Message of 9-17-08
Published: Sun, 09/14/08
"Religion is nothing if it be not the vital act by which the entire
mind seeks to save itself by clinging to the principle from which
it draws its life. This act is prayer, by which term I understand
no vain exercise of words, no mere repetition of certain sacred
formulae, but the very movement itself of the soul, putting itself
in a personal relation of contact with the mysterious power of
which it feels the presence--it may be before it even has a name by
which to call it. Whenever this interior prayer is lacking, there
is no religion; wherever, on the other hand, this prayer rises and
stirs the soul, even in the absence of forms or doctrines, we have
living religion."
- William James, "The Varieties of Religious Experiences" -
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SCRIPTURE READINGS
http://www.nccbuscc.org/nab/
1 Cor 12:31-13:13; Ps 33:2-3, 4-5, 12 and 22; Lk 7: 11-17
R. (12) Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to be his own.
Give thanks to the LORD on the harp;
with the ten stringed lyre chant his praises.
Sing to him a new song;
pluck the strings skillfully, with shouts of gladness.
For upright is the word of the LORD,
and all his works are trustworthy.
He loves justice and right;
of the kindness of the LORD the earth is full.
Blessed the nation whose God is the LORD,
the people he has chosen for his own inheritance.
May your kindness, O LORD, be upon us
who have put our hope in you.
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GOSPEL MEDITATION
- from "Daily Reflections"
http://www.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/daily.html
Self-giving is how the first letter of John defines God;
self-giving is how Jesus manifested God for us; self-giving is the
image of God in which we humans are created. The Church (us, not
just the institution) is the sacrament of Christ for our world. But
the Church is Christ only to the extent that it is self-giving.
That self-giving starts with each of us.
In a sense today's reading is actually apt for wedding liturgies,
after all. Marriage is a sacrament precisely because it images the
union of Christ with the Church. That union is one of absolute
self-giving. So long as married couples enter their union in a way
that witnesses God's own self-giving, then their union is a sign
that makes real what it signifies - in other words, a sacrament.
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NOTES FROM A CLASSICAL WORK
- "Meister Eckhart's Sermons"
If the soul would know the real truth it must examine itself,
whether it has withdrawn from all things, whether it has lost
itself, whether it loves God purely with His love and nothing of
its own at the same time, so that it may not be separated from Him
by anything, and whether God alone dwells in it. If it has lost
itself, it is as when the Virgin Mary lost Christ. She sought Him
for three days, and yet was sure that she would find Him. All the
while Christ was in the highest class in the school of His Father,
unconscious of His mother's seeking Him. Thus happens it to the
noble soul which goes to God to school, and learns there what God
is in His essence, and what He is in the Trinity, and what He is in
man, and what is most acceptable to Him. St Augustine saith that
the righteousness of God in the Godhead and in the Trinity and in
all creatures is the source of the chief joy which is in heaven.
God in human nature is a lamp of living light, and "the light
shineth in darkness and the darkness comprehendeth it not." The
darkness must ever more flee the light, as the night flees day.
Thus the soul learns to know God's will.
- 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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