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

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TODAY’S WORD…

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For the love of Christ urges us on,

because we are convinced

that one has died for all; therefore all have died.

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And He died for all,

so that those who live might live no longer for themselves,

but for Him who died and was raised for them.

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– 2 Corinthians 5:14-15 (NRSV)

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REFLECTION…

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“The love of Christ urges us on”

– it encourages us,

it strengthens our faith

and fills us with determination to soldier on,

as we trust in His love

and hope in His promise.

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The love of Christ should also inspire us

to commit ourselves to respond to His love.

It should fill us with a desire

to bring others to share in His love;

to bring others to the salvation won by Christ.

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QUOTES…

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"Jesus Christ died for us;

by His death He has given us life;

we only live because He died;

He died for us, by us, and in us;

our life then is no longer ours,

but belongs to Him who has purchased it for us by His death:

we are therefore no more to live to ourselves but to Him;

not in ourselves but in Him;

nor for ourselves but for Him"

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– St Francis de Sales

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"We are urged on by the charity of Christ

to take upon our shoulders a part of this task of saving souls. […]

It is impossible to live according to the heart of Jesus Christ

and not to know that we are sent, as He was, ‘to save sinners’,

with the clear realisation that we ourselves need to trust in the mercy of God

more and more

every day.

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As a result, we will foster in ourselves

a fervent desire to live as co-redeemers with Christ,

to save all souls with Him."

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– St. Josemaria Escriva

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REPETITIVE PRAYER FOR TODAY…

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Lord, help me: I wish to live my life to the full for You,

that You may live in me.

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TODAY’S WORD…

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Scripture says, “I spoke because I believed.”

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In the same spirit of faith

we also speak because we believe.

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– 2 Corinthians 4:13 (NRSV)

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REFLECTION…

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First of all, I must believe in Who I proclaim

but I must also believe in what I proclaim

…but really believe it,

with all my heart, with all my soul, with all my mind.

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I must be able to truthfully declare,

like Saint Paul does in this verse,

that, since I have the same Spirit of faith as the Psalmist who wrote ‘I spoke because I believed’ (Ps 116:10),

I too, therefore, speak because I believe.

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I am emboldened to speak out no matter what the circumstance or the consequence,

only if I have a personal relationship with Christ

and if I determinedly strive to live in communion with Him and with His teachings and commands,

and love Him above all else

because I know and I believe

that He is “the Resurrection and the Life” (Jn 11:25),

“the Christ, the Son of God, who is to come into the world.” (Jn 11:27).

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REPETITIVE PRAYER FOR TODAY…

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Holy Spirit, help me in my responsibilities as a believer

to live my faith and to always boldly declare it.

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TODAY’S WORD…

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As for you, my friends,

you were called to be free.

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But do not let this freedom become

an excuse for letting your physical desires control you.

Instead, let love make you serve one another.

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– Galatians 5:13 (GNT)

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QUOTE…

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“…either man governs his passions and finds peace,

or he lets himself be dominated by them

and becomes unhappy.

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‘Man’s dignity therefore requires him to act out of conscious and free choice,

as moved and drawn in a personal way from within,

and not by blind impulses in himself

or by mere external constraint.

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Man gains such dignity when,

ridding himself of all slavery to the passions,

he presses forward to his goal by freely choosing what is good

and, by his diligence and skill,

effectively secures for himself the means suited to this end.’ (Gaudium et Spes) "

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– Catechism of the Catholic Church – CCC 2339

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REPETITIVE PRAYER FOR TODAY…

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Lord, it is You I want to serve – remove my selfishness.

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TODAY’S WORD…

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God does not see as man sees.

Man looks at appearances

but the Lord looks at the heart.

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– 1 Samuel 16:7 (JB)

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REFLECTION…

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This reflection is not about others

– it is about me.

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Am I really the person I project myself to be?

Am I what I make others think I am?

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My appearance…my mask…

may convince many to look upon me positively…maybe even admire me.

But would their attitude be the same

if they knew what I am truly like inside?

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Only God knows me inside out,

and if I humbly invite Him into my heart, He will come willingly and lovingly;

He will help me go through every corner of my heart,

including those places which I am so secretive about

…and He will heal and clean

and make me whole.

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REPETITIVE PRAYER FOR TODAY…

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Come, O Lord, right in to the depths of my being,

and probe, and heal, and clean this heart that yearns for You.

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TODAY’S WORD…

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Jesus said,

“You are the salt of the earth;

but if salt has lost its taste,

how can its saltiness be restored?

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It is no longer good for anything,

but is thrown out and trampled underfoot.”

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– Matthew 5:13 (NRSV)

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REFLECTION…

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Salt preserves food from corruption,

and Christ is telling us Christians

that by the way we live,

through our influence,

and by our example,

we can preserve goodness in the world around us,

keeping it from being taken over by moral corruption.

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Salt also brings out the flavour of food

and makes it more pleasant.

So it is with good Christians,

who take love, joy and peace everywhere they go.

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Significantly, salt disappears into the food that it flavours

…and the Christian should do the same.

The most important becomes the flavour of the food

and not the salt itself.

