A LAMP TO MY FEET. A LIGHT FOR MY PATH.

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TODAY’S WORD…

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I consider my life worth nothing to me;

my only aim is to finish the race

and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me

– the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace.

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– Acts 20:24 (NIV)

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REFLECTION…

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These words of St. Paul should be ours.

We have all been given the task to ensure that our life becomes a testimony to our faith;

that our words reflect the truth that Jesus teaches;

that whatever we do till the end of our life

is done with Christian, altruistic love and care.

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We are testifying to the good news of God’s grace

when we are Christ-like in what we think, say and do.

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If we truly live and act with Jesus in our heart and mind,

we will be serving as witnesses to His love,

and we will be drawing others to Him and to His truth.

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One other important thought:

the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace begins at home.

Our first and very important opportunity to be witnesses to Christ

is within our family,

which is how we pass on our Christian faith and values to the generations that follow.

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But, having said that, our witnessing should not stop there,

and it must be brought out to the open.

In other words, we must live and pass on our Faith

both at home and outside the home,

right until we finish the race.

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REPETITIVE PRAYER FOR TODAY…

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Come Holy Spirit, melt me, mould me, fill me

…and use me to take Christ to others.

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TODAY’S WORD…

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Jesus said,

“Many who are first will be last,

and the last will be first.”

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– Mark 10:31 (NRSV)

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REFLECTION…

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In the context of the passage where these words of the Lord are being quoted,

Jesus was explaining that in God’s kingdom

there is no advantage, status or honour.

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Jealousies, inflated egos and lofty ambitions

certainly do not belong in Heaven,

so it would be a good thing for us who are striving towards eternal life with the Lord

to never stop looking very closely and honestly at ourselves,

and keeping our character and intentions in check.

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We need to be humble.

We need to become more like Jesus.

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REPETITIVE PRAYER FOR TODAY…

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Lord Jesus, help me be more like You.

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TODAY’S WORD…

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But for those who changed their hearts and minds,

God granted a way back,

and He encouraged those who were abandoning hope.

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Turn back to the Lord
and leave sin behind;
offer prayers in His presence,
and reduce your offense.
Return to the Most High,
and turn from injustice,
and hate what He detests.

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– Sirach 17:24-26 (CEB)

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REFLECTION…

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We must all render an account to our Creator

yet, very often, our behaviour seems to indicate that we are pushing the Lord aside,

ignoring His commands and His warnings

as we satisfy our self-centred longings and selfish ego.

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But for those who changed their hearts and minds,

God granted a way back,

and He encouraged those who were abandoning hope.

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Jesus Christ, in His abundant love and mercy, established the sacrament of confession and reconciliation,

so that we can obtain forgiveness for our sins

and reconcile with God.

The sacrament “washes us clean,”

and renews us in Christ.

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Therefore, turn back to the Lord
and leave sin behind;
offer prayers in His presence,
and reduce your offense.
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Return to the Most High,
and turn from injustice,
and hate what He detests.

Ask the Holy Spirit to help you put on the cloak of humility

and to lead you to participate in the beautiful sacrament of confession.

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This healing sacrament strengthens and fills us with peace and joy

and with relief and love,

which can only come from faithfully turning back

and drawing close to the Lord.

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REPETITIVE PRAYER FOR TODAY…

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Holy Spirit, enlighten my mind for repentance

and fill me with the courage to confess my sins.

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TODAY’S WORD…

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Jesus said,

“When the Spirit of truth comes,

He will guide you into all the truth…

He will glorify me,

because He will take what is mine and declare it to you.”

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– John 16:13a,14 (NRSV)

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The fruit of the Spirit

is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity,

faithfulness,gentleness, and self-control.

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– Galatians 5:22-23 (NRSV).

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REFLECTION…

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Acknowledge the Holy Spirit who lives inside of you

and set Him free to work in you.

Abandon yourself to Him

and gladly allow Him to guide you into all truth.

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The Holy Spirit will melt you and mould you,

and He will never give up on making you more like Jesus,

as He fills and refills you with love, joy, peace,

patience, kindness, generosity,

faithfulness,gentleness, and self-control.

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REPETITIVE PRAYER FOR TODAY…

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Come Holy Spirit, I abandon myself to You.

Come Holy Spirit, and make me more like Jesus.

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TODAY’S WORD…

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Jesus stood and said in a loud voice,

“Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink.

Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said,

rivers of living water will flow from within them.”

By this He meant the Spirit,

whom those who believed in Him were later to receive.

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– John 7:37-39 (NIV)

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REFLECTION…

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Our Lord presents Himself

as the one who can fill man’s heart and bring him peace.

as St. Augustine exclaims:

“You made us for Yourself, Lord,

and our hearts find no peace until they rest in You.”

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These meaningful words of Jesus,

which He said, rather significantly, in a loud voice,

have also led St. Alphonsus

to write this commentary full of love for our Saviour:

“In Jesus Christ we have three fountains of grace.

The first is the fountain of mercy,

where we can be purified of all the stains of our sins. […]

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The second is that of love:

no one who meditates on the suffering and shame

that Jesus undergoes out of love for us, from His birth to His death,

can fail to be kindled by that happy fire

which comes down on earth to set on fire the hearts of all men. […]

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The third is the fountain of peace:

let him who seeks peace of heart come to Him who is the God of peace.”

