tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-53043068294616382342024-03-19T04:09:49.425-05:00Cor Unum AbbeyEnter the monastery of the heartKerryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14395083865240080050noreply@blogger.comBlogger456125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5304306829461638234.post-49502234563891064572013-02-21T05:29:00.000-06:002013-03-21T15:47:39.938-05:00How Do We Pray?<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikTEqi0oGyR7SwsZLFGsyttHXXOfqxkI63D_qws09k8JRa0nMONWzF3VDjRu9ZKfKOimQiX5KJWYuaah1eEAp8SBSeTxoPI3wKo-6I-xmwp7i6YhOGQ0BAh1sKkX_Y6Ul56DDRZApAgVU/s1600/764px-Riischildren.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikTEqi0oGyR7SwsZLFGsyttHXXOfqxkI63D_qws09k8JRa0nMONWzF3VDjRu9ZKfKOimQiX5KJWYuaah1eEAp8SBSeTxoPI3wKo-6I-xmwp7i6YhOGQ0BAh1sKkX_Y6Ul56DDRZApAgVU/s320/764px-Riischildren.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Children of the Street<br />Jacob Riis<br />Public Domain</td></tr>
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After weeping until he could weep no more, after strengthening himself
in the Lord, even in the face of the murderous ire of his companions, David
called for Abiathar the priest to bring him the ephod, and there, where the
symbols of priestly love and watch-care dwelt, David inquired of the Lord.<o:p></o:p></div>
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It was a simple question, “Shall I pursue? Will I overtake?”<o:p></o:p></div>
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What questions would we like to ask this day? We are often afraid to ask, because Zachariah was struck
dumb! Yes, he was, but he was
still given a son in his very old age, and he still held him in his arms and named
him, ”John.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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We do try not to ask the Lord, “How will we know that You are a faithful
God?”, but other things we must know: how to proceed, what route to take, what
special instructions we ought to heed.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Today is the day for this.
How can we best pray for those we love, for those we see bowed down by
oppression? What are the special
needs of those for whom we pray?
Are they merely willful and disobedient, or are they being tempted and
led astray? Are they as angry as
they seem, or are they fearful? <o:p></o:p></div>
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One thing we do not wish to do … we do not want to cast off the lost,
the captives, as though they must stay lost! Jesus didn’t, David didn’t, and we mustn’t. As long as the impossible is possible
with God, we seek to know how to pray, and to call upon God like the widow did
before the unrighteous judge. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Our God <b><i>wants </i></b>our day and night prayer. (Luke 18:6) If
we are in a place where we cannot help but pray without ceasing, we pray. If we are in a place where we must
teach ourselves to pray fervently and continually, we set out to learn and to
learn quickly. Those around us have
been hurting, have been “bent double,” for too long.</div>
Kerryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14395083865240080050noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5304306829461638234.post-81036441473516006062013-02-21T05:15:00.000-06:002013-02-21T05:15:00.439-06:00Day Three - Deep Compassion<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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For the next few days we will return to the account of the abduction of
David’s family at Ziklag. From it
we may learn a few things to help us pray during these forty days.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The first thing David and his men did was . . . weep! They wept, in fact, until there was no
strength left in them. <o:p></o:p></div>
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We remind ourselves . . . this is not a fairy tale. This man and his soldiers returned to
their families to find them gone, taken captive, and the encampment burned
up. May God grant us all to hear
today, <b><i>if any of our family members have been abducted, if our hopes and
dreams seem to be nothing but a pile of ashes, if we have cried until we
haven’t strength left for tears . . . </i></b>we may do as David did, and we
may yet see a victorious end to every terrible ordeal.<o:p></o:p></div>
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David wept, and when he was weak with crying, his men thought perhaps
they would stone him for letting this thing happen. David did what ought to be the first thing we might do in
our own grief or fear, he “strengthened himself in the Lord.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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If we are praying for others, people whose lives do not touch so
immediately upon ours own, we may still weep for them, if we will, and we may
still strengthen ourselves in God.
We know that the Holy Spirit is praying with “groanings that cannot be
uttered.” We may enter into God’s
divine and exquisite compassion.
We may begin to care<b><i> that much</i></b> by that Spirit. For that kind of care, the strength of
God is required.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The Scripture tells us that the Lord hears the groanings of the people
of earth. If we are praying for
those who groan in their private anguish, or if they are so lost to the dangers
of their condition that we must groan for them, God will hear. The Lord Jesus Christ, we know, is
touched by the feeling of our infirmities. (Hebrews 4:12)
Once again, we may join Him there on behalf of others. Entering into His deep compassion, we
may strengthen ourselves in the knowledge that He is near to the broken-hearted. (Psalm 34:18) When we share His compassion, we will be strong in faith, hope,
and love.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Jesus commended us to the care of widows, orphans, those sick and in
prison, and the poor. We don’t
need to harden our hearts against what we cannot help; we need only begin to
care deeply, to care continually.
He will show us what can be done.
Tomorrow we will look at that aspect of David’s victory.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Memorial House of Mother Theresa,<br />
by permission, DanielmkdKerryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14395083865240080050noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5304306829461638234.post-46338734320720461582013-02-20T06:53:00.000-06:002013-02-20T06:53:06.238-06:00Day Two - Bound to Love<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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God Himself will contend with
those who have contended with us.
<i><b>Halleluiah!</b></i> He will
confront and prevail against those that have sought to overpower and thwart and
position against us! Where the
enemy of souls has taken men captive and held children as prey, God will
deliver. He will save our
sons. He will save us. Only imagine! Only pray! The
Lord will take the position of strength in our battle against wickedness. (Isaiah 49:24, 25)<o:p></o:p></div>
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It is for us in Cor Unum to
recognize that sometimes, when the Lord challenges spiritual tyranny, He will
be challenging our lethargy, our selfishness, and our fears. He knows that our cruel oppressors,
spiritual forces that do come against us, set up bulwarks of darkness in our
souls. The devil’s minions hide in
self-pity and in the cold turrets of unrequited love and in many other shadowy nooks and crannies. How we must rejoice that the Lord with Whom evil does not dwell
(Psalm 5:4,) loves those that have been afflicted by it!<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="text-indent: 0.5in;">That is how we pray in this Abbey.</span><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;"> </span><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;">We answer the challenge that lies
against the love of God.</span><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;"> </span><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;">The
enemy, the vile enemy of the souls of men, first tempts us to wrong and then
torments us when he has trapped us in sin, but blessed be the Name of the Lord,
the captives of the tyrant will be rescued, and the prey will be taken from the
mighty!</span><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;"> </span></div>
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There is a wickedness that is
strong in the strength of deception.
When the heart begins to believe that there is no hope of rescue, no
love, no escape from guilt and pain, it can sink into a thick, almost
impenetrable darkness. We see
bondages in our world that are so alarming, so without human explanation, that
even those who do not know the Scripture will dare to say that “something evil”
took hold. Students murdering
other students at random, shooters taking aim at passers-by from bridges and
buildings, horrible self-destructive inventions … that kind of blind rage had a
beginning, a starting point. It
might have been a loss, an insult, or a fear, real or imagined, with no bedrock
human ability to keep faith with God.
Oh, dear Sisters and Brothers, on behalf of those so wounded, help is on
the way!<o:p></o:p></div>
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For today, on this second of forty
days of prayer, let us be sure that our God knows how to make distinction
between those who have been held captive in darkness and those who have led
them and held them there. To be
sure, there is a time to cast off the works of darkness, but there is also a
dungeon so deep and bonds so cruel that those held by them need help to
escape. As with all things in the
life of Christ which has come to us, we have a part. Our God will rescue, but it is for us
to pray, as we are doing now and for these forty days. We must love the unlovely, even those
who would slap our hands away.
Whether they cry out for help or resist it, our prayers for them are before the
Lord, Who loves them. His love will prevail! We will not
fail them, because He will not fail them.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<i>“Father, it is certain that You love beyond the bounds of our
understanding, and You have chosen us to love with You. To learn of You is to learn to love,
and You love those who have suffered in the torment of their own sin … we know
that, first hand! Your Son came to
destroy the works the devil, and we pray for these who are not yet set free
where evil has bound them. You
will not fail them! You will
vanquish their enemies and set them at liberty to receive Your lovingkindness
and to live by faith, as we do, here in this monastery of the heart! Amen.”</i> <o:p></o:p></div>
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<i>Dungeons of Blarney Castle</i></div>
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<i>by permission,</i></div>
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<i>Thesteve</i></div>
<!--EndFragment-->Kerryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14395083865240080050noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5304306829461638234.post-29936951587373233402013-02-19T07:45:00.000-06:002013-02-19T10:00:21.884-06:00Held Hostage<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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We are observing a forty-day prayer fast in
Cor Unum. Some may wish to
incorporate a Lenten fast, perhaps snacks or desserts or coffee … or criticism!
… as well, but we are praying between now and Easter for someone in desperate
need. A sick child, an
overburdened mother, a prisoner, a discouraged pastor – forty minutes or four
minutes each day, or something in between, only let us be faithful, let us
trust that our prayers will be heard, and let us remember to rejoice along the
way. We are before the Lord! We are His own worshiping, triumphant
Army - and we have set out to see captives set free!<o:p></o:p></div>
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Today’s Scriptural weapon is found in the 49<sup>th</sup>
chapter of Isaiah. This book is
like a Biblical manual for warriors in the Spirit, and our Sword is a spiritual
blade:<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b><i>“Can the prey be taken from the mighty, or
the captives of a tyrant be rescued?
Surely thus says the Lord: ‘Even the captives of the mighty shall be
taken and the prey of the tyrant be rescued, for I will contend with those who
contend with you, and I will save your sons.’” </i></b>(verses 24 and 25)<o:p></o:p></div>
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Most of us have known people, even children,
who seem to have been taken into the captivity of darkness and sin. When we in Cor Unum come to understand
that the Lord our God loves mercy more than judgment, then we have begun to know
His heart, and we will begin to fight and defend and rescue those who have been kept in captivity, those who do damage to themselves and others, instead of the “pointing of the finger” that
marks unbelief and perhaps even cowardice. That abomination is mentioned in Isaiah 58 as the practice
we need to put off when we fast! <o:p></o:p></div>
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It is celebratory . . . and salutatory! . .
. to live in this monastery for the sake of others, looking for the mercy of
the Lord. It is never hard to
find. He Himself told us that,
though He is just and He will dispense justice, it is mercy that He longs to
show. Happily, His desire is to bring
judgment down on the heads of those (spiritual forces of wickedness – Ephesians
6:12) that have so long tormented and held people in bondage of fear, regret,
grief, depression, and addiction.
In wisdom we know that most anger and violence stem from one of those
categories. For forty days we are
privileged to pray that someone we know, someone we care about, will be set
free from the captivity and the mighty power of such evil.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Today we pray, <i>“Mighty
God, how we thank You that Your mercy is strong and Your truth is able to
deliver ______________________ from the power of wickedness. There is no bondage that can hold where
You choose to set free. We ask
today that You send Your Word and heal these for whom we pray . . . send Your
Word and heal them, and deliver them from even their own destructions! Let those that have put them to shame
be put to shame, and let these that we love be risen and stand upright! Set the
captives free, Lord God! All by Your mercy, all by Your Power, all according to
Your love for them. Amen, in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Amen.”<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i>"Hostages"</i></div>
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<i>Jean-Paul Laurens</i></div>
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<i>public domain</i></div>
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Kerryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14395083865240080050noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5304306829461638234.post-16307080284627599442013-02-18T08:55:00.000-06:002013-02-19T06:59:35.813-06:00Forty Days<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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We know, of course, that the forty-day
length of time has special significance in the Scripture and the epochs of
Israel and in the life of our Lord.
