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

.

TODAY’S WORD…

.

Only the living can praise you as I do today.

Each generation tells of Your faithfulness to the next.

.

– Isaiah 38:19

.

.

.

REFLECTION…

.

When we find God;

when we really let Him into our heart, and allow Him to melt us and mould us and use us;

that is when we will feel compelled, not only to love, praise and thank Him,

but also to share Him with others, instead of just keeping Him to ourselves.

.

Each generation tells of Your faithfulness to the next.

Do they?

Do we?

.

If I have truly found God,

then I will gladly pass Him on to my children and grandchildren

by word, by deed, by example

and, especially, through patient and unselfish love – reflecting my Lord Jesus.

.

.

.

PRAYER…

.

Lord Jesus,

You who asked Your disciples to shout from the rooftops about God’s love,

please help me pass on the Good News to my family; help me be Your witness to my loved ones.

.

.

TODAY’S WORD…

.

You are my flock, the sheep of my pasture.

You are my people, and I am your God.

.

– Ezekiel 34:31

.

.

.

REFLECTION…

.

The Lord, our God, calls us His sheep.

Sheep tend to be dependent, defenceless and directionless

and so they need to be shepherded – – cared for, protected, guided.

.

Those of us of little or no faith (and, perhaps, with a big dose of pride)

will not like being compared to sheep.

On the other hand, many of us may well believe that we are fully independent, competent and capable,

and that we know exactly where we’re heading.

Many of us do not wish to be regarded as sheep.

.

But our Maker also refers to us as “people”,

thereby acknowledging the special intellect which He Himself endowed us with.

.

What God is lovingly telling us

is that we should always be humble enough

to accept that however intelligent and independent we make think that we are,

we will always need guidance,

and that He, our Maker, is always here

with us and for us.

.

.

.

PRAYER…

.

Lord, You are my Shepherd, my Guide!

Without You, Lord, I am lost.

.

.

TODAY’S WORD…

.

As the offering began,

the people sang praise to the Lord,

and the musicians began to play the trumpets and all the other instruments. […]

So everyone sang with great joy as they knelt and worshipped God.

.

– 2 Chronicles 29:27,30

.

.

.

REFLECTION…

.

What exuberance!

.

Note the liveliness

in the manner in which the delight of knowing the Lord

was expressed by the faithful in their songs of praise and worship!

What joy!

.

If only we can be more like this when we meet together in the house of the Lord

on Sundays, for the sacrifice of Holy Mass.

.

Do I sing those songs meaningfully, and with joy in my heart?

.

Do I do my best to express my joy in the Lord?

.

Do I realise,

do I believe…

that God is actually listening to my song, and to my words?

.

.

.

PRAYER…

.

My Lord and my God, I believe in You

and I am truly glad and privileged to know You.

.

Lord, help me put everything behind me

when I come into Your house on Sundays.

.

Help me, Lord, fully realise

the beautiful significance of the sacrifice of the Mass.

.

Lord, help me be filled with a special joy

in the glory of Your presence, my God,

as I declare my true belief in You

and acknowledge Your love for me.

.

Lord, I want to sing to You

and praise and worship You with fitting joy in my heart.

.

I love You, Lord. You make me glad!

.

.

TODAY’S WORD…

.

Even children make themselves known by their acts,

by whether what they do is pure and right.

.

– Proverbs 20:11

.

.

Let us stop doing the things that belong to the dark,

and let us take up weapons for fighting in the light.

.

Let us conduct ourselves properly,

as people who live in the light of day

– no orgies or drunkenness,

no immorality or indecency,

no fighting or jealousy.

But take up the weapons of the Lord Jesus Christ,

and stop paying attention to your sinful nature and satisfying its desires.

.

– Romans 13:12-14

.

.

.

REFLECTION…

.

We are always in need of conversion to a new life.

God often uses Sacred Scripture to awaken us from our spiritual lethargy

and to change the way we act and live,

which may not reflect our beliefs nor our declared love for God, at all.

.

My heart,

have today’s verses moved you?

.

.

.

