Sunday, April 30, 2017

2nd Sunday after Easter




Today is Good Shepherd Sunday, the 2nd Sunday after Easter. Jesus is our good Shepherd. He says: "I know my sheep and my sheep know me." However, He is invisible to us unless we have been given a special grace. But, He left us the road we need to follow to reach our goal, and that is to be with Him and His Mother and all the saints in heaven. That road is the One, Holy, CATHOLIC, and Apostolic Church. He has left Peter, the first Pope, in charge of it, along with his successors until the end of time. Jesus told Peter: "Feed my lambs, feed my lambs, and feed my sheep."
The lambs are us. The sheep are the older and wiser ones, the leaders of His Church. They are suppose to teach the Truth which comes through Jesus to Peter, all of the Popes, the Cardinals, the Bishops, and then to the rest of us. If they fail and do NOT teach us what the Apostles taught, they are wrong, PERIOD!  (And, we need to correct them when they are wrong!  It is our duty)  These last 50+ years we have seen a departure from the original intent of Jesus. Our 'sheep' seem to be making a new church which strongly resembles the protestant churches; thus, not teaching what they ought. We are told: "All churches have a little of the truth, and when we put them altogether, we have the total truth." As I have said before, this is a huge 'PANTLOAD!'

Jesus did NOT found 100,000+ churches, He founded ONE Church. We need to really and sincerely study what the Apostles taught to get to our goal. However, we have the Church to tell us the Truth lest we stray from it. We need to read the 'Syllabus of Errors' which was written by Pope Pius IX, about 150 years ago. He anathamatizes a lot of what has been going on in the Church the past 50+ years. Well worth the read. Get busy!

You know, St. Paul withstood Peter to his face on an error he was promoting (about having to be circumcised to be saved); Peter saw his error and corrected it. Sometimes we need to confront our leaders when they are wrong to help them and their souls. Because, as in my bio, if we don't say something, we are guilty of promoting the same errors. We don't want that.


"Even if Catholics faithful to Tradition are reduced to a handful,
they are the ones who are the True Church of Jesus Christ."
St. Athanasius 4th Century

Prayer To God The Son For The Extirpation Of Heresy
O Jesus, the true light which enlighteneth every man coming into this world, grant, I beseech thee, by the merits of Thy passion and death, that all errors and heresies may be driven back into darkness; that all mankind may behold the light of Thy truth, and may hasten into the bosom of Thy holy Church. Oh, good Shepherd, who hast given thy life for Thy sheep, protect Thy flock, and defend it from the strength and the snares of those who come upon it in the clothing of lambs, but are, in reality, ravenous wolves. Grant that all may follow one Shepherd and that all may form only one flock. Stay with us, O Lord, according to thy promise, "Behold I am with you all days, even until the consummation of the world." Show that Thy church is built upon a rock, and that the gates of hell cannot prevail against it. Amen.


Our Father, &c. Hail Mary, &c.


Jesus, Shepherd of our souls, have mercy on us.



Hymn of Thanks to the Good Shepherd
by one who has been brought back to the Fold. (How many of us have been here?)

"I am the Good Shepherd, and I know Mine and Mine, know Me."--John X. 14:


I was wandering and weary.
When my Saviour came unto me;
For the ways of sin grew dreary,
And the world had ceased to woo me.
And I thought I heard Him say,
As He came along His way,
O silly souls, come near Me;
My sheep should never fear Me;
I am the Shepherd true!


At first I would not hearken,
And put off till the morrow;
But life began to darken,
And I was sick with sorrow;
And I thought I heard Him say,
As He came along His way,
O silly souls, come near Me;
My sheep should never fear Me;
I am the Shepherd true!


At last I stopped to listen,
His voice could not deceive me;
I saw His kind eyes glisten,
So anxious to relieve me;
And I thought I heard Him say,
As He came along His way,
O silly souls, come near Me;
My sheep should never fear me;
I am the Shepherd true!


He took me on His shoulder,
And tenderly He kissed me;
He bade my love be bolder,
And said how He had missed me;
And I'm sure I heard Him say,
As He went along His way,
O silly souls, come near Me;
My sheep should never fear Me;
I am the Shepherd true!


I thought His love would weaken,
As more and more He knew me;
But it burned like a beacon,
And its light and heat go through me;
And I ever hear Him say,
As He goes along His way,
O silly souls, come near Me;
My sheep should never fear Me;
I am the Shepherd true!


Let us do, then, dearest Brothers,
What will best and longest please us.
Follow not the ways of others,
But trust ourselves to Jesus;
We shall ever hear Him say,
As He goes along His way,
O silly souls, come near Me;
My sheep should never fear Me;
I am the Shepherd true!

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