Here are some of those forty-day intervals; they would make a terrific
study:<o:p></o:p></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 19.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;"> </span></span>Moses went up on
the mountain and stayed before God for forty days … and then another forty days when he came down and saw
Israel’s apostasy!<o:p></o:p></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 19.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;"> </span></span><!--[endif]-->Jesus was led into the desert for forty days. to be tempted by the devil, <o:p></o:p></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 19.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;"> </span></span><!--[endif]-->Elijah went forty
days to Mount Horeb on one angelic meal, <o:p></o:p></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 19.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;"> </span></span><!--[endif]-->Jonah preach to
Ninevah for forty days, resulting in their repentance, <o:p></o:p></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 19.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;"> </span></span><!--[endif]-->Noah waited forty
days after the rain before he opened a window in the ark, and <o:p></o:p></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 19.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;"> </span></span><!--[endif]-->Goliath taunted
Israel for forty days, morning and evening.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Beginning tomorrow, and continuing
through Saturday (March 30) before Easter Sunday, we have a forty-day time span. One of the Sisters in this online monastery has committed forty minutes of prayer, daily, to the Lord for the next
forty days, on behalf of someone in desperate need. She doesn't really have the time for it, but she is doing it, anyway. She said that, as so often happens, this wasn’t the person
she might have thought would be the focus of this intensified prayer, and yet
she wasn’t surprised. The Good
Shepherd leaves the ninety-nine sheep to search for the one that is lost. Thanks be to God.</div>
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Perhaps the rest of us can join her
in this fast, on behalf of someone God has given us to love. Some will consider and say, "I can find forty minutes each day." Many other Sisters will say, "I can make a start with four minutes, daily." Always in Cor Unum, we commit ourselves to do what we can, not what we cannot do. Four solid minutes of daily prayer for one person is an astounding, beautiful, powerful blessing in heaven, in our hearts, and in the life of the one for whom we pray. More time allows more breadth - more time in worship and praying and proclaiming the Word of God - but oh, my dear Sisters, don't withhold four minutes in prayer to someone in need, if you haven't got forty! <br />
<br />
These forty days have an interesting earmark, when we think about Goliath’s
boasting. The great Army of Israel
cowered before him, because he certainly looked big and he certainly boasted
large. In point of fact, his size
and boastings weren’t the cause of Israel’s timidity, for they had come up
against mighty foes before. They
had won tremendous battles without having to lift a sword, for the Lord had
delivered their enemies into their hands.</div>
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It is not a good idea for His
Majesty’s warriors to hearken to the lies of those who set themselves up
against the Lord and His people. There
is a time to fight, and for David, the younger brother, the messenger, the shepherd boy, that time had come. He was incensed to see Israel reduced
to knocking knees and pre-battle defeat, but he was even more enraged that a
bragging giant would boast against the God of Israel. Rightly understood, there are few words more stirring in all
Scripture than these, “Who is this uncircumsized Philistine that he should defy
the armies of the Living God?” </div>
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Today we prayerfully consider: is
there someone in the scope of our prayers who is in spiritual danger, someone
lost, someone who has too long trembled before the lying braggadocio of the
emissaries of darkness? Perhaps an
individual, perhaps a church, a family, a city, or even a nation in trouble,
fearful, unbelieving, full of dread . . . without hope. Now we return forty days for forty days ... and forty minutes each day, full of worship, prayer, of spiritual travail and of our own
proclamation. Where Goliath teased
and belittled, we speak the truth over those for whom we pray, “God has loved
them with a everlasting love … with great lovingkindness He will draw them.” "What has been meant for evil against
them, He means for good." </div>
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Pray and choose where God would
have you topple the giants that have been wounded far too long, find and set aside a
forty minute sanctuary … and together we are going to bring<b><i> the Lord’s “boast”</i></b>
to bear over those for whom we pray.</div>
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“I am the Lord, the God of all
mankind … is anything too hard for me?”
(Jeremiah 32:27)</div>
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"David Slays Goliath"</div>
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Gustav Dore, public domain</div>
<!--EndFragment-->Kerryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14395083865240080050noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5304306829461638234.post-69324731488115028432013-02-15T08:19:00.001-06:002013-02-15T08:20:47.822-06:00From Little to Large<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-indent: .5in;">
Today is a reminder . . . we are “warping”
our looms with strong strands of devotional commitment, which is another way of
saying, <b><i>“We will spend time with the Lord, daily, plenty of time, quality
time!”<o:p></o:p></i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-indent: .5in;">
We probably haven't always, but we won’t be those
who say, “The Lord understands how busy I am!” We won’t say, “He wants me to have some fun and take time
for relaxation,” for none of that is <i style="font-weight: bold;">the point </i>for the Cor Unum monastic<i style="font-weight: bold;">. </i>What we do isn’t religion or duty, it is nothing that has been
foist upon us. It doesn't surplant our fun or hinder our valid occupation. The fabric of our
Cor Unum habits is woven of privilege and of our choice to order our days to allow
us to spend time with God. This is
a tapestry of time at His feet and time before His face, with the threads of
daily life woven between. Our
worship and prayer and study and stillness will be <b><i>with Him, </i></b>not just “for”
Him.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-indent: .5in;">
If we have two fixed devotional hours daily,
if we are headed toward four or even seven intervals of worship and prayer, or
if we have just begun and find it hard to stay focused on Him even for a few
minutes at a time, all that matters is that we know He meets us when we
come. He walks with us when we
leave. We seek to <b><i>know
Him</i></b>, and we will abide in His Son. We make use of every opportunity.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-indent: .5in;">
So far we have looked into the monasic
practice of <b><i>Lectio Divina, </i></b>of learning to read Scripture in His Presence,
asking our questions and hearing
His comfort and encouragements. We
are practicing Benedictine <b><i>“Conversatio,” </i></b>addressing very small
but lasting changes that we know need to be made, leaving off gossip or
fretting, taking up a little daily exercise or praying 3-minutes prayers over
one or two souls in great need.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-indent: .5in;">
Those who can do more, press on. Those who are beginning, rejoice to
have made a start. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-indent: .5in;">
We have added the discipline of a “Spiritual
Rx,” of reading a short passage of Scripture (Colossians 3:1-3, 1-14, or 1-17)
three times daily, like a healing medicine. Here in Cor Unum we banish doubts that our little practices
are not enough, or too legalistic, or too small to have real effect. We are true monastics, and we
know that large grows from little, and strength and glory increase in the
Presence of the Lord. We DO what
we really can do, and we look for opportunity everywhere.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-indent: .5in;">
May God bless you this day in Cor Unum
Abbey. It is good to find the
Nearness of God. It’s even better
to make that place our home.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<!--EndFragment--><br />
Trappist monk in prayer<br />
Daniel Tibi, by permission<br />
<br />
<br />Kerryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14395083865240080050noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5304306829461638234.post-30006904065237762782013-02-14T05:50:00.001-06:002013-02-14T13:29:41.291-06:00St. Valentine<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4qGjJoR9MOqit4Vt4DPxL3UcNNtaNtf8tFeItjUhyphenhyphen3S1K4HPJv-Pid-ZUpuY190b8TJE3wBkb6i7y16KH7bGp8WSkWXwYpuX7SQCAQ58urESVpA8Y1NJMwkHdMxEDGKybBJJ7lEr1aPI/s1600/382px-St-valentine_110921-01,+by+permission,+blackfish.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4qGjJoR9MOqit4Vt4DPxL3UcNNtaNtf8tFeItjUhyphenhyphen3S1K4HPJv-Pid-ZUpuY190b8TJE3wBkb6i7y16KH7bGp8WSkWXwYpuX7SQCAQ58urESVpA8Y1NJMwkHdMxEDGKybBJJ7lEr1aPI/s320/382px-St-valentine_110921-01,+by+permission,+blackfish.jpg" width="203" /></a></div>
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<!--StartFragment-->
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
There lived, in the great city of Rome, a priest who
attracted the evil attention of an evil emperor, Claudius II.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Valentine
had been marrying Christian couples, and no service or sacrament was to be
administered to them under Claudius’ unholy reign. Valentine was arrested, and then became something of a
favored prisoner, by which we infer a godly, a pleasant, an interesting, and
invigorating character. While
prisoner, it is recorded that he restored the sight and hearing of the daughter
of his jailer.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Valentine
was not content to be favored or famous . . . he wanted to see Claudius walking
in the fullness of new life, and this cost him his life. Claudius had him stoned and beaten with
clubs, and when he yet lived, he was beheaded.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Man
or myth, this Valentine? Let us
consider that to us, the history or the legend of the man only lines up with what
we know to be true of those early Christians whose love for others did result
in healings, conversions . . . and martyrdom.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Here
is a Cor Unum valentine for each of us . . . shall we not minister the word of
life to someone perishing today? One
twentieth century evangelist set out to share the Gospel with someone every
day that he lived, and while that did not result in 365 conversions each year, the cumulative
numbers were astonishing.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Let
us each give a “valentine” in Jesus' name today - something that comes with grace and kindness and gentle wisdom from the heart of God - where we may before the sun goes down on this Valentine’s Day. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-indent: .5in;">
<o:p><br /></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-indent: .5in;">
<o:p>Shrine of St. Valentine</o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-indent: .5in;">
<o:p>Whitefriar Street Carmelite Church,</o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-indent: .5in;">
<o:p>Dublin, Ireland</o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-indent: .5in;">
<o:p>blackfish, by permission</o:p></div>
<!--EndFragment-->Kerryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14395083865240080050noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5304306829461638234.post-6565363811304302062013-02-13T01:58:00.000-06:002013-02-13T08:09:24.472-06:00"Look at the Fish!"<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhviTu9-JLVkCFbKyRsqmiaEHAmU6GqZxmLs6PW1hAxJGwAgNNA6FN792PVZciYgLL8BsrFI53WibARge9fZOoeBjzl4paq2exe1tEaNhS-9PLft-3CvCjzN9OmRNlQjFOvuQ-MauQ0XOw/s1600/Leafydragon,+Wendy+Rathey,+by+permission.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="234" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhviTu9-JLVkCFbKyRsqmiaEHAmU6GqZxmLs6PW1hAxJGwAgNNA6FN792PVZciYgLL8BsrFI53WibARge9fZOoeBjzl4paq2exe1tEaNhS-9PLft-3CvCjzN9OmRNlQjFOvuQ-MauQ0XOw/s320/Leafydragon,+Wendy+Rathey,+by+permission.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-indent: .5in;">
The Abbess hopes you were curious about some
of the warp strands on the loom of our monastic day in Cor Unum Abbey. They are becoming fixtures to us . . .
for instance: “Spiritual Rx.” Take
a look.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-indent: .5in;">
One of the most power-packed devotional
practices available to us, “Spiritual Rx” is a daily <b><i>prescription</i></b> that
catapults the Word of God into effect.