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Jesus sent His Holy Spirit

to change the heart of those who believe in Him;

to guide and inspire those who accept Him,

to console and strengthen those who are docile to Him.

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Those who abandon themselves to the Spirit

and humbly but gratefully listen to Him and obey Him,

they will find true peace;

their thirst will be fully quenched;

and through them rivers of living water will flow,

full of the promise of eternal life.

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Abandon yourselves to the Spirit, therefore.

Be docile to Him

and allow Him to renew you – your body, your soul, your heart.

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REPETITIVE PRAYER FOR TODAY…

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Come, Holy Spirit, and renew me!

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TODAY’S WORD…

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You were called to freedom, brothers and sisters;

only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for self-indulgence,

but through love become slaves to one another.

For the whole law is summed up in a single commandment,

‘You shall love your neighbour as yourself.’

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– Galatians 5:13-14 (NRSV)

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Live by the Spirit, I say,

and do not gratify the desires of the flesh.

For what the flesh desires is opposed to the Spirit,

and what the Spirit desires is opposed to the flesh;

for these are opposed to each other,

to prevent you from doing what you want.

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– Galatians 5:16-17 (NRSV)

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The fruit of the Spirit

is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity,

faithfulness,gentleness, and self-control.

If we live by the Spirit,

let us also be guided by the Spirit.

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– Galatians 5:22-23,25 (NRSV)

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PRAYER…

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My Lord, my God, my Creator,

thank You for the freedom You give me,

thank You for letting me choose.

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And I have decided, Lord

– I have chosen You

and I want to live by Your Spirit.

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Come, Holy Spirit,

strengthen me against my self-indulgent nature,

fortify my resolve to overcome my weaknesses,

and make me a source of Christian love and service to others.

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Come, Holy Spirit,

and fill me with Your fruit,

which is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity,

faithfulness,gentleness, and self-control.

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Come, Holy Spirit,

I want to be guided by You.

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REPETITIVE PRAYER FOR TODAY…

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Come, Holy Spirit, I want to be guided by You.

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TODAY’S WORD…

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The instructions of the Lord are correct.

They make the heart rejoice.

The command of the Lord is radiant.

It makes the eyes shine.

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– Psalm 19:8 (GW)

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REFLECTION…

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There is a constant battle going on inside us

– between right and wrong.

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To ignore it is fatal.

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To address it is life-giving.

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That is why we need to stop

and take a deep inward look at ourselves

and at the way we are,

the way we think,

the way we act.

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It is in these moments of reflection

that you can find out whether,

notwithstanding your worries and problems,

there is this wonderful hope deep inside you

accompanied by an indescribable pure joy.

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Either that or else what you see is just an empty void,

which you may be seeking to fill with snatches of shallow happiness

and instances of self-indulgence.

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The good news is that,

if you find yourself admitting that you do not like what you see in yourself,

you can always turn to the Glorious Healer,

who makes Himself readily available for everyone who goes to Him

– His name is Jesus.

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He is the Way, the Truth and the Life.

His laws and commands are simple and life-restoring,

and they also bring back the sparkle in your eyes

– reflecting the Hope and true joy that only the Lord can bring to the yearning soul.

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REPETITIVE PRAYER FOR TODAY…

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Jesus, You are my true Hope and Joy!

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TODAY’S WORD…

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Come, let us walk in the light of the Lord.

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– Isaiah 2:5 (JB)

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REFLECTION…

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Come, let us walk in the light of the Lord,

in spite of all the other bright, but artificial, lights around us,

which can be so attracting,

yet whose promise is very short-lived.

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The light of the Lord is unfading and everlasting,

His promise is forever.

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What the world’s bright lights bring,

changes in accordance with the fashion of the day

– one day it’s “the latest”, next day it is “passé”.

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But the light of the Lord never changes

– it is the same

yesterday, today, and forever,

for He is everlastingly glorious, good and true!.

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QUOTE…

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“I have come as light into the world,

so that everyone who believes in me should not remain in the darkness.”

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– Our Lord Jesus Christ (Jn 12:46)

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REPETITIVE PRAYER FOR TODAY…

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Lord, You are my Light.

Help me stay in Your light…always!

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TODAY’S WORD…

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Seven times a day I praise You…

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– Psalm 119:164 (NIV)

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REFLECTION…

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Seven times a day,

in other words, all the time,

always,

every day!

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Praise is delightful and well pleasing to God,

when it is offered up in faith and in truth,

and through Christ.

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If we truly love God,

our praise will be frequent

and sincere.

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Always,

in everything,

for everything,

at all times,

in all circumstances,

we give thanks and praise to the Lord our God.

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REPETITIVE PRAYER FOR TODAY…

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O God, You are great…there is no one else like You!

I praise and I thank You, Lord.

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TODAY’S WORD…

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The Lord will wipe away

the tears from every cheek.

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– Isaiah 25:8 (JB)

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REFLECTION…

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Look around you

…and you will see happy people,

and you will see less-happy people.

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Reflect,

and you will realise that

those who to us may appear to have “everything”

are not necessarily those who have happiness in their hearts.

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Deep joy, on the other hand, can often be seen

in the eyes of those who you would expect to be sad.

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More often than not,

that deep and special joy reflects a heart full of hope.

More often than not,

that joy comes from the Lord!

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REPETITIVE PRAYER FOR TODAY…

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O God, You wipe away my every tear.

You are my Joy and my Hope.

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