The good Christian, therefore,

makes sure that he or she too disappears into the background

as Christ comes to the fore.

The glory should be Christ’s alone.

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But, we must be aware

that if the salt loses its taste and its qualities,

it becomes good for nothing

– and it is thrown out as useless.

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It is constant prayer and, primarily, participating in the Eucharist

that protects us against the elements,

which are constantly seeking to destroy us.

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REPETITIVE PRAYER FOR TODAY…

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Holy Spirit, protect me, strengthen my faith, guide me,

fill me and use me to spread Your love, Your peace and Your joy.

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TODAY’S WORD…

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All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

God is our merciful Father and the source of all comfort.

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He comforts us in all our troubles

so that we can comfort others.

When they are troubled,

we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us.

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– 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 (NLT)

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REFLECTION…

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We should always be thankful to God for His mercy

and for the consolation He brings.

But it shouldn’t stop at being thankful.

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Loving God

is all about unselfishly loving and being merciful towards others.

If we truly love Him

and are thankful to Him,

then we will readily give from what He gives us – to others,

especially when they are troubled and in need.

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QUOTE…

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Mercy, according to St Augustine, is

"a certain compassion for another’s wretchedness

that arises in our heart,

whereby we feel impelled to give him every possible help"

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REPETITIVE PRAYER FOR TODAY…

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My Lord and my God, thank You for Your unfailing love and mercy.

Lord, make me generous and giving…like You.

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TODAY’S WORD…

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The Spirit helps us in our weakness.

We do not know what we ought to pray for,

but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us

through wordless groans.

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– Romans 8:26 (NIV)

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REFLECTION…

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There are times

when we go before the Lord to spend time with Him

and we find ourselves tongue-tied.

Nothing…we simply cannot express ourselves,

and yet we so want to pray

to the Lord our Saviour.

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Maybe it’s so many thoughts and problems filling our minds,

or perhaps a sense of guilt or helplessness.

Whatever it is,

such situations are indeed special moments full of grace,

which we simply must grab.

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Those are very special moments

when we must let the Holy Spirit move within us,

and allow Him to take over.

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Focus on Jesus,

and let your heart sigh, moan and groan;

let it yearn for Him.

Let your soul reach out to Him

who it recognises as Lord, God, and Maker.

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REPETITIVE PRAYER FOR TODAY…

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Holy Spirit, move within me, convert me and take over…every day!

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TODAY’S WORD…

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Turn to Him with all your heart and soul,
live in loyal obedience to Him.
Then He will turn to you to help you
and will no longer hide Himself.
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Remember what God has done for you,
and give thanks with all your heart.
Praise the righteous Lord;
honour the eternal King.

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– Tobit 13:6 (GNT)

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PRAYER…

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Here I am, O Lord my King, to give You thanks and praise,

for You have done so much for me

and I am nothing without You.

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Yet there are times when I am weak, O Lord,

and I allow my foolishness to take over and I put You aside.

But then, with the help of Your grace, I come to my senses

…and realise how empty and lost I am when I take my focus off You.

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O Lord my God,

thank You for Your unconditional love for me;

for Your readiness to forgive,

and for Your willingness to renew me every time.

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Grant, O Lord,

that I will always seek to love You and obey Your commands

with all my heart, my mind, my soul and my strength.

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Amen.

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QUOTE…

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“Faith in God

leads us to turn to Him alone as our first origin and our ultimate goal,

and neither to prefer anything to Him

nor to substitute anything for Him.”

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– Catechism of the Catholic Church – CCC 229

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REPETITIVE PRAYER FOR TODAY…

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Here I am, O Lord my King, to give You thanks and praise,

for You have done so much for me

and I am nothing without You.

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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.

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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.

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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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QUOTE…

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"Do everything calmly and peacefully.

Do as much as you can as well as you can.

Strive to see God in all things without exception,

and consent to His will joyously.

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Do everything for God,

uniting yourself to Him in word and deed.

Walk very simply with the Cross of the Lord

and be at peace with yourself."

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– St. Francis de Sales

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REPETITIVE PRAYER FOR TODAY…

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Lord, thank You for the comfort that You give me

and for the peace that You fill me with.

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TODAY’S WORD…

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This is what the Lord says:

“Call to me, and I will answer you;

I will tell you wonderful and marvellous things

that you know nothing about.”

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– Jeremiah 33:3 (GNT)

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REFLECTION…

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“Jeremiah 333”

is often referred to as God’s telephone number!

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This is how our loving God is,

He invites us to call Him

and promises that He will answer.

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But when we call,

and after greeting Him with loving words and thankfulness,

and sharing our thoughts and feelings with Him,

we must stop

…and listen to what He has to say.

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Sometimes, He may not tell us what we want to hear,

but then we must remember that He is God

and that only He knows what is truly good for us.

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If we listen to Him attentively

and with faith, love and hope,

then, whatever He may say to us

will be great and marvellous and uplifting

…and He will shine a light in our heart.

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Let us call “Jeremiah 333” every day!

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REPETITIVE PRAYER FOR TODAY…

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My Lord and my God, how generous You are!

Thank You for making Yourself so available,

and for being there, every time, to answer my call.

Speak to me, Lord, I am listening.

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