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

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TODAY’S WORD…

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Jesus said,

“There will always be temptations to sin,

but what sorrow awaits the person who does the tempting!”

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– Luke 17:1 (NIV)

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REFLECTION…

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Our Lord condemns those who

by their words,

by their actions,

or by their immoral attitude,

cause or lead others to do wrong.

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Our Lord condemns those who

give scandal, or cause or lead others to do wrong,

because rather than showing love to their “neighbour”,

they are killing his or her soul.

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Jesus threatens with the most severe punishment

those who cause others to stumble

because they are taking away the life of grace from others

– which is more precious than the life of the body –

and causing a multitude of sins.

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Beware, therefore, all who enjoy authority of any kind

– parents, teachers, politicians, clergy, managers, leaders, writers, artists, etc. –

because they can more easily be a cause of scandal.

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This is a very serious warning,

meaning that we must not be a cause of scandal or temptation to others.

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We should, all of us, also pray to be protected

from being influenced by the bad example others may give us.

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REPETITIVE PRAYER FOR TODAY…

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Lord, help me always spread virtue, never immorality.

And Lord, shield me from harm and guard me from temptation. Amen.

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TODAY’S WORD…

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I waited patiently for the Lord;
He turned to me and heard my cry.
He lifted me out of the slimy pit,
out of the mud and mire;
He set my feet on a rock
and gave me a firm place to stand.
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He put a new song in my mouth,
a hymn of praise to our God.
Many will see and fear the Lord
and put their trust in Him.

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– Psalm 40:1-3 (NIV)

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REFLECTION…

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How blessed are we who can make these words of the Psalmist our own!

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How thankful we are for that moment

when we decided to turn to the Lord

to ask Him, to plead with Him, to take us out of that pit

that we had, perhaps even unknowingly, dug ourselves into;

or that we may have been thrown into by others.

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Having experienced such a dramatic and wonderful change in our life,

and having had the eyes of our heart opened to God’s love,

we now pray that many others will also turn to the Lord

and call out to Him for help.

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Oh, the joy

of being able to acknowledge the difference between the then and the now,

between darkness and light;

between mud and rock;

between desperation and fulfilment.

Oh, the joy of the Lord!

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SING TO JESUS…

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…and make this song your prayer of thanks and praise from the heart

– to Him, who is the Lord in whom you trust.

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[please click here for the song and lyrics]

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REPETITIVE PRAYER FOR TODAY…

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Jesus, I love You and I need You!

Through the trials and triumphs of life I will never let You go.

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TODAY’S WORD…

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‘If serving the Lord seems undesirable to you,

then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve […].

But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.’

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– Joshua 24:15 (NIV)

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REFLECTION…

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“As for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.’

AMEN!

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This is the most serious decision we are all asked to take

– are we with the Lord…or aren’t we?

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Have you decided whether you want to serve the Lord or not?

Are you with the Lord, or not?

Are you one hundred percent with the Lord, your God,

or only if, where or when it suits you?

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If we truly believe in the Lord and that He is our God,

then there’s no two ways about it

– we must love Him, serve Him, and obey Him

with all our heart,

with all our soul,

with all our mind,

and with all our strength.

We must never stop seeking to do so

– in every circumstance,

come what may.

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Where God is concerned the choice is clear:

either I want to serve God

or

I do not want to serve God (and serve myself instead!).

There’s no in-between.

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Therefore, as for you and your household,

who then will you serve?

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REPETITIVE PRAYER FOR TODAY…

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Lord, it is You I love, You I want to serve!

Lord, strengthen my faith and teach me how to love You more.

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TODAY’S WORD…

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What are human beings that You are mindful of them,

mortals that You care for them?

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– Psalm 8:4 (NRSV)

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REFLECTION…

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What are human beings that You are mindful of them?

What is this new mystery surrounding me?

I am both small and great,

both lowly and exalted,

mortal and immortal,

earthly and heavenly.

I am to be buried with Christ and to rise again with Him,

to become a co-heir with Him, a son of God, and indeed God Himself.

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This is what the great mystery means for us;

this is why God became man and became poor for our sake:

it was to raise up our flesh,

to recover the divine image,

to re-create mankind,

so that all of us might become one in Christ

who perfectly became in us everything that He is Himself.

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[…] If only we could be what we hope to be,

by the great kindness of our generous God!

He asks so little and gives so much,

in this life and in the next, to those who love Him sincerely.

