Message of 9-30-11
Published: Fri, 09/30/11
A Daily Spiritual Seed
- resources for prayer and spiritual growth
- - -
Message of the Day
"Books," said St. Augustine after his conversion, "could not teach me charity." We still keep on thinking they can. We do not realize ... the utter distinctness of God and the things of God. Psychology of religion can not teach us prayer, and ethics cannot teach us love. Only Christ can do that, and He teaches by the direct method, in and among the circumstances of life. He does not mind about our being comfortable. He wants us to be strong, able to tackle life and be Christians, be apostles in life, so we must be trained by the ups and downs, the rough and tumble of life.
- Evelyn Underhill (1875-1941), The Light of Christ
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Lectionary Readings of the Day
http://www.usccb.org/calendar/index.cfm?showLit=1&action=month
Bar 1:15-22; Ps 79:1b-2, 3-5, 8, 9; Lk 10:13-16
R. (9) For the glory of your name, O Lord, deliver us.
O God, the nations have come into your inheritance;
they have defiled your holy temple,
they have laid Jerusalem in ruins.
They have given the corpses of your servants
as food to the birds of heaven,
the flesh of your faithful ones to the beasts of the earth.
They have poured out their blood like water
round about Jerusalem,
and there is no one to bury them.
We have become the reproach of our neighbors,
the scorn and derision of those around us.
O LORD, how long? Will you be angry forever?
Will your jealousy burn like fire?
Remember not against us the iniquities of the past;
may your compassion quickly come to us,
for we are brought very low.
Help us, O God our savior,
because of the glory of your name;
Deliver us and pardon our sins
for your name's sake.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Reflection on the Scripture
http://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/daily.html
In today's Gospel, Jesus has harsh words for people living in two towns. They were with him, heard him speaking, and saw what he did. However his presence, preaching, and actions did not move and transform them, did not cause them to recognize if they are on a wrong path and need to change their ways, and did not lead to a conversion experience. His words for people in Capernaum were even stronger because they not only ignored but even rejected him and his Good News.
This Gospel's message contrasts with the first reading from the book of the prophet Baruch, which describes how the Israelites in exile recognized that they disregarded God's voice and that each one of them "did evil in the sight of the Lord, our God." They realized that they ignored God and God's messengers and expressed a willingness to change.
- by Alex Rödlach
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Spiritual Reading
On Cleaving to God
by St. Albert the Great
I have had the idea of writing something for myself on and about the state of complete and full abstraction from everything and of cleaving freely, confidently, nakedly and firmly to God alone, so as to describe it fully (in so far as it is possible in this abode of exile and pilgrimage), especially since the goal of Christian perfection is the love by which we cleave to God.
In fact everyone is obligated , to this loving cleaving to God as necessary for salvation, in the form of observing the commandments and conforming to the divine will, and the observation of the commandments excludes everything that is contrary to the nature and habit of love, including mortal sin.
- Chapter 1, On the highest and supreme perfection of man, in so far as it is possible in this life.
* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~
Amazon Gift Cards
: Good for any occasion.- - - -
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