A Daily Spiritual Seed
- resources for prayer and spiritual growth
- blogcast from http://dailyspiritualseed.blogspot.com (comments option open)
Contents:
- Book/Resource of the Week
- Weekend Readings
- Spiritual Guidance
- Saint of the Week
- Affiliate Web Sites
- Theology Note of the Week
- Discussion Board
- Joke of the Week
- Advertising and Archives
- Subscribe/Unsubscribe links. Attributions.
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Book/Resource of the Week
Practicing Peace: A Devotional Walk Through the Quaker Tradition, by Catherine Whitmore. Sorin Books, 2007.
- http://www.amazon.com/dp/1933495073/?tag=christianspiritu
In
this book the author applies the Quaker tradition of peacemaking to
everyday living in such a way that readers may be truly shaken from
complacency. She offers inspirational stories of nonviolence, quotes
from great Quaker leaders, and best of all pointed questions for prayer
and reflection. This book is well suited for group study as a powerful
instrument for peace in a world that knows so much about war. There is
little danger that this book will make one feel comfortable.Some favorite stories include this one about a devout peacemaker who devoted her life to make life better for war victims, by helping to build houses and provide supplies for war victims. She was not Catholic and the law said that she could not be buried in a Catholic cemetery. Many who had profited from her generosity after World War I, devised a plan to bury her just outside the Catholic cemetery, and then when the dust settled, they moved the fence to include her burial site.
Forgiveness is a common theme among Quakers, as shown in this story: A German official, who during World War II had oppressed the people of Finland, came for the 35th anniversary of the rebuilding of that province. All during the two day celebration, the German was treated with upmost respect; no mention was made of his part in destroying the country 35 years ago, although the villagers knew what he had done. The focus of the days was on the recovery, not on the destroyer. His voice broke as he thanked the Finns for their spirit of forgiveness. Generosity had triumphed over vindictiveness.
(On the day that Mandela was released from prison, he was heard to say, “If I don’t forgive my jailers, then I remain imprisoned. “)
This quote from William Penn came in 1682: “True godliness does not turn people out of the world, but enables them to live better in it, and excites their endeavors to mend it.”
(Thanks to Sr. Irene Hartman OP for this review.)
Weekend Readings
- http://www.usccb.org/calendar/index.cfm?showLit=1&action=month
Saturday
2 SM 12:1-7, 10-17
PS 51:12-17
MK 4:35-41
Sunday
MAL 3:1-4
PS 24:7-10
HEB 2:14-18
LK 2:22-40
Spiritual Guidance
- http://shalomplace.com/direction
Need a companion for the spiritual journey?
Consultations and spiritual direction available.
Saint of the Week
- http://www.americancatholic.org/features/saintofday/default.aspx
St. Paul Miki and Companions (d. 1597): February 6
Nagasaki, Japan, is familiar to Americans as the city on which
the second atomic bomb was dropped, immediately killing over 37,000
people. Three and a half centuries before, 26 martyrs of Japan were
crucified on a hill, now known as the Holy Mountain, overlooking
Nagasaki. Among them were priests, brothers and laymen, Franciscans,
Jesuits and members of the Secular Franciscan Order; there were
catechists, doctors, simple artisans and servants, old men and innocent
children—all united in a common faith and love for Jesus and his Church.Brother Paul Miki, a Jesuit and a native of Japan, has become the best known among the martyrs of Japan. While hanging upon a cross, Paul Miki preached to the people gathered for the execution: “The sentence of judgment says these men came to Japan from the Philippines, but I did not come from any other country. I am a true Japanese. The only reason for my being killed is that I have taught the doctrine of Christ. I certainly did teach the doctrine of Christ. I thank God it is for this reason I die. I believe that I am telling only the truth before I die. I know you believe me and I want to say to you all once again: Ask Christ to help you to become happy. I obey Christ. After Christ’s example I forgive my persecutors. I do not hate them. I ask God to have pity on all, and I hope my blood will fall on my fellow men as a fruitful rain.”