PRAYER…

.

My Lord Jesus Christ,

transform me,

change me,

renew me.

I want my thoughts, words and deeds

to reflect my love for You;

to confirm my love for You.

Help me Lord.

I love You, Lord.

Forgive me Lord.

Thank You Lord.

.

.

TODAY’S WORD…

.

Jesus said,

“Martha, Martha, you are worried and upset about many things,

but few things are needed – or indeed only one.”

.

– Luke 10: 41-42

.

.

.

REFLECTION…

.

We haven’t changed much, have we,

over the last two thousand years or so!

Like Martha, so many of us allow our duties to take over our life

and, as a result, we suffer from anxiety.

.

What Jesus is telling Martha,

indeed what He is telling us,

is that if we place God and our faith in Him foremost in our lives

– above everything else –

then our burdens will be made lighter.

God will console and counsel us

and help us find that perfect work-life balance that He wants all of us to have.

.

If you are feeling overwhelmed with family duties and concerns;

with doing your job or running your business;

with coping, in general,

then honour the Lord and He will honour you.

.

.

.

PRAYER…

.

My Lord Jesus,

thank You for teaching me how to live and find peace

in this world which seems to be intent on keeping me busy and anxious

to the extent that I sometimes forget about You

and even, foolishly, put You aside.

Lord, You are all I need!

.

.

TODAY’S WORD…

.

A single day in Your courts, O Lord,

is better than a thousand anywhere else!

.

– Psalm 84:10

.

.

.

REFLECTION…

.

How true this verse rings

in the minds and hearts of those who have opened themselves to the Lord.

.

Believers, who spend time with the Lord,

whether in community or by themselves;

in worshipful adoration;

in silent contemplation;

at Holy Mass;

listening to His Word and contemplating upon it

gladly receive and soak up His love and His grace.

Believers, who spend such time with the Lord,

all enthusiastically agree that a single day with the Lord,

is better, much better, than a thousand days anywhere else!

.

This applies to one’s entire self.

One’s intellect, one’s mind, one’s heart, one’s soul

will all thankfully, eagerly, and reverently confirm

that nothing, but nothing,

can compare with the glory and joy and peace of being with the Lord.

.

Feeling like this is such a grace.

It fills us with incomparable anticipation of what lies ahead

when we are finally called to meet our Maker – face to face –

to spend eternity with Him.

.

.

.

PRAYER…

.

O Lord, my God,

nothing compares to the joy and the peace that my entire self feels when I am with You;

when I am in Your presence;

when I keep You with me, in my heart and mind;

when I follow Your ways.

.

Lord, grant that I will always want to be close to You. Lord, I so want to spend eternity with You!

.

.

TODAY’S WORD…

.

When Moses came down from Mount Sinai…

he was not aware that his face was radiant because he had spoken with the LORD.

.

– Exodus 34:29

.

.

.

REFLECTION…

.

Moses is a wonderful example of how our relationship with the Lord should be.

.

Moses would frequently go before the Lord

where he would throw himself to the ground and worship God,

who “would speak to him face to face, as one speaks to a friend.” (Ex 33:11).

In those moments, Moses would ask the Lord to let him know His ways

so that he would understand God more fully and continue to enjoy His favour.

.

When we spend time with our Maker in our special quiet place,

because we truly believe that He is with us and listening to us,

then, like Moses, we will be fittingly worshipful of Him

and our Almighty God will listen to us, and counsel us,

speaking to us like a friend.

.

If my attitude when I go in front of the Lord is like that of Moses,

then when I leave His presence, my heart will be radiant, just like Moses’ face,

glowing, consoled and strengthened through the knowledge of living and sharing in God’s love.

.

.

.

PRAYER…

.

My Lord and my God,

let me bow my head, always, in Your presence.

Let me never take You for granted.

.

I know that You are my friend,

but You are also my God

and You deserve all glory, honour and love.

.

Lord, help me set my heart free

so that it can rejoice and glow

in Your divine omnipresence. Amen.

.

.

TODAY’S WORD…

.

