Message of 12-14-09
Published: Sat, 12/12/09
- resources for prayer and spiritual growth
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MESSAGE OF THE DAY
It is safe to tell the pure in heart that they shall see God, for
only the pure in heart want to.
- C. S. Lewis (1898-1963), "The Problem of Pain"
(Do you want to?)
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SCRIPTURE READINGS
http://www.nccbuscc.org/nab/
Nm 24:2-7, 15-17a; Ps. 25:4-9; Mt 21:23-27
R. (4) Teach me your ways, O Lord.
Your ways, O LORD, make known to me;
teach me your paths,
Guide me in your truth and teach me,
for you are God my savior.
Remember that your compassion, O LORD,
and your kindness are from of old.
In your kindness remember me,
because of your goodness, O LORD.
Good and upright is the LORD;
thus he shows sinners the way.
He guides the humble to justice,
he teaches the humble his way.
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REFLECTION ON THE SCRIPTURES
- from "Daily Bread"
http://www.preacherexchange.com/daily_bread.htm
"Neither shall I tell you by what authority I do these things."
Jesus deftly parries the chief priests' and elders' questions
concerning his authority, countering so as to make them demonstrate
their own lack of authority. If they can't say where John, Jesus'
herald, came from, why should Jesus be obliged to answer them at
all? In fact, the chief priests and elders lack the basic
attributes that would allow them to accept Jesus' authority: trust,
respect and humility. Instead, fear, arrogance and self-interest
motivate them to oppose him. What prevents us from submitting fully
to Jesus' authority? As we anticipate our celebration of the
Incarnation, what blocks us from knowing God-with-us more fully?
"For humble deference to Jesus in all things, we pray."
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THE ADORNMENT OF THE SPIRITUAL MARRIAGE
by St. John of Rusybroeck (1293-1381)
The fifth kind are all those who, above all outward works of
charity, have their sojourn in heaven, and are naughted and lost in
God, and God in them, so that there is no other thing between God
and them but time and their mortal nature. When these men are made
free from their bodies, they enjoy, in that very moment, eternal
bliss; and they are not judged, but shall themselves judge other
men, with Christ, in the Day of Doom. And then all mortal life, and
all temporal sorrows, both on earth and in purgatory, shall end,
and all the souls of the damned, together with the fiend and his
companions, shall sink and disappear in the deeps of hell, in a
corruption and everlasting horror without end. And in the twinkling
of an eye the blessed shall be with Christ their Bridegroom in
eternal glory; and they shall see and taste and enjoy the
fathomless riches of the Being of God, eternally and for ever.
- Chapter X: The Five Kinds of People Who Will Appear Before Christ
on Judgment Day
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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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