and constant." 18

18. Archbishop Luis M. Martinez, The Sanctifier, op. cit. pp. 5-7.

   

                R. And so the dilemma is this –

                Do we become a rival to God's will
                    like Adam and Eve –

                When God is so good to us and we are
                    called to live by His will –
                    to love His will –

                Mary showed us –
 

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.

   

                R. Mary showed us –

                Mary is full of grace.
   

Hail Mary

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the Fruit of thy womb, Jesus.  Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

   

                R. Every time we pray the Hail Mary we
                    remember –
                    Mary is full of grace –

                We seek to be full of His life in
                    heaven –

                We are here to prepare ourselves for
                    this
   

November 4, 2013

 

Second Sunday of Easter

April 30/May 1, 2011

INTRODUCTION – (Acts 2:42-47; 1 Peter 1:3-9; John 20:19-31) In our first reading today, St. Luke gives us a lovely picture of the early Church – how it was like one big happy family where everyone was agreeable with one another and cared about each other. If we read a little further in the Acts of the Apostles, we see this idyllic condition didn’t last very long, especially as the Church grew and became more complex. Even if the Church is not as unified as it was then, the basic elements of the community that St. Luke identifies for us still form the Church today. They devoted themselves, St. Luke tells us, (1) to the teachings of the apostles, (2) to the communal life, (3) to the breaking of bread (their term for the Eucharist or the Lord’s Supper) and (4) to the prayers. This statement tells us in general that being a member of the Church is more than just a matter of calling ourselves a Catholic or having our name on some Church’s roster. Being Catholic involves (1) seeking to grow in our faith, (2) caring about one another, (3) participation in the Eucharist, and (4) taking time to pray. An inactive believer is not a believer at all, or as St. James tells us: “Faith without works is dead.” (James  2:17)

HOMILY – I understand this is a true story from Texas. Drummond’s Bar in Mt. Vernon Texas decided to expand their facilities. The local Baptist church, which disapproves of drinking alcohol, started a prayer campaign to prevent the bar from expanding. Construction on the bar progressed up until the week before the grand opening when lightning struck and burned the entire bar to the ground. After the bar burned, the church folks started bragging about “the power of prayer.” So the bar owner sued the church on the grounds that the church “was ultimately responsible for the demise of his building, either through direct or indirect action or means.” In response to the accusation, the church denied all responsibility to the burning of the building. The judge read through the bar owner’s charges and the church’s response and commented: “I don’t know how I’m going to rule on this, but it appears that we have a bar owner who believes in the power of prayer, and an entire Baptist church congregation that now does not. (from the internet)

Our gospel today touches on a number of themes with faith being one of them. Jesus offers his friends his own special peace. He gives them a commission to continue his work (“as the Father has sent me, so I send you”). As a helper in this ministry, he gives them the Holy Spirit, and one of the works of Jesus they would do would be to forgive sins. This passage gave rise to the designation of this Sunday as Divine Mercy Sunday. God’s mercy, however, is not limited to this one Sunday. God is ready to forgive us any time we approach himwith true sorrow for our sins. Then we have the memorable story of Thomas who missed Jesus’ first appearance and refused to believe in Jesus’ resurrection until he had concrete proof. Jesus gave it to him the following week. Finally, Jesus proclaims all of us blessed who have not experienced what Thomas and the others experienced: “blessed are those who have not seen and have believed.”

What I have chosen to talk about for the rest of this homily may seem to some people as being a strange topic; however, I am sure most of us have at times wished we could see our Lord as Thomas and the others did; maybe even have a conversation with him. We envision this would greatly enhance our faith. I had often thought that if Jesus appeared to more people, maybe more people would believe in him.

A few weeks ago I was reading the book The Science of the Cross by Saint Edith Stein, a Jewish nun who was killed in a concentration camp. She was a brilliant philosopher, and in her book she was examining the teachings of St. John of the Cross, a doctor of the Church. The book talks about visions under the general treatise on the topic of faith. I am significantly summarizing their thoughts on this, for St. Edith Stein goes on for several pages talking about this matter. She says faith informs us of things we have never seen nor heard. It is a form of supernatural knowledge, knowledge we cannot acquire in any natural way through our senses or through reason. Faith does not contradict reason, but what it communicates to us cannot be acquired by reason. In this life we cannot grasp what God is. It is only through faith (on our part) and grace (on God’s part) that we can make progress in knowing God and in growing in union with God. John of the Cross says simply, “the greater one’s faith the closer is one’s union with God.” In considering visions or apparitions, the book goes on to teach that when they come from God, then God will accomplish whatever he wishes to accomplish through them, but we should never dare to desire such sensory apprehensions because such desires do not help us to live by faith. Desiring signs and visions to base our faith on holds us back from growing in faith and prevents the spirit from soaring to the invisible.

Thomas and the other apostles, of course, had to see our risen Lord for it would be their mission to give witness to the resurrection of Christ (something they would have had to see in order to be credible witnesses). And that’s what they did. The Greek word for witnesses is μάρτυρεs (martyrs). We don’t know if Thomas actually touched our Lord, but we hear how Thomas’ vision of Jesus took him beyond what the eyes could see to a greater level of faith when he declares: “My Lord and my God.” And the gospel ends with the statement that it is blessed to have believed even though we have not seen. And the next to the last chapter of John’s gospel ends by telling us that through this faith we have life in his name, a life that will lead us to someday see God face to face in eternal glory.

   

                R. The more we are filled with Divine Life
                    the more pleasing we are to God.

 

 

Blue Book Blow Out for Christmas

Give the gift that keeps giving this Christmas 

6 different Blue Books for $30.00 including postage 


$
6.00


$5.00


$4.00


$2.00


$2.00


$3.00


$3.00


$3.00


$3.00


$3.00


$3.00


$3.00


$3.00


$3.00


$3.00

   Books available in limited supply for this sale.

 

   

Blue Book Blow Out for Christmas

Blue Book 1 – $6.00 each plus postage

Blue Book 2 – $5.00 each plus postage

Blue Book 3 – $4.00 each plus postage

 

 

Blue Books 13, 12, 11, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6A, B, C – 
$3.00 each plus postage

  

Blue Books 4 & 5 –$2.00 each plus postage

 

The more you use the Blue Books and
    become one with Jesus – more
    intimate with Jesus –
    the more your lives are a blessing and
    everything you do in life can help
    to bring down great grace for the world
    because of your being so
    one with Jesus.

 

Guiding Light Homily Book Series

Fr. Joe’s Books


Cycle A –
Steadfast to the Son

Cycle B –
Focusing on the Word

Cycle C

Feed My Soul
 
Cycle A
 
Inspired to be Genuine

4 for $20 plus postage of $5.95 

 

These books can be given to:

1) All Priests

       2) Good for Music Ministers
       3) Good for DRE's
       4) Good for Deacons
       5) Good for Principals of Schools
       6) Good for Teachers
       7) Good for Mom and Dads

  

   

     
Give the gift that keeps giving this Christmas!!

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
w/glass - 24

OL-Mt. Carmel
w/glass - 24

OL-Lourdes
w/glass - 24
 

IH-Mary
w/glass - 24

IH-Ivory
w/glass - 24

SH-Jesus
w/glass - 24
SH-Blessing
w/glass - 24
Sorrow M
w/glass - 24
Inf.-Prague
w/glass - 24

OL-Lourdes
w/glass - 18

OL-Mt. Carmel
w/glass - 18

I Heart
w/glass - 18

I Heart - Ivory
w/glass - 18

OL-Grace
w/glass - 18

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 –
 

   

   


 

                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 last

Call 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

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