Message of 2-25-08
Published: Sat, 02/23/08
- resources for prayer and spiritual growth
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MESSAGE OF THE DAY
Our souls may lose their peace and even disturb other people's, if
we are always criticizing trivial actions - which often are not
real defects at all, but we construe them wrongly through our
ignorance of their motives.
- St. Teresa of Avila
(Fasting from judging the motives of others . . . . How's that for
a Lenten discipline?)
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SCRIPTURE READINGS
http://www.nccbuscc.org/nab/
2 Kgs 5:1-15ab; Ps. 42:2, 3; 43:3, 4; Lk 4:24-30
R. (see 42:3) Athirst is my soul for the living God.
When shall I go and behold the face of God?
As the hind longs for the running waters,
so my soul longs for you, O God.
When shall I go and behold the face of God?
Athirst is my soul for God, the living God.
When shall I go and behold the face of God?
When shall I go and behold the face of God?
Send forth your light and your fidelity;
they shall lead me on
And bring me to your holy mountain,
to your dwelling-place.
When shall I go and behold the face of God?
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!
When shall I go and behold the face of God?
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REFLECTION ON THE SCRIPTURES
- from "Daily Bread"
http://www.preacherexchange.com/daily_bread.htm
'My father,' they said, 'if the prophet had told you to do
something extraordinary, would you not have done it?'
Sometimes we need to be wary of our own expectations. Naaman nearly
walked away from the cure for his leprosy because it wasn't what he
expected. He was looking for a flashy exhibit of divine power, not
a simple ritual washing (seven immersions that symbolized his
complete cleansing). We, too, may expect God to heal us according
to a particular vision of how we think God should act. We may
despair of ever lowering our cholesterol, blood pressure or weight
as we beg God for the wonder drug. But could those voices telling
us to move more and eat less be God's prophets?
"For the grace to recognize a healthy lifestyle as God's will for
us, we pray."
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LECTIO DIVINA PROCESS
- http://heartlandspirituality.org/vocations/prayer.html
First, you choose a passage of Scripture that you will pray with.
It might be the Gospel reading used in the liturgy of the day, or
anything else you want. The process then follows these steps:
* Reading (lectio) After settling in and quieting yourself,
read the passage slowly, prayerfully. Just let it sink in for a
minute or two, then read it a second time, paying closer attention
to the words or phrases that speak to you.
* Reflecting (meditatio) What do you hear God saying to you in
this passage? What words or phrases caught your attention?
* Responding (oratio) What do you want to say to God in
response to what you've heard? Here you can also voice your prayers
of petition, remorse, thanksgiving, praise, and so forth. If you
sense God speaking to you in your thoughts, feelings or
imagination, you respond as you would in any conversation.
* Resting (contemplatio) If, at any time, you feel drawn to
simply rest in the awareness of God's loving presence, you let
yourself do so. Remain in loving silence as long as you feel
comfortable, perhaps using a simple word or phrase from the
Scripture passage to help deepen your openness to rest in God.
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THEOLOGICAL GEMS FROM EMIL MERCH'S "THEOLOGY OF THE MYSTICAL BODY"
from http://www.innerexplorations.com/chtheomortext/theolgems.htm
325. All the grace that is ever received by the mystical body of
Christ comes from the Father through the Son in the Spirit.
327. The dogma of the Trinity reveals to the Christian what Being
is in itself.
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