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

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TODAY’S WORD…

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What is good has been explained to you, man;

this is what the Lord asks of you: only this,

to act justly,

to love tenderly

and to walk humbly with your God.

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– Micah 6:8 (JB)

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REFLECTION…

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To do what is right and obey His commandments;

to be caring and merciful like He is;

and to humbly but gladly accept Him as my constant companion and faithful friend;

this is what the Lord, my God and Saviour asks of me.

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REPETITIVE PRAYER FOR TODAY…

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Come, Lord Jesus, lead me and teach me,

and fill me with Your Spirit.

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TODAY’S WORD…

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Jesus said,

“The eye is the lamp of the body.

So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light;

but if your eye is unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness.

If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!”

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– Matthew 6:22-23 (NRSV)

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REFLECTION…

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Jesus uses the simile of the eye

as a lamp which provides the body with light.

This "eye", this "lamp", refers to the motivation behind our behaviour.

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St. Thomas Aquinas explains it in this way:

"The eye refers to motive.

When a person wants to do something, he first forms an intention:

thus, if your intention is sound – simple and clear –

that is to say, if it is directed towards God,

your whole body, that is, all your actions,

will be sound, sincerely directed towards good."

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It follows, therefore,

that if your motives are bad and purely self-centred,

they are only adding to the darkness that already exists in you

– a darkness that may be taking over your very soul.

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REPETITIVE PRAYER FOR TODAY…

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O Jesus, Light of the world, be the Light of my soul!

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TODAY’S WORD…

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The Lord is my shepherd;
I have everything I need.
He lets me rest in fields of green grass
and leads me to quiet pools of fresh water.
He gives me new strength.
He guides me in the right paths,
as He has promised.
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Even if I go through the deepest darkness,
I will not be afraid, Lord,
for You are with me.
Your shepherd’s rod and staff protect me.

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– Psalm 23:1-4 (GNT)

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REFLECTION…

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Is the Lord truly my Shepherd?

Do I trust in His love and care for me?

Do I actually let Him lead me?

Do I follow Him with humility and obedience?

Do I believe that, through Him, I have everything I need?

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How wonderful it is to read the words of this beautiful Psalm,

and to be able to claim them as our own,

as coming from deep inside our heart.

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Even though we may sometimes falter

under the weight of the situations we face in life,

our faith helps us look up to the Lord

and we call out to Him, time and time again,

and humbly stretch out our hand

for Him to hold and give us the strength we need to overcome.

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How wonderful it is if I am able to truthfully proclaim

that with the Lord by my side,

I am strong…and I am not afraid!

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REPETITIVE PRAYER FOR TODAY…

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O Lord, You are my Shepherd. You give me strength.

With You by my side, I am not afraid!

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TODAY’S WORD…

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Be strong and take heart,
all you who hope in the Lord.

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– Psalm 31:24 (NIV)

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REFLECTION…

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We who believe are encouraged,

we are assured that God will never leave or forsake us.

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He will strengthen our heart – He will animate us;

He will enable us to withstand trial and opposition;

He will keep us from becoming faint and disheartened.

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The good and the faithful hope in the Lord,

they place their trust in Him,

their hope centres in God.

For them,

any achievement,

any need for themselves and for the good of their family,

anything that will bless the world,

every good thing – only comes from God.

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But those who hope in the Lord
will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint. (Isaiah 40:31)

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Hope in God cheers us,

sustains us,

comforts us,

makes life joyful

and instils in us a sense of well-being.

Even death loses its sting,

and our hope helps us face it calmly,

serenely and triumphantly!

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REPETITIVE PRAYER FOR TODAY…

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Lord, You are my Rock, and on You I build my hope;

You give me strength to soar like an eagle.

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TODAY’S WORD…

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You love Him

even though you have never seen Him.

Though you do not see Him now, you trust Him;

and you rejoice with a glorious, inexpressible joy.

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The reward for trusting Him

will be the salvation of your souls.

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– 1 Peter 1:8-9 (NLT)

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REFLECTION…

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Before His Passion, Jesus said to His disciples.

“So you have sorrow now, but I will see you again;

then you will rejoice,

and no one can rob you of that joy.”

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Christ was crucified, as He said He would,

and He rose again, as He said He would,

but what about our joy?

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Why do we, so often, appear to lack that glorious inexpressible joy

that Jesus Himself said should fill the hearts of those who love Him

and who place their trust in Him?

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If Jesus told us,

“you will rejoice, and no one can rob you of that joy”,

so, what has happened to our joy?

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The answer is quite simple,

it is also very sad:

it is we who keep robbing ourselves of that joy,

through our self-centredness;

through our ever-complaining self-pity;

through our seemingly insatiable nature.

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Yes, no one can rob us of the joy that Christ brings to our heart

– except we ourselves.

And that can only result from lack of faith and trust in Him.

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Sing praises to God and to His Name!
Sing loud praises to Him who rides the clouds.
His name is the Lord –
rejoice in His presence! (Ps 68:4)

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REPETITIVE PRAYER FOR TODAY…

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Lord, strengthen my faith and my trust in You,

so that my heart can be filled to overflowing

with that indescribable joy that only You bring!

