Message of 6-28-10
Published: Thu, 06/24/10
- resources for prayer and spiritual growth
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MESSAGE OF THE DAY
Love means to love that which is unlovable, or it is no virtue at
all; forgiving means to pardon that which is unpardonable, or it is
no virtue at all.
- G. K. Chesterton
(What would this mean for you this day?)
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SCRIPTURE READINGS
http://www.nccbuscc.org/nab/
Am 2:6-10, 13-16; Ps 50:16bc-17, 18-19, 20-21, 22-23; Mt
8:18-22
R. Remember this, you who never think of God.
"Why do you recite my statutes,
and profess my covenant with your mouth,
Though you hate discipline
and cast my words behind you?"
"When you see a thief, you keep pace with him,
and with adulterers you throw in your lot.
To your mouth you give free rein for evil,
you harness your tongue to deceit."
"You sit speaking against your brother;
against your mother's son you spread rumors.
When you do these things, shall I be deaf to it?
Or do you think that I am like yourself?
I will correct you by drawing them up before your eyes."
"Consider this, you who forget God,
lest I rend you and there be no one to rescue you.
He that offers praise as a sacrifice glorifies me;
and to him that goes the right way I will show the salvation of
God."
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REFLECTION ON THE SCRIPTURES
- from "Daily Bread"
http://www.preacherexchange.com/daily_bread.htm
"Follow me, and let the dead bury their dead."
Priorities. Christians must recognize that being Christ's followers
takes precedence over everything else. Jesus' demand for people to
drop everything and follow him may appear divisive, but it isn't a
call to separate families or to neglect obligations. It is,
however, a cold slap of reality. If Jesus is not at the center of
our thoughts and actions, then little else can have much meaning.
All other actions will be lonely, empty, broken and dark. We will
merely labor for this life, feign an existence with shallow
relationships, rather than live in the fullness of Christ.
"May following the Lord be of highest importance to us, we pray."
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THE ADORNMENT OF THE SPIRITUAL MARRIAGE
by St. John of Rusybroeck (1293-1381)
Purity of heart is this: that a man, in every bodily temptation or
natural inclination, of his own free will, and with an ever-renewed
confidence and without hesitation, turns to God; with an
ever-renewed faithfulness and with a firm will ever to remain with
Him. For consenting to those sins or satisfactions, which the
bodily nature seeks like a beast, is a departure from God.
Purity of body is this: that a man withdraws from, and bewares of,
all unchaste deeds, in whatsoever manner they be, which his
conscience teaches and declares to be unchaste, and contrary to the
commandments, the honour, and the will of God.
- Chapter 22: Of Purity
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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.
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