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

TODAY’S WORD…

For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.

– 2 Timothy 1:7

REFLECTION…

The Christian faith is a gift of inconceivable spiritual value for all who embrace it in truth. But it is by the power of Holy Spirit dwelling in us – with whom we humbly cooperate – and not through our own strength, that we can cultivate and maintain all that we have gained and use it to build the Kingdom of God.

PRAYER…

Come Holy Spirit,

build me, strengthen me,

fill me, and use me.

TODAY’S WORD…

Jesus said, “…if your hand makes you lose your faith, cut it off! It is better for you to enter life without a hand than to keep both hands and go off to hell, to the fire that never goes out. And if your foot makes you lose your faith, cut it off! It is better for you to enter life without a foot than to keep both feet and be thrown into hell. And if your eye makes you lose your faith, take it out! It is better for you to enter the Kingdom of God with only one eye than to keep both eyes and be thrown into hell.

– Mark 9:43-47

REFLECTION…

These references to hands, feet and eyes, should not only be taken literally. Jesus words also mean that we should cut off contact with people who are persistent in evil and who are ever-ready to entice others to evil behaviour and to erroneous practice and beliefs. We should distance ourselves from such persons – who could be friends, colleagues, or even family members – because our primary objective should be to enter God’s Kingdom rather than accompany those who we allow to mislead us…to perdition.

PRAYER…

Nothing…and no one…compares to Your Kingdom, O Lord.

You are all I want and need!

Help me keep my faith, Lord.

Help me honour and obey You by following Your commandments.

Forgive me, Lord, and deliver me from all evil.

Amen.

TODAY’S WORD…

Jesus said, “It is what comes from inside that defiles you. For from within, out of a person’s heart, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, wickedness, deceit, lustful desires, envy, slander, pride, and foolishness. All these vile things come from within; they are what defile you.”

– Mark 7:20-23

REFLECTION…

It is none other than Jesus who warns: “It is what comes from inside that defiles you.” In fact, the road to sin begins in our thought life.

Evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, wickedness, deceit, lustful desires, envy, slander, pride, and foolishness – all of these start off as a thought or emotion and they become sin when we, for whatever reason, allow ourselves to consider, fantasise or dwell on such thoughts.

QUOTE…

“And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honourable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.”

– St. Paul (Phil 4:8)

PRAYER…

Forgive me, Lord, and heal me.

Help me reject all thoughts that defile me.

Fill my mind, instead, with all that reflects a pure love for You.

TODAY’S WORD…

Come close to God, and God will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the world. Let there be tears for what you have done. Let there be sorrow and deep grief. […] Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will lift you up in honour.

– James 4:8-10

REFLECTION…

This is how we counter pride: what is required is a sincere and deep conversion, which must begin with the humility of recognising that we are sinners and in need of purification. To acknowledge one’s wrongdoings, to recognise the weaknesses in one’s self, is the essential first step in drawing close to God; in returning to Him.

When we go to that quiet place and humbly call upon Jesus and fall at His feet and acknowledge our unworthiness, tears, sorrow and grief well up inside of us expressing our sincere repentance. In that quiet place, Jesus will listen to us and console us, and we will feel His healing hand and, above all, His love.

PRAYER…

Merciful Lord, I am sorry.

As I come into Your presence,

hear my prayer – this cry from my heart –

and forgive me, Lord.

Strengthen me,

and remove from me all that is not coming from You.

Touch my life with Your healing grace, Lord.

Thank You, Lord.

I love You, Lord.

TODAY’S WORD…

“Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!”

– Mark 9:24

REFLECTION…

Lord…help my unbelief! Everyone who comes to the Saviour for help has need of offering this prayer. We may or may not readily admit that, at times, we doubt. We believe…but. We may find ourselves praying…but not fully believing. That is why we need to ask for Jesus’ help…and He will hear our cry and He will graciously send His Spirit upon us, and our doubts will be lifted, and our faith restored.

Faith makes us all-powerful because, rather than relying on ourselves, we rely on Christ Jesus. Through faith, then, we become sharers in God’s omnipotence. Faith is a gift of God, and we, especially at times when we are wavering, should ask humbly and tenaciously: “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!” and also request what the Apostles themselves did: “Lord, increase our faith!” (Lk 17: 5)

PRAYER…

My Lord, I believe – I have faith.

I do put my confidence in You,

but I fear that my faith is not as strong as it should be.

Lord, heal the shortcomings of my faith.

Give me the strength and grace to put all my confidence in You.

Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!

Lord, increase my faith!

I love You, Lord; thank You, Lord.

TODAY’S WORD…

Jesus said, “The Spirit will take from what is Mine and make it known to you.”

– John 16:15

REFLECTION…

Have I gladly opened my heart to the Holy Spirit, and allowed Him in to take over and work in my heart? If I pray with yearning for the Holy Spirit to come and fill me over and over again, He will lead me to the Truth; will teach me the Truth…and I will more than relish it and savour it. The power of knowing the Truth fills the heart with faith and hope and full trust in the Lord – who is the Truth!

When I allow the Spirit into every hidden and dark corner of my heart, He will help me recognise the truth about myself, unpalatable as it may be. He will bring me to humbly acknowledge my weaknesses, and fill me with a determination to overcome them.

The more we pray for the Holy Spirit, and the more we depend upon Him, the more we shall find ourselves choosing God above all else. The more we allow the Spirit to work in us, the closer we shall get to the Truth, and understand the value of Christ’s salvation and of the significance of the Redeemer Himself…and our love for Him shall know no bounds.

PRAYER…

Holy Spirit, enter my heart.

Consuming fire, have mercy on me.

