Message of 12-17-08
Published: Wed, 12/10/08
MESSAGE OF THE DAY
Prayer unites the soul to God. Although the soul is like God in
nature, it is often different from Him in condition because of a
person's sin. Prayer then acts as a witness that the soul wills as
God wills. It eases the conscience and prepares us for grace.
- Julian of Norwich
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SCRIPTURE READINGS
http://www.nccbuscc.org/nab/
Gn 49:2, 8-10; Ps 72:1-2, 3-4ab, 7-8, 17; Mt 1:1-17
R. (see 7) Justice shall flourish in his time, and fullness of
peace for ever.
O God, with your judgment endow the king,
and with your justice, the king's son;
He shall govern your people with justice
and your afflicted ones with judgment.
The mountains shall yield peace for the people,
and the hills justice.
He shall defend the afflicted among the people,
save the children of the poor.
Justice shall flower in his days,
and profound peace, till the moon be no more.
May he rule from sea to sea,
and from the River to the ends of the earth.
May his name be blessed forever;
as long as the sun his name shall remain.
In him shall all the tribes of the earth be blessed;
all the nations shall proclaim his happiness.
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SCRIPTURE MEDITATION
- from "Daily Reflections"
http://www.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/daily.html
The Gospel today traces the waiting for the birth of Jesus that
began with Abraham. Fourteen generations of waiting. That's a time
span we can hardly imagine. Those generations were tested in their
faith, yet they believed and they waited. This time of waiting and
anticipation can strengthen our own faith as we think of those
generations before us.
The Advent season seems to go so quickly; it can be gone in an
instant. I want to find joy in waiting, to remember that God is
with me as the light turns red or as my line moves at a snail's
pace at the grocery store. Those are wonderful times to take an
instant and turn it into a prayer of thanksgiving and a prayer of
joy.
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NOTES FROM A CLASSICAL WORK
- "Meister Eckhart's Sermons"
Perhaps some one may ask, "Was Christ then also unchangeable, when
He said, 'My soul is troubled even unto death,' or Mary when she
stood under the Cross and lamented? Here, thou shouldest know that
in every man are two kinds of men, the outer and the inner man.
Every man, who loves God, only uses his outer senses so far as is
absolutely necessary; he takes care that they do not drag him down
to the level of the beasts, as they do some who might rather he
termed beasts than men. The soul of the spiritual man whom God
moves to love Him with all his powers concentrates all its forces
on the inner man. Therefore He saith, "Thou shalt love the Lord thy
God with all thy heart." Now, there are some who waste the powers
of the soul for the use of the outer man; these are they who turn
all their thoughts and desires towards transitory things, and know
nothing of the inner life. But a good man sometimes deprives his
outer man of all power that it may have a higher object, while
sensualists deprive the inner man of all power to use it for the
outer man.
- #6, Sanctification
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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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