The roots of New Testament events are present in 2 Samuel 7.  David talks to the prophet Nathan about building a place for the Ark of God which currently is housed in a tent.  Nathan initially agrees but then is told by God that David is not to build a house for the Lord.  Instead, Nathan tells David that God plans to establish the house of David forever.  Further study of Psalms 89 and 132 as well as Isaiah 11, point to the messianic elements of this royal dynasty.  Since the Jewish people understood the messianic undertones of God’s message to David and his descendants, the gospels, Acts of the Apostles, letters, and Revelation emphasize Jesus’s connection to David.  In fact, the daily divine office uses The Canticle of Zechariah (Lk 1:68-79) where we read this verse, He has raised up for us a mighty savior, born of the house of his servant David.  The catechism of the Catholic Church section 439 also states that Many Jews and even certain Gentiles who shared their hope recognized in Jesus the fundamental attributes of the messianic “Son of David”, promised by God to Israel.  Jesus accepted his rightful title of Messiah, though with some reserve because it was understood by some of his contemporaries in too human a sense, essentially political.

We hope you will find these resources helpful.

Bishop Robert Barron’s  Video Why Remain Catholic?  (With So Much Scandal)

May the below encourage you and offer some things that we all can do to help bring about a renewal in the church.   As Ralph Martin said in his letter, ” Jesus is still Lord and will use the current grave problems to bring about good.”  Jesus told us he will not abandon us, and the gates of hell will not prevail against the Church.

Here are some other resources, which provide light and hope during this dark period:

• Joseph Ratzinger’s “Way of the Cross” meditations and prayers (given in 2005 at the Colosseum in Rome)
• Hours of Eucharistic Adoration in Reparation
• Prayer of Reparation
• Meditation on Reparation and Divine Intimacy
• A Holy Hour of Reparation

Additional Prayers:

• Prayer to St. Michael the Archangel
• Novena for the Abuse Crisis
• Litany of the Saints
• Rosary Crusade for the Church and World (Ends Oct. 7 Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary)
• Spiritually Adopt a Priest

Together let’s pray for the victims and the entire Body of Christ.
Let’s also pray the rosary daily as Mary requested, for peace in the world and true renewal in the Church.

Our Lady of Sorrows…    Pray for us!

what can we do as we continue to pray for the pope and our leaders that God may give them the wisdom and courage to deal with the root of the rot and bring about a real renewal of holiness and evangelization in the Church?

»We need to go about our daily lives, trying to live each day in a way pleasing to God, loving Him and loving our neighbor, including the neighbor in our own families. We need to look to ourselves, lest we fall.

»We need to remember that even though we have this treasure in earthen vessels (or as some translations put it, “cracked pots”), the treasure is no less the treasure. Don’t throw out the baby with the bathwater! Baby Jesus is the treasure, and He is still as present as ever and still as ready to receive all who come to Him. And the Mass! Every day, He is willing to come to us in such a special way. Let’s attend daily Mass even more frequently, to offer the sacrifice of Jesus’ death and resurrection to God the Father, in the power of the Holy Spirit, for the salvation of souls and the purification of the Church.

»We need to remember that the Catholic Church is indeed founded by Christ and, despite all problems, has within it the fullness of the means of salvation. Where else can we go? Nowhere; this is indeed our Mother and Home, and she needs our love, our prayers, and our persevering in the way of holiness more than ever.

»We need to remember that there are many truly holy and dedicated bishops and priests, and we must pray for them and support them. They need and deserve our support.

»We need to remember that this isn’t the first time such grave problems have beset the Church. In the fourteenth century, St. Catherine of Siena bemoaned the “stench of sin” coming from the papal court and prophesied that even the demons were disgusted by the homosexual activity he had tempted priests into and the cover up by their superiors! (See chapters 124-125 of Catherine of Siena’s The Dialogue.)

That isn’t to say that we don’t need to take seriously and do all we can in response to the grave scandal we are facing in our time. And yet we need to remember that all this is happening under the providence of God, and He has a plan to bring good out of it. It was even prophesied strongly in Mary’s apparitions in Akita, Japan. Jesus is still Lord and will use the current grave problems to bring about good.

And finally, I’m beginning to see why the Lord has impressed on me so strongly in the past year the urgent need to heed the appeals of Our Lady of Fatima. Indeed, as Mary said,

“Pray, pray very much, and make sacrifices for sinners; for many souls go to hell, because there are none to sacrifice themselves and to pray for them.”

Let’s continue to pray and offer sacrifices for the conversion of sinners and as reparation for sin, and let’s pray the rosary daily as Mary requested, for peace in the world and true renewal in the Church.

taken from Letter by Ralph Martin “Dear Troubled Catholics”

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IF YOU HAVE BEEN ABUSED OR VICTIMIZED BY SOMEONE REPRESENTING THE CATHOLIC CHURCH

*Please believe in the possibility for hope and help and healing.  We encourage you to come forward and speak out.

If I have been the victim of child sexual abuse by someone representing the Catholic Church, whom should I contact?
Contact the Victim Assistance Coordinator for the Diocese of Lansing, Cheryl Williams-Hecksel, LMSW, 888-308-6252 or cwilliamshecksel@dioceseoflansing.org.

What if I am an adult victim of sexual harassment, abuse, or other types of harassment by someone who works for the Catholic Church?
Contact the Lighthouse Incident Reporting service, 844-446-0009, or Lisa Kutas, Human Resources Director, 517-342-2511 or lkutas@dioceseoflansing.org.

Please Urge the Senate to Approve the Conscience Protection Act!
THANK YOU FOR YOUR ACTION! With voices all over Michigan and all over the country encouraging its passage, the U.S. House of Representatives approved the Conscience Protection Act this week by a 245-182 bipartisan vote.  The measure allows for health care providers and payers to protect their rights in court should they be forced to participate in abortion.  Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York and Archbishop William Lori of Baltimore, the respective chairs of the pro-life and religious liberty committees at the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), applauded the vote and urged continued action as the bill moves forward to the U.S. Senate.  Please send a message to the senate now: http://www.micatholic.org/advocacy/catholic-advocacy-network/vv/?vvsrc=%2fCampaigns
Please Urge Congress to Approve the First Amendment Defense Act!
The First Amendment Defense Act (H.R. 2802, S. 1598) would bar the federal government from discriminating against individuals and organizations based upon their religious beliefs or moral convictions that marriage is the union of one man and one woman or that sexual relations are properly reserved to such a marriage.  Please send a message now:  https://www.votervoice.net/USCCB/Campaigns/43794/Respond

At Good Shepherd we are pursuing new opportunities to foster a stronger parish life and better engage the New Evangelization. As a part of these efforts we are happy to announce that Good Shepherd now has it’s own app for Apple and Android phones.

Our new app will allow us to send you useful and important messages throughout the week regarding our parish life and events, and allow you to reply to messages or RSVP for events.

There will be no need for parishioners with smart phones to remember to silence their phones before Mass. The app will send you a reminder to silence your phone 20 minutes before the Mass you select. Many more great features will be a help to all of us, such as, daily Mass readings, Catholic news, prayers and prayer reminders, quick access to online tithing, Confession reminders, and our weekly bulletin.

So, be sure to download the app by visiting myparishapp.com or searching for myparish on your phone’s app store, or text  APP to 88202 and stay connected with us all week long.

Once downloaded open the app and search for Good Shepherd Church 400 N. Saginaw St. click on that.  That’s it!

Click Below to Get App

Check out some of the features

creating-account-in-app-to-join-group