Dying to Self

GNW CARING CIRCLE: AUGUST 10, 2012

GOSPEL: JOHN 12:24-26

Jesus said to his disciples:
"Amen, amen, I say to you,
unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies,
it remains just a grain of wheat;
but if it dies, it produces much fruit.
Whoever loves his life loses it,
and whoever hates his life in this world
will preserve it for eternal life.
Whoever serves me must follow me,
and where I am, there also will my servant be.
The Father will honor whoever serves me."

REFLECTIONS:

1) DYING TO SELF IS "SPIRITUAL TRAINING"

Another word for dying to self is mortification (also synonymous in most spiritual writers with self-denial, abnegation, self-renunciation).  

The intentionality of an act of mortification is to “punish [i.e., discipline] my body [i.e., self-seeking tendencies] and bring it under control, to avoid any risk that, having acted as herald for others, I myself may be disqualified” (1 Corinthians 9:27). 

In other words, I freely deny the satisfaction of a normal and healthy desire in order to grow in my spiritual maturity, to learn to govern the self-seeking tendencies built into my fallen nature. For example, I purposefully mortify my perfectly legitimate desire for dessert on Wednesdays and Fridays during Lent, so that I am better able to control an illegitimate desire to get drunk whenever that desire happens to surface. Mortification is spiritual training, tempering of the willpower in order to be able to better govern our passions and instincts... starving the bad plants in the garden (vices and selfish tendencies) so the good plants (virtues) can flourish. - Fr. John Bartunek

2) IN FORGIVING, WE DIE TO SELF

When you or I forgive someone, we die (to our own egos or selves) so that the other can live—and a wounded relationship can be healed. Forgiveness requires a total gift of self for the benefit of the other, not unlike Jesus' death on Good Friday. We die to self (to our desire for justice or fair play and to our raw instinct to return evil for evil) so that the offending person can be set free and hopefully move toward reconciliation. In the process we, too, are set free and rise to a more compassionate level of being.

The purpose of Jesus' coming to this earth was to bring God's love and forgiveness to humanity that we might enjoy fullness of life. The motive of course was love—God's loving care for us that we might come to full life and development as human beings created in God's image. As in the case of our own acts of forgiving others, God's love and forgiveness require a kind of dying or self-emptying on God's part—a leaving the divine glory behind and humbly taking the form of a slave (see Philippians 2:6-8) so that we creatures might be set free to embrace that wonderful life-giving relationship with God intended from the beginning. - Friar Jack Wintz, O.F.M.

The Voice of the Shepherd

GNW CARING CIRCLE: JULY 10, 2012 

VERSE BEFORE THE GOSPEL

I am the good shepherd, says the Lord, I know my sheep, and mine know me.

GOSPEL: MATTHEW 9:32-38

A demoniac who could not speak was brought to Jesus,
and when the demon was driven out the mute man spoke.
The crowds were amazed and said,
"Nothing like this has ever been seen in Israel."
But the Pharisees said,
"He drives out demons by the prince of demons."

Jesus went around to all the towns and villages,
teaching in their synagogues,
proclaiming the Gospel of the Kingdom,
and curing every disease and illness.
At the sight of the crowds, his heart was moved with pity for them
because they were troubled and abandoned,
like sheep without a shepherd.
Then he said to his disciples,
"The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few;
so ask the master of the harvest
to send out laborers for his harvest."

* * * * *

FOOD FOR THOUGHT:

In the midst of our busy-ness and activity, are we still able to "hear" the voice of our Good Shepherd?

* * * * *

REFLECTION:

From the book, "Good Morning... GOD" (by Pamela Steinke)

July 11 Entry

*text in purple added

"There must be priorities.  The heart of man is a delicate thing.  It is easily overloaded and unbalanced by the worries and cares and even the pleasures of life.  I must come first; I must be allowed to weave Myself throughout the fabric of daily living.  That is where I belong, threaded through the most intricate details of human existence, ever able to save and keep that which is given to Me.  Waiting always to bring about that which is best in each life.

"Follow then, not at a distance, not reluctantly as a spoiled child, nor running on ahead -- but keeping in step with with Master (or Shepherd).  Allow Me to take My proper place, one moment at a time.  I must come first before all else that seeks to engage you.  This is the way, the only way to know Me, to hear My voice, to understand My calling, to know and follow My guidance. Nothing less will do."

Prayer + Service

GNW CARING CIRCLE: MAY 16, 2012 

GOSPEL: MATTHEW 22:36-39

TAKE-HOME THOUGHT:

Let us not forget that to complete the image of the cross, we need to have both the VERTICAL dimension (me and God) and the HORIZONTAL dimension (me and others) present in our lives. And one way of actualizing this is through PRAYER (for vertical) and SERVICE (for horizontal).

PRAYER TOOLS:

Remember, it's important to have a balance between quiet time and any outward form of expressing praise such as singing or dancing.  Here are some songs that I hope will help you strike that balance.  

FOR SILENT PRAYER / MEDITATION (CONTEMPLATIVE)

FOR PRAISE & WORSHIP (CHARISMATIC)

LIFTING OUR HANDS:

There are a number of different reasons why we lift up our hands while praying.  

Just like in real life, we raise up our arms/hands when...

1) We are IN AWE of something (like how beautiful nature is!)

2) We are ASKING for something (like a baby asks a Father to pick him/her up!)

3) We are OFFERING something  

4) We are SUPER HAPPY!!! :-)

... so it is when we PRAY.  We raise are hands when we WORSHIP & THANK our awesome God; present our PETITIONS to Him; OFFER to Him all that we have and all that we are; and because we are simply OVERJOYED by His love that fills us!!! :-)

Fill in the Blanks

GNW CARING CIRCLE: MAY 9, 2012 

GOSPEL: JOHN 15:9-17 (Gospel for Sunday, May 13)

Jesus said to his disciples:

"As the Father loves me, so I also love you.

Remain in my love.

If you keep my commandments, you will remain in my love,

just as I have kept my Father's commandments

and remain in his love."

"I have told you this so that my joy may be in you

and your joy might be complete.

This is my commandment: love one another as I love you.

No one has greater love than this,

to lay down one's life for one's friends.

You are my friends if you do what I command you.

I no longer call you slaves,

because a slave does not know what his master is doing.

I have called you friends,

because I have told you everything I have heard from my Father.

It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you

and appointed you to go and bear fruit that will remain,

so that whatever you ask the Father in my name he may give you.

This I command you: love one another."

* * * * *

FOOD FOR THOUGHT:

Do we really know what it takes to "love" (or be loving)?

* * * * *

AN EXERCISE:

Using the attributes listed in 1 Cor 13:4-8, let us replace the word "love" with our own names, to help us remember what it really means to LOVE.

__________________ is patient.

__________________ is kind.

__________________ is not jealous.

__________________ does not boast.

__________________ is not proud.

__________________ is not rude.

__________________ does not seek his/her own interests.

__________________ is not quick-tempered.

__________________ does not keep a record of wrongs.

__________________ does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.

__________________ bears all things.

__________________ believes all things.

__________________ hopes all things.

__________________ endures all things.

__________________ never fails.

Remain.

GNW CARING CIRCLE: MAY 2, 2012 

GOSPEL: JOHN 15:1-8 (Gospel for Sunday, May 6)

Jesus said to his disciples:

"I am the true vine, and my Father is the vine grower.

He takes away every branch in me that does not bear fruit,

and every one that does he prunes so that it bears more fruit.

You are already pruned because of the word that I spoke to you.

Remain in me, as I remain in you.

Just as a branch cannot bear fruit on its own

unless it remains on the vine,

so neither can you unless you remain in me.

I am the vine, you are the branches.

Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit,

because without me you can do nothing.

Anyone who does not remain in me

will be thrown out like a branch and wither;

people will gather them and throw them into a fire

and they will be burned.

If you remain in me and my words remain in you,

ask for whatever you want and it will be done for you.

By this is my Father glorified,

that you bear much fruit and become my disciples."

 

* * * * *

TAKE-HOME THOUGHT:

The word "REMAIN" comes out 8 times in the Gospel.  

God can't be any clearer in telling us how IMPORTANT it is 

to always remain in Him --

to 'stick' to or 'cling' on to Him --

in order that we may bear the best fruit in our lives!

* * * * *

OUR GOAL:

To always stay CONNECTED to the One, True Vine -- 

Jesus Christ -- 

without whom, we are NOTHING.

The Armor of God

FLASHBACK: FEBRUARY 10, 2010 
GNW CARING CIRCLE
BIBLE VERSE:  EPHESIANS 6:13-16

Therefore, put on the armor of God, 
that you may be able to resist 
on the evil day and, 
having done everything, to hold your ground.
So stand fast with your loins girded in truth, 
clothed with righteousness as a breastplate,
and your feet shod in readiness 
for the gospel of peace.
In all circumstances, hold faith as a shield, 
to quench all [the] flaming arrows 
of the evil one.
And take the helmet of salvation and 
the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

* * * * *

OUR GOAL:

To always SUIT UP and wear the FULL ARMOR OF GOD at all times!

p.s. - Doing this will help us achieve our GOAL in the previous post!  Having our full armor on will help us make the right decisions and bring in those GOD points :-)

Keeping God's Team Strong!

GNW CARING CIRCLE: APRIL 18, 2012 

GOSPEL: JOHN 3:16-21 

God so loved the world that he gave his only-begotten Son,

so that everyone who believes in him might not perish

but might have eternal life.

For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world,

but that the world might be saved through him.

Whoever believes in him will not be condemned,

but whoever does not believe has already been condemned,

because he has not believed in the name of the only-begotten Son of God.

And this is the verdict,

that the light came into the world,

but people preferred darkness to light,

because their works were evil.

For everyone who does wicked things hates the light

and does not come toward the light,

so that his works might not be exposed.

But whoever lives the truth comes to the light,

so that his works may be clearly seen as done in God.

* * * * *

TAKE-HOME THOUGHT:

Everytime we make decisions in our day-to-day lives, 

whose side do we choose? -- the LIGHT or the DARK?

Let's imagine that there's this major "life scoreboard"

where we can either make points for God's Team or the Devil's Team.

OUR GOAL:

Try and rack up more GOD points and keep His team strong!!! :-)