Message of 1-2-08
Published: Sat, 12/29/07
- resources for prayer and spiritual growth
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MESSAGE OF THE DAY
I do a great wrong in His sight, when I beseech Him that He will
hear my prayer, which as I give utterance to it I do not hear
myself. I entreat Him that He will think of me; but I regard
neither myself nor Him. Nay, what is worse, turning over corrupt
and evil thoughts in mine heart, I thrust a dreadful offensiveness
into His presence.
- Bernard of Clairvaux
(We've all done that, I'm sure. Nothing to do but to notice when
it happens and re-direct one's attention. Just keep going . . .)
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SCRIPTURE READINGS
http://www.nccbuscc.org/nab/
1 Jn 2:22-28; Ps. 98:1, 2-3ab, 3cd-4; Jn 1:19-28
R. (3cd) All the ends of the earth have seen the saving power of
God.
Sing to the LORD a new song,
for he has done wondrous deeds;
His right hand has won victory for him,
his holy arm.
The LORD has made his salvation known:
in the sight of the nations he has revealed his justice.
He has remembered his kindness and his faithfulness
toward the house of Israel.
All the ends of the earth have seen
the salvation by our God.
Sing joyfully to the LORD, all you lands;
break into song; sing praise.
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NOTES FROM A CLASSICAL WORK
- "Meister Eckhart's Sermons"
St John vi. 44.--"No one can come unto Me, except the Father
which hath
sent Me draw him."
Our Lord Jesus Christ hath in the Gospel spoken with His own
blessed
lips these words, which signify, "No man can come to Me unless My
Father draw him." In another place He says, "I am in the Father
and the
Father in Me." Therefore whoever cometh to the Son cometh to the
Father. Further, He saith, "I and the Father are One. Therefore
whomsoever the Father draweth, the Son draweth likewise." St
Augustine
also saith, "The works of the Holy Trinity are inseparable from
each
other." Therefore the Father draweth to the Son, and the Son
draweth to
the Holy Ghost, and the Holy Ghost draweth to the Father and the
Son;
and each Person of the Trinity, when He draweth to the Two Others,
draweth to Himself, because the Three are One. The Father
draweth with
the might of His power, the Son draweth with His unfathomable
wisdom,
the Holy Ghost draweth with His love. Thus we are drawn by the
Sacred
Trinity with the cords of Power, Wisdom and Love, when we are
drawn
from an evil thing to a good thing, and from a good thing to a
better,
and from a better thing to the best of all. Now the Father draws
us
from the evil of sin to the goodness of His grace with the might
of His
measureless power, and He needs all the resources of His
strength in
order to convert sinners, more than when He was about to make
heaven
and earth, which He made with His own power without help from any
creature. But when He is about to convert a sinner, He always
needs the
sinner's help. "He converts thee not without thy help," as St
Augustine
says.
- from Sermon 1, "The Attractive Power 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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