Message of 3-17-10
Published: Sat, 03/13/10
- resources for prayer and spiritual growth
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MESSAGE OF THE DAY
"I am Patrick, yes a sinner and indeed untaught; yet I am
established here in Ireland where I profess myself bishop. I am
certain in my heart that 'all that I am,' I have received from God.
So I live among barbarous tribes, a stranger and exile for the love
of God."
- St. Patrick
("All that I am, I have received from God . . ." Repeat this
affirmation until its truth penetrates your heart and mind.)
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SCRIPTURE READINGS
http://www.nccbuscc.org/nab/
Is 49:8-15; Ps. 145:8-9, 13cd-14, 17-18; Jn 5:17-30
R. (8a) The Lord is gracious and merciful.
The LORD is gracious and merciful,
slow to anger and of great kindness.
The LORD is good to all
and compassionate toward all his works.
The LORD is faithful in all his words
and holy in all his works.
The LORD lifts up all who are falling
and raises up all who are bowed down.
The LORD is just in all his ways
and holy in all his works.
The LORD is near to all who call upon him,
to all who call upon him in truth.
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SCRIPTURE MEDITATION
- from "Daily Bread"
http://www.preacherexchange.com/daily_bread.htm
"I do not seek my own will, but the will of the one who sent me."
These are the words of Jesus, a soul perfectly aligned with his
Father's will. They are also the words of a saint, or lacking
sainthood, a person just trying to live through the day without
hurting anyone too badly. In Graham Greene's novel The Power and
the Glory, the main character -- a "whiskey priest" -- bitterly
laments at the end of his life that it would have been so easy to
be a saint, that indeed it was the only thing that mattered. Living
well now so that we die without regrets is a one-day-at-a-time task.
We pray with St. Patrick, "Christ be with me, Christ before me,
Christ behind me, Christ within me." Amen."
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AT THE MASTER'S FEET
- by Sadhu Sundar Singh
3. Whatever worth and power and high faculty God has endowed man
with must be brought into action, otherwise they gradually decay
and die. In this way faith, if it is not truly fixed on the living
God, is shattered by the shock of sin and transformed into doubt.
Often one hears something like this, "If this or that doubt of mine
be removed I am ready to believe." That is as though one with a
broken limb should ask the doctor to take away the pain before he
sets the limb. Surely this is folly, for the pain comes from the
breaking of the limb, and when that is set the pain will of itself
pass away. Thus by the act of sin man's tie with God has been
snapped, and doubts, which are spiritual pains, have arisen. It
needs must, therefore, that the union with God be again renewed,
then those doubts which have arisen regarding My divinity and the
existence of God will of themselves disappear. Then in place of
pain there will come that wonderful peace which the world cannot
give nor take away. Thus it was that I became flesh, that between
God and poor broken men there might be union, and they might be
happy with Him in heaven for evermore.
- Section 2
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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
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Groups now open include the following:
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E. Wonderfully Made (Christian Metaphysics)
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G. Spiral Dynamics®
H. Discerning God's Will
I. Dark Night of the Soul
J. Silence, Solitude and Sabbath
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- see http://shalomplace.org/groups.html
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