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

.

TODAY’S WORD…

.

The Lord is in His holy temple;
the Lord is on His heavenly throne.
He observes everyone on earth;
His eyes examine them.

.

For the Lord is righteous,
He loves justice;
the upright will see His face.

.

– Psalm 11:4,7 (NIV)

.

REFLECTION…

.

As God observes me,

what does He see?

.

. .

PRAYER…

.

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the living God,

have mercy on me, a sinner!

.

.

.

REPETITIVE PRAYER FOR TODAY…

.

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the living God,

have mercy on me, a sinner!

.

.

.

YEAR OF FAITH 2012-2013

FROM THE CATECHISM OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH…

.

As St. Paul affirms, "Where sin increased, grace abounded all the more." (Rom 5:20)

But to do its work, grace must uncover sin

so as to convert our hearts and bestow on us

"righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." (Rom 5:21)

.

Like a physician who probes the wound before treating it,

God, by His Word and by His Spirit,

casts a living light on sin:

.

“Conversion requires convincing of sin;

it includes the interior judgment of conscience,

and this, being a proof of the action of the Spirit of truth in man’s inmost being,

becomes at the same time the start of a new grant of grace and love:

"Receive the Holy Spirit."

.

Thus in this "convincing concerning sin" we discover a double gift:

the gift of the truth of conscience

and the gift of the certainty of redemption.

.

The Spirit of truth is the Consoler.” (Pope John Paul II)

.

[CCC 1848]

.

.

.

.

TODAY’S WORD…

.

Jesus said,

“The Helper, the Holy Spirit,

whom the Father will send in my name,

will teach you everything

and make you remember all that I have told you.”

.

– John 14:26 (GNT)

.

REFLECTION…

.

To “remember” what Jesus told us,

we need to first of all be aware of what He actually said.

That, is why we must know (through hearing or reading) the Gospels.

.

Several present-day Christians

openly disagree with some fundamental tenets of Christianity,

often arguing against the Church,

and demanding a change in the “rules”.

.

More often than not,

these persons are not fully acquainted with the Gospels,

and with Scripture in general.

More often than not,

these who claim to be followers of Jesus

are, in fact, arguing against Jesus’ own teachings

and God’s Word.

.

To “remember” what Jesus told us,

it follows that we need to know what He said.

.

To accept and obey Jesus’ teachings,

we need faith and humility.

.

For our faith to grow concurrently with our reason,

we need the Holy Spirit,

to inspire us,

to teach us,

and to help and encourage us along the Way.

.

QUOTE…

.

“How I wish your bearing and conversation were such

that, on seeing or hearing you,

people would say: ‘This person reads the life of Jesus Christ.’”

.

– St. Josemaria Escriva

.

. .

PRAYER…

.

Come, Holy Spirit.

.

Come, O Helper,

and lead me along Jesus’ way,

that I may grow in faith;

that my eyes will be opened to the truth;

that I will be set free

and my life renewed

in Christ Jesus.

.

Amen

.

.

.

REPETITIVE PRAYER FOR TODAY…

.

Come, Holy Spirit, come.

.

.

.

YEAR OF FAITH 2012-2013

FROM THE CATECHISM OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH…

.

Liberation and salvation.

By His glorious Cross

Christ has won salvation for all men.

He redeemed them from the sin that held them in bondage.

“For freedom Christ has set us free.” (Gal 5:1)

.

In Him we have communion with the “truth that makes us free.”

The Holy Spirit has been given to us and, as the Apostle teaches,

“Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.” (2 Cor 17)

Already we glory in the “liberty of the children of God.” (Rom 8:21)

.

[CCC 1741]

.

.

.

.

TODAY’S WORD…and PRAYER

.

Protect me, O God; I trust in You for safety.
I say to the Lord, “You are my Lord;
all the good things I have come from You.”

.

You, Lord, are all I have,
and You give me all I need;
my future is in Your hands.

.

I praise the Lord, because He guides me,
and in the night my conscience warns me.
I am always aware of the Lord’s presence;
He is near, and nothing can shake me.

