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

.

TODAY’S WORD…

.

Jesus said,

“He is not the God of the dead, but of the living,

for to Him all are alive.”

.

– Luke 20:38 (NIV)

.

.

.

REFLECTION…

.

Jesus is asserting the truth of the resurrection of the dead.

There is no God of the dead

and all who have the Almighty as their God

and are found worthy,

shall live on to enjoy Him…forever.

.

.

.

PRAYER…

.

I believe in You, Lord God,

Father Almighty,

Creator of Heaven and Earth,

and in Jesus Christ

Your Only Son, our Lord.

.

Yes, Lord, I believe

– with all my heart.

.

I believe

in the resurrection of the body

and life everlasting.

.

I believe,

because through Your Holy Spirit,

and by Your grace,

I have been touched by Your Word.

.

Lord Jesus, I believe in You,

and I believe that You are

the Way, the Truth and the Life.

.

Thank You for my faith, Lord,

and thank You for giving me life.

.

Thank You for saving me

and redeeming my soul for life everlasting.

.

Amen.

.

.

.

REPETITIVE PRAYER FOR TODAY…

.

Lord, thank You for saving me and giving me life!

.

.

.

YEAR OF FAITH 2012-2013

FROM THE CATECHISM OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH…

.

By death the soul is separated from the body,

but in the resurrection

God will give incorruptible life to our body,

transformed by reunion with our soul.

.

Just as Christ is risen and lives for ever,

so all of us will rise at the last day.

.

[CCC 1016]

.

.

.

.

TODAY’S WORD…and PRAYER…

.

Blessed are You, O Lord,

the God of Israel our father,

for ever, for ages unending.

.

Yours, Lord, are greatness and power,

and splendour and triumph and glory.

All is Yours, in heaven and on earth.

.

Yours, O Lord, is the kingdom,

You are supreme over all.

Both honour and riches come from You.

.

You are the ruler of all,

from Your hand come strength and power,

from Your hand come greatness and might.

.

– 1 Chronicles 29:10-12 (JB)

.

.

.

REPETITIVE PRAYER FOR TODAY…

.

Blessed are You, O Lord, You are supreme over all!.

.

.

YEAR OF FAITH 2012-2013

FROM THE CATECHISM OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH…

.

God, infinitely perfect and blessed in Himself,

in a plan of sheer goodness freely created man

to make him share in His own blessed life.

.

For this reason, at every time and in every place,

God draws close to man.

He calls man to seek Him,

to know Him,

to love Him with all his strength.

.

He calls together all men, scattered and divided by sin,

into the unity of his family, the Church.

To accomplish this, when the fullness of time had come,

God sent his Son as Redeemer and Saviour.

.

In His Son and through Him,

He invites men to become, in the Holy Spirit, His adopted children

and thus heirs of His blessed life.

.

[CCC 1]

.

.

.

.

TODAY’S WORD…

.

Come, ring out our joy to the Lord;

hail the Rock who saves us.

Let us come before Him, giving thanks,

with songs let us hail the Lord.

.

– Psalm 95:1-2 (JB)

.

.

.

REFLECTION…

.

How can we start each day in the right frame of mind?

How can we prepare ourselves

so as to go through the day ahead of us

with serenity in our hearts, come what may?

.

Nothing is better for our spiritual health

than to start each day with the soul-nourishing ‘breakfast’

that the Holy Spirit so faithfully provides

to those who ask for it.

.

We can, and should, every day

help ourselves to His generous portions

of love, joy, peace, patience,

kindness, generosity, faithfulness,

gentleness, and self-control. (Gal 5:22-23)

.

Only then will we be able to ring out our joy to the Lord;

and hail the Rock who saves us;

and offer the day to Him,

giving thanks, with songs in our hearts,

as we gladly express our love for Him.

.

.

.

PRAYER…

.

Almighty Father,

You are my delight!

.

Fill me, my God, today and every day,

with love, joy and peace,

with patience and kindness and generosity,

with faithfulness and gentleness,

and with self-control,

so that I will always ring out my joy to You

and give You thanks

through whatever I do and say throughout the day.

.

