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

TODAY’S WORD…

The Lord is close to the broken-hearted;
He rescues those whose spirits are crushed.

– Psalm 34:18

He heals the broken-hearted

and binds up their wounds.

– Psalm 147:33

REFLECTION…

True believers, when in distress and no matter how desperate and hurtful the situation, cry out to God. True believers see through their own broken heart and tears and, in the knowledge that God is listening, are comforted in a manner, which is beyond understanding. True believers, in spite of their desperation, know that God sees their plight. They trust in Him and faithfully accept that His will be done, however painful it may be to their human spirit.

True believers look at the praying Jesus in the Garden of Olives, and, again, at the Him on the Cross as He cried out “Father, Father, why have You forsaken Me”. The Holy Spirit will then show them the resurrected Christ, triumphant and glorious, and their spirit will be lifted and they will call upon Christ, who will lovingly help them carry their cross and will once again fill them with faith and hope.

PRAYER…

Jesus, I trust in You!

TODAY’S WORD…

I keep my eyes always on the Lord.

With Him at my right hand, I shall not be shaken.

You make known to me the path of life;

You will fill me with joy in Your presence,

with eternal pleasures at Your right hand.

– Psalm 16:8,11

PRAYER…

I believe in You, O Almighty and Living God.

I believe You know my every thought and prayer before they come to mind.

I believe that You are always with me – here, right by my side.

…..

My God,

with You always so near to me, what is there for me to fear?

With You by my side, O Lord,

I can walk through the darkest valleys of life towards Your gloriously beckoning light.

With You so close to me, my joy is tremendous

and my heart rejoices in Your Truth which protects me

and accompanies me along this journey in life.

Lord, do not ever permit the eyes of my heart to lose their focus on You.

Do not allow my soul to abandon its Maker

but, rather, let it faithfully yearn for Your eternal promise.

For this I pray. Amen.

TODAY’S WORD…

Jesus said, “You are the salt of the earth; but if salt has lost its taste, how can its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything, but is thrown out and trampled under foot.”

– Matthew 5:13

REFLECTION…

Salt preserves food from corruption, and Christ is telling us Christians that by the way we live, through our influence, and by our example, we can preserve goodness in the world around us, keeping it from being taken over by moral corruption. Salt also brings out the flavour of food and makes it more pleasant. So it is with good Christians, who take love, joy and peace everywhere they go.

Significantly, salt disappears into the food that it flavours …and the Christian should do the same. The most important becomes the flavour of the food and not the salt itself. The good Christian makes sure that he or she too disappears into the background as Christ comes to the fore. The glory should be Christ’s, and Christ’s alone.

But, we must be aware that if the salt loses its taste and its qualities, it becomes good for nothing – and it is thrown out as useless. It is constant prayer and, primarily, participating in the Eucharist that protects us against the elements, which are constantly seeking to destroy us.

PRAYER…

Holy Spirit, use me.

Preserve me, protect me, and guide me.

Let my life, my words, my deeds,

add flavour to the world around me by giving glory to God,

and as He increases, let me disappear.

Amen.

TODAY’S WORD…

Jesus told the crowd, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, For they shall be filled.”

– Matthew 5:6

REFLECTION…

In the language of the Bible, a righteous person is essentially one who sincerely strives to do the Will of God. God’s will is discovered in the commandments, in one’s duties of state in life (social, professional and family responsibilities), and through one’s life of prayer.

Our Lord is asking us not simply to have a vague desire for righteousness, but to hunger and thirst for it, that is, to love and strive earnestly to seek what makes a man righteous in God’s eyes. “…for they shall be filled.” – never was there a desire to be holy, honest and upright which God was not willing to satisfy.

If we genuinely want to attain Christian righteousness, God will fill us…and not just with that virtue, but, as a consequence of it, with all other good things, particularly with joy and peace, which are the certain effects of being righteous.

If I genuinely want to attain Christian righteousness, then I should make frequent use of the Sacraments; have an intimate relationship with God in prayer; and make a valiant effort to meet my social, professional and family responsibilities…and then I will ”be filled.”

PRAYER…

I thank You, Lord,

for everything You have done to save me.

Glory to You, and honour and praise!

Lord Jesus,

to You I want to dedicate my life, my all.

Make me righteous, Lord,

and keep me faithful and true.

Make my whole life

an expression of praise and love,

and a reflection of Your glorious grace.

Fill me, Lord! Amen.

TODAY’S WORD…

Jesus told the crowd, “Anyone who does the will of God, that person is My brother and sister and mother.”

– Mark 3:35

REFLECTION…

J Jesus makes such a straight-forward statement – it is so meaningful and so full of promise! Our Lord is telling us that if we follow Him; if we trust in Him and do His will; if we live the Commandments; we will share in His life as intimately as if we were a member of His family.

How important is it for me to feel and to be part of God’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. But he who not only obeys but converts others, begets Christ in them, and thus becomes like the Mother of Christ”   – St. Thomas

PRAYER…

My Lord, my God, my King,

I so want to be part of Your family.

I pray

that I will always love You,

trust in You,

strive to do Your will

and obey Your Commandments,

that I may be a worthy member of Your family.

Lord, guide me in giving witness to the hope that You bring,

so that others may be drawn into Your family to share closely in Your love.

For this I pray with all my heart. Amen.

