Message of 7-1-11
Published: Sat, 06/25/11
- resources for prayer and spiritual growth
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MESSAGE OF THE DAY
May the fiery and sweet strength of Thy love, I pray Thee, O my
Lord, absorb my soul, and make all things under heaven as nothing
unto me, that for the love of Thy love I may die, as Thou didst
deign to die for love of mine. Amen.
- St. Francis of Assisi (1182-1226), "The Writings of Saint
Francis of Assisi"
(Spend a few moments praying the prayer and reflecting on its
meaning. Let yourself be drawn into its intent.)
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LECTIONARY READINGS FOR THE DAY
http://www.nccbuscc.org/nab/
Dt 7:6-11; Ps. 103:1-2, 3-4, 6-7, 8, 10; 1 Jn 4:7-16; Mt
11:25-30
R. (cf. 17) The Lord's kindness is everlasting to those who fear
him.
Bless the LORD, O my soul;
all my being, bless his holy name.
Bless the LORD, O my soul;
and forget not all his benefits.
He pardons all your iniquities,
heals all your ills.
He redeems your life from destruction,
crowns you with kindness and compassion.
Merciful and gracious is the LORD,
slow to anger and abounding in kindness.
Not according to our sins does he deal with us,
nor does he requite us according to our crimes.
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MEDITATION ON THE SCRIPTURES
- from
http://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/daily.html
For several centuries we have celebrated the love of Jesus for
mankind on this day, the second Friday after Pentecost. Pope John
Paul II has added another similar feast day in our modern times
when the second Sunday of Easter is now also celebrated as the "Day
of Mercy." But this latter feast is lost in the excitement of the
Easter season.
The feast of the Sacred Heart recalls the miraculous revelation of
Jesus to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, a nun of the cloistered
Visitation sisters in France. Her spiritual director was St.
Claude la Columbiere, a Jesuit, who helped spread her message of
the revelation of God's love as experienced in a devotion to the
Sacred Heart of Jesus.
In her lifetime she saw the response of the faithful to her message
revealed by the Sacred Heart. The most obvious is the reception of
the Eucharist for nine consecutive Fridays. This occurred in an
age when it was common practice to receive communion only a couple
of times each year.
The revelation continues: "From this divine heart three streams
flow endlessly. The first is the stream of mercy for sinners."
[From the second reading of the feast of St. Margaret Mary.] ... The
second is the stream of charity ...and from the third stream flow
love and light for the benefit of his friends who have attained
perfection."
This feast is one of love and commitment by Jesus to all of us.
The prayer also reminds us of the reason Pope John Paul II
instituted the feast of Divine Mercy. It introduces us to the
Incarnation at the beginning of his life and the Redemptive death
at the end of his life.
- by Paul Mahowald, S.J.
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SPIRITUAL READING
- Christ's Four Modes of Presence to Us
by Philip St. Romain
- 1. Personal/Historical (part 2 of 3)
How do we come to know the historical Jesus? There are many
avenues for doing so, including movies about him, books, paintings,
statues, preaching and teaching. The way, par excellence, however,
is to prayerfully study his life as it is presented to us in the
Gospels. Here, we see him going about doing good, revealing to us
the inner heart of God, and something of his presence is
communicated to us. We find that we are not merely reading a
story, but we are encountering a person. That very same Jesus of
Nazareth who once walked the earth now comes to us through the
Gospel, and invites us to relationship with him. The mind and
heart are "warmed" by him, and invited to draw closer, to become a
disciple. Eventually we come to a moment of decision: will we or
won't we say yes to him? This may happen to us many times, each
inviting us to a deeper knowledge of Jesus.
- from "Jesus Alive in Our Lives"
http://www.lulu.com/product/paperback/jesus-alive-in-our-lives/11780728
(paperback)
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/41961 (ebook formats)
http://www.amazon.com/Jesus-Alive-Our-Lives-ebook/dp/B00427YKNU/
(Kindle)
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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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