“Blessed are those who trust in the Lord

and have made the Lord their hope and confidence.

They are like trees planted along a riverbank,

with roots that reach deep into the water.

Such trees are not bothered by the heat

or worried by long months of drought.

Their leaves stay green,

and they never stop producing fruit.”

.

– Jeremiah 17:7-8

.

.

.

REFLECTION… on the prosperity of those who trust in God.

.

“We are asked to consider three things in the image of the tree

– its being well-rooted,

its fruitfulness,

and the sustaining of its life.

.

To be well-rooted, the tree must be well-watered,

otherwise it will dry up and wither away.

Thus, we are told that the tree is planted beside running waters, which symbolise the currents of grace.

‘He who believes in me…out of his heart shall flow rivers of living water.’ (Jn 7:38)

.

The one whose roots draw on the living waters

will bear much fruit in all the good works that he does,

and fruitfulness is the second aspect of the image that we are asked to contemplate.

‘The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace,

patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, and self-control.’ (Gal 5:22)

.

The tree does not wither away: it is sustained in life.

Some trees lose their leaves, but others never lose their leaves;

and thus it is with righteous men […];

they will not be forgotten by God even in their tiniest and least significant actions.

‘The righteous will flourish like a green leaf.’ (Pr 11:28)

.

– St Thomas Aquinas.

.

.

.

PRAYER…

.

Lord Jesus, I trust in You, my hopes are on You.

Lord, help me to be like a tree planted by the waters.

Nurture me, Lord. Nourish me, Lord.

You are my Water of Life!

.

.

TODAY’S WORD…

.

We now have this light shining in our hearts,

but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure.

This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves.

.

– 2 Corinthians 4:7

.

.

.

REFLECTION…

.

If I think that I am somebody,

and that it is all due to me and to my determination and ambition,

then perhaps I should better think again.

.

If I do not have God in me, than I am nothing.

.

The Bible narrates that God made Adam out of a lump of clay

…and then blew His Spirit into him.

.

When I remove God from my life,

I am rejecting His breath of life – the treasure that He gave me –

and substituting it with my own artificial means of existence.

This is when I turn myself into a mere lump of clay – with a definite “expiry date”!

.

It is through grace

that we bear in our souls such a wonderful treasure – God Himself.

Our human dignity is, in fact, a gift from our Maker.

.

However, just like earthenware pots we are very fragile,

and because it is a tough world that we live in, we will develop cracks.

.

That is when we must go humbly and contritely before our Maker

and entrust ourselves to Him,

and He will lovingly welcome us and renew us.

He will mend our ailing spirit and give us life anew.

.

.

.

PRAYER…

.

Lord, lift me up and fill me with Your Spirit once again!

.

.

TODAY’S WORD…

.

We know that in all things,

God works for the good of those who love Him,

who have been called according to His purpose.

.

– Romans 8:28

.

.

.

REFLECTION…

.

When we are aware of God as a loving Father,

it helps us see that all the events of our life

are orchestrated by His lovable Will.

.

Our Father gives us what is best for us,

and expects us to discover His paternal love

in what is adverse as well as in what is favourable.

.

Such an attitude, which comes from faith, hope, and full trust in the Lord,

will helps us overcome every difficulty we meet.

.

.

.

QUOTE…

.

"The whole world seems to be coming down on top of you.

Whichever way you turn you find no way out.

This time, it [appears] impossible to overcome the difficulties.

.

But, have you again forgotten that God is your Father,

all-powerful, infinitely wise, full of mercy?

He would never send you anything evil.

That thing that is worrying you is good for you,

even though those earthbound eyes of yours may not be able to see it now.

.

Lord, once again and always,

may your most wise Will be done!"

.

– St. Josemaria Escriva

.

.

.

PRAYER…

.

Father in heaven, Your will be done!

.

Father, please let me always say these words

with the fullest of faith.

.

I pray, never to forget

that whatever You permit is for my ultimate good,

and that my acceptance of Your Will

is also for the good of those around me – in particular, my loved ones.

.

Lord, Your will be done!

.