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TODAY’S WORD…

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Be joyful.

Grow to maturity.

Encourage each other.

Live in harmony and peace.

Then the God of love and peace will be with you.

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– 2 Corinthians 13:11 (NLT)

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REFLECTION…

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As Christians we are exhorted to be cheerful:

“Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!” (Phil 4:4)

Joy comes from our awareness of being children of God

and, therefore, of being in the hands of the One who knows everything

and who can do everything.

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How can we be sad if we know that the Spirit is always right by our side.

It is He who encourages us,

who spurs us on to encourage and strengthen one another;

to love and care for each other;

to sow peace and joy through everything we say and do;

and to seek to live in full concord and peace.

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If we think that this is a long shot for us,

we must remember that it was our Lord Jesus Christ who told us,

“You must be perfect – just as your Father in heaven is perfect.” (Matt 5:48)

And as we strive forward towards this perfection.

the God of love and peace will be with us.

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QUOTE…

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"Live in peace,

and the God of love and peace will be with you,

for God is a God of love and a God of peace,

and in these He takes His delight.

It is love that will give you peace

and remove every evil from your church"

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– St. John Chrysostom

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REPETITIVE PRAYER FOR TODAY…

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Come, O God of love and peace,

make me good and fill me with Your joy!

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TODAY’S WORD…

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Jesus said,

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son,

so that everyone who believes in Him

may not perish but may have eternal life.”

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– John 3:16 (NRSV)

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REFLECTION…

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“For God so loved the world…”

How precious we must be in the eyes of the Creator!

Christ’s death is the supreme sign of God’s love for us.

His self-surrender is a pressing call to respond to His great love for us.

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“So that everyone who believes in Him…”

Jesus demands that we have faith in Him

as a first prerequisite to sharing in His love.

Faith brings us out of darkness into the light,

and sets us on the road to salvation.

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QUOTE…

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"For God so loved the world

that He gave His only Son for its salvation.

All our religion is a revelation of God’s kindness, mercy and love for us.

‘God is love’, that is, love poured forth unsparingly.

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All is summed up in this supreme truth,

which explains and illuminates everything.

The story of Jesus must be seen in this light.

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‘(He) loved me’, St. Paul writes (Gal 2:20).

Each of us can and must repeat it for himself

– ‘He loved me, and gave Himself for me.’"

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– Pope Paul VI

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REPETITIVE PRAYER FOR TODAY…

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My Lord and my God, You loved me

and You gave Yourself for me!

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TODAY’S WORD…

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Protect me, O God, for in You I take refuge.
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I say to the Lord,

‘You are my Lord;
I have no good apart from You.’

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– Psalm 16:1-2 (NRSV)

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REFLECTION…

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When, for whatever reason, I distance myself from God,

the goodness in me loses its divine protection

and I become openly susceptible to worldly corruption.

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We can ill afford to remove ourselves from the Lord’s protection.

Without Him, we are nothing;

away from Him, our weaknesses can easily take over;

apart from Him, we have no good

and we make ourselves easy prey for the devil,

who is always there “prowling around like a roaring lion

looking for someone to devour.” (cf. 1 Pet 5:8)

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REPETITIVE PRAYER FOR TODAY…

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Protect me, O God, for in You I take refuge.

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TODAY’S WORD…

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Jesus said,

“If your right eye causes you to sin, take it out and throw it away!

It is much better for you to lose a part of your body

than to have your whole body thrown into hell.

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If your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away!

It is much better for you to lose one of your limbs

than to have your whole body go off to hell.”

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– Matthew 5:29-30 (GNT)

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REFLECTION…

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The message is clear enough,

but are we prepared to go to the ultimate sacrifice to avoid it?

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Are we prepared to suffer and to embrace sacrifice,

rather than break God’s commandments?

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Do we truly prefer to choose pleasure from our illicit desires now,

over the everlasting enjoyment of the promised rooms in the Father’s house? (cf. Jn 14:2)

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Do you think that Jesus is kidding us, when He warns us about hell?

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REPETITIVE PRAYER FOR TODAY…

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My eyes want to see Your glory, Lord,

and my hands to be lifted up joyfully in everlasting praise!

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TODAY’S WORD…

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The heavens proclaim the glory of God.
The skies display His craftsmanship.
Day after day they continue to speak;
night after night they make Him known.

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– Psalm 19:1-2 (NLT)

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REFLECTION…

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Every day and every night

provide me with the opportunity to contemplate on God, my Creator.

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If I look up towards the heavens, with an open heart,

I will hear them sing God’s praises

and my soul will be filled with awe

and exult at His omnipotence.

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The heavens so mightily declare the glory of God,

and proclaim His wisdom, power, and goodness

– they speak for themselves to be works of God’s hands.

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The heavens are a never-ending reminder

of a God who created us in His own image and likeness

and who loves us so much

that He sent His one and only Son to save us

and bring us eternal life.

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REPETITIVE PRAYER FOR TODAY…

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O Lord, my God, my Creator, how great You are!

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