No one has to “make” God’s Word powerful, living and active, but we do
have to employ it. “Spiritual Rx” is
the exercise of reading a passage of Scripture aloud three times every day, as one
would take a medicine. This remedy
comes with no harmful side effects!
Quite the contrary, there are several amazing secondary results<b><i> </i></b>of
this practice … it will begin to refresh and strengthen our souls within days,
but beyond that, the truth that we speak day after day begins to bear
its fruit!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-indent: .5in;">
Of course we read our Bibles and pray as
usual, but this prescription is very much a concentrate, a remedy. Whenever, in our daily reading, we
encounter truth that speaks to our hearts or our circumstances, we stop to pray
and give thanks, but this holy practice applies truth in the power of both
“resisting the devil” and “speaking to the mountains” that need to be plucked
up, as well as commanding our own souls.
For instance, we might read Colossians 3:1 and stop to pray about it:<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">If then you were raised
with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the
right hand of God. (NIV)</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-indent: .5in;">
Imagine the difference it would make to read just that verse, not once but three times every day, and for forty days or more! <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-indent: .5in;">
The famous Swiss paleontologist and
geologist, Louis Agassiz, was famous for his teaching techniques. He would place a fish before his
students and ask them to study the fish and make note of all they could learn
through their observation. Twenty
minutes later, his students felt they had seen the fish through new eyes! Then he would leave the room and
commend them to the further study of the fish. An hour or two later, when he returned, the student would be
thoroughly exhausted by the fish ... but he might place it before them the
next day with the same instructions!
By the end of that day, still studying and examining the fish, his students
would report that it was as if they had never really seen a fish before! Professor Agassiz was an institutional
monastic!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-indent: .5in;">
That’s what we’re about with “Spiritual
Rx.” It will be the same for us,
but much better. The fish hasn’t
power to save our souls (James 1:21,) but Scripture does! <b><i>“Receive with meekness the engrafted word
that is able to save your souls!”</i></b> We know in our Cor Unum hearts that the Living Word will
always have a living affect; now we prove it! To coin the Professor’s phrase, <b><i>“LOOK – at the truth!”</i></b> We begin with the passage above, Colossians
3:1-3 or 1-17, as you wish. Only
remember, in Cor Unum we always choose what we <i style="font-weight: bold;">WILL DO </i>over what we think we might like to do!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<!--EndFragment--><br />
<br />
<br />
Leafy Dragon<br />
Wendy Rathey, by permissionKerryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14395083865240080050noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5304306829461638234.post-72110522261235049292013-02-12T06:45:00.001-06:002013-02-12T13:10:22.712-06:00The Fourth List<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFpg1GZ-DXr_6MPGhpPlT8pZyfGu88KtvuAiiblWMOnq_PHJErq9c9V8loR8_Dzl74F_3N69csIwDmfuZ6plUAALZyxfg7wc6-CF7jwYjg14aNaA-nFgHq5BHKVsHkkLE_WgCWL6FAB6o/s1600/800px-Tapisserie_de_l'apocalypse,+Kimon+Berlin,+by+permission.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="174" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFpg1GZ-DXr_6MPGhpPlT8pZyfGu88KtvuAiiblWMOnq_PHJErq9c9V8loR8_Dzl74F_3N69csIwDmfuZ6plUAALZyxfg7wc6-CF7jwYjg14aNaA-nFgHq5BHKVsHkkLE_WgCWL6FAB6o/s320/800px-Tapisserie_de_l'apocalypse,+Kimon+Berlin,+by+permission.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Welcome! Today has a nice monastic “ring” to it . . . we should be
able to hear the bells before we are done!<o:p></o:p></div>
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Today we are making a fourth list. Very likely many of the elements of
today’s list are to be found on the ones you have already made, but today we
look at <o:p></o:p></div>
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<b><i>The elements of a well-rounded devotional
life.<o:p></o:p></i></b></div>
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Take time to compose this fourth list for
yourself, if you wish, or here is the one we observe in <b><i>this </i></b>at-home expression
of Cor Unum.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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Study<o:p></o:p></div>
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Worship<o:p></o:p></div>
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Prayer . . . family Prayer <o:p></o:p></div>
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Prayer . . . intercession<o:p></o:p></div>
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Prayer . . . for the nations<o:p></o:p></div>
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Examination of Conscience
<o:p></o:p></div>
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Communion <o:p></o:p></div>
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Work <o:p></o:p></div>
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Stillness<o:p></o:p></div>
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“Conversatio”<o:p></o:p></div>
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Spiritual “Rx”</div>
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“Three-Minute Prayers”<o:p></o:p></div>
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Half-Day in Council<o:p></o:p></div>
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Proclamation<o:p></o:p></div>
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Fasting<o:p></o:p></div>
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Exercise<o:p></o:p></div>
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Listening<o:p></o:p></div>
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Fellowship<o:p></o:p></div>
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Proper Diet <o:p></o:p></div>
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Thanksgiving<o:p></o:p></div>
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Business<o:p></o:p></div>
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Sleep<o:p></o:p></div>
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Certainly, some of the necessary categories,
such as “Work” and “Study,” have more time and several intervals dedicated to
them and some, like “Proclamation” can have less, but these we have found to be
the rudiments of a well-balanced spiritual life. Some, of course, will need a spot of explanation! We are about to make the discovery of how many of these we can actually work into the fabric of each day. You may be surprised to see how well these will "shuttle" into places you hadn't thought could work on the loom!<o:p></o:p></div>
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Over time we judge by what items we would
want to LEAVE OFF! Do we want to
stop sitting quietly before God, simply to be with Him and without any other
agenda? That is “Stillness,” and
we don’t want to lose that; “Stillness” is one of the most revitalizing
practices of our day. That
category gets two daily intervals.<o:p></o:p></div>
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We know that if we do not eat well or sleep
well, all the other categories of our Divine Office are at risk, so those are
fixed. We aren’t always “Fasting,”
but in one form or another, it is a part of most of the year. We may sometimes “fast” all but
necessary shopping or reading or coffee, but we try to live a fasted lifestyle,
because we have learned the difference that even small fasts can make.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Our “Prayer” categories can often be even
more than those. <o:p></o:p></div>
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It looks impossible, doesn’t it? Guess what? So far, it usually is, but it is quite amazing how far we’ve
come toward incorporating all these avenues of devotional life into each week,
and with a full day’s work ongoing. It was
worth a try, to put it mildly.
In the days ahead, we will take a look at these warping strands through
which our monastic days are woven.
Perhaps we can see together how the most important things can be done
and the wonderful others can become a part of the finished tapestry! For now, please share your own monastic
must-haves . . . here in Cor Unum, Monastery of the Heart.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<o:p><br /></o:p></div>
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<o:p>Tapisserie de l'apocalypse</o:p></div>
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<o:p>Kimon Berlin, by permission</o:p></div>
<!--EndFragment-->Kerryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14395083865240080050noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5304306829461638234.post-82551121170011921832013-02-11T07:48:00.000-06:002013-02-11T07:53:11.031-06:00Make a List - Check it Twice<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmsrCBnDrlTkxg6IMM9HAhaF6YP4YmUcvNkHsFTSX-ZfG9f-PePLbyK8NoNrJUfWJzGF6kS9mh2opo1kz_b6QtQzE2Fv7I9HAWT7jYvsT-28rCX-7ebRyYi5F3sqJNI2mUZIX1ClT-Vbk/s1600/450px-WLANL_-_jpa2003_-_detail_jaquard_weefgetouw,+by+permission,+Joop+anker.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmsrCBnDrlTkxg6IMM9HAhaF6YP4YmUcvNkHsFTSX-ZfG9f-PePLbyK8NoNrJUfWJzGF6kS9mh2opo1kz_b6QtQzE2Fv7I9HAWT7jYvsT-28rCX-7ebRyYi5F3sqJNI2mUZIX1ClT-Vbk/s1600/450px-WLANL_-_jpa2003_-_detail_jaquard_weefgetouw,+by+permission,+Joop+anker.jpg" /></a></div>
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We have come to know that, as we live alone before God, as alone we seek to know and worship Him, we are “marketplace monastics” in this new century. No one can love God on our behalf, and no one can obey Him for us, but each of us can determine to bear His image in the earth (Romans 8:29) and to become worshipers of God during the days we have been given here. This is monasticism, in our hearts. We stand alone before God, but thanks to the life us His Son, we stand alone <b><i>with Him </i></b>. . . NEVER ALONE no matter how isolated our lives may be. What's more, we stand alone with millions of others who do just the same!<o:p></o:p></div>
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Here in Cor Unum, in the cloister within our hearts, we dwell with Jesus Christ, and He abides with us. From that one overwhelming and far-reaching fact, we begin to order our lives. He will not do for us, mechanically. We can be thankful that He sets boundaries and gives us vision. We must provide the rudiments of <b><i>choice</i></b>; each day we may seek Him and walk in His paths, or not. If we do not, for instance, read our Bibles today, we are not consigned to hell; bad luck will not begin to stalk us. If we <b><i>do</i></b> read His Word in His Presence . . . here in Cor Unum Abbey, we believe that it will make a real and a divine difference. That's our monasticism, condensed. We don't make our devotional choices out of fear or pride; we are just making sure that we walk with the God we love.<o:p></o:p></div>
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In Cor Unum we respect the boundaries that are in place, and we treasure the vision and hope of becoming “like Christ.” (1 John 3:2) We know that we need sleep, and we need food, we need to get some exercise, we have jobs and responsibilities to attend, we need <b><i>time with God</i></b>, and we need to train ourselves in righteousness. (1 Corinthians 9:25, 1 Timothy 4:7, Hebrews 5:14) Thus, we begin to formulate our own <i>Opus Dei</i>, the “Work of God” that belongs to us individually, the weaving of activity and rest, devotion and duty, all to His glory.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Here is a wonderful, illuminating assignment . . . take paper and pencil today during your time alone with God, and ask Him to show you the goals of your heart. Make three lists, and make them as complete as you can. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<b><i>One . . . list all the things that you need to do as soon as possible. <o:p></o:p></i></b></div>
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<b><i>Two . . . list everything that you want to do as soon as those are done. <o:p></o:p></i></b></div>
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<b><i>Three . . . list those things that you want to have in place for the rest of your life.<o:p></o:p></i></b></div>
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Here’s a sample list:</div>
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<span style="font-family: Symbol; text-indent: -0.25in;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;"> </span></span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">List One . . . wash windows, call the dentist, pray daily for ______________</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Symbol; text-indent: -0.25in;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;"> </span></span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">List Two . . . plant garden, spring cleaning, memorize Scripture, gym membership</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Symbol; text-indent: -0.25in;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;"> </span></span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">List Three . . .
regular intervals of worship, develop a merry heart, pray for the children</span></div>
<br />
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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Your lists should be much longer than
that! Try to include <b><i>everything</i></b>
that lives in your heart regarding your home, your family, your personality,
your worship, your job and responsibilities, your talents, your dreams, and
your devotional life. List the
things you want to hold onto, and the things you want to let go. When you have finished, circle or mark
the three most important items on each list. God bless you today, bless you to have a fruitful day of
accomplishment and joy. </div>
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Tomorrow we shall see what we can do with this somewhat
revealing exercise!<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<br />
jaquard weaving<br />
by permission, Joop Anker<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
<!--EndFragment-->Kerryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14395083865240080050noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5304306829461638234.post-55480155263978542082013-02-08T07:16:00.000-06:002013-02-09T08:18:26.558-06:00Weaving Jesus<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnYNeXhlGSPj9QlqdcO9V4bfyJZE-xtVGIQV1Ot5mIA0aLHahibQD7rgueesZ-MZ20U0ttYio5G4dttQEyxv9VIrwLympq8SiM5RLrvGx39bcfqKVAIUojiiQQmSzid9yBanGj-pF2WSU/s1600/800px-Coventry_Cathedral_tapestry-5July2008,+by+permission,+Steve+Cadman.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnYNeXhlGSPj9QlqdcO9V4bfyJZE-xtVGIQV1Ot5mIA0aLHahibQD7rgueesZ-MZ20U0ttYio5G4dttQEyxv9VIrwLympq8SiM5RLrvGx39bcfqKVAIUojiiQQmSzid9yBanGj-pF2WSU/s320/800px-Coventry_Cathedral_tapestry-5July2008,+by+permission,+Steve+Cadman.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-indent: .5in;">
It will serve us well to make Jesus Himself
the warp of our tapestry. By our
good <b><i>habits</i></b>, we will weave splendid tapestries in the monastery of
the heart!<b><i> <o:p></o:p></i></b></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-indent: .5in;">
Jesus is Majesty . . . so we are learning to
live with Him as the KING that He is.
