Shepherds of Christ Daily Writing        

May 15, 2016

May 16th Holy Spirit Novena
 Scripture selection is Day 9 Period II.

The Novena Rosary Mysteries 
for May 16th are Sorrowful.

 

Please pray for Cole, a 4 year old,
who couldn't swim and lost
consciousness in the pool
and is in ICU.
Pray with all your heart,
spread the blood of Jesus
on all, consecrate all hearts,
pray for an outpouring of the
Holy Spirit on all involved,
cast devil far away.

 

Pray for special intentions.
  

Pray for Dan & Melanie, Jimmy,
Fr. Joe, Mary, Blue Book 17.

Please pray for funds & grace.    

 

 Give the gift that Counts.

Blow Out Sale for Reprinting of Blue Book 1, 2 & 3

While Supplies Last

Blue Book 1   -  $4 each plus postage
Blue Book 2   -  $4 each plus postage
Blue Book 3   -  $3 each plus postage

Call 1-888-211-3041 for Doris

 

                  

New Homily Book - Cycle C
Available $10.00 plus postage 

     

  

Blue Book 16 is Available!

 
   

                May 15, 2016 - Pentecost
 

 

Pentecost

Acts 2: 1-11

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.

    Now there were devout men living in Jerusalem from every nation under heaven, and at this sound they all assembled, and each one was bewildered to hear these men speaking his own language. They were amazed and astonished. ‘Surely,’ they said, ‘all these men speaking are Galileans? How does it happen that each of us hears them in his own native language? Parthians, Medes and Elamites; people from Mesopotamia, Judaea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya round Cyrene; residents of Rome—Jews and proselytes alike—Cretans and Arabs, we hear them preaching in our own language about the marvels of God.’

 

Psalm 104: 1-2, 24, 27-30, 35

Bless Yahweh, my soul, 
Yahweh, my God, how great you are! 
Clothed in majesty and splendour,
wearing the light as a robe!

You stretch out the heavens like a tent,

How countless are your works, Yahweh, 
all of them made so wisely! 
The earth is full of your creatures.

They all depend upon you,
to feed them when they need it.
You provide the food they gather,
your open hand gives them their fill.

Turn away your face and they panic; 
take back their breath and they die 
and revert to dust. 
Send out your breath and life begins; 
you renew the face of the earth. 

May sinners vanish from the earth,
and the wicked exist no more!

Bless Yahweh, my soul.

 

1 Corinthians 12: 3-7, 12-13

. . . nobody is able to say, ‘Jesus is Lord’ except in the Holy Spirit.

The variety and the unity of gifts

There are many different gifts, but it is always the same Spirit; there are many different ways of serving, but it is always the same Lord. There are many different forms of activity, but in everybody it is the same God who is at work in them all. The particular manifestation of the Spirit granted to each one is to be used for the general good.

For as with the human body which is a unity although it has many parts—all the parts of the body, though many, still making up one single body—so it is with Christ. We were baptised into one body in a single Spirit, Jews as well as Greeks, slaves as well as free men, and we were all given the same Spirit to drink.
 

 
John 20: 19-23

Appearances to the disciples

In the evening of that same day, the first day of the week, the doors were closed in the room where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews. Jesus came and stood among them. He said to them, ‘Peace be with you,’ and, after saying this, he showed them his hands and his side. The disciples were filled with joy at seeing the Lord, and he said to them again, ‘Peace be with you. 

‘As the Father sent me, 
so am I sending you.’ 

After saying this he breathed on them and said: 

Receive the Holy Spirit. 
If you forgive anyone’s sins, 
they are forgiven; 
if you retain anyone’s sins, 
they are retained.

 

Vigil of Pentecost

May 19, 2013

INTRODUCTION – (Genesis 11:1-9; Romans 8:22-27; John 7:37-39) There are eleven possible readings for the feast of Pentecost, six for the vigil and five for the feast itself. On Sunday there is a special sequence before the gospel. Only Easter and Pentecost have a special sequence that is required and Corpus Christi has an optional one. Today is indeed a special feast, the third most important feast in the Church year, the feast that celebrates the completion of Jesus’ saving work with his sending of the Holy Spirit. Thanks to those who wore red, the color of the Holy Spirit.

    Our first reading today is from Genesis. The story follows the story of the great flood. Those who survived the flood intended to make sure they would be able to escape floods in the future, so they decided to build a high tower. Notice a little satire here. In their pride, they are going to build a tower up to the heavens and God decides to “come down” to see what’s going on. He confuses their speech to put an end to their prideful building project. God does not want to divide people but to unite them. In the account of Pentecost, in a passage that is read Sunday from the Acts of the Apostles, that’s exactly what he does as he gives the apostles a special gift of tongues so that people from every nation would understand the message of God’s universal love that they were preaching.

