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

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TODAY’S WORD…

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Because the Lord is righteous and good,
He teaches sinners the path they should follow.
He leads the humble in the right way
and teaches them His will.
With faithfulness and love He leads
all who keep His covenant and obey His commands.

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Those who have reverence for the Lord
will learn from Him the path they should follow.

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– Psalm 25:8-10,12 (GNT)

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REFLECTION…through BIBLE VERSES…

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The Lord says,

“I will teach you the way you should go;
I will instruct you and advise you. (Ps 32:8)

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If you wander off the road to the right or the left,

you will hear His voice behind you saying,

“Here is the road. Follow it.” (Isa 30:21)

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Love and faithfulness will meet;

righteousness and peace will embrace. (Ps 85:10)

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But whoever listens to me will have security

– he will be safe, with no reason to be afraid.” (Prv 1:33)

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PRAYER…

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Lord Jesus, Son of the Living God,

come…and teach me how to be more like You.

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Come and show me the path I should follow,

O Most Righteous and Good,

O Holy One.

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Come, my Lord and Saviour,

I am listening out for Your voice

and I am looking out for Your hand to hold on to

as I strive to obey Your commands.

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Come Lord Jesus Christ,

strengthen my faith,

make me secure in Your love,

and fill me with the true peace that only You bring.

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Amen.

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REPETITIVE PRAYER FOR TODAY…

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Come Lord Jesus, teach me; lead me; love me.

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TODAY’S WORD…

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“…you must name Him Jesus,

because He is the one who is to save His people from their sins.”

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– Matthew 1:21 (JB)

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REFLECTION…

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Just as a name gives identity to a person,

the name of Jesus reminds the utterer and the hearer

of who Jesus is

and what He has done and still does for us.

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The name Jesus means "God saves" or "God is salvation."

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In invoking our Lord’s name with reverential faith,

one is turning to Him and imploring His divine assistance.

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The name of Jesus gives help in spiritual trials.

Jesus forgave sins,

and through the invocation of His Holy Name,

sins continue to be forgiven.

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Through the Holy Name of Jesus,

we receive every grace and blessing.

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PRAYER…

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Jesus, Jesus, Jesus

– no other name but Yours, my Lord!

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Jesus, my Lord and my God.

Jesus, my Healer, my Saviour.

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Jesus, Jesus, Jesus

– You are all I want and need!

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Heal me, Jesus.

Thank You, Jesus.

Forgive me, Jesus.

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REPETITIVE PRAYER FOR TODAY…

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Jesus, Jesus, Jesus…

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TODAY’S WORD…

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Our soul is waiting for the Lord.

The Lord is our help and our shield.

In Him do our hearts find joy.

We trust in His holy name.

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– Psalm 33:20-21 (JB)

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REFLECTION…

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Our heavenly Father has made Himself so very approachable.

Abba loves us so much

that He sends His only Son to become one like us.

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Abba sends Immanuel

…and there is great expectation and joy

in the hearts of the humble and of those of good will,

as they acknowledge that God is with us!

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PRAYER…

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Where would I be without You, O Lord?

How sad a creature I would be;

how empty;

how lost;

how useless;

how weak and defenceless!

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But Jesus, You are with me

– my help and my strength,

my shield and my defender.

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With You by my side, I am strong,

and my soul is filled with hope

and with abundant joy

as it acknowledges You as Lord

and sings to You, my Saviour.

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Amen.

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REPETITIVE PRAYER FOR TODAY…

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My Lord, my God, my Shield, my Saviour, my Jesus!

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TODAY’S WORD…

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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.

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– Psalm 24:3-5 (NRSV)

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REFLECTION…

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“Hands” and “hearts” refer to both action and intention,

the whole of the human being

who should basically turn toward God alone

and to His law.

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QUOTE…

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“These are the three elementary forms of the experience of God

and of our relationship with God:

we live by the work of God,

we live before God

and we can live with God.”

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– G. Ebeling.

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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, my soul.

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My entire being yearns for You,

to be with You,

to be like You,

to be one with You.

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Amen.

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REPETITIVE PRAYER FOR TODAY…

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Lord, I yearn for You, and for You alone.

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TODAY’S WORD…

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In You, O Lord, I take refuge;
let me never be put to shame.
In Your righteousness deliver me and rescue me;
incline Your ear to me and save me.
Be to me a rock of refuge,
a strong fortress, to save me,
for You are my rock and my fortress.

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– Psalm 71:1-3 (NRSV)

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REFLECTION…

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There is a secure place

which is always open

to those who seek love and truth,

a place that has withstood the ravages of time

– that place, that fortress, that rock of the Lord.

There there is joy, peace and eternal promise.

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It requires effort and determination to get there,

but constantly calling upon Him

will ensure that we do.

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PRAYER…

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My Lord God Almighty,

I acknowledge You as my rock and my fortress.

You are my refuge – the place I want to be.

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You are my strength – all I need,

and I call out to You Lord,

to help me get through the deceitful elements of life,

the veiled lies and untruths

which I am sometimes guilty of desiring

out of pure selfishness.

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Increase my faith, O God,

and reinforce my determination

to always follow Your way, Your truth, Your life.

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Forgive me – I love You Lord.

Help me – I trust in You Lord.

Save me – I need You Lord.

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Amen.

