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

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TODAY’S WORD…

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Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth,
burst into jubilant song with music;

make music to the Lord with the harp,
with the harp and the sound of singing,
with trumpets and the blast of the ram’s horn –
shout for joy before the Lord, the King.

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Let the sea resound, and everything in it,
the world, and all who live in it.
Let the rivers clap their hands,
let the mountains sing together for joy;
let them sing before the Lord,
for He comes to judge the earth.
He will judge the world in righteousness
and the peoples with equity.

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– Psalm 98:4-9 (NIV)

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QUOTE…from POPE JOHN PAUL II’s REFLECTION on PSALM 98…

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“The reception reserved for the Lord is marked by a universal praise.

In addition to the orchestra and the hymns of the Temple of His chosen people,

all of creation, as a kind of cosmic temple, also participates.

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There are four singers of this immense choir of praise.

The first is the roaring sea, that seems to be the constant basso of this grandiose hymn.

The earth and the entire world with all its inhabitants follow united in solemn harmony.

The third personification is that of the rivers – that are considered the arms of the sea –

which, with their rhythmic flow, seem to clap hands in applause.

Finally, there are the mountains that seem to dance for joy before the Lord,

even though they are the most massive and imposing creatures.

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So we have a colossal choir that has only one purpose:

to exalt the Lord, King and just Judge

who comes to govern (and to rule) the earth … with justice and equity.

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This is our great hope and our petition:

“Your Kingdom come” – a kingdom of peace, justice, and serenity,

that will re-establish the original harmony of creation.”

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– Pope John Paul II

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REPETITIVE PRAYER FOR TODAY…

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Oh the immense joy of knowing You, O Lord.

Let Your kingdom come O Lord, let Your kingdom come!

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Today’s Word…

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Get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent

and humbly accept the word planted in you,

which can save you.

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– James 1:21 (NIV)

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Reflection…

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For me to listen docilely to the word of God

I need to keep my evil inclinations at bay.

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If I do not,

my pride, which deceives itself with all sorts of false reasoning,

will get me to rebel against the word of God and His commandments,

because pride does not like being continuously corrected and reproached for its selfish habits and behaviour,

which it is unwilling to give up.

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God’s word saves.

Pride and selfishness destroy.

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Quote…

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"First he (St. James) calls for the cleansing of mind and body from vice,

so that those who receive the word of salvation

can live in a worthy manner.

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A person who does not first turn his back on evil

cannot do good."

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– St. Bede

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Prayer…

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Here I am, Lord,

unworthy as I am,

but full of faith and hope,

and with the eyes of my heart fixed firmly on You.

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Lord, You know me inside out,

much more than anyone else

and much more than I know myself.

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Help me, O Lord, to overcome my weaknesses

and all that is immoral within me.

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Save me,

destroy my selfish pride,

and transform me, Lord.

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Take over, Lord,

You are everything in my life!

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Repetitive Prayer for Today…

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Lord, You are everything in my life!

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Today’s Word…

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To love is to live according to His commandments:

this is the commandment which you have heard since the beginning,

to live a life of love.

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– 2 John 1:6 (JB)

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Reflection…

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“Live a life of love.”

– what God wishes us to do cannot be said more simply than this.

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Since the world has seriously degraded the meaning of love,

it is good to have it clarified to us that

“to love is to live according to His(God’s)commandments.”

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Prayer…

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Heavenly Father,

my Lord, my God, my Creator,

You are Greatness,

You are Righteousness,

You are Love itself

– the Source of all Goodness.

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Father,

grant that I will obey Your commands, just like Jesus did;

that I will do Your will, like Jesus did;

that I will love, like Jesus loved.

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Lord, help me listen out for Your voice,

wherever I am

and in everything I do,

that I may always love like You want me to.

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Amen.

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Repetitive Prayer for Today…

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Father, I want to live a life of love

– I want to live according to Your commandments.

Please help me, Lord.

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TODAY’S WORD…

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So then, let us rid ourselves of everything that gets in the way,

and of the sin which holds on to us so tightly,

and let us run with determination the race that lies before us.

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Let us keep our eyes fixed on Jesus,

on whom our faith depends from beginning to end.

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He did not give up because of the cross!

