Daily Writing
| Shepherds of Christ Daily Writing |
|
April 21, 2008
April 22nd Holy Spirit Novena
Scripture selection is Day 6 Period II.The Novena Rosary Mysteries
for April 22nd are Joyful.
April 21, 2008
The whole retreat I talked about us being created in the image of God
so since we are the creatures - and He is the Creator
this is the Plan
and we must love because He is love if we are to live according to the Father's plan
Right after creation God talks about being in the image and likeness of God
Genesis 1:27
God created man in the image of himself,
in the image of God he created him,
male and female he created them.
When Mary's head was knocked off all that was left was
the image of Jesus
Genesis 1:27
God created man in the image of himself,
in the image of God he created him,
male and female he created them.
These were pictures I found on my computer
Image of Jesus
February 5, 2001
February 5, 2006
Prayer Service
January 2, 2005
January 5, 2003
Genesis 1:27
God created man in the image of himself,
in the image of God he created him,
male and female he created them.
We have a wounded human nature
7 Capital Sins
Pride, Greed, Envy, Wrath, Lust, Gluttony, Sloth
We must try to be pure like Jesus
Think of Jealousy
girl friend, boy friend
sibling rivalry
Christ — the Son of God — came
to teach us not to be jealous —
to love —
Look at all Christ told us about God
Our tendencies is jealousy —
think of someone jealous —
who tries to block all of
someone's relationships for
fear of losing them
How can we do God's will with
this possessiveness —
where some learned sharing
and love —
others may have been surviving
not having normal emotional
needs met
Christ came a baby — sinless
to teach us how to live —
in His image and likeness —
Jesus is God —
Genesis says —
Genesis 1:27
God created man in the image of himself,
in the image of God he created him,
male and female he created them.
We were created in the image
and likeness of God —
We must model our lives after
this Christic image
February 5, 2001
IMAGE WINDOW
When one enters the building in
CLEAR - WATER
He learns
PURITY in using the Blue Books
Christ tells us about Himself
Christ gives us the Father's Vision
In baptism — we receive a
sharing in His knowing and
loving capacity —
CLEAR - WATER
The Father, Son and Holy Spirit live in the
graced soul —
Our life must be lived to put
on Christ —
not be jealous
not be angry
not be envious
not be prideful
not seek dominance for
dominance sake
Christ selflessly gave
Himself so we could
be saved
We are to give ourselves
for others to help in
this redemptive work
We are to be selfless in
giving ourselves
likened to Christ
The message of satan is
selfishness —
self-focus
Christ came to this earth
Christ died for our sins
Christ rose on the 3rd day
Through His pierced Heart the
Church was born
Water for baptism
Blood for the Eucharist
We are then to die to our
imperfect ways and be more
likened to Christ —
to put on Christ
to come to the altar of the
Lord and be saturated with
grace
Mary knew from the prophesy of Simeon
that a sword would pierce her heart
too —
Mary was told when Jesus was a baby
An Overview of the Spiritual Life
The Christian life is rooted in the great event of the Incarnation. We must consequently always focus our gaze upon Christ, realizing that everything the Father wishes to tell us has been summed up in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. It only remains for us, then, to strive to understand with greater insight the inexhaustible truth of the Word Incarnate: "In many and various ways God spoke of old to our fathers by the prophets; but in these last days He has spoken to us by a Son, Whom He appointed the heir of all things, through Whom also He created the world." (Heb. 1: 1-2) (1)
What was the condition of the human race at the time of Christ's coming? In some ways, people were much the same as we are today. There were those just being born into this world of human drama. There were those who, in death, were leaving it, some of whom had grasped but little of life's meaning. There were those who were healthy and vigorous. There were those who were sick and lame. Some especially felt the burdens, the grief, the suffering of the human condition. Others were ebullient and desired all the pleasures life could provide. There was some good being accomplished. Immorality, however, was rampant. What St. Paul tells us concerning the time that immediately followed Christ's existence certainly could also be applied to the time of His entrance into the world. It is, in short, an ugly picture that St. Paul depicts for us (Rom. 1: 22-32).
Into such a depraved condition Jesus entered, with a full and generous Heart, to lead the human race from the depths of sinfulness to the vibrant richness of a new life in Himself. Through His enfleshment, this Christ became the focal point of all history. The authentic hopes and dreams of the human family, now so overshadowed by the ugliness of sin, came converging upon this Christ. He would gather them up in Himself, give them a new luster and brilliance and dynamism, and would lead the human family back to the Father in the Holy Spirit.
