Message of 7-20-11
Published: Mon, 07/18/11
- resources for prayer and spiritual growth
- - -
MESSAGE OF THE DAY
I would very earnestly ask you to check your conception of Christ,
the image of Him which as a Christian you hold in your mind, with
the actual revealed Person who can be seen and studied in action in
the pages of the Gospels. It may be of some value to hold in our
minds a bundle of assorted ideals to influence and control our
conduct. But surely we need to be very careful before we give that
"bundle" the name of Jesus Christ the Son of God.
- J. B. Phillips (1906-1982), "When God was Man"
(Christ is not a set of principles to live by, nor, less a "state
of consciousness." Christ is a living person with whom one can be
in relationship with.)
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
LECTIONARY READINGS FOR THE DAY
http://www.nccbuscc.org/nab/
Ex 16:1-5, 9-15; Ps. 78:18-19, 23-24, 25-26, 27-28; Mt 13:1-9
R. (24b) The Lord gave them bread from heaven.
They tempted God in their hearts
by demanding the food they craved.
Yes, they spoke against God, saying,
"Can God spread a table in the desert?"
Yet he commanded the skies above
and the doors of heaven he opened;
He rained manna upon them for food
and gave them heavenly bread.
Man ate the bread of angels,
food he sent them in abundance.
He stirred up the east wind in the heavens,
and by his power brought on the south wind.
And he rained meat upon them like dust,
and, like the sand of the sea, winged fowl,
Which fell in the midst of their camp
round about their tents.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
MEDITATION ON THE GOSPEL
from "Praying the Daily Gospels," by Philip St. Romain:
- http://www.liguori.org/productdetails.cfm?PC=6614
- Matthew 13:1-9 (Parable of the sower)
Jesus reveals to us a God intent on communicating his love and
vision. Because Jesus wants to reach more than the intellectuals
of his day, he tells parables, simple stories, to describe the
kingdom of God. Today's parable of the sower and the seed is rich
with meaning concerning social development as well as our spiritual
growth.
- What sentiments have you expressed at home recently? Choose one
or two people from home and count the number of times you have
affirmed them during the past two days. How many times have you
criticized them? Resolve to be more loving.
- Spend some time allowing God to work in the soil of your heart.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
SPIRITUAL READING
At the Master's Feet
- by Sadhu Sundar Singh
Christ speaks:
5. My children are like salt in the world (Matt. v.13). If the salt
crystals are not dissolved they cannot transmit their flavour. So
with My children. If they are not melted in the fire of love and
the Holy Spirit, and made into a living sacrifice, they will not be
able to bring a single soul that spiritual and heavenly life by
which they may be saved. They will be no better than Lot's wife who
became a pillar of salt (Gen. xix.26). But just as for your sakes I
was melted in Gethesemane (Luke xxii.44), and on the cross gave up
My life that I might save the lives of men, for life must be paid
for with life, so you also are called upon to give up your lives
and thus bring the savour of spiritual life to others and deliver
them from death.
- Part 1, Section 1
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
METHODS OF PRAYER AND REFLECTION
Listed below are several traditional methods of prayer and
reflection. As St. Frances de Sales noted, we learn to pray by
praying, but it is also good to try different methods to see which
seem to help facilitate connection with God. Indeed, the more we
learn different methods, the better we can sense how the Spirit is
moving us to pray for any given prayer time.
- - -
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 (see
Centering Prayer method, below)
- - -
Centering Prayer
(Works best after a period of Lectio Divina, as described above;
two 20 minute periods a day are recommended.)
This term, centering prayer, is of recent origin, but the method is
described in many places, most notably "The Cloud of Unknowing."
1. Choose a sacred word as the symbol of your intention to consent
to God's presence and action within. (This can be any word.)
2. Sitting comfortably and with eyes closed, settle briefly, and
silently introduce the sacred word as the symbol of your consent to
God's presence and action within.
3. When you become aware of thoughts, return ever-so-gently to the
sacred word.
4. At the end of the prayer period, remain in silence with eyes
closed for a couple of minutes.
- - -
Hesychast Prayer ("quiet" prayer)
(This form of contemplative practice was widely used by the
fathers and mothers of the desert in the early days of Christianity
and is still very popular in Eastern Christian churches. At least
two 20 minute prayer periods are recommended.)
1. Sit quietly, with back straight and hands resting in the lap,
palms up.
2. Lovingly introduce into your mind the prayer, "Lord Jesus
Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me." (Note: this may be shortened
as the prayer proceeds).
3. Let this prayer move in synchrony with your breath, praying the
first part with your inhalation, the second with exhalation.
4. When distracting thoughts attempt to break in, persist with the
Jesus Prayer. Allow yourself to feel your emotions, however.
Practice of this prayer may lead to feelings of warmth in the heart
and perception of inner light. Enjoy. . .
- - -
Praying With Scripture (Benedictine Approach)
1. Relax. Settle in. Be aware that God is here, now, loving you.
2. Read a short passage of Scripture as though God were speaking
directly to you in it.
3. Choose a phrase from the passage that strikes you and repeat it
slowly, prayerfully, non-analytically.
4. When your heart is full, express to God the needs and sentiments
awakened by your meditation. When you're done, read another passage
and repeat steps 3 and 4.
5. If, at any time, you feel moved to simply be present to God in
loving silence, put the Scripture aside and rest in God.
- - -
Review of the 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.
- - -
A collection of additional spiritual exercises can be found in our
Handbook for Spiritual Directees.
- see http://shalomplace.com/view/hndbk-lite.pdf
* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~
Amazon.com gift cards - good for any occasion
- http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00067L6TQ/?tag=christianspiritu
- - - -
Please help support Heartland Center's Internet ministries:
- For more info on tax-deductible donations, see
http://shalomplace.com/seed/donations.html.
Thanks for your consideration!
_________________________________________________
* Web Archive: http://www.aweber.com/z/article/?dailyseed
* RSS: http://www.aweber.com/z/rss/?dailyseed