Message of 7-9-08
Published: Mon, 07/07/08
It is wonderful how the exercise of one's will in a matter like
this will eventuate in the correct emotions. Determining to wish
that person's good; deliberately trying to do something loving for
him; and praying for him - all this will some day bring about the
emotion of love itself. But love, as the Bible interprets it, is an
affair of the will, not necessarily of the emotions.
- Isobel Kuhn
(Love as a decision . . . Exercise your will unto love this day . .
. )
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SCRIPTURE READINGS
http://www.nccbuscc.org/nab/
Hos 10:1-3, 7-8, 12; Ps 105:2-3, 4-5, 6-7; Mt 10:1-7
R. (4b) Seek always the face of the Lord.
Sing to him, sing his praise,
proclaim all his wondrous deeds.
Glory in his holy name;
rejoice, O hearts that seek the LORD!
Look to the LORD in his strength;
seek to serve him constantly.
Recall the wondrous deeds that he has wrought,
his portents, and the judgments he has uttered.
You descendants of Abraham, his servants,
sons of Jacob, his chosen ones!
He, the LORD, is our God;
throughout the earth his judgments prevail.
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GOSPEL MEDITATION
- from "Daily Reflections"
http://www.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/daily.html
For all of us who grew up Christian, whether Catholic or not, it is
essential for us to be reminded that God, at least, has no religion
and "is good to the ungrateful and the wicked." (Luke 7:35)
Essential to our belief is the realization that God, Who created
all men and women, not only has the merciful desire but also the
mysterious power to save all women and men.
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NOTES FROM A CLASSICAL WORK
- "Meister Eckhart's Sermons"
The one who abides in the will of God wills nothing else than what
God is, and what He wills. If he were ill he would not wish to be
well. If he really abides in God's will, all pain is to him a joy,
all complication, simple: yea, even the pains of hell would be a
joy to him. He is free and gone out from himself, and from all that
he receives, he must be free. If my eye is to discern colour, it
must itself be free from all colour. The eye with which I see God
is the same with which God sees me. My eye and God's eye is one
eye, and one sight, and one knowledge, and one love.
- 4. True Hearing
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REVIEW OF DAY
- from, "Handbook for Spiritual Directees"
http://shalomplace.com/view/hndbk-lite.pdf
Here is a practice used by many at the end of the day to see what
lessons can be learned and how God was present and active through
the day. Set aside fifteen to twenty minutes at the end of the
day for prayer and review of your day. A suggested format is
described below:.
1. Take a few moments of quiet. Breathe deeply. Ask God to help you
see yourself as you truly were during the day.
2. Look back over your day - not to see what you did wrong but to
honestly acknowledge what was going on with you and others.
* What happened? What did I do today?
* How did I feel? Why did I feel that way?
* Were my expectations and beliefs reasonable?
3. Affirm the healthy things you recognize.
4. Admit to yourself and God the unhealthy things. Ask God's
forgiveness, believe it is yours, then decide if you need to
apologize or make amends.
5. Use creative visualization to grow stronger. Honestly
acknowledge the troubling situations of the day. See and feel
yourself acting honestly and lovingly in these situations. Ask God
for the grace to help you act in this new way.
6. Close with simple awareness of the sights and sounds around you,
grateful for the good things in your life.
This process can be undertaken as a daily journal exercise or by
prayerfully reviewing your day in your own mind. I like to take a
walk before bedtime for examen. The important thing is to do it. It
is a discipline, to be sure, but a very important one.
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SHALOM PLACE PREMIUM GROUPS
- Life-long learning and formation in Christian spirituality.
Groups now open include the following:
A. Psychological Types and Spirituality
B. The Way of Christian Spirituality
C. Freedom from Codependency
D. Christian Spirituality Resources
E. Wonderfully Made (Christian Metaphysics)
F. Growing in Christ
G. Spiral Dynamics®
H. Discerning God's Will
I. Dark Night of the Soul
J. Silence, Solitude and Sabbath
K. Alpha Group -- includes all the above and all to come.
- see http://shalomplace.org/groups.html
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