22/02/07
[Please remember this is a sort of "menu" from which to select. No one has to pray it all]
If you would like these meditations to come directly to your in box, please click here:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/KnitternunMeditation/
Collect
Almighty and everlasting God, you hate nothing you have made and forgive the sins of all who are penitent: Create and make in us new and contrite hearts, that we, worthily lamenting our sins and acknowledging our wretchedness, may obtain of you, the God of all mercy, perfect remission and forgiveness; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
++++++++++
Today's Scripture http://www.satucket.com/lectionary/
Psalm 37:1-18; Psalm 37:19-42; Deut. 7:6-11; Titus 1:1-16; John 1:29-34
++++++++++
From Forward Day by Day: http://www.forwardmovement.org/todaysreading.cfm
John 1:19-34. Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!
The Lamb of God is all about sacrifice, of course--the killing of animals in the temple, rendered unnecessary by the arrival of Jesus, the Lamb of God. With his sacrifice, we don't have to do that anymore, not with animals. Just in time, too--the Temple where all that happened would be destroyed by the Romans in another thirty years. All that would be left would be one wall--the one Jews call the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem. They pray there. They stick rolled-up pieces of paper in between its stones: their prayers. No more animal sacrifices.
"That's disgusting," someone says to me. "I mean the whole thing. Killing animals? And a father sacrificing his own son? I'm supposed to be grateful for child abuse? Thanks, but no thanks."
Slow down. Remember that Father, Son, and Holy Spirit is a way for humans to talk about God. We're not going to be able to convey the truth of the relationships within the Trinity, with words.
Perhaps it will help to remember that the Father and the Son are persons of the same divinity, the same God. The triune God is one, not three gods. So the point of Jesus' sacrifice isn't child murder. It is self-giving.
++++++++++
Today we remember: http://satucket.com/lectionary/Calendar.htm
Today is a feria, a free day.
PRAYER FOR THE BEGINNING OF LENT
O Lord Jesus Christ, my God, hope of all bounds of the earth and of those far away at sea, You have established these holy days of fasting by Your law and the prophets, as a way of my mortification and repentance.
In the fullness of time, You manifested Yourself in the flesh on this earth, and by Your fast of forty days and nights, You sanctified the practice of fasting and commanded me to follow Your example.
As a merciful and gracious God, enable me to begin these holy days of Great Fast with perfect repentance, with humility rather than hypocrisy, with diligent prayer, with hunger and thirst, with frequent prostrations, and with contrite heart. Enable me also to complete this time of the Great Fast, without fault and with a pure conscience, keeping my faith intact and achieving victory over sin.
Send me an angel of peace to watch over my life to protect me from all snares of my enemies, and to assist me in the performance of good deeds. Strengthen me by Your power so that I may accomplish the ascetic works of the Great Fast. Then, with my passion bridled and my soul and body cleansed, I will be worthy to partake, without condemnation, of Your Most Pure Body and Your Most Precious and Life-giving Blood.
For you are the merciful and gracious lover of mankind Who has come to save all, and to You I render glory, together with Your Eternal Father, and Your All Holy, Good, and Life-Giving Spirit, now and ever, and forever. . . Amen.