You are my nourishment,

the One who feeds me.

.

You are my Rock,

the One who saves me.

.

Most generous Father,

I shall always give You praise, and thanks, and glory.

.

Amen.

.

.

.

REPETITIVE PRAYER FOR TODAY…

.

Father, You are my delight; You are my nourishment; You are my Rock!

.

.

.

YEAR OF FAITH 2012-2013

FROM THE CATECHISM OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH…

.

When we pray to the Father,

we are in communion with Him and with His Son, Jesus Christ.

Then we know and recognise Him with an ever new sense of wonder.

.

[…] It is the glory of God that we should recognise Him as "Father" – the true God.

We give Him thanks for having revealed His name to us,

for the gift of believing in it,

and for the indwelling of His Presence in us.

[CCC 2781]

.

.

.

.

TODAY’S WORD…

.

Don’t just listen to God’s word.

You must do what it says.

Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves.

.

If you look carefully into the perfect law that sets you free,

and if you do what it says and don’t forget what you heard,

then God will bless you for doing it.

.

– James 1:22,25 (NLT)

.

.

.

PRAYER…

.

Precious Lord,

I want to obey Your word, Your will, and Your example.

I want to obey You, to honour You, to love You, and to know You.

.

Jesus, help me as I seek to walk closer to You;

and do not allow me to fall into the temptation of ignoring Your Law and Your teachings

and doing what suits me.

.

Lord, I detest the very thought of living without You in my heart.

Please help me to stop fooling myself,

and fill me with determination

to live as You want me to live

and to do what is right in Your eyes.

.

Amen.

.

.

.

REPETITIVE PRAYER FOR TODAY…

.

Lord, I want to do only what is right in Your eyes.

.

.

.

YEAR OF FAITH 2012-2013

FROM THE CATECHISM OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH…

.

To obey (from the Latin ob-audire, to "hear or listen to") in faith

is to submit freely to the word that has been heard,

because its truth is guaranteed by God, who is Truth itself.

.

Abraham is the model of such obedience offered us by Sacred Scripture.

The Virgin Mary is its most perfect embodiment.

[CCC 144]

.

.

.

.

TODAY’S WORD…

.

…You, Lord, are a shield around me,
my glory, the One who lifts my head high.
I call out to the Lord,
and He answers me from His holy mountain.

.

– Psalm 3:3-4 (NIV)

.

.

.

The Lord is my shield…

.

As for God, His way is perfect:

The Lord’s word is flawless;

He shields all who take refuge in Him. – 2 Sam 22:31

.

Surely, Lord, You bless the righteous;

You surround them with Your favour as with a shield. – Ps 5:12

.

My shield is God Most High,

who saves the upright in heart. – Ps 7:10

.

The Lord is my strength and my shield;

my heart trusts in Him, and He helps me.

My heart leaps for joy,

and with my song I praise Him. – Ps 28:7

.

We wait in hope for the Lord;

He is our help and our shield. – Ps 33:20

.

.

.

PRAYER…

.

O Lord, my God,

my shield, my strength,

my refuge, my help,

my joy, my glory,

my everything…

I thank You for Your great love,

for Your care,

for Your saving grace.

.

Most awesome God, I lift You up.

O faithful God, I give You praise.

My Maker, my Protector,

I acknowledge You

and give You thanks for all that You do in my life,

and I fall at Your feet and worship You.

.

My Lord and my God.

My Lord and my God.

.

Amen.

.

.

.

REPETITIVE PRAYER FOR TODAY…

.

My Lord and my God – my shield; my life!

.

.

.

YEAR OF FAITH 2012-2013

FROM THE CATECHISM OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH…

.

[…]

“The Lord who has taken away your sin and pardoned your faults

also protects you and keeps you from the wiles of your adversary the devil,

so that the enemy, who is accustomed to leading into sin,

may not surprise you.

.

One who entrusts himself to God does not dread the devil.

‘If God is for us, who is against us?’"(St. Ambrose).

.

[CCC 2852]

.

.

.

.

TODAY’S WORD…

.

The blind man called out,

“Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”

.

Jesus asked him,

“What do you want me to do for you?”

