* Welcome God every morning before work by taking ~5 min to read this Living In Faith Exchange (LIFE) Group devotion (life-devotions.blogspot.com), which has snippets from Living Faith (livingfaith.com).
The high places of Aven shall be destroyed... Then they shall cry out to the mountains, "Cover us!" and to the hills, "Fall upon us!" Hosea 10:8
Living Faith snippets: "This passage was written to admonish the people of Israel who worshipped false gods. It warns those who turn their backs on the one true God. These images are very real to me. As an archaeology student in college, I tromped around in the ruins of many an ancient city, cities that had literally turned to dust. Rather than despair that we are finite, I find great peace in believing that we will return to God. If not for God, my life would feel empty and pointless. My life matters." by Karla Manternach
Pat nuggets: Let's routinely reflect on the potential or reality of something having more importance than God in our lives (a false god, golden calf) and then pray about how we should prevent/fix this. This is part of our process of growing closer to God..."an unfolding of holiness" (see quote below).
Our Prayers: Abortion, our enemies/our troops, natural disasters, depression/despair, prisoners, Vicki Miller (cancer treatment), Joe Castle (11 yr old Devantae paralyzed), Kay Castle (cancer treatment for Ms. Nancy Wheeler).
Faith quote: "Do you leave space to hear God's whisper, calling you forth into goodness? Friends, do not be afraid of silence or stillness. Listen to God. Let His word shape your journey as an unfolding of holiness." by Pope Benedict (Apr 2008 visit to USA)
Through Christ Our Lord,
Pat
Phil 4:13
Pat
Phil 4:13
* Today's Bible readings at www.usccb.org/nab/today.shtml.
* Prayer: Prayer connects us with God's will & His miracles, thereby changing us & helping others. Wayne Watson lyrics, “When God's people pray, there is hope reborn, there is sin forgiven, and miracles you can't explain await!” "If you pray that God will move a mountain and He doesn’t, assume Christ wants you to climb it instead & see Him."
* Defend the unborn: 'Rescue those who are unjustly sentenced to death; don’t stand back and let them die' (Prov 24:11). 'Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you' (Jer 1:5). 'It is a great poverty that a child must die that you might live as you wish' Blessed Mother Teresa. Click for Prayer to End Abortion.
* Evangelization: Let's make room for non-believers (be a friend, make a friend, lead friend to Christ) and perpetual re-evangelization of self and those near us, by way of daily prayer (relationship) and following Christ's example of selfless love, mercy, and service.
Let's joyfully live out the Good News and gladly tell others about it (Mark 16:15)!
1 comment:
Regarding SILENCE and today's Faith Quote:
"Do you leave space to hear God's whisper, calling you forth into goodness? Friends, do not be afraid of silence or stillness. Listen to God. Let His word shape your journey as an unfolding of holiness." by Pope Benedict (Apr 2008 visit to USA)
Whenever I find myself thinking negatively, anxiously, or judging my neighbor or myself, I turn to silence instead. In this silence, God can be found. Contemplative prayer is about sitting in silence with the Lord, quietly and simply being with the Lord, giving and receiving love. This practice changes me so that I can love more deeply and become a blessing upon my neighbor and enemy – responding in faith to God’s covenant (Gen 12:2). Silence always preceded prayer in Mother Teresa’s “Simple Path.” Silence is a way to quiet the analytical, distracting, never-ending chatter of my left-brain which is far from the depths of my heart. For Christians silence isn't the absence of noise, it's the presence of God.
I thought you might enjoy seeing what the catechism says about silence:
paragraph 2562: Where does prayer come from? In naming the source of prayer, Scripture speaks sometimes of the soul or the spirit, but most often of the heart (more than a thousand times). According to Scripture, it is the heart that prays. If our heart is far from God, the words of prayer are in vain.
Paragraph 2563: The heart is the dwelling-place where I Am. The heart is our hidden center, beyond the grasp of our reason and of others; only the Spirit of God can fathom the human heart and know it fully. The heart is the place of decision, deeper than our psychic drives. It is the place of truth, where we choose life or death. It is the place of encounter, because as the image of God we live in relationships: it is the place of covenant.
Paragraph 736: …the more we renounce ourselves, the more we walk by the spirit.
Paragraph 2716 Contemplative prayer is hearing the Word of God.
Paragr 2715 Contemplation is a gaze of faith, fixed on Jesus. “I look at him and he looks at me”: this is what a peasant of Ars used to say while praying before the tabernacle. This focus on Jesus is a renunciation of self. His gaze purifies the eyes of our heart and teaches us to see everything in the light of his truth and his compassion for all men. Contemplation also turns its gaze on the mysteries of the life of Christ. Thus it learns the “interior knowledge of our Lord,” the more to love him and to follow him.
Paragraph 2717 Contemplative prayer is silence or “silent love.” Words in this kind of prayer are not speeches; they are like kindling that feeds the fire of love. In this silence, unbearable to the “outer” man, the Father speaks to us his incarnate word, who suffered, died, and rose; in this silence the Spirit of adoption enables us to share in the prayer of Jesus.
Post a Comment