++++++++++
Today in the Anglican Cycle of Prayer we pray for the Diocese of Medak (South India)
http://www.anglicancommunion.org/acp/index.cfm
++++++++++
40 Ideas for Lent: A Lenten calendar http://ship-of-fools.com/lent/index.html
2. FIND LENT READINGS
Follow some Lent readings and prayers today, and find some online (or offline) resources you can use throughout the days of Lent. Here are websites which provide prayers and readings for Lent and for every day of the year:
> Pray as you go – daily prayer for your MP3 player http://www.pray-as-you-go.org/
> Praying Lent – prayers, readings and meditations
http://www.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/Lent/index.html
> Sacred Space – sacred space at your computer http://www.sacredspace.ie/
> Church of England Daily Prayer – services of daily prayer http://daily.commonworship.com/daily.cgi
Idea by: Rossweisse
"I'm startled or taken aback when people walk up to me and tell me they are Christians. My first response is the question, 'Already?' It seems to me a lifelong endeavor to try to live the life of a Christian." – Maya Angelou
++++++++++
A Celtic lenten Calendar
http://www.oursanctuary.net/celticlent.html
The Armour of God
2. God's good creation has been corrupted by evil. "The Celts were not naive about the perniciousness of sin. Evil was an invading army that had to be driven out. Protection was needed. St. Paul tells us to "put on the whole armor of God" (Ephesians 6:11), so through prayer Celts 'bound' to themselves spiritual breastplates, called Loricas, to reassure them of divine protection. With the right arm outstretched they would turn sunward making a full circle as they recited St. Patrick's famous cairn or prayer:
'Christ be with me, Christ within me
Christ behind me, Christ before me,
Christ beside me, Christ to win me,
Christ to comfort and restore me,
Christ beneath me, Christ above me,
Christ in quiet, Christ in danger,
Christ in hearts of all that love me,
Christ in mouth of friend and stranger'.
For a Celtic Lent: "Be aware of the evil that corrupts creation around you. As you face each day this week, recite Patrick's cairn, or write one of your own. Know that you are sheltered by divine love and grace. As you face any challenge or crisis, remind yourself that Christ is with you and within you, and that nothing can separate you from God's love.
++++++++++
Carmelite.com: Reflections http://www.carmelite.com/spirituality/reflection.php
There are times when we are wearied with travelling, and the Lord grants our faculties tranquillity and our soul quiet, and while they are in that state, He gives us a clear understanding of the nature of the gifts he bestows on those whom He brings to His kingdom.
St Teresa of Jesus
Way, 30.6
++++++++++
Reading from the Desert Christians http://www.cin.org/dsrtftin.html
On Prayer
They asked abba Macarius, "How should we pray?" And the old man replied, "There is no need to speak much in prayer; often stretch out your hands and say, "Lord, as you will and as you know, have mercy on me." But if there is war in your soul, add, "Help me!" and because he knows what we need, he shows mercy on us."
Abba Lot went to see abba Joseph and he said to him, "Abba, as far as I can, I say my little office, I fast a little, I pray and meditate, I live in peace and as far as I can I purify my thoughts. What else can I do?" Then the old man stood up and streched his hands toward heaven; his fingers became like ten lamps of fire and he said to him, "If you will, you can become all flame."
Abba Paul said, "Keep close to Jesus."
++++++++++
Daily Meditation (Henri Nouwen) http://www.henrinouwen.org/home/free_eletters/
The Balance Between Closeness and Distance
Intimacy between people requires closeness as well as distance. It is like dancing. Sometimes we are very close, touching each other or holding each other; sometimes we move away from each other and let the space between us become an area where we can freely move.
To keep the right balance between closeness and distance requires hard work, especially since the needs of the partners may be quite different at a given moment. One might desire closeness while the other wants distance. One might want to be held while the other looks for independence. A perfect balance seldom occurs, but the honest and open search for that balance can give birth to a beautiful dance, worthy to behold.
++++++++++
From the Principles of the Third Society of St. Francis:
Day Twenty-Two - The First Note: Humility
We always keep before us the example of Christ, who emptied himself, taking
the form of a servant, and who, on the last night of his life, humbly washed
his disciples' feet. We likewise seek to serve one another with humility.
God, by the life of blessed Francis you moved your people to a love of
simple things: may we , after his example, hold lightly to the things of
this world and store up for ourselves treasure in heaven; through Jesus
Christ our Lord. Amen.
++++++++++
Upper Room Daily Reflection http://www.upperroom.org/reflections/
THE ASH WEDNESDAY shadow on the wall, cast by my own solidity blocking light, generates deep penitence and at the same time a yearning for the “new and right spirit” that God gives. We do not search out our sinfulness in order to indulge in feeling bad but to set ourselves on the path of return. … We were created with a deep sense of where we belong. Often alienated, sometimes far away, we find the warmth of the God in whose image we have been made touches us; and our hearts respond with desire for homecoming. Always we find a place set for us at the welcoming banquet table.
