Message of 1-1-10
Published: Thu, 12/24/09
- resources for prayer and spiritual growth
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
- Note: there will be no Weekend Edition of Daily Spiritual Seed
this week.
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MESSAGE OF THE DAY
As long as I see any thing to be done for God, life is worth
having: but O how vain and unworthy it is, to live for any lower
end!
- David Brainerd (1718-1747)
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SCRIPTURE READINGS
http://www.nccbuscc.org/nab/
Nm 6:22-27; Ps 67:2-3, 5, 6, 8; Gal 4:4-7; Lk 2:16-21
May God bless us in his mercy.
May God have pity on us and bless us;
may he let his face shine upon us.
So may your way be known upon earth;
among all nations, your salvation.
May God bless us in his mercy.
May the nations be glad and exult
because you rule the peoples in equity;
the nations on the earth you guide.
May God bless us in his mercy.
May the peoples praise you, O God;
may all the peoples praise you!
May God bless us,
and may all the ends of the earth fear him!
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SCRIPTURE MEDITATION
- from
http://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/daily.html
As so many spiritual masters have reminded us, the best way to
allow love to grow in our hearts is through gratitude. So, in
addition to gazing with Mary and Joseph and the Shepherds on "the
little Lord Jesus asleep in the hay," and adoring Him, we would do
well today to take a few moments to count our blessings. Recalling
the highs and lows for us of 2009, the incredible graces and
blessings of our own lives and of our world, let us look forward to
a New Year, returning like the shepherds to our own situation,
"glorifying and praising God for all we have heard and seen." And
above all thanking God for the name of Jesus, which is above every
other name in the heavens and on the earth, by whom and in whom we
have been born again to live fully as God's dearly beloved children.
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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. 3)
Our second experience of time can also be positive or negative.
Chairotic (ky rot' ik) time refers to our experience of seasons of
time. For example, we experience childhood, adolescence, young
adulthood, and so on. We experience spring, summer, fall, and
winter. These seasons of time are comprised of many moments of
linear time, but each season has a feeling about it that we hold in
memory in a special way. Furthermore, we each have our unique
seasons. People who move from one place to the next will experience
these as distinct periods in their lives; others may remember
changing jobs, divorce, or a prolonged illness as a special season
of life.
In many ways, chairotic time is a higher spiritual experience than
linear time, for it enables us to stand outside of time
(time-transcendence) to understand our lives. We can even reenter
an earlier season for a brief period and thus experientially
contrast where we were then with our present situation. This has
happened to me many times as I have listened to music. A particular
song will trigger a memory, and for a brief period I will feel
myself as I was when I listened to the same song years ago. A flood
of memories and feelings from that time in life will come, and if I
consent to them, I can re-experience the person I was then.
Generally, I am grateful for these chairotic memories and sometimes
even nostalgic for the good old days. They always bring the gift of
enabling me to see how my life has changed.
(Part 4 of 10-part series)
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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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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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