Weekend Edition - A Daily Spiritual Seed
Published: Fri, 02/03/12
A Daily Spiritual Seed
Weekend Edition:
February 3-5, 2012
| Contents: - Weekend Scripture Readings - Spiritual Guidance - Discussion Board highlights - Affiliate Web Sites - Theology Note of the Week - Spiritual Growth Resources. - Book of the Week - Saint of the Week - Joke of the Week - Web Resource of the Week - - - Sunday: Jb 7:1-4, 6-7; Ps 147:1-6; 1 Cor 9:16-19, 22-23; Mk 1:29-39 R. (cf. 3a) Praise the Lord, who heals the brokenhearted.  Praise the LORD, for he is good;sing praise to our God, for he is gracious; it is fitting to praise him. The LORD rebuilds Jerusalem; the dispersed of Israel he gathers. He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds. He tells the number of the stars; he calls each by name. Great is our Lord and mighty in power; to his wisdom there is no limit. The LORD sustains the lowly; the wicked he casts to the ground. - - - Amazon
Gift Cards - - - Spiritual Guidance SeeScapes. Picturing
the deeper dimensions of our spirituality. Theology Note of the
Week The moral influence theory of the atonement maintains that the death of Christ was not necessary as a means of removing sin. Instead, the loving sacrifice of Christ, as such wonderful and selfless act, influences the hearts and minds of those who hear about it and moves them to repentance and trust in Christ. The problem with this theory is that it violates the Scriptures that say that no one seeks for God (Romans 3:10-12), that the unbeliever cannot understand a receive spiritual things (1 Cor. 2:14), and that unbelievers are slaves of sin (Romans 6:14-10). Furthermore, the death of Christ was substitutionary (Isaiah 53:4-6; Matthew 20:28) and a legal act since the atonement for sin is the fulfillment of the law. After all, sin is breaking the law of God (1 John 3:4). |
Featured Spiritual
Growth Resources
Co-operating with the Spirit to Grow in Grace - by Philip St. Romain, M.S., D. Min. The language of consent figures prominently in the lives of many biblical figures. God, it seems, breaks into their lives with an invitation, leaving them free to consent or to refuse. From Abraham to Moses to David and Mary, we find this dynamic of invitation and consent at work to bring forth new life and transformation. It is as though God so respects the freedom we were given as to ask our co-operation in bringing forth God's dream for the earth and its inhabitants. Nothing has changed in that regard since biblical times. God still invites, and we respond one way or another to these initiatives. Sometimes the call comes through loud and clear; other times it is subtle and delicate. Once we hear the call, however, we must reply; we cannot avoid doing so, for to ignore the call is itself a kind of reply. To find out more about The Five Consents and sign up for this free, online resource, see http://shalomplace.com/inetmin/fiveconsents/index.html - - - Book (movie, CD) of the Week - http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1590561155/ref=noism/christianspiritu/ Divine Therapy and Addiction: Centering Prayer and the Twelve Steps, by Thomas Keating, OCSO. Lantern Books, 2011.  This is the most important book
written since the 12 Steps. I have been
a sober member of AA for 12 years and Father Keating's interpretation
provides an invaluable roadmap for the transformation from
self-centeredness, which he says all of us are, to god-centeredness.
There is so much in this book regarding the pain of addiction, which he
says all of us are addicted, and how to move from addiction using the
12 Steps, that every time I open this book, I grow calm with the
knowledge that god can direct my thinking. Having spent most of my life
driven by 100 forms of fear, this book specifically discusses what it
is and how to resolve it. There is so much practical information, that
its probable that this book would resolve issues for anyone that picks
it up. (Amazon.com book reviewer.) Make the Christian Spirituality Bookstore your starting point for online shopping at Amazon.com. You can buy books, cds, videotapes, software, appliances and many other products at discount prices. As Amazon.com affiliate, we are paid a small fee for purchases originating from our web site. Every little bit helps! http://shalomplace.com/books/index.html - - - Saint of the Week - http://www.americancatholic.org/features/saints/saint.aspx?id=1453 - St. Josephine Bakhita (c. 1868-1947): February 8  For many years,
Josephine Bakhita was a slave but her spirit was always free and
eventually that spirit prevailed.Born in Olgossa in the Darfur region of southern Sudan, Josephine was kidnapped at the age of seven, sold into slavery and given the name Bakhita, which means fortunate. She was re-sold several times, finally in 1883 to Callisto Legnani, Italian consul in Khartoum, Sudan. Two years later he took Josephine to Italy and gave her to his friend Augusto Michieli. Bakhita became babysitter to Mimmina Michieli, whom she accompanied to Venice's Institute of the Catechumens, run by the Canossian Sisters. While Mimmina was being instructed, Josephine felt drawn to the Catholic Church. She was baptized and confirmed in 1890, taking the name Josephine. When the Michielis returned from Africa and wanted to take Mimmina and Josephine back with them, the future saint refused to go. During the ensuing court case, the Canossian sisters and the patriarch of Venice intervened on Josephine's behalf. The judge concluded that since slavery was illegal in Italy, she had actually been free since 1885. Josephine entered the Institute of St. Magdalene of Canossa in 1893 and made her profession three years later. In 1902, she was transferred to the city of Schio (northeast of Verona), where she assisted her religious community through cooking, sewing, embroidery and welcoming visitors at the door. She soon became well loved by the children attending the sisters' school and the local citizens. She once said, "Be good, love the Lord, pray for those who do not know Him. What a great grace it is to know God!" The first steps toward her beatification began in 1959. She was beatified in 1992 and canonized eight years later. - - - Joke of the Week - More puns for educated people (continued from last week) 11. Two hats were hanging on a hat rack in the hallway. One hat said to the other: "You stay here; I'll go on a head." 12. I wondered why the baseball kept getting bigger. Then it hit me. 13. A sign on the lawn at a drug rehab center said: "Keep off the Grass." 14. The midget fortune-teller who escaped from prison was a small medium at large. 15. The soldier who survived mustard gas and pepper spray is now a seasoned veteran. 16. In a democracy it's your vote that counts. In feudalism it's your count that votes. 17. When cannibals ate a missionary, they got a taste of religion. 18. If you jumped off the bridge in Paris, you'd be in Seine. 19. A vulture boards an airplane, carrying two dead raccoons. The stewardess looks at him and says, "I'm sorry, sir, only one carrion allowed per passenger." 20. Two fish swim into a concrete wall. One turns to the other and says 'Dam!' 21. Two Eskimos sitting in a kayak were chilly, so they lit a fire in the craft. Unsurprisingly it sank, proving once again that you can't have your kayak and heat it too. 22. Two hydrogen atoms meet. One says, 'I've lost my electron.' The other says 'Are you sure?' The first replies, 'Yes, I'm positive.' 23. Did you hear about the Buddhist who refused Novocain during a root canal? His goal: transcend dental medication. 24. There was the person who sent ten puns to friends, with the hope that at least one of the puns would make them laugh. No pun in ten did. (Thanks, Carol) - - - Web
Resource of the Week
Celebrate Recovery - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Celebrate_Recovery A Christian approach to working the Twelve Steps, with groups found in major cities throughout the U.S. and other countries. There are lots of links in the wikipedia article. |
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