- Elizabeth J. Canham
Heart Whispers
From page 130 of Heart Whispers by Elizabeth J. Canham. Copyright © 1999 by Elizabeth J. Canham.
+++++++++++
Richard Rohr's Daily Reflection
http://cacradicalgrace.org/getconnected/getconnected_index.html
"Taking Responsibility"
The dysfunctional family relies upon denial. There is an endless need to control everything and everyone. Children in these families grow up with a kind of chaotic emotional life coming from anywhere, coming from nowhere, coming from points beyond. They don't know where it came from, but they grow up in the middle of it. To survive that, people try to control their world, other people and their own feelings. And after practicing that for four or five years, they really don't know any other way to live. Is that anybody's fault? No. But until that individual takes responsibility and stops blaming his mother or her father and says, "This is my life, I am an alcoholic, my life is powerless and has become unmanageable," nothing new is going to happen. The other members of the family who are codependent on the addict must make their own break with the unhealthy process. The conservative personality usually wants to shame or blame somebody; the liberal says no one should ever be blamed (except perhaps the conservatives!). We are all afraid of the radical self-responsibility of the Twelve Steps. No blame, no denial, no toxic shame, just the honest statement, "I am a_______."
from Breathing Under Water: Spirituality and the 12 Steps
++++++++++
From John E. Rotelle, O.S.A., Tradition Day by Day: Readings from Church Writers. Augustinian Press. Villanova, PA, 1994.
http://www.artsci.villanova.edu/dsteelman/tradition/sources.html
The true passover
Now that divine power has been made manifest in the assumption of human weakness, there must be no sadness among the faithful to cast a shadow upon the paschal solemnity, no sorrow in recalling the events of the past, since our Lord could so use the malice of his enemies that their evil intentions served the purpose of his mercy. At the time of the exodus, Israel's freedom was restored through the blood of a lamb and the wrath of the destroying angel was averted through the sacrifice of a beast. And if this deliverance was marked by the institution of a solemn festival, how great should be the joy of Christian people, for whose sake the almighty Father spared not his only Son! He delivered him up for us all, so that the death of Christ might become the true passover and unique sacrifice, no longer saving a single people from subjection to Pharaoh, but delivering the whole world from bondage to the devil.
Leo the Great, (400 - 461), bishop of Rome, left many letters and sermons to attest to his teaching and preaching.
++++++++++
Daily Readings From "My Utmost for His Highest", Oswald Chambers
http://www.myutmost.org/
THE DISCIPLINE OF SPIRITUAL TENACITY
"Be still, and know that I am God." Psalm 46:10
Tenacity is more than endurance, it is endurance combined with the absolute certainty that what we are looking for is going to transpire. Tenacity is more than hanging on, which may be but the weakness of being too afraid to fall off. Tenacity is the supreme effort of a man refusing to believe that his hero is going to be conquered. The greatest fear a man has is not that he will be damned, but that Jesus Christ will be worsted, that the things He stood for - love and justice and forgiveness and kindness among men - will not win out in the end; the things He stands for look like will-o'-the-wisps. Then comes the call to spiritual tenacity, not to hang on and do nothing, but to work deliberately on the certainty that God is not going to be worsted.
If our hopes are being disappointed just now, it means that they are being purified. There is nothing noble the human mind has ever hoped for or dreamed of that will not be fulfilled. One of the greatest strains in life is the strain of waiting for God. "Because thou hast kept the word of my patience."
Remain spiritually tenacious.
++++++++++
Today's reading from the Rule of St. Benedict http://www.osb.org/rb/
Chapter 18: In What Order the Psalms Are to Be Said
At Terce, Sext and None on Monday
let the nine remaining sections of Psalm 118 be said,
three at each of these Hours.
