Message of 6-29-10
Published: Thu, 06/24/10
- resources for prayer and spiritual growth
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MESSAGE OF THE DAY
Not a blow will be permitted to fall upon your shrinking soul but
that the love of God permits it, and works out from its depths,
blessing and spiritual enrichment unseen and unthought of by you.
- Anonymous
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SCRIPTURE READINGS
http://www.nccbuscc.org/nab/
Acts 12:1-11; Ps 34:2-3, 4-5, 6-7, 8-9; 2 Tm 4:6-8, 17-18;
Mt 16:13-19
R. The angel of the Lord will rescue those who fear him.
I will bless the LORD at all times;
his praise shall be ever in my mouth.
Let my soul glory in the LORD;
the lowly will hear me and be glad.
Glorify the LORD with me,
let us together extol his name.
I sought the LORD, and he answered me
and delivered me from all my fears.
Look to him that you may be radiant with joy,
and your faces may not blush with shame.
When the poor one called out, the LORD heard,
and from all his distress he saved him.
The angel of the LORD encamps
around those who fear him, and delivers them.
Taste and see how good the LORD is;
blessed the man who takes refuge in him.
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GOSPEL MEDITATION
- from http://www.dailyscripture.net/
How firm is your faith in the Lord Jesus Christ? At an opportune
time Jesus tested his disciples with a crucial question: Who do men
say that I am and who do you say that I am? (Matthew 16:13). Jesus
was widely recognized in Israel as a mighty man of God, even being
compared with the greatest of the prophets, John the Baptist,
Elijah, and Jeremiah. Peter, always quick to respond, exclaimed
that Jesus was the Christ, the Son of the living God. No mortal
being could have revealed this to Peter; but only God. Jesus then
confered on Peter authority to govern the church that Jesus would
build, a church that no powers could overcome. Jesus played on
Peter's name which is the same word for "rock" in both Aramaic and
Greek. To call someone a "rock" is one of the greatest of
compliments. The ancient rabbis had a saying that when God saw
Abraham, he exclaimed: "I have discovered a rock to found the world
upon." Through Abraham God established a nation for himself.
Through faith Peter grasped who Jesus truly was. He was the first
apostle to recognize Jesus as the Anointed One (Messiah and Christ)
and the only begotten Son of God.
The New Testament describes the church, the people of God, as a
spiritual house or temple with each member joined together as
living stones (see 1 Peter 2:5). Faith in Jesus Christ makes us
into rocks or spiritual stones. The Lord Jesus tests each of us
personally with the same question: Who do you say that I am?
"Lord Jesus, I profess and believe that you are the Christ, the Son
of the living God. You are my Lord and my Savior who has set me
free from sin and deception. Make my faith strong like the Apostles
Peter and Paul and give me boldness to speak of you to others that
they may come to know you as Lord and Savior."
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PRAYING WITH SCRIPTURE (Ignatian Method)
A. Preparation: acts of faith and reverence in the presence of God;
asking grace of a good meditation; petition for specific graces
sought in meditation.
B. Reading the Scriptures slowly, prayerfully.
C. Exercise of the memory, imagination, and intellect:
consideration of the material.. What practical applications are
suggested?
D. Expression of feelings and sentiments awakened in meditation.
Conversation with God.
E. Exercise of will and imagination in making resolutions. Prayer
for grace to fulfill resolutions.
F. Vocal prayer (Our Father, Hail Mary, other prayers).
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NOTES ON THE LIFE OF CHRISTIAN PRAYER
- from "The Catechism of the Catholic Church"
2698. The Tradition of the Church proposes to the faithful certain
rhythms of praying intended to nourish continual prayer. Some are
daily, such as morning and evening prayer, grace before and after
meals, the Liturgy of the Hours. Sundays, centered on the
Eucharist, are kept holy primarily by prayer. The cycle of the
liturgical year and its great feasts are also basic rhythms of the
Christian's life of prayer. ("The Catechism of the Catholic
Church," IV, 3)
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