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

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TODAY’S WORD…

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Very early in the morning, while it was still dark,

Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place,

where He prayed.

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– Mark 1:35 (NIV)

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REFLECTION…

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The next time you find yourself waking up early, think of Jesus,

and rather than perhaps complaining about not having slept enough,

take it as a blessing

and go to a quiet place

…and pray.

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Prayer is conversation with God;

direct communication between the soul and God;

the expression of our inner spiritual thoughts and needs.

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Prayer is

expressing our faith and trust in God;

confessing our sins with a contrite heart;

praising God for His mighty deeds;

thanksgiving for all the good things we have received;

devoting ourselves to serve God and other people;

requesting for our needs and for the needs of others.

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When we pray we

“implore the Lord” (Ex 32:11);

“pour out the soul before the Lord” (1 Sam 1:15);

“cry out to God in heaven” (2 Chr 32:20);

“seek God earnestly and plead with the Almighty” (Job 8:5).

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Through prayer we can find

strength of spirit, guidance, wisdom, joy and inner peace.

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When we pray to the Lord,

we are demonstrating our belief in Him as a person;

in His ability and willingness to communicate with us;

in His personal control of all things, and of all His creatures and all their actions.

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Acceptable prayer must be sincere;

offered with reverence and respect;

with earnest supplication;

and with a humble sense of our own insignificance as creatures

and of our own unworthiness as sinners.

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Prayer must also be offered in faith,

knowing that God is the hearer and answerer of prayer.

When we pray

we do so with unhesitating and full submission to His divine will.

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Whenever you wake up in the morning,

early or not,

whether you’ve had a good night’s sleep or not,

think of Jesus

and get out of bed,

go to a quiet place

…and pray.

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REPETITIVE PRAYER FOR TODAY…

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Teach me how to pray, Lord, teach me how to pray.

I love You, Lord,

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TODAY’S WORD…

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Therefore, let us offer through Jesus a continual sacrifice of praise to God,

proclaiming our allegiance to His name.

And don’t forget to do good and to share with those in need.

These are the sacrifices that please God.

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– Hebrews 13:15-16 (NLT)

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REFLECTION…

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We Christians are all spiritual priests

– we offer worship out of a pure heart unto the Lord.

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What God wants is a pure, humble and generous heart,

and Jesus Christ urges us, His followers,

to exercise that calling which consists of doing good

and offering to God all the little sacrifices each day involves.

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REPETITIVE PRAYER FOR TODAY…

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Lord, I give You every day of my life; every word; every action.

Lord Jesus, teach me, guide me, and use me.

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TODAY’S WORD…is prayed, in Italian, by Pope John Paul II…

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Even if you do not understand the language,

just listening to this saintly Pope’s voice is entering into the realm of prayer

…and into the Lord’s presence.

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Please click here to hear Pope John Paul recite this beautiful Psalm,

and to make the beloved Pope’s prayer your own.

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Il Signore è mia luce e mia salvezza,

di chi avrò paura?

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Il Signore è difesa della mia vita,

di chi avrò timore?

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Ascolta, Signore, la mia voce.

Io grido: abbi pietà di me! Rispondimi.

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Di Te ha detto il mio cuore: "Cercate il Suo Volto";

il Tuo volto, Signore, io cercherò.

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Non nascondermi il Tuo Volto,

non respingere con ira il Tuo servo.

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Sono certo di contemplare la bontà del Signore

nella terra dei viventi.

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Spera nel Signore!

Sii forte!

Si rinfranchi il tuo cuore

e spera nel Signore.

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Sì, spera nel Signore.

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– Salmo 27:1,7-9,13-14

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Translation (literal)…

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The Lord is my light and my salvation;
whom shall I fear?
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The Lord is the stronghold of my life;
whom shall I fear?

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Hear, O Lord, my voice,
I cry: have mercy on me, respond to me.

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Of You my heart has said, “seek His Face!”
Your Face, Lord, I will seek.
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Do not hide Your Face from me.

Do not reject Your servant away in anger,
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I am sure that I shall see the goodness of the Lord
in the land of the living.
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Hope for the Lord!
Be strong!

Let your heart be bold;
and hope in the Lord!

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Yes, hope in the Lord!