.

“Lord, I want to see,” he replied.

.

Jesus said to him,

“Receive your sight; your faith has healed you.”

.

Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus, praising God.

When all the people saw it, they also praised God.

.

– Luke 18:38,41-43 (NIV)

.

.

.

REFLECTION…

.

The Lord heals and strengthens our spirit

whenever we go before Him with conviction, humility and faith.

He removes our spiritual blindness

and He fills us with love and peace, joy and hope.

.

We should not neglect the Lord’s graces,

and we should grab every opportunity we have to seek out Jesus.

.

“Lord, I want to see!”

This is how we should pray

– with conviction, with urgency, with constancy

and, in spite of the obstacles, with simplicity.

This is how we should believe.

.

“Lord, I want to see!”

This simple prayer should be often on our lips,

flowing from the depths of our heart.

It is a very good prayer to use in moments of doubt and indecision,

when we cannot understand the reason behind God’s plans,

when the horizon of our commitment becomes clouded.

.

“Lord, I want to see!”

It is even a good prayer for people who are sincerely trying to find God

but who do not yet have the great gift of faith.

.

.

.

PRAYER…

.

Lord, I want to see!

Lord, open the eyes of my heart

…and let me see Your truth.

Lord, have mercy on me, a sinner.

.

Amen.

.

.

.

REPETITIVE PRAYER FOR TODAY…

.

Lord, I want to see. Lord, have mercy!

.

.

.

YEAR OF FAITH 2012-2013

FROM THE CATECHISM OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH…

.

[…]The urgent request…“Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”

has-been renewed in the traditional prayer to Jesus known as the Jesus Prayer:

“Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner!”(Mt 9:27, Mk 10:48)

Healing infirmities or forgiving sins, Jesus always responds to a prayer offered in faith:

“Your faith has made you well; go in peace.”

[CCC 2616]

.

.

.

.

TODAY’S WORD…

.

Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth,
burst into jubilant song with music;

make music to the Lord with the harp,
with the harp and the sound of singing,
with trumpets and the blast of the ram’s horn –
shout for joy before the Lord, the King.

.

Let the sea resound, and everything in it,
the world, and all who live in it.
Let the rivers clap their hands,
let the mountains sing together for joy;
let them sing before the Lord,
for He comes to judge the earth.
He will judge the world in righteousness
and the peoples with equity.

.

– Psalm 98:4-9 (NIV)

.

.

.

QUOTE…from POPE JOHN PAUL II’s REFLECTION on PSALM 98…

.

“The reception reserved for the Lord is marked by a universal praise.

In addition to the orchestra and the hymns of the Temple of His chosen people,

all of creation, as a kind of cosmic temple, also participates.

.

There are four singers of this immense choir of praise.

The first is the roaring sea, that seems to be the constant basso of this grandiose hymn.

The earth and the entire world with all its inhabitants follow united in solemn harmony.

The third personification is that of the rivers – that are considered the arms of the sea –

which, with their rhythmic flow, seem to clap hands in applause.

Finally, there are the mountains that seem to dance for joy before the Lord,

even though they are the most massive and imposing creatures.

.

So we have a colossal choir that has only one purpose:

to exalt the Lord, King and just Judge

who comes to govern (and to rule) the earth … with justice and equity.

.

This is our great hope and our petition:

“Your Kingdom come” – a kingdom of peace, justice, and serenity,

that will re-establish the original harmony of creation.”

.

– Pope John Paul II

.

.

.

PRAYER…

.

Oh the immense joy of knowing You, O Lord!

Creation lifts its head and raises its voice

to acknowledge You; to applaud You; and to praise You.

…and so do I.

.

With all my heart and mind and soul and strength,

I lift my voice to You, O King

and I acknowledge You as the Lord my God,

the Alpha and the Omega,

the Beginning and the End,

the Way, the Truth and the Life.

.

May Your Name be glorified.

May Your Name be lifted high, on earth as in heaven.

Lord, forgive me and purify my heart,

that I may join Your creation in exclaiming:

“Let Your Kingdom come, O Lord;

let Your Kingdom come!

.

.

.

