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TODAY’S WORD…

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I am in pain and despair;
lift me up, O God, and save me!
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I will praise God with a song;
I will proclaim His greatness by giving Him thanks.

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– Psalm 69:29-30 (GNT)

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REFLECTION…

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When we find ourselves

going through the dark valleys of life,

we are quick to approach the Lord

and plead for His help and grace.

No harm in that…at all, of course, because it reflects faith.

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But our personal faith can show itself to be shallow and selfish,

especially if, once we feel that we are back on top of things

we forget about Who we had gone to when we needed help!

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We have all been there and back

– through dark patches –

and God has helped us carry our burdens,

and even to overcome them.

So why do we sometimes – often? – not reflect much joy in our faces, when we attend Mass?

Why the apparent lack of enthusiasm in our voices when we respond and when we sing (if we bother to sing at all)?

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Surely it cannot be because only very few of us present have anything to be grateful for!

Could it be because we do not focus on the Lord when we visit Him?

Could it be because we are simply too engrossed in ourselves?

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When I meet someone, anyone, who has always been so readily available to help me,

and who has done so time and time again,

I certainly do not put on a tired or disinterested face.

In fact I usually make sure that my gestures and mannerisms all reflect joy, love and gratitude.

Even if I am not feeling up to it, I certainly make the effort.

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But is that my attitude at Mass, where I go to visit and give praise and thanks to my Maker – the One I call my Saviour?

Does my participation at Mass,

do my attention, my prayers, my singing, reflect a genuine love for the Lord,

and the joy I should feel in His presence?

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Do I heartfully proclaim His greatness

and give Him thanks with all my heart, my mind, my body and my soul?

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If I do, then that special joy and thankfulness, which should fill my heart,

will certainly be reflected in my face and in my entire demeanour.

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Is it?

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REPETITIVE PRAYER FOR TODAY…

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Lord, I praise You with my lips, with my heart and with my life.

My very existence is a gift from You,

and to You, O God, I offer all that I have and all that I am.

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