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

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TODAY’S WORD…

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He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him,

“Saul! Saul! Why are you persecuting me?”

“Who are you, Lord?” Saul asked.

And the voice replied,

“I am Jesus, the one you are persecuting!”

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– Acts 9:4-5 (NLT)

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REFLECTION…

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If only we too would stop every time we hear that inner voice.

If only we too would stop and allow Christ to bring us to a proper sense of our own state and conduct.

By doing so, we too would place ourselves wholly at His mercy,

and ask Him what He wants us to do.

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God directs the humble of heart.

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QUOTE…

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"Every religious proposal begins by telling men what they must do to save themselves or to obtain ‘illumination,’

Christianity does not begin by telling men what they must do,

but what God has done for them in Christ Jesus.

Christianity is the religion of grace.

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In this light Paul’s conversion appears to us as the model of true Christian conversion

that consists first of all in accepting Christ,

in ‘turning’ to Him through faith.

It is a finding, not a giving up.

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Jesus does not say: A man sold all he had and began to look for a hidden treasure;

He said: A man found a treasure and because of this sold everything."

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– Fr. Raniero Cantalamessa

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REPETITIVE PRAYER FOR TODAY…

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Lord Jesus, without You I am blind; I am lost.

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TODAY’S WORD…

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The power of Jesus to save is utterly certain,

since He is living for ever to intercede for all who come to God through Him.

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– Hebrews 7:25 (JB)

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REFLECTION…

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Christ is Love.

His love is everlasting

and so too is His divine role to save us.

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Christ not only intervened for us

when He was on earth

but He continues to intercede for us from heaven.

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Christ, so to speak, continues to offer the Father

the sacrifice of His longsuffering, humility, obedience and love.

That is why we can always approach Him to find salvation.

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QUOTE…

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"The living Christ continues to love us still;

He loves us today, now,

and He offers us His heart as the fountain of our redemption:

‘He is living for ever to intercede for all.’

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We are always – ourselves and the entire world –

embraced by the love of this heart

‘which has loved men so much

and receives such poor response from them."’

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– Pope Saint John Paul II

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PRAYER FOR TODAY…

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Pray for me, O Lord my Saviour; forgive and heal me.

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TODAY’S WORD…

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Come, all you who are thirsty,

come to the waters;

and you who have no money,

come, buy and eat!

Come, buy wine and milk

without money and without cost.

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– Isaiah 55:1 (NIV)

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REFLECTION…

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This is the call

that God has made to everyone

since the beginning of time.

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In the Eucharist,

which is the banquet of the New Testament,

the words of the prophet come true

in the complete sense

in the words spoken by our Lord

when He instituted that Sacrament:

“Take and eat…take and drink”(Mt 26:26-27)

the true bread of life;

the fruit of the true vine

– the finest food and drink which money cannot buy.

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Food and drink which gives eternal life.

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PRAYER…

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Lord, Your love is the food of my soul;

the living water of my life!

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TODAY’S WORD…

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Jesus said,

“The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.

So the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.”

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– Mark 2:27-28 (NIV)

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THE THIRD COMMANDMENT…

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“Remember the Sabbath day,

and keep it holy.

For six days you shall labour

and do all your work.

But the seventh day

is a Sabbath to the Lord your God.”

– Exodus 20:8-10

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REFLECTION…

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God knows what is good for us

and He prescribes one day of rest every seven days.

God established the Sabbath for our good,

to help us rest

and devote ourselves to Divine worship

…in joy and peace.

When Jesus proclaims Himself as Lord of the Sabbath,

He is affirming His divinity and His divine authority.

Jesus is Lord,

and He emphasises the importance of honouring the third Commandment.

Christ underlines the full meaning of the weekly day of rest:

the Sabbath belongs to God;

it is one way, suited to human nature,

of rendering glory and honour to the Almighty.

What about me,

do I honour Sunday as the Day of the Lord?

Do I make the time for Him

and give God my full and earnest attention,

and honour Him through my worship

and the way I spend my day?

Or is God no longer a priority for me?

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REPETITIVE PRAYER FOR TODAY…

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Heavenly Father, help me make all Sundays special…for You.

Lord, help me always make You my priority.

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TODAY’S WORD…

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In His life on earth

Jesus made His prayers and requests

with loud cries and tears to God,

who could save Him from death.

