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As long as I am content to know that He is infinitely greater than I, and that I cannot know Him unless He shows Himself to me, I will have Peace, and He will be near me and in me, and I will rest in Him. - Thomas Merton
Sign on wall plaque:
The way to wisdom and peace:
1. Know that there is a God.
2. Know that you are not Him. |
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EX 32:7-14; PS 106:19-20, 21-22, 23
JN
5:31-47
Jesus said to the Jews:
"If I testify on my own behalf, my testimony is not true.
But there is another who testifies on my behalf,
and I know that the testimony he gives on my behalf is true.
You sent emissaries to John, and he testified to the truth.
I do not accept human
testimony,
but I say this so that you may be saved.
He was a burning and shining lamp,
and for a while you were content to rejoice in his light.
But I have testimony greater than John's.
The works that the Father gave me to accomplish,
these works that I perform testify on my behalf
that the Father has sent me.
Moreover, the Father who sent me has testified on my behalf.
But you have never heard his voice nor seen his form,
and you do not have his word remaining in
you,
because you do not believe in the one whom he has sent.
You search the Scriptures,
because you think you have eternal life through them;
even they testify on my behalf.
But you do not want to come to me to have life.
"I do not accept human praise;
moreover, I know that you do not have the
love of God in you.
I came in the name of my Father,
but you do not accept me;
yet if another comes in his own name,
you will accept him.
How can you believe, when you accept praise from one another
and do not seek the praise that comes from the only God?
Do not think that I will accuse you before the Father:
the one who will accuse you is Moses,
in whom you have placed your hope.
For if you had believed Moses,
you would have believed me,
because he
wrote about me.
But if you do not believe his writings,
how will you believe my words?"
USCCB Lectionary
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John 5: 31-47 (More on Jesus’ credentials)
When Jesus claimed to be doing GodÕs work, it was only natural that the Jews should ask him for proof that
this was actually true. Crackpots and false messiahs abounded then, as now. Jesus points to the testimony of Moses and of John the Baptist, the Scriptures, and the works that he has done as evidence that his claims are not unfounded.
* What reasoning supports your faith in Jesus?
How can you deepen your understanding of who Jesus is?
* What does human approval mean to you? How important is it in your involvement in the Church?
* Pray for the grace to be more detached from the need for human approval.
Paperback, Kindle
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God and I: Exploring the Connections between God, Self and Ego, by Philip St. Romain, 2016 (2nd ed.) ____________ Chapter 3: Ego (excerpts
For most people, it is difficult to get in touch with non-reflecting consciousness. You can encourage them to “just-be,” or simply “be aware,” and they like the idea very much, but can’t quite get into it. What they do is formulate some idea
of what this would be like, then set forth on a strategy for accomplishing the task. In doing so, they are moving into human reflecting consciousness: considering, imaging, valuing, choosing, striving to accomplish something. They miss the whole point of the exercise, but this realization in itself can be useful in helping clarify what we mean by reflecting consciousness. It’s how we usually experience ourselves: engaged with life through the operations of intellect and will to meet some need,
fulfill a request, or pursue a goal, with psychological or physiological motives energizing the pursuit. . .
Reflecting consciousness is the human spirit
engaged in some task. We might also call it intentional consciousness, for the will is less detached and more interactive while awareness is focused and the intellect is pondering or considering the issue at hand. We know this experience very well, for it is how we spend most of our waking hours. This reflective activity includes both left- and right-brain functions, so the distinction between reflective and non-reflective consciousness is not a matter of left- versus right-brain activity. Both
left- and right-brain operations entail a certain degree of focused awareness and intentionality, though in very different ways.
Hardback, paperback, eBook and free preview versions.
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