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– Psalm 27:1,7-9,13-14

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REPETITIVE PRAYER FOR TODAY…

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My hope is in You, O Lord. Your Face, Lord, I seek.

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. TODAY’S WORD…

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“But if any place refuses to welcome you or listen to you,

shake its dust from your feet as you leave

to show that you have abandoned those people to their fate.”

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– Mark 6:11 (NLT)

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REFLECTION…

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Our Lord instructs His Apostles to shake the dust off their feet

as they left places where they were not welcomed or listened to.

Such an action, which was common in those days, symbolised a sense of indignation.

In the East, to this very day,

when persons feel that they have been rejected, such symbolic gestures still prevail.

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But let’s look at this passage from another angle.

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When people knock on our doors or approach us to speak to us about their faith or their philosophy,

as Christians we must not reject them.

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We must show that we respect the opinion of others even where we may disagree,

and then grab the opportunity to show them that we are very much at peace with ourselves and with our faith

and to tell them that we are joyfully confident and secure

because in Jesus we have found the Way, the Truth and the Life.

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We should regard such situations as wonderful opportunities

for us to share our testimony of faith and to reflect, through our words and attitude,

the fruit of the Spirt within us:

love, joy, peace, patience, kindness,

generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. (Gal 5:22)

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And so, when people depart from our company, they will, rather than feel rejected.

take with them the seed of the True Faith,

which we, with the help of the Holy Spirit, will have gently sown in them.

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REPETITIVE PRAYER FOR TODAY…

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Come Holy Spirit, melt me, mould me, fill me and use me!

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TODAY’S WORD…

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Make every effort to live in peace with everyone

and to be holy;

without holiness no one will see the Lord.

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– Hebrews 12:14 (NIV)

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REFLECTION…

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These words echo what our Lord says in the Sermon on the Mount:

"Blessed are the peacemakers,

for they will be called children of God". (Mt 5:9)

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Jesus promises those who promote peace

that they will be children of God

and therefore share in God’s inner life,

which is what makes them holy.

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Being at peace with God, which comes from docility to His plans,

necessarily leads one to foster and maintain peace with others.

Peace with God and with one’s neighbour is inseparable from the search for holiness.

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"Holiness": it is not just a matter of avoiding sin.

One needs to cultivate virtue and to desire to attain holiness with the help of grace,

and here again, it is our Lord who urges us

to "be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect." (Mt 5:48)

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Holiness or Christian perfection is the common goal of all Christ’s disciples.

Salvation and holiness are really one and the same thing:

only those who are holy can obtain entry into the presence of God;

only those who are holy can see the Holy One.

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Personal sanctity is indispensable.

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REPETITIVE PRAYER FOR TODAY…

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Lord Jesus, enlighten my understanding, strengthen my will,

purify my heart, and make me holy,

that I may be made worthy of Your promises.

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TODAY’S WORD…

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But as for me, I will sing about Your power.
Each morning I will sing with joy about Your unfailing love.
For You have been my refuge,
a place of safety when I am in distress.

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– Psalm 59:16 (NLT)

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REFLECTION…

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Let your heart sing out with joy first thing in the morning,

whatever the circumstances you wake up in.

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Knowing the Lord

means trusting in His unfailing love,

His omnipotent mercy,

His benevolent grace,

in His incomparable promise.

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Every moment of the day, whatever your circumstances,

let your heart, your all, sing out

to the One who made you;

to the One who saved you;

to the One who is always with you

right there by your side.

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REPETITIVE PRAYER FOR TODAY…

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Your mercies, Lord, Your kindness and Your compassion – they are new every moment of my life.

Praise and thanks and glory to You, O Lord my Saviour!.

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TODAY’S WORD…

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Since He Himself has gone through suffering and testing,

He is able to help us when we are being tested.

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– Hebrews 2:18 (NLT)

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REFLECTION…

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When you are suffering,

being tested, provoked, tempted,

look at Christ on the Cross:

He went through it all.

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Suffering can link a person to Christ in a special and mysterious way.

St. John Paul II tells us:

"In bringing about the Redemption through suffering,

Christ has also raised human suffering to the level of the Redemption.

Thus each man, in his suffering,

can also become a sharer in the redemptive suffering of Christ."

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Christ also suffered in order to strengthen us and to give us example.

He won for us strength to resist, overcome and bear all in His Name.

