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

TODAY’S WORD…

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We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials,

for we know that they help us develop endurance.

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And endurance develops strength of character,

and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation.

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And this hope will not lead to disappointment.

For we know how dearly God loves us,

because He has given us the Holy Spirit

to fill our hearts with His love.

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– Romans 5:3-5 (NLT)

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REFLECTION…

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The peace attainable in this life

does not come from wanting not to have any problems,

but rather through a determination – full of hope; of character –

which helps us manage to rise above suffering,

and to stay faithful through endurance.

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Suffering is necessary for us,

because it is the normal way to grow in virtue.

That is why it is providential.

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With Christ by our side,

suffering will lead us to ultimate joy and happiness,

for we know how dearly God loves us,

because He has given us the Holy Spirit

to fill our hearts with His love.

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REPETITIVE PRAYER FOR TODAY…

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Lord Jesus, with You by my side, my burden is lighter…and I rejoice!

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TODAY’S WORD…

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Jesus said,

“I tell you solemnly,

anyone who does not welcome the kingdom of God like a little child

will never enter it.”

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– Mark 10:15 (JB)

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REFLECTION…

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Our Lord stresses

that a Christian has to become like a child

to enter the

Kingdom of Heaven.

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Our Lord’s words express simply and graphically the key doctrine of man’s divine sonship:

God is our Father and we are His sons and daughters, His children,

and our entire religion is summed up in the relationship of a child with the good Father in Heaven.

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This awareness of God as Father involves a sense of dependence on our Heavenly Father,

and a trusting abandonment to His loving providence

– much in the same way a child trusts its father or mother;

the humility of recognizing that we can do nothing by ourselves;

and simplicity and sincerity, which make us straightforward and honest

in our dealings with both God…and man.

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QUOTE…

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“To be little

you have to believe as children believe,

to love as children love,

to abandon yourself as children do…,

to pray as children pray”

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– St. Josemaria Escriva

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REPETITIVE PRAYER FOR TODAY…

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Abba, Father, I love You!

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TODAY’S WORD…and prayer…

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I praise you, O Lord;
teach me Your ways.

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I take pleasure in Your laws;
Your commands I will not forget.

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Open my eyes, so that I may see
the wonderful truths in Your law.

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Help me to understand Your laws,
and I will meditate on Your wonderful deeds

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Explain Your law to me, and I will obey it;
I will keep it with all my heart.
Keep me obedient to Your commandments,
because in them I find happiness.

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– Psalm 119:12,16,18,27,34-35 (GNT)

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QUOTES…

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"Seek in reading and you will find in meditating;

knock in mental prayer and it will be opened to you by contemplation."

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– Guigo the Carthusian

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“We speak to Him when we pray;

we listen to Him when we read the divine oracles.”

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– St. Ambrose

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REPETITIVE PRAYER FOR TODAY…

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Open my eyes, O Lord, and show me Your ways.

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TODAY’S WORD…

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Do not be so confident of forgiveness
that you add sin to sin.
Do not say, “His mercy is great,
He will forgive the multitude of my sins”,
for both mercy and wrath are with Him,
and His anger will rest on sinners.

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Do not delay to turn back to the Lord,
and do not postpone it from day to day;
for suddenly the wrath of the Lord will come upon you,
and at the time of punishment you will perish.

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– Sirach 5:5-7 (NRSV)

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REFLECTION…

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Presumption, that is, excess of confidence,

is unfortunately a very common temptation.

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The worst form of presumption

is that of those who take the goodness and mercy of God for granted,

who sin without fear of punishment,

who see no value in repentance,

who do not heed the call to conversion and penance.

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We need to guard against such an attitude,

we need to change our life where it needs changing.

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God forgives the repentant heart

but true repentance is, as Jesus Himself indicates,

to “Go, and sin no more.” (Jn 8:11).

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PRAYER…

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O my God,

I am sorry

and beg pardon for all my sins,

and detest them above all things,

because they deserve Your dreadful punishments,

because they have crucified my loving Saviour Jesus Christ

and, most of all,

because they offend Your infinite goodness.

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I firmly resolve,

with the help of Your grace,

never to offend You again,

and to carefully avoid the occasions of sin.

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Amen.

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– The Act of Contrition

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REPETITIVE PRAYER FOR TODAY…

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My Lord and my God,

I firmly resolve, with the help of Your grace,

never to offend You again.

