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

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TODAY’S WORD…

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Get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent,

and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you.

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Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves.

Do what it says.

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– James 1:21-22

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REFLECTION…

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Let us read the second verse again:

Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves.

Do what it says.

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To receive the word of God, we must listen docilely to it

and we need to do all we can to keep certain inclinations at bay;

we need to cleanse the mind and body from what is immoral and corrupt;

we need to do what it says!

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It is only by doing what God tells us to do

hat we are able to live in a truly worthy manner as persons who belong to Christ

and who gladly receive His word of salvation.

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We need to recognise that it is pride and self-centeredness

that makes us rebel against God’s Word

and stop us from being faithful to Him.

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We must always do what God tells us to,

and we must do so with consistency.

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QUOTE…

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"difficulty.”

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– St.

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PRAYER…

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Give me the strength, O Lord, and the determination to put You at the centre of my life

and to humbly live Your Word by doing what You say.

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TODAY’S WORD…

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Save me, O God, for the waters

have risen to my neck.

I have sunk into the mud of the deep,

where there is no foothold.

I have entered the waters of the deep,

where the flood overwhelms me.

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But I pray to You, O Lord,

for a time of Your favour.

In Your great mercy, answer me, O God,

with Your salvation that never fails.

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As for me in my poverty and pain,

let Your salvation, O God, raise me up.

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Then I will praise God’s name with a song;

I will glorify Him with thanksgiving:

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– Psalm 69:2-3,14,30-31 (RGP)

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REFLECTION…

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Believers may experience trials and tensions in their lives,

yet their faith never wanes and they beseech God to help them,

knowing that He loves them

and that He is always there with them till the end.

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QUOTE…

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“Beloved brothers and sisters!

If this mission may sometimes seem difficult,

call to mind the words of the risen Lord:

"I am with you always, to the end of the age" (Mat 28:20).

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Certain of His presence, you shall fear no difficulty and no obstacle.

His word will enlighten you;

His Body and His Blood will nourish you

and sustain you on your daily journey to eternity.

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At the side of each of you there will always be Mary,

as she was present among the apostles,

who were frightened and confused at the time of trial.

And with her faith she will show you,

beyond the night of the world, the glorious dawn of the resurrection. Amen.”

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– Pope St. John Paul II

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PRAYER…

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Lord, I seek You, I love You, I need You.

Help me, Lord. Save me. Revive my heart.

Help me also help myself, O Lord.

Thank You, Lord.

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TODAY’S WORD…

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Jesus said,

“Don’t imagine that I came to bring peace to the earth!

I came not to bring peace, but a sword.

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I have come to set a man against his father,

a daughter against her mother,

and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.

Your enemies will be right in your own household!

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If you love your father or mother more than you love me,

you are not worthy of being mine;

or if you love your son or daughter more than me,

you are not worthy of being mine.

If you refuse to take up your cross and follow me,

you are not worthy of being mine.

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But if you give up your life for me, you will find it.”

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– Matthew 10:34-39

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REFLECTION…

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The sword that Jesus mentions is the Word of God,

which is what can lead to the examples of divisions that Jesus gives us.

Even within families, the Word of God can lead

to those who embrace the faith being regarded as traitors and enemies by relatives who resist the word of truth

and who choose to misinterpret, disregard or disobey God’s commandments.

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This is why our Lord goes on to say that nothing should come between Him and His follower – not even father, mother, son or daughter.

With God there must be no compromise,

and any and every obstacle must be avoided.

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But even our own parents?

Even our own sons and daughters?

Yes, because our love for our parents and for our children must not come before our love for God,

who we should love with all our heart, mind, soul and strength.

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Jesus is clearly telling us that even where, on the surface, what appears to motivate us is love for others,

we must be extremely wary of our innate selfishness which can result in self-centered reasoning.

We need to be careful that our quest for peace within the family

does not come at the cost of disobeying Our Lord and the loss of our soul in the process.

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Following Christ and doing what He asks, means risking this present life to gain eternal life.

If there should be any clashes with our parents, with our children

or with other relatives, friends and colleagues because we are intent on obeying the Lord,

then we should be quite clear in mind and in heart that we must always put God first

and to let Him have His way.

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A true follower of Christ

must always handle such situations in a spirit of gentleness and love,

even when this is returned with hurtful mockery and even hate.

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Clearly, Christian life is based on self-denial,

and we must always remember that there is no Christianity without the Cross.

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PRAYER…

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Lord, make me strong in faith,

that I may always be loyal to You and ready to give up my peace and my life for You.

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TODAY’S WORD…

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From the beginning till now

the entire creation, as we know,

has been groaning in one great act of giving birth.

