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

.

TODAY’S WORD…

.

We beg you who have received God’s grace

not to let it be wasted.

.

Hear what God says:

“When the time came for me to show you favour,
I heard you;
when the day arrived for me to save you,
I helped you.”

.

Listen! This is the hour to receive God’s favour;

today is the day to be saved!

.

– 2 Corinthians 6:1-2 (GNT)

.

.

.

QUOTES…

.

“We receive the grace of God in vain

when we receive it at the gate of our heart,

without allowing it to enter:

we receive it without receiving it;

we receive it without fruit,

since there is no use in feeling the inspiration

if one does not consent unto it.

.

And just as the sick man who has the medicine in his hands,

if he takes only part of it, will only partially benefit from it,

so too, when God sends a great and mighty inspiration to move us to embrace his love,

if we do not avail of it in its entirety,

we shall benefit from it only partially"

.

– St Francis de Sales

.

.

“The day of salvation is here before us.

The call of the good shepherd has reached us:

‘I have called you by name’. (Is 43:1)

.

Since love repays love, we must

reply: ’Here I am, for You called me’. (1 Sam 3:5)[…]

I will be converted,

I will turn again to the Lord

and love Him as He wants to be loved"

.

– St Josemaria Escriva

.

.

PRAYER…

.

You called me, Lord,

and by Your grace, here I am!

.

You called me, Lord,

and I listened

and all that I heard from You was good,

and all that I experienced from You was love.

.

Grant, O Lord, that I stay focused on You,

and strengthen me against worldly distractions

that seek to lure me away from You and from Your love.

.

I so want to love You, Lord.

I so want to serve You.

I so want to be with You…always…

for You are everything to me.

.

Amen.

.

.

REPETITIVE PRAYER FOR TODAY…

.

Lord, You are everything to me!

. .

.

.

YEAR OF FAITH 2012-2013

FROM THE CATECHISM OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH…

.

To be human, "man’s response to God by faith must be free,

and…therefore nobody is to be forced to embrace the faith against his will.

The act of faith is of its very nature a free act."

.

"God calls men to serve Him in spirit and in truth.

Consequently they are bound to Him in conscience, but not coerced…

This fact received its fullest manifestation in Christ Jesus."

Indeed, Christ invited people to faith and conversion, but never coerced them. […]

.

[CCC 160]

.

.

.

.

TODAY’S WORD…

.

You are my hiding-place;
You protect me from trouble.

.

– Psalm 32:7 (NLT)

.

.

.

REFLECTION…

.

God is so gentle with us.

.

We can go to Him with our fears,

whether they are real or imagined.

.

When the heart is broken with grief,

and burdened with guilt;

when all human comfort fails;

when no rest can be found to our troubled mind;

and we humbly approach God,

He will surround us with His loving arms,

talk softly to us,

heal us

and strengthen us

until we are brave enough to face the world again.

.

.

PRAYER…

.

Thank You, Lord,

for being my refuge when I am afraid,

whether my fears are real or imagined.

.

Thank You for being my hiding place.

.

Thank You for Your unfailing love and mercy.

.

Amen.

.

.

REPETITIVE PRAYER FOR TODAY…

.

You are my hiding place, O Lord.

. .

.

.

YEAR OF FAITH 2012-2013

FROM THE CATECHISM OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH…

.

[…] By despair,

man ceases to hope for his personal salvation from God,

for help in attaining it

or for the forgiveness of his sins.

.

Despair is contrary to God’s goodness,

to His justice

– for the Lord is faithful to His promises –

and to His mercy.

.

[CCC 2091]

.

.

.

.

.

TODAY’S WORD…

.

For the love of Christ urges us on,

because we are convinced

that one has died for all; therefore all have died.

.

And He died for all,

so that those who live might live no longer for themselves,

but for Him who died and was raised for them.

.

– 2 Corinthians 5:14-15 (NRSV)

.

.

.

REFLECTION…

.

“The love of Christ urges us on”

– it encourages us,

it strengthens our faith

and fills us with determination to soldier on,

as we trust in His love

and hope in His promise.

.

The love of Christ should also inspire us

to commit ourselves to respond to His love.

It should fill us with a desire

to bring others to share in His love;

to bring others to the salvation won by Christ.

.

.

QUOTES…

.

“Jesus Christ died for us;

by His death He has given us life;

we only live because He died;

He died for us, by us, and in us;

our life then is no longer ours,

but belongs to Him who has purchased it for us by His death:

we are therefore no more to live to ourselves but to Him;

not in ourselves but in Him;

nor for ourselves but for Him”

.

– St Francis de Sales

.

.

