Message of 7-17-09
Published: Sun, 07/12/09
- resources for prayer and spiritual growth
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MESSAGE OF THE DAY
"For I saw full surely that where our Lord appeareth, peace is
taken and wrath hath no place. For I saw no manner of wrath in
God, neither for short time nor for long; for in sooth, as to my
sight, if God might be wroth for an instant, we should never have
life nor place nor being."
(Julian of Norwich [14th - 15th C.], "Revelations of Divine
Love")
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SCRIPTURE READINGS
http://www.nccbuscc.org/nab/
Ex 11:10--12:14; Ps 116:12-13, 15 and 16bc, 17-18; Mt 12:1-8
R. (13) I will take the cup of salvation, and call on the name of
the Lord.
How shall I make a return to the LORD
for all the good he has done for me?
The cup of salvation I will take up,
and I will call upon the name of the LORD.
Precious in the eyes of the LORD
is the death of his faithful ones.
I am your servant, the son of your handmaid;
you have loosed my bonds.
To you will I offer sacrifice of thanksgiving,
and I will call upon the name of the LORD.
My vows to the LORD I will pay
in the presence of all his people.
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GOSPEL MEDITATION
- from
http://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/daily.html
It is easy to forget God and the saving works of God accomplished
on our behalf. I meet lots of people, deal with lots of emails
every day, work long hours, and try to remember all the things I
have to do. Busy-ness allows me to forget. Busy-ness fosters
spiritual dimentia.
Without that memory, I'm never thankful, never grateful.
How shall I make a return to the LORD for all the good he has done
for me?
Without remembering God's saving deeds, I easily forget that I
belong to God.
To you will I offer sacrifice of thanksgiving, and I will call upon
the name of the LORD. (Psalm 116)
Without keeping the active memory of God's saving deeds dear to me,
I won't really understand what Jesus means by, I desire mercy, not
sacrifice.
So, what would it look like for the Christian Catholic community to
resolve to function as a people of memory? For me, the first thing
I would have to do is learn to slow down in order to remember. I'd
have to take time to commemorate. Just like that first Passover.
What about you?
May your summer days be memorable!
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PRAYING WITH SCRIPTURE (Benedictine Approach)
1. Relax. Settle in. Be aware that God is here, now, loving you.
2. Read a short passage of Scripture as though God were speaking
directly to you in it.
3. Choose a phrase from the passage that strikes you and repeat it
slowly, prayerfully, non-analytically.
4. When your heart is full, express to God the needs and sentiments
awakened by your meditation. When you're done, read another passage
and repeat steps 3 and 4.
5. If, at any time, you feel moved to simply be present to God in
loving silence, put the Scripture aside and rest in God.
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NOTES FROM A CLASSICAL WORK
- "The Practice of the Presence of God," by Brother Lawrence
One way to re-collect the mind easily in the time of prayer, and
preserve it more in tranquillity, is not to let it wander too far
at other times: you should keep it strictly in the presence of GOD;
and being accustomed to think of Him often, you will find it easy
to keep your mind calm in the time of prayer, or at least to recall
it from its wanderings.
I have told you already at large, in my former letters, of the
advantages we may draw from this practice of the presence of GOD:
let us set about it seriously and pray for one another.
- 8th letter, on wandering thoughts in prayer.
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