Message of 7-28-10
Published: Wed, 07/21/10
- resources for prayer and spiritual growth
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MESSAGE OF THE DAY
Holy Spirit of God, visit now this soul of mine, and tarry within
it until the eventide. Inspire all my thoughts. Pervade all my
imaginations. Suggest all my decisions. Lodge in my soul's most
inward citadel, and order all my doings. Be with me in silence and
in my speech, in my haste and in my leisure, in company and in
solitude, in the freshness of the morning and the weariness of the
evening. Give me grace at all times to rejoice in Thy mysterious
companionship.
- John Baillie
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SCRIPTURE READINGS
http://www.nccbuscc.org/nab/
Jer 15:10, 16-21; Ps 59:2-3, 4, 10-11, 17, 18; Mt 13:44-46
R. (17d) God is my refuge on the day of distress.
Rescue me from my enemies, O my God;
from my adversaries defend me.
Rescue me from evildoers;
from bloodthirsty men save me.
For behold, they lie in wait for my life;
mighty men come together against me,
Not for any offense or sin of mine, O LORD.
R. God is my refuge on the day of distress.
O my strength! for you I watch;
for you, O God, are my stronghold,
As for my God, may his mercy go before me;
may he show me the fall of my foes.
But I will sing of your strength
and revel at dawn in your mercy;
You have been my stronghold,
my refuge in the day of distress.
O my strength! your praise will I sing;
for you, O God, are my stronghold,
my merciful God!
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SCRIPTURE MEDITATION
- from "Daily Bread"
http://www.preacherexchange.com/daily_bread.htm
"The kingdom of heaven is like a merchant searching for fine
pearls."
Imagine that today is your last. What do you want to hold in your
final moments? Someone's hand? Or a bit of stuff? We spend our
precious lives acquiring objects that are not even worth the time
to dust and making our homes into closets to store our things. We
build stage sets: kitchens where no meals are cooked, dining rooms
where no one gathers to eat, living rooms where no one lives,
bedrooms where we are too stressed out to sleep and where there is
little time or energy left over for loving. We watch TV shows that
wouldn't challenge the intellect of a cat, page through magazines
without time to read the substance, spend our evenings at meetings
because it would look bad if we missed, go to church hoping for a
short Mass and leave early to drive to the store to buy more stuff.
How do we recognize the pearl of great price? Perhaps first it
helps to know what we're looking for.
"If this is your last day, have you found it? For a life lived
without regret."
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AT THE MASTER'S FEET
- by Sadhu Sundar Singh
7. A rebel against a king or government in this world may save
himself by taking refuge in another country, but where shall a
rebel against God flee for safety? Wherever he goes, even in heaven
or hell, he will find God ever present. (Psa. cxxxix.7,8). He will
find his safety only in repentance and submission to his Lord.
8. For Adam and Eve the fig leaves were too scanty a covering, so
God gave them coats of skin. In this way, too, man's good deeds are
as useless as the fig leaves to save him from the wrath to come.
Nothing will suffice save My robe of righteousness.
- Part 2, Section 1
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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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Amazon.com gift cards - good for any occasion
- http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00067L6TQ/?tag=christianspiritu
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