Message of 8-27-08
Published: Thu, 08/21/08
Love, yes, love your calling, for this holy and generous love will
impart strength to you so as to enable you to surmount all obstacles.
- St. Mary Euphrasia Pelletier, "Embrace the World"
(What is your calling? How can you love it better?)
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SCRIPTURE READINGS
http://www.nccbuscc.org/nab/
2 Thes 3:6-10, 16-18; Ps 128:1-2, 4-5; Mt 23:27-32
R. (1) Blessed are those who fear the Lord.
Blessed are you who fear the LORD,
who walk in his ways!
For you shall eat the fruit of your handiwork;
blessed shall you be, and favored.
Behold, thus is the man blessed
who fears the LORD.
The LORD bless you from Zion:
may you see the prosperity of Jerusalem
all the days of your life.
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GOSPEL MEDITATION
- from "Daily Reflections"
http://www.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/daily.html
The Lord came to call sinners, not the self-righteous! Our gospel
today addresses that attitude of self-righteousness which we all
have to a certain extent. It is so easy to rash-judge others and
condemn them without any reflection on our own errors, omissions
and selfishness. Jesus calls people with this attitude,
"whitewashed tombs" -- beautiful on the outside, but inside full of
every kind of filth.
But in our lives we all have to judge others: parents judge their
children as they guide them, teachers judge their students as they
grade them, yes, even priests in the confessional judge the
penitent as they absolve them. It comes down to what is our
attitude when we judge others. Do we think of the ones being judged
positively and give them help physically and spiritually? Do we try
to help them cope more maturely with the challenges in their lives?
This constructive criticism is not what Jesus is disappointed in.
What he is addressing here are our attitudes. He does not want us
to "puff-up" ourselves when we see someone else somehow seem to fail.
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NOTES FROM A CLASSICAL WORK
- "Meister Eckhart's Sermons"
I counsel you, sisters and brothers, that you grow in knowledge,
and thank God, while you are in time, that He brought you out of
non-existence to existence, and united you with the Divine Nature.
But if the Divine Nature be beyond your comprehension, believe
simply on Christ; follow His holy example and remain steadfast.
Convert Jews, heathen, heretics, bad Christians, and all who do not
enjoy your knowledge of God, and are still astray.
- #5. The Knowledge 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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