Message of 8-10-09
Published: Sat, 07/25/09
- resources for prayer and spiritual growth
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MESSAGE OF THE DAY
To say that we must wait for the other world, to know the mind of
Him who came to this world to give Himself to us, seems to me the
foolishness of a worldly and lazy spirit. The Son of God is the
Teacher of all people, giving to us of His Spirit--that Spirit which
manifests the deep things of God, being to a person the mind of
Christ. The great heresy of the Church of the present day is
unbelief in this Spirit.
... George MacDonald (1824-1905), "The Higher Faith", in
"Unspoken Sermons"
(Ask God to fill you with the Holy Spirit this day.)
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SCRIPTURE READINGS
http://www.nccbuscc.org/nab/
Cor 9:6-10; Psalm 33; John 12:24-26
1 Rejoice in the LORD, O you righteous! Praise befits the upright.
2 Praise the LORD with the lyre, make melody to him with the harp
of ten strings!
3 Sing to him a new song, play skillfully on the strings, with loud
shouts.
4 For the word of the LORD is upright; and all his work is done in
faithfulness.
5 He loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of the
steadfast love of the LORD.
6 By the word of the LORD the heavens were made, and all their host
by the breath of his mouth.
7 He gathered the waters of the sea as in a bottle; he put the
deeps in storehouses.
8 Let all the earth fear the LORD, let all the inhabitants of the
world stand in awe of him!
9 For he spoke, and it came to be; he commanded, and it stood forth.
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REFLECTION ON THE SCRIPTURES
- from "Daily Bread"
http://www.preacherexchange.com/daily_bread.htm
"He gives to the poor; his righteousness endures forever."
St. Lawrence was one of seven deacons of Pope Sixtus II caught up
in the persecution of the church by the Roman Emperor Valerian, who
on Aug. 1, 258, issued a decree that all clergy should be put to
death. Why do we remember Lawrence? Perhaps because when Sixtus
entrusted Lawrence with the church's treasury, he distributed it to
the poor, and when he was ordered to produce the wealth of the
church, he called forth those same poor. This message of caring for
the poor permeates the Gospels.
"Lord Jesus, open our hearts to the message of your Gospel and
bless all deacons of the church. St. Lawrence, 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)
Now understand this: we find in Christ, according to His Godhead,
two kinds of humility.
The first kind is this: that He willed to become man, and took upon
Himself that very nature which had been banished and cursed to the
bottom of hell, and willed to become one with it according to His
personality; so that now any man, either good or evil, can say:
Christ, the Son of God, is my brother.
The second kind of humility according to His Godhead consists in
this; that He chose a poor maiden, and not a king's daughter, for
His mother, so that a poor maiden should be the mother of God, who
is Lord of heaven and earth and all creatures.
And further, we can say of all the works of humility which Christ
ever wrought, that they were wrought by God Himself.
- Chapter 3, Of Humility
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