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Prayerful Morsels
Tidbits of Inspiration & Information
February 20, 2009 |
| Morsels From the Editor
Welcome to another issue of Prayerful Morsels. Next Wednesday is Ash Wednesday and Lent begins. Have you started preparing? Have you prayed about what you want to do for Prayer, Fasting and Almsgiving?
I have been blogging about my preparations for Lent. Check them out:
This Issue - I ponder a little about God's love and we continue our series on Lectio Divina. We also have some more beautiful contributions to the Gratitude Journal.
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Prayerful Quote
Contemplation is nothing else but a secret, peaceful, and loving infusion of God, which, if admitted, will set the soul on fire with the spirit of Love.
- St. John of the Cross | |
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Personal Pondering
by Colleen Spiro
Psalm 118: 1 Give thanks to the Lord, who is good, whose love endures forever. There is a Hebrew word for God's love - hesed. It is a word that describes the indescribable: the passionate, unrelenting, merciful love of God. I used to think that God loved me only if I was good, only if I deserved it, only if I went to church and didn't do anything too bad. I call that a Santa Claus kind of spirituality. If I am good, God loves me. If I am bad, my name gets written down on some list somewhere. The big mistake I made was thinking that God loves like we humans love. Not so. Not even close. Our love is limited. God's love is limitless. Our love is conditional. God's love is unconditional. God loved us before we even existed. We DO love. God IS love. His very essence is love. When we really get this, I mean REALLY get this, from the top of our heads to the bottom of our hearts, then we begin to really trust in God's love. Not only God's love for ourselves, but God's love for everyone else. And when we really get that, then maybe we can learn to love others, too. Then maybe peace has a chance - in the world - and in our own hearts. |
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Lectio Divina, Part 3
This is the third part of a 4-part series on Lectio Divina. If you missed any, you can go to my website and check the archives.
The third step of Lectio Divina is Prayer (Oratio). Place before him your deep desires and longings. Dialogue with God about the word or phrase you meditated on in the last step. Give him what you have experienced or discovered about yourself. This is not the time for rote prayer. It is the time to open your heart to God. The fourth step is Contemplation (Contemplatio). When you feel you are done with your prayer, let go of your words and simply sit silently in the presence of God. This is not the time to "do." This is the time to "be." Enjoy God's presence and just "be" with Him.
So the four steps of Lectio Divina are: Reading, Meditation, Prayer & Contemplation. In the last part of this series, I will try to tie it all together and discuss contemplation a little more.
Resources: Too Deep for Words: Rediscovering Lectio Divina, by Thelma Hall, RC. (Paulist Press, 1988); The Heart Whispers, Benedictine Wisdom for Today, by Elizabeth J. Canham; (Upper Room Books, 1999) and the Contemplative Outreach website and Accepting the Embrace of God, The Ancient Art of Lectio Divina, by Fr. Luke Dysinger, OSB (public domain) at the website here. |
A Gratitude Journal
I am thankful for my Spiritual Advisor (Colleen) and for the one who sent me to her (Fr. Tom). They have truly been a gift from God. - Jean
I thank our God and all of our friends at St. Katharine's, in the Cursillo Family, the K of C and K of C Auxiliary and especially Father John Deary for their comfort, prayers and support during my mother's illness and death. Thank you's are not enough, all have been so wonderful and we bless them one and all. - Joe & Michelle and our families
In thinking about what I'm grateful for I can only repeat that my family is the most important part of my life. I am grateful for The Church of God where I go to church and the church family. I'm grateful for my friends, too. It's great to be alive and look around at the different things God has made. We get so busy and distracted with everyday duties that we forget how lucky we are. I know I have to stop and sit down and just relax, take a big breath and get up and go on. You know, that helps. I'm so happy that my daughter is where she is today. She's a beautiful woman, a spiritual being whom I love with all my heart. - Colleen's Mum
My husband and I both believe in Jesus. Unfortunately, due to his illness he is unable to attend Mass. He asked if I would bring home the Eucharist to him. I checked with our priest and I was able to share in the most humbling experience with my husband. We were both in tears. We held hands and experienced for the first time together, Jesus' presence. To see and feel the Love Jesus has for us is beyond words. I have prayed for this moment for some time only to realize it would happen when Jesus felt it was time. - Humbly Speaking, your servant. What are you grateful for today??? Is there something that you would like to thank God for and would like to share? Write to the Editor and put in the subject line - Gratitude. | |
Be sure to check out Colleen's interview on Time with Tannia. Make a comment on the interview and you could also possibly win one of her books! The interview will be there for the rest of February. Winners of books will be decided March 7th.
Magnificat - Magnificat is a Ministry to Catholic Women. Colleen is scheduled to speak at a Magnificat on March 28, 2009, in Bonita Springs, Florida. Advanced registration required. Contact Colleen for more information. |
Want to read more of Colleen's reflections?
Go check out her blog, Thoughts on Grace, is HERE.
And her book blog, Surviving By Grace, is HERE.
AND if you enjoy reading this ezine or find it helpful to your prayer life, please forward it to someone you think might find it interesting!! Click on link below (down below at the bottom of this newsletter) that says Forward to a friend. |
Colleen's memoir about surviving child sexual abuse, The Third Floor Window, A True Story of Secrets, Survival and Hope, is on sale at:
Booklocker.com.
For more info, see book website: The Third Floor Window. | |
| Prayerful Morsels
Copyright 2009 Colleen Spiro - All Rights Reserved |
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