Weekend Edition - A Daily Spiritual Seed

Published: Fri, 02/21/14

Book of the Week

Only Love Can Save Us: Letters, Homilies and Talks by Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio (Pope Francis). Our Sunday Visitor, 2013.

Here are one hundred fifty pages of inspirational reading from the pen of the present Pope Francis, written when he was Cardinal in Buenos Aires, Argentina. It is no surprise that his main theme is his consistent love for the poor and joy in Christ as he covers these topics: marriage, prayer, faith, education, evangelization, the elderly, the homeless, vocations, and more. His tone gives the impression that he is speaking directly to his readers. His interest in the topics he chose for this book is a portend of his attitudes as Pope.

In a homily on the "Te Deum" in May, 2012, he said, "Only the commandment of love, in all its simplicity-steady, humble, unassuming, but firm in conviction and in commitment to others -can save us." In August of 2011, he wrote, "Love neither discriminates nor relativizes because it is open to friendship. Friends accept each other as they are and tell each other the truth. It is also communitarian in nature. It impels individuals to accompany, to align themselves with, and to work next to their fellow citizens. It is the basis for social friendship and respect for differences." In September of 2008, Cardinal Bergoglio wrote, "Establishing love is a work of skillful craftsmanship, the work of patient people, people who do their utmost to listen, to bring people together. This skillful work is carried out peacefully and wonderfully by creators of love. "

After reading only one chapter, readers will "fall in love" with the Cardinal's writing style. Cardinal Bergoglio speaks of children as his brothers and sisters, not members of an agency. He acknowledges the elderly in need of a "voice for the voiceless". He discusses the "social debt" as "deprivations which greatly endanger the sustainability of life, human dignity, and opportunities that will enable people to flourish". During Lent, he says "all are invited to a journey that includes the cross and self-denial, a journey that may be uncomfortable but not fruitless". On the feast of the Annunciation, he says that, "this is the day that God began his journey with us."

What blessings readers are given in this small book by Cardinal Bergoglio!

(Thanks to Sr. Irene Hartman OP for this review.)

Paperback, Kindle

Amazon Gift Cards: Good for any occasion.

Saint of the Week

St. Polycarp: (d 156): Feb. 23

Polycarp, bishop of Smyrna (modern Izmir, Turkey), disciple of St. John the Apostle and friend of St. Ignatius of Antioch was a revered Christian leader during the first half of the second century.

St. Ignatius, on his way to Rome to be martyred, visited Polycarp at Smyrna, and later at Troas wrote him a personal letter. The Asia Minor Churches recognized Polycarp's leadership by choosing him as a representative to discuss with Pope Anicetus the date of the Easter celebration in Rome-a major controversy in the early Church.

Only one of the many letters written by Polycarp has been preserved, the one he wrote to the Church of Philippi in Macedonia.

At 86, Polycarp was led into the crowded Smyrna stadium to be burned alive. The flames did not harm him and he was finally killed by a dagger. The centurion ordered the saint's body burned. The "Acts" of Polycarp's martyrdom are the earliest preserved, fully reliable account of a Christian martyr's death. He died in 156.

americancatholic.org site

Affliate Web Sites: Please give them a visit.

Inner Explorations: a vast array of spirituality resources for the mature Christian.

SeeScapes. Picturing the deeper dimensions of our spirituality.

Heartland Center for Spirituality: sponsoring Internet workshops year-round.

Emanuella House of Prayer: a place for prayer and silence in British Columbia.

Kyrie Places of Pilgrimmage and Renewal

Temenos Catholic Worker: support for homeless youth in Polk Street neighborhood, San Francisco.

The Sanctuary Foundation for Prayer: resources for spiritual growth.

Philothea.net: promoting the love of God as expressed in The First Great Commandment

Hearts on Fire: a blog to spark inspiration, thought, wonder, laughter and prayer.

Stillpoint: Programs in spiritual direction, contemplative prayer.

The Ark: Providing a variety of scripture and lectionary study resources.

Contemplative Ministries of the Pacific Northwest: Teaching and support on contemplative practice.

Reach hundreds of people who have a similar interest in Christian spirituality. Simply publish a link to Daily Spiritual Seed-- http://heartlandspirituality.org/dailyseed.html --on a prominent place on your web site and we will reciprocate with a weekly link to your site in the newsletter. Contact the Editor when you're ready to begin.

_______________________________

Web Archive: http://www.aweber.com/z/article/?dailyseed

RSS: http://www.aweber.com/z/rss/?dailyseed

Blogspot: http://dailyspiritualseed.blogspot.com
- comment option is open -

Please consider supporting our Internet ministry with a tax-deductible donation.

We also encourage you to help us grow this eNewsletter for forwarding it to family members and friends, calling their attention to the subscription link at the bottom of the page.

Weekend Readings

Saturday
1 PT 5:1-4
PS 23:1-6
MT 16:13-19

Sunday
LV 19:1-2, 17-18
PS 103:1-4, 8, 10, 12-13
1 COR 3:16-23
MT 5:38-48

Lectionary

Spiritual Guidance

Need a companion for the spiritual journey?

Consultations and spiritual direction available.

Find out more

Discussion Board

Topics being discussed at this time include:

Richard Rohr's 9 stages of spiritual development
- Christian Spirituality Issues forum.

The demise of discussion forums.
- Shalom Place Lounge forum

Apophatic Christian spirituality
- Christian Spirituality Issues forum

Catholic-Evangelical Reconciliation
- Religion and Culture forum.

And much more . . .

Theology Note

Saint

A saint is a very holy person with a special anointing from God. The word "saint" comes from the Greek "hagio" which means holy ones. Christians are holy because of the work of Christ. In the New Testament the word occurs numerous times (Rom. 1:7; 1 Cor. 1:2; 2 Cor. 1:1; Eph. 1:1, etc) and is a designation of Christians.

The Bible speaks of saints in both the Old and New Testaments. In the Old Testament it is found such verses as Psalm 16:3, 132:9. Sometimes it is translated as "godly ones."

In Roman Catholicism it is someone who has been dead for many years and has been canonized by the Catholic Church.

Christian Apologetics

Joke of the Week

The magician and the parrot

A magician was working on a cruise ship in the Caribbean. The audience would be different each week, so the magician allowed himself to do the same tricks over and over again.

There was only one problem: The captain's parrot saw the shows every week and began to understand what the magician did in every trick. Once he understood that, he started shouting in the middle of the show.

"Look, it's not the same hat!" "Look, he's hiding the flowers under the table!" "Hey, why are all the cards the Ace of Spades?"

The magician was furious but couldn't do anything, it was the captain's parrot after all.

One day the ship had an accident and sank. The magician found himself on a piece of wood, in the middle of the ocean, and of course the parrot was by his side.

They stared at each other with hate, but did not utter a word. This went on for several days.

After a week the parrot finally said, "Okay, I give up. What'd you do with the boat?"

Joke resource site