Message of 12-21-15

Published: Mon, 12/21/15

A Daily Spiritual Seed
Monday: December 21, 2015
Message of the Day
Fight to escape from your own cleverness. If you do, then you will find salvation and uprightness through Jesus Christ our Lord.
     --John Climacus

(Keeping Christ first these days before Christmas can be a challenge. How’s that going?)
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Readings of the Day
SG 2:8-14;    PS 33:2-3, 11-12, 20-21;   LK 1:39-45

R. Exult, you just, in the Lord! Sing to him a new song.

Give thanks to the LORD on the harp;
with the ten-stringed lyre chant his praises.
Sing to him a new song;
pluck the strings skillfully, with shouts of gladness.

But the plan of the LORD stands forever; 
the design of his heart, through all generations.
Blessed the nation whose God is the LORD,
the people he has chosen for his own inheritance.

Our soul waits for the LORD,
who is our help and our shield,
For in him our hearts rejoice;
in his holy name we trust. 

USCCB lectionary
Reflection on the Scripture
"Shout for joy, O daughter Zion! Sing joyfully, O Israel." –Zephaniah 3:14
167. Nothing is lost except the supernatural gift; but this lossÉ leaves in nature an inner emptiness, an upsetting of equilibrium, a defect that is less than in the case of mortal sin, yet real.​
Christmas is Jesus' birthday. Birthday parties often feature shouting and singing. The birthday boy or girl usually shouts when opening the presents. Then, of course, everybody sings "Happy Birthday." If Jesus is going to have a real birthday party this Christmas, we must give Him presents that will get Him to shout and "sing joyfully...as one sings at festivals" (Zep 3:17-18).
Pretty packages, a cake, and candles will not get Jesus to sing. In fact, it's difficult to give Him a birthday or Christmas gift because He already has everything – with one exception.

The present that gives God and all of heaven more joy than anything else is repentance and conversion (Lk 15:7). When we take the plank out of our own eye and then take the speck out of others' eyes, we get God to shout and sing (Mt 7:5). When we proceed "in haste into the hill country" (Lk 1:39) or into the highways and byways (Lk 14:23) and lead people to Christ, this also calls for a song. As He sings, we sing: "My being proclaims the greatness of the Lord, my spirit finds joy in God my Savior" (Lk 1:46-47). Then we have a real birthday party and a real Christmas.

PRAYER: Jesus, on this first day of winter I ask for a spiritual springtime.

PROMISE: "Arise, my beloved, my beautiful one, and come! For see, the winter is past, the rains are over and gone. The flowers appear on the earth." –Sg 2:10-12

PRAISE: "O Radiant Dawn, Splendor of eternal light, Sun of justice: come, shine on those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death."

mycatholic.com

Webinar: The Spirituality of the Second Half of Life
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by Carla Mae Streeter OP
January 4, 2016. 6:30 - 8:00 p.m. CST.
Free-will donation. Registration
- space is limited; first come, first serve - 

A webinar is a presentation that is broadcast live over the Internet. Participants can see and hear the presenter, ask questions, and make comments. 

In this webinar, Sr. Carla Mae will reflect on the special opportunities for knowing ourselves and growing closer to God that we experience in the second half of life. We've been through a lot, and have gained much wisdom through experience, and yet the call to grow continues to draw us to deepening questioning, encounters and faith. 

Carla Mae Streeter, OP, is a Dominican of the Congregation of Catherine of Siena in Racine, Wisconsin. She is presently a professor (emerita) of Systematic theology and Spirituality at Aquinas Institute of Theology, a graduate school of Theology and Ministry sponsored by the Dominicans of the Central Province adjoined to St. Louis University in St. Louis.​

Read More
Amazon Gift Cards: Good for any occasion.
Christian Prayer Methods Course Online
Gift certificates and Group discounts now available for the online Christian Prayer Methods course. Click here for more information. 
Spiritual Reading
Theological Gems from Emile Merch's Theology of the Mystical Body
- selected by Jim and Tyra Arraj

II: Theology of Original Sin According to Christ’s Unity and Redemption

167. Nothing is lost with the Fall) except the supernatural gift; but this lossÉ leaves in nature an inner emptiness, an upsetting of equilibrium, a defect that is less than in the case of mortal sin, yet real.
Please support this outreach with a tax-deductible donation.
http://www.heartlandspirituality.org/support.html

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