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In a spirit of hope and out of love for Him,

let us then bear and endure all things

and give thanks for everything that befalls us,

since even reason can often recognise these things as weapons to win salvation.

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– from a sermon by St Gregory Nazianzen

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REPETITIVE PRAYER FOR TODAY…

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Father, thank You for making us in Your image;

thank You for being so mindful of us.

Grant that we, Your beloved creation,

live our lives mindful of You.

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TODAY’S WORD…

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Jesus said,

“I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents

than over ninety-nine righteous people who need no repentance.”

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– Luke 15:7 (NRSV)

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REFLECTION…

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Before you say “But that’s not fair at all!”

stop…

and consider what Jesus is saying, from His level;

from the spiritual level that Jesus and the Saints operate from.

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It is so easy to fall into the trap of arguing – from our worldly level –

that the “righteous people who need no repentance” would be offended

and taken aback by these different levels of joy

which seem to clearly favour the sinner

over the person who lives a virtuous life.

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The truth is that the truly righteous are modest and gracious

and would never claim or desire attention for themselves.

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The truly righteous, both in heaven and on earth,

will always be foremost among those expressing joy over the conversion of sinners.

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Our Lord clearly values the perseverance of the just

and what He is telling us, at our level,

is to always be happy for the good that befalls others;

to never be envious and always seek peace;

to embrace altruism;

and to work hard at being joyfully righteous.

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REPETITIVE PRAYER FOR TODAY…

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Rejoice in the Lord, O my soul. Rejoice!

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TODAY’S WORD…

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Trust in the Lord.

Have faith, do not despair.

Trust in the Lord.

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– Psalm 27:14 (GNT)

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REFLECTION…

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So many things can make us despair.

So much suffering and pain, injustice, cruelty, tragedy,

scandal, immorality and transgression, evil…

Too much!

Sometimes, all that happens around us, or to us,

can make us feel helpless;

can fill us with a sense of hopelessness.

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But the believer knows

that, in certain circumstances, all he or she can do…is pray.

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And when we pray in the spirit,

and as our prayer arises from our heart,

the Holy Spirit will console us,

reminding us about Christ’s victory over death,

and filling us again with hope.

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The purpose of Christ’s death and resurrection is so great

that all evil and suffering, even at their worst, cannot defeat it.

This is the great hope we have in Christ.

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This does not answer all our questions,

nor take away our pain,

but it points to an answer more marvellous than any we could have expected:

knowing that God can be trusted absolutely is what counts.

We can live with unresolved questions when we know that

and when we believe that with all our heart.

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It also gives us our greatest incentive to give life our very best!

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Therefore, trust in the Lord.

Have faith, do not despair.

Trust in the Lord.

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REPETITIVE PRAYER FOR TODAY…

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Trust in the Lord, O my soul.

Have faith, do not despair. Trust in the Lord.

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TODAY’S WORD…

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God elevated Him to the place of highest honour

and gave Him the name above all other names,

that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,

in heaven and on earth and under the earth,

and every tongue declare that Jesus Christ is Lord,

to the glory of God the Father.

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– Philippians 2:9-11 (NLT)

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REFLECTION…

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It was our Lord Jesus, at whose Name every knee should bow,

who offered us the perfect example of humility!

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It was Jesus Himself who told us that

“those who humble themselves will be exalted” (Lk 14:11b)

and it was as a reward for His humiliation

that the Father glorified our Lord’s sacred humanity.

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Jesus was born and died for our sake

and God elevated Him to the place of highest honour

where He attained the glory of His exaltation

after having undergone the humiliation of the cross.

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In this also Jesus sets us an example:

we cannot attain the glory of Heaven

unless we understand the supernatural value of difficulties, ill-health and suffering,

which are manifestations of Christ’s cross present in our ordinary life.

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Jesus wants us to be like Him and to share in His glory

and that is why He tells us,

“Take up your cross, and follow me.” (Mt 10:38; 16:24)

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QUOTE…

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"The coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Sceptre of God’s Majesty,

was in no pomp of pride and haughtiness – as it could so well have been –

but in self-abasement […].

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You see, dear friends, what an example we have been given.

If the Lord humbled Himself in this way,

what ought we to do, who through Him have come under the yoke of His guidance?"

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– St. Clement of Rome

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"We have to die to ourselves and be born again to a new life.

Jesus Christ obeyed in this way, even unto death on a cross;

that is why God exalted Him.

