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

TODAY’S WORD…

May you have more and more grace and peace as you come to know our Lord more and more.

– 2 Peter 1:2

REFLECTION…

By His divine power, our Lord has given us all the things that we need for life and for true devotion, bringing us to know God Himself… In making these gifts, He has given us the guarantee of something very great and wonderful to come, and through these gifts, we will be able to share His divine nature and to escape corruption in a world that is sunk in vice.

But, to attain this, we ourselves will have to do our utmost…and add goodness to the faith that we have; understanding to our goodness; self-control to our understanding; patience to our self-control; true devotion to our patience; kindness towards our fellow men to our devotion; and to this kindness we must add love.

[Today’s reflection is a paraphrasing of 2 Peter 1:3-7]

QUOTE…

“…life begins and ends with those two qualities – Faith is the beginning, and love is the end; and the two together lead to God.”   – St. Ignatius of Antioch

“…you must not build upon foundations of prayer and contemplation alone, for, unless you strive after the virtues and practice them, you will never grow to be more than dwarfs. God grant that nothing worse than this may happen – for, as you know, anyone who fails to go forward begins to go back”   – St. Teresa of Avila

PRAYER…

Come Holy Spirit,

give me an unswerving faith

and fill me with love for my Maker

and for my neighbour and all of creation.

Give me the strength and determination I need

to follow the right path

which will lead me to my Lord Jesus Christ

and to share in His divine nature in His heavenly Kingdom.

Forever and ever. Amen.

TODAY’S WORD…

Jesus said,

“I am the living bread that came down from heaven.  Whoever eats of this bread will live for ever; and the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.”

– John 6:51 (NRSV)

O taste and see that the Lord is good;
happy are those who take refuge in Him.

– Psalm 34:8 (NRSV)

PRAYER …

Here I am, Jesus, feed me and strengthen my faith with Your Truth!

TODAY’S WORD…

Because Your steadfast love is better than life,

my lips will praise You.

So I will bless You as long as I live;

I will lift up my hands and call on Your Name.

– Psalm 63:3-4

REFLECTION…

As we allow the Holy Spirit into our life, and we humbly let Him open our minds and hearts, He will help us truly get to know Jesus and His great love for us. When this happens, our lives and our attitudes change. When we experience God, we realise that nothing compares to Him; nothing compares with His great love for us – not even life itself. It is then that we can outwardly express our feelings and emotions for our Living God.

It is when we experience His Truth and acknowledge His Omni-presence, that our hands gladly lift up, in praise and worship as we call upon His Holy Name.

QUOTE…

“The soul that truly loves God cannot desire to be satisfied and content until it has full possession of Him. All the things which are not God not only fail to satisfy the soul, they increase its desire to see Him as He is.”   – St. John of the Cross

PRAYER…

My Lord and my God, my Jesus,

because Your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise You.

JESUS, JESUS, I bless Your Holy Name.

.

My Lord and my God, nothing compares to You,

so I will bless You as long as I live;

I will lift up my hands and call on Your Name.

JESUS.

JESUS.

TODAY’S WORD…

Dear friends, don’t be surprised at the fiery trials you are going through, as if something strange were happening to you. Instead, be very glad – for these trials make you partners with Christ in His suffering, so that you will have the wonderful joy of seeing His glory when it is revealed to all the world.

– 1 Peter 4:12-13

REFLECTION…

The trials Christians suffer on account of being followers of Christ! We should not be surprised at this, nor ashamed of it. Rather, it should make us happy and lead us to glorify God, for if we share in Christ’s suffering it means we will also share in His exaltation. Such suffering is encountered by Christians, who are prepared to stand up to be counted when their beliefs are under attack, and when their adherence to God’s precepts can even result in social stigmatisation …and more.

Just think of how, today, the world appears to be increasingly scoffing at those who are anti-divorce, anti-abortion, anti-gay marriage, and so on. Such pressures can cause many to compromise, but God is not about compromise!

This liberal world does all it can to lure us away from our faith; to undermine any desire and commitment we may have to obey God’s commandments. The world constantly tempts the committed believer by promising instant solutions and gratification in its efforts to undermine Christian resolve. The world appears to insist on belittling personal sacrifice and spiritual obedience, more than broadly hinting that such attitudes are obsolete and irrational.

But, as Christians, we believe, that when suffer on Christ’s account in this life, by following His teachings and commandments, we can approach eternal life with greater confidence and hope.

QUOTE…

“Those who share in the suffering of Christ are also called, through their own sufferings, to share in glory”   – St. Pope John Paul II

PRAYER…

My Lord Jesus Christ,

my true desire is to be with You at my ultimate destiny.

My prayers, my hopes,

are linked to the wonderful prospect of life everlasting

in Your glorious Presence.

Lord, fill me with hope and consolation,

so that, in Your Holy Name,

I will steadfastly withstand sacrifice and any trials which come my way,

and remain true to Your covenants.

For this I pray, in Your Holy Name. Amen

TODAY’S WORD…

“Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb!”

– Luke 1:42

REFLECTION…

We read, in the first chapter of St. Luke’s Gospel, how, just after the Angel Gabriel had revealed to Mary that she was to be the Mother of God and that her cousin, Elizabeth, was soon to give birth, the Blessed Virgin immediately takes a long journey to go and visit and support her cousin. As soon Mary arrived Elizabeth, moved by the Holy Spirit exclaims with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb!”

