Message of 5-5-11
Published: Fri, 04/29/11
- resources for prayer and spiritual growth
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MESSAGE OF THE DAY
Anxiety is the natural result when our hopes are centred in
anything short of God and His will for us.
- Billy Graham
("Fear is useless. What is needed is trust!" Lk 8: 50)
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LECTIONARY READINGS FOR THE DAY
http://www.nccbuscc.org/nab/
Acts 5:27-33; Ps 34:2 and 9, 17-18, 19-20; Jn 3:31-36
R. (7a) The Lord hears the cry of the poor.
I will bless the LORD at all times;
his praise shall be ever in my mouth.
Taste and see how good the LORD is;
blessed the man who takes refuge in him.
The LORD confronts the evildoers,
to destroy remembrance of them from the earth.
When the just cry out, the LORD hears them,
and from all their distress he rescues them.
The LORD is close to the brokenhearted;
and those who are crushed in spirit he saves.
Many are the troubles of the just man,
but out of them all the LORD delivers him.
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MEDITATION ON THE GOSPEL
- from "Daily Bread"
http://www.preacherexchange.com/daily_bread.htm
"Peter and the apostles said in reply, "We must obey God rather
than men."
The Gospel is a reflection on the events described in the previous
verses. The Baptist's disciples are jealous of Jesus because many
are going to him for baptism. John describes his role as the
friend of the bridegroom (best man) whose role it is to bring bride
(church) and bridegroom (Jesus) together. When his task is
accomplished, he must "decrease." Naturally John's disciples are a
bit miffed. Gurus come and go, as do movements, causes, popular
expressions of worship and ideas. Jesus remains, as does his
community, however humbled. There is always the opportunity to act
like a disciple. And one opportunity leads to another.
"Lord Jesus, make me generous and keep my eyes on you."
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SPIRITUAL READING
- "Imitation of Christ," by Thomas A. Kempis
The Voice of Christ
Lament and grieve because you are still so worldly, so carnal, so
passionate and unmortified, so full of roving lust, so careless in
guarding the external senses, so often occupied in many vain
fancies,
so inclined to exterior things and so heedless of what lies within,
so
prone to laughter and dissipation and so indisposed to sorrow and
tears, so inclined to ease and the pleasures of the flesh and so
cool
to austerity and zeal, so curious to hear what is new and to see the
beautiful and so slow to embrace humiliation and dejection, so
covetous of abundance, so niggardly in giving and so tenacious in
keeping, so inconsiderate in speech, so reluctant in silence, so
undisciplined in character, so disordered in action, so greedy at
meals, so deaf to the Word of God, so prompt to rest and so slow to
labor, so awake to empty conversation, so sleepy in keeping sacred
vigils and so eager to end them, so wandering in your attention, so
careless in saying the office, so lukewarm in celebrating, so
heartless in receiving, so quickly distracted, so seldom fully
recollected, so quickly moved to anger, so apt to take offense at
others, so prone to judge, so severe in condemning, so happy in
prosperity and so weak in adversity, so often making good
resolutions
and carrying so few of them into action.
- Book 4, Chapter 7
(This would make for a good examination of conscience.)
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