Message of 7-8-11
Published: Sun, 07/03/11
- resources for prayer and spiritual growth
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MESSAGE OF THE DAY
Character is supreme in life, and hence Jesus stood supreme in the
supreme thing--so supreme that, when we think of the ideal, we do
not add virtue to virtue, but think of Jesus Christ, so that the
standard of human life is no longer a code, but a character.
- E. Stanley Jones (1884-1973), "Now and Then"
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LECTIONARY READINGS FOR THE DAY
http://www.nccbuscc.org/nab/
Gn 46:1-7, 28-30; Ps. 37:3-4, 18-19, 27-28, 39-40; Mt 10:16-23
R. (39a) The salvation of the just comes from the Lord.
Trust in the LORD and do good,
that you may dwell in the land and be fed in security.
Take delight in the LORD,
and he will grant you your heart's requests.
The LORD watches over the lives of the wholehearted;
their inheritance lasts forever.
They are not put to shame in an evil time;
in days of famine they have plenty.
Turn from evil and do good,
that you may abide forever;
For the LORD loves what is right,
and forsakes not his faithful ones.
The salvation of the just is from the LORD;
he is their refuge in time of distress.
And the LORD helps them and delivers them;
he delivers them from the wicked and saves them,
because they take refuge in him.
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MEDITATION ON THE SCRIPTURES
- from
http://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/daily.html
Jesus said to his Apostles: "Behold, I am sending you like sheep in
the midst of wolves."
I wonder about the different worldviews of each. Is the world good
and "charged with the grandeur of God?" Is the world hostile and
bereft of the presence of God. Seems to me that one's worldview
shapes one's spirituality. Quite a few experience the world as
hostile to Jesus and his gospel. This leads some to a more
defensive posture, watching out for attack. Many experience the
world as a good and kindly place. This leads some to embrace
differences that exist in the world.
The negative aspect of the first worldview is paranoia and the
projection of one's fears upon others, followed by unwarranted
attacks. The negative aspect of the second is the temptation to
conform the gospel and the Christian way of life to the world
around.
I wonder about whether either worldview is sufficient unto itself.
Perhaps we in the Church need to embrace the tension between a view
of the world that comes from the Contemplatio in the Spiritual
Exercises that sees God active in this world and this view from
Matthew's Discourse.
What do you think?
- by Roc O'Connor, S.J.
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SPIRITUAL READING
- Christ's Four Modes of Presence to Us
by Philip St. Romain
- 1. Personal/Historical (part 3 of 3)
Through knowledge of the personal, historical Jesus, we come to
know the personal God Whom Jesus called Father. We come to see
that faith is more than adherence to beliefs or living by
principles; it is a relationship with a Person. It seems that
without this kind of relationship with Jesus, the other modes of
encountering him lose some of this quality of relatedness. Coming
to know Jesus as one's Lord, savior, brother and friend is a
wonderful possibility opened to us by the grace of Christian faith.
- 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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