Weekend Edition - A Daily Spiritual Seed

Published: Fri, 01/30/09

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- readings, teachings, references and reviews -

Contents:
- Weekend Readings
- Commerce Corner
- Theology Note of the Week
- Book of the Week
- Email Spirituality Series
- Shalom Place Premium Groups
- Spiritual Enrichment Resource
- Email Spirituality Series
- Shalom Place Discussion Board
- Affiliate Web Sites
- Website of the Week
- Joke of the Week

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WEEKEND READINGS
http://www.nccbuscc.org/nab/

Saturday: Heb 11:1-2, 8-19; Luke 1:69-70, 71-72, 73-75; Mk
4:35-41
Sunday: Dt 18:15-20; Ps 95:1-2, 6-7, 7-9; 1 Cor 7:32-35;
Mk 1:21-28

R. If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.

Come, let us sing joyfully to the LORD;
let us acclaim the rock of our salvation.
Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving;
let us joyfully sing psalms to him.

Come, let us bow down in worship;
let us kneel before the LORD who made us.
For he is our God,
and we are the people he shepherds, the flock he guides.

Oh, that today you would hear his voice:
"Harden not your hearts as at Meribah,
as in the day of Massah in the desert,
Where your fathers tempted me;
they tested me though they had seen my works."

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THEOLOGY NOTE OF THE WEEK

Apocrypha

The word apocrypha means hidden. It is used in a general sense to
describe a list of books written by Jews between 300 and 100 B.C.
More specifically, it is used of the seven additional books
accepted by the Catholic church as being inspired. The entire list
of books of the apocrypha are: 1 Esdras, 2 Esdras, Tobit, Judith,
the Rest of Esther, the Wisdom of Solomon, Sirach, (also titled
Ecclesiasticus), Baruch, The Letter of Jeremiah, Song of the Three
Young Men, Susanna, Bel and the Dragon, The Additions to Daniel,
The Prayer of Manasseh, and 1 and 2 Maccabees.

The books accepted as inspired and included in the Catholic Bible
are Tobit, Judith, 1 and 2 Maccabees, Wisdom of Solomon, Sirach
(also known as Ecclesiasticus), and Baruch.

The Jews never recognized these books as being canonical
(inspired). There is no record that Jesus or the apostles ever
quoted from the apocryphal books. The Septuagint (LXX) includes the
books, not as scripture, but as part of the translation of the
Hebrew manuscripts as a whole.


- http://www.carm.org/dictionary.htm

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BOOK OF THE WEEK

"African Saints, 40 Holy Men and Women," by Camille Lewis Brown.
St. Anthony Messenger Press, 2008.
-
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0867168056/ref=noism/christianspiritu/

Cyprian Davis OSB wrote that "the black presence in the early
Church in North Africa and Europe may be a shadowy one, its extent
may be measured more by legend than by verifiable data, but the
reality of this presence is undeniable." Writers must be careful
whom from ancient history is labeled black and African. The gospel
was not taken to the sub-Saharan regions of black Africa largely
until the 19th century when missionary activity by Europeans was
strongest. In the early centuries North Africa was colonized by
Mediterranean peoples whose lineage was large Roman, Greek or
mixed. Hence, when authors speak about African saints, they are
talking about holy men and women who lived in those first three to
five centuries of the faith and who were black Africans, Romans,
Greeks or Mediterranean-Caucasian colonizers.

Brown begins her forty stories with the assurance that her book
will not be the last word. When she was asked to teach a course on
holy people who were black, she admitted that she knew only a few.
For example, she knew St. Martin de Porres and St. Peter Claver.
Through study and a trip to Africa, she discovered that there were
over 700 holy men and women who were black. Today there are many
more counted among the saintly.

She writes of St. Augustine and his mother Monica. She ends the
book with the story of Mother Mary Theodore Williams who died in
New York 1931, after founding a religious community known as the
Franciscan Handmaids of the Most Pure Heart of Mary. In between
there are the stories of well known and not so well known saints
and blesseds, such as, Sister Thea Bowman, venerable Pierre
Toussaint, - -Saint Josephine Bakhtta, Saint Charles Lwanga, and
Saint Moses the-Black. Each - chapter ends with a Scripture, a
prayer to the person, and a reflection, making this book appropriate
for personal or communal study.

(Thanks to Sr. Irene Hartman OP for this review.)

Make the Christian Spirituality Bookstore your starting point for
online shopping at Amazon.com. You can buy books, cds, videotapes,
software, appliances and many other products at discount prices.
As Amazon.com affiliate, we are paid a small fee for purchases
originating from our web site. Every little bit helps!
http://shalomplace.com/books/index.html

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SHALOM PLACE PREMIUM GROUPS

- Life-long learning and study and spiritual growth.

