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

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TODAY’S WORD…

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The Lord is my shepherd;

there is nothing I shall want.

Fresh and green are the pastures

where He gives me repose.

Near restful waters He leads me,

to revive my drooping spirit.

He guides me along the right path;

He is true to His name.

….….

If I should walk in the valley of darkness

no evil would I fear.

You are there with Your crook and Your staff;

with these You give me comfort.

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– Psalm 23:1-4 (JB)

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REFLECTION…

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Do I truly believe in the Lord

and in His love for me?

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Do I truly believe that He is like a good shepherd,

that He is the Good Shepherd

constantly watching over me,

guarding me,

protecting me,

carrying and caring for me whenever I get hurt,

and constantly calling out for me when I stray away?

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If I believe that,

then there is truly nothing that I shall want.

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QUOTES…

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“I am the good shepherd.

The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.”

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– Jesus (John 10:11)

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“I am the good shepherd.

I know my sheep and my sheep know me.”

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– Jesus (John 10:14)

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REPETITIVE PRAYER FOR TODAY…

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The Lord is my shepherd;

there is nothing I shall want.

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TODAY’S WORD…

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Jesus said,

“Many who are first will be last,

and many who are last will be first.”

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– Matthew 19:30 (NIV)

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REFLECTION…

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This is a word of caution

for those of us who may feel ahead of others.

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Many who are the greatest now

will be least important then,

and those who seem least important now

will be the greatest then.

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If we are truly gifted in any way,

– whether it is physically, intellectually, materially or spiritually –

we should always thank God

and use the gifts that He gives us to give Him glory

…and not to glorify ourselves.

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It is good to thank God always, and humbly,

for whoever we are

and for whatever we may or may not have.

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It is good for us to make our own

the words that Job so wisely and humbly expressed,

“Naked I came from my mother’s womb,

and naked I will depart.

The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away;

may the name of the Lord be praised.” (Job 1:21)

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QUOTE…

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Almighty Father,

all I have is from You

– help me use it to glorify Your Holy Name!

….….

Father,

if what I possess is now possessing me

and is drawing me away from You,

please remove it from me now!

….….

My God, all I need is You

– may Your Holy Name be praised!

….….

Amen

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REPETITIVE PRAYER FOR TODAY…

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Come into my heart, O Lord, and take over.

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TODAY’S WORD…

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“Of all women you are the most blessed,

and blessed is the fruit of your womb.”

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– Luke 1:42 (JB)

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REFLECTION…

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Elizabeth was truly led by the Spirit

when she greeted her cousin Mary with these words.

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That Spirit is the same One who fills us with trusting filial love

when we call upon our Heavenly Mother.

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Like children would approach their doting earthly mother,

we go before the Mother of God filled with tender and loving devotion.

We know that she hears our prayers

and that she quickly intercedes for us before Christ and the Father.

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We know that, from His Cross of loving sacrifice,

Christ gave us His mother to be ours.

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We know

that she so loves us!

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QUOTE…

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“Mary is a model for each of us,

and her Assumption into heaven reminds us that there is hope for you and me.

What happens to the Virgin daughter of Nazareth at the end of her earthly pilgrimage

will happen to each of us

if we are faithful and obedient as she was.”

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– Father Thomas Rosica, CSB

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REPETITIVE PRAYER FOR TODAY…

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O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary!

Pray for us, O Holy Mother of God,

that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

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TODAY’S WORD…

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I waited patiently for the Lord to help me,
and He turned to me and heard my cry.
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He lifted me out of the pit of despair,
out of the mud and the mire.
He set my feet on solid ground
and steadied me as I walked along.
. .

He has given me a new song to sing,
a hymn of praise to our God.
Many will see what He has done and be amazed.
They will put their trust in the Lord.

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– Psalm 40:1-3 (NLT)

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PRAYER…

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My Lord and my God,

I know that You love me,

I know that You listen to my prayers,

and I thank You for Your faithfulness in responding.

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Grant, O Lord,

that, filled with hope,

and with faith and trust in my heart

I will always be prepared to wait patiently till You respond;

to accept that Your will be done;

and to never stop reaching out for Your helping hand

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O Lord, my God, my Healer and my Saviour,

I lift my heart to You,

and I sing a song of praise and thanks,

to give You glory and honour.

