Wednesday, July 17, 2013

The Catholic Defender: Shepherd Me Oh Lord

"Woe to the shepherds who mislead and scatter the flock of my pasture, says the Lord. Therefore, thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, against the shepherds who shepherd my people: you have scattered my sheep and driven them away. You have not cared for them, but I will take care to punish your evil deeds. I myself will gather the remnant of my flock from the lands to which I have driven them and bring them back to their meadow; there they shall increase and multiply. I will appoint shepherds for them who will shepherd them so that they need no longer fear and tremble; and none shall be missing, says the Lord. Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will raise up a righteous shoot to David; As KIng he shall reign and govern wisely, he shall do what is just and right in the land. In his days Judah shall be saved, Israel shall dwell in security. This is the name they give him: The Lord our Justice."

"The Lord our justice" is Jesus Christ, he is the "righteous shoot to David"! Jesus appointed his apostles to lead his holy Catholic Church, to "shepherd" His people. Jesus himself gathered his Apostles to build the remnant of his people Israel and established the new and everlasting Covenant.

Pope Francis is the 266th successor of St. Peter and all the current bishops today are the true successors of the Apostles in an unbroken line of apostolic succession.

If there is a Catholic Priest or Bishop who is teaching contrary to Catholic Teaching, if they are teaching that you can be a good Catholic and openly dissent from official Catholic teaching, then I would say that such a Priest or Bishop have lost site of their first mission in serving Jesus Christ. Even though the above scripture applies to the Old Testament, it is certainly applicable here and now.

We need to pray for our Spiritual leaders, "Obey your leaders and defer to them, for they keep watch over you and will have to give an account, that they may fulfull their task with joy and not with sorrow, for that would be of no advantage to you" (Hebrews 13:17).

St Paul wrote St. Timothy, "Attend to yourself and to your teaching; persevere in both tasks, for by doing so you will save both yourself and those who listen to you" (1 Timothy 4:16).

St. Peter writes, "So I exhort the presbyters among you, as a fellow presbyter and witness to the sufferings of Christ and one who has a share in the glory to be revealed. Tend the flock of God in your midst, overseeing not by constraint but willingly, as God would have it, not for shameful profit but eagerly. Do not lord it over those assigned to you, but be examples to the flock" (1 Peter 5:1-4).

St. Peter received this message from the Lord himself: "Jesus said to Simon Peter, Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?" He said to him, "Yes Lord, you know that I love you." He said to him, "Feed my lambs." He said a second time, "Simon, son of John, do you love me?" He said to him, "Yes Lord, you know that I love you." He said to him, "Tend my sheep." He said to him the third time, "Simon, son of John, do you love me?" Peter was distressed that he had said to him a third time, "Do you love me?" and he said to him, "Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you." Jesus said to him, "Feed my sheep. Amen, amen, I say to you, when you were younger, you used to dress yourself and go where you wanted; but when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go." He said this signifying by what kind of death he would glorify God. And when he had said this, he said to him, "Follow me."

St. Peter was crucified upside down at Vatican Hill in 67 A.D. glorifying God through his martyrdom as Jesus had said.

When my Sons Nathan and Jason were still in their teens, Nathan would sometimes come up with some cool guitar licks just messing around.

He would go days playing it as he was really becoming a fine guitar player. I encourgaged him to take this one sound he came up with and try placing the words of Psalms 23 with it.

What resulted would be one of my favorite songs we did as a group.

Jason is my little drummer boy, at 13-14 he became a leader of the band keeping us on track with his beat. I am so proud of all my children as they continue to do well.

The following song is both Nathan and Jason playing before a good crowd in Hopkinsville Kentucky.






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