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

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TODAY’S WORD…

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Jesus said,

“Be on watch, be alert,

for you do not know when the time will come.”

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– Mark 13:33 (GNT)

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REFLECTION…

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“Be on watch, be alert.”

Since we do not know when the Lord will come,

we must be prepared.

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Vigilance is, above all, love.

A person who loves

keeps the commandments and looks forward to Christ’s return,

for life is a period of hope and waiting

– it is the way towards our encounter with Christ the Lord.

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The first Christians often tenderly repeated the prayer of longing:

"Come, Lord Jesus". (1 Cor 16:22; Rev 22:20).

By expressing our faith and love in the same way as those early Christians,

we too will find the interior strength and optimism necessary

for fulfilling our family and social duties,

and interiorly detaching ourselves from earthly goods,

with the self-mastery that comes from hope of eternal life.

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QUOTE…

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“But the day of the Lord will come like a thief.

The heavens will disappear with a roar;

the elements will be destroyed by fire,

and the earth and everything done in it will be laid bare.

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Since everything will be destroyed in this way,

what kind of people ought you to be?

You ought to live holy and godly lives.”

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– St. Peter (2 Pt 3:10-11)

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REPETITIVE PRAYER FOR TODAY…

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Come, Lord Jesus, come!

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TODAY’S WORD…

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Jesus said,

“Be careful

not to let yourselves become occupied with too much feasting and drinking

and with the worries of this life,

or that Day may suddenly catch you like a trap.

For it will come upon all people everywhere on earth.

Be on watch and pray always

that you will have the strength to go safely through all those things that will happen

and to stand before the Son of Man.”

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– Luke 21:34-36 (GNT)

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REFLECTION…

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Jesus is emphasising that every Christian needs to be vigilant

because we do not know the day nor the hour in which He will ask us to render an account of our lives.

Therefore, we must at all times be trying to do God’s will,

so that death, whenever it comes, will find us ready

and not take us by surprise.

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Vigilance consists in making a constant effort

not to be attached to the things of this world;

to control all ardent longings and selfish human desire for objects, persons, or experiences;

not to be arrogant, ostentatious, conceited, presumptuous, or boastful.

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It is essential, also, that we persevere in prayer,

because it is what keeps us close to God.

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If I live in this way,

the day I die will be a day of joy and not of terror,

for with God’s help my vigilance will mean that my soul will be ready to receive the visit of my Lord;

that it will be in the state of grace whenever He chooses to come.

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If I live in this way,

when I come to meet Christ I will not be meeting a judge who will find me guilty;

instead He will embrace me and lead me into the house of His Father

to remain there forever.

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QUOTE…

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"Does your soul not burn with the desire to make your Father-God happy when He has to judge you?"

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– St. Josemaria Escriva

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REPETITIVE PRAYER FOR TODAY…

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Lord Jesus, protect me from myself.

Give me a clean heart, Lord, and fill it with Your love.

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TODAY’S WORD…

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Jesus said,

“Heaven and earth will pass away,

but my words will never pass away.”

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– Luke 21:33 (NIV)

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QUOTE…

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“The grass withers and the flowers fall,
but the word of our God endures for ever.”

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– Isaiah 40:8

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“Your word, Lord, is eternal;
it stands firm in the heavens.”

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– Psalm 119:89

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“Long ago I learned from Your written instructions

that You made them to last forever.”

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– Psalm 119:152

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REPETITIVE PRAYER FOR TODAY…

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Your word, O Lord, is eternal.

I hope in Your word, I delight in Your word,

Your word, O Lord, gives me life!

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TODAY’S WORD…

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Since we are receiving a Kingdom that cannot be shaken,

let us be thankful,

and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe.

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– Hebrews 12:28 (NIV)

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REFLECTION…

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Christ is our King,

He is King above all Kings

and His Kingdom shall have no end!

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Christ is our Lord,

He is Lord of Lords,

Son of the Living God,

Saviour and Redeemer,

and He shall reign forever.

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If we truly believe this,

how can we not but worship Him with reverence and awe.

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REPETITIVE PRAYER FOR TODAY…

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Jesus, my Lord, my Rock, my God,

I praise and thank You for all that You have done in my life,

and I worship You with all my heart, my mind, my soul and my strength.

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TODAY’S WORD…

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Jesus said,

“By your endurance you will gain your lives.”

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– Luke 21:19 (NET)

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REFLECTION…

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Committed Christians have always had to face some form or other of persecution

and it is very much the same in the modern world

where many feel challenged, harassed and even discriminated against because of their beliefs.

To this very day, in different parts of the world,

Christians are being killed because they refuse to give up their faith.

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Jesus foretold persecution for those who follow Him:

“If they persecuted Me, they will persecute you." (Jn 15:20)

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"All who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted." (2 Tim 3:12)

Such persecutions, such harassment of those who proclaim their Christian faith,

are all part of God’s providence:

they happen because He lets them happen,

which He does in order to draw greater good out of them.

