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I do a great wrong in His sight, when I beseech Him that He will hear my prayer, which as I give utterance to it I do not hear myself. I entreat Him that He will think of me; but I regard neither myself nor Him. Nay, what is worse, turning over corrupt and evil thoughts in mine heart, I
thrust a dreadful offensiveness into His presence.
- Bernard of Clairvaux
(For deeper awareness in 2016, we pray.) |
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 -
Last day to sign up. There are still a few openings.
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.
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1 JN 3:22–4:6; PS 2:7-8, 10-12A; MT 4:12-17, 23-25
R. I will give you all the nations for an inheritance.
The LORD said to me, “You are my Son;
this day I have begotten you.
Ask of me and I will give
you
the nations for an inheritance
and the ends of the earth for your possession.”
And now, O kings, give heed;
take warning, you rulers of the earth.
Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice before him;
with trembling rejoice. USCCB lectionary
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Reflection on the Scripture |
"And this is how we know that He remains in us: from the Spirit that He gave us." –1 John 3:24
At the Christmas season, we celebrate not only Immanuel, "God with us" but also God within us. "Those who keep His commandments remain in Him and He in them"
(1 Jn 3:24; see also 1 Jn 4:16; 5:20; Jn 14:20; 6:56; 17:23). Christ in us is our "hope of glory" (Col 1:27).
However, "perhaps you yourselves do not realize that Christ Jesus is in you" (2 Cor 13:5). "This is how we know that He remains in us: from the Spirit that He gave us" (1 Jn 3:24; 4:13). The Holy Spirit is
"the first Payment" (2 Cor 1:22). "He is the Pledge of our inheritance, the first Payment against the full redemption of a people God has made His own, to praise His glory" (Eph 1:14). For example, by the power of the Holy Spirit, the Church, the Body of Christ, continues Christ's ministry of healing by curing "the people of every disease and illness" (Mt 4:23). When we see others healed or when we ourselves are healed, this work of the Holy Spirit gives us reason to believe that all God's
promises are true – including His promise to live within us.
When we walk by faith and not by sight (2 Cor 5:7), we walk and believe by the light of the Holy Spirit. Come, only true Christmas Spirit! Come, Holy Spirit!
PRAYER: Father, "I believe! Help my lack of faith!" (Mk 9:24, our transl.)
PROMISE: "A people living in darkness has seen a great light. On those who inhabit a land overshadowed by death, light has arisen." –Mt 4:16
mycatholic.com
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Christian Prayer Methods Course Online |
Gift certificates and Group discounts now available for the online Christian Prayer Methods course. Click here for more
information.
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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
171. The essential thing about Christ is He is perfectly God, perfectly man, perfectly one. The essential thing about the Blessed Virgin is her part in making her Son perfectly man.
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