Psalm 118 having been completed, therefore,
on two days, Sunday and Monday,
let the nine Psalms from Psalm 119 to Psalm 127
be said at Terce, Sext and None,
three at each Hour,
beginning with Tuesday.
And let these same Psalms be repeated every day until Sunday
at the same Hours,
while the arrangement of hymns, lessons and verses
is kept the same on all days;
and thus Prime on Sunday will always begin with Psalm 118.
Commentary: http://www.eriebenedictines.org/Pages/INSPIRATION/insights.html
Site needs to be updated
++++++++++
Church Fathers Lenten Reading Plan
Read Excerpts from the Church Fathers during Lent
http://www.churchyear.net/lentfathers.html
Epistle to Diognetus: 1-6
++++++++++
The Almost Daily Emo
LENT BOOKS
Q gives up chocolate every Lent, a simple -- but by no means easy --
discipline to which he is faithful the whole forty days.
I have a harder time determining the shape of my Lenten observance. My diet is fairly strict, so there seems little room for further abstinence
there. I have already given up polo and skydiving, and no longer read
murder mysteries, so those are out.
I think I will take something on, although the thought of yet another
thing to do fills me with dread. But here's a thought: what if some of
my reading is New Testament scholarship? How about I re-immerse myself in the exploration of our ancient faith by reading some recent books about the writings it left us to puzzle over? Not a gifted Bible
scholar myself, I nonetheless love to read books by people who are. And there are some good new ones, approaches to the texts that I have not taken.
It's a deal. No more dense, beautiful novels, not for forty days.
Instead, intriguing looks at a world 2000 years in the past, a world whose writers speak to us today. Of course, it is us to whom they speak today, not to their original audience: we know some things they did not know, and we have forgotten some things they still remembered. If a book ended up in the Bible, each generation has embraced it as it has found itself able to embrace it, and we have inherited that constellation of commentary, as well as the words themselves. Commentary to which we cannot help but add, just by picking up the book and beginning to read.
+
Copyright © 2007 Barbara Crafton - http://www.geraniumfarm.org
If you would like these meditations to come directly to your in box, please click here:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/KnitternunMeditation/
Collect
Almighty and everlasting God, you hate nothing you have made and forgive the sins of all who are penitent: Create and make in us new and contrite hearts, that we, worthily lamenting our sins and acknowledging our wretchedness, may obtain of you, the God of all mercy, perfect remission and forgiveness; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
++++++++++
Today's Scripture http://www.satucket.com/lectionary/
Psalm 37:1-18; Psalm 37:19-42; Deut. 7:6-11; Titus 1:1-16; John 1:29-34
++++++++++
From Forward Day by Day: http://www.forwardmovement.org/todaysreading.cfm
John 1:19-34. Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!
The Lamb of God is all about sacrifice, of course--the killing of animals in the temple, rendered unnecessary by the arrival of Jesus, the Lamb of God. With his sacrifice, we don't have to do that anymore, not with animals. Just in time, too--the Temple where all that happened would be destroyed by the Romans in another thirty years. All that would be left would be one wall--the one Jews call the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem. They pray there. They stick rolled-up pieces of paper in between its stones: their prayers. No more animal sacrifices.
"That's disgusting," someone says to me. "I mean the whole thing. Killing animals? And a father sacrificing his own son? I'm supposed to be grateful for child abuse? Thanks, but no thanks."
Slow down. Remember that Father, Son, and Holy Spirit is a way for humans to talk about God. We're not going to be able to convey the truth of the relationships within the Trinity, with words.
Perhaps it will help to remember that the Father and the Son are persons of the same divinity, the same God. The triune God is one, not three gods. So the point of Jesus' sacrifice isn't child murder. It is self-giving.
++++++++++
Today we remember: http://satucket.com/lectionary/Calendar.htm
Today is a feria, a free day.
PRAYER FOR THE BEGINNING OF LENT
O Lord Jesus Christ, my God, hope of all bounds of the earth and of those far away at sea, You have established these holy days of fasting by Your law and the prophets, as a way of my mortification and repentance.