.

You will show me the path that leads to life;
Your presence fills me with joy
and brings me pleasure forever.

.

– Psalm 16:1-2,5,7-8,11 (GNT)

.

REPETITIVE PRAYER FOR TODAY…

.

Lord, You are near, and nothing can shake me.

.

.

.

YEAR OF FAITH 2012-2013

FROM THE CATECHISM OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH…

.

David is par excellence the king “after God’s own heart,”

the shepherd who prays for his people and prays in their name.

His submission to the will of God, his praise, and his repentance,

will be a model for the prayer of the people.

.

His prayer, the prayer of God’s Anointed,

is a faithful adherence to the divine promise

and expresses a loving and joyful trust in God,

the only King and Lord.

.

In the Psalms David, inspired by the Holy Spirit,

is the first prophet of Jewish and Christian prayer.

.

The prayer of Christ, the true Messiah and Son of David,

will reveal and fulfill the meaning of this prayer.

.

[CCC 2579]

.

.

.

.

TODAY’S WORD…

.

Let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes.

Put on your new nature, created to be like God

– truly righteous and holy.

.

– Ephesians 4:23-24 (NLT)

.

REFLECTION…

.

“Let the Spirit…”

We need to welcome the Holy Spirit into our hearts,

and let Him, allow Him, to work in us

so as to renew us.

.

He will help us look closely at ourselves

to humbly admit and purposefully fight against our defects,

our weaknesses,

and our passions – even if it hurts –

and to build on our strengths, talents and abilities

so as to serve and honour God,

and spread His love.

.

This is not just a matter of ‘changing into new clothes’

but, rather, a deep inner renewal,

whereby we become a new creature in Jesus Christ.

.

The Spirit enables us to practice righteousness and holiness

in a manner that exceeds our natural human capacity.

.

The Spirit gives us life

…and makes us whole.

.

QUOTE…

.

"The power of God is made manifest in our weakness

and it spurs us on to fight, to battle against our defects,

although we know that we will never achieve total victory

during our pilgrimage on earth.

.

The Christian life is a continuous beginning again each day.

It renews itself over and over."

.

– St. Josemaria Escriva

.

.

"Entering the church and venerating sacred images and crosses

is not sufficient for pleasing God,

just as washing one’s hands does not make one clean all over.

.

What truly pleases God

is that a person flees from sin and gets rid of his stains

by means of confession and penance.

.

Let him break the chains of his faults by being humble of heart."

.

– St Anastasius of Sinai.

.

. .

PRAYER…

.

Come, Holy Spirit,

come into my heart.

Come and change me,

renew me,

and make me whole.

.

I need You, Holy Spirit.

Breath a new life into me;

remove all that is not from You;

and fill me

with love, joy, peace,

patience, kindness, generosity,

faithfulness, gentleness,

and self-control.

.

Come, Holy Spirit,

You are welcome.

.

.

.

REPETITIVE PRAYER FOR TODAY…

.

Come, Holy Spirit, take over and renew me.

.

.

.

YEAR OF FAITH 2012-2013

FROM THE CATECHISM OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH…

.

[…] “Come, Holy Spirit,

fill the hearts of Your faithful

and enkindle in them the fire of Your love.”

.

“Heavenly King, Consoler Spirit, Spirit of Truth,

present everywhere and filling all things,

treasure of all good and source of all life,

come dwell in us, cleanse and save us,

You who are All Good.”

.

[CCC 2671]

.

.

.

.

TODAY’S WORD…

.

Jesus said,

“This is my commandment:

that you love one another, as I have loved you.”

.

– John 15:12 (NRSV)

.

REFLECTION…

.

Unless we want to forgive;

unless we really start trying to see Him in others;

and unless we try, in earnest, to want to love one another unconditionally as He loves us,

our praises are not entirely pleasing to Him,

in fact, they sadden Him.

.

Jesus is saddened

because He recognises us as people who know about Him,

who know His teachings,

and who profess the Faith

– and yet we seem to be unwilling to swallow our pride,

and we stubbornly refuse to start forgiving

and to stop being judgemental.