Because He was humble and devoted, God heard Him.

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But even though He was God’s Son,

He learned through His sufferings to be obedient.

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– Hebrews 5:7-8 (GNT)

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REFLECTION…

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What perfect example Jesus gives us!

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He prayed incessantly,

and in those moments of fear – when His humanity took over –

He would cry out in anguish to His Father.

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True followers of Jesus

never stop learning from Him

– they go humbly before God,

full of devotion, faith and trust,

knowing that He is listening to their prayers, their praises,

and their groans in anguish.

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True believers, entrust themselves to God,

seeking, in faith, to emulate Jesus

and submissively accept their suffering

in the knowledge that God is in control

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QUOTE…

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“I sought the Lord, and He heard me,

and delivered me from all my fears”

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– Psalm 34:4

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PRAYER FOR TODAY…

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Lord, sustain me through all my circumstances

and help me bear my load,

accepting in faith and trust all that You permit.

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Lord, I cannot do it without You.

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TODAY’S WORD…

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His mother said to the servants,

“Do whatever He tells you.”

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– John 2:5 (NRSV)

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REFLECTION…

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Our Lady’s words to the servants, during the wedding feast at Cana,

describe the heart of her message to all believers across time.

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Our Blessed Mother’s message is increasingly urgent and clear

– it is a call to prayer, penance and conversion of hearts,

and it always centers around loving Jesus,

being more like Him,

and doing what He tells us to do

…in the manner in which He wishes us to do it.

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QUOTES…

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"In that all Christian holiness consists:

for perfect holiness is obeying Christ in all things."

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– St. Thomas Aquinas

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Sweet Mother of God

"we listen with particular attention to your words:

"Do whatever my Son tells you".

And we wish to respond to your words with all our heart.

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We wish to do what your Son tells us,

what He commands us,

for He has the words of eternal life.

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We wish to carry out and fulfill all that comes from Him,

all that is contained in the Good News,

as our forefathers did for many centuries. […]

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We entrust and consecrate to you,

Mother of Christ and Mother of the Church,

our hearts, our consciences, and our works,

in order that they may be in keeping with the faith we profess.”

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– John Paul II

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REPETITIVE PRAYER FOR TODAY…

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Pray for me, O Sweet Mother of Mercy,

that I may always listen to Jesus and do whatever He tells me.

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TODAY’S WORD…

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The Word of God is alive and active,

sharper than any double-edged sword.

It cuts all the way through,

to where soul and spirit meet,

to where joints and marrow come together.

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It judges the desires and thoughts of the heart.

There is nothing that can be hid from God;

everything in all creation is exposed

and lies open before His eyes.

And it is to Him

that we must all give an account of ourselves.

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– Hebrews 4:12-13 (GNT)

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REFLECTION…and QUOTES…

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God’s word is consoling and life-giving,

but it also inspires dread in those who try to ignore it.

St. Justin tells us,

"The word of His truth is hotter and brighter than the sun,

and pierces the very depths of hearts and minds."

Perhaps that is why so many avoid reading Scripture,

or play it down,

or ignore it!

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The depths of our hearts,

our deepest thoughts,

attitudes and intentions,

lie open to God’s all-seeing eye,

St. Thomas teaches,

"What a person does or thinks is expressed in his actions,

but one can never be sure of what motivates his actions.

That, however, is never hidden from God"

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PRAYER FOR TODAY…

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Keep Your eyes on me, O Lord my God.

Watch me securely in Your love,

protect me by Your power,

enlighten and lead me by Your Word.

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TODAY’S WORD…

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Make allowance for each other’s faults,

and forgive anyone who offends you.

Remember, the Lord forgave you,

so you must forgive others.

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– Colossians 3:13 (NLT)

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QUOTES…

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“If you forgive others the wrongs they have done to you,

your Father in heaven will also forgive you.

But if you do not forgive others,

then your Father will not forgive the wrongs you have done.”

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– Our Lord Jesus Christ (Mt 6:14-15)

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“…to forgive the incessant provocations of daily life

– to keep on forgiving […] How can we do it?

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Only, I think, by remembering where we stand,

by meaning our words when we say in our prayers each night

"Forgive our trespasses

as we forgive those that trespass against us."

