Message of 2-27-08
Published: Sat, 02/23/08
In order to be an image of God, the spirit must turn to what is
eternal, hold it in spirit, keep it in memory, and by loving it,
embrace it in the will.
- Edith Stein
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SCRIPTURE READINGS
http://www.nccbuscc.org/nab/
Dt 4:1, 5-9; Ps. 147:12-13, 15-16, 19-20; Mt 5:17-19
R. (12a) Praise the Lord, Jerusalem.
Glorify the LORD, O Jerusalem;
praise your God, O Zion.
For he has strengthened the bars of your gates;
he has blessed your children within you.
He sends forth his command to the earth;
swiftly runs his word!
He spreads snow like wool;
frost he strews like ashes.
He has proclaimed his word to Jacob,
his statutes and his ordinances to Israel.
He has not done thus for any other nation;
his ordinances he has not made known to them.
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REFLECTION ON THE SCRIPTURES
- from "Daily Bread"
http://www.preacherexchange.com/daily_bread.htm
" This great nation is truly a wise and intelligent people."
The chosen people stood out from their barbarous neighbors in the
ancient world. They followed God's Law, albeit imperfectly -- but at
least they had a law to follow. Today's world fairly clamors for
peace and justice as the need for a new international order
increases. On the World Day of Peace in 2004, Pope John Paul II
spoke of such an order where problems would be solved "based on the
dignity of human beings, an integrated development of society,
solidarity between rich and poor nations" and on the "sharing of
resources and the extraordinary results of scientific and
technological progress." Let us pray for Spirit-led leaders who
will strive for a new day of peace and unity among the nations.
"For the welfare of all people, we pray."
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NOTES FROM A CLASSICAL WORK
- "Meister Eckhart's Sermons"
. . . our salvation depends upon our knowing and recognizing the
Chief Good which is God Himself. I have a capacity in my soul for
taking in God entirely. I am as sure as I live that nothing is so
near to me as God. God is nearer to me than I am to myself; my
existence depends on the nearness and presence of God. He is also
near things of wood and stone, but they know it not. If a piece of
wood became as aware of the nearness of God as an archangel is, the
piece of wood would be as happy as an archangel. For this reason
man is happier than the inanimate wood, because he knows and
understands how God is near him. His happiness increases and
diminishes in proportion to the increase and diminution in his
knowledge of this. His happiness does not arise from this that God
is near him, and in him, and that He possesses God; but from this,
that he knows the nearness of God, and loves Him, and is aware that
"the Kingdom of God is near." So, when I think on God's Kingdom, I
am compelled to be silent because of its immensity, because God's
Kingdom is none other than God Himself with all His riches. God's
Kingdom is no small thing: we may survey in imagination all the
worlds of God's creation, but they are not God's Kingdom. In
whichever soul God's Kingdom appeareth, and which knoweth God's
Kingdom, that soul needeth no human preaching or instruction; it is
taught from within and assured of eternal life. Whoever knows and
recognizes how near God's Kingdom is to him may say with Jacob,
"God was in this place though I knew it not."
- Sermon 2, "The Nearness of the Kingdom"
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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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