“We are urged on by the charity of Christ

to take upon our shoulders a part of this task of saving souls. […]

It is impossible to live according to the heart of Jesus Christ

and not to know that we are sent, as He was, ‘to save sinners’,

with the clear realisation that we ourselves need to trust in the mercy of God

more and more

every day.

.

As a result, we will foster in ourselves

a fervent desire to live as co-redeemers with Christ,

to save all souls with Him.”

.

– St. Josemaria Escriva

.

.

PRAYER…

.

Come Holy Spirit,

You are welcome in my heart.

.

Come Holy Spirit,

melt me,

mould me,

fill me.

.

Come Holy Spirit,

use me.

.

.

REPETITIVE PRAYER FOR TODAY…

.

Come Holy Spirit,

use me.

. .

.

.

YEAR OF FAITH 2012-2013

FROM THE CATECHISM OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH…

.

Man is made to live in communion with God

in whom he finds happiness. [..]

.

[CCC 45]

.

.

When he listens to the message of creation

and to the voice of conscience,

man can arrive at certainty about the existence of God,

the cause and the end of everything.

.

[CCC 46]

.

.

“Without the Creator, the creature vanishes.”(Gaudium et Spes)

This is the reason why believers know

that the love of Christ urges them

to bring the light of the living God

to those who do not know Him or who reject Him.

.

[CCC 49]

.

.

.

TODAY’S WORD…

.

Scripture says, “I spoke because I believed.”

.

In the same spirit of faith

we also speak because we believe.

.

– 2 Corinthians 4:13 (NRSV)

.

.

.

REFLECTION…

.

First of all,

I must believe in Who I proclaim

and I must believe in what I proclaim

…but really believe it,

with all my heart, with all my soul, with all my mind.

.

I must be able to truthfully declare,

like Saint Paul does in this verse,

that, since I have the same Spirit of faith

as the Psalmist who wrote ‘I spoke because I believed’ (Ps 116:10),

I too, therefore, speak because I believe.

.

I am emboldened to speak out

no matter what the circumstance or the consequence,

only if I have a personal relationship with Christ

and determinedly strive to live in communion with Him

and with His teachings and commands,

and love Him above all else

because I know

and I believe

that He is “the Resurrection and the Life” (Jn 11:25),

“the Christ, the Son of God, who is to come into the world.” (Jn 11:27)

.

.

PRAYER…

.

Come Holy Spirit,

and renew me.

.

Fill me with a great love for Jesus

and a yearning to follow Him, always.

Help me keep my focus

on Him who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.

.

Holy Spirit, help me in my responsibilities as a believer

to live my faith,

to boldly declare it,

and to stick to my Christian principles

in all circumstances

no matter what the consequences.

.

Help me, Holy Spirit, put Christ above all else.

.

Amen.

.

.

REPETITIVE PRAYER FOR TODAY…

.

Lord, I shall speak

because I believe that You are my life!

. .

.

.

YEAR OF FAITH 2012-2013

FROM THE CATECHISM OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH…

.

From [a] loving knowledge of Christ

springs the desire to proclaim Him,

to "evangelise",

and to lead others to the "yes" of faith in Jesus Christ.

But, at the same time,

the need to know this faith better makes itself felt. […]

.

[CCC 429]

.

.

.

TODAY’S WORD…

.

As for you, my friends,

you were called to be free.

.

But do not let this freedom become

an excuse for letting your physical desires control you.

Instead, let love make you serve one another.

.

– Galatians 5:13 (GNT)

.

.

.

PRAYER…

.

My Lord and my God,

thank You for the freedom You give me,

and for letting me choose.

.

I have decided, Lord,

and I have chosen You.

.

Lord, protect me from corrupting temptations;

strengthen me against my self-indulgent nature;

fortify my resolve to overcome my weaknesses.

.

Instill in me

love, joy, peace,

patience, kindness, generosity,

faithfulness,gentleness,

…and self-control.

.

My desire, O Lord,

is to be more like You.

.

.

REPETITIVE PRAYER FOR TODAY…

.

Lord, I have chosen You!

. .

.

.

YEAR OF FAITH 2012-2013

FROM THE CATECHISM OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH…

.

…either man governs his passions and finds peace,

or he lets himself be dominated by them

and becomes unhappy.

.

"Man’s dignity therefore requires him to act out of conscious and free choice,

as moved and drawn in a personal way from within,

and not by blind impulses in himself

or by mere external constraint.

.

Man gains such dignity when,

ridding himself of all slavery to the passions,

he presses forward to his goal by freely choosing what is good

and, by his diligence and skill,

effectively secures for himself the means suited to this end." (Gaudium et Spes)

.

