Message of 8-23-10
Published: Sun, 08/22/10
- resources for prayer and spiritual growth
- - -
MESSAGE OF THE DAY
"To the Christian's sensitized vision... the Creator and, more
specifically, the Redeemer have steeped themselves in all things
and penetrated all things to such a degree that the world is full
of God."
- Teilhard de Chardin, "The Divine Milieu"
(And so nothing can separate us from the love of God poured out
through Jesus Christ. Rm. 8:38. Believe on this promise of God
today.)
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
LECTIONARY READINGS FOR THE DAY
http://www.nccbuscc.org/nab/
2 Thes1:1-5, 11-12; Ps. 96:1-2a, 2b-3, 4-5; Mt 23:13-22
R. (3) Proclaim God's marvelous deeds to all the nations.
Sing to the LORD a new song;
sing to the LORD, all you lands.
Sing to the LORD; bless his name.
Announce his salvation, day after day.
Tell his glory among the nations;
among all peoples, his wondrous deeds.
For great is the LORD and highly to be praised;
awesome is he, beyond all gods.
For all the gods of the nations are things of nought,
but the LORD made the heavens.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
REFLECTION ON THE GOSPEL
- from "Daily Bread"
http://www.preacherexchange.com/daily_bread.htm
"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites. Is there any
charge so damning as that of hypocrisy?"
Is there any fault that has caused more people to wander from the
church? Is there any sin of another that we feel so deeply?
Hypocrisy involves betrayal, and our inner child cries out, "It's
not fair!" There is a quote attributed to Ralph Waldo Emerson that
should be taped to the inside of every pulpit in the land: "What
you do speaks so loudly that I cannot hear what you say." But it
wouldn't be fair to limit it to pulpits. Perhaps bathroom mirrors
for parents to check each morning; the inside of lesson planners
for every teacher; on a sticky note at the top of every
politician's speech. In other words, hypocrisy is universal, and
all may be tempted to believe that "Do what I say, not what I do"
is an OK plan. It's not.
"Lord Jesus, make me a person of integrity."
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
SPIRITUAL READING
The Adornment of the Spiritual Marriage
by St. John of Rusybroeck (1293-1381)
Now grasp this well: whosoever means God must have God present in
his mind under some godly attribute; and thereby he should mean
only Him Who is the Lord of heaven and earth and all creatures, Who
died for him, and Who can, and will, give him eternal bliss. In
whatever way or under whatever name we represent God to ourselves,
if it be as the Lord over all creatures, that is always right. If
we conceive one of the Divine Persons, and in Him the being and the
might of the Divine Nature, that is right. If we set God before us
as Maintainer, Redeemer, Creator, Ruler; as Bliss, Power, Wisdom,
Truth, Goodness, and all this as within the abysmal properties of
the Divine Nature, that is right.
Though the names which we give to God are many, the most high
Nature of God is a Simplicity which cannot be named by any
creature. But because of His incomprehensible nobility and
sublimity, which we cannot rightly name nor wholly express, we give
Him all these names. This is the way and the manner of apprehension
in which we should have God present in our mind; for, to mean God,
this is to see God in ghostly wise. And to this intention charity
and love also belong; for to know God and to be without charity has
no savor, neither does it help or further us. That is why a person
should always in all his works stretch towards God with love; Whom,
above all things, he aims at and loves. And this is going out to
meet God by intention and by love.
- Chapter 25: Of a Spiritual Meeting of God and Ourselves
* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~
Amazon.com gift cards - good for any occasion
- http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00067L6TQ/?tag=christianspiritu
- - - -
Please help support Heartland Center's Internet ministries:
- For more info on tax-deductible donations, see
http://shalomplace.com/seed/donations.html.
Thanks for your consideration!
_________________________________________________
* Web Archive: http://www.aweber.com/z/article/?dailyseed
* RSS: http://www.aweber.com/z/rss/?dailyseed