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

TODAY’S WORD…

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Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously.

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– 2 Corinthians 9:6 (NIV)

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PROVERBS 11:24-25…

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One person gives freely, yet gains even more;
another withholds unduly, but comes to poverty.

A generous person will prosper;
whoever refreshes others will be refreshed..

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St. Peter Fourier…

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"In order to gain a lot we sometimes have to permit ourselves the chance of losing something.

Those who wish to be too prudent, too careful,

who never want to run the risk of losing, or leaving, or letting go of something that belongs to them:

possessions, rights, just claims, their rest, their peace of mind,

sometimes — no, frequently — miss fine occasions to do great service

for God and neighbour and to enrich themselves."

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PRAYER FOR TODAY…

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Teach me to be generous, O Lord, with all that you have given me.

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TODAY’S WORD…

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This is what the Lord says – your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel:

"I am the Lord your God, who teaches you what is best for you,

who directs you in the way you should go.”

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– Isaiah 48:17 (NIV)

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REFLECTION…

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We may claim that we acknowledge Him as the Lord our God,

yet, when He teaches us, through His Word and through His Church

as to what is best for us,

and when He directs us in the way we should go,

do we accept His teachings

or do we distance ourselves from Him,

going along our own paths, while selfishly justifying our every move?

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QUOTE…

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" My Lord and my God, take from me everything that distances me from You.

My Lord and my God, give me everything that brings me closer to You.

My Lord and my God, detach me from myself to give my all to You.”

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– St. Nicholas of Flüe

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REPETITIVE PRAYER FOR TODAY…

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I am Your child, O God. Teach me and correct me, direct me and lead me.

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TODAY’S WORD…

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“Ave gratia plena…”

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– Luke 1:28 (Latin Vulgate)

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QUOTE…from an address by Pope Francis, today 8th December 2016, Feast of the Immaculate Conception …

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“When God comes to dwell among us, He makes Himself man like us.

And this was possible through a great Yes…Mary’s is a great Yes at the moment of the Annunciation.

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Because of this Yes, Jesus began His journey on the ways of humanity;

He began it in Mary, spending his first months of life in the womb of His Mother:

He did not appear already as an adult and strong, but followed the whole course of a human being.

He made Himself the same as us in everything, except one thing…except sin.

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Therefore, He chose Mary, the only creature without sin, immaculate.

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With just one word in the Gospel, she is said to be “full of grace” (Lk 1:28), namely, brimming with grace.

It means that in her, immediately full of grace, there was no room for sin.

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And, when we turn to her, we also recognise this beauty:

we invoke her “full of grace” without the shade of evil.”

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PRAYER FOR TODAY…and every day…

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Hail Mary, full of grace. The Lord is with thee.

Blessed art thou amongst women,

and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.

Holy Mary, Mother of God,

pray for us sinners,

now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

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TODAY’S WORD…

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I am the Lord, your God, who takes hold of your right hand

and says to you, “Do not fear, I will help you.”

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– Isaiah 41:13 (NIV)

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REFLECTION…

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Seek Him,

listen out for His voice,

trust Him and reach out for Him

…and He will be there to give you reassurance,

to help you and save you.

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How great and faithful is the Lord!

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PRAYER FOR TODAY…

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Lord, please hold my hand as I walk through this day and every day!

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TODAY’S WORD…

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“Come to me,

all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens,

and I will give you rest.

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Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me;

for I am gentle and humble in heart,

and you will find rest for your souls.

For my yoke is easy,

and my burden is light.”

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– Matthew 11:28-30 (NRSV)

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REFLECTION…

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This is how it is when I focus on Jesus

and go to Him with a humble heart

– He lightens my burdens and He gives me rest!

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Life very often weighs us down,

and anxiety, disappointments and sadness can easily take over.

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Lifting heavy burdens all by ourselves – will only destroy us.

We need to share our burdens with Jesus;

to listen carefully to what He tells us;

to remove any stubbornness and pride

and to humbly and faithfully obey Him and follow His directions,

and that will help us find rest and peace.

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PRAYER…

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Please lighten my burdens, Lord.

I love You, Jesus. I trust in You, Jesus.

Lead me, Lord.

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TODAY’S WORD…

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Jesus told His followers,

“I have told you these things so that you will be filled with my joy.

Yes, your joy will overflow!”

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– John 15:11 (NIV)

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REFLECTION…

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Strange words, from one about to be crucified

that He should speak of His joy!

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Jesus’ joy was union with and presence of the Father.

He desired His followers to have that same joy

– that constant consolation of the sense of God’s presence.

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Christ’s words of hope;

His promise;

the certainty that God loves us;

are all a source of Christian joy.

But all this calls for a fruitful response on our part,

which should take the form of a fervent desire to embrace and do God’s will in everything,

to keep His commandments, in imitation of Jesus Christ, who did the will of His Father.

