Weekend Edition - A Daily Spiritual Seed
Published: Thu, 12/02/10
- readings, teachings, references and reviews -
Contents:
- Ad - Amazon.com gift cards
- Spiritual Growth Resource of the Month
- Weekend Readings
- Theology Note of the Week
- Saint of the Week
- Book of the Week
- Shalom Place Discussion Board
- Personal Spiritual Guidance
- Affiliate Web Sites
- Website of the Week
- Joke of the Week
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Amazon.com gift cards
- http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00067L6TQ/?tag=christianspiritu
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SPIRITUAL GROWTH RESOURCE OF THE MONTH
"Handbook for Spiritual Directees"
- see http://shalomplace.com/view/handbook.html
"Handbook for Spiritual Directees" is a collection of spiritual
exercises that can be used by directees to stimulate reflection and
discussion in spiritual direction. Spiritual directors will also
find it a helpful resource in their ministry of supporting and
guiding directees. Of course, anyone interested in spiritual growth
can also make good use of this material, even if they are not in a
formal, spiritual direction relationship.
Some of the exercises included in this work include:
* Preparing for Spiritual Direction
* Methods of Prayer
* Faith History
* Guidelines for Discernment
* How to Drop an Attachment or Addiction
* Knowing Your Spiritual Pathways
* Writing Your Mission Statement
* Rule or Way of Life
And many more . . .
Free sample preview of the first 17 pages. Available as a
paperback book, pdf download, or for Amazon Kindle and Apple
iBookstore.
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WEEKEND READINGS
http://www.nccbuscc.org/nab/
Saturday: Is 30:19-21, 23-26; Ps 147:1-2, 3-4, 5-6; Mt
9:35-10:1, 5a, 6-8
Sunday: Ps 72:1-2, 7-8, 12-13, 17; Rom 15:4-9; Mt 3:1-12
R. (cf. 7) Justice shall flourish in his time, and fullness of
peace for ever.
O God, with your judgment endow the king,
and with your justice, the king's son;
he shall govern your people with justice
and your afflicted ones with judgment.
Justice shall flower in his days,
and profound peace, till the moon be no more.
May he rule from sea to sea,
and from the River to the ends of the earth.
For he shall rescue the poor when he cries out,
and the afflicted when he has no one to help him.
He shall have pity for the lowly and the poor;
the lives of the poor he shall save.
May his name be blessed forever;
as long as the sun his name shall remain.
In him shall all the tribes of the earth be blessed;
all the nations shall proclaim his happiness.
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THEOLOGY NOTE OF THE WEEK
- Hypostatic union
The hypostatic union is the Christian doctrine derived out of the
Bible concerning the person of Jesus. It is the teaching that in
the one person of Christ there are two distinct natures: the divine
and the human. The hypostatic union was canonized at the Council of
Chalcedon in 451. Hypostatic is derived from the Greek hypostasis
and is tranlsated as "nature" in the NASB in Heb. 1:3, "And He is
the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His
nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power." It is
translated as "image" in the ASV, KJV and NKJV, "imprint" in the
ESV and NRSV.
- http://www.carm.org/h
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SAINT OF THE WEEK
- St. Ambrose (340-397): December 7
One of Ambrose's biographers observed that at the Last Judgment
people would still be divided between those who admired Ambrose and
those who heartily disliked him. He emerges as the man of action
who cut a furrow through the lives of his contemporaries. Even
royal personages were numbered among those who were to suffer
crushing divine punishments for standing in Ambrose's way.
When the Empress Justina attempted to wrest two basilicas from
Ambrose's Catholics and give them to the Arians, he dared the
eunuchs of the court to execute him. His own people rallied behind
him in the face of imperial troops. In the midst of riots, he both
spurred and calmed his people with bewitching new hymns set to
exciting Eastern melodies.
In his disputes with the Emperor Auxentius, he coined the
principle: "The emperor is in the Church, not above the Church." He
publicly admonished Emperor Theodosius for the massacre of 7,000
innocent people. The emperor did public penance for his crime. This
was Ambrose, the fighter, sent to Milan as Roman governor and
chosen while yet a catechumen to be the people's bishop.
There is yet another side of Ambrose--one which influenced
Augustine, whom Ambrose converted. Ambrose was a passionate little
man with a high forehead, a long melancholy face and great eyes. We
can picture him as a frail figure clasping the codex of sacred
Scripture. This was the Ambrose of aristocratic heritage and
learning.
Augustine found the oratory of Ambrose less soothing and
entertaining but far more learned than that of other
contemporaries. Ambrose's sermons were often modeled on Cicero and
his ideas betrayed the influence of contemporary thinkers and
philosophers. He had no scruples in borrowing at length from pagan
authors. He gloried in the pulpit in his ability to parade his
spoils--"gold of the Egyptians"--taken over from the pagan
philosophers.