In the fullness of time, You manifested Yourself in the flesh on this earth, and by Your fast of forty days and nights, You sanctified the practice of fasting and commanded me to follow Your example.
As a merciful and gracious God, enable me to begin these holy days of Great Fast with perfect repentance, with humility rather than hypocrisy, with diligent prayer, with hunger and thirst, with frequent prostrations, and with contrite heart. Enable me also to complete this time of the Great Fast, without fault and with a pure conscience, keeping my faith intact and achieving victory over sin.
Send me an angel of peace to watch over my life to protect me from all snares of my enemies, and to assist me in the performance of good deeds. Strengthen me by Your power so that I may accomplish the ascetic works of the Great Fast. Then, with my passion bridled and my soul and body cleansed, I will be worthy to partake, without condemnation, of Your Most Pure Body and Your Most Precious and Life-giving Blood.
For you are the merciful and gracious lover of mankind Who has come to save all, and to You I render glory, together with Your Eternal Father, and Your All Holy, Good, and Life-Giving Spirit, now and ever, and forever. . . Amen.
++++++++++
Today in the Anglican Cycle of Prayer we pray for the Diocese of Medak (South India)
http://www.anglicancommunion.org/acp/index.cfm
++++++++++
40 Ideas for Lent: A Lenten calendar http://ship-of-fools.com/lent/index.html
2. FIND LENT READINGS
Follow some Lent readings and prayers today, and find some online (or offline) resources you can use throughout the days of Lent. Here are websites which provide prayers and readings for Lent and for every day of the year:
> Pray as you go – daily prayer for your MP3 player http://www.pray-as-you-go.org/
> Praying Lent – prayers, readings and meditations
http://www.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/Lent/index.html
> Sacred Space – sacred space at your computer http://www.sacredspace.ie/
> Church of England Daily Prayer – services of daily prayer http://daily.commonworship.com/daily.cgi
Idea by: Rossweisse
"I'm startled or taken aback when people walk up to me and tell me they are Christians. My first response is the question, 'Already?' It seems to me a lifelong endeavor to try to live the life of a Christian." – Maya Angelou
++++++++++
A Celtic lenten Calendar
http://www.oursanctuary.net/celticlent.html
The Armour of God
2. God's good creation has been corrupted by evil. "The Celts were not naive about the perniciousness of sin. Evil was an invading army that had to be driven out. Protection was needed. St. Paul tells us to "put on the whole armor of God" (Ephesians 6:11), so through prayer Celts 'bound' to themselves spiritual breastplates, called Loricas, to reassure them of divine protection. With the right arm outstretched they would turn sunward making a full circle as they recited St. Patrick's famous cairn or prayer:
'Christ be with me, Christ within me
Christ behind me, Christ before me,
Christ beside me, Christ to win me,
Christ to comfort and restore me,
Christ beneath me, Christ above me,
Christ in quiet, Christ in danger,
Christ in hearts of all that love me,
Christ in mouth of friend and stranger'.
For a Celtic Lent: "Be aware of the evil that corrupts creation around you. As you face each day this week, recite Patrick's cairn, or write one of your own. Know that you are sheltered by divine love and grace. As you face any challenge or crisis, remind yourself that Christ is with you and within you, and that nothing can separate you from God's love.
++++++++++
Carmelite.com: Reflections http://www.carmelite.com/spirituality/reflection.php
There are times when we are wearied with travelling, and the Lord grants our faculties tranquillity and our soul quiet, and while they are in that state, He gives us a clear understanding of the nature of the gifts he bestows on those whom He brings to His kingdom.
St Teresa of Jesus
Way, 30.6
++++++++++
Reading from the Desert Christians http://www.cin.org/dsrtftin.html
On Prayer
They asked abba Macarius, "How should we pray?" And the old man replied, "There is no need to speak much in prayer; often stretch out your hands and say, "Lord, as you will and as you know, have mercy on me." But if there is war in your soul, add, "Help me!" and because he knows what we need, he shows mercy on us."
