Daily Writing
| Shepherds of Christ Daily Writing |
|
May 5, 2007
|
May 6th Holy
Spirit Novena |
The Novena Rosary
Mysteries |
Come to May 5th in Florida!
Rita Ring will be there.
Special graces are granted on the 5th.
It is important that we gather and pray together
or please tune in to the radio at 6:20 pm!
Retreat in China
will be May 10th - 13th.
Please come and pray!!
On May 13, 2007 at 12:00
we will have a special anniversary taped Mass,
Fr. John celebrated for this day.
We will play this at 12:00 noon.
May 5, 2007
Mary's role in our spiritual life
is so very important.
John 19: 25-27
Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary of Magdala. Seeing his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing near her, Jesus said to his mother, ‘Woman, this is your son.’ Then to the disciple he said, ‘This is your mother.’ And from that hour the disciple took her into his home.
Spiritual Motherhood
We see in the plan of the Father how
every person who came into this
world comes through a mother.
A baby is little, helpless and the
journey begins for him or her to
grow to an adult — to live a fuller
adult life and then to die.
Not only that the sin of Adam and Eve our
first parents was so great — every
person except Mary, the Mother of
God has a wounded human nature.
I am not a theologian, studied, I know
only as I have been taught through
my prayers, but the simplicity with
which God explains things in the
bible is very apparent, yet profound.
I see in my limited mind looking at the
Divine Plan of the Divine God and
learning, trying to understand and
many times through studying God
in His creation, through infused
knowledge catching glimpses very
deeply of this Master Plan of
creation and salvation history.
Where we might boldly arrive at some
conclusion, I find my God teaches me
in different ways. He teaches me
softly as I listen to and gaze at the
ocean of His vastness, His might —
He plays sweet songs, sweeter than I
can play and sing with the utterances
of a little bird — I am wooed and
lulled by God in the morning if I
go outside and listen and walk and
see and I am lulled in the afternoon
if I put myself in His garden, or near
His ocean front, His birds are always
singing giving Him honor and glory —
His sun shines day long and reflects
with such beauty on the ocean — I gasp
even to describe it or He lets
the sun filter through the trees
on a beautiful path — leave hues
of red as it sets and rises against
a brilliant blue sky — making from
a dark night or about to go to
sleep under the stars.
Oh melody of the birdie, why do
you sing for me day long and most
of the time I am not even there to
hear your song, but you are waiting
and chirping away.
God paints our skies day long, changes
the ocean like a woman changing her
sheets, puts little sun lit splatters
amongst His creation so if we, but
chance to look out the window we can
say — hey look at that beauty.
Yes we build walls for houses and our
minds we wall in with trivial worry
a good part of the time and Jesus lets
us live in His creation — in case we
open our eyes, our windows, put out
the sash and listen to the woodland
orchestra we have sealed out of
our lives like we worry.
God when your wondrous creation outside
our houses is so vast — your oceans
that never sleep — the moon that shines
over the same waters at night in beautiful
beauty — why do we worry so much
in our little heads — like thick
walls that surround us.
We can compare the outside to God
walking before our eyes with billboards,
back and forth and saying
"Hey creature, I know you, I give you
your breath, I paint the skies for
you, I give you the waves rushing
in and out, I give you the song of
the birdie —
TAKE YOUR EYES
LOOK OUTWARD
I AM HERE
I KNOW ALL THINGS
YOU DON'T KNOW THE FUTURE
HEY BUDDY
WERE YOU A HELPLESS BABY ONCE
WHO FED YOU
HEY
HOW DID YOU GROW SO BIG, ANYWAY
HEY FRIEND
HAVE YOU CHECKED OUT THE BIRDS
AND BEASTS AND TOLD THEM
SOME OF YOUR FEARS
BETTER CHECK YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD
BIRDS A FEW MAY NEED
SOME DIRECTION FROM YOU
(could be flying the wrong way, upside
down etc. — better get your
finger in there)"
Rita
Now with the vastness of the universe
with the beauty that God created the
skies and keeps them in motion.
