I don’t think we can have virtue or the fullness of grace if we don’t live in the cell of our heart and soul. Only in this inner private place do we gain the treasure that is life and health for us. Here in this secret place we’re given the sacred nothingness that is a holy, intimate knowledge of ourselves and
of God. - Catherine of Siena, “Letters” (“But you,
when you pray, go into your inner room, close your door and pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.” Mt. 6: 6) _____ Christianity and Spirituality monthly forum December 7 is canceled as Phil is not yet up to hosting
January 4th is still on, 7:30 - 8:30
p.m. CST
Open Forum: questions and topics for discussion welcomed
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1 Mc 2:15-29; Psalm 50:1b-2, 5-6, 14-15
Lk 19:41-44
As Jesus drew near Jerusalem,
he saw the city and wept over it, saying,
“If this day you only knew what makes for peace–
but now it is
hidden from your eyes.
For the days are coming upon you
when your enemies will raise a palisade against you;
they will encircle you and hem you in on all sides.
They will smash you
to the ground and your children within you,
and they will not leave one stone upon another within you
because you did not recognize the time of your visitation.”
Reflection on the Scriptures
St. Ignatius, the founder of the Society of Jesus, had a lifelong commitment to the value of
gratitude. Fr. Charles Shelton S.J. writes: Although a number of Christian saints…wrote about the virtues of gratitude, it is Ignatius of Loyola who made gratitude the core of his approach to God. Ignatian spirituality is grounded in intense gratitude and reverence. It begins with and continually reverts to the awareness of the presence and power and care of God everywhere, for everyone, and at all
times. One of my Jesuit friends talks about gratitude and gift-giving. He believes that a gift expresses as much about the giver as it does about the receiver. When we have an important relationship, we desire to
give them a meaningful (not necessarily expensive!) gift. Our gift to someone we love informs them of our care for them. It also speaks about our love for and knowledge of them. Most importantly, we demonstrate our gratitude that they are part of our life. As we celebrate Thanksgiving, may we be mindful that giving thanks to and for others is a great gift. Jesus and St. Ignatius remind us that gratitude feeds our soul and pours love into our world. I propose that we conscientiously allow our gratitude for all people and things to flow into our lives and relationships. Not just today but all days.
St. John of the Cross and the Beginning of Contemplation by James Arraj From St. John of the Cross and Dr. C. J. Jung, Part II, Chapter 3. Inner Growth Books, 1986.
From Meditation to
Contemplation
The soul's lack of understanding and poor direction are compounded in St. John's mind by the work of the devil. The evil one takes his stand with great cunning on the road which leads from sense to
spirit. He tries with all his wiles to prevent the soul from passing over into this higher state of prayer where he can meddle with much less effectiveness. He torments them, especially those called to greater perfection , with severe temptations in the form of scrupulosity, urges to blaspheme and sins against chastity.
Therefore, though many enter this night of sense which heralds the beginning of
contemplation, few successfully emerge. Since contemplation is an essentially new experience, it is difficult to get used to. St. John, therefore, sets down three signs by which the beginner can make a judgment of whether he is really being led into the contemplative state.
The first sign is that he cannot meditate any longer or find that sweetness which used to come through the exercise of his
faculties. The second sign is that he does not have a desire to fix his attention and thoughts on other things besides the spiritual.
"The third and surest sign is that a person likes to remain alone in loving awareness of God, without particular considerations, in interior peace and quiet and repose, and without the acts and exercises (at least discursive, those in which one progresses from point to point) of the
intellect, memory and will; and that he prefers to remain only in the general, loving awareness and knowledge we mentioned, without any particular knowledge or understanding."
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