Message of 3-4-09
Published: Sat, 02/28/09
MESSAGE OF THE DAY
"It is not what we do that makes us holy, but we ought to make holy
what we do." (Meister Eckhart)
Reflection Question for Journaling:
What did you do this day simply out of love for God and others?
Breath Prayer:
What I do (breathing in)
I connect to You (breathing out)
(By Sr. Joel Christoph, 9-27-99)
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SCRIPTURE READINGS
http://www.nccbuscc.org/nab/
Jon 3:1-10; Ps 51:3-4, 12-13, 18-19; Lk 11:29-32
R. (19b) A heart contrite and humbled, O God, you will not spurn.
Have mercy on me, O God, in your goodness;
in the greatness of your compassion wipe out my offense.
Thoroughly wash me from my guilt
and of my sin cleanse me.
A clean heart create for me, O God,
and a steadfast spirit renew within me.
Cast me not out from your presence,
and your Holy Spirit take not from me.
For you are not pleased with sacrifices;
should I offer a burnt offering, you would not accept it.
My sacrifice, O God, is a contrite spirit;
a heart contrite and humbled, O God, you will not spurn.
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SCRIPTURE MEDITATION
From "Daily Bread"
- http://www.preacherexchange.com/daily_bread.htm
"... because at the preaching of Jonah they repented."
Most of us will not experience a dramatic moment of conversion
worthy of inclusion in scripture. Few of us receive an obvious sign
from God to renounce our impiety. Yet our call to repent is not any
less spectacular. We choose Lent or we don't. There isn't a "Lent
monitor" to call us to task. No one takes the initiative for us. We
decide to search our own souls and to reflect as our own conscience
calls. We set up our own penitence and scrutinize our own
piousness. We exercise our own self-discipline in order to
establish a spiritual one. We make a conscious choice to withdraw
into our own wilderness. There's no greater sign of our sincere
desire for repentance.
"That we use this solemn season to rededicate ourselves, we pray."
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NOTES FROM A CLASSICAL WORK
- "Meister Eckhart's Sermons"
All outward morality must be built upon this basis, not on
self-interest. As long as man loves something else than God, or
outside God, he is not free, because he has not love. Therefore
there is no inner freedom which does not manifest itself in works
of love. True freedom is the government of nature in and outside
man through God; freedom is essential existence unaffected by
creatures. But love often begins with fear; fear is the approach to
love: fear is like the awl which draws the shoemaker's thread
through the leather.
- #7, Outward and inward morality.
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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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