HOMILY – Two hundred years ago this year, a man was born named Antoine Frederic Ozanam. He was a distinguished scholar, a journalist, a doctor of law, a doctor of letters and a professor of law as well as a professor of foreign literature at the Sorbonne in Paris. In his short life (of 40 years) as a professor, a father and a husband, he managed to found a society to help the poor, the Conference of Charity, which today is known as the society of St. Vincent de Paul. St. Vincent de Paul was a French saint who dedicated himself to helping the poor 200 years before Blessed Frederic Ozanam was born. I call Ozanam blessed because Pope John Paul declared him blessed in 1997, the last step before sainthood. Why do I tell you this? Not just because it’s the 200th anniversary of his birth, but also because it is one example of the Holy Spirit at work. The Spirit inspired Frederic Ozanam, a layman, to live a life of learning, scholarship and holiness. We have a parish that generously supports a food pantry and generous volunteers who help distribute the food on Saturday afternoon. That is how the Spirit inspires a lot of people (donors and workers) to help over 100 people monthly who need help.

    I have a success story I would like to tell you from our St. Vincent de Paul work. There was a man named Rodney who came in for food. He was an ex-con who had put in his time. One time when he came in he asked Kathleen, who works in the food pantry, for a skillet. When she was shopping later in the week, she bought one and gave it to him. This fired up his interest in cooking. He joined a cooking class at the Freestore and in a short time he became such a good cook that he is now the kitchen manager at the Freestore and works there also as liaison between P & G and the Freestore. His story has inspired some of his buddies who were down and out to realize they too could improve their lot in life. I see this story also as the work of the Spirit inspiring Kathleen to go out and get a $9.00 skillet for one of the people who came to our pantry.

Jesus spoke many times about the Holy Spirit. One thing he said that always struck me as strange is when he said, “it is better for you that I go, for if I do not go the Holy Spirit will not come to you.” (Jn 16:7) Surely the apostles wondered, as I did, how could anything be an advantage, how could anything be better for them if Jesus were to leave them. As we now know, Jesus didn’t really leave them, rather he remained with them through the Holy Spirit he sent them. Here is one of the advantages of having the Holy Spirit. Jesus physically could not be everywhere, but through the Spirit, Jesus could be touching the hearts and minds of all seven billion people in the world today, if they were all receptive to his Spirit.

    It is hard to imagine the Holy Spirit for the Holy Spirit chooses to stay out of the spotlight and prefers to work behind the scenes. The Spirit is with us now when we come together in faith and prayer. The Spirit helps us to listen to God’s word. We pray for the Spirit to change bread and wine into Christ’s body and blood. The Spirit guides the Church, and the Church still survives even when the Church leaders and members do not always let themselves be guided by the Spirit. The Spirit blesses our inner spirits with love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, humility and self-control, gifts that Paul lists in Galatians (5:22 & 23). With all that the Spirit does, what does the Spirit not do? The Spirit does not force us. God gave us a free will and the Spirit does not take that away. The Spirit inspires us to move in God’s direction, but it’s our choice whether or not we do so. The Spirit guides and inspires the whole Church and the Spirit guides and inspires each one of us individually. In (Sunday’s) gospel we hear Jesus say the Spirit “will teach you everything and remind you of all that I told you.” That is one of the ways I have experienced the Spirit working in my life, reminding me what I should do, how I should live, and helping the Scriptures come alive for me. Sometimes in counseling I have experienced an idea coming into my head that was just the right thing to say to a person and I end up asking myself, “where did that idea come from?” For a long time all I ever knew of the Spirit was he would help us when we had to take a test. Here too the Spirit helps, but the Spirit also teaches us to be responsible, and I’ve found if I didn’t do my homework, the Spirit wasn’t going to whisper the answers in my ears. If we had another hour, I couldn’t say everything that could be said about the Spirit. Just open you own heart to the Spirit and discover the blessings the Spirit can bring. Jesus promised the Father would send the Spirit to those who ask him for the Holy Spirit. (Lk. 11:14)

 

 

  

Give the gift that keeps giving.

Blue Book 1 & 2 – $4.00 each plus postage

 

 

Blue Books 13, 12, 11, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6A, B, C, 3 – 
$3.00 each plus postage

  

Blue Books 4 & 5 –$2.00 each plus postage

Blue Books 14 & 15 –$5.00 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

     

 

                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, Matthew, 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 17 and cover and 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, Laverne,
                    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.

 

 

 The Wedding Rosary 

Crystal Image Rosary

$40 plus shipping

 

Original Image Rosary

8mm glass beads
in a matching gift box

$40 plus shipping

 

  

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

      

 

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

     

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

    

 

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

Main Shepherds of Christ Page

SofC LogoCopyright © 2014 Shepherds of Christ.
Rights for non–commercial reproduction granted:
May be copied in its entirety, but neither re–typed nor edited.
Translations are welcome but they must be reviewed for moral and 
theological accuracy by a source approved by Shepherds of Christ Ministries 
before any distribution takes place. Please contact us for more information.