Message of 8-6-08
Published: Sat, 08/02/08
Love all that has been created by God, both the whole and every
grain of sand. Love every leaf and every ray of light. Love the
beasts and the birds, love the plants, love every separate
fragment. If you love each separate fragment, you will understand
the mystery of the whole resting in God.
- Fyodor Dostoevsky
(Good man! If you haven't read his works yet, I'd suggest putting
"Crime and Punishment" and "The Brothers Karamazov" on your
"must-read-before-I-die" list.)
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SCRIPTURE READINGS
http://www.nccbuscc.org/nab/
Dn 7:9-10, 13-14; Ps 97:1-2, 5-6, 9; 2 Pt 1:16-19; Mt 17:1-9
R. (1a and 9a) The Lord is king, the Most High over all the earth.
The LORD is king; let the earth rejoice;
let the many islands be glad.
Clouds and darkness are round about him,
justice and judgment are the foundation of his throne.
The mountains melt like wax before the LORD,
before the LORD of all the earth.
The heavens proclaim his justice,
and all peoples see his glory.
Because you, O LORD, are the Most High over all the earth,
exalted far above all gods.
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GOSPEL MEDITATION
- from "Daily Reflections"
http://www.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/daily.html
Don't we all need to hear the "do not be afraid" message of Jesus
to us as we continue to search for our response to God's call in
Christ? There's a promise in the transfiguration that comes to
fruition as we continue our walk with Jesus. That promise shone
forth in Jesus' visage as he conversed with Moses the lawgiver and
Elijah the harbinger of the last days.
Like the disciples, we are encouraged to keep on the journey with
Jesus and to keep our focus squarely on him as the events of his
life move towards their fulfillment in God's design. Like them we
will waver, but the more we keep our gaze on him, the more we make
ourselves open to following in his steps, and that makes all the
difference in the world whether that world is as bright as the
transfiguration or as dark as the cross.
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NOTES FROM A CLASSICAL WORK
- "Meister Eckhart's Sermons"
The soul has by nature two capacities. The one is intelligence,
which may comprehend the Holy Trinity with all its works and be
contained by It as water is by a vessel. When the vessel is full,
it has enclosed all that is contained in it, and is united with
that which it has enclosed, and of which it is full. Thus
intelligence becomes one with that which it has understood and
comprehended. It is united therewith by grace, as the Son is one
with the Father.
- #5. The Self-Communication of God
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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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