Message of 4-17-08
Published: Sat, 04/12/08
- resources for prayer and spiritual growth
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MESSAGE OF THE DAY
The awe-inspiring kindness and encouragement of the Holy Spirit,
our ever-present Lord, strengthens us daily and prepares us to
receive our divine reward for every hardship we've lived through,
and these rewards will surely surpass anything we've ever dreamt or
imagined.
- Julian of Norwich, "Revelations"
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SCRIPTURE READINGS
http://www.nccbuscc.org/nab/
Acts 13:13-25; Ps. 89:2-3, 21-22, 25 and 27; Jn 13:16-20
R. (2) For ever I will sing the goodness of the Lord.
The favors of the LORD I will sing forever;
through all generations my mouth shall
proclaim your faithfulness.
For you have said, "My kindness is established forever";
in heaven you have confirmed your faithfulness.
"I have found David, my servant;
with my holy oil I have anointed him,
That my hand may be always with him,
and that my arm may make him strong."
"My faithfulness and my mercy shall be with him,
and through my name shall his horn be exalted.
He shall say of me, 'You are my father,
my God, the Rock, my savior.'"
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GOSPEL MEDITATION
- from http://www.dailyscripture.net/
Jesus loved his disciples to the end and proved his faithfulness to
them even to death on the cross. Through his death and resurrection
Jesus opened a new way of relationship and friendship with God.
Jesus tells his disciples that if they accept him they also accept
the Father who sent him. This principle extends to all who belong
to Christ and who speak in his name. To accept the Lord's messenger
is to accept Jesus himself. The great honor and the great
responsibility a Christian has is to stand in the world for Jesus
Christ. As his disciples and ambassadors (2 Cor. 5:20), we are
called to speak for him and to act on his behalf. Are you ready to
stand for Jesus at the cross of humiliation, rejection, opposition,
and suffering?
"Eternal God, who are the light of the minds that know you, the joy
of the hearts that love you, and the strength of the wills that
serve you; grant us so to know you, that we may truly love you, and
so to love you that we may fully serve you, whom to serve is
perfect freedom, in Jesus our Lord." (Prayer of Saint Augustine)
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PRAYING WITH SCRIPTURE (Carmelite Method)
A. Introduction: settling in, relaxing in awareness of God's
presence.
B. Reading the text slowly, prayerfully.
C. Meditation: imaginative representation of the material; reflection
on the meaning of the material and its application to one's life.
D. Affective prayer: conversation with God, attentive to sharing
feelings awakened in meditation. Prayer of petition, thanksgiving,
remorse.
E. Resting in God in silent loving awareness, if moved to do so.
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NOTES FROM A CLASSICAL WORK
- "Imitation of Christ," by Thomas A. Kempis
The Disciple
People are wont to ask how much a man has done, but they think
little
of the virtue with which he acts. They ask: Is he strong? rich?
handsome? a good writer? a good singer? or a good worker? They say
little, however, about how poor he is in spirit, how patient and
meek,
how devout and spiritual. Nature looks to his outward appearance;
grace turns to his inward being. The one often errs, the other
trusts
in God and is not deceived.
-------- Bk. 3, Chapter 31
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