Message of 1-18-10
Published: Thu, 01/14/10
- resources for prayer and spiritual growth
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Amazon.com gift cards - good for any occasion
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MESSAGE OF THE DAY
God is always previous, God is always there first, and if you have
any desire for God, and for the things of God, it is God himself
who put it there.
- A. W. Tozer
(Could that be why you're reading Daily Spiritual Seed today?)
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SCRIPTURE READINGS
http://www.nccbuscc.org/nab/
1 Sm 15:16-23; Ps. 50:8-9, 16bc-17, 21 and 23; Mk 2:18-22
R. (23b) To the upright I will show the saving power of God.
"Not for your sacrifices do I rebuke you,
for your burnt offerings are before me always.
I take from your house no bullock,
no goats out of your fold."
"Why do you recite my statutes,
and profess my covenant with your mouth,
Though you hate discipline
and cast my words behind you?"
"When you do these things, shall I be deaf to it?
Or do you think that I am like yourself?
I will correct you by drawing them up before your eyes.
He that offers praise as a sacrifice glorifies me;
and to him that goes the right way I will show the salvation of
God."
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REFLECTION ON THE SCRIPTURES
- from "Daily Bread"
http://www.preacherexchange.com/daily_bread.htm
"New wine ... old wineskins."
Those of us accustomed to drinking a $3 bottle of Shiraz may find
this image confusing. New wine will ferment and burst the old,
stretched wineskin. You need a new wineskin that will stretch with
the expanding wine. Today in the United States we honor Dr. Martin
Luther King Jr. It might be well to remember two things: 1. there
are people who have only recently experienced a liberal activist
Christianity. We should remind them that the civil rights movement
was a Christian-inspired crusade against racism and included
thousands of Catholics marching in the ranks. 2. It is not enough
to change the law. The "new wine" of the Civil Rights Act was once
too much for the "old wineskins" of our institutions, leaving us
confused, resentful and scared. We cried, "What more can we do?" We
stretched and we hurt, but it is more and more common for people of
different heritages to join together, including in the White House.
Where do we confront today's new wine and old wineskins? Health
care reform?
"For the generosity and strength to bear the burden of our
convictions, we pray."
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THE ADORNMENT OF THE SPIRITUAL MARRIAGE
by St. John of Rusybroeck (1293-1381)
The loving and humble heart cannot pay homage enough, either to God
or to His noble manhood, nor can it abase itself as much as it
would. And that is why a humble man thinks that his worship of God
and his lowly service are always falling short. And he is meek,
reverencing Holy Church and the sacraments. And he is discreet in
food and drink, in speech, in the answers which he makes to
everybody; and in his behaviour, dress, and lowly service he is
without hypocrisy and without pretence. And he is humble in his
devotions, both outwardly and inwardly, before God and before all
men, so that none are offended because of him. And so he overcomes
and casts out Pride, which is the source and origin of all other
sins. By humility the snares of the devil, and of sin, and of the
world, are broken, and man is set in order, and established in the
very condition of virtue. And heaven is opened to him, and God
stoops to hear his prayers, and he is fulfilled with grace. And
Christ, that strong rock, is his foundation. Whosoever therefore
grounds his virtues in humility, he shall never err.
Chapter 12: How Humility is the Foundation of All Other Virtues
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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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