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Happy Easter!

Monday, April 5th, 2010
Jesus Christ
For the next 60 seconds, set aside whatever you’re doing and take this opportunity!
Let’s see if Satan can stop this.
THE (SCIENTIFIC) DEATH OF JESUS
At the age of 33, Jesus was condemned to the death penalty.
At the time, crucifixion was the “worst” death. Only the worst criminals were condemned to be crucified. Yet it was even more dreadful for Jesus, unlike other criminals condemned to death by crucifixion Jesus was to be nailed to the cross by His hands and feet.
Each nail was 6 to 8 inches long.
The nails were driven into His wrist. Not into His palms as is commonly portrayed.. There’s a tendon in the wrist that extends to the shoulder.. The Roman guards knew that when the nails were being hammered into the wrist that tendon would tear and break, forcing Jesus to use His back muscles to support himself so that He could breathe.
Both of His feet were nailed together. Thus He was forced to support Himself on the single nail that impaled His feet to the cross. Jesus could not support himself with His legs because of the pain, so He was forced to alternate between arching His back then using his legs just to continue to breath. Imagine the struggle, the pain, the suffering, the courage.
Jesus endured this reality for over 3 hours.
Yes, over 3 hours! Can you imagine this kind of suffering? A few minutes before He died, Jesus stopped bleeding.
He was simply pouring water from his wounds.
From common images we see wounds to His hands and feet and even the spear wound to His side. But do we realize His wounds were actually made in his body. A hammer driving large nails through the wrists, the feet overlapped and an even larger nail hammered through the arches, then a Roman guard piercing His side with a spear.. But before the nails and the spear Jesus was whipped and beaten. The whipping was so severe that it tore the flesh from His body. The beating so horrific that His face was torn and his beard ripped from His face. The crown of thorns cut deeply into His scalp. Most men would not have survived this torture.
He had no more blood to bleed out, only water poured from His wounds.
The human adult body contains about 3..5 liters (just less than a gallon) of blood.
Jesus poured all 3.5 liters of his blood; He had three nails hammered into his members; a crown of thorns on his head and, beyond that, a Roman soldier who stabbed a spear into his chest.
All these without mentioning the humiliation He passed after carrying his own cross for almost 2 kilometers, while the crowd spat in his face and threw stones (the cross was almost 30 kg of weight, only for its higher part, where his hands were nailed).
Jesus had to endure this experience, so that you can have free access to God.
So that your sins could be washed away by the blood of Chirst. All of them, with no exception! Don’t ignore this situation. JESUS CHRIST DIED FOR YOU! For you, who now reads this e-mail. If you will be obedient to His will, you can have eternal salvation.  But you must follow His commandments.  Jesus said: “If you love me, keep my commandments.”
Jesus said:
1.  You must believe that He is the Son of God.
2.  You must repent of your sins.
3.  You must confess Him before men.
He died for you! It is easy to pass jokes or foolish photos by e-mail, but when it comes to God, sometimes you feel ashamed to forward it to others because you are worried what they may think about you.
Accept the reality, the truth that JESUS IS THE ONLY SALVATION FOR THE WORLD.
God has plans for you, show all your friends what He experienced to save you. Now think about this! May God bless your life!
60 seconds with God…
For the next 60 seconds, set aside what you’re doing and take this opportunity! Let’s see if Satan can stop this.
All you have to do is:
1. Simply pray for the person who sent this message to you:
Lord, you know the life of my friends. I ask You to bless them in all things and help them to be obedient to your will. Take care of their family, their health, their work and all their future plans. Lead them not into temptation, but deliver them from evil. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
2.Then, send this message to 10 people.
3. 10 people will pray for you and you will make that many people pray to God for other people.
4. Take a moment to appreciate the power of God in your life, for doing what pleases Him.
If you are not ashamed to do this, please, follow Jesus’ instructions. He said (Matthew 10:32 & 33): “Everyone therefore who acknowledges me before others, I also will acknowledge before my Father in heaven; but whosoever denies me before others, I also will deny before my Father in heaven”.
If you believe, send this message… But send it only if you believe Christ Jesus is your Lord and Savior.
Yes, I love God.. He is my source of life and my Saviour. He keeps me alive day and night.
Without Him I am nothing, but with Him “I can do all things through Him who strengthens me”.
Philippians 4:13.
This is the simple proof. If you love God and you believe and trust in salvation through Christ Jesus, send this to all those you love.

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The Interior Castle by St. Theresa of Avila

Monday, February 15th, 2010

This amazing classic can be downloaded for free (or for a small donation of $2.95 for a PDF version) from http://ccel.org  Classic Christian Ethereal Library.  This is a great site as iit has many public domain books that are classics in Christian Literature.  I have been using this site for years, and have found many of the great classics there.

The Interior Castle by St. Theresa of Avila seems as if it were written yesterday, instead of 1583.  Her metaphors and descriptions of one’s various stages of spiritual capacity (mansions) are well done, and brilliantly illustrate the spiritual light and passion to which she is so well attuned.

Please pick this book up for free or download it for free (or PDF).  If you have a nook, it can be downloaded to your My B&N folder on your computer from http://www.ccel.org and next time you update your nook, you can copy it over.  OR you can download a free e-reader from Barnes and Noble and read the text version which is free.

