Message of 7-30-08
Published: Thu, 07/17/08
We must quit bending the Word to suit our situation. It is we who
must be bent to that Word, our necks that must bow under the yoke.
- Elisabeth Elliot
(Obedience: to hear the Word and keep it.)
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SCRIPTURE READINGS
http://www.nccbuscc.org/nab/
Jer 15:10, 16-21; Ps 59:2-3, 4, 10-11, 17, 18; Mt 13:44-46
R. (17d) God is my refuge on the day of distress.
Rescue me from my enemies, O my God;
from my adversaries defend me.
Rescue me from evildoers;
from bloodthirsty men save me.
For behold, they lie in wait for my life;
mighty men come together against me,
Not for any offense or sin of mine, O LORD.
O my strength! for you I watch;
for you, O God, are my stronghold,
As for my God, may his mercy go before me;
may he show me the fall of my foes.
But I will sing of your strength
and revel at dawn in your mercy;
You have been my stronghold,
my refuge in the day of distress.
R. God is my refuge on the day of distress.
O my strength! your praise will I sing;
for you, O God, are my stronghold,
my merciful God!
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GOSPEL MEDITATION
- from "Daily Reflections"
http://www.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/daily.html
The gospel lesson speaks not so much of finding the God of Jeremiah
and the psalmist but of discovering what life in the Kingdom of
heaven is really like. To Jesus, what is it like to be a follower
of God, to come into the reign or kingdom of heaven? Jeremiah is
depressed and the psalmist experiences days of distress. Surely
Jesus does not envision a life without both. Yet, the Kingdom of
heaven is also full of surprises and serendipities. Jesus'
disciples are on a journey. In the Kingdom of heaven they find a
treasure that is worth all that they have. They are like merchants
searching for pearls who find the best they have ever seen and know
that it is worth everything they own. They discover what life in
the reign of God is worth and "with joy" they give up everything
for that Kingdom.
Depression and distress: this is our lot. Surprised by joy,
protected in the day of distress, and a party at dawn in God's
mercy: this is also our lot in the Kingdom of Heaven.
- by George Butterfield
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NOTES FROM A CLASSICAL WORK
- "Meister Eckhart's Sermons"
St John xiv. 23."If a man love me, he will keep my words; and my
Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode
with him."
We read in the Gospels that Our Lord fed many people with five
loaves and two fishes. Speaking parabolically, we may say that the
first loaf was--that we should know ourselves, what we have been
everlastingly to God, and what we now are to Him. The second--that
we should pity our fellow Christian who is blinded; his loss should
grieve us as much as our own. The third--that we should know our
Lord Jesus Christ's life, and follow it to the utmost of our
capacity. The fourth--that we should know the judgments of God. All
that may be said of the pains of hell is true. St Dionysius saith,
"To be separated from God is hell, and the sight of God's
countenance is heaven." The fifth -- that we should know the
Godhead which has flowed into the Father and filled Him with joy, and
"Where I am, there is My Father, and where My Father is, there am
I" And They have flowed into the Holy Ghost and filled Him with good
will. Therefore said Christ, "I and My Father have one Spirit," and
the Holy Ghost has flowed into the soul.
- #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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