Message of 12-1-14

Published: Mon, 12/01/14

A Daily Spiritual Seed
Monday: December 1, 2014
Message of the Day
It is possible to contemplate God not only outside us and within us, but also above us. Outside we contemplate Him through His vestige, within us through His image, and above us through the light which is sealed on our minds. This light is the light of eternal Truth, since our very mind is immediately formed by Truth itself.
- St. Bonaventure [13th C], “The Ascent of the Mind to God” -

(You are in God and God is in you. Rest in the awareness of this wonderful mystery.)
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Readings of the Day
 
IS 2:1-5;    PS 122:1-9;    MT 8:5-11

R. Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.

I rejoiced because they said to me,
“We will go up to the house of the LORD."
And now we have set foot
within your gates, O Jerusalem.

Jerusalem, built as a city
with compact unity.
To it the tribes go up,
the tribes of the LORD.

According to the decree for Israel,
to give thanks to the name of the LORD.
In it are set up judgment seats,
seats for the house of David.

Pray for the peace of Jerusalem!
May those who love you prosper!
May peace be within your walls,
prosperity in your buildings.

Because of my relatives and friends
I will say, “Peace be within you!"
Because of the house of the LORD, our God,
I will pray for your good.

Come and save us, LORD our God;
let your face shine upon us, that we may be saved.

USCCB lectionary
Reflection on the Scripture
Today, many stream toward shopping malls and purchasing Websites, saying, "Come, let us finish our Christmas shopping" (cp Is 2:3). Many merchants hear this call and have answered it, setting up shop to supply the consumer demand. We at Presentation Ministries follow a different call: to provide materials for instruction of those who "stream" to the Lord for instruction.

The above passage, Isaiah 2:2-3, is a foundational prophecy for Presentation Ministries. Decades ago, we at PM heard the call of God to receive and then exercise the spiritual gift of teaching. We sensed that God was calling us to provide a banquet of Catholic Scriptural resources for instruction in God's "ways" and to guide Christians as they set out to "walk in His paths" (Is 2:3). We heard that there would be a famine for hearing God's Word (Am 8:11) and built up and made available a storehouse of teachings to instruct and feed people (see Gn 41:48-49, 56ff).

Pray for us in our ministry to send forth God's instruction. Work with us by feeding people with God's Word. We have many resources at our website, www.presentationministries.com, which can help feed both new and seasoned disciples. Isaiah prophesies that people will stream toward the Lord for instruction. Feed His people (Jn 21:17).

Prayer: Father, You have been preparing us for years. May we be quick to lead the streaming crowds to the banquet of Your Word.

Promise: "Many will come from the east and the west and will find a place at the banquet in the kingdom of God." —Mt 8:11

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Spiritual Reading
A Christian Understanding of the Soul, by Philip St. Romain
- from Caring for the Self, Caring for the Soul

6. The Soul in the Afterlife

As a spirit, the soul may live apart from the body in the afterlife.  This is called the Intermediate State of the soul.  During this phase of its journey, the soul experiences all of the qualities of spirits listed in previous reflections (simplicity, immateriality, intelligence, freedom, etc.).  So the soul intuitively comprehends its relationship with God and others, thus entering into whatever realm of the afterlife (heaven, hell, purgatory) is appropriate for the development it has attained during its earthly life.

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