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

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TODAY’S WORD…

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And Mary said,

‘My soul magnifies the Lord,
and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour.”

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– Luke 1:46-47 (NRSV)

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REFLECTION…

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The Blessed Virgin

had received within herself all the grace of the Holy Spirit,

she is full of peace and joy, and her soul overflows with love for God.

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God’s wonderful favours and His unsurpassable love

cause every humble soul to feel immense joy and gratitude.

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SHORT PRAYERS of JOY…adapted from the Psalms

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Lord, let all of us who take refuge in You rejoice;

let all of us sing joyful praises forever.

Spread Your protection over us,

that we who love Your Name may be filled with joy. [from Psalm 5:11]

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O Lord,

no wonder my heart is glad, and I rejoice.

My body rests in safety. [from Psalm 16:9]

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My God,

I will be glad and rejoice in Your unfailing love,

for You have seen my troubles,

and You care about the anguish of my soul. [from Psalm 31:7]

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Father,

let all who obey You rejoice in You!

Let all whose hearts are pure, shout for joy! [from Psalm 32:11]

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In You my heart rejoices, O God,

for I trust in Your Holy Name. [from Psalm 33:21]

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I will rejoice in You, my Lord.

I will be glad because You rescue me. [from Psalm 35:9]

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I sing praises to You, my God, and to Your name!

I sing loud praises to You who rides the clouds.

Your name is the Lord – and I rejoice in Your presence! [from Psalm 68:4]

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May all my thoughts be pleasing to You, my God,

for I rejoice in You. [from Psalm 104:34]

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I exult in Your Holy Name;

I worship You, my Lord, and I rejoice. [from Psalm 105:3]

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This is the day that You have made, O Lord,

and I will rejoice and be glad in it. [from Psalm 118:24]

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Amen.

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TODAY’S WORD…

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Our soul is waiting for the Lord.

The Lord is our help and our shield.

In Him do our hearts find joy.

We trust in His holy name.

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– Psalm 33:20-21 (JB)

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REFLECTION…

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Our Heavenly Father has made Himself so very approachable.

Abba loves us so much that He sends His only Son to become one like us.

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Abba sends Immanuel

…and there is great expectation and joy in the hearts of the humble and of those of good will,

as they acknowledge that God is with us!

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PRAYER…

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Where would I be without You, O Lord?

How sad a creature I would be;

how empty; how lost; how useless; how weak and defenceless!

My Lord, my God, my Shield, my Saviour, my Jesus!

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TODAY’S WORD…

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Mary said to the angel,

‘How can this be, since I am a virgin?’

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– Luke 1:34 (NRSV)

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REFLECTION…

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Mary’s story is a wonderful story.

It is a story about the leap of faith.

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The angel came to Mary and said,

‘Greetings, favoured one! The Lord is with you.’

But she was much perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be.

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The angel said to her,

‘Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favour with God.

And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name Him Jesus.

He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High…’ (Lk 1:28-32)

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Yet Mary, who is the model of faith and obedience, asks “How can this be, since I am a virgin?”

It is encouraging that even Mary had doubts and questions,

but it is also significant that her strong faith allows her to correctly discern what the angel tells her

and she then takes that most wonderful leap of faith and makes the incredible statement,

‘Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.’ (Lk 1:38)

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For many, this is where our leap of faith comes in.

Many have a hard time believing the story of Mary.

A virgin mother? It is a stumbling block to many. It flies in the face of everything we know about this world.

For some of us it is a leap of faith, but not a big one.

Either God is God or He isn’t.

After all, the Omnipotent Creator of the universe should have little trouble creating a virgin mother!

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PRAYER…

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Lord, grant that the joy of this Advent season is not lost in all the busy hustle and bustle.

Grant also that I will not let this glorious time and opportunity I have before me slip by,

and that I will make the leap of faith and embrace You, my most loving Saviour.

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TODAY’S WORD…

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Let your unfailing love surround us, Lord,

for our hope is in You alone.

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– Psalm 33:22 (NLT)

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PRAYER FOR TODAY…

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Dear Lord, give me the grace to always trust in Your love and mercy.

Give me hope.

Open my heart and my eyes to see Your goodness, in the midst of all that is wrong around me.

Every day, let me experience being on a journey of expectant hope in You.

Soften my heart with Your love

that I may be a source of comfort and joy for those around me who need comforting and renewed joy in You.

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TODAY’S WORD…

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“…you must name Him Jesus,

because He is the one who is to save His people from their sins.”

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– Matthew 1:21 (JB)

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REFLECTION…

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Just as a name gives identity to a person,

the name of Jesus reminds the utterer and the hearer of who Jesus is

and what He has done and still does for us.

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The name Jesus means "God saves" or "God is salvation."

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In invoking our Lord’s name with reverential faith,

one is turning to Him and imploring His divine assistance.

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The name of Jesus gives help in spiritual trials.

