Weekend Edition - A Daily Spiritual Seed
Published: Fri, 08/03/12
A Daily Spiritual Seed
Weekend Edition:
August 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: Ex 16:2-4, 12-15; Ps 78:3-4, 23-24, 25, 54; Eph 4:17, 20-24; Jn 6:24-35 R. (24b) The Lord gave them bread from heaven.  What we have heard and know,and what our fathers have declared to us, We will declare to the generation to come the glorious deeds of the LORD and his strength and the wonders that he wrought. He commanded the skies above and opened the doors of heaven; he rained manna upon them for food and gave them heavenly bread. Man ate the bread of angels, food he sent them in abundance. And he brought them to his holy land, to the mountains his right hand had won. - - - Amazon
Gift Cards - - - Spiritual Guidance - see http://shalomplace.org/eve/forums
for these and hundreds of other
discussions. Theology Note of the
Week To ordain means to order or decree. It can mean to cause something to happen or to allow it to occur depending on the context. God can ordain things to occur without directly causing them. God ordained The Fall in that he gave freedom of choice to the devil, Adam, and Eve. Each made a choice that was consistent with their natures. Adam freely chose to disobey God, but God did not cause Adam to disobey. Rather, the circumstances of Adam's free will, Satan's falleness, The Garden location, etc., were all in place and Adam freely chose to sin -- yet God did not cause Adam to sin. Ordain is also used to mean to recognize and establish an individual to a specific office and/or calling. Ministers are ordained to their offices by the laying on of hands (1 Tim. 4:14) and are thereby charged with the duties of that office. |
Featured Spiritual
Growth Resources
 SpiritLife* Spiritual Enrichment * Spiritual Director Formation (optional) Classes begin August 25, 2012 Heartland Center for Spirituality. Great Bend, KS See http://heartlandspirituality.org/spiritlife Online Option (whole course or individual classes) - - - Book (movie, CD) of the Week Why Priests are Happy: A Study of the Psychological and Spiritual Health of Priests, by Stephen J. Rosetti. Ave Maria Press. 2011. - http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1594712743/ref=noism/christianspiritu/  This book is termed "a
study of the psychological and spiritual health of priests" with a
foreward by John L. Allen Jr. Rosetti who is a leading authority on the
Catholic priesthood and former president of St. Luke's institute finds
that priests are for the most part enjoying a high degree of happiness
and satisfaction among the highest of any profession. Especially
he emphasizes that spirituality has direct and profound effect on their
lives. The book is replete with charts and tables that afford valuable information. Some samples of these charts are as follows: I pray privately each day. I believe God called me to a celibate life. At times I feel overwhelmed with the amount of work required. Celibacy has been a grace for me personally. I have had a good relationship with my father, my mother, with close friends. Obedience to religious authority is an important value to me. I feel proud to be a priest today. I encourage men to become priests. I see a positive future for priesthood in the United States. The topic of sexual abuse plays an important part of this book and has caused a credibility gap for many Catholics. Allen believes the cover-up evidenced by some bishops has contributed in large part to this credibility problem. The author makes many suggestions for a more helpful seminary training which will contribute to a more healthy formation of young men. The author identifies what elements in the priests' life are conducive to good health, and where the danger points lie. One chapter is devoted to those planning to leave the priesthood. "Regarding their pastoral and spiritual lives, there are many sources of support and nourishment experienced by priests, such as good friendship with other priests and laity and a personal love of their vocations and pastoral ministry, especially their Eucharistic and sacramental ministry. ...The spirituality of our priests is integral to their peace, happiness, and at times, joy." "Their relationship with God is very much alive and a strong source of their inner peace and happiness. Priests reported having a strong nourishing relationship with God, feeling personally loved by God, feeling a sense of inner peace and even joy, and being grateful for these blessings". (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=1093 - St. Dominic (1170-1221)  If he hadn't taken a
trip with his bishop, Dominic would probably have remained within the
structure of contemplative life; after the trip, he spent the rest of
his life being a contemplative in active apostolic work.Born in old Castile, Spain, he was trained for the priesthood by a priest-uncle, studied the arts and theology, and became a canon of the cathedral at Osma, where there was an attempt to revive the apostolic common life described in the Acts of the Apostles. On a journey through France with his bishop, he came face to face with the then virulent Albigensian heresy at Languedoc. The Albigensians (Cathari, "the pure") held to two principles--one good, one evil--in the world. All matter is evil--hence they denied the Incarnation and sacraments. On the same principle they abstained from procreation and took a minimum of food and drink. The inner circle led what some people regarded as a heroic life of purity and asceticism not shared by ordinary followers. Dominic sensed the need for the Church to combat this heresy, and was commissioned to be part of the preaching crusade against it. He saw immediately why the preaching was not succeeding: the ordinary people admired and followed the ascetical heroes of the Albigenses. Understandably, they were not impressed by the Catholic preachers who traveled with horse and retinues, stayed at the best inns and had servants. Dominic therefore, with three Cistercians, began itinerant preaching according to the gospel ideal. He continued this work for 10 years, being successful with the ordinary people but not with the leaders. His fellow preachers gradually became a community, and in 1215 he founded a religious house at Toulouse, the beginning of the Order of Preachers (Dominicans). His ideal, and that of his Order, was to link organically a life with God, study and prayer in all forms, with a ministry of salvation to people by the word of God. His ideal: contemplata tradere: "to pass on the fruits of contemplation" or "to speak only of God or with God." - - - Joke of the Week - The habit... A boy had reached four without giving up the habit of sucking his thumb, though his mother had tried everything from bribery to reasoning to painting it with lemon juice to discourage the habit. Finally she tried threats, warning her son that, "If you don't stop sucking your thumb, your stomach is going to blow up like a balloon." Later that day, walking in the park, mother and son saw a pregnant woman sitting on a bench. The four-year-old considered her gravely for a minute, then spoke to her saying, "Uh-oh ... I know what "you've" been doing." - - - Web
Resource of the Week
Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship: A Call to Political Responsibility from the Catholic Bishops of the United States. - http://tinyurl.com/4x2yp2p The Catholic Bishops of the United States are pleased to re-propose to our people Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship, our teaching document on the political responsibility of Catholics. This statement, overwhelmingly adopted by the body of bishops in 2007, represents the continuing teaching of our Bishops' Conference and our guidance for Catholics in the exercise of their rights and duties as participants in our democracy. We urge our Catholic pastors and people to continue to use this important statement to help them form their consciences, to contribute to civil and respectful public dialogue, and to shape their choices in the coming election in the light of Catholic teaching. - Opening paragraph of the document This resource is available on the Internet and is worthwhile reading for conscientious citizens of any country and any faith. Here the bishops share reflections and guidelines for responsible voting. They seem especially interested in the dilemma of pro-choice politicians, but there are implications regarding other issues as well. We are discussing this document on the Shalom Place Discussion Board, and even have a poll where one can vote their opinion without commenting. Come and check us out at the link below. - http://shalomplace.org/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/16110765/m/6734069128 |
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