Mary has requested that the daily message be given each day to the world. It is read nightly at the prayer service from her Image Building in Clearwater, Florida, U.S.A. This is according to her request. All attempts will be made to publish this daily message to the world at 11 p.m. Eastern time, U.S.A. We acknowledge that the final authority regarding these messages rests with the Holy See of Rome.

February 1, 2000

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.

Messenger: Include Our Lady of the Holy Spirit Center in 6:20 prayers.

Jesus speaks: Please include the following letters on the Internet today. These letters are responses concerning the priestly newsletter.

Letters

• Dear Father Carter,
  
  For years I have received Shepherds of Christ Newsletter; I do not know who put me on your mailing list, but I’m grateful to you both. Since I first began to receive the newsletter I have been assigned as the Director of Formation Advising for the Pontifical North American College in Rome.
  
  I would like to know if it would be possible to make a bulk order so that our seminarians could benefit from the newsletter as well. I will make sure they are distributed to our seminarians. At present we have about 200 seminarians and student priests on our campus, all eager for good spiritual reading!
  
  Please let me know if we can make an arrangement for the delivery of the newsletter here at the college.
  
  Please keep our faculty and seminarians in your prayers.
  
  Sincerely yours in Christ,

Rev. J. Mark Williams
Director of Formation Advising
Pontifical North American College
00120 Vatican City State

Fr. Varghese Palathingal, sdb.
Provincial
Don Bosco Provincial House
Nagaland, India

February 1, 2000

Witness Letter - Margaret C.

How Shepherds of Christ Has Changed My Life

In midsummer of 1996, after receiving some material from a friend, I asked people to help form a Shepherds of Christ prayer chapter. I requested and obtained our Pastor's permission to expose the Blessed Sacrament nightly for our prayer gatherings. I also began making monthly pilgrimages to China, Indiana, for the special prayer service on the 13th of each month and a bit later, for the three-day retreats with exposition of the Blessed Sacrament.

The teachings, prayers, love letters, and way of life given to us by Jesus through His Shepherds of Christ Movement helped me realize that I held erroneous views about my faith and God's ways. I recognized too, that I had developed several unChrist-like habits. As ridiculous as it sounds now, the discovery that I could not make myself holy by hard work and perseverance, was quite an insight. But these disconcerting conclusions were accompanied by the refreshing realization that I was made to be totally dependent upon my Creator, Redeemer, Sanctifier, and Heavenly Mother for all things -- including my sanctification. I came to understand that I needed an increased dependency:

On God the Father for His mercy, grace and the manifestation of His will for me,

On Jesus for His example, word, Sacrifice of the Mass, Sacraments, and Shepherds of Christ teachings,

On the Holy Spirit for His gifts and transforming action,

On Mary, my Mother for her protection, modeling and intercession.

The fact that all these gifts are free for my taking, will never cease to amaze me.

The pace with which self dies and gives way to Christ would be discouraging if it were not for the infinite, unconditional love and patience Jesus has for each soul, the explicit guidance He provides us on how to become more like Himself, and His generous promises. Jesus' love, expressed most vividly for me in His Incarnation, Passion, death, Eucharist, and the Sacrament of Reconciliation, provides the impetus I need to forever plead and beg for God's transforming action in me.

The stations and the rosary prayed as Jesus and Mary request, have made Their lives so real and made me increasingly aware that Their lives were always shaped by love for God the Father, for each Other, and for souls. I often now place myself at the scene of the mystery or station, and find myself asking questions, seeking counsel, expressing gratitude, or making a request or Act of Contrition. I have come to recognize that the slightest lack of love between my brother and myself is offensive to God and my Mother and that it distances me from Them. I have come to equate the lives of Jesus and Mary with a never-ending "fiat" -- some prayed tearfully, some joyfully, but all said unconditionally. This unending and uninterrupted fiat has become a source of great inspiration. While I believe it is rarely if ever attained in this life, I know that Jesus has set this as a goal for the members of His Movement. Stations, rosary and the messages from Jesus and Mary have also convinced me that working as a co-redeemer with Jesus and Mary is not only an essential component of Christianity but a privilege that allows us to truly share Divinity.

One of my favorite lessons is the channeling of grace and mercy from the Father, and the reverse channeling of our prayers to Him. A second favorite is the instructions Jesus has given us for more effectively offering the Sacrifice of the Mass. These two lessons have substantially affected my prayer life. I still frequently find myself trying to devise my own strategies, my own goals, my own time table; but when I catch myself doing so, I at least now recognize the absurdity of such self-direction and the wisdom of using the fool-proof methods identified by Jesus and Mary in the Shepherds of Christ Movement.

So with the grace of God I intend to daily nestle in the Hearts of Jesus and Mary through frequent consecration, learn to listen with my heart to Their counsel, beg for Their help to discern the Father's will, and join Them in praying "fiat".

Oh Jesus and Mary, I'll need eternity to begin to thank You for the lessons You are teaching me and the call and mission You have given me as a member of Shepherds of Christ. Thank You! Thank You! Thank You! I give to each of You, my body, my heart, mind and soul. I place my trust in You.

Question for married couples and others in intimate relationships: