Living Without School: Sharing my reading and thinking.

Monday, September 25, 2006

Sharing my reading and thinking.

I am currently reading four books.

One is Scott Hahn's "The Lamb's Supper."

Can I share a quote? I read this during my prayer/reading time this morning.

"We offer ourselves and all that we have. Not because we're so special, but because we know the Lord can take what is temporal and make it eternal, take what is human and make it divine. The Second Vatican Council spoke powerfully of the offering of the laity: "Their work, prayers and apostolic endeavours, their ordinary married and family life, their daily labour, their mental and physical relaxation...all of these become spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. During the celebration of the Eucharist these sacrifices are most lovingly offerred to the Father along with the Lord's body. Thus as worshippers whose every deed is holy, the lay faithful consecrate the world itself to God." ( Lumen Gentium 34)"

Hahn also writes, with regard to the Mass, that
~ " Homilies don't have to entertain us."

Ouch. Father's homily yesterday, on praying well, was an example of this.

Not entertaining but requiring me to question myself. Another ouch.

Am I praying for God's will or for what I or dh want?

Is my work and life a spiritual sacrifice?

11 comments:

Anonymous said...: I read that book back when Sarah was going through FHC prep and loved it :-) It really helped me to focus on the miracle of the Mass. I need to re-read it, thanks for the reminder. Speaking of 'ouch', I started reading bits of The Hidden Power of Kindness - oh my :-/cmoipvix; 11:26 am
Anonymous said...: hahaha....i wondered why the letters weren't appearing in the box ;-); 11:28 am
Cindy said...: Lovely post Leonie.

The knowledge that our imperfect lives and works can be made divine is so comforting.

(Beate... I know your code letters! lol lol)

;)

Cindy; 11:36 am
Leonie said...: Ouch is right, Beate - maybe I should read The Hidden Power of Kindness, too. :-)

Hey, Cindy, now we both know the code! roflol!; 1:40 pm
Ladybug Mommy Maria said...: Oh, we're going to read this book for a book club meeting in January...

And guess what books I'm reading...

The Temperment God Gave You AND
The Hidden Power of Kindness! LOL!

I think the Holy Spirit is at work!; 4:07 pm
Cindy said...: Hey Maria.. I am reading The Temperment God Gave you. Just got to a very, very enlightening chapter about haveing a Plegmatic spouse.... talk about OUCH! I have been handling this all wrong! :)

I am not sure what I am... part Sanguine, part Chlororic... a bit of Melencholy but not much..

Need to pull out my HPOK again. Nice to know all are reading these, too.

tonpb

(my code! I like easy ones like this.. sometimes I just hit return hoping they give me an easier one lol lol); 10:02 pm
Leonie said...: So, Cindy and Maria - do you recommend The Temperament God Gave you. Who is the author? I have tended to stay away from temperament books in the past, simply because I find it hard to pigeonhole myself and don't want to label others.You two make the book sound very worthwhile.

And I hate complicated codes on blogs - you had simple one, Cindy!
:-); 10:41 pm
Ladybug Mommy Maria said...: Leonie, I know what you mean about pigeonholing!

But I am liking the book to help me understand the strengths and weaknesses of the different types AND help me to better communicate.

I'm struggling to determine my temperement because I see aspects of all 4 in myself.

Oh, the au thors are Art and Laraine Bennett.

lzbbis; 1:16 am
Leonie said...: Thanks for sharing the authors, Maria.; 5:29 pm
Anonymous said...: To pray for They Will and not my will requires such humility and trust ! Sometimes I feel it is a time issue - longer prayer time to empty oneself of 'ego' as much as possible in order to catch a glimmer of 'They Will'.

I remember as a younger parent, when still a 'baby' in the faith really - Church swapping so as to go to a Mass that entertained the family, the right music, sermons, ambience etc. It was in many ways the children who opened my eyes to the truth of Sacrament, sacrifice and a need for an outpouring of reverence rather than an infilling of entertainment.

Our Parish priest is a humble little man who often stutters - but his messages are so challenging! Once he said to us that the only reason we are not saints is that we don't want to be. The more I thought on the phrase the more it was true (for me) He didn't mean great deeds - just saintly living.

I really like the thought that our daily mundane tasks doen in the right spirit are daily offerings to Christ.

Love Scott Hahn's books. Bought a few (not all read) when I did a course on Church history last year - you inspire me to pull them out of the shelf.

Shannon; 12:54 pm
Leonie said...: Shannon, several of us are reading books by Scott Hahn - we have them on loan from a priest in our parish.; 8:17 pm

Prayer of Consecration of St. Maximilian Kolbe

O Immaculata, Queen of Heaven and earth, refuge of sinners and our most loving Mother, God has willed to entrust the entire order of mercy to thee. I, N___, a repentant sinner, cast myself at thy feet humbly imploring thee to take me with all that I am and have, wholly to thyself as thy possession and property. Please make of me, of all my powers of soul and body, of my whole life, death and eternity, whatever most pleases thee. If it pleases thee, use all that I am and have without reserve, wholly to accomplish what was said of thee: "She will crush your head," and, "Thou alone have destroyed all heresies in the whole world."

Let me be a fit instrument in thine Immaculate and merciful hands for introducing and increasing the maximum in all the many strayed and indifferent souls, and thus help extend as far as possible the blessed Kingdom of the most Sacred Heart of Jesus. For wherever thou enters, one obtains the grace of conversion and growth in holiness, since it is through thy hands that all graces come to us from the most Sacred Heart of Jesus.

V. Allow me to praise thee O Sacred Virgin.
R. Give me strength against thy enemies.

Prayer of St Bonaventure

Pierce, O most Sweet Lord Jesus, my inmost soul with the most joyous and healthful wound of Thy love, with true, serene, and most holy apostolic charity, that my soul may ever languish and melt with love and longing for Thee, that it may yearn for Thee and faint for Thy courts, and long to be dissolved and to be with Thee.Grant that my soul may hunger after Thee, the bread of angels, the refreshment of holy souls, our daily and supersubstantial bread, having all sweetness and savor and every delight of taste; let my heart ever hunger after and feed upon Thee, upon whom the angels desire to look, and may my inmost soul be filled with the sweetness of Thy savor; may it ever thirst after Thee, the fountain of life, the fountain of wisdom and knowledge, the fountain of eternal light, the torrent of pleasure, the richness of the house of God.May it ever compass Thee, seek Thee, find Thee, run to Thee, attain Thee, meditate upon Thee, speak of Thee, and do all things to the praise and glory of Thy name, with humility and discretion, with love and delight, with ease and affection, and with perseverance unto the end.May Thou alone be ever my hope, my entire assurance, my riches, my delight, my pleasure, my joy, my rest and tranquility, my peace, my sweetness, my fragrance, my sweet savor, my food, my refreshment, my refuge, my help, my wisdom, my portion, my possession and my treasure, in whom may my mind and my heart be fixed and firmly rooted immovably henceforth and for ever. Amen.