Message of 11-4-09
Published: Sat, 10/31/09
- resources for prayer and spiritual growth
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MESSAGE OF THE DAY
A simple rule, to be followed whether one is in the light or not,
gives backbone to one's spiritual life, as nothing else can.
- Evelyn Underhill (1875-1941), "The Letters of Evelyn Underhill"
(By "rule," here, she means a set of principles and practices
which, if followed, will enable deepening relationship with God and
a life of holiness.)
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SCRIPTURE READINGS
http://www.nccbuscc.org/nab/
Rom 13:8-10; Ps 112:1b-2, 4-5, 9; Lk 14:25-33
R. ( 5a) Blessed the one who is gracious and lends to those in need.
Blessed the man who fears the LORD,
who greatly delights in his commands.
His posterity shall be mighty upon the earth;
the upright generation shall be blessed.
He dawns through the darkness, a light for the upright;
he is gracious and merciful and just.
Well for the man who is gracious and lends,
who conducts his affairs with justice.
Lavishly he gives to the poor;
his generosity shall endure forever;
his horn shall be exalted in glory.
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SCRIPTURE MEDITATION
From "Daily Bread"
- http://www.preacherexchange.com/daily_bread.htm
"Owe nothing to anyone, except to love one another."
What an interesting juxtaposition of readings today. From the
Gospel: "If anyone comes to me without hating his father and
mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters ... he cannot be my
disciple." St. Paul tells us to love. This might be an opportunity
to talk about the difference between "feeling" love and "doing"
love. Being "in love" does not put us above the law. Doing the
loving thing is what fulfills the law. To do that we have to place
Jesus first, even before those he puts on our path to love.
"Lord Jesus, help us to love others by placing you first."
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WHAT IS CHRISTIAN LOVE?
by Philip St. Romain©
Adapted from "Freedom from Codependency: A Christian Response"
http://shalomplace.com/view/codep.html
- Dysfunctional Beliefs About Love -
part 4 of 5
- We should never judge others. Codependents distort the
Christian warning about judging others to mean we should not even
confront unhealthy behavior. Codependents make no distinction
between person and behavior; to confront someone's behavior is to
say that the person is bad. They neglect to challenge harmful and
inappropriate behavior, further enabling irresponsibility.
- We should be perfect as God is perfect. ACOA's and codependents
understand this teaching to mean we should not make mistakes.
Because codependency is rooted in the experience of conditional
love, the attempt to be perfect is an effort to obtain love through
perfect works. It is not a sin to make mistakes; it is human to
make mistakes. Sin is a willful neglect of what is good, or a
willful consent to do what is bad. Often our mistakes concern not
willfulness or being good and bad but merely human weaknesses and
limitations. It is harmful to judge yourself as bad because you
make mistakes. The perfection Jesus asks for is that we do our
best, then leave the rest in God's hands.
(Part 5 of 12 part series)
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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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Amazon.com gift cards - good for any occasion
- http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00067L6TQ/?tag=christianspiritu
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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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