Come

Spirit of love and truth;

Spirit of wisdom and understanding;

Spirit of counsel and fortitude;

Spirit of knowledge and piety;

Spirit of the fear of the Lord;

Spirit of grace and prayer;

Spirit of peace and meekness;

Spirit of modesty and innocence.

Come O Divine Comforter and Sanctifier,

fill me with a revulsion for sin;

renew me;

shed Your light in my soul;

engrave Your law in my heart;

inflame me with the flame of Your love.

Come Holy Spirit,

open to me the treasures of Your graces;

teach me to pray well;

enlighten me;

lead me in the way of salvation;

fill me with the only necessary Knowledge;

inspire in me the practice of good;

make me persevere in justice and truth.

Come Holy Spirit, be my Guide.

[Today’s prayer is inspired by “The Litany to the Holy Spirit”, a personal prayer, author unknown]

TODAY’S WORD…

“I will send you the Spirit of Truth,” says the Lord; “He will guide you into all the truth.”

– cf. John 16:7,13

REFLECTION…

It is the Holy Spirit who makes fully understood the truth revealed by Christ. When we gladly receive the Holy Spirit, He will guide us unto all truth ;He will give us light to enable us to discover the depth and richness of everything we have read and heard about Jesus.

QUOTES…

“And so the Holy Spirit did teach them and remind them: He taught them what Christ had not said because they could not take it in, and He reminded them of what the Lord had taught and which, either because of the obscurity of the things or because of the dullness of their minds, they had not been able to retain”   – Theophylact

Our Lord “completed and perfected Revelation and confirmed it…finally by sending the Spirit of Truth”    – Vatican II “Dei Verbum”, 4.

“Christ has not left His followers without guidance in the task of understanding and living the Gospel. Before returning to His Father, He promised to send His Holy Spirit to the Church: ‘But the Counsellor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all I have said to you’ [Jn 14:26].”    – Saint Pope John Paul II

PRAYER…

Come Holy Spirit, fill my heart

and kindle in me the fire of Your love.

O Lord God, grant that by the Holy Spirit

I may be truly wise

and forever enjoy His counseling and His consolations.

I ask this through Christ Our Lord. Amen.

TODAY’S WORD…

A third time Jesus said to Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love Me?”

Peter became sad because Jesus had asked him the third time, ‘Do you love me?’, and so he said to Him, “Lord, You know everything; You know that I love You!”

– John 21:17

REFLECTION…

I put myself in Peter’s place. Here I am, in front of my Lord, Jesus; He looks at me with His loving and penetrating eyes and He asks me directly, calling me by my name, “…do you love Me?”

If I truly believe that Jesus is the Son of God, then like Peter, I am also fully aware that He already knows what my reply will be. I also believe that whatever my answer is, Jesus knows whether it is the truth…or not.

When that moment arrives – and it will – will I be able to look at the Lord and reply like Peter did, with humility and honesty, and say to Him “Lord, You know that I love You” ? Will I?

PRAYER…

Jesus, my Lord,

I believe You are the Son of the Living God,

the great I AM.

Lord, I know You love me,

I know You died on that Cross – for me.

But…do I love You back?

You know everything, my Lord,

You know me inside out.

Please send Your Holy Spirit upon me, Lord,

to teach me how to truly love You.

Come, Holy Spirit. Come.

TODAY’S WORD…

“Father, I want those You have given Me to be with Me where I am, and to see My glory, the glory You have given me because You loved me before the creation of the world. I have made You known to them, and will continue to make You known in order that the love You have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them.”

– John 17:24,26

REFLECTION…

Jesus – the Alpha and Omega; the Beginning and the End – prays to the Father for all of us who know Him. He prays that we will one day be with Him, in His perpetual light, and share in His glory, forever. Jesus emphasises that He will continue to make the Father known to us, and that He too will remain in us (even after He leaves this earth). Jesus will do so by sending the Holy Spirit, who we Christians receive through the Sacrament of Baptism.

If we allow Him to, the Spirit will instil a burning love and faith in us; He will console us and counsel us. The Spirit will give us the strength to overcome all that the evil one throws at us in his determination to draw us away from God and from His promise of life everlasting in His Glorious Presence.

PRAYER…

Lord Jesus,

You are the Alpha and the Omega,

the Beginning and the End

and You love me so much that You chose to die for me on the Cross

to save me and give me eternal life.

Thank You, O loving Lord.

Thank You also for sending Your Holy Spirit, Lord,

who I welcome into my heart.

It is through Him that I proclaim You as Lord.

Come Holy Spirit, come and take over,

that I may be filled with Love and be made worthy of Christ’s promises.

Amen

.

TODAY’S WORD…

“Father…I give Myself as a Holy Sacrifice for them so they can be made holy by Your Truth.”

– John 17:19

REFLECTION…

Jesus is praying to the Father to give us, who believe in Him, holiness. Jesus prays for our holiness. Although God alone is the Holy One, we can share in His holiness. Jesus prays so yearningly for us to be made holy. He consecrates Himself to the Father and dedicates His perfect and loving sacrifice on the Cross, for our own sanctification.

When Jesus prays for us to be made holy, He is praying to the Father for our moral sanctity, that we may obey God’s law and practise the moral virtues. “I give Myself as a Holy Sacrifice for them…” God is Love. Jesus is Love, and He always practiced what He preached. It was, after all, Jesus who had said to His followers that “there is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” (Jn 15:13)

Through Christ’s death, we have been made children of God by Baptism, we share in the divine nature; and we have been enabled to attain the holiness to which we have been called. Amen!

PRAYER…

Jesus, thank You for laying down Your life for me. Thank You