Message of 1-7-09
Published: Sat, 01/03/09
MESSAGE OF THE DAY
Right now, this very second, this very moment that you spend
reading these words is 'new'. How you choose to be a steward of
that 'new slate' is up to you. My fervent prayer is that I never
take for granted that gift of 'newness' and that I do all in his
power granted to me to cherish the potential of 'all things new'.
- Katherine Walden
(Every moment, all is new -- an instance of time and reality that
has never before existed. Resolve to live each moment fully.)
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SCRIPTURE READINGS
http://www.nccbuscc.org/nab/
1 Jn 4:11-18; Ps 72:1-2, 10, 12-13; Mk 6:45-52
R.(see 11) Lord, every nation on earth will adore you.
O God, with your judgment endow the king,
and with your justice, the king's son;
He shall govern your people with justice
and your afflicted ones with judgment.
The kings of Tarshish and the Isles shall offer gifts;
the kings of Arabia and Seba shall bring tribute.
For he shall rescue the poor when he cries out,
and the afflicted when he has no one to help him.
He shall have pity for the lowly and the poor;
the lives of the poor he shall save.
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SCRIPTURE MEDITATION
From "Daily Bread"
- http://www.preacherexchange.com/daily_bread.htm
"He went around all of Galilee, teaching in their synagogues,
proclaiming the Gospel of the kingdom, and curing every disease and
illness among the people."
After the arrest of John the Baptist, Jesus begins his public
preaching, echoing John's message but giving it an urgency and
uniqueness by signaling the fulfillment of the coming kingdom with
his ministry. And his fame spread, and great crowds followed -- for
a while. The holidays tend to stir a longing, or at least an
interest, in matters of church or belief. Then the festivities and
celebrations die down and with them so does the fervor around the
reason for such rejoicing. We need not maintain the frenetic pace
of the season, but we shouldn't waver from the immediacy of the
call to proclaim the kingdom. As Jesus took up the words of John
the Baptist, let us take our turn and imitate the words of Christ,
we pray.
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NOTES FROM A CLASSICAL WORK
- "Meister Eckhart's Sermons"
The question arises: But what then does the sanctified heart pray
for? I answer that when truly sanctified, it prays for nothing, for
whosoever prays asks God to give him some good, or to take some
evil from him. But the sanctified heart desires nothing, and
contains nothing that it wishes to be freed from. Therefore it is
free of all want except that it wants to be like God. St Dionysius
commenting on the text, "Know ye not that all run, but one
receiveth the prize?" says "this running is nothing else than a
turning away from all creatures and being united to the Uncreated."
When the soul gets to this point, it loses its own distinctiveness,
and vanishes in God as the crimson of sunrise disappears in the
sun. To this goal only pure sanctification can arrive.
- #6, Sanctification
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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.
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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
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