Christ was radically to release us from the dominion of sin and elevate us to a new level of existence. This life Christ has given us is not a type of superstructure which is erected atop human existence. Although nature and grace are distinct, they do not lie side by side as separate entities. Rather, grace permeates nature. The Christian is one graced person. The Christian is one who has been raised up, caught up, into a deeper form of life in Christ Jesus. Nothing that is authentically human in the life of the Christian has been excluded from this new existence. Whatever is really human in the life of the Christian is meant to be an expression of the Christ-life. The simple but deep joys of family life, the wonderment at nature's beauty, the warm embrace of a mother for her child, the agony of crucial decision making, the success or frustration that is experienced in one's work, the joy of being well received by others, and the heartache of being misunderstood--all these experiences are intended to be caught up in Christ and made more deeply human because of Him.
Jesus has come, then, not to destroy anything that is authentically human, but to perfect it by leading it to a graced fulfillment. This is the meaning of the Word's becoming flesh, the meaning of the Incarnation. The more God-like we become through Christ, the more human we become.
We, through our incorporation into Christ which occurs at Baptism, are meant to relive the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. In doing so, we are not only accomplishing our own salvation, but we are assisting in the salvation of others also. The Incarnation continues all the time. Christ, of course, is the one Who fundamentally continues the Incarnation. But He enlists our help. The world no longer sees Jesus, no longer is able to reach out and touch Him. We are the ones who now, in some way, make Christ visible and tangible. In union with the invisible, glorified Christ, and depending on Him as our source of life, we continue the Incarnation in its visible and temporal dimensions. This is our great privilege. This is our great responsibility.
The Christian is initiated into the mystery of Christ, into his or her role in prolonging the Incarnation, through Baptism. In the words of St. Paul: "Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? We were buried therefore with Him by Baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life." (Rom. 6: 3-4).
It is not sufficient, however, that we be incorporated into Christ through Baptism. All forms of life require nourishment. So, too, our life in Christ must be continually nourished. How can we continually keep in contact with Christ? There are various ways. We contact Christ in a most special way through the liturgy, above all in the Eucharistic liturgy. Here the entire course of salvation history, as centered in Jesus, is sacramentally renewed and continued. Through our most special and most personal meeting with Jesus in the Mass, we are more deeply incorporated into Christ. Also, we should remember that all the sacraments make up part of the Church's liturgy.
The reading of Scripture provides another special opportunity for meeting Jesus. This is true for both Old and New Testaments. The Old Testament prefigures the New Testament and leads to it. It is obvious, however, that we meet Christ especially in the pages of the New Testament. How true it is to say that not to be familiar with Scripture is not to know Jesus properly. We should resolve to read from Scripture daily.
We also meet Jesus in our interaction with others. Everyone we meet, everyone we serve, is in the image of Jesus. We have to take the means to grow in this awareness. If I truly believe that everyone has been redeemed by the blood of Jesus, how should I treat everyone?
These, then, are some of the ways we keep in contact with Jesus. Common to the various ways of meeting Jesus is a certain degree of prayerful reflection. Our contact with Jesus in the liturgy, in Scripture, and in our interaction with others, and so forth, will not be all that it should be unless we are persons of prayer. The light and strength of prayer enables us to keep in contact with Jesus as we should.
We live out our Christ-life in an atmosphere of love. Indeed, the life Jesus has given us is centered in love. It has its origins in the mysterious love of God: "For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life" (Jn 3: 16).
Our new life in Jesus has arisen out of God's fathomless love. Christ, in His descent into human flesh, has established a milieu of love. The life He came to give can flourish only in the framework of love. Indeed, we can summarize the meaning of the Christian life by stating that it is our loving response to God's love. The pierced Heart of Jesus, this Heart which shed its last drop of blood in the greatest love for each one of us, is the symbol of God's tremendous love for us. Christ's Heart also calls us to respond by giving ourselves in love to God and neighbor. Yes, Jesus invites us to respond to God's love by giving ourselves in love to Him in an ever closer union. The more closely we are united to Him, the greater is our capacity to love God and neighbor. The more closely we are united with Jesus, the more closely He unites us to the Father in the Holy Spirit, with Mary our Mother at our side.
end of excerpt
In trying to write about love and believe
in the Age of the Two Hearts and their will
be an era of love — I talk about love —
I pray for love in the retreats and I
believe. The devil is an endless
pit of hatred and he keeps pecking like
a woodpecker — he tempts people in their
weakness — the devil tries to get them to give-in —
in their unloving habits and because
it is familiar, because the devil presses on
them → they give in.
There has been division since the
beginning of the Church and as the
pope said it still has survived.