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TODAY’S WORD…

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How I long for Your saving help, O Lord!
I find happiness in Your law.

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Give me life, so that I may praise You;
may Your instructions help me.

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– Psalm 119:174-175 (GNT)

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REFLECTION…

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We must desire, with all our hearts, mind and soul,

the grace and strength which enable us to lift up our prayers,

and that the Lord would receive and notice them.

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We must desire to know more of God in Christ;

to know more of the doctrines of the Word,

and the duties of religion,

and we must do so with all humility.

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Let us look up to God,

so that the hand that made us may help do His will with joy in our hearts,

and also help us give praise to our Lord and Creator.

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How I long for Your saving help, O Lord!
I find happiness in Your law.

Give me life, so that I may praise You;
may Your instructions help me.

Does my heart, cleansed in Christ’s blood, make the words of these verses my own?

Is God’s Word the rule of my faith, and the law that I observe?

Do I use it to converse with Christ as I seek His guidance?

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How happy is the soul that delights in and lives God’s Law!

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REPETITIVE PRAYER FOR TODAY…

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Lord God, thank You for Your Word, for it gives me life and peace, and fills me with hope and joy!

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TODAY’S WORD…

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My child,

if you are going to serve the Lord,

be prepared for times when you will be put to the test.

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Be sincere and determined.

Keep calm when trouble comes.

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Stay with the Lord; never abandon Him,

and you will be prosperous at the end of your days.

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Accept whatever happens to you.

Even if you suffer humiliation, be patient.

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Gold is tested by fire,

and human character is tested in the furnace of humiliation.

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Trust the Lord, and He will help you.

Walk straight in His ways, and put your hope in Him.

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All you that fear the Lord,

wait for Him to show you His mercy.

Do not turn away from Him, or you will fall.

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All you that fear the Lord,

trust Him,

and you will certainly be rewarded.

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All you that fear the Lord,

look forward to His blessings of mercy and eternal happiness.

Think back to the ancient generations and consider this:

has the Lord ever disappointed anyone who put his hope in Him?

Has the Lord ever abandoned anyone who held Him in constant reverence?

Has the Lord ever ignored anyone who prayed to Him?

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The Lord is kind and merciful;

He forgives our sins and keeps us safe in time of trouble.

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– Sirach 2:1-11 (GNT)

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REPETITIVE PRAYER FOR TODAY…

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Come, Holy Spirit, come into my heart and help me reflect on God’s Word.

Help me welcome the Truth, help me absorb it, embrace it and live it.

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TODAY’S WORD…

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“Lord, I believe;

help my unbelief!”

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– Mark 9:24 (NKJV)

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REFLECTION…

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If we are true people of faith

then we do not rely on ourselves,

but on Jesus Christ.

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Faith is a gift of God,

which we, especially at times when we are wavering,

should ask humbly and persistently,

“Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!”,

and like the Apostles, who said to Jesus:

"Increase our faith!" (Lk 17:5)

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REPETITIVE PRAYER FOR TODAY…

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Lord, increase my faith!

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TODAY’S WORD…

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If the Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from death,

lives in you,

then He who raised Christ from death

will also give life to your mortal bodies

by the presence of His Spirit in you.

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– Romans 8:11 (NRSV)

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REFLECTION…

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If the Spirit is in us,

Christ is in us.

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He dwells in the heart by faith.

He renews us

and gives us life.

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If we allow the Holy Spirit to live in us,

we become alive to God,

and we discover and delight in a holy happiness

which endures for ever.

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QUOTE…

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“God’s love has been poured into our hearts

through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.”

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– St. Paul (Romans 5:5)

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REPETITIVE PRAYER FOR TODAY…

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Come, Holy Spirit, renew me and give me life!

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TODAY’S WORD…

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The Lord is in His holy temple;
the Lord is on His heavenly throne.
He observes everyone on earth;
His eyes examine them.

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– Psalm 11:4 (NIV)

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QUOTE…

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“I ask you: How do you abide in the presence of the Lord?

When you visit the Lord, when you look at the tabernacle, what do you do? Without speaking…

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‘But I speak, I talk, I think, I meditate, I listen…’

Very good! But do you let yourself be looked at by the Lord?

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Letting ourselves be gazed upon by the Lord.

He looks at us

and this is itself a way of praying.

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Do you [let] yourselves be gazed upon by the Lord?