We do this with peace and joy in our hearts

as we obey the commandments like He did;

as we love and forgive like He did;

and as we let the Father’s will be done…like He did.

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Those who suffer

and those who undergo trials and sacrifice

should realise that they are understood by Christ.

He will console them

and help them bear affliction.

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QUOTE…

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“You too some day may feel the loneliness of our Lord on the Cross.

If so, seek the support of Him who died and rose again.

Find yourself a shelter in the wounds in His hands, in His feet, in His side.

And your willingness to start again will revive,

and you will take up your journey again

with greater determination and effectiveness"

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– St. Josemaria Escriva

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REPETITIVE PRAYER FOR TODAY…

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Jesus, You went through it all for me.

I want to go through it all for You. Help me, my Lord and my God!

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TODAY’S WORD…

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The Lord said to me,

"My grace is sufficient for you,

for my power is made perfect in weakness."

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– 2 Corinthians 12:9a (NIV)

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QUOTE…

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"We have to cry out ceaselessly with a strong and humble faith,

‘Lord, put not your trust in me. But I, I put my trust in you.’

Then, as we sense in our hearts the love, the compassion, the tenderness of Christ’s gaze upon us (for He never abandons us)

we shall come to understand the full meaning of the words

“My power is made perfect in weakness”.

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If we have faith in our Lord, in spite of our failings – or rather, with our failings –

we shall be faithful to our Father, God;

His divine power will shine forth in us, sustaining us in our weakness."

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– St. Josemaria Escriva

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REPETITIVE PRAYER FOR TODAY…

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Your grace, Lord, is sufficient for me.

Here I am, Lord – please forgive me,

strengthen my faith and fill me with Your love.

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TODAY’S WORD…

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Jesus said to His disciples,

“Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?”

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– Mark 4:40 (NIV)

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REFLECTION…

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The disciples were on a boat with Jesus,

when this fierce storm suddenly came up.

They were filled with fear

yet Jesus was asleep, there, at the back of the boat.

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So, in panic, they called out to Him

to wake Him up and take notice of their plight,

and Jesus said to them,

“Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?”

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When we find ourselves facing some terrible storm in our lives,

God can sometimes appear to be asleep.

Understandably, because we are human, we can get very anxious

especially when the situation is a bleak one

and appears to be beyond our control.

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That is when, as believers, we plead desperately with the Lord to help us.

That is when we may even find ourselves crying out,

“Don’t You care, Lord, don’t You care?”

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If you are in such a situation,

do not stop yourself from calling out to the Lord to help you.

Do not take your eyes off the One who you know is there, right by our side,

and do not give up on calling out to Him.

Kneel before Him and humbly ask Him to increase your faith,

and He will reassuringly reply,

“Do not be afraid, for I am with you!

Do not be frightened, for I am your God!

I strengthen you – yes, I help you – yes,

I uphold you with my saving right hand!” (Is 41:10)

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REPETITIVE PRAYER FOR TODAY…

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O Lord, my God, help me always keep my eyes on You; help me never lose faith.

Stay by my side, Lord, strengthen me, and let Your will be done!

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TODAY’S WORD…

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…you need endurance,

so that when you have done the will of God,

you may receive what was promised.

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But we are not among those who shrink back and so are lost,

but among those who have faith and so are saved.

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– Hebrews 10:36,39 (NRSV)

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REFLECTION…

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If we are true believers,

then we need to stay loyal.

To be loyal to Christ and to stand our ground

we need strength of character.

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In spite of the world’s seemingly constant urging to live God-less lives,

and the taunts and prejudices hurled at us as we seek to stick to God’s commands,

as faithful Christians, we must loyally stand our ground.

We also do this cheerfully

because we know that Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life.

He declared Himself as such

and He also promised us eternal life.

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Am I one of those who “shrink back”

because I want to be seen, by others, as being worldly

or because I simply want to satisfy those selfish longings, which the Lord warns me against?

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Or can I be counted as one of “those who have faith”

who, with great hope in their hearts, constantly strive to follow Christ’s teachings,

ready to give of their selves to others,

ready to love without expecting to be loved in return,

driven by the desire to please the Lord and do as He says,

and looking forward to share eternal life with Him?

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REPETITIVE PRAYER FOR TODAY…

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Please, Lord, strengthen my faith – I want to do Your will.

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