Message of 2-11-09
Published: Thu, 02/05/09
MESSAGE OF THE DAY
When every situation which life can offer is turned to the profit
of spiritual growth, no situation can really be a bad one.
- Paul Brunton
(After all, God is present in every situation.)
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SCRIPTURE READINGS
http://www.nccbuscc.org/nab/
Gn 2:4b-9, 15-17; Ps 104:1-2a, 27-28, 29bc-30; Mk 7:14-23
R. (1a) O bless the Lord, my soul!
Bless the LORD, O my soul!
O LORD, my God, you are great indeed!
You are clothed with majesty and glory,
robed in light as with a cloak.
All creatures look to you
to give them food in due time.
When you give it to them, they gather it;
when you open your hand, they are filled with good things.
If you take away their breath, they perish
and return to their dust.
When you send forth your spirit, they are created,
and you renew the face of the earth.
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SCRIPTURE MEDITATION
From "Daily Bread"
- http://www.preacherexchange.com/daily_bread.htm
"The Lord God ... settled the man in the Garden of Eden, to cultivate
and care for it."
One can imagine how people from an arid place would consider a
garden as heaven on earth. We who no longer have direct contact
with our source of food: who do not grow or know the growers of
what we put on our table (if we even dine at table), might also
long for the garden's riches. We might long for the feel of soil
beneath our feet, the smell of growing things, and the taste of
freshness. When we lose contact with our source of nourishment --
the garden and the Creator of the garden -- we lose contact with our
true selves. We find within ourselves those defilements of which
Jesus speaks: evil thoughts, adultery, greed, malice, deceit.
"Creator God, bring us to that place where we know what is healthy
for us -- the bread of life who is Jesus. Amen."
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NOTES FROM A CLASSICAL WORK
- "Meister Eckhart's Sermons"
Ways of living are many; one lives thus, and another thus; but
whosoever will reach the highest life, let him in a few words hear
the conclusion of the whole matter: keep thyself clear (unattached)
of all men, keep thyself from all imaginations that crowd upon the
mind, free thyself from all that is contingent, entangling, and
cumbersome and direct thy mind always to gazing upon God in thy
heart with a steadfast look that never wavers: as for other
spiritual exercises--fasting, watching and prayer--direct them all to
this one end, and practice them so far as they may be helpful
thereto, so wilt thou win to perfection. Here some one may ask,
"Who can thus gaze always without wavering at a divine object?" I
answer: "No one who now lives." This has only been said to thee
that thou mightest know what the highest is, and that thou mightest
have desires after it. But when thou losest sight of the Divine,
thou shouldest feel as if bereft of thine eternal salvation, and
shouldest long to recover it, and watch over thyself at all times,
and direct thy aims and longing towards it. May God be blessed for
ever. Amen.
- #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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