.

Our efforts at good works are meaningless

unless there is real love for others in our hearts.

.

The Lord is also very aware of our weaknesses,

and He sees the many hearts that are hardened

when it comes to relationships with others and to forgiveness.

.

In spite of all the sadness He feels,

Jesus still loves us.

He knows when our efforts to love Him,

and to demonstrate our feelings towards Him,

are genuine.

.

Sadly, many still have not yet grasped how essential it is for Him

that we understand that most fundamental requirement

of truly loving one another.

.

If only we would try to release our pride and our prejudices.

If only we would listen to His command,

to his plea.

Only then can we become truly open to His grace

and worthy of claiming to be His,

and to serving Him.

.

PRAYER…

.

Lord Jesus,

teach me how to love.

.

.

.

REPETITIVE PRAYER FOR TODAY…

.

Lord Jesus, teach me how to love.

.

.

.

YEAR OF FAITH 2012-2013

FROM THE CATECHISM OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH…

.

“God is Love”

and love is His first gift, containing all others.

.

“God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.” (Rom 5:5).

.

[CCC 733]

.

.

.

.

TODAY’S WORD…

.

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!

.

– Psalm 68:4 (NLT)

.

.

REFLECTION…

.

Praising God

is an expression of joyful thanks

from men and women, who having come to know the Lord,

are transformed by His grace,

and are eternally grateful to Him

for having revealed Himself to them.

.

We have been saved,

we have been redeemed,

we have been shown the Way,

we have been told the Truth,

we have been given new Life

– that should be more than enough reason

for us to praise God every day of our lives

…and for evermore!

.

.

QUOTES…

.

“The most deadly poison of our times is indifference.

And this happens,

even though the praise of God should know no limits.

.

Let us strive, therefore,

to praise Him to the greatest extent of our powers.

.

– St. Maximilian Kolbe

.

.

“If Christ lives in us, we will rejoice in everything,

and we will thank and praise the Lord.

We will say, “Hallelujah! Praise the Lord” forever.

.

– Watchman Nee

.

.

“Happy moments, praise God.

Difficult moments, seek God.

Quiet moments, worship God.

Painful moments, trust God.

Every moment, thank God.”

.

– anon

.

.

PRAYER…

.

My Lord and my God,

my Most High Jesus Christ,

I praise You, because You make me glad;

I seek You, because You give me comfort;

I worship You, because You are my God

and all that I am comes from You;

I trust in You, because I believe in Your promises;

I thank You, because I know that You love me so.

.

I love You, Lord.

I praise and thank You.

.

Amen.

.

.

REPETITIVE PRAYER FOR TODAY…

.

I praise and thank You, Lord.

I love You, Lord!

.

.

YEAR OF FAITH 2012-2013

FROM THE CATECHISM OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH…

.

Praise is the form of prayer which recognises most immediately that God is God.

It lauds God for His own sake and gives Him glory, quite beyond what he does, but simply because HE IS.

.

It shares in the blessed happiness of the pure of heart

who love God in faith before seeing Him in glory.

.

By praise, the Spirit is joined to our spirits

to bear witness that we are children of God,

testifying to the only Son in whom we are adopted

and by whom we glorify the Father.

.

Praise embraces the other forms of prayer

and carries them toward Him who is its source and goal:

the “one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist.” (1 Cor 8:6)

.

[CCC 2639]

.

.

.

TODAY’S WORD…

.

“Look, I am coming soon,

bringing my reward with me

to repay all people according to their deeds.

.

I am the Alpha and the Omega,

the First and the Last,

the Beginning and the End.

.

Blessed are those who wash their robes.

They will be permitted to enter through the gates of the city

and eat the fruit from the tree of life.”

.

– Revelation 22:12-14 (NLT)

.

.

QUOTE…

.

“May His Majesty be pleased to grant us to experience this

before He takes us from this life,

for it will be a great thing at the hour of death

to realise that we shall be judged

by One whom we have loved above all things.