We practice every kind of good demonstration of our joy ... a good King reigns over us! The King of
Glory, no less!<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-indent: .5in;">
Jesus is Savior . . . we never want to
forget or get careless toward the salvation He bought at such a great
price. We sing of it! We remember Him in our communion and in
the Eucharist. We take up the
privilege of telling others what we know of His power to save, to heal, and to deliver.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-indent: .5in;">
Jesus is Friend . . . here is an area where
we can make some defining changes that are both monastic and quite natural for
those who believe in Him. We <b><i>spend
time with Him, </i></b>and we take decisive steps against the enemies of our
souls who would destroy this friendship, if we let them.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-indent: .5in;">
Jesus is Lord . . . as much as we might talk
with a friend as we walk along the way, and as pleasant as that can be, this Friend
gives us instructions and corrections and assignments, and because we are fully
able to hear and obey, we humble ourselves to listen.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-indent: .5in;">
Jesus is the Word of God . . . that’s a
really crucial strand; we won’t have a strong and beautiful and lasting tapestry
without it. What can be known of
God was revealed in Jesus, and what can be known of Jesus is written and
preserved for us. We open our
Bibles and bow before the Person of Jesus, alive to us in Scripture, and we read
and pray until His nature is formed in us.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-indent: .5in;">
Jesus is our Bridegroom . . . if there is a
neglected aspect of Jesus’ true identity, this might be it. One day there will be a Wedding Feast
in heaven, and we are not just <b><i>guests. </i></b> We are the Bride!
How does a young couple – how did we – behave when we were engaged to be
married? There are some clues for
us in those memories.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-indent: .5in;">
Jesus is Redeemer . . . as certainly as He
makes all things new, we begin to live in such a way that we expect that of Him
and direct our prayers toward redemption for those we love and in every
circumstance we face.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-indent: .5in;">
As each day unfolds, we will weave with
choice strands of worship and prayer, of hope and joy, of study and obedience, of
stillness and of friendship with God.
Certainly, our tapestry might now look a jumble and unfinished, but when
we seek Him with our whole hearts, when we love as He loved, when we make sure
of those things that take us where we want to go, the result will make heaven
gasp, for the beauty revealed will be the loveliness of Jesus Christ.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-indent: .5in;">
Jesus Tapestry, Coventry Cathedral,</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-indent: .5in;">
by permission, Steve Cadman</div>
<!--EndFragment-->Kerryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14395083865240080050noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5304306829461638234.post-47149500707842934002013-02-07T08:02:00.000-06:002013-02-07T08:27:08.284-06:00Warping Our Looms<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTn53aHw_p4IqmF2v59eBsFJ1SnI1PRwuw44_tcPGnEX14wK8L6O4y78-sTSzrGh5c9WMFXuKcUdB1gqili6H5X4SX_ePlr9_WeXfolzgJkumKq9vFjd6x5qkYiFueIBu2vlzc0aZUwpw/s1600/450px-PokharaTibetan,+BY+PERMISSION,+Clemensmarabu.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTn53aHw_p4IqmF2v59eBsFJ1SnI1PRwuw44_tcPGnEX14wK8L6O4y78-sTSzrGh5c9WMFXuKcUdB1gqili6H5X4SX_ePlr9_WeXfolzgJkumKq9vFjd6x5qkYiFueIBu2vlzc0aZUwpw/s320/450px-PokharaTibetan,+BY+PERMISSION,+Clemensmarabu.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-indent: .5in;">
The most beautiful of tapestries with the
most intricate patterns must begin like every other, with strands in place,
carefully chosen, secured to the loom.
It is interesting to consider that, in the fullness of time, Jesus was
born into a culture and into a family where the warp threads would make sure
that He would hear the Word of God continually. Such was the case for young Jewish boys in that time and
place. Those cords were fixed.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Jesus was entrusted to a man and a woman who
were able to listen and obey, to expect and to believe in the intervention of
God in the lives of His people.
Their obedience was vital in the story of Jesus’ life. Mary and Joseph had holy boundaries
and stays in their own lives, certainly that God speaks and that men need not
fear to obey.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Some of us have friends or relatives who walk
in peace with God every day of their lives. A few of us are blessed to know those who will not take up
an offense or gossip, whose faith in God looks for His mercy and power in every
circumstance. Happy is the man or woman
who knows even one person whose counsel is always so full of the pure and
peaceable wisdom of God that it is worth seeking out. One of life’s greatest joys is the privilege of friendship
with a true and merry heart. All
of us in Cor Unum hope to be numbered among those with such strong and
resilient warping in their souls.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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None of that comes naturally. Each of those characteristics, when the
very life of Jesus Christ shines through them, is acquired and maintained by
faith, by the decision to become a divine person. Anyone can read the Bible; a few will sit down with God
Himself and say, “I want to know You.
I want to have something to say that will help others when I speak. I will walk with You in this life, and laziness
and selfishness are not my companions.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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We are neither so young or untrained or
inept or busy as we might have been led to believe . . . what would be
required, what warp threads would have to be in place, that we might do as we
pray, that we might walk with God and choose His friendship at all costs?<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Sit down today at the spindle of your heart,
and discover how much you already know about the necessary warp strands of life
. . . how may we be sure that we will come to know God and ever abide in His
Son, as Jesus told us to do? (John
15:1-17) Consider ways that those
fine cords might be wound upon the loom that is producing a masterpiece
of hope and love and joy in your life. We will explore several together, but for today ... good marketplace monastics that we are ... let's see what we shall see, here in this monastery of the heart.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
by permission,<br />
ClemensmarabuKerryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14395083865240080050noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5304306829461638234.post-23794659381203872182013-02-06T05:51:00.003-06:002013-02-06T05:51:54.654-06:00Warp and Weft<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR35VHqKuwZSQcDow3cYKgx3_z-RYQvEvzvPkQT0BqUVR253JXY4Cc21g8MfGbalZww2VRB4PC_3qs-iNNKQ40bIOal3tyh56s6F6VSM7MWqadXOn9QAlz4awUBqD9Dqs0_tm7e_EhyME/s1600/Weaver_in_India,+by+permission,+Claude+Renault.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="218" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR35VHqKuwZSQcDow3cYKgx3_z-RYQvEvzvPkQT0BqUVR253JXY4Cc21g8MfGbalZww2VRB4PC_3qs-iNNKQ40bIOal3tyh56s6F6VSM7MWqadXOn9QAlz4awUBqD9Dqs0_tm7e_EhyME/s320/Weaver_in_India,+by+permission,+Claude+Renault.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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There is at present a charming
online instruction video . . . how to make your own loom, for beginners. It requires nothing more than sturdy
cardboard, a few tacks and some yarn!
One “warp” strand, from top to bottom, won’t create a tapestry, nor even
a belt, but a very few can be the beginning of something useful.</div>
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There are habits of righteousness
that will establish us in peace. Truly,
the Lord sees through posturing and a convent the size of Manhattan would not
touch His heart if they were only there to feel better about themselves. However, there are spiritual athletes
in and out of monasteries who train in devotion and in righteousness (Hebrews
5:14,) and who do win an imperishable crown. That’s our cloister, and most of theirs, too. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Our path winds through the valleys
and over the mountains that will bring us to joy and peace in believing. The love and humility of Jesus Christ
are boundary markers, rich-hued cord bordering our tapestry, keeping us on the
road. We establish many absolutes,
and they keep from wandering far afield; they keep the weaving straight and
true. Here is a selection to which
many could be added. Picture them
as the finest, strongest twill strung on a loom like strings on a harp.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 19.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->God is for us; for us, and to live is Christ and to
die is gain. (Philippians 1:21)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 19.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->He has given us great and precious promises <b><i>through
which we participate in the divine nature! </i></b>(2 Peter 1:4)<b><i><o:p></o:p></i></b></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 19.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->Our iniquity is taken away, and we are given a new
nature. (Hebrews 10:22)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 19.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->We are, even now, seated in heaven in Christ Jesus.
(Colossians 3:1,2)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 19.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->In bearing the burdens of others, we fulfill the
law of Christ. (Galatians 6:2)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 19.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->It is the Father’s good pleasure to <b><i>give
us the kingdom! </i></b>(Luke 12:32)<b><i><o:p></o:p></i></b></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 19.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->The “place” Jesus prepared for us is not in heaven,
it is <b><i>in Him. </i></b>(John
14:1-4)<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-indent: .5in;">
See how these cords become to us the warp of
our devotional lives! But it is
difficult to weave upon our beliefs, when they are mental assent, alone. Faith …
without works … is dead. So we
string our harps and we warp our looms.
