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

.

TODAY’S WORD…

.

“If anyone wants to boast,

let him boast about the Lord.”

.

– 1 Corinthians 1:31 (JB)

.

.

.

REFLECTION…

.

In everything Christ did and in everything He said,

He gave glory to the Father.

That is how a true follower of Christ should be.

.

Am I like that,

or do I go about attributing all that I am and all that I have to my own self?

.

Acknowledging God in all that we are, say and do,

is putting things in the right perspective.

“He must become greater and greater,

and I must become less and less.” (Jn 3:30)

.

If I am docile to grace

I will gradually become so like Christ as to be able to say with St Paul,

"It is no longer I who live,

but Christ who lives in me." (Gal 2:20)

.

.

.

QUOTE…

.

"’Deo omni, gloria. All glory to God.’

It is an emphatic conclusion of our nothingness.

He Jesus, is everything.

We, without Him, are worth nothing:

nothing.”

.

– St Josemaria Escriva

.

.

.

REPETITIVE PRAYER FOR TODAY…

.

My Lord, my God, my all,

all that I am and all that I have is nothing without You.

.

.

TODAY’S WORD…

.

The message of the cross is foolish

to those who are headed for destruction!

But we who are being saved

know it is the very power of God.

.

– 1 Corinthians 1:18 (NLT)

.

.

.

REFLECTION…

.

The cross of Christ

leads the way to true wisdom and prudence.

No one should remain indifferent to it.

.

Those who see “the message of the Cross” as irrational

are on a self-centred road to perdition.

.

Others are discovering that the Cross is "the very power of God",

because it has conquered the devil and sin.

They are on the road to salvation.

.

.

.

QUOTE…

.

"O most precious gift of the Cross!

How splendid it looks! […]

It is a tree which begets life,

without causing death;

which sheds light,

without casting shadows;

which leads to Paradise

and does not expel anyone therefrom;

it is the wood which Christ ascended,

as a King mounting His chariot,

to defeat the devil who had usurped the power of death,

and to set mankind free from the thrall in which the devil held it.”

.

– St Theodore the Studite

.

.

.

PRAYER…

.

I adore You, O Christ,

and I bless You,

because by Your Holy Cross

You have saved the world.

.

.

.

REPETITIVE PRAYER FOR TODAY…

.

Lord Jesus, I pray that I will always see my salvation in the Cross.

.

.

TODAY’S WORD…

.

Jesus said,

“Watch out, then,

because you do not know what day your Lord will come.

.

You also must always be ready,

because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you are not expecting Him.”

.

– Matthew 24:42,44 (GNT)

.

.

.

REFLECTION…

.

Jesus is warning us that a Christian needs to be always on the watch,

living each day as if it were his or her last.

.

It is not a matter of speculating as to when or how

– the important thing is to live in such a way that we will be found to be in the state of grace.

.

.

.

QUOTE…

.

Lord, help me to remain alert,

keeping the goal of heaven always in mind.

.

Lord, You promised You will come again soon

– please help me remember Your promise;

make me busy doing Your will;

guide me to avoid occasions of sin;

keep my heart and mind focused on You,

so that when You come,

I will be ready to live with You forever.

.

Amen.

.

.

.

REPETITIVE PRAYER FOR TODAY…

.

Lord, keep me focused on You and help me always do Your will..

.

.

TODAY’S WORD…

.

O God, You are my God,

for You I long;

for You my soul is thirsting.

My body pines for You

like a dry weary land without water.

.

– Psalm 63:1 (JB)

.

.

.

REFLECTION…

.

Being with the Lord is like this:

there are times

when we feel like that tree which grows and flourishes

on the bank of a glorious, flowing river;

and there are times when we feel like we’re in the middle of a vast desert

with not a drop of water in sight.

.

When we find ourselves thirsting for the Lord during those very dry spiritual moments in our life,

we will be experiencing significant instances of grace

that help us realise how much we love God

…and how much we need Him in our life.

.

Such moments should be treasured,

because they help us recognise the true Source of Living Water!.

.

.