When we say the “Hail Mary” we repeat Elizabeth’s Spirit-led greetings, “rejoicing with Mary at her dignity as Mother of God, and praising the Lord, thanking Him for having given us Jesus Christ through Mary.” (St. Pius X Catechism)

No one ever had faith to compare with Mary’s; she is the model of the attitude a creature should have towards its Creator – complete submission, total attachment. Through her faith, because of her belief in the promise of salvation, Mary is the instrument chosen by God to bring about the Redemption. She is truly Blessed.

PRAYER…

Hail Mary, full of grace.

The Lord is with you.

Blessed are you among women,

and Blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus.

Holy Mary, Mother of God,

pray for us sinners,

now,

and at the hour of our death.

Amen

Mary Immaculate, most blessed among women,

pray for us that following your example, we too may be truly blessed.

And blessed be God forever. Amen

TODAY’S WORD…

All human beings are like grass, and all their glory is like wild flowers. The grass withers, and the flowers fall, but the Word of the Lord remains forever.

– 1 Peter 1:24-25

REFLECTION…

How true these words are! So many so-called “great” men and women have come and gone since St. Peter expressed these verses in this first letter of his to the early churches. He was quoting from the Book of Isaiah, written some 700 years before his time. So much is said, proposed, debated and done by man over the millennia yet so much is proven wrong or short-lived.

So many concepts have withered; so many “great” men have fallen! So many theories expressed have come and gone. So much invention and re-invention. So much “progress”, so much “freedom”, yet so many self-proclaimed “liberal democracies” flounder and the general well-being seems to be in regress!

When will we ever learn that all we do is futile and transitory unless our focus is on God as we do it, rather than on ourselves? What then has withstood the test of time? It is the Word of the Lord that remains forever!

PRAYER…

Lord, Your Word is a light for my path – forever!

You alone are the Way, the Truth, and the Life

– my heart knows it and it exults in this certainty.

Lord, Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.

Your Word remains forever!

Faithful Lord, You are the same – yesterday, today and forever.

You never change. When all is lost, You remain.

Lord, Your Word is a light for my path – forever! Amen

TODAY’S WORD…

Do not behave in the way that you liked to before you learnt the truth; make a habit of obedience: be holy in all you do, since it is the Holy One who has called you, and scripture says: Be holy, for I am Holy.

– 1 Peter 1:14-16

REFLECTION…

Be Holy, that is, be good and righteous; be like Jesus; be devoted to God and obey His commandments, love Him in all you do, and love all those who you come across in life – irrespective of whether they love you back or not.

Jesus was like that; He is our Holy Mentor – our role model – and He sent His Holy Spirit to guide us and to make us holy …just like Him.

QUOTE…

“For the vast majority of people, holiness means sanctifying their work, sanctifying themselves in it, and sanctifying others through it – thereby finding God as they go about their daily lives […]. …my teaching has been that sanctity is not the reserve of a privileged few; all the ways of the earth, every state in life, every job, every honest occupation, can be divine”   – St. Josemaria Escriva

PRAYER…

Lord Jesus,

there’s something inside of me I find so difficult to describe.

It like a fire burning inside of me and it burns for You.

Lord, help me keep it burning, as I feel Your holy presence in my life.

Be with me in all I do, Lord,

and teach me how to do whatever it is You want me to.

Everything I do, I wish to be a prayer;

a token of my love for You

and of my desire to somehow start to reciprocate the great love which You have for me.

Lord, please, shine the light of Your love upon me,

fill me with Your Spirit

and make me more like You.

Lord, make me holy. Amen

TODAY’S WORD…

You did not see Him, yet you love Him; and still without seeing Him, you are already filled with a joy so glorious that it cannot be described, because you believe; and you are sure of the end to which your faith looks forward, that is, the salvation of your souls.

– 1 Peter 1:8-9

REFLECTION…

God the Father has destined us to a marvelous heritage in heaven – to attain this we need to love and believe in Jesus Christ our Lord, and to follow His teachings.

It is through the action of the Holy Spirit, that we get to know and love and believe in Jesus. It is the Holy Spirit who fills us with hope in the Lord, and who strengthens our faith through personal revelation which is beyond normal, human understanding. Through the action of the Spirit, our heart recognises its Maker and jumps with gladness and joyful yearning for Him who is the Beginning and the End.

PRAYER…

Thank You, Holy Spirit, for Your consolation;

and for Your encouragement, which helps me open my eyes to the Truth,

and enlightens my mind to gladly recognise my Glorious Maker – my Lord and my God.

Thank You, Holy Spirit, for filling me with the indescribable joy

of knowing the Lord

and of letting Him reign in my heart.

TODAY’S WORD…

“But He knows where I am going. And when He tests me, I will come out as pure as gold. For I have stayed on God’s paths; I have followed His ways and not turned aside.”

– Job 23:10-11

REFLECTION…

Can I, today, stand up and solemnly and honestly make Job’s words my own? Have I stayed on God’s paths? When God tests me, will I come out pure?

If my answers to these three questions has been “No”, what do I intend doing about it?

PRAYER…

O Lord, forgive me for every time I have strayed away from Your paths.

Lord, forgive me and heal my weaknesses

and strengthen my resolve to stay true to You,

for You are my God.

TODAY’S WORD…

Whom have I in heaven but You?

I desire You more than anything on earth.

My health may fail, and my spirit may grow weak,

but God remains the strength of my heart;

He is mine forever.

– Psalm 73:25-26

PRAYER…

O All-sufficient One, You are all I need.

All my joy is in You, O God – there is none like You!