Message of 3-5-08
Published: Thu, 02/28/08
God's silence is more than man's speech. God's negative is better
than the world's affirmative. Have thy prayers been followed by a
calm stillness? Well! Is not that God's voice - a voice that will
suffice thee in the meantime till the full disclosure comes? Has He
moved not from His place to help thee? Well, but His stillness
makes thee still, and He has something better than help to give thee.
- George Matheson
(Be still, and know that God is God.)
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
SCRIPTURE READINGS
http://www.nccbuscc.org/nab/
Is 49:8-15; Ps. 145:8-9, 13cd-14, 17-18; Jn 5:17-30
R. (8a) The Lord is gracious and merciful.
The LORD is gracious and merciful,
slow to anger and of great kindness.
The LORD is good to all
and compassionate toward all his works.
The LORD is faithful in all his words
and holy in all his works.
The LORD lifts up all who are falling
and raises up all who are bowed down.
The LORD is just in all his ways
and holy in all his works.
The LORD is near to all who call upon him,
to all who call upon him in truth.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
REFLECTION ON THE SCRIPTURES
from "Praying the Daily Gospels," by Philip St. Romain:
- http://www.liguori.org/productdetails.cfm?PC=6614
- John 5: 17-30 (Jesus' credentials)
When the Jews criticize Jesus for healing on the Sabbath, he
replies that his Father, who goes on working always, is not bound
by Sabbath restrictions. He then invites the Jews to recognize the
power at work in him as essential for life and death.
- Read this passage slowly, spending time with whatever verse
catches your attention. Do not try to reflect on every phrase.
- Spend some time with the words "I do not seek my own will but
the will of the one who sent me." Repeat them again and again as
you allow your will to merge with God's.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
NOTES FROM A CLASSICAL WORK
- "Meister Eckhart's Sermons"
God is equally near in all creatures. The wise man saith, "God hath
spread out His net over all creatures, so that whosoever wishes to
discover Him may find and recognize Him in each one." Another saith,
"He knows God rightly who recognizes Him alike in all things." To
serve God with fear is good; to serve Him out of love is better;
but to fear and love Him together is best of all. To have a restful
or peaceful life in God is good; to bear a life of pain in patience
is better; but to have peace in the midst of pain is the best of all.
"- Sermon 2, "The Nearness of God"
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
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.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
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
_________________________________________________
* Web Archive: http://www.aweber.com/z/article/?dailyseed
* RSS: http://www.aweber.com/z/rss/?dailyseed