Abba Lot went to see abba Joseph and he said to him, "Abba, as far as I can, I say my little office, I fast a little, I pray and meditate, I live in peace and as far as I can I purify my thoughts. What else can I do?" Then the old man stood up and streched his hands toward heaven; his fingers became like ten lamps of fire and he said to him, "If you will, you can become all flame."
Abba Paul said, "Keep close to Jesus."
++++++++++
Daily Meditation (Henri Nouwen) http://www.henrinouwen.org/home/free_eletters/
The Balance Between Closeness and Distance
Intimacy between people requires closeness as well as distance. It is like dancing. Sometimes we are very close, touching each other or holding each other; sometimes we move away from each other and let the space between us become an area where we can freely move.
To keep the right balance between closeness and distance requires hard work, especially since the needs of the partners may be quite different at a given moment. One might desire closeness while the other wants distance. One might want to be held while the other looks for independence. A perfect balance seldom occurs, but the honest and open search for that balance can give birth to a beautiful dance, worthy to behold.
++++++++++
From the Principles of the Third Society of St. Francis:
Day Twenty-Two - The First Note: Humility
We always keep before us the example of Christ, who emptied himself, taking
the form of a servant, and who, on the last night of his life, humbly washed
his disciples' feet. We likewise seek to serve one another with humility.
God, by the life of blessed Francis you moved your people to a love of
simple things: may we , after his example, hold lightly to the things of
this world and store up for ourselves treasure in heaven; through Jesus
Christ our Lord. Amen.
++++++++++
Upper Room Daily Reflection http://www.upperroom.org/reflections/
THE ASH WEDNESDAY shadow on the wall, cast by my own solidity blocking light, generates deep penitence and at the same time a yearning for the “new and right spirit” that God gives. We do not search out our sinfulness in order to indulge in feeling bad but to set ourselves on the path of return. … We were created with a deep sense of where we belong. Often alienated, sometimes far away, we find the warmth of the God in whose image we have been made touches us; and our hearts respond with desire for homecoming. Always we find a place set for us at the welcoming banquet table.
- Elizabeth J. Canham
Heart Whispers
From page 130 of Heart Whispers by Elizabeth J. Canham. Copyright © 1999 by Elizabeth J. Canham.
+++++++++++
Richard Rohr's Daily Reflection
http://cacradicalgrace.org/getconnected/getconnected_index.html
"Taking Responsibility"
The dysfunctional family relies upon denial. There is an endless need to control everything and everyone. Children in these families grow up with a kind of chaotic emotional life coming from anywhere, coming from nowhere, coming from points beyond. They don't know where it came from, but they grow up in the middle of it. To survive that, people try to control their world, other people and their own feelings. And after practicing that for four or five years, they really don't know any other way to live. Is that anybody's fault? No. But until that individual takes responsibility and stops blaming his mother or her father and says, "This is my life, I am an alcoholic, my life is powerless and has become unmanageable," nothing new is going to happen. The other members of the family who are codependent on the addict must make their own break with the unhealthy process. The conservative personality usually wants to shame or blame somebody; the liberal says no one should ever be blamed (except perhaps the conservatives!). We are all afraid of the radical self-responsibility of the Twelve Steps. No blame, no denial, no toxic shame, just the honest statement, "I am a_______."
from Breathing Under Water: Spirituality and the 12 Steps
++++++++++
From John E. Rotelle, O.S.A., Tradition Day by Day: Readings from Church Writers. Augustinian Press. Villanova, PA, 1994.
http://www.artsci.villanova.edu/dsteelman/tradition/sources.html
The true passover
Now that divine power has been made manifest in the assumption of human weakness, there must be no sadness among the faithful to cast a shadow upon the paschal solemnity, no sorrow in recalling the events of the past, since our Lord could so use the malice of his enemies that their evil intentions served the purpose of his mercy. At the time of the exodus, Israel's freedom was restored through the blood of a lamb and the wrath of the destroying angel was averted through the sacrifice of a beast. And if this deliverance was marked by the institution of a solemn festival, how great should be the joy of Christian people, for whose sake the almighty Father spared not his only Son! He delivered him up for us all, so that the death of Christ might become the true passover and unique sacrifice, no longer saving a single people from subjection to Pharaoh, but delivering the whole world from bondage to the devil.
