Message of 6-29-09
Published: Sun, 06/28/09
- resources for prayer and spiritual growth
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MESSAGE OF THE DAY
Ultimate confidence in the goodness of life cannot rest upon
confidence in the goodness of human beings. If that is where it
rests, it is an optimism which will suffer ultimate
disillusionment. Romanticism will be transmuted into cynicism, as
it has always been in the world's history. The faith of a Christian
is something quite different from this optimism. It is trust in
God, in a good God who created a good world, though the world is
not now good; in a good God, powerful and good enough finally to
destroy the evil that we do and redeem us of our sins. This kind of
faith is not optimism. It does not, in fact, arise until optimism
breaks down and we cease to trust in ourselves that we are
righteous.
... Reinhold Niebuhr, "Beyond Tragedy"
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SCRIPTURE READINGS
http://www.nccbuscc.org/nab/
Acts 12:1-11; Ps 34:2-3, 4-5, 6-7, 8-9; 2 Tm 4:6-8, 17-18;
Mt 16:13-19
R. (5) The angel of the Lord will rescue those who fear him.
I will bless the LORD at all times;
his praise shall be ever in my mouth.
Let my soul glory in the LORD;
the lowly will hear me and be glad.
Glorify the LORD with me,
let us together extol his name.
I sought the LORD, and he answered me
and delivered me from all my fears.
Look to him that you may be radiant with joy,
and your faces may not blush with shame.
When the poor one called out, the LORD heard,
and from all his distress he saved him.
The angel of the LORD encamps
around those who fear him, and delivers them.
Taste and see how good the LORD is;
blessed the man who takes refuge in him.
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REFLECTION ON THE SCRIPTURES
- from "Daily Bread"
http://www.preacherexchange.com/daily_bread.htm
"I have kept the faith."
Peter walked with Jesus, but he was slow to faith. He kept
backsliding. Even after the mountain experience of the
Transfiguration, Peter denied Jesus and ran away. Yet Jesus chose
him as the rock on which he would build his church. Before Paul
came to Gospel faith, he was a zealot, dedicated to persecuting the
disciples of Jesus. After his conversion, he was just as zealous a
disciple of Jesus, never wavering, never looking back. The first
great council of the church was called because Peter and Paul
disagreed. We are here today in churches throughout the world
because of the outcome of that Council of Jerusalem. When there is
conflict within the church, the Holy Spirit is sure to be present,
hovering, guiding, helping the truth to emerge.
"Saint Peter and Saint Paul, pray for us."
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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)
This light is the first point necessary, and from it there arises a
second point, and that on the part of the soul; namely, the free
conversion of the will, in a single moment of time. And here it is
that charity is born of the union of God with the soul. These two
points hang together, so that the one cannot be fulfilled without
the other. Where God and the soul come together in the union of
love, then God, above time, gives His light; and the soul, in a
single moment of time, gives, by virtue of the grace received, its
free conversion to Him. And there charity is born of God and of the
soul in the soul, for charity is a bond of love, tying God to the
loving soul.
Of these two things--that is to say, the grace of God and the free
conversion of the will enlightened by grace--charity, that is,
Divine love, is born. And from this Divine love the third point
arises; that is, the purification of conscience. And these three
points belong together in such a way that one cannot exist long
without the others; for whosoever has Divine love has also perfect
contrition for his sins.
- Chapter 1, Of the Active Life
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