They are there, if I look or not —
It rains when I am not looking
The ocean rolls in and out — even when
I give no commands
The stars shine, the sun comes
up — my hair changes, my
skin gets old
Who commands these things
Who holds them in place
Why can I lock myself in the cage
of my thoughts
when God parades such things
before me and I know He
is always here with me —
always in my heart
Did you ever see a terrible storm —
one that rips the place apart —
one that beats down, and the
wind blows — maybe even in
the dark, it comes with
fury and you are in darkness
enduring it
Well look at our sweet minds and hearts —
God gives us a sun-lit day ——
the sound of the ocean —
the wind in the trees,
the birds chirping a song
And like a big black storm — we
close the shutter of our eyes
and plug up our ears and
let satan's fallacious reasoning
storm our imperfect houses
Like a black night
of torrential winds and rain
satan moves in trying to get
us to give in to his mean
melody — tricking us — like
Eve in the garden and we
give in
letting the thief storm the house
always can have a bad end
he can steel the silverware
(now your computer)
Satan storm our houses —
we close our eyes —
we cover ourselves with his
dark blanket
it grips us — like a midnight
storm that rocks the house
until we sit inside and
shutter
Fallacious reasoning
desolation
storming Black clouds
where once we gazed at the
red hues from a beautiful
sun-set
Song: I am Your Sacred Heart
Let us trust in the maker of the
universe
Let us keep our shutters open
Open our eyes and see outward
Not blame our buddies
Live to do God's will
And when we sin — admit the sin
not lie about it and stay stuck
A man looked out prison doors —
one saw mud
another stars
There is but one thing to seek that satisfies
us — really it is God's love
Song: God's Love
Revelation 7: 11-17
And all the angels who were standing in a circle round the throne, surrounding the elders and the four living creatures, prostrated themselves before the throne, and touched the ground with their foreheads, worshipping God with these words:
Amen. Praise and glory and wisdom,
thanksgiving and honour
and power and strength
to our God for ever and ever. Amen.One of the elders then spoke and asked me, ‘Who are these people, dressed in white robes, and where have they come from?’ 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.'
It is the motive force within us
like a baby in their mother's arms
NO AGENDA
we need to be in the arms of our
God —
living according to HIS agenda
In this lies our peace
Like a deer feasting at the river
We can miss the gifts when our
will is opposed to God's
Satan moves ahead with fallacious
reasoning and he storms our
house like an old black
ferocious storm
One step turns into two — then three —
he is leading us down his path —
it looks good you say —
like the apple in the garden
then satan says — take a bite
After we get used to closing our
shutters — plugging up our
ears —
we can become quicker
running down a road that
isn't the one God wants —
At first we treaded slower —
Now we ate the forbidden fruit and
say — oh it wasn't so bad
then we get more blind to
our sins —
We can go in the wrong direction
not on God's path
We can advance in the spiritual
life
We can go backwards
We don't remain the same
A baby has a little body —
We can feed it good food and watch
it grow and thrive
We can give it junk and it
can deteriorate
Look at this — the sin of Adam and Eve
was so bad that every human
creature, but Mary was
tainted by the sin
Doesn't it stand to reason that if
the Son of God took human form
and came in the womb of
the one, pure and sinless one
that
God would want us tainted
creatures to go through her
sinless heart to be as God
intends us to be
Salvation through
the New Adam Christ
Colossians 1: 22-23
You were once estranged and of hostile intent through your evil behaviour; now he has reconciled you, by his death and in that mortal body, to bring you before himself holy, faultless and irreproachable—as long as you persevere and stand firm on the solid base of the faith, never letting yourselves drift away from the hope promised by the gospel, which you have heard, which has been preached to every creature under heaven, and of which I, Paul, have become the servant.
Can we ever minimize how
important the pure and holy
Hearts of Jesus and Mary are
Our hearts are tainted
We have been taught by tainted others
The light is dimmed
John 19: 25-27
Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary of Magdala. Seeing his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing near her, Jesus said to his mother, ‘Woman, this is your son.’ Then to the disciple he said, ‘This is your mother.’ And from that hour the disciple took her into his home.
