Weekend Edition - A Daily Spiritual Seed
Published: Fri, 05/04/12
A Daily Spiritual Seed
Weekend Edition: May
4-6, 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: Acts 9:26-31; Ps 22:26-32; 1 Jn 3:18-24; Jn 15:1-8 R. (26a) I will praise you, Lord, in the assembly of your people.  I will fulfill my vows before those who
fear the LORD.The lowly shall eat their fill; they who seek the LORD shall praise him: "May your hearts live forever!" All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the LORD; all the families of the nations shall bow down before him. To him alone shall bow down all who sleep in the earth; before him shall bend all who go down into the dust. And to him my soul shall live; my descendants shall serve him. Let the coming generation be told of the LORD that they may proclaim to a people yet to be born the justice he has shown. - - - Amazon
Gift Cards - - - Spiritual Guidance - see http://shalomplace.org/eve/forums
for these and hundreds of other
discussions. Theology Note of the
Week Nihilism is the philosophical viewpoint that life has no meaning, that there is no objective meaning and purpose to human life. It is the rejection of laws and the promotion of anarchy. It further states that there is no objective moral truth. |
Featured Spiritual
Growth Resources (Easter
Season)
Jesus is Risen - Free! This e-pamphlet emphasizes that the cutting edge of a Christian's attitude is belief in the resurrection of Jesus. We examine the evidence for the resurrection and show how we can encounter the risen Christ today--how we can make sense of pain and problems, and learn to live the risen life. - for a more in-depth reflection - Jesus Alive in our Lives, by Philip St. Romain  This work bundles together
three related works previously published for different purposes. Part One - "The Meaning of the Resurrection," examines the evidence of the Resurrection and then treats its implications for the life of the believer. Part Two - "Encountering the Risen Christ," reflects on meeting the risen Christ in his four modes of present to us: personal/historical, communal, sacramental and cosmic. Part Three - "The Gift of the Spirit," notes the decisive role of the Holy Spirit in the lives of early Christian believers, and in our own as well. The theme running through these three parts is that Jesus of Nazareth is risen, and that we can come to know him and give evidence of his life and love in our own as well. Available in paperback and several eBook formats. - see http://shalomplace.com/psrbks.html for purchase options. - - - Book (movie, CD) of the Week Repair My House: Becoming a "kindom" Cathoiic, by Michael H. Crosby. Orbis Books, 2012. - http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1570759537/ref=noism/christianspiritu/  Father Crosby is as usual much
involved in repairing the present day Church, just as his founder
Francis of Assisi did in his day. He sees clearly both the ecclesial
and the secular problems that interfere with the proper role of the
post Vatican II church. He searches the Scriptures for solutions to the
many problems besetting the church and is convinced that the present
day church is one that Jesus would find problems identifying with. Crosby's special interest is found in two sections of Matthew's Gospel, namely Mattthew 16:17-19 and Matthew 18:17-20. At long last after reading several of Crosby's books in which he writes about these two sections, I have come to an understanding of what he is talking about. He makes it quite clear in 16:17-19 that Jesus in speaking of the church as institutional under the pope, bishops, and priests. This is the "Peter, who do you say that I am?" section. When this is emphasized to the determent of Mt 18, one sees the church as led by papal pronouncements and episcopal statements, obedience as submission of the mind and intellect, and Eucharist as primarily identified with the action of t he clerically ordained who determine how the lay people will participate. Turning to Matthew 18:17-20, one finds a different model of church wherein all are seen as equals. The baptized and their leaders are co-responsible members. The magisterium is identified with collegiality. Obedience is respectful service of all for the common good. Eucharist is the source and summit of the life of the whole church being celebrated, with the priest presiding, by the whole people. After showing the brokenness of the church, Crosby presents a blueprint for repair based on the wisdom of the Gospel. Crosby states that this book is not an attack on the hierarchy but rather like an invitation to take off the blinders that so often get in the way of true leadership. - Thanks to Sr. Irene Hartman OP for this review. 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=1362 - St. Rose Venerini (1656-1728): May 7  Rose was born at Viterbo in
Italy, the daughter of a doctor. Following the death of her fiancé she
entered a convent, but soon returned home to care for her newly widowed
mother. Meanwhile, Rose invited the women of the neighborhood to recite
the rosary in her home, forming a sort of sodality with them.As she looked to her future, Rose, under the spiritual guidance of a Jesuit priest, became convinced that she was called to become a teacher in the world rather than a contemplative nun in a convent. Clearly, she made the right choice: She was a born teacher, and the free school for girls she opened in 1685 was well received. Soon the cardinal invited her to oversee the training of teachers and the administration of schools in his Diocese of Montefiascone. As Rose's reputation grew, she was called upon to organize schools in many parts of Italy, including Rome. Her disposition was right for the task as well, for Rose often met considerable opposition but was never deterred. She died in Rome in 1728, where a number of miracles were attributed to her. She was beatified in 1952 and canonized in 2006. The sodality, or group of women she had invited to prayer, was ultimately given the rank of a religious congregation. Today, the so-called Venerini Sisters can be found in the United States and elsewhere, working among Italian immigrants. - - - Joke of the Week - A helping hand.... A priest is walking down the street one day when he notices a very small boy trying to press a doorbell on a house across the street. However, the boy is very small and the doorbell is too high for him to reach. After watching the boys efforts for some time, the priest moves closer to the boy's position. He steps smartly across the street, walks up behind the little fellow and, placing his hand kindly on the child's shoulder leans over and gives the doorbell a solid ring. Crouching down to the child's level, the priest smiles benevolently and asks, "And now what, my little man?" To which the boy replies, "Now we run!" - - - Web
Resource of the Week
Listening 2 God - http://www.listening2god.com/ "Is it possible to hear God's voice? Since God is a person, who desires intimacy with those who he calls his friends, then of course it is possible. God wants us to listen to his voice - he created us for that very purpose. In fact, I believe everybody hears God speaking.The real question is - is it possible to learn to reliably recognise God's voice when we are listening for it? "The answer is most definitely YES! "God is not human - God is Spirit. So we would expect that listening to God might be a bit different from listening to another person. But it is not that much different, because humans also are spiritual beings, made in the image of God, and created for communion, and therefore communication, with him. God has built numerous ways into the creation by which we hear him speak." - from the web site There are a number of courses, teachings and resources on this site; some are free, and some have a small registration fee. The material I've examined seems to be solid. Check it out. |
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