Message of 4-16-12
Published: Mon, 04/16/12
A Daily Spiritual Seed
- resources for prayer and spiritual growth
Message of the Day
The [Christian] "doctrines" are translations into our concepts and ideas of that which God has already expressed in language more adequate, namely the actual incarnation, crucifixion, and resurrection.
- C. S. Lewis (1898-1963), Letters of C. S. Lewis
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Lectionary Readings of the Day
http://www.usccb.org/calendar/index.cfm?showLit=1&action=month
Acts 4:23-31; Ps 2:1-3, 4-9; Jn 3:1-8
R. (see 11d) Blessed are all who take refuge in the Lord.
Why do the nations rage
and the peoples utter folly?
The kings of the earth rise up,
and the princes conspire together
against the LORD and against his anointed:
"Let us break their fetters
and cast their bonds from us!"
He who is throned in heaven laughs;
the LORD derides them.
Then in anger he speaks to them;
he terrifies them in his wrath:
"I myself have set up my king
on Zion, my holy mountain."
I will proclaim the decree of the LORD.
The LORD said to me, "You are my Son;
this day I have begotten you.
Ask of me and I will give you
the nations for an inheritance
and the ends of the earth for your possession.
You shall rule them with an iron rod;
you shall shatter them like an earthen dish."
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Reflection on the Gospel
- from Daily Bread
http://www.preacherexchange.com/daily_bread.htm
They were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness.
Peter and John have just been released from court, where they have been warned not to speak of Jesus, but no amount of intimidation by the officials can keep them quiet. No longer quaking in fear, they eagerly spread the news about their experiences with Jesus and bravely recount his resurrection and his teaching. They really must be "filled with the Holy Spirit" because they have been transformed from cowering men hiding from the authorities, to confident ones boldly defying the demands of the religious leaders. They are able to speak God's word with confidence. Today, we pray for this same Spirit to make us bold as we try to live out Christ's message.
Holy Spirit, for greater courage, we pray.
- Portia Clark
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Spiritual Reading
The Adornment of the Spiritual Marriage
by St. John of Rusybroeck (1293-1381)
Through this loving inclination of God, and His inward working in the unity of our spirit, and further through our glowing love and the pressing of all our powers together into the very unity in which God dwells, there arises the third coming of Christ in inward working. And this is an inward touch or stirring of Christ in His Divine brightness, in the inmost part of our spirit. The second coming, of which we have spoken, we have likened to a fountain, pouring forth in three rills. But this coming we will liken to the duct which feeds the fountain. For there is no rill without a fountain; and no fountain without a living duct. So likewise the grace of God flows forth like rills into the higher powers, and impels and enkindles a person in all virtue. And this grace springs up within the unity of our spirit like a fountain, and falls back again into that same unity whence it arises; even as a living and gushing spring which comes forth from the living ground of the Divine Richness, where neither faithfulness nor grace can ever fail. And this is the touch which I mean. And the creature passively endures this touch. For here there is a union of the higher powers within the unity of the spirit, above the multiplicity of all the virtues, and here no one works save God alone, in untrammelled goodness; which is the cause of all our virtues and of all blessedness. In the unity of the spirit, into which this duct gushes forth, one is above activity and above reason, though not without reason. For the enlightened reason, and especially the power of love, feels this touch; and reason cannot understand, nor can it comprehend, the way or the means of this touch, how or what it is, for it is a working of God, the upspringing and the inrushing of all graces and gifts, and the last intermediary between God and the creature. And above this touch, in the still being of the spirit, there broods an incomprehensible Brightness. And that is the most high Trinity whence this touch proceeds. There God lives and reigns in the spirit, and the spirit in God.
- Chapter 51: On the third coming of Christ.
* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~
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