Message of 8-28-12

Published: Tue, 08/28/12


A Daily Spiritual Seed
- resources for prayer and spiritual growth


Message of the Day

Christian experience always has a special modality, due to the fact that it is inseparable from the mystery of Christ and the collective life of the Church, the Body of Christ. . . . In other words, this experience must always be in some way reducible to a theological form that can be shared by the rest of the Church or that shows that it is a sharing of what the rest of the Church experiences."
- Thomas Merton, Zen and the Birds of Appetite

(How do the faith experiences shared by other Christians nurture your own growth in faith? Be resolved to make spiritual reading a part of your everyday life.)

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

2 Thes 2:1-3a, 14-17;     Ps 96:10-13;    Mt 23:23-26

R. (13b) The Lord comes to judge the earth.

Say among the nations: The LORD is king.
He has made the world firm, not to be moved;
he governs the peoples with equity.

Let the heavens be glad and the earth rejoice;
let the sea and what fills it resound;
let the plains be joyful and all that is in them!
Then shall all the trees of the forest exult.

Before the LORD, for he comes;
for he comes to rule the earth.
He shall rule the world with justice
and the peoples with his constancy.

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Reflection on the Gospel
- from http://www.dailyscripture.net/

Jesus used a humorous example to show how out of proportion matters had gotten with them. Gnats were considered the smallest of insects and camels were considered the largest of animals in Palestine. Both were considered ritually impure. The scribes went to great lengths to avoid contact with gnats, even to the point of straining the wine cup with a fine cloth lest they accidently swallowed a gnat. The stark contrast must have drawn chuckles as well as groans.

What was the point of Jesus' humorous lesson? The essence of God's commandments is love - love of God and love of neighbor. God is love and everything he does flows from his love for us. True love is unconditional, costly, and sacrificial - it both embraces and lifts the burdens of others. Do you allow the love of God to transform your whole life - including the way you think of others, speak of them, and treat them?

"Lord Jesus, fill me with your love and mercy that I may always think, speak, and treat others with fairness, kindness, patience, and goodness."

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Spiritual Reading
The Way of Perfection
  - by Teresa of Avila (1515-1582)

- Describes the difference between perfection in the lives of contemplatives and in the lives of those who are content with mental prayer. Explains how it is sometimes possible for God to raise a distracted soul to perfect contemplation and the reason for this. This chapter and that which comes next are to be noted carefully.

Returning to what I was saying, there are souls whom God knows He may gain for Himself by this means; seeing that they are completely lost, His Majesty wants to leave no stone unturned to help them; and therefore, though they are in a sad way and lacking in virtues, He gives them consolations, favours and emotions which begin to move their desires, and occasionally even brings them to a state of contemplation, though rarely and not for long at a time. And this, as I say, He does because He is testing them to see if that favour will not make them anxious to prepare themselves to enjoy it often; if it does not, may they be pardoned; pardon Thou us, Lord, for it is a dreadful thing that a soul whom Thou hast brought near to Thyself should approach any earthly thing and become attached to it.

- Chapter 16

(Keep in mind that she is writing to sisters in a cloistered contemplative order.)

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