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. Communities in Transition (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 for only
$65.00.
- see http://shalomplace.org/groups.html for more info.

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SPIRITUAL ENRICHMENT RESOURCE

"Lessons in Loving: a new look at relationship skills"
by Philip St. Romain, D. Min.

Most of us did not learn the skills we needed to know about how to
create and sustain healthy relationships. There have been many
works on this topic, but few which provide practical guidance in a
context of Christian spirituality.

Free online audio conferences with opportunity to purchase podcasts
and ebook.

- see http://shalomplace.com/inetmin/lessons/index.html

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EMAIL SPIRITUALITY SERIES

"The Way of Christian Spirituality"
- 24 teachings on Christian spirituality and practice. Conferences
now available as free email subscription.
- see http://shalomplace.org/basXspir.html for more info and to
subscribe.

"The Five Consents"
- 35 lessons to your email. Topics pertain to faith, hope, loving
service, redemptive suffering, and joyful living. Free-will
donation.
- see http://shalomplace.org/fiveconsents for more info and
subscription form.

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- PERSONAL SPIRITUAL GUIDANCE -

Need a companion for the spiritual journey? We have several
wonderful people ready to help, using email and telephone
conferences to bridge the miles.

- Now providing -

Consultations: this option is best for short-term guidance
pertaining to a specific issue.

Spiritual Direction: ongoing relationship with a spiritual director
to become more attuned to God's presence in all of life.

See http://shalomplace.com/direction/

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SHALOM PLACE DISCUSSION BOARDS

Divinity and consciousness: the differences - Christian Morality
and Theology forum.
The Jesus of history and the Jesus of faith. - Christian Morality
and Theology forum.
Dark Nights of the Soul - Contemplative Practice Support Forum.
The restless mind - Christian Spirituality Issues forum.

- see http://shalomplace.com/ubb/ultimatebb.php to read up on
what's being discussed these days.

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AFFILIATE WEB SITES (please give them a visit)

Emanuella House of Prayer: a place for prayer and silence in
British Columbia
http://members.axion.net/~massf/
The Ark: Providing a variety of scripture and lectionary study
resources.
http://www.theark1.com
Kyrie Places of Pilgrimmage and Renewal.
http://www.kyrie.com/places/index.htm
Contemplative Rudder: "In the midst of Consecrated Silence'
atmospherics ... a Rudder!
http://www.contemplativerudder.com/
Inner Explorations: a vast array of spirituality resources for the
mature Christian.
http://innerexplorations.com
The Sanctuary Foundation for Prayer: resources for spiritual growth.
http://fromholyground.org/index.htm
SeeScapes. Picturing the deeper dimensions of our spirituality.
http://www.seescapes.com
Temenos Catholic Worker: support for homeless youth in Polk Street
neighborhood, San Francisco
http://www.temenos.org/
Contemplative Ministries of the Pacific Northwest: teaching and
support on contemplative practice
http://www.prayeroftheheart.com
Heartland Center for Spirituality (sponsoring Internet workshops
year-round).
http://www.heartlandspirituality.org/index.html

(Reach other people who have a similar interest in Christian
spirituality. Simply publish a link to Daily Spiritual Seed--
http://shalomplace.com/seed --on a prominent place on your web site
and we will reciprocate with a weekly link to your site in the
newsletter. Contact the Editor when you're ready to begin.)

- - - - - - - - - - - -

WEB SITE OF THE WEEK

Finding the Historical Jesus
- http://www.americancatholic.org/Messenger/Dec1997/feature3.asp

If you've never heard of the Jesus Seminar, this article will
introduce you to some of their findings as well as the kinds of
objections that most biblical scholars are making to certain
conclusions they've reached. Msgr. John P. Meier is one of the
leading biblical scholars who have taken issue with heterodox
points made by the Jesus Seminar.

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JOKE OF THE WEEK

- "D'oh"

Martin was being interviewed for a new job. The person conducting
the interview wanted to find out something about his personality,
so he asked, "If you could have a conversation with someone, living
or dead, who would it be?"

Without hestitation, Martin responded, "The living one, of course!"

- - -

A little old man starts having trouble hearing and goes to the
doctor.....says. "Doc, I'm having problems hearing!"

Doctor says "Lets check this out." Looks into the man's ear with
his flash light and says, "There's a foreign object in here." Takes
his tweezers and pulls it out.......Doc says to the old man, "It's
a suppository!!"

The old man takes a look, asks the Doc, "Can I use your phone??
Need to tell the wife that I know where I put that hearing aid!!"

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Please help support Heartland Center's Internet ministries:

- For more info on tax-deductible donations, see
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