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

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TODAY’S WORD…

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Happy are those
who reject the advice of evil people,
who do not follow the example of sinners
or join those who have no use for God.
Instead, they find joy in obeying the Law of the Lord,
and they study it day and night.
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They are like trees that grow beside a stream,
that bear fruit at the right time,
and whose leaves do not dry up.
They succeed in everything they do.

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But evil people are not like this at all;
they are like straw that the wind blows away.
Sinners will be condemned by God
and kept apart from God’s own people.
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The righteous are guided and protected by the Lord,
but the evil are on the way to their doom.

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– Psalm 1:1-6 (GNT).

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REFLECTION…

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This is the very first Psalm

– it is a rather short one,

but it serves as the perfect introduction to the whole Book of Psalms.

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It immediately invites us

to reflect on and pray about all that happens in this life …and beyond it…

in the context of God’s direction and commandments,

and our freedom to choose between good and evil.

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PRAYER…

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My Lord, my God,

I pray that I will never be like that straw

that sways in the wind

until it gets blown away.

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Make me, instead, like a tree

that grows besides a stream,

joyfully soaking up Your water of life,

as my faith is refreshed and increased,

and my love for You strengthened.

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Lord guide me and protect me,

and help me bear fruit…always…in Your name.

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Amen.

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REPETITIVE PRAYER FOR TODAY…

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Lord, protect me, refresh me, that I may grow in faith.

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TODAY’S WORD…

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“I, the Lord, your God,

I am holding you by the right hand;

I tell you, ‘Do not be afraid,

I will help you.’”

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– Isaiah 41:13 (JB)

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REFLECTION…

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“I, the Lord, your God,

I am holding you by the right hand;

I tell you, ‘Do not be afraid,

I will help you.’”

These loving words are not only encouraging,

because if we stop and properly assimilate them,

they will help us reflect

on how deep is our faith

and on how much we truly trust in the Lord, our God..

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PRAYER…

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You are the Lord, my God,

and I believe, I know, that You hold me by my right hand.

My soul sighs as it hears You tell me,

‘Do not be afraid,

I will help you.’

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Thank You, O God,

thank You for loving me so;

for adopting me into Your family;

for the gift of faith.

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You are my Father

and I am Your child,

and I believe

that You are always right here beside me

helping me;

consoling me;

counselling me;

and leading me to where You know is best for me.

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I praise and thank You, O God,

and I give You glory!

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Amen.

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REPETITIVE PRAYER FOR TODAY…

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Hold my hand, Lord. Help me, Lord. I need You, Lord.

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TODAY’S WORD…

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Jesus exclaimed,

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

and I will give you rest.

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Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me;

for I am gentle and humble in heart,

and you will find rest for your souls.

For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

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– Matthew 11:28-30 (NRSV)

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REFLECTION…

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We all find things difficult in one way or another,

and our Lord calls everyone to come to Him.

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The history of souls bears out the truth of Jesus’ words

– only the Gospel can fully satisfy

the thirst for truth and justice which sincere people feel.

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Only our Lord, our Master

– and those to whom He passes on His power –

can soothe the sinner by telling him, “Your sins are forgiven”. (Mat 9:2)

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QUOTES…

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“Any other burden oppresses and crushes you,

but Christ’s actually takes weight off you.

Any other burden weighs down,

but Christ’s gives you wings.”

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– St Augustine

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“Jesus’ 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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– Pope Paul VI

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PRAYER…

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Lord, to whom shall I go?

You have the words of eternal life!

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Lord, where shall I go to?

You are the Way, the Truth, and the Life!

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Lord Jesus, I submit myself to You

and want to learn from You,

for You are gentle and humble of heart

and You make my burdens light.

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Lord, I only find true peace and rest in You!

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Amen.

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REPETITIVE PRAYER FOR TODAY…

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Lord, I only find true peace and rest in You!.

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TODAY’S WORD…

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‘All people are like grass,
and all their faithfulness is like the flowers of the field.
The grass withers and the flowers fall,
because the breath of the Lord blows on them.

Surely the people are grass.
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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 40:6-8 (NIV)

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REFLECTION…

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These verses are a reminder that

by living the Word,

by truly loving,

we will live forever.

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Here is what St. Peter tells us in his first epistle,

where he also refers to the same words from scripture:

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“You were cleansed from your sins when you obeyed the truth,

so now you must show sincere love to each other as brothers and sisters.

Love each other deeply with all your heart.

For you have been born again, but not to a life that will quickly end.

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Your new life will last forever

because it comes from the eternal, living word of God.

As the Scriptures say,

“People are like grass;

their beauty is like a flower in the field.

The grass withers and the flower fades.

But the word of the Lord remains forever.” (1 Pt 1:22–25)

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PRAYER…

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Lord God Almighty,

thank You for Your Word;

for Your beloved Son Jesus who came and lived it for us;

for Your Spirit who inspires us

to understand and embrace Your Word.

