SPIRITUAL EXCERCISES & RSV BIBLE EXTRACTS - WEEK 106
STARTS THURSDAY 4th FEBRUARY 2010
CONVERSION - CHANGE OF HEART IS GOD’S WORK
Weekly message No. 101 (30th January 1986).
God’s plan for us: to become His ‘fellow-workers.’
“Dear children! Today I call you all to pray that Gods plans for us may be realized and also everything that God desires through you! Help others to be converted, especially those who are coming to Medjugorje. Dear children, do not allow Satan to get control of your hearts, so you would be an image of Satan and not of me. I call you to pray for how you might be witnesses of my presence. Without you, God cannot bring to reality that which He desires. God has given a free will to everyone, and it’s in your control. Thank you for having responded to my call.”
PRACTICAL: Meditate this week on the prayer ‘Dedication to Jesus’
Thursday: The Beatitudes (1st part).
Matthew 5:1-6.
1“Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down his disciples came to him. 2And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying: 3Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 4Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. 5Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. 6Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.”
Friday: We are called to share in God's work by becoming His temple.
1 Corinthians 3:9-17.
9For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God's field, God's building. 10According to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled master builder I laid a foundation, and another man is building upon it. Let each man take care how he builds upon it. 11For no other foundation can any one lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12Now if any one builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw-- 13each man's work will become manifest; for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done. 14If the work which any man has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward. 15If any man's work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire. 16Do you not know that you are God's temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you? 17If any one destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him. For God’s temple is holy, and that temple you are.
Cf. Ephesians 2:20-22.
20Bbuilt upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, 21in whom the whole structure is joined together and grows into a holy temple in the Lord; 22in whom you also are built into it for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.
Saturday: Sharing in the ministry of reconciliation by being ambassadors for Christ.
2 Corinthians 5:18-21.
18All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; 19that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. 20So we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We beseech you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. 21For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
Sunday: As God’s ‘fellow-workers’ we must prove ourselves as authentic servants of God
in everything and every situation.
2 Corinthians 6:1-10.
1Working together with him, then, we entreat you not to accept the grace of God in vain. 2For he says, “At the acceptable time I have listened to you, and helped you on the day of salvation. Behold, now is the acceptable time; behold, now is the day of salvation. 3We put no obstacle in any one’s way, so that no fault may be found with our ministry, 4but as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: through great endurance, in afflictions, hardships, calamities, 5beatings, imprisonments, tumults, labours, watching, hunger; 6by purity, knowledge, forbearance, kindness, the Holy Spirit, genuine love, 7truthful speech, and the power of God; with the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and for the left; 8in honor and dishonour, in ill repute and good repute. We are treated as impostors, and yet are true; 9as unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and behold we live; as punished, and yet not killed; 10as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing everything.”
Monday: We are slaves of no one except God.
1 Peter 2:16-17.
16Live as free men, yet without using your freedom as a pretext for evil; but live as servants of God. 17Honour all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor.
Cf. Galatians 5:13.
13For you were called to freedom, brethren; only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love be servants of one another.
Tuesday: We are called to be “Good stewards responsible for all the varied graces of God.”
1 Peter 4:10-11.
10As each has received a gift, employ it for one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace: 11whoever speaks, as one who utters oracles of God; whoever renders service, as one who renders it by the strength which God supplies; in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.
Wednesday: Leadership in humble service following the example of Christ.
Matthew 20:24-28.
24And when the ten heard it, they were indignant at the two brothers. 25But Jesus called them to him and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great men exercise authority over them. 26It shall not be so among you; but whoever would be great among you must be your servant, 27and whoever would be first among you must be your slave; 28even as the Son of man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”