Shepherds of Christ Daily Writing

December 9, 2015

Pray for special intentions.
  

Pray for Dan & Melanie, Jimmy,
Fr. Joe, Mary, Blue Book 16.

Please pray for funds & grace.

                December 9, 2015

                R. God calls us to holiness. God has given us
                a certain disposition and temperament. Fr. Carter
                was quiet, but the love in his heart was always
                extended to those around him in everything he
                did. Fr. Carter hugged us all and was very engaged
                even though he was quiet. There was great unity
                and communication even with his quiet disposition.
                He was always engaged, loving and ready to discuss
                any problem with wisdom and understanding
                in helping to solve problems and build up the
                movement.

                    His whole focus was always doing God's will, in
                love, exactly as God wanted it - not too much –
                not too little – he loved – he loved God first and
                wanted to please Him first and always.

                    He always told me if a person was important
                to God in a relationship to build God's Kingdom –
                then you had to spend time with them because you
                built relationships on what God wanted. His
                relationships and how he spent his time was
                according to God's will for the building of the
                Kingdom of God. Fr. Carter's efforts were light –
                Fr. Carter's efforts were for building.
                His mission was united so deeply
                to God in unity in his interior life. God was
                center and he operated from this, even when
                the people made him suffer because of selfishness,
                bickering – he was constant – what was God's will
                for Fr. Carter, how could he do that in love –
                Fr. Carter loved, Fr. Carter gave, Fr. Carter was engaged,
                Fr. Carter listened, Fr. Carter was
                available, but he was balanced –
                he cared about his Jesuit brothers –
                he lived his calling as a Jesuit –
                his life centered around the Mass –
                his life centered around his prayer and his
                    hour before the Blessed Sacrament –

                    Fr. Carter taught me by his life – I knew balance through
                his life, I knew the love of God as Fr. Carter was such
                a friend, He was Christ-like, He was everything
                he wrote about – there was only truth between
                Fr. Carter and his writings. His desire to discern the
                Daily Message was seen by how he held it
                with top regard. He discerned rosaries, Blue Books,
                he went to China, he took care of his health and
                you knew it, he exercised, he ate right, he prayed,
                said Mass, did his hour, wrote the Priestly
                Newsletter, tried to get it translated, prayer
                chapters began and prayers translated in different
                languages.

                    His fire power was his love of God, His love
                for the Mission God gave him – He was self-less –
                but balanced, he never waned in and out or
                gave into any self-pity –

                    What a model – Fr. Carter was so much like
                Jesus, full of love and care and so
                convicted to this Mission Jesus gave him –
 

Through Him, With Him, In Him

                R. When I think of Fr. Carter and how deeply he believed
                in this mission, the Blue Books, the Priestly Writing,
                the Prayer Chapters, the 13th, he never wavered –
                he was always engaged in the mission – powered
                by the power of God behind his actions –

                    Fr. Carter was prepared –

                    Fr. Carter was a leader –

                    Fr. Carter was obedient to the messages and
                        lived by them –

                    Fr. Carter gave and gave and gave –

                Fr. Carter said
 

                Excerpt from Response in Christ 

^ELEVEN   Other Christian Virtues (excerpt)

    Humility also bids a person to accept himself as he has come forth from the creative hand of God. God has given us certain fundamental talents. These can be great. They can also be ordinary. God has also given each of us a certain basic temperament and personality, and we must realize that He leads us on in Christian holiness according to this fundamental structure.³ This is not to say that we are not to improve upon our essential structure as indicated; it is rather a question of not striving to become what God does not intend us to be.

    Humility likewise leads a person to seek and fulfill God's appointed task for him in life. To act in this way is to exercise humility because it is a realization of what it means to be God's creature. We cannot always be as sure of our role in life as we would like. But if we utilize prayer and the other means available we can be as certain as God wants us to be, and this is what matters. Within this God-given role, we should try to give our reasonable best each day despite the possible monotony, frustration or hiddeness of our work. We must give our attention primarily to the task of the present. All of us are tempted at times to live too much in the past or too much in the future. This can be caused by a lack of humility (although not necessarily so). For to fail to live properly in the present can mean that we are dissatisfied with the tasks and circumstances which Providence here and now put before us. If this is the truth of the matter, it means we are failing to some extent to act as a creature before our Creator. It is to fail in humility.

