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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O my soul, what are you doing? Are you not aware that God sees you always? You can never hide yourself from His sight. O Father, have pity on us because we are blind and in darkness. Drive out the darkness and give me light. Melt the ice of my self-love and kindle in me the fire of Your charity.
- St. Catherine of Siena - Amen!
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Readings of the Day
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EPH 3:2-12; Psalm IS 12:2-3, 4BCD, 5-6 LK 12:39-48 Jesus said to his disciples:
“Be sure of this:
if the master of the house had known the hour
when the thief was coming,
he would not have let his house be broken into.
You also must be
prepared,
for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come.” Then Peter said,
“Lord, is this parable meant for us or for everyone?”
And the Lord replied,
“Who, then, is the faithful and prudent steward
whom the master will put in
charge of his servants
to distribute the food allowance at the proper time?
Blessed is that servant whom his master on arrival finds doing so.
Truly, I say to you, he will put him
in charge of all his property.
But if that servant says to himself,
‘My master
is delayed in coming,’
and begins to beat the menservants and the maidservants,
to eat and drink and get drunk,
then that servant’s master will come
on an unexpected day and at an unknown hour
and will punish the servant severely
and assign him a place with
the unfaithful.
That servant who knew his master’s will
but did not make preparations nor act in accord with his will
shall be beaten severely;
and the servant who was ignorant of his master’s will
but acted in a way deserving of a severe beating
shall be
beaten only lightly.
Much will be required of the person entrusted with much,
and still more will be demanded of the person entrusted with
more.” USCCB lectionary
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Reflection on the Scripture
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Luke 12:39-48 (Honesty and fidelity)
The world is a much better place
because of the Judeo-Christian doctrine of an eventual call to judgment. But fear of punishment is, at best, only a minimal reason to remain faithful to God. Fidelity to Christ’s values is strongest in people who recognize in these principles a way to live life to the fullest. Those who never achieve this understanding will not be judged as harshly as will those who do know the truth but choose selfishness anyway. - What are
some of the reasons why you faithfully follow Jesus?
- “When you know the right thing to do but do not do it, you sin, ” James wrote. Spend some time reflecting on how lately you have fallen short of the goodness to which Jesus calls you. Ask God for forgiveness.
- Praying the Daily Gospels 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
The presence of spiritual gifts would be a second reassurance of the presence of the Spirit in your life. We have already discussed the nature of spiritual gifts, so it’s a matter now of you discovering what gifts you have been given and how they are manifest in your life. It’s important to learn the
difference between exercising these gifts and exercising your natural talents; sometimes the two go together, but not always. It might seem a redundancy to say that where the spiritual gifts are manifest, there is the Spirit, but this point is nonetheless an important one. This was what caught the attention of the early Christian leaders, as they observed the gifts of the Spirit among non-Jewish believers who had not yet even been baptized. And so we might examine our own lives
more deeply to see where spiritual charisms are already present. They might be showing up in Church-related settings, or possibly others as well.
I know a woman, for example, who’s not especially Christian in her religious faith perspective, but others seemed to be drawn to her for listening and encouragement after she began a regular practice of meditation in her early 40s. She found herself energized by these encounters
with others, and her interactions with them seemed effortless and efficacious unto their growth and healing—this with virtually no training as a therapist. Eventually, she decided to study to be a clinical social worker, and now makes her living counseling with people every day. It seems the Holy Spirit was blessing her with charisms and leading her to a new profession, where she can exercise her gifts for the benefit of others more regularly. She is a baptized Christian, but,
as noted, has been away from the Church for many years.
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