Giving into satan in division, envy,
jealousy, anger, pride, hatred blocks
God's work — so many Marian groups folded
because people who came to serve suffered
the spiritual warfare of satan that
pressed on people through imperfections
to divide them —
Look at divorce
Split homes
They started in love —
commitment
John 14: 21-26
'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.
Did you ever see a clogged toilet — if a
person flushes it — it can keep coming and
coming and you want it to stop
If the person would not have flushed
it may be it would not have overflowed
A person filled with anger, unfinished
business, cannot take the tiniest agitation —
they are ready to go like an overflowing
toilet — even if one hardly does anything
unkind — they may interpret it as such and
overflow with anger and hatred
A person who is passive-aggressive
provokes, stalls and does not admit
they had anything to do with it —
This behavior grows worse —
Like with love — we become more loving
With passive-aggressive deception one can sneakily
bring down the house —
A person going from a deck of cards — pushing down the
first card and because of stuffed anger
Moving to the next deck of cards
Can you see — if there are so many divorces because
people can't live in love —
How people filled with passive-aggressive
anger in a religious community
mimics how satan attacks
he provokes
he tempts
he does it deceptively —
A smile filled with God's truth can light
a house and fill a room with love
In the talk shows today there is so much
argumentation in front of others on
television.
Jesus is meek and humble of heart.
Jesus says He cries bloody tears for those
who deceive others with sneaky
angry ways that tear down parishes,
communities, while others try to build
in love —
But we see even in the scriptures —
there were ones who lied and had slick arguments
working against the Apostles —
If marriages
If religious communities
If parishes
are to thrive on love —
there must be this element where
people who are angry take
responsibility on how they are
tearing down the community of peace
and love Jesus wants —
A person who provokes another is acting
for satan — to hurt — to punish —
to get revenge
A person that seeks isolation can
provoke others to get imaginary
walls around them so they can
really have no interference from
one even getting close or talking to
them —
Anger in a person comes out as tension
with others — anger is a destructive
energy when a person is giving
into it in hateful thoughts toward
another —
It is like an engine - throttling in
a parked car — a passive-aggressive
person — smiles when they watch others
fighting after they set the fire
It is sinful to hurt others intentionally —
this bad habit one develops to get
even for anger inside becomes
more and more volatile
Instead of being connected to God and
love with others — they have an
idea maybe — love with God is
personal and they can be mean to others
is okay
God created us to be one — love Him and love
each other is pure love
How can communities, families exist in
love when angry people deceptively
provoke others and delight in
watching another suffer while
they win or think they win —
Hatred for others is not co-existing in love
and peace —
Satan has souls in hell that gave
into games of anger, punishing
and hurting others, envy, jealousy
To renew the religious orders —
people must be in the truth —
seek to be like Jesus
we were created in the image and likeness
of Jesus
Jesus is pure
Mary is pure
There is no hatred in heaven
no anger in heaven
no envy in heaven
no jealousy in heaven
A person wishing ill-will to any brother
is off —
A person with passive-aggressive
hatred inside can bring a house
down —
they provoke like a woodpecker
because they don't like the anger
in them —
they want someone else to
suffer
Here is the joy of love
— the basic joy of giving oneself to
another in a deep relationship —
for an angry person — they are not like this —
they are self-focused
they are miserable
they have division with others
they have an angry arrow they want
to stick in another
Anger is an energy inside that must
be dealt with
Like a pressure cooker
The religious seeks love of those in
the parish, community, but
their biggest love — is their
marriage to God —
There is security in being in a relationship —
living in a parish, a religious
community
Love is commitment
Love is respect
Love is not selfish
Acting out anger to hurt others, be dominant
over others in cruel ways is sinful
This is not God's message:
an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth
This is not the message of Jesus —
Love makes us alive
Love is an unclogged pipe
Love of God for the religious — pours
out in making the world a better
place —
in being more one with Jesus and
His love is in us —
We act more and more like Jesus
Jesus is love
Satan works in secrets, in lies, deception —
division, hatred, anger
To put these together in a community, a
parish is a prescription for
selfish disaster
not love —
As more and more parishes are consolidated and
people grieve losing their priest or
sharing their priest with other
parishes —
they must grow in love to survive —
they must work together —
bend their angry wills —
How could the Apostles move ahead
building the Church if they
gave into bitter division and
were not rooted in God's love —
The Church has withstood all this division —
Jesus is truly present in the Eucharist —
Priests can celebrate Mass — the sacrifice
of Calvary sacramentally made present
From a Lenten Homily, March 24, 2000
Live in the Moment
Today’s Gospel in its story certainly points ahead to Jesus in His Passion and death.