.

Once our debts have been paid

we shall be able to walk in safety.

We shall not be going into a foreign land,

but into our own country ,

for it belongs to Him whom we have loved so truly

and who Himself loves us”

.

– St. Teresa of Avila

.

.

PRAYER…

.

Come, Lord Jesus, come!

My heart, my soul, my all, yearn for You, O Lord.

.

You are the First and Last,

the Beginning and the End,

and You are my God.

.

Wash me clean, dear Jesus,

make me pure,

and help me overcome my weaknesses,

with humility,

and out of love for You.

.

Remove from me all that is not from You,

and strengthen my faith

so that I made be made worthy of Your promises.

.

Instill in me,

this great want to serve You

and to gladly do Your will

…and not the world’s,

which seems to want to drag me down

and away from You.

.

Lord Jesus,

I so want to know Your glory.

Come, fill me with Your Spirit!

.

Amen.

.

.

.

REPETITIVE PRAYER FOR TODAY…

.

Lord Jesus, fill me with Your Spirit,

that I may only do Your will.

.

.

.

YEAR OF FAITH 2012-2013

FROM THE CATECHISM OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH…

.

From the beginning to the end of time,

whenever God sends his Son, He always sends His Spirit:

their mission is conjoined and inseparable.

[CCC 743]

.

.

TODAY’S WORD…

.

Christ died for all,

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

but only for Him who died and was raised to life for their sake.

.

– 2 Corinthians 5:15 (GNT)

.

.

REFLECTION…

.

“It is easy to see, Christians,

what Christ desired by dying for us.

What did He desire but that we should become like Him?

.

‘That those who live should no longer live for themselves,

but only for Him who died and was raised to life for their sake.’

How powerful a consequence is this in the matter of love!

.

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

.

.

QUOTE…

.

“We do not live for ourselves only,

and we do not die for ourselves only.

.

If we live, it is for the Lord that we live,

and if we die, it is for the Lord that we die. […]

For Christ died and rose to life

in order to be the Lord of the living and of the dead.”

.

– Rom 14:7-9

.

.

PRAYER…

.

Lord Jesus,

when I stop to think of Your immense love for me,

I am overwhelmed

…at the immense price You paid

for me to be set free!

.

Lord, by Your life and Your death,

You have shown me the way,

You have given me life!

.

Yours is the perfect example.

Yours is the perfect love.

.

Help me be more like You.

Help me commit myself

to always seek to love You like You have loved me,

and to live for You and in You.

.

Grant that through my words and my deeds

and through sharing Your love,

I will pass on the joy of Your Good News to others.

.

Lord, send Your Holy Spirit on me,

to mould me and change me,

and to make me more like You,

and to fill me and use me – for You.

.

Amen.

.

.

.

REPETITIVE PRAYER FOR TODAY…

.

Lord Jesus, You have given me life!

.

.

.

YEAR OF FAITH 2012-2013

FROM THE CATECHISM OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH…

.

[…] The risen Christ lives in the hearts of His faithful

while they await that fulfillment.

.

In Christ, Christians have tasted…the powers of the age to come

and their lives are swept up by Christ into the heart of divine life,

so that they may “live no longer for themselves

but for Him who for their sake died and was raised.” (2 Cor 5:15)

[CCC 655]

.

.

TODAY’S WORD…

.

I ask that your minds may be opened to see His light,

so that you will know

what is the hope to which He has called you,

how rich are the wonderful blessings He promises His people,

and how very great is His power at work in us who believe.

.

– Ephesians 1:18-19 (GNT)

.

.

REFLECTION…

.

The author of these verses, St Paul,

prays to God and asks

that we not only be given a deeper knowledge of God,

but that we are granted a fuller and livelier hope,

because God and hope are inseparable.

.

Hope is a gift from God,

and this prayer asks for hope to shine more brightly

for us who embrace our Christian faith

which we reflect by striving to love others

in the manner that Jesus taught us.

.

St. Paul prays that God enlightens our minds

that we may realise what it truly means

to be members of the holy people of God

– to be good and worthy Christians.