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– Romans 8:22

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REFLECTION…

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Saint Paul sets this vision of faith on a burning and dramatic image:

the entire creation is compared to a woman who suffers and moans in labour pain

– a suffering that is always mixed with joy.

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The world is in a state of anticipation.

This state of suffering anticipation

is caused by the fact that creation, through no fault of its own,

has been dragged into a state of godlessness.

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But there is hope for creation…

because God intends to rescue it.

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As true believers, we suffer with hope

and look forward, together with the rest of creation, to a glorious time

when the Lord will establish His own perfect kingdom of peace and righteousness.

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PRAYER…

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Come Lord Jesus, come!

Come and renew Your creation.

Come, Lord, and re-establish Your kingdom of peace and of righteousness.

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TODAY’S WORD…

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Jesus said,

“Those who declare publicly that they belong to me,

I will do the same for them before my Father in heaven.

But those who reject me publicly, I will reject before my Father in heaven.”

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– Matthew 10:32-33

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REFLECTION…

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The Lord calls each of us personally

asking us to declare ourselves for Him.

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As Christians

we should live our lives in accordance with His teachings

and in manner that serves to bear witness to our faith.

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Jesus assures us our eternal salvation if we publicly maintain our faith – whatever the consequences –

through our behaviour and attitude,

through our words and our deeds.

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At the time of judgement,

Christ will welcome those who have given testimony of their faith.

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But those whose viewpoint and lifestyle

will have indicated a rejection of Christ and His teachings,

the Lord will be similarly reject.

”At harvest time I will tell the reapers,

‘First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned,

but then gather the wheat into my barn.’” (Mat 13:30)

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As a Christian,

I must not be ashamed

to imitate Jesus’ humility and example;

I must not be ashamed

of following the precepts of the Gospel for fear of displeasing the world or worldly people.

By doing so I will be failing to confess – by my life – the faith which I claim to hold.

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I should never be ashamed of the Gospel;

I should never let myself be drawn away by the worldliness around me;

rather I should exercise a decisive and loving Christian influence on those around me,

always counting on the help of God’s grace.

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PRAYER…

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Lord, fill me with Your Spirit,

that I may live to serve You and radiate Your love.

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TODAY’S WORD…

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Jesus said,

“See, I am sending you out like sheep into the midst of wolves;

so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves.”

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– Matthew 10:16

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REFLECTION…

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See, I am sending you out like sheep into the midst of wolves.

In spite of those wolves around us, who seek to eradicate the Word of God,

we will not be outdone

– not if we resolutely seek to imitate Christ and be meek and humble of heart.

He is our mentor, our example – He is the Lamb of God.

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Be wise as serpents and innocent as doves.

Christ places the serpent and the dove

together in the same sentence when He gives us this instruction.

He wants to clearly illustrate how we Christians – His followers – should act,

and how we should not.

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Snakes are wise but can also be dangerous;

doves are inoffensive, but naive.

Christ, of course, wants us to adopt only the positive characteristics of both.

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Our actions and words must therefore always be the fruit of wisdom and knowledge

depending on the particular circumstance which we find ourselves in,

It is snakes that have this admirable trait.

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Moreover, our manner and behaviour must always reflect peace, gentleness and purity

which are qualities signified by the dove.

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PRAYER…

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Guide me through life, O Lord,

that I may do Your will and not fall to the ways of the world.

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TODAY’S WORD…

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“I am your brother Joseph, whom you sold into Egypt.

Now do not be upset or blame yourselves because you sold me here.

It was really God who sent me ahead of you to save people’s lives.”

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– Genesis 45:4-5

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REFLECTION…

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We all know the story of Jacob’s sons and, in particular, that of Joseph

whose ten brothers so envied him that they eventually got rid of him

by selling him off to some merchants who then took him far away to Egypt.

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“Why Lord?” Joseph must have asked out loud

when he was sold into slavery by his own brothers.

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“Why Lord, why?” must have been Jacob’s desperate cry,

when he was told by his other sons that his beloved Joseph had been set upon and killed by a wild beast.

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“Why Lord, why?” Joseph will have asked the Lord,

when he, because of his wisdom,

from being a slave became a ruler in Egypt, second only to the king

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Twenty years later the brothers are reunited,

and Joseph lovingly explains to his brothers that everything was part of God’s plan

and tells them that “It was really God who sent me ahead of you to save people’s lives.”

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Life, for the faithful believer, should be all about letting God’s will be done,

and Joseph’s story encourages us to live more serenely and to cope better

by trusting in God

and accepting His will, in all circumstances, even in the most difficult.