And as we read passages such as this during the Lenten season, we are reminded once again that the Church in her Liturgy of the Word gives us an opportunity to undergo a purification, an ever deepening cleansing of ourselves so that we may be a more fit instrument for receiving the great graces which are to be given to us at the time of the Resurrection memorial on Easter. And so all in all, Lent is a time of purification to prepare us for ever-greater gifts of the Lord. It’s a time of self-discipline, a time to renew our efforts to be self-disciplined in the service of the Lord. Self-discipline is an aspect of purification. And I suggest that one of the most difficult acts of self-discipline in the spiritual journey is to concentrate on the present moment. We have a very strong tendency to disregard the importance of the present moment by focusing in a wrong way on the past or in a wrong way on the future. There are proper occasions for thinking of the past and the future. For example, we have to learn from the past and we have to prepare for the future, but our great emphasis has to be upon the present. There is a Latin axiom which says, age quod agis, age quod agis, which means: do what you are doing, concentrate on the present. And of course we are familiar with that term in the history of spirituality: the sacrament of the present moment. And so the discipline of Lent certainly encourages us to include in a deeper self-discipline a greater determination to get as much as we can out of the present moment. People with a terminal illness have an opportunity as they prepare for death for increased prayer, contrition, love of God. However, some are taken very, very quickly. But for those who have the opportunity of knowing with some certainty the time of their death, I’m sure as they look back on their lives, they are saddened by the many times they did not use time and opportunities for the service of the Lord properly, and are overjoyed at those times in which they did use the present opportunity properly. A great means we have of living in the present properly is a greater focus upon our Lord. For if I have that awareness of the fact I am united with Jesus here and now, why should I be concerned so much about the future or the past? Yes, a great help in living in the present and deriving all the good we can from it for ourselves and others is an ever greater focus upon Jesus, because the more I focus upon Jesus and the more I live with Him in the present moment, the more I am satisfied with the present moment. And so let us in our Lenten activity resolve to grow in that self-discipline - which is very difficult at times - to really live in the presence with the fullness of our being as much as is possible, with the help of God’s grace. Now is the day of salvation. Now is the day of salvation.
end of Father Carter's homily
Being an angry person —
always angry —
always looking for someone who
wronged us — is wrong
In religious life, parish — we live to
obey rules, live in the structure
to promote — unity — a purpose —
spiritual growth — rooted in love
If a person never had an intimate relationship
because they couldn't get along with
others they can only grow in a religious
order if they change
Religious orders exist to love — to help God's
love be spread in the world —
An angry person — acts out anger
(1) passively-aggressively
(2) openly
Anger acted out on others hidden,
openly — tears down an
institution created for love —
unity — harmony
Not obeying the structure, authority is
a prescription for failure
The devil wants souls for hell
The devil wants to divide people,
marriages,
parishes
When the devil works tempting one
to block communication —
then God's work stops —
There is to be communication, heads in
working in love to do God's work —
If one party is seeking dominance over
the authority to just work in
disharmony, do things another
way for independence, argumentation,
provoking to try to control emotionally
by being difficult — making authority
fight to get a job accomplished —
The whole work is threatened by the disobedience
of the person challenging and arguing
for the sake of anger, jealousy,
seeking dominance envy etc. —
A community, parish, family is made
up of members who are not to be
jealous, possessive, envious,
angry, prideful —
In the Age of the 2 Hearts promised by
Jesus to Fr. Carter —
people seek to have pure hearts of
love like Jesus and Mary
Only in hearts made of love - can we grow —
survive and live in unity —
not these tendencies from the
weakened human nature that man
can give into when tempted by satan
For the baptized Catholic to be strong in the family,
Church and the world.
What about the parish?
the community?
the family?
Living Consecration to the 2 Hearts
(1) Reception of the Eucharist
(2) Adoration of the Eucharist
(3) Going to confession
(4) Praying the rosary
(5) Praying the Shepherds of Christ Prayers
Our love is intended to go out and touch
others — our love should in
someway embrace all mankind —
Our love in parish, community,
family is to help build love
in the world
Where anger, jealousy, possessiveness,
envy, disobedience to
authority, seeking dominance for
dominance sake — become the
agony in the family, parish,
community — where hatred —
fighting, pressure is the norm —
There is no sending out in love —
Love in communities is not people
working on personal problems
day and night and
not doing the work of the
religious order
The love is in doing God's will
serving the religious order in love
serving the parish in love
Where one uses the institution in
(1) division, hatred and anger —
no work or little work
is accomplished
(2) for psychological, daily hourly ways to
grow in personal relationships
and not for the good
of the work of the institution
It becomes selfish
If a person called — (1) fights constantly
angry —
No work is done
(2) works on relationships
with others — everything
is geared to making peace
the mission is ignored
Both are selfish
A religious order exists to grow
in greater holiness and to
have a relationship of love
with God and work in unity
with others to accomplish the
work of the institution
In my over 14 years in the Shepherds of Christ
I have watched the focus go
either way —
satan can tempt people working on their
relationship with another and
that becomes the only focus
or satan can tempt people to
have a constant fight —
division — hatred
What about serving as the
bride of Christ —
doing the work at hand
Love, unity
NOT SELFISH!!