[CCC 2339]

.

.

.

TODAY’S WORD…

.

God does not see as man sees.

Man looks at appearances

but the Lord looks at the heart.

.

– 1 Samuel 16:7 (JB)

.

.

.

REFLECTION…

.

This reflection is not about others

– it is about me.

.

Am I really the person I project myself to be?

Am I what I make others think I am?

.

My appearance…my mask…

may convince many

to look upon me positively…maybe even admire me.

But would their attitude be the same

if they knew what I am truly like inside?

.

Only God knows me inside out,

and if I humbly invite Him into my heart,

He will come willingly and lovingly;

He will help me go through every corner of my heart,

including those places which I am so secretive about

…and he will heal

and clean

and make me whole.

.

.

.

PRAYER…

.

Jesus,

Son of the Living God,

Name above all names,

beautiful Saviour,

Glorious Lord,

come and walk me through my heart.

.

Come Lord Jesus,

and shine Your glorious light

in the darkest and deepest corners of my heart

and help me remove

all that is not from You;

all that weighs me down and separates me from You.

.

Come, O Lord,

right in to the depths of my being,

and probe,

and heal,

and clean

this heart that yearns for You.

.

Come Lord Jesus, and make me whole.

.

.

.

REPETITIVE PRAYER FOR TODAY…

.

Come, Lord Jesus, right into the depths of my being.

. .

.

.

YEAR OF FAITH 2012-2013

FROM THE CATECHISM OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH…

.

Confession to a priest is an essential part of the sacrament of Penance […].

.

When Christ’s faithful strive to confess all the sins that they can remember,

they undoubtedly place all of them before the divine mercy for pardon.

.

But those who fail to do so and knowingly withhold some,

place nothing before the divine goodness for remission through the mediation of the priest,

"for if the sick person is too ashamed to show his wound to the doctor,

the medicine cannot heal what it does not know."(St. Jerome)

.

[CCC 1456]

.

.

.

TODAY’S WORD…

.

Jesus said,

“You are the salt of the earth;

but if salt has lost its taste,

how can its saltiness be restored?

.

It is no longer good for anything,

but is thrown out and trampled under foot.”

.

– Matthew 5:13 (NRSV)

.

.

.

REFLECTION…

.

Salt preserves food from corruption,

and Christ is telling us Christians

that by the way we live,

through our influence,

and by our example,

we can preserve goodness in the world around us,

keeping it from being taken over by moral corruption.

.

Salt also brings out the flavour of food

and makes it more pleasant.

So it is with good Christians,

who take love, joy and peace everywhere they go.

.

Significantly,

salt disappears into the food that it flavours

…and the Christian should do the same.

The most important becomes the flavour of the food

and not the salt itself.

The good Christian

makes sure that he or she too disappears into the background

as Christ comes to the fore.

The glory should be Christ’s alone.

.

But, we must be aware

that if the salt loses its taste and its qualities,

it becomes good for nothing

– and it is thrown out as useless.

.

It is constant prayer

and, primarily, participating in the Eucharist

that protects us against the elements,

which are constantly seeking to destroy us.

.

.

.

PRAYER…

.

Holy Spirit, use me.

.

Holy Spirit,

let my life,

my words,

my deeds,

add flavour to the world around me

by giving glory to God

…and, as He increases,

let me disappear.

.

Holy Spirit,

protect me,

strengthen my faith

guide me,

fill me

and use me

to spread Your love,

Your peace

and Your joy.

.

Amen.

.

.

.

REPETITIVE PRAYER FOR TODAY…

.

Holy Spirit, use me.

. .

.

.

YEAR OF FAITH 2012-2013

FROM THE CATECHISM OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH…

.

The Holy Spirit prepares the faithful for the sacraments

by the Word of God

and the faith which welcomes that word in well-disposed hearts.

Thus the sacraments strengthen faith and express it.

.

[CCC 1133]

.

.

.

TODAY’S WORD…

.

All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

God is our merciful Father and the source of all comfort.

.

He comforts us in all our troubles

so that we can comfort others.

When they are troubled,

we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us.

.

– 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 (NLT)

.

.

.

REFLECTION…

.

We should always be thankful to God for His mercy

and for the consolation He brings.

But it shouldn’t stop at being thankful.

.

Loving God

is all about unselfishly loving and being merciful towards others.

If we truly love Him

and are thankful to Him,

then we will readily give from what He gives us

– to others,

especially when they are troubled and in need.

.

.

.

QUOTE…

.

Mercy, according to St Augustine, is

"a certain compassion for another’s wretchedness

that arises in our heart,

whereby we feel impelled to give him every possible help"

.