On the contrary, because of the joy that was waiting for Him,

He thought nothing of the disgrace of dying on the cross, and He is now seated at the right side of God’s throne.

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– Hebrews 12:1-2 (GNT)

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REFLECTION…

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Faith fills us with hope

and that hope gives us the determination we need to run the race.

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As true believers, we run the race

in spite of all obstacles we encounter along the way,

and all the urgings and temptations from everywhere to pull out of the race

and to simply “lie back and enjoy life, because we only live once!”

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Keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus will help us get there.

He too ran the race – and how!

He too was tempted to do otherwise – and how!

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That’s why Jesus became one like us: to show us the way;

to show us, through His own extreme example, how the race should be run,

with faith, hope and joy in our hearts.

He showed us how not to give up,

so as to finally get to that glorious and joyful destination which God has promised us,

and which we so yearn for.

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REPETITIVE PRAYER FOR TODAY…

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Jesus, help me keep my eyes fixed on You, as I run the race of life with great joy and expectation in my heart.

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TODAY’S WORD…

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The Lord is my shepherd;

there is nothing I shall want.

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– Psalm 23:1 (TGP)

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REFLECTION…

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The Lord is my shepherd;

there is nothing I shall want.

We have heard this verse time and time again.

If there is one verse from the Bible that we all know by heart,

this is the one!

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We may have heard or uttered this verse several times,

but do we realise and appreciate the significance of the statement?

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The Lord is my shepherd;

there is nothing I shall want.

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“The Lord…”

God my Heavenly Father and Creator, Jesus Christ my Saviour, the Holy Spirit, my Counsellor,

the Great Three-in-One

– He is “the” Lord,

my only Lord and Master.

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“…is…”

I believe, therefore to me He is,

and because I have faith, I know He truly is.

He is the Great I AM.

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“…my…”

He is my Lord, no doubt about it,

and so I humbly but steadfastly state and proclaim that the Lord is mine.

He belongs to me

and I belong to Him.

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“…shepherd…”

My Lord leads me

…and I follow.

He gives me protection, comfort, security, mercy and hope.

He loves me

and I seek to love Him back.

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“…there is nothing I shall want.”

With the Lord as my shepherd,

then there can be nothing, absolutely nothing else that I shall want.

He is all I need!

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REPETITIVE PRAYER FOR TODAY…

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Lord, You are my Shepherd,

and there is nothing I shall want.

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TODAY’S WORD…

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For the grace of God has appeared,

bringing salvation to all,

training us to renounce impiety and worldly passions,

and in the present age to live lives that are self-controlled, upright, and godly,

while we wait for the blessed hope

and the manifestation of the glory of our great God and Saviour, Jesus Christ.

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– Titus 2:11-13 (NRSV)

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REFLECTION…

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Jesus is our model;

by means of grace He instructs us on how to control our defects

and grow in virtue, filled with hope.

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God moves us inwardly to seek holiness,

and His grace also channels our hope.

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As Christians, we are motivated to renounce impiety and worldly passions

not only by bringing to mind our Lord’s life on earth,

but also, and especially, by the fact that Jesus is in the glory of heaven even now,

and that He invites us all – He wants us all – to share His inheritance.

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Christ has redeemed us,

He has effectively given each one of us a complimentary ticket to Heaven,

but it is up to us to follow His instructions on the ticket

for us to qualify and make use of His wonderful gift.

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REPETITIVE PRAYER FOR TODAY…

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Lord Jesus, my Saviour,

help me live a self-controlled, upright, and godly life,

that I may one day claim Your promise.

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TODAY’S WORD…

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Jesus warned,

“There will always be temptations to sin,

but what sorrow awaits the person who does the tempting!

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So watch yourselves!”

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– Luke 17:1,3 (NLT)

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REFLECTION…

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Jesus simply doesn’t mince words,

and He gravely warns those who tempt others into doing something which goes against God’s law and Commandments.

The person who does the tempting is the one who seduces, beguiles, influences, prompts, bribes, urges, persuades, entices, encourages others to sin.

What sorrow awaits the person who does the tempting!

This is not a light matter. Jesus is speaking of eternal consequences.

Misguiding and giving bad example to others damages and destroys not just those who fall for the temptation, but very often also their loved ones.