SERVICE from a place of strength
Jesus took on all the wounds and
He died for us
The lack of love breaks through
in violence in nations, groups
within nations, Violence,
Violence, Division, Stealing,
Hatred in people
An endless list of how man is selfish
and fails to love his neighbor.
We as members of the body of Christ
are to show love in praying for
the priests, the Church and the
world
Love is energy that sends the world
to its destiny as God intends —
God is love —
God created us to love
God redeemed us in love
John 3: 16
For this is how God loved the world:
he gave his only Son,
so that everyone who believes in him
may not perish
but may have eternal life.
Jesus gave Himself to save the world
We, too, are to give ourselves in love
to the world.
We help to give the image of Christ
to the world as we live lives
more and more in His image and
likeness.
It is the image of Christ we see
here.
February 5, 2001
The Image of Christ —
When God allowed Mary's image to
be destroyed did He tell us
March 1, 2004
we weren't living in the
image of Jesus —
Did He tell us we were to live
in the image of Jesus
Love is energy
Anger is energy
Love grows
Anger grows
Unity
Hatred
Serving God —
Division
We must love our neighbor!!
If we are to love God — we are to
love our neighbor — respect our
neighbor and
not go from division
to working selfishly now still
focusing on ourselves —
Let's do this work —
Loving God is doing our vocation —
getting off the self —
focus of Me — Me —
anger — Me —
lets get out of the tomb and
have glorified wounds in
the Resurrection
We must know God loves us
mightily — in this lies our
empowerment —
St. Paul knew Jesus loved him —
Galatians 2: 20
I have been crucified with Christ and yet I am alive; yet it is no longer I, but Christ living in me. The life that I am now living, subject to the limitation of human nature, I am living in faith, faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me.
Our life is to be centered around
our relationship with Christ —
THE CHRISTIC IMAGE
February 5 2001
The more we realize how much
God loves us as an unique
individual, the more we respond
to God's love —
the happier we are —
This basic relationship needs to be
alive in us —
everything else falls into place —
There may be problems and suffering,
but our relationship with
God gets us through everything.
We feel secure in God's all powerful
love for us —
God wants us to accomplish
our on-going transformation
in Christ —
This is truth
God loves us so much!!
This love permeates our whole
being!
We focus on this for our
strength —
We want to be where God wants
us to be loving others —
We want God to possess our
soul
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
We can be like the prodigal son
who thought happiness existed
away from his Father's house!!
The practice of justice allows us
to love others by giving them
their due
1 Corinthians 13: 1-3 Though I command languages both human and angelic—if I speak
without love, I am no more than a gong booming or a cymbal
clashing. And though I have the power of prophecy, to penetrate
all mysteries and knowledge, and though I have all the faith
necessary to move mountains—if I am without love, I am nothing.
Though I should give away to the poor all that I possess, and
even give up my body to be burned—if I am without love, it will
do me no good whatever.
We follow Christ
We follow Christ crucified
We follow a glorified Christ
1 Corinthians 1: 17-25
After all, Christ sent me not to baptise, but to preach the gospel; and not by means of wisdom of language, wise words which would make the cross of Christ pointless. The message of the cross is folly for those who are on the way to ruin, but for those of us who are on the road to salvation it is the power of God. As scripture says: I am going to destroy the wisdom of the wise and bring to nothing the understanding of any who understand. Where are the philosophers? Where are the experts? And where are the debaters of this age? Do you not see how God has shown up human wisdom as folly? Since in the wisdom of God the world was unable to recognise God through wisdom, it was God's own pleasure to save believers through the folly of the gospel. While the Jews demand miracles and the Greeks look for wisdom, we are preaching a crucified Christ: to the Jews an obstacle they cannot get over, to the gentiles foolishness, but to those who have been called, whether they are Jews or Greeks, a Christ who is both the power of God and the wisdom of God. God's folly is wiser than human wisdom, and God's weakness is stronger than human strength.
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