REPETITIVE PRAYER FOR TODAY…

.

Let Your kingdom come O Lord, let Your kingdom come!

.

.

.

YEAR OF FAITH 2012-2013

FROM THE CATECHISM OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH…

.

"The kingdom of God [is] righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit."(Rom 14:17)

.

The end-time in which we live is the age of the outpouring of the Spirit.

Ever since Pentecost, a decisive battle has been joined

between "the flesh" and the Spirit.

.

“Only a pure soul can boldly say: "Thy Kingdom come."

One who has heard Paul say, "Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal bodies,"

and has purified himself in action, thought and word

will say to God: "Thy kingdom come!"”(St Cyril of Jerusalem)

.

[CCC 2819]

.

.

.

.

TODAY’S WORD…

.

Then Jesus told His disciples a parable

to teach them that they should always pray

and never become discouraged.

“In a certain town there was a judge

who neither feared God nor respected people.…”

.

– Luke 18:1-2 (NRSV)

.

.

.

REFLECTION…

.

His parable of the unjust judge

was a lesson about the effectiveness of persevering, confident prayer.

If even an unjust judge ends up giving justice to the man who keeps on pleading his case,

how much more will God, who is infinitely just, and who is our Father,

listen to the persevering prayer of His children.

.

God, in other words, gives justice to His elect

if they persist in seeking His help.

.

.

.

QUOTE…

.

“Prayer is in fact the recognition of our limitation and our dependence. […]

.

Prayer…is first of all an act of intelligence,

a feeling of humility and gratitude,

an attitude of trust and abandonment

to Him who gave us life out of love.

.

Prayer is a mysterious but real dialogue with God,

a dialogue of confidence and love.

.

[…] The Christian knows that his prayer is that of Jesus;

every prayer of his starts from Jesus;

it is He who prays in us, with us, for us.

All those who believe in God, pray;

but the Christian prays in Jesus Christ: Christ is our prayer!

.

[…] Do not stop praying!

Let not a day pass without your having prayed a little!

Prayer is a duty, but it is also a great joy,

because it is a dialogue with God through Jesus Christ!”

.

– Pope John Paul II

.

.

.

PRAYER…

.

Oh sweet Jesus, my Lord,

come and be with me

as I crave for Your divine presence.

.

Thank You, Lord, for the gift of prayer

and for always listening so gladly to my utterances

as they leave my heart bursting with love for You,

and filled with trust and with hope.

.

Lord, I know that You accept my love

– imperfect as it is.

Lord, I know that You listen to my prayer

– inadequate and inappropriate as it may be.

.

Forgive my weakness, Lord Jesus;

forgive my self-centeredness;

receive my prayer, my King,

and grant me whatever is good for my soul

and for my salvation.

.

I love You, Jesus;

I trust in You, Lord;

may it be done according to Your will.

.

Amen.

.

.

.

REPETITIVE PRAYER FOR TODAY…

.

Lord, whatever my prayer, Your will be done!

.

.

.

YEAR OF FAITH 2012-2013

FROM THE CATECHISM OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH…

.

Where does prayer come from?

Whether prayer is expressed in words or gestures,

it is the whole man who prays.

.

But in naming the source of prayer,

Scripture speaks sometimes of the soul or the spirit,

but most often of the heart (more than a thousand times).

According to Scripture, it is the heart that prays.

If our heart is far from God, the words of prayer are in vain.

[CCC 2652]

.

.

.

.

TODAY’S WORD…

.

Wisdom, who gave shape to everything that exists, was my teacher.

.

The spirit of Wisdom is intelligent and holy.

It is of one nature but reveals itself in many ways.

It is not made of any material substance, and it moves about freely.

It is clear, clean, and confident;

it cannot be harmed.

.

It loves what is good.

It is sharp and unconquerable,

kind, and a friend of humanity.

It is dependable and sure,

and has no worries.

.

It has power over everything,

and sees everything.

It penetrates every spirit that is intelligent and pure,

no matter how delicate its substance may be.

.

Wisdom moves more easily than motion itself;

she is so pure that she penetrates everything.

She is a breath of God’s power

– a pure and radiant stream of glory from the Almighty.