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Enduring persecution for the love of Christ

and persevering in faithfulness to the Lord until the end

provides us with an opportunity to bear witness to Christ

and will ultimately gain us life in His Heavenly Kingdom.

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REPETITIVE PRAYER FOR TODAY…

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Jesus, my Lord, strengthen my faith

so that whatever test will come my way, I will always trust in You.

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TODAY’S WORD…

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Whatever you do, whether in word or deed,

do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus,

giving thanks to God the Father through Him.

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– Colossians 3:17 (NIV)

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REFLECTION…

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All genuinely human things can and should be made holy

by being done perfectly and for love of God.

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Whatever we say or do,

let us say it or do it lovingly, fervently, joyfully

and for the glory of God.

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Let us do it all in the name of Jesus

and in accordance with His mind and will and His Gospel,

and humbly offer it all up to the Father as a sacrifice of thanksgiving.

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REPETITIVE PRAYER FOR TODAY…

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Lord Jesus, whatever I say, let me say it in Your Name;

whatever I do, let me do it thankfully and out of love for You.

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TODAY’S WORD…

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The earth is the Lord’s and all that is in it,
the world, and those who live in it;
for He has founded it on the seas,
and established it on the rivers.

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Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord?
And who shall stand in His holy place?
Those who have clean hands and pure hearts,
who do not lift up their souls to what is false,
and do not swear deceitfully.
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They will receive blessing from the Lord,
and vindication from the God of their salvation.
Such is the company of those who seek Him,
who seek the face of the God of Jacob.

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– Psalm 24:1-6 (NRSV)

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PRAYER…

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Look inside my heart, O Lord,

and there You will see

all that I am and do;

all that I’ve been and done;

all that I desire to be and to do.

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Lord, wash me clean,

and renew my heart, my mind, my body, and my soul.

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Lead me, Lord, to where You want me to go.

Open my eyes, as I seek Your face in Your creation,

in my loved ones,

in strangers,

and especially in the needy.

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My entire being yearns for You, O Lord,

to be with You,

to be like You,

to be one with You.

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Lord, I seek Your Face.

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REPETITIVE PRAYER FOR TODAY…

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Lead me, Lord, to where You want me to go,

and help me see Your Face in every face I see.

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TODAY’S WORD…

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…lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called,

with all humility and gentleness,

with patience, bearing with one another in love.

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– Ephesians 4:1-2 (NRSV)

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REFLECTION…

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To humility, gentleness, and patience

we add a sincere loving disposition

which "binds everything together in perfect harmony" (Col 3:14)

and which is the mark of the true Christian.

“Be completely humble and gentle;

be patient, bearing with one another in love.”

Such a simple message that reflects Christ’s teachings

…and yet…we so often allow pride and selfishness to take over!

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REPETITIVE PRAYER FOR TODAY…

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Come, Holy Spirit, and teach me how to be humble, gentle and patient

and, above all, how to love like Jesus loves.

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TODAY’S WORD…

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‘I the Lord search the heart
and examine the mind,
to reward each person according to their conduct,
according to what their deeds deserve.’

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– Jeremiah 17:10 (NIV)

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REFLECTION…

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Every human being, by his or her very nature,

is in the image and likeness of God.

The human being can be understood and appreciated

not by reference to other created beings in the universe

but by reference to God.

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The likeness between God and us is not a physical one,

for God has no body;

it is a spiritual likeness, lying in our capacity to focus on our inner life and identity.

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When we are drawn to think about our real self,

we turn to those deep recesses of our being

where God who probes the heart awaits us,

and where we ourselves decide our own destiny in the sight of God.

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How will the Lord find me

if He had to search my heart and examine my mind today?

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REPETITIVE PRAYER FOR TODAY…

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Come, Lord, and take over my heart and my mind.

Remove all my darkness with Your light

and help me become more like You.

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TODAY’S WORD…

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Your instructions give me pleasure;
they are my advisers.

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How sweet is the taste of Your instructions—
sweeter even than honey!

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Your commandments are my eternal possession;
they are the joy of my heart.

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– Psalm 119:24,103,111 (GNT)

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REFLECTION…

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The Lord’s commands are our best advisers.

We learn from them – better than in any other way –

on how we ought to act.

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The doctrines of grace,

the truths of the Gospel,

are delightful and pleasing to the true Christian.

Like honey, they have a nourishing nature and refreshing virtue,

but their sweetness to the yearning soul is beyond that of honey

– it is incomparable.
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God’s commandments are our best and most valuable inheritance,

which I must resolve never to part with,

because with their promise of salvation and eternal life

they bring true joy and delight to the humble heart.

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REPETITIVE PRAYER FOR TODAY…

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Lord, Your commandments are my eternal possession
– they are the joy of my heart!

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