Message of 12-24-08

Published: Sat, 12/20/08

- - -

MESSAGE OF THE DAY

"For my part, the only perfection I know of is a hearty love of
God, and to love one's neighbour as oneself. Charity is the only
virtue which rightly unites us to God and other people. Such union
is our final aim and end, and all the rest is mere delusion."
- Jean Pierre Camus -

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

SCRIPTURE READINGS
http://www.nccbuscc.org/nab/

2 Sm 7:1-5, 8b-12, 14a, 16 ; Ps 89:2-3, 4-5, 27 and 29; Lk
1:67-79

R. (2) For ever I will sing the goodness of the Lord.

The favors of the LORD I will sing forever;
through all generations my mouth shall proclaim your faithfulness.
For you have said, "My kindness is established forever";
in heaven you have confirmed your faithfulness.

"I have made a covenant with my chosen one,
I have sworn to David my servant:
Forever will I confirm your posterity
and establish your throne for all generations."

"He shall say of me, 'You are my father,
my God, the rock, my savior.'
Forever I will maintain my kindness toward him,
and my covenant with him stands firm."

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

SCRIPTURE MEDITATION
- from http://www.dailyscripture.net/

The Holy Spirit gave Zechariah a vision for his own son as a
prophet and forerunner who would prepare the way for the Messiah.
Every devout Jew longed for the day when the Messiah would come.
Now Zechariah knows beyond a doubt that that day is very near. Like
Zechariah, the Holy Spirit wants to give us vision, joy, and
confidence in the knowledge of God's merciful love, protection, and
care which he offers us through his Son Jesus Christ. Like the
Baptist, we too are called to prepare the way that leads to Christ.
Life is a journey and we are either moving towards the Lord or away
from the Lord. The Lord comes to visit us each day with his
life-giving Word and Spirit. Those who hunger for the Lord will not
be disappointed. He will draw them to himself and show them his
love and mercy.

In sending the Messiah God has made a gracious visit to his people
to redeem them. This was the mission for which Jesus Christ was
sent into the world -- to redeem those sold for sin and sold under
sin. In the feast of the Incarnation we celebrate the gracious gift
of God in sending his only begotten Son to redeem us. Let us pray
that the Holy Spirit may inspire us and fill us with joy and
boldness to proclaim the message of the Lord's visitation and
redemption.

"Lord, you have been gracious and merciful towards your people.
Fill me with your Holy Spirit that I may bear witness to the joy of
the gospel to those around me."

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

NOTES FROM A CLASSICAL WORK
- "Meister Eckhart's Sermons"

The outer man may go through various experiences, while the inner
man is quite free and immovable. Now both in Christ and in Our Lady
there was an inner and an outer man; when they spoke of outward
things, they did so with the outward man, while the inner man
remained immovable.

It may be asked: "What is the object of this immovable sanctity?" I
answer, "Nothing": that is, so far as God has His way with a man,
for He has not His way with all men.

- #6, Sanctity

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

REVIEW OF DAY
- from, "Handbook for Spiritual Directees"
http://shalomplace.com/view/hndbk-lite.pdf

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.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

SHALOM PLACE PREMIUM GROUPS
- Life-long learning and formation in Christian spirituality.

Groups now open include the following:
A. Psychological Types and Spirituality
B. The Way of Christian Spirituality
C. Freedom from Codependency
D. Christian Spirituality Resources
E. Wonderfully Made (Christian Metaphysics)
F. Growing in Christ
G. Spiral Dynamics®
H. Discerning God's Will
I. Dark Night of the Soul
J. Silence, Solitude and Sabbath
K. Alpha Group -- includes all the above and all to come.

- see http://shalomplace.org/groups.html

_________________________________________________


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