TODAY’S WORD…

For a time is coming when people will no longer listen to sound and wholesome teaching. They will follow their own desires and will look for teachers who will tell them whatever their itching ears want to hear. They will reject the truth and chase after myths.

– 2 Timothy 4:3-4

REFLECTION…

That time is now…more than ever before! Many who claim to be Christian, are interpreting Christianity in a manner to suit them. Many are rejecting their Catholic faith (they no longer listen to sound and wholesome teaching) because, they claim, it hasn’t kept up with the times…which basically means that it does not condone the manner in which they want to live their own life. These are the ones who look for teachers who will tell them whatever their itching ears want to hear.

How sad it is that so many reject the truth. How sad it is that by doing so, they reject Christ…who is the Truth!

PRAYER…

My Lord and my God, Your Word is life.

My Lord Jesus, Your teachings are the truth – You are the Truth!

Lord, stop me from ever seeking

whatever suits my selfishness and my desires.

Remove the scales from the eyes of my heart, O Lord,

and let me see and delight in Your truth.

Free my intellect from its constraints and pride,

and let it begin to understand and acknowledge

the beauty and reality of Your truth.

For this I pray. Amen.

TODAY’S WORD…

Don’t use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them.

And do not bring sorrow to God’s Holy Spirit by the way you live. Remember, He has identified you as His own, guaranteeing that you will be saved on the day of redemption.

Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior. Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.

– Ephesians 4:29-32

PRAYER… THE ACT OF CONTRITION…

O my God, I am sorry

and beg pardon for all my sins,

and detest them above all things,

because they deserve Thy dreadful punishments,

because they have crucified my loving Saviour Jesus Christ

and, most of all, because they offend Thy infinite goodness.

I firmly resolve, with the help of Thy grace,

never to offend Thee again,

and carefully to avoid the occasions of sin.

Amen.

TODAY’S WORD…

Show me Your ways, Lord,

teach me Your paths.

Guide me in Your truth and teach me,

for You are God my Saviour,

and my hope is in You all day long.

– Psalm 25:4-5

REFLECTION…

What a beautifully simple and humble prayer these two verses from Psalm 25 make! What a wonderful prayer for us to start or end the day off with. What an ideal prayer for us to repeat all day long conscious of life’s choices which we have to constantly make.

.

It is a prayer which, however, can only be truly meaningful, if we also go about helping ourselves in learning about God’s ways and about the paths He wishes us to follow. For this, He gave us Scripture – His Word – a divine “roadmap”, which the Holy Spirit can help us interpret.

Also, by gladly participating in and receiving the Sacraments, we can absorb God’s grace and receive that deeper knowledge of Christ and of His message and teachings, which so lovingly indicate the paths that He wants us to follow, and encourage us all along the way.

PRAYER…

Show me Your ways, Lord, teach me Your paths.

Guide me in Your truth and teach me,

for You are God my Saviour,

and my hope is in You all day long. Amen.

TODAY’S WORD…

God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline. So never be ashamed to tell others about our Lord.

– 2 Timothy 1:7-8

R

EFLECTION…

If we feel ashamed about showing others that we are with Christ, and to tell others about Him, then there is something of fundamental importance that is missing from our faith. An uncomfortable Christian does not really have faith, and that can only be the result of not really knowing Christ – which means that there is no personal and intimate relationship with Him.

Imagine becoming a friend of some internationally well-known and respected personality, – royalty, political, business, sport, entertainment, whatever – who will gladly be in your company day-in, day-out, would you be ashamed to tell others about it? Absolutely not! I am sure that I would be so honoured and delighted, that at every opportune moment, even if discreetly, I would somehow or other make it known to others o my very special and close friend is…and why I am so thrilled about it!

Is Christ anywhere up there in my list of “favourites”? Does Christ place second to anything or anybody else in that list?

PRAYER…

Holy Spirit, come and fill me with a bold and confident faith.

Come Holy Spirit, and fill me with that special kind of love

that only God can place in the heart of man.

Come Holy Spirit,

and give me the willpower, self-discipline and discernment

which I so desire to have to proclaim my friendship with Christ and His love for me

– through my words and my actions,

at every opportune moment that You give me.

Come Holy Spirit, and make a true Christian out of me.

Amen.

TODAY’S WORD…

Before the mountains were born,

before You gave birth to the earth and the world,

from beginning to end,

You are God.

– Psalm 90:2

REFLECTION…

When a Christian truly gets to know God; when he or she feels God’s indescribable, infinite love, that is when the heart, the mind, the body and soul bow down in praise and worship of their Maker. That is when the entire being sees beyond what the human eye can see, and the Truth, which is God, is revealed to a rejoicing heart. It is then that the mind begins to get a glimpse of the greatness, the glory, the totality and the eternity of God.

PRAYER…

My Almighty God, Maker of heaven and earth,

I bow before You and the mightiness of Your works.

You are God!

Every sunrise,

every sunset,

every breeze,

every field of flowers,

every tree,

every river, lake or sea,

every hill or mountain,

every star in the sky,

every creature great or small

reminds me of You,

and confirms that You are God.

Father Creator, thank You!

Help me to always acknowledge Your omnipotence and Your great love for me,

by loving and respecting all Your creation.

Let all that I am, my thoughts and my actions,

shout out loud my belief

that from beginning to end, You are God!

Amen.