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

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TODAY’S WORD…

Brethren, be joyful.
– 2 Corinthians 13:11

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REFLECTION…

“Be joyful”,
and give thanks!
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Whatever your circumstances today,
right now – be they good or bad –
remember that God is with you,
His loving eyes on you…reassuring you.
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A Christian who believes that the Lord is truly his Shepherd, will, in Him, have all he or she needs…and so much more!
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I place my full trust in Him and my anxieties are tamed
…and I am thankful
…and I am full of that special indescribable joy that only God brings!

PRAYER…

Thank You for Your unconditional, generous and reassuring love, O Lord, and thank You for always being here with me – right by my side. ..
Thank You, Lord,
for the indescribable joy which Your presence places in my heart – please help me always recognise it and draw from it.
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Help me, Lord, to never forget that I have You watching over me. That alone, fills me with inexpressible, thankful joy!
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I have You as my Shepherd, O Lord…what else could I want!

Thank You Lord. Amen

TODAY’S WORD…

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Jesus said,

“For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled,

and the man who humbles himself will be exalted.”

– Luke 14:11

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REFLECTION…

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We live in a society that has an extreme need

to hear this Gospel message of humility over and over again.

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Using others as stepping stones, without scruple;

being opportunistic and viciously competitive – to get to the top and be seen at the top.

Such ambition is universally condemned

but, unfortunately, is also universally practiced.

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Humility and unpretentiousness, when sincere and not false, conquer;

make those, who practice these virtues, loved;

make their presence desirable;

their opinion appreciated.

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Wherever genuine humility may get you in the short term,

it will get you to ‘the top’ – in the long term!

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True glory flees from those who seek it.

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True glory seeks those who flee from it.
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[from a reflection by Padre Raniero Cantalamessa]

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QUOTE…

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“Be modest in evaluating your merits,

allow others to do this instead

and already in this life God will lift you up.

He will lift you up in His grace;

He will make you rise in the ranks of Jesus’ friends and true disciples,

which is the only thing that really matters.”

– Fr. Raniero Cantalamessa

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PRAYER…

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Lord Jesus,

help me learn from You.

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Forgive me for when I felt

that I was ‘better than’ or ‘above’ others.

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My Lord and my God,

in the name of love and truth,

give me the strength and grace to be humble and unpretentious,

so that when I am called,

I may be blessed and exalted by You.

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Amen.

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TODAY’S WORD…

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You too, in Him, are being built into a house where God lives, in the Spirit.

– Ephesians 2:22

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REFLECTION…

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Do I want to be a house in which God lives and reigns,

or do I see God only as that visitor who is welcome but only occasionally?

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It may very well be that He is actually not welcome at all,

because I know that there are things in my house, which He will not approve of,

but which I am stubbornly not prepared to let go of?

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If I seek the Lord in truth, He will answer,

and I shall kneel before Him

and humbly ask Him to rebuild my “house” with bricks and mortar of faith, hope and love.

On my part, I will embrace His Word, the Commandments, prayer and the Sacraments,

because they are what will help me maintain my house in order and fit for the King to reign in.

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PRAYER…

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Lord, I am not worthy,

but come and live with me – in me –

and help me put my house in order.

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Be my foundation, Lord,

and help me become a solid structure

that will withstand the storms of life

and keep out the unwelcome but persistent seducer.

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And Lord, fill my house – my soul – with Your Spirit,

so that I may truly understand

and fully appreciate who it is who reigns in me

– the Source of my faith, hope and love, and of my joy –

that I may keep You in here with me forever. Amen.

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TODAY’S WORD…

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With God on our side

who can be against us?

– Romans 8:31

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REFLECTION…

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God is with us,

He is always by our side!

This is a cry expressing confidence and optimism.

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If we believe in Him and follow His Commandments,

we will emerge unscathed and victorious

from all attacks, dangers and sufferings we undergo or which threaten us,

and from the worst that might befall us.

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Nothing and nobody – no created thing –

is stronger than God’s love for us.

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This is the attitude which enables us to live as children of God;

as His sons and daughters who fear neither life nor death:

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“Our Lord wants us to be in the world and to love the world but without being worldly.

Our Lord wants us to remain in this world

– which is now so mixed up and where the clamour of lust and disobedience and purposeless rebellion can be heard –

to teach people to live with joy. […]

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Don’t be afraid of the paganized world:

our Lord has in fact chosen us to be leaven, salt and light in this world.

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Don’t be worried. The world won’t harm you unless you want it to.

No enemy of our soul can do anything if we don’t consent.

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And we won’t consent,

with the grace of God and the protection of our Mother in heaven.”

– Salvador Bernal

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PRAYER…

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Lord, it is You I need and long for;

Your divine help that I seek;

and You by my side to walk through this valley with me

and to bring me safely home.

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I know, Lord, with all my heart,

that you will not withhold all the graces I need to obtain this happy outcome.

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Thank You, my Lord, my God.

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Sweet Mother of God, pray for me.

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TODAY’S WORD…

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Someone asked Jesus,

“Sir, will there be only a few saved?”

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He answered,

“Try your best to enter by the narrow door,

because, I tell you, many will try to enter and will not succeed…”

– Luke 13:23-24

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REFLECTION…

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Everyone is called to form part of the Kingdom of God,

for the Lord “desires all people to be saved” (1 Tim 2:4).

