Message of 9-28-07
Published: Fri, 09/21/07
Ours is not the task of fixing the entire world at once, but of
stretching out to mend the part of the world that is within our
reach.
- Clarissa Pinkola Estes
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
SCRIPTURE READINGS
http://www.nccbuscc.org/nab/
Hg 2:1-9; Ps 43:1, 2, 3, 4; Lk 9:18-22
R. (5) Hope in God; I will praise him, my savior and my God.
Do me justice, O God, and fight my fight
against a faithless people;
from the deceitful and impious man rescue me.
For you, O God, are my strength.
Why do you keep me so far away?
Why must I go about in mourning,
with the enemy oppressing me?
Send forth your light and your fidelity;
they shall lead me on
And bring me to your holy mountain,
to your dwelling.place.
Then will I go in to the altar of God,
the God of my gladness and joy;
Then will I give you thanks upon the harp,
O God, my God!
- - -
Praying the Daily Gospels
- by Philip St. Romain:
- http://www.liguori.org/productdetails.cfm?PC=6614
- Luke 9: 8-22 (Jesus and prayer)
Luke characteristically portrays Jesus as a man of prayer. Before
undertaking major endeavors, Jesus is shown spending time in
prayer, a model we should never ignore. In today's reading, prayer
precedes Jesus' disclosure to his apostles that he is a suffering
redeemer.
- Why do you pray? How has prayer helped you lately?
- Why do you believe Jesus had to "endure many sufferings, be
rejected by the elders, the high priests and the scribes, and be
put to death"?
- Pray for the grace to be more centered in the Spirit of Jesus.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
ABANDONMENT TO DIVINE PROVIDENCE
- by Jean Pierre de Caussade, S.J.
Nothing is essential, real, or of any value unless ordained by
God who
arranges all things and makes them useful to the soul. Apart
from this
divine will all is hollow, empty, null, there is nothing but
falsehood,
vanity, nothingness, death.
-- Book 1, Chapter 1, Section 5
*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*
PRAYING WITH SCRIPTURE (Contemplative Method)
- adapted by Philip St. Romain from a variety of sources -
A. Select a short passage that you will use for prayer.
B. Settle in by sitting straight (on tailbone, spine erect).
Notice sensations in your body, sounds around you, the manner of
your breathing. Call to mind that God is present in and amidst all
of this.
C. Read the passage aloud slowly, prayerfully. Let the words make
their own impact, and voice whatever they awaken in your mind and
heart to God.
- proceed to Step E if you already feel yourself coming to
contemplative silence -
D. Read the passage a second time silently. Again, voice whatever
is awakened to God, or acknowledge before God in your heart. Let
this be a spontaneous conversation which includes your questions,
intellectual reflections, petitions, resolutions, and so forth.
E. Read the passage a third time. If there is a word or phrase
that sums up this passage, or that speaks to you in a special way,
repeat it in your mind prayerfully. Let it express your
willingness to allow God to be God in your life.
F. Allow yourself to simply be present to God in loving silence,
aware of God's unfailing Presence to you in love. When
distractions come which capture your attention, re-introduce the
sacred word from Step E. Continue with this resting until your
prayer time is over.
G. Close your prayer time with a sincere vocal recitation of the
Lord's prayer, putting your whole being into the words.
_________________________________________________
* Web Archive: http://www.aweber.com/z/article/?dailyseed
* RSS: http://www.aweber.com/z/rss/?dailyseed