Message of 3-31-10
Published: Sat, 03/27/10
- resources for prayer and spiritual growth
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MESSAGE OF THE DAY
There are so many different ways of being healed. The best way, and
by far the commonest, is to be loved. To be loved by God, and to
know it and live it, is to be healed indeed. The Good News first of
all is that you and I are accepted and loved by God. From all
eternity you and I have been in the mind of God. God's love for us
is utterly reliable and has no conditions whatsoever.
- Cyril Brooks
(Take some time in silence to simply be aware that you are loved by
God. . . to let God love you.)
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SCRIPTURE READINGS
http://www.nccbuscc.org/nab/
Is 50:4-9a; Ps. 69:8-10, 21-22, 31 and 33-34; Mt 26:14-25
R. (14c) Lord, in your great love, answer me.
For your sake I bear insult,
and shame covers my face.
I have become an outcast to my brothers,
a stranger to my mother's sons,
because zeal for your house consumes me,
and the insults of those who blaspheme you fall upon me.
Insult has broken my heart, and I am weak,
I looked for sympathy, but there was none;
for consolers, not one could I find.
Rather they put gall in my food,
and in my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.
I will praise the name of God in song,
and I will glorify him with thanksgiving:
"See, you lowly ones, and be glad;
you who seek God, may your hearts revive!
For the LORD hears the poor,
and his own who are in bonds he spurns not."
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SCRIPTURE MEDITATION
- from "Daily Bread"
http://www.preacherexchange.com/daily_bread.htm
One of you will betray me.
At this time, perhaps more than any other, we reflect on sin and
how it seeps through our lives. Every sin is some sort of betrayal
of the Lord, from the most "innocent" gossip to the greater acts of
pride, greed, lust, anger, wasteful consumption, neglect of those
in need. Maybe we simply indulge in a selective disregard of God's
will when we find that will inconvenient. In so many, many ways, we
all betray our Lord. Judas betrayed Jesus by selling him for
personal gain; Peter betrayed Jesus by denying him for fear of
losing face and even getting into trouble.
How do I betray Jesus? Lord, be merciful to me, a sinner.
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AT THE MASTER'S FEET
- by Sadhu Sundar Singh
4. This also I have said, "Love thy neighbour as thyself." Now
although in a sense all men are neighbours one of another, yet the
reference is especially to those who habitually live near each
other, for it is an easy matter to live at peace with one who is
near at hand for a few days only, even though he be unfriendly; but
in the case of one who has his dwelling near you, and day by day is
the cause of trouble to you, it is most difficult to bear with him,
and love him as yourself. But when you have conquered in this great
struggle it will be more easy to love all others as yourself.
- 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
- http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00067L6TQ/?tag=christianspiritu
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SHALOM PLACE PREMIUM GROUPS
- Life-long learning and formation in Christian spirituality.
Groups now open include the following:
A. Psychological Types and Spirituality
B. The Way of Christian Spirituality
C. Freedom from Codependency
D. Christian Spirituality Resources
E. Wonderfully Made (Christian Metaphysics)
F. Growing in Christ
G. Spiral Dynamics®
H. Discerning God's Will
I. Dark Night of the Soul
J. Silence, Solitude and Sabbath
K. Alpha Group -- includes all the above and all to come.
- see http://shalomplace.org/groups.html
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