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Certainly, it is only those who make a serious effort who can reach the goal of salvation

– Our Lord emphasises this by using the simile of the narrow door.

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An inflated ego, excessive pride, short-sighted selfishness,

weaknesses, urges and cravings, justifications…

are any or all of these, and more, bloating and changing me beyond recognition?

Will I ever manage to pass through that door?

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There is no way that we will be able to pass through that ultimate all-important door

unless we recognise and struggle against and shed and repent from our self-indulgence.

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QUOTE…

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“A Christian’s struggle must be unceasing,

for interior life consists in beginning and beginning again.

This prevents us from proudly thinking that we are perfect already.”

– St. Josemaria Escriva

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PRAYER…

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Heavenly Father, open my eyes for me to see

how I have inflated myself beyond the person You want me to be.

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Almighty God,

help me defend myself against self-defeating urges and passions.

Help me discard any self-inflating attitudes,

which can ultimately deprive me

from passing through that glorious door

which leads into Your Loving arms.

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Amen.

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TODAY’S WORD…

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What we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory He will reveal to us later.

– Romans 8:18

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REFLECTION…

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Take heart

…we shall be included in the radiance of the coming glory

which will put in the shadow all our present sufferings

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No sooner are we called to our Maker,

that our souls will be freed from evil and unbelief,

from doubts and fears,

and from everything that is distressing.

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This present time is but a short time

– a little while, and all sufferings will be at an end;

they can never be compared to the glory He will reveal to us later.

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Christ has promised His saints eternal glory!

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[today’s reflection inspired by John Gill’s Exposition of the Bible.]

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QUOTE…

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"Who is there then, who will not strive to attain so great a glory,

by making himself God’s friend, to rejoice immediately with Christ,

to receive the divine rewards after the pains and sufferings of this life?”

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– St. Cyprian

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PRAYER…

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Father, in Heaven, All-loving Creator, My Rock,

I thank You for always being here, right by my side.

– You are my great consolation!

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Sometimes, Lord, I am close to giving up,

but then I read Your Word

– It is Your voice –

and I look at You

and know that You hear my plea;

I know that You care

…and you make my burden lighter.

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Lord, console and strengthen me

and help me overcome the difficulties of this life

that I may look forward with joy to Your promise.

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Amen.

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TODAY’S WORD…

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The human spirit is the lamp of the Lord,

searching every inmost part.

– Proverbs 20:27

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REFLECTION…

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“The human spirit is the lamp of the Lord”

– God has given to each one of us a mind,

which He so enlightens by His own Spirit, that we know how to distinguish good from evil;

and the conscience, which springs from this, searches the inmost recesses of the soul.

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The overwhelming darkness, which occurs if we extinguish this light, cannot be imagined

– yet utter selfishness, pride, and lack of love can take us there!

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On the other hand,

by clinging to the Lord and humbly welcoming His penetrating light,

we allow our weaknesses to be exposed,

and by placing them before Him we shall be strengthened…and our darkness will be lifted.

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PRAYER…

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Come Lord, Light of the world,

enter into the deepest recesses of my spirit,

search me, try me, consume all my darkness.

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Come, Lord, shine on me,

and let there be light!

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TODAY’S WORD…

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Jesus said,

‘“You shall love the Lord your God

with all your heart,

and with all your soul,

and with all your mind.”

This is the greatest and first commandment.

And a second is like it:

“You shall love your neighbour as yourself.”

On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.”

– Matthew 22:37-40

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REFLECTION…

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The commandment of love is the most important commandment

because by obeying it we attain our own perfection.

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QUOTE…

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“The more a soul loves, the more perfect is it in that which it loves.

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Therefore this soul that is now perfect is wholly love, if it may thus be expressed,

and all its actions are love

and it employs all its faculties and possessions in loving,

giving all that it has … for this treasure of love which it has found hidden in God.”

– St. John of the Cross

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PRAYER…

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With all my heart,

with all my soul,

with all my mind

I want to love You, O God.

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With each beat of my heart,

with every yearning of my soul,

with all my intellect,

I want to worship You, my God.

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Lord, help me love all others,

Remove my prejudices, my pride and arrogance,

because I know that what I do to others, I will be doing to You

– and I want to only love You, Lord.

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TODAY’S WORD…

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To be controlled by human nature results in death;

to be controlled by the Spirit results in life and peace.

– Romans 8:6

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REFLECTION…

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We find ourselves pulled in two different directions:

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We can seek God above all things

and, with His grace, contend against the tendency we have

to want to satisfy those desires of ours

which are contrary to the real good and to the order of reason.

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Or, we can let ourselves be overwhelmed

by disordered, selfish passions and tendencies.

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The former results in life and peace,

the latter, in death.

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QUOTE…

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"We need to submit to the Spirit,

to wholeheartedly commit ourselves

and strive to keep the flesh [the unspiritual] in its place.

By so doing our flesh will become spiritual again.

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Otherwise, if we give in to the easy life,

this will lower our soul to the level of the flesh

and make it carnal again.”

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– St. John Chrysostom

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PRAYER…

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My Lord, God, and Saviour,

it is only through You and with Your grace

that I can control my selfish tendencies.

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Help me die to myself and to my self-centered traits, O Lord,

that I may come into holy union with You.

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Let me seek, with determination, O Lord, to be always guided by You,

that I may live and find peace and comfort in You, forever.

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Amen.

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