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Why Lord, why?

Why me?

Why us?

Why now?

What have I done to deserve this?

What have we done to deserve this?

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Such questions are always appropriate,

and they should not be only be asked when in some dire situation,

but also be forthcoming in those moments of great blessings. .

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Never stop asking “why” to the Lord,

never stop seeking His guidance.

He will answer you,

He will speak to your heart,

He will reassure you and guide you on.

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If we never stop acknowledging God’s unending love and care for us as we live through life’s circumstances, good or bad;

if we faithfully cling on to Him and trustingly accept and do His will,

then our life will be the most wonderful sacrifice we can offer to our Maker.

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Peace and serenity come from living our life to the full…for the Lord!

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PRAYER…

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Here I am, Lord, I want to live my life to the full…for You!

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TODAY’S WORD…

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Live in peace with each other.

We encourage you, brothers and sisters,

to instruct those who are not living right,

cheer up those who are discouraged,

help the weak,

and be patient with everyone.

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Make sure that no one ever pays back one wrong with another wrong.

Instead, always try to do what is good for each other and everyone else.

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Always be joyful.

Never stop praying.

Whatever happens, give thanks,

because it is God’s will in Christ Jesus that you do this.

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Don’t put out the Spirit’s fire.

Don’t despise what God has revealed.

Instead, test everything.

Hold on to what is good.

Keep away from every kind of evil…

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May the God who gives peace make you holy in every way.

May He keep your whole being — spirit, soul, and body — blameless when our Lord Jesus Christ comes.

The One who calls you is faithful, and He will do this.

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– 1 Thessalonians 5:13-24

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QUOTES…

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"Being children of God, how can we be sad?

Sadness is the end product of selfishness.

If we truly want to live for God, we will never lack cheerfulness,

even when we discover our errors and wretchedness.

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Cheerfulness finds its way into our life of prayer,

so much so that we cannot help singing for joy.

For we are in love, and singing is a thing that lovers do"

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– St. Josemaria Escriva

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"A true Christian is always ready to appear before God.

Because, if he is fighting to live as a man of Christ,

he is ready at every moment to fulfil his duty"

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– St. Josemaria Escriva

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PRAYER…

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Lord, how can I be sad, knowing that You love me so!

I too love You, Lord, forgive me, Lord, thank You, Lord.

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TODAY’S WORD…

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Protect me, O God, for I have taken shelter in You.

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I say to the Lord, “You are the Lord, my only source of well-being.”.

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– Psalm 16:1-2

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REFLECTION…

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When, for whatever reason, I distance myself from God,

the goodness in me loses its divine protection and I become openly susceptible to worldly (and moral) corruption.

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We can ill afford to remove ourselves from the Lord’s protection.

Without Him, we are nothing;

away from Him, our weaknesses can easily take over;

apart from Him, we have no good

and we make ourselves easy prey for the devil,

who is always there “prowling around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” (cf. 1 Pet 5:8)

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PRAYER…

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Protect me, O God, for I have taken shelter in You.

You are the Lord, my only source of well-being.

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TODAY’S WORD…

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Jesus said,

“Heaven and earth will pass away,

but my words will never pass away.”

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– Matthew 24:35

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REFLECTION…

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Do I believe in Jesus, the Lord?

Do I believe He is the Son of God who came to save us?

Do I believe in all that He said and did to show us the way

and that His words will never become outdated or pass away?

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Many will answer that “yes” they believe.

Many will confirm that they are Christian.

But many, in spite of their proclaimed faith,

still do what suits them most in the immediate term

and seemingly ignoring the Lord’s advice.

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Am I one of these many?

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QUOTE…

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“Whenever men and women, albeit frail and sinful,

are sincerely open to an encounter with Christ,

a radical transformation begins to take place:

‘but to all who received Him, He gave power to become children of God’ (Jn 1:12).

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To receive the Word means to let oneself be shaped by Him,

and thus to be conformed by the power of the Holy Spirit to Christ, the ‘only Son from the Father’ (Jn 1:14).

It is the beginning of a new creation;

a new creature is born, a new people comes to birth.

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Those who believe, that is to say, those who live the obedience of faith,

are ‘born of God’ (Jn 1:13) and made sharers in the divine life: sons in the Son.
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As St. Augustine puts it nicely…:

‘you were created through the word, but now through the word you must be recreated.’”

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– Pope Benedict XVI – “Verbum Domini”

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PRAYER…

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Lord Jesus, Your words are Truth; they are Spirit and Life!

Let Your words settle deep within my heart,

that l may grow strong and determined to follow You and to always do Your will.

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