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As a result of our union with God,

and of perseverance,

we will share in the joy of Christ.

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In this life, the more we know God and the more closely we are joined to him,

the happier we will be.

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In eternal life

our joy will be complete,

because our knowledge and love of God will have reached its climax.

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QUOTE…

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“Though you have not seen Him, you love Him;

and even though you do not see Him now, you believe in Him

and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy.”

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– St. Peter (1 Peter 1:8)

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“Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.”

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– St. Paul (Romans 12:12)

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“Hope, O my soul, hope. You know neither the day nor the hour.

Watch carefully, for everything passes quickly,

even though your impatience makes doubtful what is certain,

and turns a very short time into a long one.

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Dream that the more you struggle, the more you prove the love that you bear your God,

and the more you will rejoice one day with your Beloved,

in a happiness and rapture that can never end.”

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– St. Teresa of Avila

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PRAYER FOR TODAY…

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Grant, O Lord, the grace of inward happiness,

and the serenity which comes from living close to You.

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TODAY’S WORD…

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Some men came carrying a paralyzed man on a bed,

and they tried to carry him into the house and put him in front of Jesus.

Because of the crowd, however, they could find no way to take him in.

So they carried him up on the roof, made an opening in the tiles,

and let him down on his bed into the middle of the group in front of Jesus.

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When Jesus saw how much faith they had,

He said to the [paralyzed] man, “Your sins are forgiven, my friend.”

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– Luke 5:18-20 (GNT)

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Reflection…

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They carried him up on the roof,

made an opening in the tiles,

and let him down on his bed into the middle…

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What faith!

What determination to get to Jesus!

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Would I be prepared to break through anything,

whatever the cost,

whatever the consequences,

to get before Jesus and show Him how much I need Him?

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Am I similarly motivated by the desire to help others find Jesus Christ?

Would I be as daring for others as the friends of the paralytic were?

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Is my faith strong enough?

Do I have complete trust in Jesus

and a full disposition to let His will be done?

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. . . . . . .

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“Your sins are forgiven, my friend.”

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How warm, how welcoming, how loving Jesus is

to address, even a stranger, as His “friend”.

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“Your sins are forgiven.”

Am I ready to accept that the healing of the soul is more important,

much more important, than being physically healed?

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PRAYER FOR TODAY…

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Jesus, my Lord, my Healer, I am so undeserving, yet You call me “friend”.

I love You, Jesus. Forgive me, Jesus.
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TODAY’S WORD…

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“Repent”

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– Matthew 3:2 (NLT)

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REFLECTION…

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Christ tells us “Repent of your sins and turn to God,

for the Kingdom of Heaven is near.”

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Christ’s redeeming work ushers in a new era in the Kingdom of God.

What is required from us is a radical change in our behaviour towards God.

The coming of the Kingdom means that God has intervened in a special way to save mankind,

but it also implies that we must be open to God’s grace and reform our ways.

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Christ’s life on earth compels people to take a stand – either for God or against Him

“Anyone who isn’t with me opposes me,

and anyone who isn’t working with me is actually working against me.” (Lk 11:23)

The newly-arrived Kingdom requires that all men repent of their past life.

To put it another way, they have to stop going away from God and instead try to get closer to Him.

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Since sin hinders this conversion, it is impossible to turn back to God without performing acts of penance.

Conversion is not simply a question of making a good resolution to mend our ways;

we have to fulfil that resolution, even if we find it difficult.

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Penance grows only where there is humility – and everyone should admit sincerely that he or she is a sinner.

Obedience also goes hand in hand with penance; everyone ought to obey God and keep His commandments.

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A Christian’s whole life, in fact, consists in constantly correcting his or her behaviour,

and therefore implies a continual doing of penance.

With the coming of Christ, this penance and turning to God have become absolutely essential.

That Christ took on our sins and suffered for us does not excuse us from making a true conversion; on the contrary, it demands it of us!

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SCRIPTURE…

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“If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth.

But if we confess our sins to Him, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.

If we claim we have not sinned, we are calling God a liar and showing that His word has no place in our hearts.”

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– St. John the Apostle (1 Jn 1 :8-10)

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“And we can be sure that we know Him if we obey His commandments.

If someone claims, “I know God,” but doesn’t obey God’s commandments,

that person is a liar and is not living in the truth.

But those who obey God’s word truly show how completely they love Him.

That is how we know we are living in Him.

Those who say they live in God should live their lives as Jesus did.”

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– St. John the Apostle (1 Jn 2 :3-6)

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PRAYER FOR TODAY…

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Jesus, thank You for becoming one like us and then dying on the Cross to save us.

Lord, through the power of Your resurrection change me and help me become like You.

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