Message of 10-15-08
Published: Sat, 10/04/08
Pick up the key of obedience. Go on, pick it up. What are you
waiting for, really? Why not take it right now? You can do that
if you're living by the light of a confident trusting in God. You
don't have to walk in blindness and bitter cold today. All you
have to do is cling instead to obedience with a burning love that
God will give you. It will make you warm, and its warmth is the
best heat.
- Catherine of Siena, "Dialogue"
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SCRIPTURE READINGS
http://www.nccbuscc.org/nab/
Gal 5:18-25; Ps 1:1-2, 3, 4 and 6; Lk 11:42-46
R. (see Jn 8:12) Those who follow you, Lord, will have the light of
life.
Blessed the man who follows not
the counsel of the wicked
Nor walks in the way of sinners,
nor sits in the company of the insolent,
But delights in the law of the LORD
and meditates on his law day and night.
He is like a tree
planted near running water,
That yields its fruit in due season,
and whose leaves never fade.
Whatever he does, prospers.
Not so the wicked, not so;
they are like chaff which the wind drives away.
For the LORD watches over the way of the just,
but the way of the wicked vanishes.
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SCRIPTURE MEDITATION
- from "Daily Reflections"
http://www.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/daily.html
In our lives today, Jesus' message is as powerful as ever. Often,
our critical eye doesn't miss a thing done incorrectly by our
enemies, our politicians, those who are not our friends and
sometimes those we simply don't want to understand. We are quick
with our criticism and sharp with our judgment. And too often, we
are also quick to absolve ourselves of the sins we can see so
clearly in others.
Today's gospel might inspire us to take a one-day moratorium from
criticizing anyone. It's a small start that could make us more
aware of how we really see things. We can begin by asking Jesus for
his help. We can beg for forgiveness from our picking and nagging
and the unconscious stream of clever commentary we might carry with
us while dealing with spouses, families, someone in the grocery
store or even while getting the day's news.
"Dear Jesus, help me for this day to love people as you love them.
Help me to bite my tongue and offer forgiveness with a generous
heart. Let me try to understand others as you understand me in all
of my flawed humanity. Thank you for your many gifts in my life.
May I appreciate them and be more grateful for what I have been
given."
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NOTES FROM A CLASSICAL WORK
- "Meister Eckhart's Sermons"
Many teachers also praise humility as a virtue. But I set
sanctification above humility for the following reason. Although
humility may exist without sanctification, perfect sanctification
cannot exist without perfect humility. Perfect humility tends to
the annihilation of self; sanctification also is so close to
self-annihilation that nothing can come between them. Therefore
perfect sanctification cannot exist without humility, and to have
both of these virtues is better than to have only one of them.
- #6, Sancitification
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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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