.

The ground for hope lies in God’s love and power.

That same power is what is instilled in us through our faith

as we contemplate upon God’s eternal plan for our salvation.

.

.

QUOTES…

.

“Hope is a supernatural virtue,

infused by God into our soul,

by which we desire and expect eternal life,

promised by God to His servants,

and the means necessary to obtain it” .

.

– St Pius X Catechism

.

.

“Believing means

surrendering ourselves to God

and entrusting our destiny to Him.

.

Believing means

entering into a personal relationship with our Creator and Redeemer

in the power of the Holy Spirit,

and making this relationship the basis of our whole life.”

.

– Pope Benedict XVI

.

.

“In heaven […]

our minds will find the Truth in Him

and the Beauty that we will never cease to contemplate;

and our hearts will find the Good

that we will never tire to enjoy.”

.

– Fr Raniero Cantalamessa

.

.

PRAYER…

.

Come, Holy Spirit, and open the eyes of my heart.

Lift me up to heaven

so that I can see the hope to which I have been called.

Show me my glorious inheritance in Christ.

.

Holy Spirit, transform me

and fill me with God’s great power!

.

Amen.

.

[*]

.

.

REPETITIVE PRAYER FOR TODAY…

.

Come, Holy Spirit, and open the eyes of my heart.

.

.

.

YEAR OF FAITH 2012-2013

FROM THE CATECHISM OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH…

.

In Jesus Christ,

the whole of God’s truth has been made manifest.

Full of grace and truth,

He came as the “light of the world,”

He is the Truth.

“Whoever believes in me may not remain in darkness.” (Jn 12:46)

.

[…] To follow Jesus is to live in “the Spirit of truth,”

whom the Father sends in His name

and who leads into all the truth.

To His disciples Jesus teaches the unconditional love of truth:

“Let what you say be simply ‘Yes or No.'” (Mat 5:37)

[CCC 2466]

.

.

.

[*] Today’s prayer is from an article by Joe Difato – publisher of “The Word Among Us”]

.

TODAY’S WORD…

.

I ask the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father,

to give you the Spirit,

who will make you wise

and reveal God to you,

so that you will know Him.

..

– Ephesians 1:17 (GNT)

.

.

REFLECTION…

.

This verse is a prayer,

an appeal to God to grant us Christians supernatural wisdom

to recognize the greatness of the blessings He has given us through His Son

– that is, to acknowledge that He is our Father

and the origin of all glory.

.

This verse is a prayer,

seeking the special gifts of wisdom and personal revelation.

.

Wisdom is that great gift of the Holy Spirit

which enables us to penetrate the mystery of God.

.

Personal revelation is that special light from the Holy Spirit

which provides us with a deeper appreciation of the truth of faith,

and of the will of God in particular situations.

.

.

PRAYER…

.

Almighty Father,

Creator of heaven and earth,

in Jesus’ name I pray

– in the name of the One who is the Way,

in whom are all things

and outside whom is nothing.

.

Most awesome God

and loving Father,

send Your Holy Spirit

to grant me the wisdom to recognise

the greatness of Your blessings and of Your glory.

.

O Great I AM,

send Your Holy Spirit

to fill me with His light,

that I may appreciate and revere Your truth,

and know and do Your will.

.

For this I pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.

.

.

REPETITIVE PRAYER FOR TODAY…

.

Father God, fill me with Your Spirit of wisdom and truth,

that I may love and honour You forever.

.

.

YEAR OF FAITH 2012-2013

FROM THE CATECHISM OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH…

.

The moral life of Christians is sustained by the gifts of the Holy Spirit.

These are permanent dispositions which make man docile in following the promptings of the Holy Spirit.

[CCC 1830]

. .

The seven gifts of the Holy Spirit are

wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety, and fear of the Lord.

They belong in their fullness to Christ, Son of David.

They complete and perfect the virtues of those who receive them.

They make the faithful docile in readily obeying divine inspirations.

[CCC 1831]

.