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We are offered forgiveness on no other terms.

To refuse it is to refuse God’s mercy for ourselves.

There is no hint of exceptions

and God means what He says.

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– C. S. Lewis

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“We must be alert so as not to fall into a trap.

There is a risk also in forgiveness.

It consists of the mentality of those who think that they always have something to forgive others

– the danger of believing that one is always a creditor of forgiveness and never a debtor.

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If we reflect well, however,

many times, when we are about to say: "I forgive you!", we would do better to change our attitude and words

and say to the person before us: "Forgive me!"

We would then realise that we also have something that the other must forgive.

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In fact, even more important than forgiving

is the humility to ask for forgiveness.”

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– Fr. Raniero Cantalamessa

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"Too many people are caught up in resentment

and harbor hatred because they are incapable of forgiving.

They ruin their own lives and the lives of those around them

rather than finding the joy of serenity and peace.

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Forgiveness – pardon – is surely our direct route to that place in heaven…

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What a great gift the Lord has given us in teaching us to forgive and, in this way, to touch the Father’s mercy!"

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– Pope Francis

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PRAYER FOR TODAY…

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Oh Lord, help me forgive those who sin differently than I do.

Oh Lord, make me humble.

Oh Lord, forgive me.

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TODAY’S WORD…

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Be careful then, dear brothers and sisters.

Make sure that your own hearts are not evil and unbelieving,

turning you away from the living God.

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You must warn each other every day, while it is still “today,”

so that none of you will be deceived by sin and hardened against God.

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– Hebrews 3:12-13 (NLT)

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REFLECTION…

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There exists the sad possibility of total loss of belief in God.

Many resist Him,

and end up breaking away from Him completely.

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This happens when get so set in our own selfish ways and arguments

that we no longer are able to stomach a God who pleads with us to do otherwise – to do as He teaches us.

So we give up our faith

…and in doing so, we renounce Christ.

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Our Christian faith is under attack, constantly!

Christians today have to overcome fear of ridicule,

and the temptation to hide their convictions from scoffing unbelievers.
If we call ourselves Christian, then we must give our faith much more than lip service.

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Is this fear of ridicule causing me to be ashamed of Christ,

or making me deny him?

If those around me mock the Christian faith,

do I join in with them for fear of losing face?

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REPETITIVE PRAYER FOR TODAY…

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Jesus, Name above all names,

strengthen my character that I may always be truly loyal to You.

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TODAY’S WORD…

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Since He Himself has gone through suffering and testing,

He is able to help us when we are being tested.

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– Hebrews 2:18 (NLT)

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REFLECTION…

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Suffering can link a person to Christ in a special and mysterious way.

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Pope Saint John Paul II teaches us

that the Redeemer suffered in place of man and for man.

We all have our own share in the Redemption.

Each one of us is also called to share in that suffering through which the Redemption was accomplished.

Each one of us is called to share in that suffering through which all human suffering has also been redeemed.

In bringing about the Redemption through suffering, Christ has also raised human suffering to the level of the Redemption.

Thus every man and woman, in his or her suffering, can also become a sharer in the redemptive suffering of Christ. (Apostolic Letter – Salvifici Doloris on The Christian Meaning of Human Suffering)

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Christ also suffered in order to strengthen us and give us an example.

"By taking our weaknesses upon Himself

Christ has obtained for us the strength to overcome our natural infirmity.

…He won for us strength to resist harassment by those who seek our downfall;

He obtained for us strength to overcome the fatigue we experience in prayer, in mortification and in other acts of devotion,

and, finally, the fortitude to bear adversity with peace and joy" (St Alphonsus, "Reflections on the Passion").

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Those who suffer, and even more so those who do penance,

should realise that they are understood by Christ.

Christ will then console them and help them bear affliction.

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QUOTE…

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"You too some day may feel the loneliness of our Lord on the Cross.

If so, seek the support of Him who died and rose again.

Find yourself a shelter in the wounds in His hands, in His feet, in His side.

And your willingness to start again will revive,

and you will take up your journey again with greater determination and effectiveness"

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– St. Josemaria Escriva

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PRAYER FOR TODAY…

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Lord, help me be more like You when I’m suffering, when I’m being tested, when I’m being tempted.

Lord, give me the grace to overcome.

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