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TODAY’S WORD…

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I ask that your minds may be opened to see His light,

so that you will know

what is the hope to which He has called you,

how rich are the wonderful blessings He promises His people,

and how very great is His power at work in us who believe.

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– Ephesians 1:18-19 (GNT)

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REFLECTION…

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The author of these verses, St Paul,

prays to God and asks

that we not only be given a deeper knowledge of God,

but that we are granted a fuller and livelier hope,

because God and hope are inseparable.

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Hope is a gift from God,

and this prayer asks for hope to shine more brightly

for us who embrace our Christian faith

which we reflect by striving to love others

in the manner that Jesus taught us.

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St. Paul prays that God enlightens our minds

that we may realise what it truly means

to be members of the holy people of God

– to be good and worthy Christians.

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The ground for hope lies in God’s love and power.

That same power is what is instilled in us through our faith

as we contemplate upon God’s eternal plan for our salvation.

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QUOTES…

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“Hope is a supernatural virtue,

infused by God into our soul,

by which we desire and expect eternal life,

promised by God to His servants,

and the means necessary to obtain it” .

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– St Pius X Catechism

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“Believing means

surrendering ourselves to God

and entrusting our destiny to Him.

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Believing means

entering into a personal relationship with our Creator and Redeemer

in the power of the Holy Spirit,

and making this relationship the basis of our whole life.”

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– Pope Benedict XVI

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“In heaven […]

our minds will find the Truth in Him

and the Beauty that we will never cease to contemplate;

and our hearts will find the Good

that we will never tire to enjoy.”

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– Fr Raniero Cantalamessa

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PRAYER…

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Come, Holy Spirit, and open the eyes of my heart.

Lift me up to heaven

so that I can see the hope to which I have been called.

Show me my glorious inheritance in Christ.

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Holy Spirit, transform me

and fill me with God’s great power!

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Amen.

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[*]

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REPETITIVE PRAYER FOR TODAY…

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Come, Holy Spirit, and open the eyes of my heart.

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YEAR OF FAITH 2012-2013

FROM THE CATECHISM OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH…

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In Jesus Christ,

the whole of God’s truth has been made manifest.

Full of grace and truth,

He came as the “light of the world,”

He is the Truth.

“Whoever believes in me may not remain in darkness.” (Jn 12:46)

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[…] To follow Jesus is to live in “the Spirit of truth,”

whom the Father sends in His name

and who leads into all the truth.

To His disciples Jesus teaches the unconditional love of truth:

“Let what you say be simply ‘Yes or No.'” (Mat 5:37)

[CCC 2466]

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[*] Today’s prayer is from an article by Joe Difato – publisher of “The Word Among Us”]