Is this a new picture to the garden of Eden
The tree is the cross - the Savior hung
on —
He shed the last drop of His Blood
He gave the last beat of His Heart
Doing the Father's will
Yes you say
Yes to the Father's will
Yes to seeking the Father's Plan
(not to disobedience to the Father
like Adam and Eve)
Yes - Yes - Yes
The picture
against a dark angry sky
the curtain is torn
the Sacramental life of the Church
pouring forth from the
pierced Heart of Christ
It was the Day of Preparation, and to avoid the bodies’ remaining on the cross during the Sabbath—since that Sabbath was a day of special solemnity—the Jews asked Pilate to have the legs broken and the bodies taken away. Consequently the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first man who had been crucified with him and then of the other. When they came to Jesus, they saw he was already dead, and so instead of breaking his legs one of the soldiers pierced his side with a lance; and immediately there came out blood and water. This is the evidence of one who saw it—true evidence, and he knows that what he says is true—and he gives it so that you may believe as well. Because all this happened to fulfil the words of scripture:
Not one bone of his will be broken;
and again, in another place scripture says:
They will look to the one
whom they have pierced.
I look at an archdiocese and I see
all the old and beautiful Catholic
Churches and
I want to spread the consecration
to the Sacred Heart and Immaculate Heart
Mary said at Fatima there would be
a worse chastisement if we didn't
listen
Mary was a messenger sent by God
at Fatima
The 90th anniversary is Sunday
May 13, 2007 — Mother's Day
Her message July 13, 1917 was this
Excerpts from The Spirituality of Fatima
by Father Carter, S.J.
"During her appearance in July, Our Lady, in answer to Lucia's plea, promised that in October she would work a great miracle so that all might believe and know who she was. Again, the Mother of God told the children to sacrifice themselves for sinners and to say many times, especially when making a sacrifice, this prayer: "O my Jesus, I offer this for love of Thee, for the conversion of poor sinners, and in reparation for all the sins committed against the Immaculate Heart of Mary." (11)
"During this same July apparition, Mary showed the three children a vision of Hell. She told them:
"You have seen Hell, where the souls of poor sinners go. To save them, God wishes to establish, in the world, devotion to my Immaculate Heart. If people do what I tell you, many souls will be saved and there will be peace.
"The war (World War I, then raging) is going to end. But if people do not stop offending God, another and worse one will begin in the reign of Pius XI. When you shall see a night illuminated by an unknown light [January 2, 1938], know that this is the great sign that God gives you that He is going to punish the world for its many crimes by means of war, hunger, and persecution of the Church and the Holy Father. (12)
"To prevent this, I shall come to ask for the consecration of Russia to my Immaculate Heart and the Communion of Reparation on the five first Saturdays. If my requests are granted, Russia will be converted and there will be peace. If not, she will scatter her errors throughout the world, provoking wars and persecutions of the Church. The good will be martyred, the Holy Father will have much to suffer, and various nations will be destroyed....
"But in the end, my Immaculate Heart will triumph, the Holy Father will consecrate Russia to me, Russia will be converted, and a certain period of peace will be granted to the world." (13)
NOTES:
11. For background material on Fatima, I am particularly indebted to
Our Lady of Fatima's Peace Plan from Heaven (Rockford: TAN
Books and Publishers, Inc., 1983). pp.3-4.
