Message of 10-17-12

Published: Wed, 10/17/12


A Daily Spiritual Seed
- resources for prayer and spiritual growth


Message of the Day

(Continuing yesterday's theme.)

The one concern of the devil is to keep Christians from praying. He fears nothing from prayerless studies, prayerless work, and prayerless religion. He laughs at our toil, mocks at our wisdom, but trembles when we pray.
  - Samuel Chadwick

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

Gal 5:18-25;    Ps 1:1-2, 3, 4 and 6;    Lk 11:42-46

R. (see Jn 8:12) Those who follow you, Lord, will have the light of life.

Blessed the man who follows not
the counsel of the wicked
Nor walks in the way of sinners,
nor sits in the company of the insolent,
But delights in the law of the LORD
and meditates on his law day and night.

He is like a tree
planted near running water,
That yields its fruit in due season,
and whose leaves never fade.
Whatever he does, prospers.

Not so the wicked, not so;
they are like chaff which the wind drives away.
For the LORD watches over the way of the just,
but the way of the wicked vanishes.

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Reflection on the Gospel
  - from Praying the Daily Gospels
    http://www.liguori.org/productdetails.cfm?PC=6614

-  Luke 11: 42-46 ("Woe to you...')

If we saw a friend backing toward the edge of a cliff, we would certainly yell out a warning.  Similarly, Jesus feels compelled to warn the scribes and Pharisees that some of their beliefs and practices are hurting themselves and others.

  • He has the right to criticize who has the heart to help," Abraham Lincoln wrote.  Does this criterion apply to Jesus?

  • Of what practices in the Church are you most critical? What are you doing to help improve these situations?


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    Spiritual Reading

    WHAT IS CHRISTIAN LOVE? 
           by Philip St.  Romain©
       Adapted from Freedom from Codependency: A Christian Response
          http://shalomplace.com/view/codep.html

    This brings us to a critical point in our reflection on love.  God has to put up with selfish creatures the same way codependents do.  How does God handle it? Does God enable us or try to control us into shaping up?

    The answer, of course, is that God continues to love us while allowing us to experience our consequences.  God has given us the gift of Himself in Christ and the gift of the Church to manifest the divine presence on earth.  Beyond this, however, God does nothing, for to do more would violate our freedom, an essential condition for loving.  As love, God allows us to use our freedom in destructive ways.

    Many people have a problem with this reasoning.  They believe that an all-powerful God should rescue us from the evil we have created through our own sick minds.  They fail to realize that even if God did rescue us, we would create the same mess again in a short time out of the same sick minds.  What God wants for us is not a short-term fix (which is what enabling brings) but a long-term cure.  What God wants for us is conversion.

    - Part 10 of 12 part series

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    METHODS OF PRAYER AND REFLECTION

    Listed below are several traditional methods of prayer and reflection.  As St. Frances de Sales noted, we learn to pray by praying, but it is also good to try different methods to see which seem to help facilitate connection with God.  Indeed, the more we learn different methods, the better we can sense how the Spirit is moving us to pray for any given prayer time.

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    Lectio Divina Process
    - http://heartlandspirituality.org/vocations/prayer.html

    First, you choose a passage of Scripture that you will pray with.
    It might be the Gospel reading used in the liturgy of the day, or
    anything else you want. The process then follows these steps:

        * Reading (lectio) After settling in and quieting yourself,
    read the passage slowly, prayerfully. Just let it sink in for a
    minute or two, then read it a second time, paying closer attention
    to the words or phrases that speak to you.

        * Reflecting (meditatio) What do you hear God saying to you in
    this passage? What words or phrases caught your attention?

        * Responding (oratio) What do you want to say to God in
    response to what you've heard? Here you can also voice your prayers
    of petition, remorse, thanksgiving, praise, and so forth. If you
    sense God speaking to you in your thoughts, feelings or
    imagination, you respond as you would in any conversation.

        * Resting (contemplatio) If, at any time, you feel drawn to
    simply rest in the awareness of God's loving presence, you let
    yourself do so. Remain in loving silence as long as you feel
    comfortable, perhaps using a simple word or phrase from the
    Scripture passage to help deepen your openness to rest in God
    (see Centering Prayer method, below)

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    Centering Prayer
    (Works best after a period of Lectio Divina, as described above; two 20 minute periods a day are recommended.)
     
    This term, centering prayer, is of recent origin, but the method is described in many places, most notably "The Cloud of Unknowing."
     
    1. Choose a sacred word as the symbol of your intention to consent to God's presence and action within. (This can be any word.)
     
    2. Sitting comfortably and with eyes closed, settle briefly, and silently introduce the sacred word as the symbol of your consent to God's presence and action within.
     
    3. When you become aware of thoughts, return ever-so-gently to the sacred word.
     
    4. At the end of the prayer period, remain in silence with eyes closed for a couple of minutes.

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    Hesychast Prayer ("quiet" prayer)
     (This form of contemplative practice was widely used by the fathers and mothers of the desert in the early days of Christianity and is still very popular in Eastern Christian churches. At least two 20 minute prayer periods are recommended.)
     
    1. Sit quietly, with back straight and hands resting in the lap, palms up.
    2. Lovingly introduce into your mind the prayer, "Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me." (Note: this may be shortened as the prayer proceeds).
    3. Let this prayer move in synchrony with your breath, praying the first part with your inhalation, the second with exhalation.
    4. When distracting thoughts attempt to break in, persist with the Jesus Prayer. Allow yourself to feel your emotions, however.
     
    Practice of this prayer may lead to feelings of warmth in the heart and perception of inner light. Enjoy. . .

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    Praying With Scripture (Benedictine Approach)

    1. Relax. Settle in. Be aware that God is here, now, loving you.
    2. Read a short passage of Scripture as though God were speaking
    directly to you in it.
    3. Choose a phrase from the passage that strikes you and repeat it
    slowly, prayerfully, non-analytically.
    4. When your heart is full, express to God the needs and sentiments
    awakened by your meditation. When you're done, read another passage
    and repeat steps 3 and 4.
    5. If, at any time, you feel moved to simply be present to God in
    loving silence, put the Scripture aside and rest in God.

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    Review of the Day
    - from, Handbook for Spiritual Directees
        http://shalomplace.com/view/handbook.html

    Here is a practice used by many at the end of the day to see what
    lessons can be learned and how God was present and active through
    the day.   Set aside fifteen to twenty minutes at the end of the
    day for prayer and review of your day. A suggested format is
    described below:.

    1. Take a few moments of quiet. Breathe deeply. Ask God to help you
    see yourself as you truly were during the day.

    2. Look back over your day - not to see what you did wrong but to
    honestly acknowledge what was going on with you and others.

        * What happened? What did I do today?
        * How did I feel? Why did I feel that way?
        * Were my expectations and beliefs reasonable?

    3. Affirm the healthy things you recognize.

    4. Admit to yourself and God the unhealthy things. Ask God's
    forgiveness, believe it is yours, then decide if you need to
    apologize or make amends.

    5. Use creative visualization to grow stronger. Honestly
    acknowledge the troubling situations of the day. See and feel
    yourself acting honestly and lovingly in these situations. Ask God
    for the grace to help you act in this new way.

    6. Close with simple awareness of the sights and sounds around you,
    grateful for the good things in your life.

     This process can be undertaken as a daily journal exercise or by
    prayerfully reviewing your day in your own mind. I like to take a
    walk before bedtime for examen. The important thing is to do it. It
    is a discipline, to be sure, but a very important one.

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    Amazon Gift Cards: Good for any occasion.
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