We give to God what is God’s, and we give to men what we get in return! (Acts 3:6) <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-indent: .5in;">
We make plans both to quiet our souls and to
stir up our devotion. We find time
to sit with Him, to hear Him, to enjoy the incomparable pleasure of His
nearness, with no other agenda, and we take up the art of spiritual warfare as
well, with spiritual weapons sharp, two-edged, and at the ready on behalf of
the afflicted.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-indent: .5in;">
All we need to know can be learned within
the boundaries of God-given warp cords, of the truth of the Gospel, the love of
the Father, and of our new life in the Son. We have spoken almost daily of making our hearts to be a
cloister where we abide in Him and He will remain with us. Through our strengths and shortcomings,
in privileges and lack, broad vistas and tiny viewfinders, all moving toward
the end that His glory may be seen in us, and that <b><i>we will see His glory! </i></b><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-indent: .5in;">
<b><i><br /></i></b></div>
<!--EndFragment--><br />
<br />
by permission,<br />
Claude RenaultKerryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14395083865240080050noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5304306829461638234.post-20700939292025455762013-02-05T07:48:00.000-06:002013-02-09T06:21:07.427-06:00Habitual!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNiOzZMWWwe2OMWh8i9N0ZxpVwRiqkw0W9PjzGcmewVSv_6P7YK_IpHfIWOpe20razMokDutPcDgplUKUYKSCLaabnQoqN_96sZXGvwXhjIubSu11DN2HRS7m5LGKC59WZa4-QJ5I7sWg/s1600/800px-WeavingIndia,+shefshef,+public+domain,+by+permission.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNiOzZMWWwe2OMWh8i9N0ZxpVwRiqkw0W9PjzGcmewVSv_6P7YK_IpHfIWOpe20razMokDutPcDgplUKUYKSCLaabnQoqN_96sZXGvwXhjIubSu11DN2HRS7m5LGKC59WZa4-QJ5I7sWg/s320/800px-WeavingIndia,+shefshef,+public+domain,+by+permission.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<!--StartFragment-->
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"> We are
discussing the weaving of good, sturdy <b><i>habits!<o:p></o:p></i></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"> Sadly and
somehow, the idea of making progress through habits of religious devotion
hasn’t always gotten a lot of good press, not even in churches! Admittedly, it is a lot more fun to
talk about being holy than it is to stop eating between meals or to curb our time-wasting. We love the time we throw away! This we know full well. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">It is a cultural irony that
bookstores, cyber and sidewalk, have become jam-packed with the essentials of
monasticism!</span><span style="font-size: 14pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"> </span><span style="font-size: 14pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">They don’t call it
that, but articles abound purporting to help the harried become harmonized with
their own souls and teaching the less-than-productive to start getting things
done on the way to getting where they want to go. </span><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Let’s just
make note: nuns have been doing all this for </span><b style="font-size: 14pt;"><i>centuries!</i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><b><i><br /></i></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">What’s more, there have been Marketplace Monastics
like us from of old, long before Benedict or Francis or the “Desert Fathers.” </span><span style="font-size: 14pt;">There is, of course, one critical
difference between our monastic steps to success
and those that are flying off the bookshelves: </span><b style="font-size: 14pt;"><i>the goal we pursue is the
likeness of Jesus Christ!</i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b style="font-size: 14pt;"><i><br /></i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><i><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"> </span></i></b><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"> On this lovely
morning, as many of us as dwell in the cloister of commitment to our Lord and King, let’s rejoice and give
thanks, because the above destination is one that each of
us can find. Here in Cor Unum, our habits are like handrails along the path to His image in us. They are the "warp" threads without which the "woof" . . . the new word is "weft" . . . threads cannot attach and form the tapestry. We may not be there
yet, not fully formed in the Son of God, but we can do anything God tells us to
do and go anywhere He sends us. Before
Zimbabwe or Haiti or an inner-city mission, Colossians 3:9-11 tells us that we
are to put off our old man, put on the new man, and that person, new as he is,
is yet being renewed in knowledge according to the One Who created him! “Her.” We are, first and foremost, “sent” into the image of the Son
of God! We are making a <b><i>habit
</i></b>of walking on that path, and that path alone.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"> Tomorrow, help
from an instructional video!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">shefshef, by permission</span></div>
<!--EndFragment-->Kerryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14395083865240080050noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5304306829461638234.post-51992783787823455682013-02-04T07:38:00.002-06:002013-02-09T06:14:59.927-06:00Really Good Habits!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
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<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1XBoU5Xyg15Y6A90JAYTaic1mYq9UBRUxtop-8sQgLprGSgS52SRo8W5ZDt_i1TwJ8HXKSm5w3KgWqQzO7T1K2L2xdv7NYRr8uaUmRpJ1m5QLLgUuF96tjtJYDGKztCE6MnUlUrtdsog/s1600/Armand_Gautier_Nuns.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1XBoU5Xyg15Y6A90JAYTaic1mYq9UBRUxtop-8sQgLprGSgS52SRo8W5ZDt_i1TwJ8HXKSm5w3KgWqQzO7T1K2L2xdv7NYRr8uaUmRpJ1m5QLLgUuF96tjtJYDGKztCE6MnUlUrtdsog/s320/Armand_Gautier_Nuns.gif" width="296" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Nuns need REALLY good habits!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Sturdy
fabric, yes, but we are considering the fabric of daily life. The warp that anchors and the woof that
moves life along.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Oddly
enough, we often get our threads crossed!
The lengthwise cords often become our changing emotions and
preferences. They remain on the
loom, as broad as the span of our interests and outreach. Through those stays, which
are only as fixed as our old nature is unchanged, daily life weaves in and
out. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Monastic
life is a little different. The
lengthwise threads are these, or something like:<br />
<br />
we have one preference: life in
Christ;<br />
we will bring Him our worship, no matter how we feel . . . every
day;<br />
in every way, we will care about the things He cares about;<br />
if we do
anything, it is done by His grace, to His glory;<br />
the goal of our lives is
to bear His likeness.<br />
<br />
This is
Master weaving; we well know it.
We can’t do it. We need His
hands upon our own, guiding, guiding, all the way. See how very monastic we are, separately, together in Cor
Unum!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
Monastic souls
can’t fasten their lives to the loom the way others do, based upon their
personalities and waffling aspirations. Jesus is Himself the goal of life, loom
and spindle. Monastics, including
those like us of the marketplace variety, may of course be extroverted or
introverted, contemplative or active by nature, but each has a common purpose: Christlikeness. In the cloister, each has to spend
almost exactly the same hours in silence, meditation, “recreation”
(conversation,) work, solitude, and community.
This has the unusual effect of bringing out the highlights of God-ordained
personality and value. After all,
He “knit us together” in our mothers’ wombs!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
We have come to
Cor Unum, not to regulate our worship and form a club, but to make sure it
happens. Which of us would wish to
order our lives without “Lectio Divina,” the anchoring twill of the Word of
God, able to save our souls? Or without
the Divine Office of worship in spirit, on the inside, and in truth, on the
outside? Or without our own “Opus
Dei,” our personal strategy to order our lives in hope and prayer
and the practice of His Nearness? <i style="font-weight: bold;">To each, his own ... </i>unique lives of faith and surrender, but all for the hope of the glory . . . which is Christ in us!</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
Sometimes with our
Bibles open, on our knees, sometimes by dim light in morning quiet at the kitchen table
… sometimes in the face of insult and offense, in the crush of failure or the assault of fear, always living
out the authenticity of God’s promises. For us, the life of Christ shuttles in and out, in and out
through the cords of our fixed purpose. Visibly and invisibly, in preparation and in
practice, He lives in us. If the “warp” threads represent
purpose and the “woof” threads represent the daily activities that weave in and
out through our fixed intentions, it will matter what those anchoring threads
are to be, and it will make a difference if we weave with skill. What’s more, of the inferior material
that life delivers, we are given to spin with golden filament, ashes into
beauty, mourning into joy, curses into blessing . . . until we wear a garment
of praise!</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
Armand Gautier, public domain</div>
<!--EndFragment-->Kerryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14395083865240080050noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5304306829461638234.post-21688198424177929292013-02-01T07:20:00.000-06:002013-02-01T07:27:57.545-06:00He Remains Faithful<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimLcUeJaVHb1gPEEP2vdgnLqcmfXqoTYen1wTTB9BOXKxgphmVmWz0Voh2LEy6ui4Aa7skiJSBnEVFyvC-WnaUXkMytSW-Gq0rYCOJZ74X8ziSR5B45u3pyiQvk1rjDg1eSOEqNlpfbWE/s1600/250px-Abbey_of_Montserrat_02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimLcUeJaVHb1gPEEP2vdgnLqcmfXqoTYen1wTTB9BOXKxgphmVmWz0Voh2LEy6ui4Aa7skiJSBnEVFyvC-WnaUXkMytSW-Gq0rYCOJZ74X8ziSR5B45u3pyiQvk1rjDg1eSOEqNlpfbWE/s1600/250px-Abbey_of_Montserrat_02.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
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February 1 – Once
again, as we begin our second month in Cor Unum’s 2013 year, we survey our monastic
purpose:<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin-left: 1.0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->The summing up of all things in Christ</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->The hope that we may see those around us
delivered from destruction</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->The glory and privilege of life in Christ Jesus
our Lord</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->The essential part that diligence plays, our <i>Opus Dei</i></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->The practice of “Conversatio,” the commitment to
Christlikeness</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->The “Lectio Divina” study of the Word of God, <b><i>with</i></b><i> </i>God</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->The effects of good nutrition and proper rest of
our endeavor</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->The exercise of spiritual and voluntary
reverence</div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->. . . and the preeminence of the <b><i>love
of God</i></b> in our hearts and for others</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-align: justify;">
That is a
schedule that won’t be accomplished before the pool opens! As befits our life in Christ,
only the fullness of our days is time enough to finish this course!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-align: justify;">
We, however, are
those who have set our faces toward the New Jerusalem! Our strategy is two-fold: first, we
incorporate the instructions we can glean from the Word of God. Most of them hang ripe and ready of the
Tree of Life. “Study to show
yourselves approved.” “Give thanks
in everything.” “Rejoice in the
Lord, always.” “Love as brothers.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-align: justify;">
Second, we are
here in Cor Unum, consciously dwelling in secret with our Lord in the inner
man, to make use of every opportunity toward Christlikeness. Those that sue for our tunic, go home
with our cloak as well. When
someone slaps our right cheek, we turn to him the other, also. Or . . . perhaps sometimes we don’t,
but we do not surrender the goal of the unoffendable life, of giving our last
two mites, of bearing one another’s burdens, and so fulfilling the law of
Christ. (Galatians 6:2) Of loving our enemies, blessing those
that curse us, doing good to those that hate us (Matthew 5:44) … for us, the
monastics of Cor Unum Abbey, if our success isn’t absolute, our <b><i>stability
</i></b>is. If we do not yet fully
produce the fruit of righteousness, we will keep growing until we do.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-align: justify;">
We are living
the sermons that have been preached in every land during every century since
our Lord rose from the dead. Our
monastery is secluded; it is the heart’s cloister. Separate as we are, we dwell together, for our common purpose is the nature of the Lord
and mutual encouragement and the assurance that the one who “strives for
masteries” (2 Timothy 2:5) according to the rules, may win the victor’s
crown. </div>
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<br /></div>
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Shortly after those words to Timothy, Paul wrote these:
“It is a trustworthy statement: For if we died with Him, we will also live
with Him; if we endure, we will also reign with Him; if we deny Him, He will
also deny us; if we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny
Himself. “ (2 Timothy2:11-13.)
