Weekend Edition - Daily Spiritual Seed

Published: Mon, 03/10/08

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- readings, teachings, references and reviews -

Contents:
- Weekend Readings
- Saint of the Week
- Book of the Week
- Christian Spirituality Series
- Shalom Place Premium Groups
- Personal Spiritual Guidance
- Shalom Place Discussion Board
- Affiliate Web Sites
- Website of the Week
- Joke of the Week

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WEEKEND READINGS
http://www.nccbuscc.org/nab/

Saturday: 2 Sm 7:4-5a, 12-14a, 16; Ps. 89:2-3, 4-5, 27 and 29;
Rom 4:13, 16-18, 22; Mt 1:16, 18-21, 24a
Sunday: Mt 21:1-11; Is 50:4-7; Ps 22:8-9, 17-18, 19-20,
23-24; Phil 2:6-11; Mt 26:14--27:66 or 27:11-54

R. (2a) My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?

All who see me scoff at me;
they mock me with parted lips, they wag their heads:
"He relied on the LORD; let him deliver him,
let him rescue him, if he loves him."

Indeed, many dogs surround me,
a pack of evildoers closes in upon me;
They have pierced my hands and my feet;
I can count all my bones.

They divide my garments among them,
and for my vesture they cast lots.
But you, O LORD, be not far from me;
O my help, hasten to aid me.

I will proclaim your name to my brethren;
in the midst of the assembly I will praise you:
"You who fear the LORD, praise him;
all you descendants of Jacob, give glory to him;
revere him, all you descendants of Israel!"

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SAINT OF THE WEEK

- St. Joseph [kept this year on March 20].
The Gospels of Matthew and Luke tell us that he was a descendant of
King David ('of David's line'), a carpenter by trade, betrothed to
Mary at the time of the Virgin Birth, sustained by angelic visions
in his doubts and forced flight to Egypt. Then he disappears from
the scene. In the apocryphal Gospel of James, he is described as
an old man - hence the carol 'Joseph was an old man' - at the time
of his betrothal, but this is most improbable. The cult of St.
Joseph began in the East, thanks to a 6th century document, the
'History of Joseph the Carpenter' and spread to the West in the 8th
century, reaching England about the time of the Norman Conquest.
In early sculpture, and in some of the medieval mystery plays,
Joseph is shown almost as a comic character, bewildered and down in
the dumps. In reaction to this, saints such as Bridget of Sweden
and Bernardine of Siena promoted devotion to him, and he was
particularly esteemed by St. Teresa of Avila who dedicated her
reformed Carmelite Convent in Avila to him. In 1870 he was
declared Patron of the Universal Church, and in 1962 his name was
added to the Roman Canon of the Mass. He is patron of families,
bursars of institutions, and manual workers, also of all who seek a
holy death (17th century) based on the tradition that he himself
feared death until reassured by his wife and son. So devotion to
this slightly elusive figure has risen and fallen throughout
history. "Poor Joseph!" used to say Sister Thérèse on seeing that
the total of votive candles at his altar in our church never
matched those of his wife opposite.
- http://www.hullp.demon.co.uk/SacredHeart/saint/StJoseph.htm

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BOOK OF THE WEEK

"The Mass is Never Ended, recovering our mission to transform the
world," by Gregory F. Augustine Pierce. Ave Maria Press, 2007.
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http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1594710694/christianspiritu/

When we have heard the priest tell the congregation at the end of
each Mass, "Go, the Mass is ended," what response in action are we
folks in the pews called to do? Greg Pierce in this book helps the
folks to grasp the relationship between the Mass and the mission to
which the Christians are sent. He believes the dismissal is just
the starting point for a life lived in the world. He says this
short phrase urges us to live the Mass day by day. Pierce wants his
words to help the congregation in their appreciation of the beauty
and wisdom of the Mass.

Pierce believes his three children (and all God's children) need
three basic things in life: a mission worthy of their lives, a
community to send them forth on that mission, and a spirituality
that will allow them to be aware of the presence of God as they
attempt to carry out that mission. If Christians have these basic
things, they will be able to handle the rest: the joys and sorrows,
the sickness and health, the births and deaths, the good times and
the bad.

The church offers the most challenging and exciting mission that
the Christian can imagine, as they are being sent to go out into
their daily lives and transform the tired, fractured world into a
place more like God would have it. Pierce says that this indeed
includes work; it means all the activities we do to make the world
a better place, a place more like the way God would have things,
"what Jesus of Nazareth called the kingdom or the reign of God."
But this kind of work, kingdom work, is not a daily grind, nor a
punishment; it is the primary way we help make the world a better
place. This work then becomes meaningful and holy because it was
given by Jesus, and reminders are given as the folks are sent at
the end of each Mass.

- Thanks to Sr. Irene Hartman, O.P. for this review.