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REPETITIVE PRAYER FOR TODAY…

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You are all I need, Lord – forgive me, help me, save me.

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TODAY’S WORD…

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Rejoice in the Lord always.

I will say it again: rejoice!

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Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.

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– Philippians 4:4-5 (NIV)

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REFLECTION…

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In order to have joy

it does not matter if we are living in difficult conditions.

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The kind of profound joy that fills the soul with peace

does not derive from the satisfaction of physical or material needs

but from faithfulness to God and His commandments

by embracing the Cross.

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QUOTE…

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"For a Christian, joy is a treasure.

Only by offending God do we lose it,

because sin is the fruit of selfishness,

and selfishness is the root of sadness.

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Even then, a bit of joy survives under the debris of our soul

– the knowledge that neither God nor His (Christ’s) Mother forgets us.

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If we repent,

if an act of sorrow springs from our heart,

if we purify ourselves in the holy sacrament of penance,

God comes out to meet and forgive us.

Then there can be no sadness whatsoever"

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– St. Josemaria Escriva

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"The true worth of what a Christian does

is determined by the active presence of God’s grace in him and his deeds.

In a Christian’s heart, therefore, peace is inseparable from joy […].

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When the joy that is in a Christian heart is poured out on others,

it gives them hope and optimism;

it spurs them to be generous in their daily toil

and infects the entire society.

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My children, only if you have in you this divine grace which is joy and peace,

will you be able to do anything useful for others"

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– Pope John Paul II

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PRAYER…

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Through Your amazing gift of faith,

my soul rejoices in You, my God.

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By the power of Your Holy Spirit,

I acknowledge and believe and love You, O God.

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Through Your grace, which I cling to,

I know that You love me beyond my imagination,

and that fills me with awe and great joy, my Lord.

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Thank You, Lord God.

I love You, Lord God.

Forgive me, Lord God.

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Amen.

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REPETITIVE PRAYER FOR TODAY…

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Thank You for the joy that only You bring, O Lord!.

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TODAY’S WORD…

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An angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream

and said,

“Joseph son of David,

do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife,

because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.

She will give birth to a son,

and you are to give Him the name Jesus,

because He will save His people from their sins.’

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– Matthew 1:20-21 (NIV)

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REFLECTION…

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Mary had said “Yes” to God

accepting that His will be done.

Joseph said “Yes” to God,

accepting to become the adoptive father

of the One who God sent because He loved us so;

of the One who became like us in every way, except sin;

of the One who suffered, was crucified, died, was buried

in order to give us hope and save us through His glorious resurrection.

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How wonderful it is when we listen out for and discern God’s voice

from the discordant cacophony that surrounds us,

and when we say “Yes” to Him, no matter what He asks of us.

“Yes, Lord, Your will be done!”

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PRAYER…

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O Lord, my God

my desire is to listen to Your voice,

and to accept and do Your will,

and to always say “yes” to You.

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But there is, so often, a conflict

between my desire to honour You

and my tendency to satisfy my selfishness.

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Lord, in times like these, send Your Holy Spirit

to lead me;

to console me;

to give me good counsel and help me discern;

to fill me to the brim with Your fruit of

love, joy, peace,

patience, kindness, goodness,

faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.

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Remove my self-centeredness, Lord,

and replace it with an adoring love for You

and a Christian love for my neighbour.

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Amen.

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REPETITIVE PRAYER FOR TODAY…

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Yes Lord, I want to always do Your will!

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TODAY’S WORD…

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Teach me Your ways, O Lord;
make them known to me.
Teach me to live according to Your truth,
for You are my God, who saves me.
I always trust in You.

Remember, O Lord, Your kindness and constant love
which You have shown from long ago.

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Forgive the sins and errors of my youth.
In Your constant love and goodness,
remember me, Lord!

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Because the Lord is righteous and good,
He teaches sinners the path they should follow.
He leads the humble in the right way
and teaches them His will.

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– Psalm 25:4-9 (GNT)

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REFLECTION…

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The Psalmist himself, provides us with a reflection:

“Because the Lord is righteous and good,

He teaches sinners the path they should follow.

He leads the humble in the right way

and teaches them His will.”.

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PRAYER…

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Teach me Your ways, O Lord;

make them known to me.

Teach me to live according to Your truth,

for You are my God, who saves me.

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I always trust in You.

Remember, O Lord, Your kindness and constant love

which You have shown from long ago.

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Forgive the sins and errors of my youth.

In Your constant love and goodness,

remember me, Lord!

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Amen.

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REPETITIVE PRAYER FOR TODAY…

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O righteous Lord, teach me the path I should follow.

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TODAY’S WORD…

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But when the fullness of time had come,

God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law…

in order to redeem those who were under the law,

so that we might receive adoption as children.

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And because you are children,

God has sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts,

crying, ‘Abba! Father!’

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– Galatians 4:4-6 (NRSV)

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REFLECTION…

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God sent His Son to be a woman’s son.

He emptied His home

so He could send a redeemer to our home.

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He did it so we could be His children

– not pretend children, but real children, with full rights.

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He did it so He would not only be God,

but so He could be Abba, Our Father.

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QUOTE…

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"…if we have a constant relationship with the Holy Spirit,

we shall become spiritual ourselves,

we shall realise that we are Christ’s [siblings] and children of God,