Message of 3-29-10
Published: Sat, 03/27/10
- resources for prayer and spiritual growth
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MESSAGE OF THE DAY
Seek to cultivate a buoyant, joyous sense of the crowded kindnesses
of God in your daily life.
- Alexander MacLaren
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SCRIPTURE READINGS
http://www.nccbuscc.org/nab/
Is 42:1-7; Ps. 27:1, 2, 3, 13-14; Jn 12:1-11
R. (1a) The Lord is my light and my salvation.
The LORD is my light and my salvation;
whom should I fear?
The LORD is my life's refuge;
of whom should I be afraid?
When evildoers come at me
to devour my flesh,
My foes and my enemies
themselves stumble and fall.
Though an army encamp against me,
my heart will not fear;
Though war be waged upon me,
even then will I trust.
I believe that I shall see the bounty of the LORD
in the land of the living.
Wait for the LORD with courage;
be stouthearted, and wait for the LORD.
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REFLECTION ON THE SCRIPTURES
- from "Daily Bread"
http://www.preacherexchange.com/daily_bread.htm
Here is my servant whom I uphold; he shall bring forth justice to
the nations.
Yesterday we welcomed Jesus into Jerusalem, waving palm branches
and shouting, "Hosanna!" Today the Hosannas are silent, the palm
branches trampled underfoot. Jesus, the silent and suffering
servant, enters into the week of his solitary degradation,
condemnation, torture and death, a time when his friends and
disciples and seemingly even God will abandon him to his lonely
ascent on Calvary. We are called to accompany him in love and
trust, focused on his mission of bringing God's justice and
salvation to all people. Let us remember to join our work, prayers,
sufferings and setbacks to the great work of Jesus.
Lord, grant me the grace to join you this week in your work of
salvation.
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THE ADORNMENT OF THE SPIRITUAL MARRIAGE
by St. John of Rusybroeck (1293-1381)
Compassion makes a man look into himself, and recognize his faults,
his feebleness in virtues and in the worship of God, his
lukewarmness, his laziness, his many failings, the time he has
wasted and his present imperfection in moral and other virtues; all
this makes a man feel true pity and compassion for himself.
Further, compassion marks the errors and disorders of our
fellow-creatures, how little they care for their God and their
eternal blessedness, their ingratitude for all the good things
which God has done for them, and the pains He suffered for their
sake; how they are strangers to virtue, unskilled and unpractised
in it, but skilful and cunning in every wickedness; how attentive
they are to the loss and gain of earthly goods, how careless and
reckless they are of God, of eternal things, and their eternal
bliss. When he marks this, a good man is moved to compassion for
the salvation of all men.
Chapter 18: Of Compassion
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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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