Message of 9-24-08
Published: Sun, 09/21/08
"True encounter with Christ in the word of God awakens something in
the depth of our being, something we do not know was there. True
encounter with Christ liberates something in us, a power we did not
know we had, a hope, a capacity for life, a resilience, an ability
to bounce back when we thought we were completely defeated, a
capacity to grow and change, a power of creative transformation."
- Thomas Merton, "He is Risen" -
(How have you experienced this dynamic of defeat and resurrection
in your life lately?)
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SCRIPTURE READINGS
http://www.nccbuscc.org/nab/
Prv 30:5-9; Ps 119:29, 72, 89, 101, 104, 163; Lk 9:1-6
R. (105) Your word, O Lord, is a lamp for my feet.
Remove from me the way of falsehood,
and favor me with your law.
The law of your mouth is to me more precious
than thousands of gold and silver pieces.
Your word, O LORD, endures forever;
it is firm as the heavens.
From every evil way I withhold my feet,
that I may keep your words.
Through your precepts I gain discernment;
therefore I hate every false way.
Falsehood I hate and abhor;
your law I love.
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SCRIPTURE MEDITATION
- from "Daily Reflections"
http://www.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/daily.html
Proverbs tell us that "every word of God is tested," and we should
"add nothing to his words." In addition, there is a plea to put
"falsehood and lying far from me." The refrain of the Responsorial
Psalm promises "Your word, O Lord, is a lamp for my feet." In Luke,
Jesus gives the twelve apostles "power and authority over all
demons and to cure diseases" and sends "them to proclaim the
Kingdom of God and to heal the sick." . . .
As I read today's scripture, I firmly believe that in the way of
the Lord's commands, but I also recognize that what I see in others
is only the behavior and not necessarily the intention. Perhaps we
can use today's Responsorial Psalm's refrain as a pray for
ourselves and for those who do not seem to follow the words of the
Lord. "Your word, O Lord, is a lamp for my feet. Help me to follow
your word, to be a model for others, and to endeavor to understand
those for whom your word is not a lamp for their feet. Amen."
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NOTES FROM A CLASSICAL WORK
- "Meister Eckhart's Sermons"
St Paul saith, "This is God's will, our sanctification." And this
is our sanctification, to know what we were before time; what we
are in time, and what we shall be after time. Thus the soul loses
itself in these three, and recketh naught of the body, till it
comes to it in the temple, and obeys it without murmuring. The
Father is a revelation of the Godhead, the Son is an image and
countenance of the Father, and the Holy Ghost is an effulgence of
that countenance, and a mutual love between Them, and these
properties They have always possessed in Themselves. The Three
Persons have stooped out of pity down to human nature, and the Son
became man, and was the most despised man on the earth, and
suffered pain at the hands of the creatures whom He Himself created
with the Father, through Whose will He became man. Thus was Christ
till His death, and when He rose from the dead then was seen the
most despised of all men united with the Godhead in the Person of
Christ.
- #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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