Message of 5-28-08
Published: Thu, 05/22/08
Every evening I turn my worries over to God. He's going to be up
all night anyway.
- Mary C. Crowley
and . . .
I know God will not give me anything I can't handle. I just wish
that He didn't trust me so much.
- Mother Teresa
(Keeping a sense of humor in living the Christian life is a sure
sign of the Spirit's work.)
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SCRIPTURE READINGS
http://www.nccbuscc.org/nab/
1 Pt 1:18-25; 147:12-13, 14-15, 19-20; Mk 10:32-45
Ps. 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 has granted peace in your borders;
with the best of wheat he fills you.
He sends forth his command to the earth;
swiftly runs his word!
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. Alleluia.
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GOSPEL MEDITATION
- from "Daily Reflections"
http://www.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/daily.html
James and John, in many ways, seem like children vying for their
parents' attention. "Pick me, pick me!" "I want to sit closest!" I
certainly realize that their desires are sincere yet I had to
wonder why they thought they should be the ones in the "special"
seats. In our humanness, we may find it difficult to grasp the
expansiveness of God's love. God does not love us less because
there are others there as well. Much like the love of a mother (and
father), the love expands with each child. Similarly, we express
our love as we serve one another, much like our parents have done
for us, not by being served or on a pedestal.
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NOTES FROM A CLASSICAL WORK
- "Meister Eckhart's Sermons"
The everlasting and paternal wisdom saith, "Whoso heareth Me is not
ashamed." If he is ashamed of anything he is ashamed of being
ashamed. Whoso worketh in Me sineth not. Whoso confesseth Me and
feareth Me, shall have eternal life. Whoso will hear the wisdom of
the Father must dwell deep, and abide at home, and be at unity with
himself. Three things hinder us from hearing the everlasting Word.
The first is fleshliness, the second is distraction, the third is the
illusion of time. If one could get free of these, he would dwell
in eternity, and in the spirit, and in solitude, and in the desert,
and there would hear the everlasting Word. Our Lord saith, "No one
can hear My word nor my teaching without renouncing himself." All
that the Eternal Father teaches and reveals is His being, His
nature, and His Godhead, which He manifests to us in His Son . . ."
- Sermon #4, "True Hearing"
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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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