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In our fluctuations of feeling, it is well to remember that Jesus admits no change in is affections; your heart is not the compass Jesus saileth by.
- Sam Rutherford
(Faith is not a feeling. Believe God is with you, loving you, no matter how you feel.)
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HEB 1:1-6; PS 97:1 AND 2B, 6 AND 7C, 9
MK 1:14-20
After John had been arrested,
Jesus came to Galilee proclaiming the Gospel of God:
"This is the time of fulfillment.
The Kingdom of God is at hand.
Repent, and believe in the Gospel."
As he passed by the Sea of Galilee,
he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting their nets into the sea;
they were fishermen.
Jesus said to them,
"Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men."
Then they left their nets and followed him.
He walked along a little farther
and saw James, the son of Zebedee, and his brother John.
They too were in a boat mending their nets.
Then he called them.
So they left their father Zebedee in the boat
along with the hired men and followed him.
USCCB Lectionary
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Praying the Daily Gospels: A Guide to Meditation, by Philip St. Romain, 2018 (3rd ed.)
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Mark 1: 14-20 (Jesus begins his ministry)
Mark's account of Jesus' early proclamation gives us a preview of all that is to follow. Jesus sees himself and his ministry as essential for the coming of GodÕs reign. He invites us to reform our lives if we, too, are to be citizens of this kingdom.
* What is so good about the Good News? How is it different from other news?
* What kind of man must Jesus have been to attract four fishermen away from their tasks? Picture the call of these apostles in your imagination. Hear Jesus calling you, too, to follow him.
Paperback, Kindle and eBook
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God and
I: Exploring the Connections between God, Self and Ego, by Philip St. Romain, 2016 (2nd ed.)
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Chapter 9: Spiritual Transformation -- God, Self and Ego
3. We Discover Our True Identity in God
It is inevitable that we have a self-image, and that we seek to highlight certain aspects of who we think we are while minimizing others, but spirituality teaches us very early on that who we think we are is most likely at odds with how God sees us. I do not think we completely lose our self-image on the spiritual journey, nor do we cease to give concern to the Persona or appearance we present to the
world. What happens seems to be more a matter of detachment -- we just aren’t as defined by them as we go along.
The journey from an identity based on self-image to one rooted in the mystery of God is at the heart of spirituality. In Christianity, it is Christ -- the Way, the Truth and the Life -- Who connects the Ego to its deeper roots in the Self-God zone. There we discover ourselves to be mystery, but not without form or content. We still have an individual identity; we are persons. But we cannot fully define ourselves because we are images of the One-Who-Is also Mystery and beyond
definition. While this un-knowing of oneself might be discomfiting at first, it eventually becomes something of an “acquired taste.” There is no image to promote any more, no need to defend oneself, and that is a relief. We are who we are in God, and so our identity is secure. We are beloveds-of-God, and this love will never be taken away.
Hardback, paperback, eBook and free preview versions.
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