We rejoice that though if we find ourselves faithless here or there,
He is faithful, and we have not denied Him! He is given to our sanctification (John 17:19,) and we are
here to have <b><i>all</i></b> that He has won for us, even to the bearing of His image
in this life. This is our
thanksgiving here this day in Cor Unum Abbey, monastery of the heart.<span style="color: #000f19; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
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<br />
<br />
Abbey of Montserrat<br />
Richard Schneider, by permissionKerryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14395083865240080050noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5304306829461638234.post-47540590448605238542013-01-31T06:00:00.000-06:002013-01-31T06:54:09.601-06:00Mr. Scrooge, Revisited<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRN-bx11SBk7BcXgSUJwlH8SXYKp2n5xkMXpeYZNbOxqKr1Vhftc6nth38uaWC3kbSfKp1zGQBExAa_KAakbCba96aKPXodK7MvsoYmVQ1i16LA5vCSSqlO8reDufaJWgbWX5yHubqS1Q/s1600/A_Christmas_Carol_-_Scrooge_and_Bob_Cratchit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRN-bx11SBk7BcXgSUJwlH8SXYKp2n5xkMXpeYZNbOxqKr1Vhftc6nth38uaWC3kbSfKp1zGQBExAa_KAakbCba96aKPXodK7MvsoYmVQ1i16LA5vCSSqlO8reDufaJWgbWX5yHubqS1Q/s320/A_Christmas_Carol_-_Scrooge_and_Bob_Cratchit.jpg" width="277" /></a></div>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
Wasn’t yesterday a <b><i>great day??</i></b> Wasn’t it great to have only <b><i>one
thing to do</i></b>, when we weren’t doing something else? <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
This
is monasticism! This is the
cloistered life for those of us who cannot live enclosed. Here in Cor Unum, although we do not
live behind a “grille” (the lattice-work that separates the Sisters from
visitors that come to call,) we can live within the veil.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
In
the most traditional houses, professed nuns will wear a veil within the
cloister if there are carpenters or plumbers or doctors on the premises. Enclosed within the cloister! Our veil, if we choose it, can be the
Practice of the Presence of God.
It is a “practice,” and it takes a bit of practice, of course, but we
can learn it. Brother Lawrence
did, and he recommended it to those who asked him about the glow of love and
peace that kept company with his heart.
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
Just
as we did yesterday, we make ours a monastic program, forever. We we will always bring our hearts back
to God, whether distractions come with joy or fear or grief. We will always give thanks for all
things in Christ Jesus our Lord (Ephesians 5:20.) One thing have we desired of Him, and it is the one thing we
seek, that we may dwell with Him forever, seeing His beauty and asking of Him –
questions, petitions, and reality checks!
(Psalm 27:4) <b><i>That </i></b>is
veil and habit, cloister and worship, all in one! We will make of ourselves an offering to God, and worship
will never cease (Romans 12:1 and 2.)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
Oh,
my beloved Sisters! What a happy
house this is! <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
We
spoke of Mr. Ebenezer Scrooge yesterday.
His name was on every tongue on that glorious Christmas morning. But … now it’s January! Few of our best resolutions last beyond
the first weekend of the year!
What kept him from remembering his grievances and rehearsing his
loneliness and making a cloister of his counting house once again, when the
first joys of love and liberty began to subside? The thing that helped him will help us, too.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 16.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<i> “Spirit”
he cried, tight clutching at its robe, “hear me! I am not the man I was. I will
not be the man I must have been but for this intercourse. Why show me this, if
I am past all hope?” For the first time the hand appeared to shake.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 16.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<i> “Good
Spirit,” he pursued, as down upon the ground he fell before it: “Your nature
intercedes for me, and pities me. Assure me that I yet may change these shadows
you have shown me, by an altered life?” The kind hand
trembled. <o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 16.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
We are not the people we were, my dear friends! As awful as was the parsimony and the
bitterness of our hearts, our spiritual neglect of God and man, we have made our
lives monastic, merry, and meaningful! Ebenezer Scrooge did change; Mr. Dickens saw to it! His conversion has warmed hearts for more than a century! His is a universal story of redemption, of life within the veil of a second chance.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 16.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<i>Some people
laughed to see the alteration in him, but he let them laugh, and little heeded
them; for he was wise enough to know that nothing ever happened on this globe,
for good, at which some people did not have their fill of laughter in the
outset; and knowing that such as these would be blind anyway, he thought it
quite as well that they should wrinkle up their eyes in grins, as have the
malady in less attractive forms. His own heart laughed: and that was quite
enough for him.</i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 16.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<i> </i>Call it
monasticism, call it newness of life in Christ Jesus, call it worship in spirit
and in truth, it is ours, and we want it, here in Cor Unum, the merry monastery
of the heart!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 16.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 16.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
Mr. Scrooge and Bob Marley</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 16.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
public domain</div>
<!--EndFragment-->Kerryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14395083865240080050noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5304306829461638234.post-37891568526552290542013-01-30T06:40:00.001-06:002013-01-31T05:44:53.932-06:00"Why DO We Fail to Ask?"<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaOXFkkJw-mJcMJaHukqu5wTJDfZQzLUdPXWex1xctig5H5tme5dzfemv0y0T1lYReMPouYn-LyoKR0_j21UPrF4byFWjDIYkuuwvcRuFPTluzeUUwMKf_kpeNoo1JOz0I4cyepEtbidk/s1600/366px-Marley's_Ghost-John_Leech,_1843.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaOXFkkJw-mJcMJaHukqu5wTJDfZQzLUdPXWex1xctig5H5tme5dzfemv0y0T1lYReMPouYn-LyoKR0_j21UPrF4byFWjDIYkuuwvcRuFPTluzeUUwMKf_kpeNoo1JOz0I4cyepEtbidk/s320/366px-Marley's_Ghost-John_Leech,_1843.jpg" width="195" /></a></div>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
As
promised, “Why do we fail to ask of God?”
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
I
think it’s because we always have something better to do. At least, that’s what our human nature
will always tell us. And we will
always have our human nature, this side of resurrection!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
Bummer! It’s harsh, but eye-opening, to realize
that our own nature will never, ever, no, not ever, recommend that we
stop what we’re doing and bring our souls and our lives before God. That
all-too-familiar nature doesn’t advertise this, especially because we don’t
want it to be noticed, but it actually ... doesn't like to be with God - at all! “The flesh is at enmity with the Spirit.” Enmity. Such a severe word. The flesh is, before God, like a caged
beast.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
The
hidden, JOYOUS, magnificence here is caught inside the last paragraph. We don’t want anyone to see, least of
all ourselves, how strenuously we withstand God, because we <b><i>LOVE HIM! If we didn't, we wouldn't care! </i></b>He said, Jesus told us, that we
would receive life and truth when He went to the Father, and we did, and now we
love Him cravingly. We are new
creatures, just as He says! We
know we’re new, because we’re trying to escape what’s old, even if we almost never
seem to manage it.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
But
thanks be to God!, as the Apostle Paul said. That old hateful nature does hate and resist, but we do love God. <b><i>Just like </i></b>Paul said, there is no
more condemnation for us! We hate
the nature that runs from God, that avoids Him and doesn’t talk to Him or seek
His face or enjoy His nearness, the nature that snarls and turns away from His
every kindness. We do still feed
that nature sometimes, but we don’t like it. I think we feed it because it is always howling and hungry, and because sometimes we've not brought our hearts to mercy and gentleness and majesty and love long enough to be comfortable there.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
Now
then, how to starve the beast! How about
. . . make plans accordingly! <i style="font-weight: bold;">Make
plans today</i>, to worship and pray all day, not for thirty minutes or an hour, but all
day today. Isn't that wonderfully impractical, and absolutely sensible! Don't be afraid - read on!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
Time
with husbands and children doesn’t count.
If a friend stops by, we are welcoming and we give them our attention. Important meeting? Be there, but keeping in mind that to remain prayerful always is
the goal, and for today, all mindlessly wasted time, down-time, self-absorbing
time, “I <b><i>need</i></b> this time” time – every minute of it, spent on the Lord, like
Scrooge on Christmas morning. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
Don’t
be afraid! It’s really liberating
to have only one thing to do with the time on one’s hands! Meals still need to be prepared, dishes
and laundry still need to be
washed, and go ahead and make the beds, of course! Go to work, and worship as you go – that’s the one thing that must get done
today! When you find yourself standing around, feeling lost and un-entertained, when you would head for the telly or telephone, start praying for someone you love. When your steps take you, like in the Night of the Living Dead, to check your email for the third of fourth time (in an hour!) make a u-turn and pick up your Bible, instead, or imagine yourself a professional monastic at work. (At home, try <i style="font-weight: bold;">kneeling! </i>It's a great way to stop our feet from taking us back to our old habits.) For today, t<i style="font-weight: bold;">ime with God </i>is the only<i style="font-weight: bold;"> </i>thing that must be done, except for loving those around us and meeting our real responsibilities toward them. A thousand interruptions are of no consequence, and that <i style="font-weight: bold;">beast</i> that will start foaming at the mouth and howling as if it would chew you to shreds . . . God has staked its chain at His feet. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
We might find that the Nearness of God
does not conflict with story telling, bread baking, love making, and even record-breaking on the job! If you end
up spending only ten minutes in prayer, or only one minute in silence before
Him, be <b><i>thankful</i></b> as if you’d won the lottery. Be the widow with the two mites . . . just give
what you have!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
It’s
good to be Ebenezer Scrooge on Christmas morning, all year through, rejoicing to know that the chains we've forged in life, bind us no more!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
Marley's Ghost<br />
John Leech, 1843<br />
public domainKerryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14395083865240080050noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5304306829461638234.post-52765009837213649442013-01-29T05:34:00.000-06:002013-01-29T10:39:10.245-06:00"PRAY! PRAY NOW! PRAY! PRAY!"<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-pTCYqqzL-QJJBTeH1rf3wVWy8G1_9ZbpxBAqYWc4NwsH0KBwz59DCVGCDeHfLDJB6yFp1_hNNqgqokab-l-Lh98_dlSYoaRblrbztDj60v_UykRhSk93b8kQ0S1c2xIMHGxRCZhFQiY/s1600/410px-Albrecht_Du%CC%88rer_Betende_Ha%CC%88nde.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-pTCYqqzL-QJJBTeH1rf3wVWy8G1_9ZbpxBAqYWc4NwsH0KBwz59DCVGCDeHfLDJB6yFp1_hNNqgqokab-l-Lh98_dlSYoaRblrbztDj60v_UykRhSk93b8kQ0S1c2xIMHGxRCZhFQiY/s320/410px-Albrecht_Du%CC%88rer_Betende_Ha%CC%88nde.jpg" width="219" /></a></div>
<br />
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
Let’s
consider . . . what if one of the important aspects of prayer has to do with
our ASKING? That is to say, since
God could do, or could already have done, those things for which we petition
Him, what if our <b><i>asking</i></b> is . . . important? We know that it is.
