Message of 6-25-08
Published: Sat, 06/21/08
In a world so torn apart by rivalry, anger, and hatred, we have the
privileged vocation to be living signs of a love that can bridge
all divisions and heal all wounds.
- Henri Nouwen
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SCRIPTURE READINGS
http://www.nccbuscc.org/nab/
2 Kgs 22:8-13; 23:1-3; Ps. 119:33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 40; Mt
7:15-20
R. (33a) Teach me the way of your decrees, O Lord.
Instruct me, O LORD, in the way of your statutes,
that I may exactly observe them.
Give me discernment, that I may observe your law
and keep it with all my heart.
Lead me in the path of your commands,
for in it I delight.
Incline my heart to your decrees
and not to gain.
Turn away my eyes from seeing what is vain:
by your way give me life.
Behold, I long for your precepts;
in your justice give me life.
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GOSPEL MEDITATION
- from "Daily Reflections"
http://www.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/daily.html
God places people in our lives. Sometimes for a life time,
sometimes for a moment. Sometimes they are placed there as an
opportunity for us to do something. Sometimes they are there to
teach us something. I sure learned something. God used this woman
as a reminder. Of who I am and what my purpose is. I am a child of
God and my purpose is to serve God and man. I want to be a good
tree that bears good fruit. If I can just keep that in focus, life
will be good. My prayer today is for those less fortunate than
myself.
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NOTES FROM A CLASSICAL WORK
- "Meister Eckhart's Sermons"
The highest act of renunciation for a human being is for God's sake
to give up God, and that is what St Paul was willing to do; to give
up all the blessings that he might receive from God. When for God's
sake he gave up God, God still remained with him, since God's
essence is Himself, not any impression or reception of Himself. He
who does so is a true person to whom no grief may happen, any more
than it happens to the Divine Being. There is a somewhat in the
soul that is, as it were, a blood-relative of God. It is one, it
has nothing in common with nothing, nor is it like nothingness,
nothing. All that is created is nothing, all far from and foreign
to the soul. Could I but find myself one instant in that sphere of
pure existence, I should regard myself as little as a worm.
- 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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