When missionaries returned to Japan in the 1860s, at first they found no trace of Christianity. But after establishing themselves they found that thousands of Christians lived around Nagasaki and that they had secretly preserved the faith. Beatified in 1627, the martyrs of Japan were finally canonized in 1862.
Affliate Web Sites
- Please give them a visit
Heartland Center for Spirituality: sponsoring Internet workshops year-round.
- http://heartlandspirituality.org/
Emanuella House of Prayer: a place for prayer and silence in British Columbia.
- http://emmanuellahouse.shawwebspace.ca/
Kyrie Places of Pilgrimmage and Renewal
- http://www.kyrie.com/places/index.htm
Temenos Catholic Worker: support for homeless youth in Polk Street neighborhood, San Francisco.
- http://www.temenos.org/
The Sanctuary Foundation for Prayer: resources for spiritual growth.
- http://fromholyground.org/index.htm
Philothea.net: promoting the love of God as expressed in The First Great Commandment
- http://philothea.net/
Hearts on Fire: a blog to spark inspiration, thought, wonder, laughter and prayer.
- http://heartsonfire33.wordpress.com/
Stillpoint: Programs in spiritual direction, contemplative prayer.
- http://www.stillpointnashville.org/
The Ark: Providing a variety of scripture and lectionary study resources.
- http://theark1.com/
Contemplative Ministries of the Pacific Northwest: Teaching and support on contemplative practice.
- http://www.prayeroftheheart.com/
Shalom Place: Resources on Christian spiritual living.
- http://shalomplace.com/
Inner Explorations: a vast array of spirituality resources for the mature Christian.
- http://innerexplorations.com
SeeScapes: picturing the deeper dimensions of our spirituality.
- http://www.seescapes.com/
Reach hundreds of people who have a similar interest in Christian spirituality. Simply publish a link to Daily Spiritual Seed-- http://heartlandspirituality.org/dailyseed.html --on a prominent place on your web site and we will reciprocate with a weekly link to your site in the newsletter. Contact the Editor when you're ready to begin.
Theology Note of the Week
- http://carm.org/s
Sacred Tradition
Sacred Tradition is a term used in the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox (Holy Tradition) churches that designates that special tradition of apostolic teaching handed down through the bishopric of their churches, generation after generation. Such sacred traditions are equal in authority to scripture and comprise the totality of the deposit of faith. Sacred Tradition is considered to be inspired, just as the Bible is inspired.
By contrast the Protestant position is that the Scriptures alone are the final rule of authority in the Christian church. This is known as Sola Scriptura.
Discussion Board
- http://shalomplace.org/eve/forums
Topics being discussed at this time include:
Lonergan vs. Aurobindo
- Book and Movie Reviews forum
Snippets from the Hard Copy (on universal reconciliation)
- Recommended Resources forum
Apophatic Christian spirituality
- Christian Spirituality Issues forum
Effects of eliminating salt, sugar, wheat and dairy
- Health and Wellness forum
Joke of the Week
- http://www.pacprod.com/jokes.pl
Punny Lexophiles
When fish are in schools, they sometimes take debate.
A thief who stole a calendar got twelve months.
When the smog lifts in Los Angeles U.C.L.A.
The batteries were given out free of charge.
A dentist and a manicurist married. They fought tooth and nail.
A will is a dead giveaway.
With her marriage, she got a new name and a dress.
A boiled egg is hard to beat.
When you've seen one shopping Center you've seen a mall.
(Thanks, Carol)
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Amazon Gift Cards: Good for any occasion.
- http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00067L6TQ/?tag=christianspiritu
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Please support this ministry with a tax-deductible donation.
- http://heartlandspirituality.org/support.html
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“God did not make the first human because He
needed company, but because He wanted someone to whom he could
show His generosity and love. God did not tell us to follow Him
because He needed our help, but because He knew that loving Him
would make us whole.”
