Message of 5-24-11
Published: Sat, 05/21/11
- resources for prayer and spiritual growth
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MESSAGE OF THE DAY
I hear no one boast, that he hath a knowledge of the Scriptures,
but that he owneth a Bible written in golden characters. And tell
me then, what profiteth this? The Holy Scriptures were not given to
us that we should enclose them in books, but that we should engrave
them upon our hearts.
- St. John Chrysostom (345?-407)
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LECTIONARY READINGS FOR THE DAY
http://www.nccbuscc.org/nab/
Acts 14:19-28; Ps. 145:10-11, 12-13ab, 21; Jn 14:27-31a
R. (see 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.
May my mouth speak the praise of the LORD,
and may all flesh bless his holy name forever and ever.
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REFLECTION ON THE GOSPEL
- from http://www.dailyscripture.net/
Nothing can take us from the peace and joy of Jesus Christ. No
sorrow or grief, no danger, no suffering can make it less. Jesus
also speaks of his destination and ultimate triumph over the powers
of evil in the world. In the eyes of the world the cross stood for
shame, humiliation, and defeat. Jesus went to the cross knowing
that it would lead to victory over the powers of sin and of Satan.
Jesus also knew that he would return to his Father in glory. The
cross brought glory to Jesus and to the Father and it is our way to
glory as well. In the Cross of Christ we find true peace and
reconciliation with God. Do you live in the peace of Jesus Christ?
"Lord Jesus, may your peace be always with me. May no circumstance,
trouble, or vexation rob me of the peace which passes all
understanding. You, alone, O Lord, are my Peace. May I always
reside in that peace by believing your word and by doing your will."
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SPIRITUAL READING
"The Way of Perfection"
- by Teresa of Avila (1515-1582)
(Exhorts the nuns to keep their Rule and names three things which
are important for the spiritual life. Describes the first of these
three things, which is love of one's neighbour, and speaks of the
harm which can be done by individual, exclusivist friendships.)
Reflect upon the great importance of this (issue of cliquish groups
in the community), for it is a dangerous matter, and can be a
veritable hell, and a source of harm to everyone. I advise you not
to wait until a great deal of harm has been done but to take every
possible step that you can think of and stop the trouble at the
outset; this you may do with a good conscience. But I hope in the
Lord that He will not allow persons who are to spend their lives in
prayer to have any attachment save to one who is a great servant of
God; and I am quite certain He will not, unless they have no love
for prayer and for striving after perfection in the way we try to
do here. For, unless they see that he understands their language
and likes to speak to them of God, they cannot possibly love him,
as he is not like them. If he is such a person, he will have very
few opportunities of doing any harm, and, unless he is very simple,
he will not seek to disturb his own peace of mind and that of the
servants of God.
As I have begun to speak about this, I will repeat that the devil
can do a great deal of harm here, which will long remain
undiscovered, and thus the soul that is striving after perfection
can be gradually ruined without knowing how. For, if a confessor
gives occasion for vanity through being vain himself, he will be
very tolerant with it in [the consciences of] others. May God, for
His Majesty's own sake, deliver us from things of this kind. It
would be enough to unsettle all the nuns if their consciences and
their confessor should give them exactly opposite advice, and, if
it is insisted that they must have one confessor only, they will
not know what to do, nor how to pacify their minds, since the very
person who should be calming them and helping them is the source of
the harm. In some places there must be a great deal of trouble of
this kind: I always feel very sorry about it and so you must not be
surprised if I attach great importance to your understanding this
danger.
- Chapter 4
(It is good to remember in all of this that the nuns to whom she is
writing were a contemplative order.)
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