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Lord, I greatly desire to do Your will,

and to love in the way You want me to.

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But I constantly need strengthening, Lord.

I need Your Word

which is a lamp to my feet

and a light for my path.

I need Your Spirit to keep reviving my faith,

and to stop it from withering.

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Let me be filled me with determination,

with knowledge,

and with perseverance.

Remove from me

all that is not from You, O Lord.

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Fill me with love

for every human being

and every created thing

– for it is only by loving in the way You want me to,

that I can look forward to eternal life.

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Amen.

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REPETITIVE PRAYER FOR TODAY…

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Lord, grant that my soul lives forever…with You!

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TODAY’S WORD…

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For everything that was written in the past

was written to teach us,

so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures

and the encouragement they provide

we might have hope.

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– Romans 15:4 (NIV)

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REFLECTION…

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The strength and authority of Scripture

is useful not only for instruction in the faith

but also for enlivening our hope

and consoling us in every kind of trial, interior and exterior.

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The examples which we find in Scripture

encourage us to be patient.

and we are convinced that if God asks sacrifice of "His own",

He does so because He has a greater reward in store for them..

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By patiently enduring sufferings,

and consoled by God’s Word in the Scriptures,

we are filed with hope.

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Scripture shows us the Way.

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PRAYER…

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Show me Your ways, O Lord,
that I may walk with You.
Show me Your ways
I put my hope in You.
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The cry of my heart is to love You more,
to live with the touch of Your hand
…stronger each day

Lord, show me Your ways

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Amen.

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SING YOUR PRAYER TO THE LORD…

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click here >>

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REPETITIVE PRAYER FOR TODAY…

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Lord, show me Your ways.

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TODAY’S WORD…

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The angel said to her,

“Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you.”

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– Luke 1:28 (RSV)

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REFLECTION…FROM THE CATECHISM OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH…

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The splendour of an entirely unique holiness by which Mary is enriched

from the first instant of her conception

comes wholly from Christ:

she is redeemed, in a more exalted fashion,

by reason of the merits of her Son.

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The Father blessed Mary more than any other created person

in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places,

and chose her in Christ before the foundation of the world,

to be holy and blameless before Him in love."

[CCC 492]

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This is what the dogma of the Immaculate Conception confesses,

as Pope Pius IX proclaimed in 1854…

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“The most Blessed Virgin Mary was, from the first moment of her conception,

by a singular grace and privilege of Almighty God

and by virtue of the merits of Jesus Christ, Saviour of the human race,

preserved immune from all stain of original sin.”

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– Pius IX, Ineffabilis Deus

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PRAYER…

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Hail Mary, full of grace,

the Lord is with you.

Blessed are you amongst women,

and blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus.

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Holy Mary, Mother of God,

pray for us sinners,

now and at the hour of our death.

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Amen.

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O Virgin Immaculate, Mother of God and my Mother,

I beseech you to intercede for me with the Lord, my God,

and to help me in the journey of life,

which is so full of dangers for my soul.

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Sweet Mother, I entrust myself to you,

as I seek to live with a pure and humble heart.

Protect me from sin,

and pray for me that I may always love your Divine Son, Jesus,

and that I will be saved.

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Amen.

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Pray for me O Holy Mother of God,

that I may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

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REPETITIVE PRAYER FOR TODAY…

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Pray for me O Holy Mother of God,

that I may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

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TODAY’S WORD…

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The Lord is compassionate,

and when you cry to Him for help, He will answer you.

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The Lord will make you go through hard times,

but He Himself will be there to teach you,

and you will not have to search for Him any more.

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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.”

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– Isaiah 30:19-21 (GNT)

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REFLECTION…

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It we are constant in prayer,

God will comfort us

and make us holy.

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We all go through tough moments at some time or other in our lives,

but nothing can be worse that not having God in our lives.

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The “tempter” is busy seducing us to rebel,

to take the side roads that lead us away from God and from His Way.

And so it is a blessing when we hear the Lord’s voice deep inside of us

seeking to set us right,

helping us remove our doubts,

and caringly warning us against our folly and our selfishness…

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It is God’s Holy Spirit who, if we allow Him to,

time and time again coaxes us away from our suffocating earthly bonds

back to the path of grace, and of love, joy and peace.

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PRAYER…

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Yes Lord,

hear my cries for help,

I so need Your care and compassion

and to be filled again with Your never-ending love.

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Untie my earthly bonds, O Lord.

Help me return to the right path

and draw me back to You

where I know my soul will find incomparable joy and peace.

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Now that I have found You, Lord,

I want to remain by Your side.

Draw me close to You.

teach me, heal me and strengthen me,

as I trustfully follow the path You have laid out for me.

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You’re all I want, O God,

never let me go,

always lead me back to You.

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Amen.

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REPETITIVE PRAYER FOR TODAY…

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Lord, You’re all I want!

[Shout to the Lord and tell Him “You’re all I want.”

and tell Him “”]