Message of 2-1-08
Published: Mon, 01/21/08
- resources for prayer and spiritual growth
- - -
MESSAGE OF THE DAY
The soul which has come into intimate contact with God in the
silence of the prayer chamber is never out of conscious touch with
the Father; the heart is always going out to Him in loving
communion, and the moment the mind is released from the task upon
which it is engaged, it returns as naturally to God as the bird
does to its nest. What a beautiful conception of prayer we get if
we regard it in this light.
- Edward McKendree (E. M.) Bounds
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
SCRIPTURE READINGS
http://www.nccbuscc.org/nab/
2 Sm 1:1-4a, 5-10a, 13-17; Ps. 51:3-4, 5-6a, 6bcd-7, 10-11;
Mk 4:26-34
R. (see 3a) Be merciful, O Lord, for we have sinned.
Have mercy on me, O God, in your goodness;
in the greatness of your compassion wipe out my offense.
Thoroughly wash me from my guilt
and of my sin cleanse me.
For I acknowledge my offense,
and my sin is before me always:
"Against you only have I sinned,
and done what is evil in your sight."
I have done such evil in your sight
that you are just in your sentence,
blameless when you condemn.
True, I was born guilty,
a sinner, even as my mother conceived me.
Let me hear the sounds of joy and gladness;
the bones you have crushed shall rejoice.
Turn away your face from my sins,
and blot out all my guilt.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
GOSPEL MEDITATION
from "Praying the Daily Gospels," by Philip St. Romain:
- http://www.liguori.org/productdetails.cfm?PC=6614
- Mark 4: 26-34 (The mustard seed)
The kingdom of God will conquer, Jesus assures us, for God's will
is sovereign. Grace reaches deeper than sin; evil will be uprooted.
- Do you believe you have made progress in your life in growing
closer to Christ during the past few months? Years? How has grace
transformed you?
- Do you feel hopeful about God's kingdom conquering evil? Why? Why
not? How does this affect your everyday attitude?
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
PRAYING WITH SCRIPTURE (Benedictine Approach)
1. Relax. Settle in. Be aware that God is here, now, loving you.
2. Read a short passage of Scripture as though God were speaking
directly to you in it.
3. Choose a phrase from the passage that strikes you and repeat it
slowly, prayerfully, non-analytically.
4. When your heart is full, express to God the needs and sentiments
awakened by your meditation. When you're done, read another passage
and repeat steps 3 and 4.
5. If, at any time, you feel moved to simply be present to God in
loving silence, put the Scripture aside and rest in God.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
NOTES FROM A CLASSICAL WORK
- "The Practice of the Presence of God," by Brother Lawrence
- Brother Lawrence shared:
That he had been long troubled in mind from a certain belief that
he should be damned; that all the men in the world could not have
persuaded him to the contrary; but that he had thus reasoned with
himself about it: I did not engage in a religious life but for the
love of GOD, and I have endeavored to act only for Him; whatever
becomes of me, whether I be lost or saved, I will always continue
to act purely for the love of GOD. I shall have this good at least,
that till death I shall have done all that is in me to love Him.
That this trouble of mind had lasted four years; during which time
he had suffered much.
- Second Conversation
_________________________________________________
* Web Archive: http://www.aweber.com/z/article/?dailyseed
* RSS: http://www.aweber.com/z/rss/?dailyseed