Message of 10-24-12

Published: Wed, 10/24/12


A Daily Spiritual Seed
- resources for prayer and spiritual growth


Message of the Day

Every evil is based on some good. Indeed, evil cannot exist by itself, since it has no essence, as we have shown. Therefore, evil must be in some subject. Now, every subject, because it is some sort of substance, is a good of some kind. So, every evil is in a good thing.
- Thomas Aquinas -

(This point of classical theology reminds us that everything God has created is good--and that includes you.)

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

Eph 3:2-12;    Is 12:2-6;    Lk 12:39-48

R. (see 3) You will draw water joyfully from the springs of salvation.

God indeed is my savior;
I am confident and unafraid.
My strength and my courage is the LORD,
and he has been my savior.
With joy you will draw water
at the fountain of salvation.

Give thanks to the LORD, acclaim his name;
among the nations make known his deeds,
proclaim how exalted is his name.

Sing praise to the LORD for his glorious achievement;
let this be known throughout all the earth.
Shout with exultation, O city of Zion,
for great in your midst
is the Holy One of Israel!

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

- Luke 12:  39-48 (Honesty and fidelity)

The world is a much better place because of the Judeo-Christian doctrine of an eventual call to judgment. But fear of punishment is, at best, only a minimal reason to remain faithful to God. Fidelity to Christ's values is strongest in people who recognize in these principles a way to live life to the fullest. Those who never achieve this understanding will not be judged as harshly as will those who do know the truth but choose selfishness anyway.

    
  •   What are some of the reasons why you faithfully follow Jesus?

        
  •   "When you know the right thing to do but do not do it, you sin," James wrote. Spend some time reflecting on how lately you have fallen short of the goodness to which Jesus calls you. Ask God for forgiveness. 


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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

    One way of pulling all this together is to realize that God has put us here to grow.  Love is pro-growth.  We need love to grow as plants need water and sunshine.  We also need pruning; that is, we need to learn from the consequences of our behavior.  Because God wants us to grow to become fully mature in Christ, God allows us to suffer.  Enabling behavior is different in that it prevents people from growing and taking responsibility for their behavior by removing their suffering.
    What about the death of Christ? We say that he died for our sins.  Does this mean that he took responsibility for our behavior?

    As these questions show, there is a co-dependent way of looking at the death of Christ.  The difference is this: enablers do for others what they can and should do for themselves.  It is not enabling to do for others what they cannot do for themselves.

    The Redemption does for us what we could not do for ourselves--namely, enter the life of the Trinity.  By taking on our nature and living our life, God, in Christ, has opened the way for the human race to experience the inner life of God.  As any practicing Christian knows, faith does not leave one free from sin; the struggle with sin continues, and Christ does not take this away.  Rather, he gives us his Spirit to overcome sin.  Without his Spirit, we cannot live his life.  Therefore, his incarnation, death, resurrection, ascension, and gift of the Spirit are gifts, not enablements.

    - Part 12 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.
    -     http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00067L6TQ/?tag=christianspiritu

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