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

.

TODAY’S WORD…

.

As Jesus was walking along,

He saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax booth;

and He said to him, “Follow me.”

And he got up and followed Him.

.

– Matthew 9:9

.

.

.

REFLECTION…

.

“Follow me.”

It is not a command that Jesus gives to Matthew,

but a simple loving invitation…a whisper, almost.

.

Matthew’s decision to just get up and follow Jesus,

can sound almost unreasonable and impossible to some of us.

.

Matthew, was a shrewd tax collector,

well-to-do and with good connections to the ruling Romans.

He had so much to lose.

How on earth could he just hear two words, “Follow me”,

and suddenly decide to do just that?

.

Being the street-wise man he was,

he realised that this invitation was coming from someone special

and that this invitation had been made with love and truth.

.

Matthew knew the truth when he saw or heard it,

and he felt he had to decide one way or another.

He decided to follow Jesus.

.

“Follow me.”

This is the same invitation that Jesus makes to each one of us.

The decision to accept or not, is left entirely up to us.

.

Today, now, let us tell the Lord, “Here I am, Lord, I have decided!”

.

.

.

PRAYER (in Maltese)…

.

Iddeċidejt Mulej. (I have decided, Lord.)

.

Iddeċidejt Mulej li ħajti rrid nagħtik

Jien noffrilek lili nnifsi kif jien.

Ħudni f’idejk u agħmel bija dak li trid,

Kun int Mulej is-Sid ta’ ħajti.

.

Hawn jien Mulej, jien lest għalik u għal kull ma trid.

Hawn jien Mulej, b’imħabba kbira għalik.

Hawn jien Mulej, u kkmandani dak li trid.

Hawn jien Mulej, iddeċidejt.

.

Hawn jien Mulej, iddeċidejt.

.

[The prayer is taken from a Maltese song of worship – “Iddeċidejt Mulej” (Lit “Lord, I have decided”) – by Tiziana Grech nee Dimech © 1989 Tiziana Dimech]

.

Here I am, Lord, I have decided to follow You!

.

.

TODAY’S WORD…

.

Jesus said,

“My mother and my brethren

are those who hear the word of God and do it.”

.

– Luke 8:21

.

.

.

REFLECTION…

.

Jesus tells us that if we follow Him, listen to Him, and do God’s will,

we will share in His life as intimately as if we were members of His family.

.

As we follow Jesus more closely,

we find that our bonds to Him are indeed stronger than those to our natural family.

.

The bonds of blood are certainly strong,

but stronger still are the bonds originating in a deep love for Christ.

.

This is also why it is said that a family that prays together stays together

– together, as part of Christ’s family!

.

.

.

QUOTE…

.

“Everyone who does the will of the Father, that is to say, who obeys Him,

is a brother or sister of Christ,

because he is like Him who fulfilled the will of His Father.”

.

– St. Thomas

.

.

.

PRAYER…

.

My Lord and my God,

I want to belong to Your family,

I want to belong in Your family.

Teach me, Lord,

help me, Lord,

I want to do Your will.

.

.

TODAY’S WORD…

.

Owe nothing to anyone – except for your obligation to love one another.

If you love your neighbour, you will fulfill the requirements of God’s law.

.

– Romans 13:8

.

.

.

REFLECTION…

.

St. Paul has an incredible way with words!

.

As Christians we are obliged to love others

– all others, everybody, including those who do not love in return;

including those who are indifferent towards us, or worse…

.

It is actually all about giving to others,

and not quite the other way round, which is what we may often expect.

.

In his beautiful prayer, St Francis of Assisi, asks the Lord

to grant that he may not so much seek to be loved as to love.

.

St. Francis recognises that “it is in giving that we receive",

and that as we give of ourselves,

we receive the peace and blessing of our risen Lord Jesus.

.

We are all called to be saints and turn the world upside down;

to do and to bring the exact opposite of what we find in our world.

.

Today, if you’re feeling bold enough,

ask the Lord for strength to love

and to give of yourself to meet the needs of others.

O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek

to be consoled as to console;

to be understood as to understand;

to be loved as to love.

.

For it is in giving that we receive;

it is in pardoning that we are pardoned;

and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life. [St Francis of Assisi]

.

.

TODAY’S WORD…

.

Avoid anything in your everyday lives

that would be unworthy of the Gospel of Christ.

.

– Philippians 1:20

.

.

.

REFLECTION…

.

In other words, "live like good citizens."

In addition to whichever positions we have in society,

we Christians are citizens of heaven

and therefore we should lead a life that is worthy of the Gospel of Christ.

.

We must be like good citizens of the Kingdom of God, where Christ reigns as King,

by loyally obeying His laws.

.

Christ especially wants us to love one another,

because, such love encompasses all other precepts of the law.

.

Being a citizen of heaven is quite compatible with being a citizen of human society:

to acknowledge God is in no way to oppose the dignity of man,

since such dignity is grounded and brought to perfection in God.

.

We have in fact been placed in society by God,

who created us as intelligent and free beings;

but over and above this

we are called, as sons and daughters, to intimacy with God

and to share in His happiness. [Vatican II, "Gaudium Et Spes”]

.

.

.

PRAYER…

.