Those who are guilty of having tempted and misdirected others in one way or another but who deeply regret what they’ve done,

must seek God’s forgiveness through the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

They also have an obligation to make amends for such serious offences which will have alienated souls from God.

This can be done through showing and practising sincere compassion and Christian love,

which is what ultimately inspires souls to want to seek and to find God, His way and His truth.

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REPETITIVE PRAYER FOR TODAY…

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Please forgive me, Lord, for misguiding or leading others to sin against You.

Forgive me, Lord, but also forgive, heal and renew those who I caused to sin.

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TODAY’S WORD…

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May our Lord Jesus Christ Himself

and God our Father, who loved us

and in His grace gave us unfailing courage and a firm hope,

encourage you and strengthen you

to always do and say what is good.

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May the Lord lead you into a greater understanding of God’s love

and the endurance that is given by Christ.

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– 2 Thessalonians 2:16-17;3:5 (GNT)

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REFLECTION…

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The journey to the goal of salvation

involves cooperation between God’s grace and man’s freedom.

Man needs the help of the "firm hope" which comes

from recognising that He – Jesus Christ – is a son of God.

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Jesus inspiring us with hope,

and the Spirit fills our hearts with consolation

and at the same time encourages us to put our faith into practice in daily life

– "to always do and say what is good."

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Love and endurance are interconnected and complement each other.

They are two Christian virtues which make us resemble God:

"Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children.

And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us,

a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God." (Eph 5:1-2)

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REPETITIVE PRAYER FOR TODAY…

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Lord Jesus, fill me with courage, enduring strength and determination

to never take my eyes off You wherever You take me.

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TODAY’S WORD…

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When anxiety was great within me,

Your consolation brought me joy.

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– Psalm 94:19 (NIV)

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REFLECTION…

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I took my troubles to Jesus and He told me,

“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you.

I do not give to you as the world gives.

Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” (Jn 14:27)

…and His consolation brought me joy.

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Because I am aware of the weakness of my human nature,

I know that clinging to that very special joy that the Lord gives me can be a struggle,

and I am afraid of losing it.

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And so I keep needing and searching for encouragement to prop up that holy joy which now lies deep inside of me…

and Jesus points me to St. Paul’s beautiful words of advice:

“Do not be anxious about anything,

but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding,

will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Phil 4:6-9)

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I will, Lord. I will not stop presenting my requests to You

because I know, that in Your time, You will help me find that peace I so yearn for.

Meanwhile, I gratefully rejoice in Your caring consolation.

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REPETITIVE PRAYER FOR TODAY…

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Jesus, Your consolation brings me joy.

Thank you for guard my heart and my mind, O Lord.

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TODAY’S WORD…

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‘Why does your face look so sad when you are not ill?

This can be nothing but sadness of heart.’

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– Nehemiah 2:2 (NIV)

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A happy heart makes the face cheerful,

but heartache crushes the spirit.

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– Proverbs 15:13 (NIV)

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The human spirit can endure in times of illness,

but a crushed spirit who can bear?

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– Proverbs 18:14 (NIV)

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REFLECTION…

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Heartfelt sorrow breaks the spirit.

The feeling of dejection is reflected in a person’s expression.

In fact, there is great sympathy between the body and the mind,

and one is much affected by the other.

When the heart is full of sorrow,

the human spirit is low.

Sadness weakens one’s strength and destroys one’s spirit.

…but a crushed spirit who can bear?

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“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened,

and I will give you rest.” (Mt 11:28)

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Jesus calls us to go to Him, always,

but especially when we are feeling desperate and helpless.

We have the liberty to go to Him, to the Throne of Grace, at all times.

He wants us to share whatever burdens we have with Him

…and He will lovingly encourage us and guide us

and He will help revive our broken spirit.

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But the Lord also wants us to help ourselves

and He wants to see serious and continuing endeavours on our part

aimed at sorting out our issues as good Christians should.

We need, therefore, to pray incessantly

and to discern carefully and ensure that we are follow His prompting and suggestions

which, on the other hand, we must be ready and open enough to recognise and accept.

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We need to keep the eyes of our heart on Jesus

and He will direct us, assist us and bless us,

and lead us to that true and lasting peace and joy.

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REPETITIVE PRAYER FOR TODAY…

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Jesus, my Lord, direct me, assist me, bless me,

give me Your peace. Thank You, Jesus.

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