Jesus forgave sins,

and through the invocation of His Holy Name, sins continue to be forgiven.

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Through the Holy Name of Jesus, we receive every grace and blessing.

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PRAYER FOR TODAY…

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Jesus, Jesus, Jesus…

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TODAY’S WORD…

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He came to His own people,

and even they rejected Him.

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But to all who believed Him and accepted Him,

He gave the right to become children of God.

They are reborn

– not with a physical birth resulting from human passion or plan,

but a birth that comes from God.

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– John 1:11-13 (NLT)

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REFLECTION…

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We are all “chosen”,

yet so many carry on rejecting Him

despite His calling them to be His friends.

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Receiving Jesus, the Word made flesh,

means accepting Him through faith,

for it is through faith that Christ dwells in our hearts.

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Believing in His name

means believing in His Person,

in Jesus as the Christ, the Son of God.

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The contrast between physical birth (from human passion or plan)

and supernatural birth (which comes from God)

shows that those who believe in Jesus Christ

are made children of God by the free gift of faith and grace.

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QUOTE…

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"Christ’s union with man is power and the source of power. […]

‘The Word gave power to become children of God.’

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Man is transformed inwardly by this power

as the source of a new life that does not disappear and pass away

but lasts to eternal life.”

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– Pope Saint John Paul II

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SHORT PRAYER FOR TODAY…

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Abba Father, thank You for making me Your child.

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TODAY’S WORD…

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May God be gracious to us and bless us

and make His face to shine upon us

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That Your way may be known upon earth,

Your saving power among all nations.

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Let the peoples praise you, O God;

let all the peoples praise you.

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– Psalm 67:1-3 (NRSV)

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REFLECTION…

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May God be gracious to us and bless us,
and cause His face to shine upon us.

In fact, God so loved the world that He sent His only Son…

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That Your way may be known on the earth,
Your salvation among all nations.

When Jesus walked this earth He taught us how to live and love,

and then He died for us, on that cross – to save us.

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Jesus’ death was not the end,

but it marked a new beginning!

His victory over death – His resurrection –

gives us hope that we too will someday be raised immortal.

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Let the peoples praise You, O God;
Let all the peoples praise You.

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We lift our heart and voice in praise of the Almighty.
We thank Him for His generous gift to mankind.
We pray incessantly
that all the world will one day acknowledge Him,
…and praise and adore Him.

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REPETITIVE PRAYER FOR TODAY…

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All praise and glory be

to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit!

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TODAY’S WORD…

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“Prepare the way of the Lord,

make His paths straight.

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Every valley shall be filled,

and every mountain and hill shall be made low,

and the crooked shall be made straight,

and the rough ways made smooth;

and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.”

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– Luke 3:4-6 (NRSV)

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REFLECTION…

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The Lord is coming soon,

His arrival is imminent…

and we would do well to prepare ourselves spiritually for this great event.

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We need to fill the deep and dark valleys of our heart;

level the cold mountains of our ego;

straighten what’s crooked in us;

and smoothen all that’s rough and unbecoming.

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If we stop and humbly ask the Holy Spirit to totally take over

and to melt us and mould us,

He will fill us and renew us.

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With His divine grace,

and our eager cooperation,

He will purify our soul through a new interior conversion.

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The Holy Spirit will help us prepare ourselves well

for the coming of the Lord, our God – our King!

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SHORT PRAYER…

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Come, Holy Spirit, and make me fit for The King.

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TODAY’S WORD…

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The Lord Himself will give you a sign.

Look, the virgin is with child and shall bear a son,

and shall name Him Immanuel.

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– Isaiah 7:14 (NRSV)

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REFLECTION…

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The virgin mother, the child, and His name, "Immanuel"

– what a wonderful sign of peace and salvation!

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The name "Immanuel" is a prophetic indication

of the revelation that the child’s birth implies

– the name conveys the joyful news that Jesus is truly "God with us".

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QUOTE…

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“Learn from the prophet himself

how all this could come to pass.

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Does it, perhaps, follow the laws of nature?

Absolutely not, replies the prophet:

“Look, the virgin…” What a miracle!

A virgin will become a mother and remain a virgin! […]

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It is fitting

that He who enters into human life to save all mankind […]

should be born of a woman of perfect integrity

who has given herself wholly to Him"

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– St Gregory of Nyssa

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REPETITIVE PRAYER FOR TODAY…

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Holy Spirit, fill me with glorious expectation

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TODAY’S WORD…

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This is the name by which He will be called:

‘The Lord is our Righteousness.’

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– Jeremiah 23:6 (NRSV)

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REFLECTION…

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Jeremiah is proclaiming the coming of a descendant of David

who will bring about a new era of prosperity and definitive salvation.

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In the new era

justice will reign and there will be peace and security.

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Come, Lord Jesus, come!

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SHORT PRAYER FOR TODAY…

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Come, Lord Jesus, come!

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