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If we obey God’s will, the cross will mean our own resurrection and exaltation.

Christ’s life will be fulfilled step by step in our own lives.

It will be said of us that we have tried to be good children of God,

who went about doing good in spite of our weakness and personal shortcomings, no matter how many."

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– St. Josemaria Escriva

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REPETITIVE PRAYER FOR TODAY…

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JESUS, You are Lord!

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TODAY’S WORD…

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Jesus said,

“When you give a luncheon or dinner,

do not invite your friends, your brothers or sisters, your relatives, or your rich neighbours;

if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid.

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But when you give a banquet,

invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind,

and you will be blessed.

Although they cannot repay you,

you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”

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– Luke 14:12-14 (NIV)

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REFLECTION…

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Jesus certainly does not mean

that we should do away with the duties of ordinary fellowship and friendship

and to stop entertaining those whom we love

– He is just emphasising what is better.

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What He truly wishes to see us do

is to show true love of neighbour,

especially of those who are in need.

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In the Old Testament, we read that the prophet Nehemiah said to the people:

"Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks,

and send some to those who have nothing prepared.” (Neh 8:10)

Jesus goes further,

and asks us to go beyond just sending food to the needy

– He encourages us to invite the needy to our feast!

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Works of charity are better than works of show,

and whatever we do for the poor and the afflicted,

we should do gladly and generously from the heart,

reflecting our love for God,

and with a humble desire of Heaven as our only reward.

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REPETITIVE PRAYER FOR TODAY…

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Lord I so want to serve You

and share with You from what You have given me.

Lord, lead me to the disadvantaged and the needy

in whom I see Your Face.

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TODAY’S WORD…

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Jesus said,

“Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens,

and I will give you rest.”

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– Matthew 11:28 (NRSV)

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REFLECTION…

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We are tired and weary,

dragging our feet under the weight of our burdens,

and we respond to the Lord’s call and promise

…and we go to Him.

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If, as we approach Jesus, we stop focusing on ourselves

and, instead, fix our eyes on Him,

we will experience an indescribable joy

– that joy which comes, in spite of the burdens,

from knowing that Jesus is Lord

and that He is there with us…always.

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Approach Jesus with eyes fixed firmly on Him,

and you will see yourself and your burdens in a different light.

Suddenly, all that counts is being in His presence,

all that matters is knowing that He loves you beyond measure!

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QUOTE…

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“Jesus says now and always,

‘Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens,

and I will give you rest.’

His attitude towards us is one of invitation, knowledge and compassion;

indeed, it is one of offering, promise, friendship, goodness, remedy of our ailments;

He is our comforter; indeed, our nourishment, our bread,

giving us energy and life.”

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– Blessed Pope Paul VI

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REPETITIVE PRAYER FOR TODAY…

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Here I am Jesus, my God, my Saviour;

here are my burdens, my worries, my sufferings,

but here too is my joy

which comes from knowing that You love me

and that You are my Lord.

I love You, Jesus, and I praise and thank You!

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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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God and hope are inseparable.

Along with a deeper knowledge of God

and the faith and love which marks the true Christian,

St Paul prays for us that we will gladly receive a fuller and livelier hope

– a hope that will shine brightly in us.

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He prays that our minds be enlightened,

that we may realise the consequences of our choice,

of our acceptance, to be members of the holy people of God.

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The hope to which God has called us,

is His gift, a supernatural virtue infused by God into our soul,

by which we desire and expect eternal life and the means necessary to obtain it.

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

which have been manifested in the resurrection of Christ.

It is the same power that is at work in us who believe;

it is the hope that helps us overcome our difficulties;

the same hope that fills our heart with indescribable joy!

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QUOTE…

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"As we fight this battle, which will last until the day we die,

we cannot exclude the possibility

that enemies both within and without may attack with violent force.

As if that were not enough,

you may at times be assailed by the memory of your own past errors,

which may have been very many.

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I tell you now, in God’s name: do not despair.

Should this happen […], then turn it into another motive for uniting yourself more closely to the Lord,

for He has chosen you as His child and He will not abandon you.

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He has allowed this trial to befall you so as to have you love Him the more

and discover even more clearly His constant protection and love."

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– St. Josemaria Escriva

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REPETITIVE PRAYER FOR TODAY…

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Lord, You are my hope.

You bring light into my life and You fill my heart with joy!

Thank You, Jesus.

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