.

.

PRAYER…

.

Father,

thank You for Your unfailing love and mercy.

Thank You for Your divine consolation and help.

.

Father,

make my heart grieve at the misfortune of others,
and make me merciful and overflowing with compassion.
.

Grant that I turn my faith into action.

Make me generous and giving.

.

Father,

make me more like Jesus.

.

Amen.

.

.

.

REPETITIVE PRAYER FOR TODAY…

.

My Lord and my God,

make me generous and giving…like You.

. .

.

.

YEAR OF FAITH 2012-2013

FROM THE CATECHISM OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH…

.

Works of mercy

are charitable actions by which we come to the aid of our neighbour

in his spiritual and bodily necessities.

.

Instructing, advising, consoling, comforting

are spiritual works of mercy,

as are forgiving and bearing wrongs patiently.

.

The corporal works of mercy consist especially

in feeding the hungry, sheltering the homeless,

clothing the naked, visiting the sick and imprisoned,

and burying the dead.

Among all these,

giving alms to the poor is one of the chief witnesses to fraternal charity:

it is also a work of justice pleasing to God. […]

[CCC 2447]

.

.

.

TODAY’S WORD…

.

The Spirit helps us in our weakness.

We do not know what we ought to pray for,

but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us

through wordless groans.

.

– Romans 8:26 (NIV)

.

.

.

REFLECTION…

.

There are times

when we go before the Lord to spend time with Him

and we find ourselves tongue-tied.

Nothing…we simply cannot express ourselves,

and yet we so want to pray

to the Lord our Saviour.

.

Maybe it’s so many thoughts and problems filling our minds,

or perhaps a sense of guilt or helplessness.

Whatever it is,

such situations are indeed special moments full of grace,

which we simply must grab.

.

Those are very special moments

when we must let the Holy Spirit move within us,

and allow Him to take over.

.

Focus on Jesus,

and let your heart sigh, moan and groan;

let it yearn for Him.

Let your soul reach out to Him

who it recognises as Lord, God, and Maker.

.

.

.

PRAYER…

.

My Lord

…and my God,

here I am before You

because I love You.

.

Take over, O Lord, my God,

for I belong to You.

.

Accept the beating of my heart

as my prayer,

and as my declaration of love for You.

.

My Lord

…and my God…

I yearn for You.

.

.

.

REPETITIVE PRAYER FOR TODAY…

.

My Lord and my God…here I am. I yearn for You.

. .

.

.

YEAR OF FAITH 2012-2013

FROM THE CATECHISM OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH…

.

[…] In the risen Christ the Church’s petition is buoyed by hope,

even if we still wait in a state of expectation

and must be converted anew every day.

.

Christian petition, what St. Paul calls "groaning,"

arises from another depth, that of creation "in labour pains"

and that of ourselves

"as we wait for the redemption of our bodies.

For in this hope we were saved."(Ro 8:22-24)

.

In the end, however, "with sighs too deep for words"

the Holy Spirit "helps us in our weakness;

for we do not know how to pray as we ought,

but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us

with sighs too deep for words." (Ro 8:26)

[CCC 2630]

.

.

.

TODAY’S WORD…

.

Turn to Him with all your heart and soul,
live in loyal obedience to Him.
Then He will turn to you to help you
and will no longer hide Himself.
.

Remember what God has done for you,
and give thanks with all your heart.
Praise the righteous Lord;
honour the eternal King.

.

– Tobit 13:6 (GNT)

.

.

.

PRAYER…

.

Here I am, O Lord my King,

to give You thanks and praise,

for You have done so much for me

and I am nothing without You.

.

Yet there are times when I am weak, O Lord,

and I allow my foolishness to take over

and I put You aside.

But then, with the help of Your grace,

I come to my senses

…and realise how empty and lost I am

when I take my focus off You.

.

O Lord my God,

thank You for Your unconditional love for me;

for Your readiness to forgive,

and for Your willingness to renew me every time.

.

Grant, O Lord,

that I will always seek to love You

and obey Your commands

with all my heart, my mind, my soul and my strength.

.

Amen.

.

.

.

REPETITIVE PRAYER FOR TODAY…

.

Thank You, Lord God.

Forgive me, Lord God.

Help me, Lord God.

I love You, Lord God.

. .

.

.

YEAR OF FAITH 2012-2013

FROM THE CATECHISM OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH…

.

Faith in God

leads us to turn to Him alone as our first origin and our ultimate goal,

and neither to prefer anything to Him

nor to substitute anything for Him.

.

[CCC 229]

.

.