His sermons, his writings and his personal life reveal him as an
otherworldly man involved in the great issues of his day. Humanity,
for Ambrose, was, above all, spirit. In order to think rightly of
God and the human soul, the closest thing to God, no material
reality at all was to be dwelt upon. He was an enthusiastic
champion of consecrated virginity.
The influence of Ambrose on Augustine will always be open for
discussion. The Confessions reveal some manly, brusque encounters
between Ambrose and Augustine, but there can be no doubt of
Augustine's profound esteem for the learned bishop.
Neither is there any doubt that Monica loved Ambrose as an angel of
God who uprooted her son from his former ways and led him to his
convictions about Christ. It was Ambrose, after all, who placed his
hands on the shoulders of the naked Augustine as he descended into
the baptismal fountain to put on Christ.
- http://www.americancatholic.org/features/saints/saint.aspx?id=1222
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BOOK OF THE WEEK
"The Nativity Story" (movie).
-
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000MGBM1I/ref=noism/christianspiritu/
It was the cruelest of times. Under Herod's torturous reign,
families struggled to survive and yet, in the midst of utter
turmoil, a young woman's faith is put to the test. Join Mary
(Keisha Castle-Hughes) and Joseph (Oscar Isaac) on an incredible
journey of hope and discovery. Epic in its scope, yet intimate in
it's portrayal of this historical family, this "wonderful film"
(Bill Zwecker, Chicago Sun Times) is "a family feature that will be
cherished for years to come!"
- Greg Russell, WMYD-TV, Detroit.
Make the Christian Spirituality Bookstore your starting point for
online shopping at Amazon.com. You can buy books, cds, videotapes,
software, appliances and many other products at discount prices.
As Amazon.com affiliate, we are paid a small fee for purchases
originating from our web site. Every little bit helps!
http://shalomplace.com/books/index.html
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- PERSONAL SPIRITUAL GUIDANCE -
Need a companion for the spiritual journey? We have several
wonderful people ready to help, using email and telephone
conferences to bridge the miles.
- Now providing -
Consultations: this option is best for short-term guidance
pertaining to a specific issue.
Spiritual Direction: ongoing relationship with a spiritual director
to become more attuned to God's presence in all of life.
See http://shalomplace.com/direction/
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SHALOM PLACE DISCUSSION BOARDS
A variety of topics are under discussion.
Why Religion? - Christian Spirituality Issues forum.
- see http://shalomplace.org/eve/forums for this and hundreds of
other discussions.
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AFFILIATE WEB SITES (please give them a visit)
Contemplative Ministries of the Pacific Northwest: teaching and
support on contemplative practice
http://www.prayeroftheheart.com
Heartland Center for Spirituality: retreat center in central
Kansas..
http://heartlandspirituality.org/index.html
Emanuella House of Prayer: a place for prayer and silence in
British Columbia
http://emmanuellahouse.shawwebspace.ca/
Serenity of the Mind: supporting those who served and who suffer
from PTSD.
http://serenityofthemind.com/default.html
The Ark: Providing a variety of scripture and lectionary study
resources.
http://www.theark1.com
Kyrie Places of Pilgrimmage and Renewal.
http://www.kyrie.com/places/index.htm
Contemplative Rudder: "In the midst of Consecrated Silence
atmospherics ... a Rudder!
http://www.contemplativerudder.com/
Inner Explorations: a vast array of spirituality resources for the
mature Christian.
http://innerexplorations.com
The Sanctuary Foundation for Prayer: resources for spiritual growth.
http://fromholyground.org/index.htm
Institute for Women's Spiritual Dynamics: holistic, flexible,
sensible Christian spirituality for women.
http://www.womensspiritualdynamics.com/
SeeScapes. Picturing the deeper dimensions of our spirituality.
http://www.seescapes.com
Temenos Catholic Worker: support for homeless youth in Polk Street
neighborhood, San Francisco
http://www.temenos.org/
(Reach other people who have a similar interest in Christian
spirituality. Simply publish a link to Daily Spiritual Seed--
http://shalomplace.com/seed --on a prominent place on your web site
and we will reciprocate with a weekly link to your site in the
newsletter. Contact the Editor when you're ready to begin.)
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WEB SITE OF THE WEEK
Awaiting the Christ Child
- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=POm7_WBMJTI
A moving Advent meditation. Note the additional Advent meditations
on the sidebar. Also, click on the "16 Videos" button below the
author's name for other meditative videos she has done.
I am increasingly finding excellent works of this sort on
youtube.com and am using them in prayer services and other
reflective contexts.
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JOKE OF THE WEEK
Did you hear about the psychic amnesiac? He knew in advance what he
was going to forget.
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Did you hear about the new restaurant that just opened up on the
moon? Great food, but no atmosphere.
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