Leo the Great, (400 - 461), bishop of Rome, left many letters and sermons to attest to his teaching and preaching.
++++++++++
Daily Readings From "My Utmost for His Highest", Oswald Chambers
http://www.myutmost.org/
THE DISCIPLINE OF SPIRITUAL TENACITY
"Be still, and know that I am God." Psalm 46:10
Tenacity is more than endurance, it is endurance combined with the absolute certainty that what we are looking for is going to transpire. Tenacity is more than hanging on, which may be but the weakness of being too afraid to fall off. Tenacity is the supreme effort of a man refusing to believe that his hero is going to be conquered. The greatest fear a man has is not that he will be damned, but that Jesus Christ will be worsted, that the things He stood for - love and justice and forgiveness and kindness among men - will not win out in the end; the things He stands for look like will-o'-the-wisps. Then comes the call to spiritual tenacity, not to hang on and do nothing, but to work deliberately on the certainty that God is not going to be worsted.
If our hopes are being disappointed just now, it means that they are being purified. There is nothing noble the human mind has ever hoped for or dreamed of that will not be fulfilled. One of the greatest strains in life is the strain of waiting for God. "Because thou hast kept the word of my patience."
Remain spiritually tenacious.
++++++++++
Today's reading from the Rule of St. Benedict http://www.osb.org/rb/
Chapter 18: In What Order the Psalms Are to Be Said
At Terce, Sext and None on Monday
let the nine remaining sections of Psalm 118 be said,
three at each of these Hours.
Psalm 118 having been completed, therefore,
on two days, Sunday and Monday,
let the nine Psalms from Psalm 119 to Psalm 127
be said at Terce, Sext and None,
three at each Hour,
beginning with Tuesday.
And let these same Psalms be repeated every day until Sunday
at the same Hours,
while the arrangement of hymns, lessons and verses
is kept the same on all days;
and thus Prime on Sunday will always begin with Psalm 118.
Commentary: http://www.eriebenedictines.org/Pages/INSPIRATION/insights.html
Site needs to be updated
++++++++++
Church Fathers Lenten Reading Plan
Read Excerpts from the Church Fathers during Lent
http://www.churchyear.net/lentfathers.html
Epistle to Diognetus: 1-6
++++++++++
The Almost Daily Emo
LENT BOOKS
Q gives up chocolate every Lent, a simple -- but by no means easy --
discipline to which he is faithful the whole forty days.
I have a harder time determining the shape of my Lenten observance. My diet is fairly strict, so there seems little room for further abstinence
there. I have already given up polo and skydiving, and no longer read
murder mysteries, so those are out.
I think I will take something on, although the thought of yet another
thing to do fills me with dread. But here's a thought: what if some of
my reading is New Testament scholarship? How about I re-immerse myself in the exploration of our ancient faith by reading some recent books about the writings it left us to puzzle over? Not a gifted Bible
scholar myself, I nonetheless love to read books by people who are. And there are some good new ones, approaches to the texts that I have not taken.
It's a deal. No more dense, beautiful novels, not for forty days.
Instead, intriguing looks at a world 2000 years in the past, a world whose writers speak to us today. Of course, it is us to whom they speak today, not to their original audience: we know some things they did not know, and we have forgotten some things they still remembered. If a book ended up in the Bible, each generation has embraced it as it has found itself able to embrace it, and we have inherited that constellation of commentary, as well as the words themselves. Commentary to which we cannot help but add, just by picking up the book and beginning to read.
+
Copyright © 2007 Barbara Crafton - http://www.geraniumfarm.org
posted by Gloriamarie Amalfitano @ 7:44 AM
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