These matters are weighty and worthwhile to commit to our understanding:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin-left: 1.5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: justify; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;"> </span></span><!--[endif]-->the fact that we need to humble ourselves to
ask, </div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: justify; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;"> </span></span><!--[endif]-->the honest reflection that others need us to
care, and we need to care about spiritual and heavenly matters,</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin-left: 1.5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: justify; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;"> </span></span><!--[endif]-->the reality of having been made so ONE with God
in Spirit that we dare not fail to pray (1 Corinthians 6:17.)</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
There
is, too, as we saw yesterday, the component of Jesus’ reign: he “ever liveth”
to make intercession for the saints, so how can we “remain” in Him and be the “dwellings” (the
monastery!) in which He abides, if we aren’t prayerful? (John 15:4)</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
Prayer
is all-important. So . . . why do
we pray so little? </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
A
minister once rose to speak at a New Year’s Eve service. The worship had been as sweet as could
be, the atmosphere was thick with the Nearness of God. He was an elderly gentleman who had
raised several now-grown and Godly children and had planted numerous churches
all over the world. He had lived
His life for God. This was the
entirety of his message – it seared the souls of those who heard it:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
<b><i>“PRAY,
dear ones! PRAY! . . . PRAY! . . . Oh,
PRAY! PRAY! PRAY and PRAY! Oh, do PRAY for those you love, PRAY
for those around you. PRAY – DO
PRAY! PRAY! PRAY NOW! PRAY! PRAY!!” </i></b>His
soul was in an agony of truth and pleading, as if the Lord God were using his
heart and lips to cry out. Nothing
has ever stirred us more in Cor Unum.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
A
South African missionary went around the world, ministering in churches large
and small, an effective, reliable, tested method of prayer that had taken a
team through many tribal villages with great evangelical results. Simple, proven . . . delightfully presented. We knew that hers was a secret to answered prayer.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
An
author shared his experience relative to daily, consistent prayer. He told us of the protection of God
through an unfailing (though thrice neglected) commitment to prayer. We saw God’s mercy and His might in
these accounts, and we knew we were not called to prayer by fear or by
religious law, but by its efficacy, by the truth that<b><i> our</i></b> <b><i>God hears prayer!<o:p></o:p></i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
Why
do we fail to ask of God? More
tomorrow – today . . . <b><i>PRAY!<o:p></o:p></i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
<b><i><br /></i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
<b><i><br /></i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
<b><i>Praying Hands</i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
<b><i>Albrecht Durer</i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
<b><i>public domain</i></b></div>
<!--EndFragment-->Kerryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14395083865240080050noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5304306829461638234.post-23592875172829006852013-01-28T07:22:00.000-06:002013-01-28T19:33:23.248-06:00Because He Said So!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsAW8BXL3StciXnRJ4yZbYMbBkqcoTrtbgQvVDUA0xOxIxEncy4tAn5MNJ0ZMYj5qV703EeDg0Nx3ghUh-Sj485IMbbsRiRaoyZu0ZqOjHh-p5YaBuFYSyR_tnwhNM7IyabKJx_nfmKYw/s1600/David+Shankbone,by+permission+800px-Women_praying_in_the_Western_Wall_tunnels_by_David_Shankbone.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsAW8BXL3StciXnRJ4yZbYMbBkqcoTrtbgQvVDUA0xOxIxEncy4tAn5MNJ0ZMYj5qV703EeDg0Nx3ghUh-Sj485IMbbsRiRaoyZu0ZqOjHh-p5YaBuFYSyR_tnwhNM7IyabKJx_nfmKYw/s320/David+Shankbone,by+permission+800px-Women_praying_in_the_Western_Wall_tunnels_by_David_Shankbone.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
This
is a special day. One of the
things we love about Cor Unum is that all of them are; all our days are special
here. We make them so.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
Today
we “see to it” that we can say, as Jesus did, “I know You hear me” to the
Father. (John 11:41, 42) Is that valid? Can we say it? Is it true? Let's remember: we have purpose here in Cor Unum.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
Yes,
we say, and yes, in Christ Jesus our Lord! Let’s give our souls proof and crucify our flesh and take
captive any thoughts that insinuate otherwise. That’s what we’re here for! We don’t let things drag on when it is ours to mend them and
tend them. That’s monasicism!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
We
remind ourselves that God hears us, <b><i>because He told us to pray</i></b>. God being God, this is evidence enough
that we ought to be a praying people!
Over and over again, He tells us to pray and teaches us the preeminence
of our prayer life (Luke 18:1.) We
are admonished to pray without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18.) We see that even though God knows we
don’t always know how to pray as we ought, we ought to pray anyway, and the
Holy Spirit will help us (Romans 8:26.)
We are called to prayer, and excuse-less when we don’t show up! In Cor Unum, we do show up. We say together, "It is written - we are to pray and not give up. It is written - we are to pray without ceasing. It is written, the Holy Spirit helps us!"</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
This
is our Cor Unum manifesto: we pray!
In the <b><i>stability </i></b>of life in Christ that won’t cease, but needs to be
valued and nurtured, we pray. In
the importance of <b><i>“Conversatio, </i></b>of nurturing the repentance and the personal
revivals that bring us into the image of the Son of God, we pray. Because we know that we are called to <b><i>obedience,
</i></b>as Jesus was, and that our obedience will be our joy (John 15:11,) we
pray. We may not being praying at all as we hope to in future; meanwhile, we pray.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
Jesus
told us plainly, “My Father’s house will be called a House of Prayer” (Matthew
21:13,) so the monastery of our hearts cannot be less. We never pray alone . . . first, the
Father who sees in secret meets us when we closet ourselves in prayer (Matthew
6:6,) and secondly, our prayers join those of all our brothers and sisters
worldwide who are praying when we are.
Last, but perhaps above all, Jesus is praying now. He “ever liveth to make intercession
for the saints” (Hebrews 7:25.) In
Cor Unum, when we pray, we join Him there.</div>
<!--EndFragment--><br />
<br />
<br />
The spot, inside a tunnel, where Jewish women can be closest to the Holy of Holies<br />
by permission, David ShankboneKerryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14395083865240080050noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5304306829461638234.post-52502174723438104322013-01-27T06:29:00.000-06:002013-01-27T07:47:22.624-06:00Why Are We Here??<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZUAZwgkrSykPZbMu04fb2EhRmk3HKMZIFX-04NxxVU3unW6do4RIc6Ik8-O7vlVj0u8bivpdECt74KjfXw2uZlfwXaFFlrskZWUdL-ulNMlhvbbvY36KyKjW1ba8VXRdaQloz5Cyxo0k/s1600/400px-Senanque2,+Marion+SchneiderandChristop+Aistleitner,+copyright+release,+public+domain.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZUAZwgkrSykPZbMu04fb2EhRmk3HKMZIFX-04NxxVU3unW6do4RIc6Ik8-O7vlVj0u8bivpdECt74KjfXw2uZlfwXaFFlrskZWUdL-ulNMlhvbbvY36KyKjW1ba8VXRdaQloz5Cyxo0k/s320/400px-Senanque2,+Marion+SchneiderandChristop+Aistleitner,+copyright+release,+public+domain.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
We are
revisiting our Cor Unum values this week.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
If
one has been a student of the Word of God for many years, how great might be
the weight of<b><i> intent</i></b> upon the heart?
Loving the Father, having been set at liberty to love through the
atonement of His Son, we fully intend to live out the glorious truth and
responsibility that are ours.
After five or ten years in the Word and in church, most of us have at
least a nodding acquaintance with a wealth of spiritual realities. Let’s look at just three.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
“The
fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.” (James 5:16, KJV)</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
“Give,
and it shall be given unto you, good measure, pressed down and shaken together
and running over, shall men give into your bosom.” (Luke 6:38, KJV)</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
“But
if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your
sins.” (Matthew 6:15, NIV)</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
Three
verses, three out of hundreds, probably thousands, that can prick our
consciences, inspire our confidence, warm our hearts, or cause us to
tremble. These three and all those
hundreds and thousands more, all packed into our minds and hearts. How many are yet unfulfilled,
unanswered, unattended?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
We
are about to get personal in Cor Unum – with ourselves! We have heard many challenging,
sometimes illuminating sermons. We
have read the Words in Red, the very mind and purpose of Jesus Christ, just as
He said them, as true for us as for those who were privileged to walk with Him.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
<b><i>We </i></b>are
privileged to walk with Him, and here in Cor Unum we do not say we cannot hear
Him as they did; He told us that heaven and earth would pass away, but not His
words. Three of the four Gospels
record Him saying that His words will never pass away. Look! More than two thousand years later, we just looked at them,
and more than two thousand years later, we may take them to heart. They will do for us today what they did for the disciples, and more than when they
first heard them, because He has gone to the Father. It was expedient for them that He went to the Father. Those are His words, too. (John 16:4-15)</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
What
we need is our personal commitment to <b><i>stability</i></b>, abiding in Christ, with
His words abiding in us (John 15:7) . . . <b><i>“Conversatio,” </i></b>the commitment to conformation
into His image (John 17:26) . . . and <b><i>obedience </i></b>toward that end and for
the sake of our joy in this life and our glory in the next. (John 15:11 and Matthew 25:23,) architectural enclosure
not required, here in the monastery of the heart. </div>
<!--EndFragment--><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Senanque Abbey<br />
by permission,<br />
Marion Schneider and Christope Aistleitner,<br />
public domainKerryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14395083865240080050noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5304306829461638234.post-65347929608873005962013-01-26T09:32:00.002-06:002013-01-26T10:33:11.574-06:00In Chapter<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNjr5dpVen191oza6-Yy6DByZRiYN8Yid_JOReDqJ9JIvEwZaBgza37kA1ODf9q3BXD15G6mhrRuGwAK6N_aJWj17YRnEZAjrSVbHho_kI39LRHT58xjG0iq1pYV30YmKNt-dxsJxQVME/s1600/President_Reagan_holds_a_oval_office_staff_meeting_1981.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="255" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNjr5dpVen191oza6-Yy6DByZRiYN8Yid_JOReDqJ9JIvEwZaBgza37kA1ODf9q3BXD15G6mhrRuGwAK6N_aJWj17YRnEZAjrSVbHho_kI39LRHT58xjG0iq1pYV30YmKNt-dxsJxQVME/s320/President_Reagan_holds_a_oval_office_staff_meeting_1981.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Today we’re “in chapter” in Cor Unum Abbey. That isn’t the library, it’s the
council room, the place where the senior nuns, the “staff,” gather to discuss
common difficulties, weighty problems, and future plans, all of which always
have to fit inside the unbending rigors of the Divine Office.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We
are looking at a prospectus for the year.
Theirs is built-in! The
nuns at Regina Laudis went through months of interviews and studies, weighing
the challenges of a full-blown life of spiritual dedication. The nuns in Cor Unum just clicked on
the link!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We
are, nun-the-less, taking part in true monastic living within these cyber
walls. Let’s take a look at the
things we have explored so far this year.
We have looked into:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin-left: 1.0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->The summing up of all things in Christ</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->The hope that we may see those around us
delivered from destruction</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->The honors of life in Christ</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->The essential part that diligence plays</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->The practice of “Conversatio,” the commitment to
Christlikeness</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->The “Lectio Divina” study of the Word of God, <i>with </i>God</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->The effects of good nutrition and proper rest of
our endeavor</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin-left: 1.0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->The elements and reality of voluntary reverence</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin-left: 1.0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
It’s likely that
the Abbess and the professed nuns at Regina Laudis would agree, “That’s a <b><i>lot!” </i></b>Indeed, it is. They, however, seeking out life in an
enclosed order, are required beforehand to study and consider these things before
they enter, knowing that all this and more will be worked into the fabric of
their souls in time. No less do we!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
When a young
woman comes to the doors of a traditional Benedictine or Carmelite or Franciscan
(Poor Clare) monastery or convent, she knows that within the hour her street
clothes will be exchanged for a habit.