This book is worth your time and investment of it, much the same as The Cloud of Unknowing.  It is one of the mystical classics.

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Becoming a Lay Cistercian

Monday, May 4th, 2009

I have finally requested acceptance into the Lay Cistercian formation at the Monastery of the Holy Spirit in Conyers, GA.  I don’t know if or when the good brothers and Fathers will review, consider and decide on my candidacy.  I have considered this an important step in my alignment with the Rule of Benedict, as it has been a very good influence on my core beliefs, and part of my ongoing spiritual formation. 

As I reviewed the observances of the Lay Cistercian, I realized that I am in the midst of doing or have been doing  the following (by no means on a strict basis, but mindfully as possible) for the past few years.  I like having the form or definition of the observances as a standard against which I can strive to achieve:We strive for fidelity to a lifestyle that includes the following contemplative observances as a way to order our lives toward God. We see these observances as instruments for a life of contemplative discipline.

Way Of Life

Holy Eucharist. Daily reception of the Holy Eucharist is seen as an expression of our union with Christ and with one another.

Liturgy of the Hours. Praying of one or more Hours of the Divine Office each day allows us to participate in the prayer of Christ for His Church.

Lectio Divina. To encounter the Word of God we allow a period of at least 20 minutes a day for lectio divina and meditation.

Silence and Solitude. As Lay-Cistercians we strive to develop a contemplative dimension within our lives by seeking opportunities for silence and solitude.

Devotion to Mary, Our Blessed Mother. We pray the Rosary daily as a devotion to Our Blessed Mother and bring our day to a close by praying the Salve Regina.

Special Devotions. Lay-Cistercians have a special devotion to Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament; the Holy Trinity; Our Lady of the Assumption, Patroness of the Cistercians; Saints of the Cistercian Order; as well as personal patrons.

The Sacrament of Reconciliation. Lay-Cistercians are encouraged to receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation on a monthly basis, or more frequently if desired. This is consistent with living a life of continuous conversion.

Community Gathering Days. Lay-Cistercians meet monthly for a day of prayer, study and community sharing. During this time we receive on-going formation from our Spiritual Father(s) which facilitates our endeavor to incorporate contemplative spirituality into our daily lives. Community members are encouraged to seek additional opportunities for prayer and sharing with one another as time and personal circumstance permit.

Annual Retreat. The Lay-Cistercian Community spends one weekend each year in a retreat at the monastery. Members are encouraged to schedule additional retreat time throughout the year.

Work, Material Goods and Supporting the Church. We strive to approach our work in the world with an attitude of reverence, balance, and thanksgiving. We care for all material goods entrusted to us as gifts from God.
Lay-Cistercians are encouraged to contribute to the Church and the poor according to their means. When possible, we are associated with the Spiritual and Corporal Works of Mercy of the monastery.

My family is in support of it, and perhaps, one day they will decide it is a good way of life.  Not that they don’t already, but as a committed state, time will tell.  I hope that by my choices and example, I can learn, and by my consistency and practice I can inspire.

Bill
Webmaster – http://thecloudofunknowing.com

 

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Being Still with Self/self is key to being still w/God

Wednesday, April 29th, 2009

Learning to trust oneself, forgive oneself and others is a fundamental to becoming comfortable with your Self/self.  When practicing contemplation learning to allow mental, emotional, visual, physical and auditory distractions to pass without attachment provides a gentle and forgiving release and return to one’s true surrender to God’s prescence within.

I am simply restating the premise of the recoined Centering Prayer method of using one’s “intent to consent” to God’s prescence within you.  After trying many of the meditation approaches, where one has to follow a tradition or mantra, or method seems to reinforce duality (the idea that what you want is “over there”), when in fact the truth is, all you have to do is accept what you have, and understand that God is waiting for you to invite him “in”.  You already have the power to access this relationship simply by opening your self by using your repeated intent to consent (surrender) (invitation) to allow God in to your space.

You will not be transformed into a bliss-ninny, Jesus Freak, om-chanting, nut case, but will receive a subtle relationship with God, who will lovingly accept all your issues, faults, etc..  It is His allowing that allows US to grow.  This is such an elegant thing…

I was always afraid that if I completely surrendered to God, I would lose control of my life.  What I have lost is my fear, not my control.  I am much more able to flow with the synchronicity of events in my life and love more.

 

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Centering Prayer is not “New Age”

Wednesday, April 22nd, 2009

Centering Prayer or Contemplative Prayer as handed down from the days of Jesus (or before), has survived mainly in the monasteries as a practice reserved only for those who had the natural urge to be contemplatives.  This practice was passed on generation after generation until the anonymous author wrote “The Cloud of Unknowing”, and on until 1970 when Fr. Thomas Keating, Wm. Meninger, and Fr. Basil Pennington put the process into a more modern format.

This approach to intimacy with God is as old as at least our Christian beginnings.  Perhaps it is an application of knowledge acquired in Jesus’ travels.

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Welcome to Benedict’s Cave

Saturday, June 14th, 2008

St. BenedictThis is my first day and attempt to create a space for those who seek a space away from the world to support their search for God.

I also have a site http://thecloudofunknowing.com in which I have opened a window into this subject as well.

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