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Amen.

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QUOTE…

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The Holy Spirit…teaches us-to pray in hope.

Conversely, the prayer of the Church and personal prayer nourish hope in us.

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The psalms especially, with their concrete and varied language,

teach us to fix our hope in God:

"I waited patiently for the LORD;

He inclined to me and heard my cry." [Ps 40:1]

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As St. Paul prayed:

"May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing,

so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope." [Rom 15:13]

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– Catechism of the Catholic Church – CCC 2657

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REPETITIVE PRAYER FOR TODAY…

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I lift my heart to You, my Lord, and I praise and thank You.

Jesus, I trust in You!

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TODAY’S WORD…

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Jesus said,

“Let the children come to me.

Don’t stop them!

For the Kingdom of Heaven belongs

to those who are like these children.”

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– Matthew 19:14 (NLT)

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REFLECTION…

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Look at little children

and observe their innocence and their trust,

and their readiness to believe

and to learn from us adults.

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Jesus, treasured such innocence,

but knew that it would quickly be lost

especially because of the bad example which children pick up from the world around them.

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Christ therefore encourages us

to take the children to Him, gladly.

There they will receive a firm foundation in the truth, and in goodness and love,

before they set off on their own into an increasingly corrupting world

where enticing but ultimately destructive false gods seem to reign supreme.

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QUOTES…

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If we fail to lead our children to Jesus, we risk repeating Israel’s mistake in:

“After that generation died,

another generation grew up who did not acknowledge the Lord

or remember the mighty things He had done for Israel.

The Israelites did evil in the Lord’s sight and they served the images of Baal.”

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– Judges 2:10–11

If we truly love our children and we don’t want them to lose their way,

then let us make this declaration by Joshua ours:

“But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.”

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– Joshua 24:15

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REPETITIVE PRAYER FOR TODAY…

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Lord, remove whatever holds me back from bringing my children to You.

Increase my faith, Lord, and help me pass it on to my children.

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TODAY’S WORD…

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Pharisees came and tried to trap Jesus with this question:

“Should a man be allowed to divorce his wife for just any reason?”

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“Haven’t you read the Scriptures?” Jesus replied.

“They record that

from the beginning ‘God made them male and female’.

….

“This explains why a man leaves his father and mother

and is joined to his wife,

and the two are united into one.’

Since they are no longer two but one,

let no one split apart what God has joined together.”

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– Matthew 19:3-6 (NLT)

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REFLECTION…

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Are Jesus’ words too harsh and insensitive for me to accept?

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Do I agree with Jesus, but only selectively?

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If so, why?

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The honest answer can only be

that I find it so hard to accept the sacrifices that His teachings sometimes demand from me

and from my loved ones.

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If I let nothing or no one – not even God – come between me and my desire for worldly happiness,

I will, end up choosing the wide road that accepts and justifies everything…and leads to nowhere,

rather than the narrow, uphill road that leads to eternal joy.

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Am I with Jesus or against Him?

If I claim that I am, then I must be with Him…always and in every circumstance.

….

If I cannot understand sacrifice,

then perhaps I should spend more time contemplating Jesus on the Cross.

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PRAYER…

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Jesus,

my God and my loving Saviour,

help me see beyond my reasoning.

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Lord, help me accept Your teachings

– at any cost or sacrifice.

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Lord, I want to do as You say,

because I love You

and I believe in You and in Your promise.

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Amen

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REPETITIVE PRAYER FOR TODAY…

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Show me Your way, O Lord, and I will walk with You!

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TODAY’S WORD…

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Peter came to Jesus and asked

“Lord, if my brother keeps on sinning against me,

how many times do I have to forgive him? Seven times?”

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Jesus answered,

“No, not seven times,

but seventy times seven.”

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– Matthew 18:21-22 (GNT)

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QUOTE…

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“Force yourself, if necessary,

always to forgive those who offend you,

from the very first moment.

For the greatest injury or offense that you can suffer from them

is nothing compared to what God has pardoned you”

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– St. Josemaria Escriva

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PRAYER…

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My Lord Jesus, You are love and forgiveness personified.

