Message of 2-16-09
Published: Sat, 02/14/09
- resources for prayer and spiritual growth
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MESSAGE OF THE DAY
Our knowledge of God is paradoxically not of him as the object of
our scrutiny, but of ourselves as utterly dependent on his saving
and merciful knowledge of us. It is in proportion, as we are known
to him that we find our real being and identity in Christ. We know
him in and through ourselves in so far as his truth is the source
of our being and his merciful love is the very heart of our life
and existence.
... Thomas Merton, "The Climate of Monastic Prayer"
(Deep stuff . . . well-worth pondering.)
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SCRIPTURE READINGS
http://www.nccbuscc.org/nab/
Gn 4:1-15, 25; Ps 50:1 and 8, 16bc-17, 20-21; Mk 8:11-13
R. (14a) Offer to God a sacrifice of praise.
God the LORD has spoken and summoned the earth,
from the rising of the sun to its setting.
"Not for your sacrifices do I rebuke you,
for your burnt offerings are before me always."
"Why do you recite my statutes,
and profess my covenant with your mouth
Though you hate discipline
and cast my words behind you?"
"You sit speaking against your brother;
against your mother's son you spread rumors.
When you do these things, shall I be deaf to it?
Or do you think that I am like yourself?
I will correct you by drawing them up before your eyes."
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REFLECTION ON THE SCRIPTURES
- from "Daily Bread"
http://www.preacherexchange.com/daily_bread.htm
"Sin is a demon lurking at the door."
The tragedy of Cain and Abel is always with us. Cain saw God's
approval of Abel's offering as a threat, and began to see Abel less
as a brother than a rival. Comparisons can eat into us like acid.
They can lead to jealousy, greed and self-centeredness, causing
untold misery in families, local communities and in the global
village. Blessed Teresa of Calcutta said that the reason we have
wars and conflicts is that we have forgotten we belong to each
other. Am I so blinded by a need to feel that I'm better than other
people and that I forget they are my brothers and sisters?
"Lord, thank you for loving me as I am, teach me that it is how you
see me that counts, and lead me to become all that you want me to
be."
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LECTIO DIVINA PROCESS
- http://heartlandspirituality.org/vocations/prayer.html
First, you choose a passage of Scripture that you will pray with.
It might be the Gospel reading used in the liturgy of the day, or
anything else you want. The process then follows these steps:
* Reading (lectio) After settling in and quieting yourself,
read the passage slowly, prayerfully. Just let it sink in for a
minute or two, then read it a second time, paying closer attention
to the words or phrases that speak to you.
* Reflecting (meditatio) What do you hear God saying to you in
this passage? What words or phrases caught your attention?
* Responding (oratio) What do you want to say to God in
response to what you've heard? Here you can also voice your prayers
of petition, remorse, thanksgiving, praise, and so forth. If you
sense God speaking to you in your thoughts, feelings or
imagination, you respond as you would in any conversation.
* Resting (contemplatio) If, at any time, you feel drawn to
simply rest in the awareness of God's loving presence, you let
yourself do so. Remain in loving silence as long as you feel
comfortable, perhaps using a simple word or phrase from the
Scripture passage to help deepen your openness to rest in God.
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THEOLOGICAL GEMS FROM EMIL MERCH'S "THEOLOGY OF THE MYSTICAL BODY"
from http://www.innerexplorations.com/chtheomortext/theolgems.htm
541. -- God does everything possible to be near, small, close by
and accessible.
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