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

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TODAY’S WORD…

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The Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

There is no law against these things!

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Since we are living by the Spirit,

let us follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives.

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– Galatians 5:22-23,25

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REFLECTION…

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This is the fruit that God provides me with in generous, never-ending helpings.

It is, of course, always up to me to accept or reject His blessings.

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Do I want to gladly digest this fruit of God’s Spirit,

so that I may live to the full the life He wishes me to?

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Or am I too proud to admit that I need His help: that I need to improve?

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Or am I too self-assured and selfish to agree to a change in my ways?

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Or am I, simply, wilfully blind and obstinately deaf?

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PRAYER…

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Come Holy Spirit,

nourish and strengthen me with Your Divine Fruit!

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TODAY’S WORD…

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When daylight came, Jesus left the house

and made His way to a lonely place.

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– Luke 4:42

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REFLECTION…

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Jesus was a busy man carrying out a Divine Mission.

and He too needed time to reflect quietly,

to pray privately,

to speak to the Father

away from interruptions, noise and distractions.

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As in everything else, here too, He gives us good example.

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We all need to find the time and a quiet place,

where we can pray and reflect.

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St. Josemaria Escriva comments:

“You ask: To pray is to talk with God. But about what?

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About what? About Him, about yourself:

joys, sorrows, successes and failures,

noble ambitions, daily worries, weaknesses!

And acts of thanksgiving and petitions:

and love and reparation…”

…and we will find peace and consolation and truth,

and that incomparable joy in the Lord!

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PRAYER…

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Lord, lead me to that quiet place – everyday.

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Come Holy Spirit,

I welcome You every day to take over my heart and my mind.

Remove everything that is not from You,

and fill me with Your love and Your peace.

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Come Holy Spirit.

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TODAY’S WORD…

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Near the cross of Jesus stood His mother…

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– John 19:25

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REFLECTION…

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What character!

The Mother of Christ, the Woman par excellence

“stood” at the foot of the cross where her beloved Son was still hanging, crucified.

She stood. She did not faint.

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She had suffered all the way throughout her Son’s persecution,

yet there she was standing,

full of holy dignity,

accepting the indescribable anguish which she must have felt as a mother.

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But she was full of faith,

and had always trusted in her Maker

and accepted His will.

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What strength in suffering!

What an example for all of us, men and women alike.

What a grace to have her as our Heavenly Mother!

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Mary’s manner truly brings to life the words of Isaiah 40:31:

“Those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength.

They will soar on wings like eagles;

they will run and not grow weary,

they will walk and not be faint.”

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PRAYER…

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Sweet Mother Mary, pray for me,

that I may resemble you in character, in faith,

and in my love for Jesus.

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TODAY’S WORD…

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‘You are worthy, our Lord and God,

to receive glory and honour and power,

for You created all things,

and by Your will they existed and were created.’

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– Revelations 4:11

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REFLECTION…

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As Christians, we are called to praise and honour and worship the Lord, our God and Creator.

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However, although mankind benefits from His goodness and lives in a universe of His creation,

people seem to be less and less inclined to worship God,

whether it is in a Church or privately.

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Am I like this?

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Do I praise, honour and worship the Lord my God by devoting time to Him

and by wholeheartedly honouring Sunday?

Do I praise, honour and worship the Lord my God by what I do, say, or think?

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PRAYER…

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You are worthy, my Lord and God,

to receive glory and honour and power,

for You created all things,

and by Your will they existed and were created.

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Lord, mark my heart indelibly

and brand me as one of Yours.

Fill my mind with true love,

and let me always be ready and glad

to praise and worship You as my Lord, my God, my Creator.

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TODAY’S WORD…

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O God, You are my God,

for You I long;

for You my soul is thirsting.

My body pines for You like a dry weary land without water.

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– Psalm 63:1

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REFLECTION…and PRAYER…

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Being with the Lord is like this

– there are times

when we feel like a tree growing on the bank of a glorious, flowing river;

then there are times

when we feel like there’s not a drop of water in sight.

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Both can be beautiful moments.

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Yes, because whenever we thirst for the Lord,

it is a significant instance of spiritual truth and of grace,

which helps us realise how much we love Him

and how much we need Him in our life.

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Yes, we should truly treasure all such moments.

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My Lord and my God,

today I just want to stop and thank You

for the grace You gave me of knowing how life is,

both with You and without You.

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Today I know that with You in my heart,

even the darkest of moments are filled with grace

because my yearning for You makes me realise how much I love You and need You,

and that realisation fills me with incomparable inner joy.

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Thank You, my Lord.

I love You, my God!

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TODAY’S WORD…

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When I make my plans,

do I make them from selfish motives,

ready to say “Yes, yes” and “No, no” at the same time?

For Jesus Christ, the Son of God, […] is not one who is Yes and No.

On the contrary, He is God’s Yes;

for it is He who is the Yes to all of God’s promises.

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– 2 Corinthians 1:17-20

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REFLECTION…

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If we claim to follow Christ,

who is absolutely faithful and truthful

and who demands sincerity in thought, word and in deed,

then our plans and whatever we do,

should be in conformity with His teachings.

