Message of 6-10-09
Published: Thu, 06/04/09
MESSAGE OF THE DAY
The loving service which God sends His people into the world to
render includes both evangelism and social action, for each is in
itself an authentic expression of love, and neither needs the other
to justify it.
... John R. W. Stott
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SCRIPTURE READINGS
http://www.nccbuscc.org/nab/
2 Cor 3:4-11; Ps 99:5, 6, 7, 8, 9; Mt 5:17-19
R. (see 9c) Holy is the Lord our God.
Extol the LORD, our God,
and worship at his footstool;
holy is he!
Moses and Aaron were among his priests,
and Samuel, among those who called upon his name;
they called upon the LORD, and he answered them.
From the pillar of cloud he spoke to them;
they heard his decrees and the law he gave them.
O LORD, our God, you answered them;
a forgiving God you were to them,
though requiting their misdeeds.
Extol the LORD, our God,
and worship at his holy mountain;
for holy is the LORD, our God.
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SCRIPTURE MEDITATION
From "Daily Bread"
- http://www.preacherexchange.com/daily_bread.htm
"Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets."
I have not come to abolish but to fulfill. The words of the law and
the prophets are sacred and must be reverently studied. They
articulate the will of God, but obedience to them is not what saves
us. Only Jesus can save us. Only Christ, the sinless one, could
offer perfect reparation to God. He did so and established a new
relationship between God and us by his life, death and
resurrection. The Lord wants to move us far beyond the letter of
the law and make us collaborators in his saving mission to make
present to all people the mercy of God through our love.
"Lord, cleanse my heart and teach me to love as you love."
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NOTES FROM A CLASSICAL WORK
- "Meister Eckhart's Sermons"
This is the chief significance of the suffering of Christ for us,
that we cast all our grief into the ocean of His suffering. If thou
sufferest only regarding thyself, from whatever cause it may be,
that suffering causes grief to thee, and is hard to bear. But if
thou sufferest regarding God and Him alone, that suffering is not
grievous, nor hard to bear, because God bears the load. The love of
the Cross must swallow up our personal grief.
- #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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