    A truth attached to the practice of Christian humility which we find difficult to accept is the fact that we must be willing to accept humiliations properly. This generally is always difficult for us despite the presence of God's grace. It perhaps is made more difficult in the type of culture which surrounds us. But the difficulty involved cannot relieve us of the necessity of reacting properly to insults and humiliations. We should not give occasion for humiliations, but our humility will never be a solid one unless we properly accept these when they do occur. Christ has shown the way. "Then they stripped him and made him wear a scarlet cloak, and having twisted some thorns into a crown they put this on his head and placed a reed in his right hand. To make fun of him they knelt to him saying, "Hail, king of the Jews! " And they spat on him and took the reed and struck him on the head with it." (Mt 27:28-30).

    But, of course, it is not only in regard to reacting properly to insults and humiliations that Christ has given us an example. Humility in all its aspects is perfectly summed up in the man Jesus: "In your minds you must be the same as Christ Jesus: His state was divine, yet he did not cling to his equality with God but emptied himself to assume the condition of a slave, and became as men are; and being as all men are, he was humbler yet, even to accepting death, death on a cross." (Ph 2:5-8).

 3.  Cf. A. Roldan, Personality Types and Holiness (New York: Alba House, 1967), pp. 136-137.

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. Jesus called the Servants of the Good Shepherd
                    and Handmaids of the Good Shepherd.

                Jesus called them to give in their vocation,
                    to living a spousal union with Christ,
                    to wear a ring,
                    to be obedient to their superior –
                    to live the holy life under
                        spiritual direction, united in
                        love to Him and to the
                        community –

                We see darkness in War –

                We see darkness in World War II

                Tearing down, hatred, bitterness – it seems
                    almost no rhyme or reason –
                    people incinerated
                    people blown apart
                    The dignity of men disrespected

                Darkness, ruin, hatred – a
                    War Machine
                    Competition to killing innocent others –

                Loving and this Movement is to build the
                    Kingdom of God –
                    people come because they say –
                        "see how they love God and love
                            one another "

                Witnessing as servants and handmaids
                    to a way of life in which
                    Jesus is the Center –
                    Life in Him –
                    Being a light –
                    Being united in one mind and one heart –

                Love is empowered by energy blown from
                    the Holy Spirit –

                Like we see the fear of the Apostles –
                    transformed at Pentecost –
                    and so many were converted –
                    they went out –
                    they were fearless –
                    they were sent forth, empowered
                        by the Holy Spirit in love –
                        burning in love –

                R. When the devil is pressing down in old, bad,
                        destructive, self - pitying habits –

                Stop say –

                    "Holy Spirit flood my soul with Your presence –
                        give me love in my heart –
                        give me a heart on fire for love of You –

                    Holy Spirit fill me –

                    Come into me now

                    Holy Spirit I love You, Come, Come,
                        Open my eyes and my heart to love"

                R. God wants a Spousal union with us –

                We seek this presence of God in us –
                    guiding us, giving us wisdom,
                    knowledge, the vision of God,
                    courage, humility, love.

                Pray for the presence of the Holy Spirit to
                    flood your soul with His
                    presence –
 

                R. He is the Initiator

                We are the soul waiting His favor –

                Interior union with God –

                    God dwelling IN US

                    God being a light in us like Mary
                        says –

                "My soul proclaims the greatness of the
                    Lord and
                    My spirit rejoices in God, my Savior"  Luke 1: 46-47

                Song: A Song from Jesus

                Song: Glory, Glory, Glory Lord

                R. Romance is all about love with
                    God the Father, our Creator –

                R. Dear God fill me with Your grace –
                    Help me to live my vocation as
                        Your instrument,
                        as You operate in me,
                        help me to be on fire for the
                        love of God –