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The faithfulness of Christ – in whom it is always YES –

is the model for all Christians.

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Have I said “YES” to all of God’s YES to me?

Is there any of God’s YES to me

to which I am saying NO or MAYBE or NOT NOW?

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O Lord,

I want to say YES to You every day, every minute, of my life.

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Lord, help me forsake

the NO and the MAYBE and the NOT NOW of my unbelief and self-centeredness.

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Strengthen me, Lord,

and fill me with faith, determination, and self-control.

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Grant that I will always say YES, YES, YES to You with all my heart!

I love You, Lord.

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TODAY’S WORD…

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“We urge you and appeal to you in the Lord Jesus

to make more and more progress in the kind of life that you are meant to live:

the life that God wants…”

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– 1 Thessalonians 4:1

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REFLECTION…

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We know God’s Commandments,

we know what Christ teaches and commands,

but knowing them is not enough

we must put them into practice.

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We must be true Christians who go beyond just being good.

We need to yearn to love the Lord, our God,

with all our heart, mind, soul and strength;

with all we think, say and do;

and by loving others through genuine heartfelt Christian care and example.

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St John Chrysostom tells us

that "the soul should not limit itself to doing what is laid down,

but should go further…

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Two things make for virtue – avoiding evil and doing good.

Fleeing from evil is not the be-all of virtue;

it is the beginning of the path that leads to virtue.

One needs, in addition, to have an ardent desire to be good

and to do good"

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PRAYER…

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Lord Jesus, never stop urging me to love; to give;

to follow Your teachings and obey Your commands.

Help me never stop progressing in You, Lord.

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TODAY’S WORD…

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“Therefore keep watch,

because you do not know on what day your Lord will come.”

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– Matthew 24:42

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REFLECTION…

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Jesus teaches us the practical moral that a Christian needs to be on the watch,

living each day as if it were his or her last.

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He tells us to live in such a way

so that if today turns out to be our last, we will be found in a state of grace.

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What a contrast this is

with the self-gratifying and unconstrained “just do it” and “anything goes” cultures

which today’s gurus “preach”.

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What a contrast

between the Truth…and empty promises!

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PRAYER…

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Lord, I thank You for setting me free.

I thank You for allowing me to choose.

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I have chosen You, Lord,

because in You I have found true freedom;

I have found unconditional and pure love;

I have discovered wholesome joy and inner peace,

and a desire to live everyday as if it were my last

– but in Your company.

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Thank You, Lord.

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TODAY’S WORD…

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“Come, and you will see.”

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– John 1:39

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REFLECTION…and PRAYER…

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“Come, and you will see” is Jesus’ tender invitation

to those of us seeking to know Him better.

It is an invitation to begin that intimate relationship that we may be seeking.

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Christian faith can never be just a matter of intellectual curiosity;

it affects one’s whole life

and a person cannot understand it unless he or she really live it.

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That is why our Lord invites those who wish to know more about Him

to “come and see” where and how He lives

and to spend time in His company.

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Accepting our Lord’s invitation is an act of hope and humility.

By doing so and ‘going’, we will learn through personal first-hand experience,

because words alone cannot describe that which we are seeking,

or what we will eventually find.

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If we accept this invitation,

then, by applying our mind to the contemplation of divine things,

by desiring to taste the sweetness of God,

by assiduous prayer,

we shall indeed ‘see’.

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Lord, Here I am!

Jesus, now that I have found You, I want to stay by Your side,

I want to be everywhere with You,

I want to know more and more about You,

I want to never stop listening to Your voice.

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Lord, now that I have found You, I know that I am nothing without You.

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Here I am, Lord, right by Your side!

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TODAY’S WORD…

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LORD, do not forsake me;

do not be far from me, my God.

Come quickly to help me,

my Lord and my Saviour.

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– Psalm 38:21-22

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REFLECTION…

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At some time in our life

we will all find ourselves making an urgent cry for help.

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A Christian who, in such a situation, cries out to God

and addresses Him as “Lord”, “my God”, “my Saviour”,

is clearly aware of God’s nearness

and, as a true believer, the true Christian perseveres.

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Whenever we experience troubles, we should remember the sufferings of Jesus.

Our problems will then pale in comparison!

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Whenever we fear that God is not listening,

we should recall the scene where Jesus is praying in the Garden of Gethsemane.

We will then begin to understand

…and take heart

…and be filled with hope!

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QUOTES…

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“…your cry may not reach the ears of men,

but it is always heard by God.”

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– St. Augustine

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"When we pray for help in trouble,

or for healing in sickness,

or for deliverance in persecution,

God may not give us what we ask for

because that may not be His wise and loving will for us.

He will answer our prayer in His own way,

and He will not let us down in our hour of need."

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– Billy Graham

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PRAYER…

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Lord Jesus, help me always acknowledge You

as my Lord, my God, and my Saviour;

help me always accept, like You did, that the Father’s will be done.

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