She will be wearing the short veil of the new postulant. She knows she will not at all be
expected to “keep up” or perfectly fit into the intricacies of monastic life,
but she believes that she will <b><i>belong</i></b>. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
We, too, know
that we belong here, and that spiritual diligence will pay off. We know that study and prayer together,
with a careful and watchful persistence in obedience to the Word makes a
difference in our souls. We know
that there have been seasons of prayer in our lives that changed things, and
there have been times when we followed our flesh around, led like a bull with a
ring in its nose! <br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
We have also
seen that tiny steps in a right direction have redirected our entire life and
hope.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
Just as we know
that almost any diet will work, if we stick to it, we have seen that Marketplace Monasticism can be for us the training of which Paul spoke. All the runners run, but only one receives
the prize. In Christ, it is always
the one who finishes in His image.
<b><i>That </i></b>is why we came to these doors, and that is why we stay.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
<o:p><br /></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
<o:p>public domain,</o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
<o:p>White House staff meeting</o:p></div>
<!--EndFragment-->Kerryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14395083865240080050noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5304306829461638234.post-27771947260270931982013-01-25T05:51:00.000-06:002013-01-25T05:51:15.521-06:00To Bow . . . or Not to Give it a Thought!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIuo0sQFWcepuBN8LhbKPiphu8Avo5Pf1rWveCVevgKW6gbkLGyThRLT2oBYyTvMitEGYAWzrBz2G8NxpABDD6aYa_7wX56kADS9SJCiUSLoIM5GFyr-Jgk8eGMsVBgW7MXkTnb3BM-0U/s1600/eiir0017.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIuo0sQFWcepuBN8LhbKPiphu8Avo5Pf1rWveCVevgKW6gbkLGyThRLT2oBYyTvMitEGYAWzrBz2G8NxpABDD6aYa_7wX56kADS9SJCiUSLoIM5GFyr-Jgk8eGMsVBgW7MXkTnb3BM-0U/s320/eiir0017.jpg" width="243" /></a></div>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
“And now, a word about bowing . . .”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
When we picture daily life inside a
monastery or convent, we can see the nuns in their sweeping habits (now pants
and a cardigan,) bowing before God.
We know it is an every day obeisance for nuns in cloistered life, in and
out of the chapel, at the altar, during Mass, many times each day. As habits have become more up-to-date,
obeisance has become more curt and formal, but they bow, they acknowledge the
majesty and the supremacy and the Presence of God.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
Here in Cor Unum we <b><i>love </i></b>to
take things out and look at them, especially our own hearts, opinions,
shortcomings, and predilections.
Is there anything for us in what they do so “religiously”? Is it religious? Would it be phony for us – a put on –
if we were to begin to bring our
deep bending of the knee before Him, when we rise? Before we sleep?
Would He like it? Can we
tell, one way or the other, how He feels about it? Why don’t we do it?
Why should we? </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
Is it silly and superfluous? He doesn’t need our posturing. What real difference does it make? Lord God, give us the joys of honest
faith, of truth in the inward parts! Perhaps we can answer all those questions
with a quick survey of some of those who famously bowed in Scripture:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
Abigail before King David: “When
Abigail saw David, she quickly got off her donkey and bowed down before David
with her face to the ground. She
fell at his feet and said, ‘My lord, let the blame be on me alone. Please let your servant speak to you;
hear what your servant has to say.’”
(1 Samuel 25:23, 24)
Abigail, we will recall, ended up <b><i>married to David!</i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<b><i><br /></i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
Then there was the Shunnamite
woman, the one who built the prophet’s suite for Elisha: ”When she reached the
man of God at the mountain, she took hold of his feet. Gehazi came over to push her away, but
the man of God said, ‘Leave her alone!
She is in bitter distress, but the LORD has hidden it from me and has
not told me why.’” (2 Kings 4:27)
This woman bowed before Elisha again, when her son was raised from the
dead! </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
Jairus fell at Jesus’ feet, Mark
5:22. His daughter lived. The woman whose daughter had an unclean
spirit fell at His feet, Mark 7:25.
Her daughter was set free.
The leper who was cleansed returned to Jesus and fell at His feet, Luke
17:16. Mary fell at His feet when
she implored Him concerning her brother Lazarus, John 11:32.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
We know the answers to our unasked
questions. Is it silly and
superfluous to bow before God? Is
it just a religious act? Is there
anything for us in it? We know the
answers. There are two,
primarily. First, He is worthy. Second, if He didn’t like it, He
wouldn’t have made special note of those who did it! For our cloistered Sisters and for us, the <b><i>real </i></b>advantage
and truth is that we needn’t wait until desperation, distress, and death arrive! We may bow low before Him – we may bow
a tiny beginner bow this day, or learn online how to curtsey! Because we are alive! Because <b><i>He</i></b> is alive. Because He
doesn’t demand it!<b><i> </i></b> That’s why we
live monastically, here in this heart’s cloister, in order to abide in Him in
keeping with His veiled beauty and glory and our hidden majesty. Not one of us will know what the
other has done, except that we all know why we are here, seeking Him with our
whole heart and soul and mind and strength, all alone, together.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
public domain</div>
<!--EndFragment-->Kerryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14395083865240080050noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5304306829461638234.post-29463105144846818222013-01-24T06:00:00.000-06:002013-01-24T21:23:34.311-06:00How Much More<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br /></div>
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Begging a moment of indulgence . . . with whom will we fall
asleep tonight, in the monastery of our hearts? Favorite comedian?
Favorite newscaster . . . author . . . musician . . . movie star?</div>
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<br /></div>
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The Lord’s doesn’t have to be the
last voice we hear, although that’s a monastic rule worth striving toward, but
let’s remember Him, give Him our thanks and praise, speak His Name, and
determine at the very least never to fall asleep without bringing our souls
before Him and bidding Him goodnight.
In truth, the Lord God keeps our hearts beating and our lungs breathing
throughout the night, while we sleep.
Even if we could mindfully monitor those pulses during the day, we
certainly cannot when we surrender ourselves to sleep. Oh, the evidences He has given that
there is a God, an Almighty Creator King, whose banner over us is love!</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
To wake in the morning and fall
asleep at night without turning our hearts to Him is tremendously worse than to have spent the day by invitation at the White House,
or with Queen Elizabeth, and then just . . . taking off. Leaving without taking leave, a solemn
breach of courtesy, decorum and propriety. </div>
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<br /></div>
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I love majesty. I’ll tell you why. I’m not enamored of royal celebrity,
but what we have left of monarchy on earth speaks continually of the Monarchy
of heaven. Those who work at
Buckingham Palace or Windsor Castle NEVER serve so long that they may bring the
last tea tray, turn and walk out.
Never. When Elizabeth’s
father returned home from his Accession ceremony, she and Margaret Rose
curtsied to him, for they were taught unfailing respect for their nation, and
the monarch is the living representation of the nation and its God-given place
on earth. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
Perhaps in America that would have
been for them a Dr. Phil moment, a scarring for life. Not so for these royal sisters. They loved their Papa dearly. Even as little girls, they knew what
they were doing, who he was, what he had been called to do. They themselves were Princesses of the
Royal Blood. It was their honor to
honor him. Had he not been worthy
of their bow, they would not have been the Royal Highnesses that they were.</div>
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</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
There are many, many “how much
more” reminders here in Cor Unum, and this is one of them: <b><i>how much more </i></b>ought we to
<b><i>train</i></b>
our self-absorbed, and in America our “at liberty,” flesh to recognize the
Majesty of our bloodline. </div>
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<br /></div>
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So, before many hours are past,
night will fall again. This
obeisance is not the good training that comes to housemaids and valets (thanks
you, Julian Fellowes,) this is real life, our life. This is His majesty.
Because we fall asleep in His Presence, shall we treat Him like a
nursemaid? Oh, the tremendous
honor and majesty, comfort and assurance, glory and steadfastness of bowing
before a real Monarch! The Monarch
of monarchs! He is our Papa, and
He is King. Our ministry to
Majesty does not identify Him, it defines us! How great our privilege, that before every knee <b><i>will
bow</i></b>, we may bring our deep, deep love before Him in all we do, day and
night, waking and sleeping, in friendship, yes, and reverence . . . even now.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
photo, public domain</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
contributor, Sunday Truth</div>
<!--EndFragment-->Kerryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14395083865240080050noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5304306829461638234.post-20880490622661609972013-01-23T07:19:00.000-06:002013-01-23T07:19:22.772-06:00"He Giveth His Beloved Sleep"<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
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<br /></div>
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It must be humbling to live so
close together as nuns do and yet not be able to vaunt one’s personality and
predilections.</div>
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<br /></div>
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“I’m a night-owl. I get my second wind around 10:00
p.m.” </div>
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<br /></div>
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“I’m up long before the early
bird. I’ve finished half a day’s
work before the sun comes up!”</div>
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<br /></div>
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Which are you? If we lived together in cloister, we
would know one another quite well in a fairly short time, but the “night owl”
has to turn her lights out at the same time as her Sisters! The early riser may wake up, but she
cannot get going until the gong sounds!
No special kudos will ever belong to either.</div>
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<br /></div>
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The chosen monastic work is the
same for everybody: to stay in the closest possible fellowship with God,
individually, and to squeeze every last drop of worship out of the clock’s …
and the heart’s … allowance. Here
in Cor Unum, it is ours, too. Whether
we have jobs, children, both, husbands, loneliness, obligations, all or none,
we want what nuns want – MORE OF GOD!
We are what they are, numbered among those who will walk with God where
they are! That is <b><i>nun-ship! </i></b>We may not seem to have as many
drops, but we will offer what we have to God, and it is enough. We may be surprised at how full the
cup.</div>
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<br /></div>
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The <i>Opus Dei </i>is
their chosen work, and to each his own before God, it’s ours, too. Twenty-four hours each, that’s what we
are given. We will order our days
toward the Nearness of God and prayer.
That accomplishment will require proper sleep. Without rest, we cannot worship and pray as we would. In chronic exhaustion, we wouldn’t if
we could. There have been
miraculous exemptions for those who have known forced labor and war, and for
those times when we have to make our way through personal tragedy. However, on a day-to-day basis <b><i>our
commitment to seek the Lord is tied to our commitment to rest as we should. </i></b></div>
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<br /></div>
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We know by His Word that God
“giveth His beloved sleep.” (Psalm
127:2) We know we are His beloved
people. We know, too, that we love
to watch television, check email, pick up a good book, or call somebody who’s
still up, right to the door of bedtime, even a late bedtime. (For married women, it isn’t only the
Lord who takes a back seat to our bad habits!)</div>
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<br /></div>
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This matter in this monastery is
entirely personal. The gong
doesn’t sound to signal the Great Silence (more’s the pity!), but the alarm
clock does chime in the morning.
In honor to the God we love, let’s begin to make sure we get the sleep
we really need. Let both too
little and too much give way to proper rest. It’s nothing more than the encouragement we would give our
own children, if they were off to college, and nothing less than we would want
for them, starting their adult or married lives. There is something spiritually MIGHTY about doing ourselves
those things we have drilled into our kids!</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
"Too Much Christmas!"</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
from the Abbey photo file</div>
<!--EndFragment-->Kerryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14395083865240080050noreply@blogger.com0