Message of 8-24-10
Published: Mon, 08/23/10
- resources for prayer and spiritual growth
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MESSAGE OF THE DAY
"...when I am incapable of praying...I seek little opportunities, mere
trifles, to give pleasure to Jesus; for instance a smile, a
pleasant word ...I tell Him again and again that I love Him; that is
not difficult and it keeps alive the fire in my heart. Even though
this fire of love might seem extinct I would still throw little
straws upon the embers and I am certain it would rekindle."
- St. Therese Lisieux, Letter to her sister, Celine
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LECTIONARY READINGS FOR THE DAY
http://www.nccbuscc.org/nab/
Rv 21:9b-14; Ps. 145:10-11, 12-13, 17-18; Jn 1:45-51
R. (12) Your friends make known, O Lord, the glorious splendor of
your Kingdom.
Let all your works give you thanks, O LORD,
and let your faithful ones bless you.
Let them discourse of the glory of your Kingdom
and speak of your might.
Making known to men your might
and the glorious splendor of your Kingdom.
Your Kingdom is a Kingdom for all ages,
and your dominion endures through all generations.
The LORD is just in all his ways
and holy in all his works.
The LORD is near to all who call upon him,
to all who call upon him in truth.
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REFLECTION ON THE GOSPEL
- from http://www.dailyscripture.net/
Jesus proclaims to Nathanial that he himself is the fulfillment of
this promise to the Patriarch Jacob. Jesus is the true ladder or
stairway to heaven. In Jesus' incarnation, the divine Son of God
taking on human flesh for our sake, we see the union of heaven and
earth - God making his dwelling with us and bringing us into the
heavenly reality of his kingdom. Jesus' death on the Cross and his
Resurrection opens the way for each of us to come into a new
relationship with God as his sons and daughters. The Lord Jesus
opens the way for each of us to "ascend to heaven" and to bring
"heaven to earth" in the daily circumstances of our lives. God's
kingdom is present in those who seek him and who do his will. Do
you pray as Jesus taught, May your kingdom come and your will be
done in earth as it is in heaven?
"Heavenly Father, through your Son Jesus Christ, you have opened
the way to heaven for us. As you revealed yourself to your beloved
Patriarchs and Apostles, so reveal yourself to me that I may
glorify you in my daily life. May I always find joy in your
presence and never lose sight of the kingdom of heaven."
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SPIRITUAL READING
Notes on the Life of Christian Prayer
- on vocal prayer -
2704 Because it is external and so thoroughly human, vocal
prayer is the form of prayer most readily accessible to groups.
Even interior prayer, however, cannot neglect vocal prayer. Prayer
is internalized to the extent that we become aware of him "to whom
we speak." Thus vocal prayer becomes an initial form of
contemplative prayer.
("The Catechism of the Catholic Church," IV, 3, 1)
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