Make the Christian Spirituality Bookstore your starting point for
online shopping at Amazon.com. You can buy books, cds, videotapes,
software, appliances and many other products at discount prices.
As Amazon.com affiliate, we are paid a small fee for purchases
originating from our web site. Every little bit helps!
http://shalomplace.com/books/index.html

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"The Way of Christian Spirituality"
- 24 teachings on Christian spirituality and practice

Conferences now available as free email subscription.
- see http://shalomplace.org/basXspir.html for more info and to
subscribe.

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SHALOM PLACE PREMIUM GROUPS

- Life-long learning and study and spiritual growth.

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. Communities in Transition (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 for only
$65.00.
- see http://shalomplace.org/groups.html for more info.

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- PERSONAL SPIRITUAL GUIDANCE -

Need a companion for the spiritual journey? We have several
wonderful people ready to help, using email and telephone
conferences to bridge the miles.

- Now providing -

Consultations: this option is best for short-term guidance
pertaining to a specific issue.

Spiritual Direction: ongoing relationship with a spiritual director
to become more attuned to God's presence in all of life.

See http://shalomplace.com/direction/

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SHALOM PLACE DISCUSSION BOARDS

- Discussions this past week featured the following topics:

Candidates 2008 - Religion and Culture forum.
Should abortion be legal? - Christian Morality and Theology forum.
Eckhart Tolle: A Christian Critique - Christian Spirituality Issues
forum.

- see http://shalomplace.com/ubb/ultimatebb.php to read these
topics -

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AFFILIATE WEB SITES (please give them a visit)

Kyrie Places of Pilgrimmage and Renewal.
http://www.kyrie.com/places/index.htm
The Ark: Providing a variety of scripture and lectionary study
resources.
http://www.theark1.com
Contemplative Rudder: "In the midst of Consecrated Silence'
atmospherics ... a Rudder!
http://www.contemplativerudder.com/
SeeScapes. Picturing the deeper dimensions of our spirituality.
http://www.seescapes.com
Solitude and Streets: an emerging faith community.
http://www.solitudeandstreets.org
Holy Trinity: Old Catholic Orthodox Church. Corpus Christi, TX
http://www.holytrinityoldcatholic.org/
Contemplative Ministries of the Pacific Northwest: teaching and
support on contemplative practice
http://www.prayeroftheheart.com
Stillpoint: programs in spiritual direction, contemplative prayer.
http://www.stillpointnashville.org/
Temenos Catholic Worker: support for homeless youth in Polk Street
neighborhood, San Francisco
http://www.temenos.org/
Family Life Training and Counseling Center: an online Bible
college/seminary
http://www.familylifetrainingcenter.com/
Contemplative Outreach of St. Louis
http://www.centeringprayerstl.com/
Heartland Center for Spirituality (sponsoring Internet workshops
year-round).
http://www.heartlandspirituality.org/index.html
Inner Explorations: a vast array of spirituality resources for the
mature Christian.
http://innerexplorations.com
Emanuella House of Prayer: a place for prayer and silence in
British Columbia
http://members.axion.net/~massf/

(Reach other people who have a similar interest in Christian
spirituality. Simply publish a link to Daily Spiritual Seed--
http://shalomplace.com/seed --on a prominent place on your web site
and we will reciprocate with a weekly link to your site in the
newsletter. Contact the Editor when you're ready to begin.)

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WEB SITE OF THE WEEK

Picturing Palm Sunday
- http://tinyurl.com/295ob4

Click on the thumbnails to view the many different ways that
artists have painted this event from the life of Christ. You might
consider printing one of these and using it with your meditation
for this first day of Holy Week.

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JOKE OF THE WEEK

Heavenly Delights

An 85-year-old couple, after being married for almost 60 years,
died in a car crash. They had been in good health the last ten
years, mainly due to her interest in health food and exercising.
When they reached the Pearly Gates, St. Peter took them to their
mansion, which was decked out with a beautiful kitchen, master bath
suite and a Jacuzzi. As they looked around, the old man asked St.
Peter how much all this was going to cost.

'It's free,' St. Peter replied, 'this is Heaven.' Next, they went
out in the back yard to survey the championship-style golf course
that the home was located on. They would have golfing privileges
every day and each week, the course changed to a new one
representing the great golf courses on earth. The old man asked,
'What are the green fees?'

St. Peter replied, 'This is heaven, you play for free.' Next, they
went to the club house and saw the lavish buffet lunch with the
cuisine's of the World laid out. 'How much to eat?' asked the old
man.

'Don't you understand yet? This is heaven, it is free!' St. Peter
replied, with some exasperation. 'Well, where are the low fat and
low cholesterol tables?' the old man asked timidly. St. Peter
lectured, 'That's the best part - you can eat as much as you like
of whatever you like and you never get fat and you never get sick.
This is Heaven.'

With that, the old man went into a fit of anger, throwing down his
hat and stomping on it, and screaming wildly. St. Peter and his
wife both tried to calm him down, asking him what was wrong. The
old man looked at his wife and said, 'This is all your fault! If it
weren't for your blasted bran muffins and exercise, I could have
been here ten years ago!'


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