Holy Spirit, come and enter into the deepest recesses of my heart.

Heal and change me, and sow new seed of love in me,

that I may live a life worthy of Christ;

that I may love…like Jesus does.

.

.

TODAY’S WORD…

.

How long will you love what is worthless

and go after what is false?

.

– Psalm 4:2b

.

.

.

REFLECTION…

.

How true!

We so often chase illusions, because we believe that they will bring us happiness.

.

It is only the Lord who gives us true joy, consolation and lasting peace

– if we place Him above ourselves; above all else;

and if we trust in Him and do what He says.

.

.

.

PRAYER…

.

Thank you, Lord – You raise me up, You give me joy and You fill me with life!

.

.

TODAY’S WORD…

.

The Lord is near to all who call on Him,

to all who call on Him in truth.

.

– Psalm 145:18

.

.

.

REFLECTION…

.

The Lord is near those who call upon Him in truth – in faith.

..

The false, the skeptical, the impatient, the selfish and the proud

– these push the Lord away.

.

The Lord responds with kindness and salvation

to all those who invoke Him with humility and with love,

which is how we should pray.

.

As St John of the Cross tells us,

“there is no better way

to be granted the petitions that we hold in our hearts,

than to put all the strength of our prayer into what is most pleasing to God;

for then, He will not only grant us what we ask – our salvation;

He will also give us what He sees we need and what would be good for us,

even though we did not petition Him for it.”

.

.

.

PRAYER…

.

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the Living God, have mercy on me, a sinner.

Stay with me, Lord, please stay by my side.

.

.

TODAY’S WORD…

.

If we have died with Him, then we shall live with Him;

if we hold firm, then we shall reign with Him.

.

– 2 Timothy 2:11-12

.

.

.

REFLECTION…

.

By holding firm and dying to sin,

we will stay out of the darkness and bask in the light.

We will have been born into a new life.

.

By holding firm and dying to sin,

we will rise to a life of grace,

and, we will reign forever with Christ, our Lord.

.

.

.

.

PRAYER…

.

Lord, help me hold firm

against all that the world throws at me.

Help me hold firm

against the world’s deceitful suggestions that this is the only life I have,

so I should just live it and satisfy my longings, no matter what.

.

My Lord, my Maker,

help me take a broader look at who I am, and why I am.

Help me stop looking selfishly at the now

and, rather, strengthen my determination

to live and work towards the hereafter that You have planned for me,

towards being with You forever.

.

Amen.

.

.

TODAY’S WORD…

.

Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit.

Rather, in humility value others above yourselves,

not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.

.

– Philippians 2:3-4

.

.

.

REFLECTION…

.

We should always act humbly and with an upright intention

if we want love to reign among us.

.

In our work; in our social life, we should be upright in all our dealings.

We should go about everything, even apparently unimportant things, in a humble way,

doing them for God.

.

Kindness and generosity towards others must come from the heart,

must not be boastful or self-serving, but practiced in a humble and loving manner.

.

.

.

QUOTE…

.

"On coming into the world,

man is not equipped with everything he needs for developing his bodily and spiritual life.

He needs others.

.

Differences appear tied to age, physical abilities, intellectual or moral aptitudes,

the benefits derived from social commerce, and the distribution of wealth.

The "talents" are not distributed equally.

.

These differences belong to God’s plan,

who wills that each receive what he needs from others,

and that those endowed with particular "talents" share the benefits with those who need them.

.

These differences encourage and often oblige persons

to practice generosity, kindness, and sharing of goods…”

.

– Catechism of the Catholic Church CCC 1936-7

.

.

.

PRAYER…

.

Lord Jesus, Son of the Living God,

Divine Saviour, my Generous Redeemer,

grant me the grace

to see others in the way that You did;

to give to others in the way that You did;

to love others unconditionally in the way that You did.

.

Lord, help me be more like You.

.

.

TODAY’S WORD…

.

Therefore God also highly exalted Him

and gave Him the name that is above every name,

so that at the name of Jesus

every knee should bend, in heaven and on earth and under the earth,

and every tongue should confess

that Jesus Christ is Lord. [Philippians 2:9-11]

.

.

AMEN!

.

.

.

.

PRAYER…

.

Jesus, You are Lord!

I bow before You and confess that You are Lord.

You are my Lord…and my God.

.

Thank You, Jesus, for all that You have done for me.

Thank You for Your immense and generous love.

.

Lord, help me live Your example;

help me overcome my weaknesses and my shortcomings;

help me be more like You.

.

Jesus, You are Lord!

.

.

TODAY’S WORD…

.

‘Lord…I am not worthy to have you come under my roof!

.

– Luke 7:6

.

.

.

PRAYER…

.

My Lord, am I ever worthy of Your presence?

.

It is not that I do not wish to be worthy,

it is just that You, my Lord, are above everything;

above everyone.

.

You are my Creator, my Almighty God,

and I hold You in awe.

.

Yet, Your love for me is so great

that You make Yourself available at my asking.

All I have to do is ask, and You will rush into my heart

and fill me with the grace of Your glorious presence.

.

I love You, Lord;

I need You, Lord;

I want You, Lord.

.

I am not worthy, Lord,

yet come, Lord, come.

.