Message of 2-4-09
Published: Fri, 01/30/09
MESSAGE OF THE DAY
"Inordinate love of the flesh is cruelty, because under the
appearance of pleasing the body we kill the soul. Take even bread
with moderation, lest an overloaded stomach make you weary of
prayer."
- St. Bernard
(Where do you need to exercise moderation in you life? What is the
consequence of lack of moderation in these areas? Pray for the
grace to be more self-disciplined.)
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SCRIPTURE READINGS
http://www.nccbuscc.org/nab/
Heb 12:4-7, 11-15; Ps 103:1-2, 13-14, 17-18a; Mk 6:1-6
R.(see 17) The Lord's kindness is everlasting to those who fear him.
Bless the LORD, O my soul;
and all my being, bless his holy name.
Bless the LORD, O my soul,
and forget not all his benefits.
As a father has compassion on his children,
so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him,
For he knows how we are formed;
he remembers that we are dust.
But the kindness of the LORD is from eternity
to eternity toward those who fear him,
And his justice toward children's children
among those who keep his covenant.
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SCRIPTURE MEDITATION
From "Daily Bread"
- http://www.preacherexchange.com/daily_bread.htm
"He was amazed at their lack of faith."
Those who know Jesus the longest and the best dishonor him and
question his authority. In such a hostile atmosphere, Jesus cannot
work miracles. Those with a long familiarity with Jesus don't
accept his messianic role. As Christians, we profess an intimate
understanding of Jesus, but our actions often reveal our shaky
beliefs. We tend to turn to prayer only in desperate moments or as
a last effort, and even then we can be pessimistic. Then we
question why we've been forsaken. Of course, we need to realize the
issue is not Jesus' being unwilling to work miracles for us;
rather, we simply don't permit him to do so when we're weak in faith.
"For true and lasting faith, we pray."
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NOTES FROM A CLASSICAL WORK
- "Meister Eckhart's Sermons"
Therefore sanctification is the best of all things, for it cleanses
the soul, and illuminates the conscience, and kindles the heart,
and wakens the spirit, and girds up the loins, and glorifies virtue
and separates us from creatures, and unites us with God. The
quickest means to bring us to perfection is suffering; none enjoy
everlasting blessedness more than those who share with Christ the
bitterest pangs. Nothing is sharper than suffering, nothing is
sweeter than to have suffered. The surest foundation in which this
perfection may rest is humility; whatever here crawls in the
deepest abjectness, that the Spirit lifts to the very heights of
God, for love brings suffering and suffering brings love.
- 6. Sanctification
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REVIEW OF DAY
- from, "Handbook for Spiritual Directees"
http://shalomplace.com/view/hndbk-lite.pdf
Here is a practice used by many at the end of the day to see what
lessons can be learned and how God was present and active through
the day. Set aside fifteen to twenty minutes at the end of the
day for prayer and review of your day. A suggested format is
described below:.
1. Take a few moments of quiet. Breathe deeply. Ask God to help you
see yourself as you truly were during the day.
2. Look back over your day - not to see what you did wrong but to
honestly acknowledge what was going on with you and others.
* What happened? What did I do today?
* How did I feel? Why did I feel that way?
* Were my expectations and beliefs reasonable?
3. Affirm the healthy things you recognize.
4. Admit to yourself and God the unhealthy things. Ask God's
forgiveness, believe it is yours, then decide if you need to
apologize or make amends.
5. Use creative visualization to grow stronger. Honestly
acknowledge the troubling situations of the day. See and feel
yourself acting honestly and lovingly in these situations. Ask God
for the grace to help you act in this new way.
6. Close with simple awareness of the sights and sounds around you,
grateful for the good things in your life.
This process can be undertaken as a daily journal exercise or by
prayerfully reviewing your day in your own mind. I like to take a
walk before bedtime for examen. The important thing is to do it. It
is a discipline, to be sure, but a very important one.
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SHALOM PLACE PREMIUM GROUPS
- Life-long learning and formation in Christian spirituality.
Groups now open include the following:
A. Psychological Types and Spirituality
B. The Way of Christian Spirituality
C. Freedom from Codependency
D. Christian Spirituality Resources
E. Wonderfully Made (Christian Metaphysics)
F. Growing in Christ
G. Spiral Dynamics®
H. Discerning God's Will
I. Dark Night of the Soul
J. Silence, Solitude and Sabbath
K. Alpha Group -- includes all the above and all to come.
- see http://shalomplace.org/groups.html
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