.

REPETITIVE PRAYER FOR TODAY…

.

O God, You are my God,

for You I long;

for You my soul is thirsting.

.

.

TODAY’S WORD…

.

Jesus said,

“First clean the inside of the cup,

so that the outside also may become clean.”

.

– Matthew 23:26 (NRSV)

.

.

.

REFLECTION…

.

“First clean the inside of the cup,

so that the outside also may become clean.”

These words were addressed by Jesus to the hypocritical Pharisees

– He was accusing them of two-facedness in matters of morality.

.

What about me, am I two-faced in matters of morality?

.

We all seriously need to reflect on the Master’s words

because they could also very much apply to us.

.

We may make the effort go to church on Sundays (why should it be an effort?)

and play the part of good Christians

…but what are we truly like inside?

.

We pay so much attention to our exterior – to how people see us –

but so often overlook and neglect the much more important interior.

Is our cup clean on the outside and filthy on the inside?

.

While others may not be aware of what I am truly like inside,

God is!

.

.

.

QUOTE…

.

All-knowing and Almighty God,

Loving Father,

You know me inside out.

.

Forgive me, Lord,

for preening myself for my own vainglory

and for appearances sake,

yet so neglecting my soul, which belongs to You.

.

Father,

help me see beyond myself,

help me look persistently in Your direction

and seek to please You rather than the world.

.

Have mercy on me, O God,

and cleanse me from my sins.

Create in me a clean heart

and renew a right spirit within me.

.

Amen.

.

.

.

REPETITIVE PRAYER FOR TODAY…

.

Create in me a clean heart, Lord,

and renew a right spirit within me.

.

.

TODAY’S WORD…

.

We pray continually that our God will make you worthy of His call,

and by His power fulfil all your desires for goodness

and complete all that you have been doing through faith;

because in this way the name of our Lord Jesus Christ

will be glorified in you and you in Him,

by the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.

.

– 2 Thessalonians 1:11-12 (JB)

.

.

.

REFLECTION…

.

Just like St. Paul prays for us Christians,

we too should pray continually

asking God to keep us true to our faith and calling.

.

If those who have been baptised and have Christ in them

do not glorify Him through their way of life and their deeds,

then who will?

.

Unfortunately,

although we may call ourselves Christian,

our attitudes and values can be anything but.

.

Rather than spreading the Good News,

and love, joy and peace through faithfulness, kindness and generosity,

we very often do the exact opposite,

and by acting in such a manner we will be doing Jesus a disservice

and tarnishing His Holy Name.

.

We need to pray!

.

.

.

PRAYER…

.

Lord,

be the beginning and end of all that I do and say.

Prompt my actions with Your grace,

and complete them with Your all-powerful help.

.

Amen.

.

– a liturgical prayer in the Liturgy of the Hours

.

.

.

REPETITIVE PRAYER FOR TODAY…

.

Lord, please be the beginning and end of all that I do and say.

.

.

TODAY’S WORD…

.

Someone asked Jesus,

“Lord, will only a few be saved?”

.

– Luke 13:23 (NLT)

.

.

.

REFLECTION…

.

There is a question which the faithful have always asked themselves:

Are there many or few who will be saved?

.

When Jesus was asked this question, He changed the centre of attention

from the number to how it is possible to be saved,

explaining this the need to enter by “the narrow door.”

“Work hard to enter the narrow door to God’s Kingdom…” (Lk 13:24)

.

The way Jesus answers certain questions arising from mere curiosity or even fear,

reflects His wish to educate us to pass from the level of curiosity to authentic wisdom,

from the pointless questions that excite people,

to the real problems of life.

This helps us understand the absurdity of those, such as the Jehovah’s Witnesses,

who even think they know the exact number of the saved: 144,000.

.

Jesus is not interested in revealing to us the number of the saved,

but rather the way to be saved.

.

The way of the impious and immoral is wide, yes, but only at the beginning.

The more they progress on it, the more it becomes narrow and bitter.

In any case, it is extremely narrow at the end, as it leads to a dead end.

