Message of 1-15-10
Published: Tue, 01/12/10
- resources for prayer and spiritual growth
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MESSAGE OF THE DAY
"We feel an inkling of the perfection and stability of eternity,
for there is neither time nor space, neither before nor after, but
everything present in one new, fresh-springing now where mllenniums
last no longer than the twinkling of an eye."
- Meister Eckhart [14th C.], "Sermons and Collations," XII
(See the Spiritual Reading reflection below, which pertains to the
same theme.)
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SCRIPTURE READINGS
http://www.nccbuscc.org/nab/
1 Sm 8:4-7, 10-22a; Ps. 89:16-17, 18-19; Mk 2:1-12
R. (2) For ever I will sing the goodness of the Lord.
Blessed the people who know the joyful shout;
in the light of your countenance, O LORD, they walk.
At your name they rejoice all the day,
and through your justice they are exalted.
For you are the splendor of their strength,
and by your favor our horn is exalted.
For to the LORD belongs our shield,
and to the Holy One of Israel, our King.
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SCRIPTURE MEDITATION
- from
http://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/daily.html
The gospel lesson is the story of the paralytic who is let down
through the roof into the presence of Jesus. Jesus is preaching the
word and the paralytic wants to be healed. Upon seeing their faith,
Jesus forgives the man's sins. The response of the religious
leaders? He is blaspheming. Only God can forgive sins. Well, only
God can heal people, too, right? Jesus heals the man. If Jesus has
authority from God to heal, then he has authority from God to
forgive sins. So, yes, only God can forgive sins and heal people
and Jesus has the audacity to do both.
A Christian is one who gives up the bobbles of the nations for the
treasures of the great King. In the words of St. Clare, "What a
laudable exchange!"
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SPIRITUAL READING
- "Enjoying One Moment at a Time"
from: "Reflecting on the Serenity Prayer," by Philip St.
Romain, D. Min.
see http://www.liguori.org/productdetails.cfm?PC=6735
Three Experiences of Time (pt. 5)
The third kind of time is eternal life. Many people read about
eternal life in Scripture and interpret it as unending existence.
And so it is. In terms of time, however, the experience is not one
of having an unlimited quantity of time, extending linear time into
infinity. Rather, it is entering into God's own experience of time,
which theologians call "the ever-present Now." Chairotic time gives
us a small taste of how vast periods can be present to us in a
given moment, and so we can intuit from this something of what all
of time is for God. Being totally spiritual, God's awareness
transcends matter and is not in any way determined by space and
time. God does not experience linear time, but everything that
unfolds in linear time is present to God. So are all the chairotic
seasons of our lives and seasons of the universes. Time is real,
but for God, time is never before and after, only Now. Some have
called this "vertical time" as opposed to the horizontal dimension
of linear time. If we were to draw it out, we might do so as
follows:
----------------------------------------> Horizontal Time
Vertical Time ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^
Notice that vertical time intersects every point on the horizontal
time line. Each point of intersection is a Now-moment. From the
perspective of God, all moments in linear time are always known.
Because we live in space and time, however, we experience linear
time and the seasons of our lives as an unfolding process. With
proper attentiveness to the present moment, however, we can also
begin to get a glimpse of the experience of eternal life.
(Part 6 of 10-part series)
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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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