Message of 7-7-08
Published: Sun, 07/06/08
- resources for prayer and spiritual growth
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MESSAGE OF THE DAY
"Go ahead! Courage! In the spiritual life, those who do not go
forward go backwards. It is the same with a boat which must always
go forward. If it stands still, the wind will blow it back."
- Padre Pio
(This theme of "the two ways" is found throughout the Scriptures
and spiritual writers. Which way have you been going lately?)
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SCRIPTURE READINGS
http://www.nccbuscc.org/nab/
Hos 2:16, 17c-18, 21-22; Ps 145:2-3, 4-5, 6-7, 8-9; Mt 9:18-26
R. (8a) The Lord is gracious and merciful.
Every day will I bless you,
and I will praise your name forever and ever.
Great is the LORD and highly to be praised;
his greatness is unsearchable.
Generation after generation praises your works
and proclaims your might.
They speak of the splendor of your glorious majesty
and tell of your wondrous works.
They discourse of the power of your terrible deeds
and declare your greatness.
They publish the fame of your abundant goodness
and joyfully sing of your justice.
The LORD is gracious and merciful,
slow to anger and of great kindness.
The LORD is good to all
and compassionate toward all his works.
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REFLECTION ON THE SCRIPTURES
- from "Daily Bread"
http://www.preacherexchange.com/daily_bread.htm
"I will espouse you in right and in justice, in love and in mercy."
Listen carefully to today's scripture passages. Be comforted and
encouraged. God's great love for us, manifested in Jesus, is freely
offered to all, even -- and especially -- the poor, the sinner, the
outcast and the downcast. God's plan for us is a loving and
intimate union in which we can be healed and brought to the
fullness of eternal life. All that is asked of us is that we accept
the grace that God offers and turn away from sin toward the
wholeness and peace that God alone can give.
"Lord, grant us the wisdom and humility to turn to you, our life,
our hope and our salvation."
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LECTIO DIVINA PROCESS
- http://heartlandspirituality.org/vocations/prayer.html
First, you choose a passage of Scripture that you will pray with.
It might be the Gospel reading used in the liturgy of the day, or
anything else you want. The process then follows these steps:
* Reading (lectio) After settling in and quieting yourself,
read the passage slowly, prayerfully. Just let it sink in for a
minute or two, then read it a second time, paying closer attention
to the words or phrases that speak to you.
* Reflecting (meditatio) What do you hear God saying to you in
this passage? What words or phrases caught your attention?
* Responding (oratio) What do you want to say to God in
response to what you've heard? Here you can also voice your prayers
of petition, remorse, thanksgiving, praise, and so forth. If you
sense God speaking to you in your thoughts, feelings or
imagination, you respond as you would in any conversation.
* Resting (contemplatio) If, at any time, you feel drawn to
simply rest in the awareness of God's loving presence, you let
yourself do so. Remain in loving silence as long as you feel
comfortable, perhaps using a simple word or phrase from the
Scripture passage to help deepen your openness to rest in God.
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THEOLOGICAL GEMS FROM EMIL MERCH'S "THEOLOGY OF THE MYSTICAL BODY"
from http://www.innerexplorations.com/chtheomortext/theolgems.htm
398. So long as (men) are on earth, they are not men to the full
extent of their capacity... At the present time he is not far along
the road. Likewise the human consciousness he has at present is not
yet a fully developed consciousness of man, but only its beginning.
Full human consciousness, while remaining interior and personal, is
a consciousness that is inwardly linked with every other
consciousness.
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