Message of 6-22-09
Published: Mon, 06/08/09
- resources for prayer and spiritual growth
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MESSAGE OF THE DAY
To worship God means to serve him. Basically there are two ways to
do it. One way is to do things for Him that He needs to have done -
run errands for Him, carry messages for Him, fight on His side,
feed His lambs, and so on. The other way is to do things for Him
that you need to do - sing songs for Him, tell Him what's on your
mind and in your heart, in general rejoice in Him.
- Frederick Buechner
(How do you serve God in these two ways?)
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SCRIPTURE READINGS
http://www.nccbuscc.org/nab/
Gn 12:1-9; Ps 33:12-13, 18-19, 20 and 22; Mt 7:1-5
R. (12) Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to be his own.
Blessed the nation whose God is the LORD,
the people he has chosen for his own inheritance.
From heaven the LORD looks down;
he sees all mankind.
See, the eyes of the LORD are upon those who fear him,
upon those who hope for his kindness,
To deliver them from death
and preserve them in spite of famine.
Our soul waits for the LORD,
who is our help and our shield.
May your kindness, O LORD, be upon us
who have put our hope in you.
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REFLECTION ON THE SCRIPTURES
- from "Daily Bread"
http://www.preacherexchange.com/daily_bread.htm
"Then Abram journeyed on by stages to the Negeb."
The Lord called Abram and blessed him abundantly, promising him
land, prosperity, honor and protection. God even promised what to
an aged, childless couple seemed impossible: descendants. Abram,
our model of faith and trust in God, is also our model of patience.
Abram picked up stakes time and again, traveling slowly, in stages,
toward the fulfillment of God's promises. So is our journey of
faith a gradual process. May the Lord's blessings sustain us
through every stage, and may hope in God's promises spur us onward
toward our inheritance.
"For strength when we are weary, trust when we are unsure, patience
when the road seems long and joy in the grace of each new day, we
pray."
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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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THE ADORNMENT OF THE SPIRITUAL MARRIAGE
by St. John of Rusybroeck (1293-1381)
If a man does all he can, and cannot do more because of his
feebleness, it rests with the infinite goodness of God to finish
the work. Then, straight as a sunbeam, there comes a higher light
of Divine grace, and it is shed into the soul according to its
worth, though neither merited nor desired. For in this light God
gives Himself out of free goodness and generosity, the which never
creature can merit before it has received it. And this is an inward
and mysterious working of God in the soul, above time; and it moves
the soul and all its powers. Therewith ends prevenient grace and
begins the other grace, that is to say, the supernatural light.
- Chapter 1, Of the Active Life
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