Forum on Christianity and Spirituality
November 7, 2024, 7:30 p.m. CST What does it mean to be a soul?
by Philip St. Romain, M.S., D. Min. See https://shalomplace.com/inetmin/forum.html for more information and registration.
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Message of the Day
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The famous saying 'God is love', it is generally assumed, means that God is like our
immediate emotional indulgence, not that the meaning of love ought to have something of the 'otherness' and terror of God. -Charles Williams
(God's love is far greater than anything we can imagine.
Open yourself to receive this love today.)
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Readings of the Day
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GAL 5:18-25; PS 1:1-2, 3, 4 AND 6 LK 11:42-46 The Lord said:
“Woe to you Pharisees!
You pay tithes of mint and of rue and of every garden herb,
but you pay no attention to judgment and to love for God.
These you should have done, without overlooking the others.
Woe to you Pharisees!
You love the seat of honor in synagogues
and greetings in marketplaces.
Woe to you!
You are like unseen graves over which people unknowingly walk.” Then one of the scholars of the law said to him in reply,
“Teacher, by saying this you are insulting us too.”
And he said, “Woe also to you scholars of the law!
You impose on people burdens hard to carry,
but you yourselves do not lift one finger to touch
them.” USCCB lectionary
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Reflection on the Scripture
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“Since we live by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit’s lead.” —Galatians 5:25
For most Christians, the difficult Scripture verse for today is Galatians 5:24:
“Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified their flesh with its passions and desires.” The Lord commands us to accept His grace so we will have crucified flesh, crucified passions, and crucified desires. Although some people believe in toning down the flesh and not following every whim (see Eph 2:3), the idea of “crucified flesh” smacks of extremism and fanaticism to those programmed by our secular humanistic “culture of death.” Here’s where the real Christians stand up. Obey even the
difficult verses, live by the Spirit, and follow the Spirit’s lead. Obey Galatians 5:24 and 5:25.
Prayer: Father, send the Spirit to convict the world about sin (Jn 16:8) and to crucify me to the world (Gal 6:14). Promise: “In contrast, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patient endurance, kindness, generosity, faith, mildness, and chastity.” —Gal
5:22-23 Presentation Ministries
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Spiritual Reading
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Readings from Jesus Alive in Our Lives, by Philip St. Romain. Ave Maria Press, 1985. Contemplative Ministries, Inc. 2011. Part Three, Gift of the Spirit Chapter : The Holy Spirit and the
Trinity - Selected quotes
After reading all of these chapters, you might be wondering if you have received the Holy Spirit. If so, how could you know for sure?
There are different levels of response to this, the first being a reassurance that if you have been baptized, you have
received the Holy Spirit. Since this is true of virtually all Christians, they can then conclude that they have been sealed with the Spirit, claimed for Christ, and that the Spirit is ready and waiting to bless them with spiritual gifts. The issue, then, for Christians, is not whether they have been given the Spirit or not, but whether they are open to the Spirit’s guidance and action in their lives. It is here that Christian morality and spirituality become most significant
for those who do want to live in union with the Spirit.
Paperback and eBook versions
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