12. Ibid., pp.4-5.
13. Ibid., p.5.
The bodies were thrown on the heap
in World War II — the War started
as Mary said —
then the chastisement — you say
oh so many casualties
I say — the way the mind of man
has gone — making himself
a god —
that was the chastisement —
Old Churches — many have windows
with the two Hearts on them —
one on each window
There were calendars with the Sacred
Heart in my house
Slowly it went
Man made himself more and more
the god
Man seeking greater dominance
for himself — for his
honor and glory
It is the disposition of the heart to
love God with our whole
heart and whole soul and to want
to please Him
Mary the singular vessel of devotion
it says in the litany
Saying the Shepherds of Christ Prayers is how Jesus
told Fr. Carter at the end of the
century would help —
Spreading the Priestly Newsletter —
with the vision of the Father —
to the priests to encourage
them in a tainted world
The Newsletter centered in
consecration to the 2 Hearts
of Jesus and Mary
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)
In the Shepherds of Christ Prayers
We honor Mary in her
Motherhood
Virginity
Titles
Queenship
In the Litany of the Sacred Heart —
we honor Jesus as the Sacred Heart
We know the 7 sorrows of Mary and love them —
live better because of them
We say the promises to St. Margaret
Mary and thank God
We pray to the Holy Spirit
St. Joseph
and pray for our beloved priests
pray for the Church
pray for the world
Then we consecrate our hearts to
the Hearts of Jesus and Mary
A TWO-EDGED SWORD — THE HOLY WORD OF GOD
A GIFT OF FEEDING THE HUNGRY SOUL
THE EUCHARIST
In 1991 before all this started
I heard for weeks
Feed the hungry
Feed the hungry
Feed the hungry
I heard it day and night
Act of consecration to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
"Lord Jesus, Chief Shepherd of the flock, I consecrate myself to Your most Sacred Heart. From Your pierced Heart the Church was born, the Church You have called me, as a member of Shepherds of Christ Associates, to serve in a most special way. You reveal Your Heart as a symbol of Your love in all its aspects, including Your most special love for me, whom You have chosen as Your companion in this most important work. Help me to always love You in return. Help me to give myself entirely to You. Help me always to pour out my life in love of God and neighbor! Heart of Jesus, I place my trust in You!
"Dear Blessed Virgin Mary, I consecrate myself to your maternal and Immaculate Heart, this Heart which is symbol of your life of love. You are the Mother of my Savior. You are also my Mother. You love me with a most special love as a member of Shepherds of Christ Associates, a movement created by your Son as a powerful instrument for the renewal of the Church and the world. In a return of love, I give myself entirely to your motherly love and protection. You followed Jesus perfectly. You are His first and perfect disciple. Teach me to imitate you in the putting on of Christ. Be my motherly intercessor so that, through your Immaculate Heart, I may be guided to an ever closer union with the pierced Heart of Jesus, Chief Shepherd of the flock."
John 1: 1-18
In the beginning was the Word:
the Word was with God
and the Word was God.
He was with God in the beginning.
Through him all things came into being,
not one thing came into being
except through him.
What has come into being in him was life,
life that was the light of men;
and light shines in darkness,
and darkness could not overpower it.A man came, sent by God.
His name was John.
He came as a witness,
to bear witness to the light,
so that everyone might believe
through him.
He was not the light,
he was to bear witness to the light.The Word was the real light
that gives light to everyone;
he was coming into the world.
He was in the world
that had come into being through him,
and the world did not recognise him.
He came to his own
and his own people did not accept him.But to those who did accept him
he gave power to become children of God,
to those who believed in his name
who were born not from human stock
or human desire
or human will
but from God himself.
The Word became flesh,
he lived among us,
and we saw his glory,
the glory that he has from the Father
as only Son of the Father,
full of grace and truth.John witnesses to him. He proclaims:
‘This is the one of whom I said:
He who comes after me
has passed ahead of me
because he existed before me.’Indeed, from his fullness
we have, all of us, received—
one gift replacing another,
for the Law was given through Moses,
grace and truth have come
through Jesus Christ.
No one has ever seen God;
it is the only Son,
who is close to the Father’s heart,
who has made him known.
From The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius,
by Louis J. Puhl, S.J.p. 11
21. SPIRITUAL EXERCISES
Which have as their purpose the conquest of self
and the regulation of one's life in such a way that
no decision is made under the influence of any
inordinate attachment
p. 25
46. PRAYER. In the preparatory prayer I will beg God
our Lord for grace that all my intentions, actions,
and operations may be directed purely to the
praise and service of His Divine Majesty.
