Message of 7-11-11
Published: Sun, 07/10/11
- resources for prayer and spiritual growth
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MESSAGE OF THE DAY
How did Jesus show his authority? Not by making vast claims for
himself, though such claims were implicit. His authority seemed to
reside in what he was and what he did rather than in what he
specifically claimed to be. Especially in Mark's Gospel there is an
elusive quality about his authority, the mystery of the hidden
Messiah. His authority was at the same time most deeply hidden and
most clearly expressed by his servanthood... The more the Church in
its life shows forth the character of the Servant, the more will
its teaching bear the marks of the authority of the Servant.
- Anthony T. Hanson (1916-1991), "The Church of the Servant"
(What does spiritual authority mean to you? Where do you see signs
of it in your life?)
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LECTIONARY READINGS FOR THE DAY
http://www.nccbuscc.org/nab/
Ex 1:8-14, 22; Ps. 124:1b-3, 4-6, 7-8; Mt 10:34-11:1
R. (8a) Our help is in the name of the Lord.
Had not the LORD been with us-
let Israel say, had not the LORD been with us-
When men rose up against us,
then would they have swallowed us alive,
When their fury was inflamed against us.
Then would the waters have overwhelmed us;
The torrent would have swept over us;
over us then would have swept
the raging waters.
Blessed be the LORD, who did not leave us
a prey to their teeth.
We were rescued like a bird
from the fowlers' snare;
Broken was the snare,
and we were freed.
Our help is in the name of the LORD,
who made heaven and earth.
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REFLECTION ON THE GOSPEL
- from "Daily Bread"
http://www.preacherexchange.com/daily_bread.htm
"Whoever receives you receives me, and whoever receives me receives
the one who sent me."
So many people move in and through our days. How do we receive
them? Would that manner change if we decided to think of each one
as Jesus, if we realized that Jesus is, indeed, present to us in
every one of our brothers and sisters? St. Benedict made
hospitality a keystone of his Rule. It states: "All guests who
arrive should be received as Christ" (Chapter 53). We are all
Jesus' disciples, his emissaries, carrying his message, making him
present by our presence. Today let us be especially gracious toward
those who put discipleship at the center of their lives through the
priesthood or religious life.
"For those who dedicate their lives to serving God, we pray."
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SPIRITUAL READING
The Adornment of the Spiritual Marriage
by St. John of Rusybroeck (1293-1381)
If a person thus falls into sickness and cold, he is sometimes
caught by dropsy, that is to say, he has an inclination towards the
outward possession of earthly things. The more such people acquire,
the more they desire; for they straightway become dropsical. The
belly, that is, the appetites or lusts, swells terribly, and the
thirst will not be quenched. But the face of conscience and
discretion becomes small and thin, for these people put hindrances
against the inflow of the grace of God. If they thus accumulate the
waters of earthly possessions about the heart, that is, if they
cling to them with desire, they cannot progress in works of
charity; for they are sick, they lack the inward spirit of life and
breath, that is to say, they lack the grace of God and inward
charity. And therefore they cannot rid themselves of the waters of
earthly riches: the heart is submerged in them, and they are often
choked therein and die an eternal death. But those who keep the
waters of earthly riches far below the heart, so that they are
master of their possessions and can renounce them whenever it is
needful: these, though they may suffer long from inordinate
inclinations, may yet be cured.
- Chapter 31: Of another hindrance to growth
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