Message of 4-20-12

Published: Fri, 04/20/12


A Daily Spiritual Seed
- resources for prayer and spiritual growth


Message of the Day

It has pleased God that divine verities should not enter the heart through the understanding, but the understanding through the heart.
   - Blaise Pascal (1623-1662), from "The Art of Persuasion", in Pensées (Thoughts)

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Lectionary Readings of the Day
   http://www.usccb.org/calendar/index.cfm?showLit=1&action=month

Acts 5:34-42;   Ps 27:1, 4, 13-14;    Jn 6:1-15

R. (see 4abc) One thing I seek: to dwell in the house of the Lord.

The LORD is my light and my salvation;
whom should I fear?
The LORD is my life's refuge;
of whom should I be afraid?

One thing I ask of the LORD
this I seek:
To dwell in the house of the LORD
all the days of my life,
That I may gaze on the loveliness of the LORD
and contemplate his temple.

I believe that I shall see the bounty of the LORD
in the land of the living.
Wait for the LORD with courage;
be stouthearted, and wait for the LORD.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Reflection on the Scriptures
-  http://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/daily.html

Today's gospel is one of the several "multiplication" stories found in the four accounts of Jesus' life, death and resurrection.  Each one of them reminds us of the abundance of God's love for us in the person of Jesus Christ.   A pattern emerges in each of the "multiplication" stories: a huge crowd of people are gathered around Jesus looking to him for healing ("about five thousand"); they gather in an open place ("on a mountain"); there is a need to feed the crowd; but without proper resources ("five barley loaves and two fish" belonging to a boy in the crowd"); Jesus tells the disciples to distribute the food after he blesses the extremely small amount; the throng is not only satisfied, but there are leftovers ("twelve wicker baskets" full).

These mind-boggling details boggle provide a model for the God's love and care for His People.  That care is expressed abundantly in the action of Jesus towards the people.  Just as the people that day on the mountain side needed to be cared for by Jesus and the disciples, so we today need to receive that care at the hands of others.  Can we believe that God's love actually comes to us in the circumstances of our lives?

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Spiritual Reading

On Cleaving to God
     by St. Albert the Great

I am now completely convinced that you will recognise from these arguments that the more you strip yourself of the products of your imagination and all worldly and created things, and are united to God with your intellect by a good will, the closer you will approach the state of innocence and perfection. What could be better? And what could be more happy and joyful? Above all it is important for you to keep your mind bare - without imaginations and images and free of any sort of entanglement, so that you are not concerned about either the world, friends, prosperity or adversity, or anything present, past or future, whether in yourself or in others - not even your own sins. But consider yourself with a certain pure simplicity to be alone with God outside the world, and as if your mind were already in eternity and separated from the body so that it will certainly not bother about worldly things or be concerned about the state of the world, about peace or war, about good weather or rain, or about anything at all in this world, but with complete docility will turn to God alone, be empty for him and cleave to him. So now in this way ignore your body and all created things, present or future, and direct the high point of your mind and spirit directly, as best you can, naked and unencumbered on the uncreated light. And let your spirit be cleansed in this way from all imaginations, coverings and things obscuring its vision, like an angel (not) tied to a body, who is not hindered by the works of the flesh nor tangled in vain and wandering thoughts.

- Chapter 8. How to commit to God in all circumstances

 * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

Amazon 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