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
My Sister, My Brother: Life Together in Christ, by Henri J.M. Nouwen. The Word Among Us Press, 2005.
- http://www.amazon.com/dp/1593250657/?tag=christianspiritu
Communion makes us look at each other and speak to each other, not
about the latest news, but about him who walked with us. We discover
each other as people who belong together because each of us now belongs
to him. Nouwen was well aware that we are sons and daughters of God, and brothers and sister to Christ and one another. He learned this especially when he cared for the handicapped, and this led him to a deeper experience of God. He knew he must live a common life, to support, to affirm, and to encourage one another because we are “people who together make God visible in the world.”
This book takes articles from forty of his books and addresses some of the communion to which each person is called. The readings begin with God’s desire for us to live in the love of the Trinity. Other sections see the Eucharist as bringing people together. Nouwen shows the need for prayer with and for others, as well as the strength and gifts found in others. He notices the bonds shared with the saints who preceded us.
“The more you have loved and have allowed yourself to suffer because of your love, the more you will be able to let your heart grow wider and deeper. When your love is truly giving and receiving, those whom you love will not leave your heart even when they depart from you. They will become part of yourself and thus gradually build a community within you.”
In public life, Nouwen taught pastoral theology to divinity students. He took a sabbatical with Trappists at Genesee Abbey. He spent months in Peru and Bolivia in language school, living among the poor, before coming back to the classroom in New England. In 1985, he began a new life in the L’Arche communities near Toronto where able-bodied persons live and care for those with severe disabilities.
In September of 1996, while visiting in Holland, Nouwen had a massive heart attack and died a few months before his 65th birthday.
(Thanks to Sr. Irene Hartman OP for this review.)
Weekend Readings
- http://www.usccb.org/calendar/index.cfm?showLit=1&action=month
Saturday
SG 2:8-14
PS 33:2-3, 11-12, 20-21
LK 1:39-45
Sunday
IS 7:10-14
PS 24:1-2, 3-4, 5-6
ROM 1:1-7
MT 1:18-24
Spiritual Guidance
- http://shalomplace.com/direction
Need a companion for the spiritual journey?
We have several wonderful people ready to help, using email, telephone and/or video conferences to bridge the miles.
Consultations and spiritual direction available.
Saint of the Week
- http://www.americancatholic.org/features/saintofday/default.aspx
St. Stephen (d. 36 A.D.?): December 26
All we know of Stephen is found in Acts of the Apostles, chapters Six and Seven. It is enough to tell us what kind of man he was.At that time, as the number of disciples continued to grow, the Hellenist (Greek-speaking) Christians complained about the Hebrew-speaking Christians, saying that their widows were being neglected in the daily distribution. So the Twelve called together the community of the disciples and said, “It is not right for us to neglect the word of God to serve at table. Brothers, select from among you seven reputable men, filled with the Spirit and wisdom, whom we shall appoint to this task, whereas we shall devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.” The proposal was acceptable to the whole community, so they chose Stephen, a man filled with faith and the Holy Spirit... (Acts 6:1-5).
Acts says that Stephen was a man filled with grace and power, who worked great wonders among the people. Certain Jews, members of the Synagogue of Roman Freedmen, debated with Stephen but proved no match for the wisdom and spirit with which he spoke. They persuaded others to make the charge of blasphemy against him. He was seized and carried before the Sanhedrin.
In his speech, Stephen recalled God’s guidance through Israel’s history, as well as Israel’s idolatry and disobedience. He then claimed that his persecutors were showing this same spirit. “[Y]ou always oppose the holy Spirit; you are just like your ancestors” (Acts 7:51b).
His speech brought anger from the crowd. “But [Stephen], filled with the holy Spirit, looked up intently to heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of God, and he said, ‘Behold, I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God....’ They threw him out of the city, and began to stone him.... As they were stoning Stephen, he called out, ‘Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.... Lord, do not hold this sin against them’” (Acts 7:55-56, 58a, 59, 60b).
Affliate Web Sites
- Please give them a visit
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/
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/
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/r
Revelation (Special)
Special Revelation is that revelation of God and morality which is revealed through the Bible. It stands in contrast to General Revelation (that which is revealed through nature). Special Revelation is needed so the gospel can be known and preached.
Discussion Board
- http://shalomplace.org/eve/forums
Topics being discussed at this time include:
Supernatural adoption
- Christian Morality and Theology forum
Losing, then getting back the Holy Spirit?
- Christian Spirituality Issues forum
Joke of the Week
- http://www.pacprod.com/jokes.pl
The mis-translation . . .
A new monk arrives at the monastery. He is assigned to help the other monks in copying the old texts by hand. He notices, however, that they are copying copies, not the original books. So, the new monk goes to the head monk to ask him about this. He points out that if there were an error in the first copy, that error would be continued in all of the other copies.
The head monk says “We have been copying from the copies for centuries, but you make a good point, my son.” So, he goes down into the cellar with one of the copies to check it against the original.
Hours later, nobody has seen him. So, one of the monks goes downstairs to look for him. He hears a sobbing coming from the back of the cellar, and finds the old monk leaning over one of the original books and crying. He asks what’s wrong. “The word is ‘celebrate’,” says the old monk.
(Good one, Stephen!)
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- http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00067L6TQ/?tag=christianspiritu
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- http://heartlandspirituality.org/support.html
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