Message of 7-2-08
Published: Tue, 06/24/08
I am certainly unfit to advise anyone else on the devotional life.
My own rules are (1) To make sure that, wherever else they may be
place, the main prayers should *not* be put 'last thing at night.'
(2) To avoid introspection in prayers--I mean not to watch one's
own mind to see if it is in the right frame, but always to turn the
attention outwards to God. (3) Never, never to try to generate an
emotion by will power. (4) To pray without words when I am able,
but to fall back on words when tired or otherwise below par.
- C.S. Lewis [20th C.], Letter to Mrs. Ursula Roberts
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SCRIPTURE READINGS
http://www.nccbuscc.org/nab/
Am 5:14-15, 21-24; Ps 50:7, 8-9, 10-11, 12-13, 16bc-17; Mt
8:28-34
R. (23b) To the upright I will show the saving power of God.
"Hear, my people, and I will speak;
Israel, I will testify against you;
God, your God, am I."
"Not for your sacrifices do I rebuke you,
for your burnt offerings are before me always.
I take from your house no bullock,
no goats out of your fold."
"For mine are all the animals of the forests,
beasts by the thousand on my mountains.
I know all the birds of the air,
and whatever stirs in the plains, belongs to me."
"If I were hungry, I should not tell you,
for mine are the world and its fullness.
Do I eat the flesh of strong bulls,
or is the blood of goats my drink?"
"Why do you recite my statutes,
and profess my covenant with your mouth,
Though you hate discipline
and cast my words behind you?"
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GOSPEL MEDITATION
- from "Daily Reflections"
http://www.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/daily.html
The explicit intervention of God in the world is portrayed in the
miracle story of the Gospel. It is also hidden in the reading from
Amos. A sentence (Amos 5:19) removed from the middle of today's
text talks about the Day of the Lord, a time of God's special
intervention. In the Psalm, saving power is also promised, but it
is predicated. I draw particular consolation from noting the
difference between the Old and New Testaments. In the Old, God's
saving power is earned. In the New, it is a gift of Jesus' action.
"My prayer today is for a religion from the heart. I pray for a
right heart. I pray for actions that follow my heart."
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NOTES FROM A CLASSICAL WORK
- "Meister Eckhart's Sermons"
A question arises regarding the angels who dwell with us, serve us
and protect us, whether their joys are equal to those of the angels
in heaven, or whether they are diminished by the fact that they
protect and serve us. No, they are certainly not; for the work of
the angels is the will of God, and the will of God is the work of
the angels; their service to us does not hinder their joy nor their
working. If God told an angel to go to a tree and pluck
caterpillars off it, the angel would be quite ready to do so, and
it would be his happiness, if it were the will of God.
- #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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