Message of 8-16-10
Published: Sat, 08/14/10
- resources for prayer and spiritual growth
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MESSAGE OF THE DAY
According to Jesus, by far the most important thing about praying
is to keep at it... Be importunate, Jesus says--not, one assumes,
because you have to beat a path to God's door before he'll open it,
but because until you beat the path maybe there's no way of getting
to *your* door.
- Frederick Buechner (b. 1926), "Beyond Words"
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LECTIONARY READINGS FOR THE DAY
http://www.nccbuscc.org/nab/
Ez 24:15-23; Deuteronomy 32:18-19, 20, 21; Mt 19:16-22
R. (see 18a) You have forgotten God who gave you birth.
You were unmindful of the Rock that begot you.
You forgot the God who gave you birth.
When the LORD saw this, he was filled with loathing
and anger toward his sons and daughters.
"I will hide my face from them," he said,
"and see what will then become of them.
What a fickle race they are,
sons with no loyalty in them!"
"Since they have provoked me with their 'no-god'
and angered me with their vain idols,
I will provoke them with a 'no-people';
with a foolish nation I will anger them."
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REFLECTION ON THE GOSPEL
- from "Daily Bread"
http://www.preacherexchange.com/daily_bread.htm
"All of these I have observed. What do I still lack?"
What must we do to live as Christians? Jesus shows that simply
adhering to the commandments is not enough if we strive for
perfection in following him. Observing the rules takes great
discipline, but if our only purpose is toeing the line, then it
seems we're just doing it because we fear the consequences of going
against authority and not because we're acting out of love. Many
obstacles get in the way of our living as perfect Christians;
arguably the least of these is the inability to follow
commandments. Sacrifice is essential. We must, because of our great
love, renounce whatever it is that blocks our path to the Lord.
"Lord, help us empty ourselves so that we may be filled with your
love, we pray."
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SPIRITUAL READING
The Adornment of the Spiritual Marriage
by St. John of Rusybroeck (1293-1381)
When a person through the grace of God is able to behold, and his
conscience is clean, and he has considered the three comings of
Christ our Bridegroom, and when he has gone out with the virtues:
then there ensues the meeting with the Bridegroom, and that is the
fourth point and the last. In this meeting lies all our bliss, the
beginning and end of all virtue; and without this meeting no virtue
has ever been fulfilled.
Whosoever wishes to meet Christ as his beloved Bridegroom, and to
possess in Him, and with Him, eternal life; he must now, in time,
go out to meet Christ at three points or in three ways. The first
point is that he shall have God in mind in all things through which
we earn eternal life. The second point is that there shall be
nothing that he means or loves more than God or even so much as
God. And the third point is that he shall with great zeal seek to
rest in God, above all creatures and above all God's gifts, above
all the works of virtue and above all feelings that God may infuse
into soul and body.
- Chapter 25: Of a Spiritual Meeting of God and Ourselves
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