Nothing that is defiled can ever steal its way into Wisdom.

.

She is a reflection of eternal light,

a perfect mirror of God’s activity and goodness.

Even though Wisdom acts alone, she can do anything.

She makes everything new, although she herself never changes.

.

From generation to generation she enters the souls of holy people,

and makes them God’s friends and prophets.

There is nothing that God loves more

than people who are at home with Wisdom.

.

Wisdom is more beautiful than the sun and all the constellations.

She is better than light itself,

because night always follows day, but evil never overcomes Wisdom.

.

– Wisdom 7:22-30 (GNT)

.

.

.

REFLECTION…

.

Somehow,

mysteriously,

Wisdom is the same thing as the Spirit of God

who gives life to and enlightens all other beings,

and who transcends them.

.

These terms, these verses from the Book of Wisdom,

emphasise the excellence of Divine Wisdom,

and so clearly reflect some of the abundant attributes of the Holy Spirit.

.

Wisdom is the Holy Spirit

and we cannot experience the wisdom of God

without recognising and acknowledging the Spirit of God

and letting Him dwell and work in us.

.

.

PRAYER…

.

Holy Spirit of God,

the more I get to know of You,

the more I desire You in my heart.

.

Breath of God,

make my heart Your home.

I welcome You to live in me,

to work in me,

to completely take over

and change me.

.

Come Holy Spirit,

renew me,

set my heart on fire with Your love,

and lead me to Jesus!

.

Come Holy Spirit.

.

.

.

REPETITIVE PRAYER FOR TODAY…

.

Holy Spirit, renew me and lead me to Jesus!

.

.

.

YEAR OF FAITH 2012-2013

FROM THE CATECHISM OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH…

.

"No one can say ‘Jesus is Lord’ except by the Holy Spirit."(1 Cor 12:3)

.

"God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, ‘Abba! Father!"‘ (Gal 4:6)

.

This knowledge of faith is possible only in the Holy Spirit:

to be in touch with Christ, we must first have been touched by the Holy Spirit.

He comes to meet us and kindles faith in us.

.

By virtue of our Baptism, the first sacrament of the faith,

the Holy Spirit in the Church communicates to us, intimately and personally,

the life that originates in the Father and is offered to us in the Son. […]

[CCC 683]

.

.

.

.

TODAY’S WORD…and PRAYER

.

Your Word, Lord, is eternal;
it stands firm in the heavens.
Your faithfulness continues through all generations;
You established the earth, and it endures.
Your laws endure to this day,
for all things serve You.

.

The unfolding of Your words gives light;
it gives understanding to the simple.

.

Make Your face shine on Your servant
and teach me Your decrees.

.

Let me live that I may praise You,
and may Your laws sustain me.

.

– Psalm 119:89-91,130,135,175 (NIV)

.

.

.

REFLECTION…

.

The Word of God endures forever;

God has created all things

and He sustains them in being.

.

An open heart welcomes and receives God’s word

and as it penetrates, it is absorbed,

and there will exist an indescribable understanding

which fills and sustains the spirit of man

with the light of the Truth…which is God!

.

.

.

REPETITIVE PRAYER FOR TODAY…

.

Shine on me Lord, and fill me with the light of Your word.

.

.

.

YEAR OF FAITH 2012-2013

FROM THE CATECHISM OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH…

.

The inspired Books teach the truth.

"Since therefore all that the inspired authors or sacred writers affirm

should be regarded as affirmed by the Holy Spirit,

we must acknowledge that the books of Scripture firmly, faithfully, and without error

teach that truth which God, for the sake of our salvation,

wished to see confided to the Sacred Scriptures."(Dei Verbum)

.

[CCC 107]

.

.

Still, the Christian faith is not a "religion of the book."

Christianity is the religion of the "Word" of God,

a word which is "not a written and mute word, but the Word which is incarnate and living". (St. Bernard)

.

If the Scriptures are not to remain a dead letter,

Christ, the eternal Word of the living God,

must, through the Holy Spirit, "open [our] minds to understand the Scriptures."

.

[CCC 108]

.

.

.