The happiness experienced in it goes on diminishing as it is experienced,

until it becomes nauseous and sad.

.

As with drugs, alcohol, sex, riches and other such compulsions,

an ever-stronger dosage is necessary to produce the same intense pleasure

– until the organism ceases to respond,

and then comes the collapse, emotional and also physical.

.

The way of the just, on the contrary, is narrow at the beginning,

but then becomes wide, as they find hope, joy, and peace of heart on it.

.

The way of the just leads to life, not death.

.

[from a reflection by Padre Raniero Cantalamessa]

.

.

.

REPETITIVE PRAYER FOR TODAY…

.

You are the Way, Lord. I want to walk with You!

.

.

TODAY’S WORD…

.

Bend my heart to Your will, O Lord.

.

– Psalm 119:36 (TGP)

.

.

.

REFLECTION…

.

How hard and unyielding we can become

because of our focus on ourselves and on our self-satisfaction!

.

How strongminded we can be

when it comes to earthly pleasures

and to achieving our worldly targets;

to living our own lives;

and conducting our business,

in our own manner

– allowing not even God, to have a say!

.

What we should be doing instead

is confiding in God,

and seeking His counsel and direction in everything that we do

– in how we live our lives,

in how we conduct our affairs,

in how we use our spare time.

….….

Am I prepared to let God into all the aspects of my life?

Am I truly willing to listen to God’s voice, other than my own?

Am I able to discern God’s voice from my own, and do as He tells me?

….….

Am I ready to bend and do God’s will while seeking to keep to the road to eternity,

or am I solely concerned with the immediate-to-short term?

.

.

.

REPETITIVE PRAYER FOR TODAY…

.

Jesus, my Lord, bend my heart to the Father’s will,

whatever the price I have to pay – just like You did.

.

.

TODAY’S WORD…

.

“Come and see.”

.

– John 1:39 (NRSV)

.

.

.

REFLECTION…

.

“Come and see” is Jesus’ tender invitation

to those of us with a desire to walk alongside Him

and to get to know more about Him.

.

Jesus invites us to spend time with Him,

…and if we go – in obedience to Him and moved by grace –

we will see for ourselves that He is Lord

and we will gladly enter into an intimate and holy friendship with Him.

.

.

.

PRAYER…

.

My beloved Jesus,

thank You for calling me

and for the grace You gave me

to respond to Your call.

.

Thank You, Lord,

for touching my heart when I came to meet You,

and for opening it up to gladly learn from You.

to thank You,

to sing praise to You

and to give You glory.

.

Thank You for the incomparable peace You give me,

for Your overwhelming love,

for accepting me, a sinner, with open arms.

.

Teach me, Lord Jesus,

hold my hand,

and show me Your way of great joy, love and peace,

which leads to the fulfilment of Your purpose for me in life.

.

Amen.

.

.

.

REPETITIVE PRAYER FOR TODAY…

.

Here I am, Lord.

Show me, Lord.

Teach me, Lord.

I love You, Lord.

Forgive me, Lord.

Thank You, Lord.

.

.

TODAY’S WORD…

.

O that today you would listen to His voice!

Do not harden your hearts…

.

– Psalm 95:7-8 (NRSV)

.

.

.

REFLECTION…

.

If only we would listen to God’s voice…every day!

.

Many of us know and recognise the voice of the Lord,

but do we stop and listen to what He tells us?

Are our hearts hardened by self-centredness and pride

so that we do not truly listen when we hear Him speak to us?

.

The Lord our God – the One we claim to believe in –

speaks clearly to each and every one of us,

but very often we just don’t want to know.

.

When we harden our hearts and listen only to ourselves

we set ourselves in direct opposition to the will of God.

Surely, that is not the attitude of a true believer!

.

.

.

QUOTE…

.

“My sheep listen to my voice;

I know them, and they follow me.”

.

– Jesus (Jn 10:27)

.

.

.

REPETITIVE PRAYER FOR TODAY…

.

Change my heart, Lord, that I may gladly listen out for Your voice and do Your will.

.