We crucified You, yet You forgave us.

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Jesus, I beg you with all my heart,

never permit my stubbornness and pride

to take over and convince me that I may be somehow justified

if I go against Your teachings and insist on not forgiving.

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Lord, help me look at You on the Cross,

and learn from You,

and be more like You.

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For this I pray. Amen

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REPETITIVE PRAYER FOR TODAY…

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Jesus, You forgive me every time – please make me more like You.

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TODAY’S WORD…

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Jesus said,

“For where two or three are gathered in My name,

there am I in the midst of them.”

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– Matthew 18:20 (RSV)

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REFLECTION…

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St. Thomas Aquinas comments that

“love is inconceivable if there is only one person:

it implies the presence of two or more.”

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And so it is that when Christians meet together in the name of Christ for the purpose of prayer:

our Lord is present among them,

faithfully and gladly listening to their unanimous prayer.

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This is why communal prayer can be so uplifting, holy and inspiring – because of Christ’s presence.

If only we would take the Lord’s words more seriously

and realise that He is always true to His promises.

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A belief in Christ’s reassurance and promises

would change our attitudes towards daily prayers said as a family,

including grace at meals, morning and night prayers, the rosary…

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Jesus’ promise is, therefore, very encouraging

also to those who meet regularly as a group of believers, to pray and to give praise to God.

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What could be more wonderful than calling upon the Lord

and having Him present as we share His love, joy, peace and Good News!

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QUOTE…

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“Ubi caritas et amor, Deus ibi est.” – “Where charity and love resides, there God is.”

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– Holy Thursday liturgy

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REPETITIVE PRAYER FOR TODAY…

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Lord Jesus, Your promises are true!

Bring me, Lord, to gladly praise and worship You in company,

that I may exult in Your glorious presence.

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TODAY’S WORD…

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How sweet are Your words to my taste,

sweeter than honey to my mouth!

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– Psalm 119:103 (NRSV)

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REFLECTION…

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How sweet are Your words to my taste, O God,
sweeter than honey to my mouth!

More precious than gold,

they are a delight for my soul

and bring joy to my heart.

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They are a lamp to my feet,

a light for my path,

a sustenance for my entire being!

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How sweet and true are Your words, O God.
My heart, my soul, they yearn for and seek Your wisdom,

and find it in Your Word,

and I am filled with hope – hope that only You can give!

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Speak to me, O God,

guide me, O Most Gracious One,

Your servant is listening.

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REPETITIVE PRAYER FOR TODAY…

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How sweet are Your words to my taste, O God,

sweeter than honey to my mouth!

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TODAY’S WORD…

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Jesus told Peter,

“…go to the lake and cast a hook;

take the first fish that bites,

open its mouth

and there you will find a shekel…”

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– Matthew 17:27 (JB)

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REFLECTION…

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What a lovely little story!

What an amazing little miracle

– the sort that God performs for us, so often, in our daily life,

sometimes without our even noticing!

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It was the time to make the annual contribution (equivalent to a day’s wage)

for the upkeep of the temple,

and Peter and Jesus will be asked to pay their half-shekel each.

But they didn’t have any money to do so,

and so Jesus performs this wonderful little miracle

and when Peter goes to the lake and casts a single hook, a fish bites,

and voilà, in its mouth – as if by magic – there’s the shekel they need!

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God is like that…if we have faith in Him

and if we listen to Him and do what He tells us.

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Think about it,

how many times in your life have you needed God’s help, even in matters of relatively minor importance,

and then suddenly something happens

and your problem is, one way or another, solved!

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Our loving God is like that.

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PRAYER…

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My Lord and my God, I thank You

for the number of times You, so lovingly and generously,

solved my problems in ways I cannot even begin to try to understand.

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Lord, forgive me for those times

when I never came back to You

to thank You.

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Forgive me for those times

when I may have resorted to illicit means and dubious sources

so as to sort out my problems,

rather than come to You.

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Lord, You are my Guide, my Great Provider, my All,

and I entrust myself into Your loving hands.

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Amen.

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REPETITIVE PRAYER FOR TODAY…

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Lord, I entrust myself into Your loving hands.

Jesus, I trust in You.

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