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

.

TODAY’S WORD…

.

Happy are those

who reject the advice of evil people,

who do not follow the example of sinners

or join those who have no use for God.

.

Instead, they find joy in obeying the Law of the Lord,

and they study it day and night.

.

They are like trees that grow beside a stream,

that bear fruit at the right time,

and whose leaves do not dry up.

They succeed in everything they do.

.

– Psalm 1:1-3 (GNT)

.

.

.

REFLECTION…

.

We are very much like a tree

– we need nourishment,

and our prime source of spiritual nourishment, is Jesus

– He provides all that we need

to grow,

to prosper,

and to bear fruit.

.

The difference between trees and us Christians is

that whereas trees cannot choose for themselves where to be planted,

in our case, we are left free to decide.

.

It is so sad

when some of us, who were originally “planted” by the True Source of Life,

take a conscious decision

and move away.

.

.

.

REPETITIVE PRAYER FOR TODAY…

.

Help me, Lord, that I may always stand firm by You..

.

TODAY’S WORD…

.

Jesus said,

“Do not let your hearts be troubled.

Believe in God, believe also in me.”

.

– John 14:1 (NRSV)

.

.

.

REFLECTION…

.

“Do not let your hearts be troubled.”

Jesus is so tender and comforting,

and He addresses all of us

– with our minds so full of anxiety, perplexity and preoccupation – with tender and inimitably beautiful truths of His gospel.

.

His truths allay every fear,

silence every complaint,

and give every needed consolation to the soul.

.

Peace is primarily a gift of God

and then the fruit of our efforts.

.

That is why peace should begin in the hearts of people

as a grace given:

"My peace I give to you,"Jesus also tells us (Jn 14:27).

.

.

“Believe in God, believe also in me.”

“That Jesus is a man, no one denies.

That He is a prophet, one sent from God,

is also admitted almost universally.

Many stay at that point.

But it is not enough.

.

A Muslim, if he is coherent with what is found written in the Koran,

also recognizes that Jesus is a prophet.

But not for that is one considered a Christian.

.

The leap by which one passes to be a Christian in the true sense

is when he or she proclaims, like the man blind from birth,

that Jesus is "Lord"

and adores Him as God.

.

Christian faith is not primarily to believe in something – that God exists, that there is something beyond –

but to believe in someone.

.

Jesus in the Gospel does not give us a list of things to believe;

He says, "Believe in God; believe also in me."

.

For Christians,

to believe is to believe in Jesus Christ." (Fr. Raniero Cantalamessa)

.

.

.

REPETITIVE PRAYER FOR TODAY…

.

O tender most loving Jesus,

my soul yearns for the consolation of Your truth.

.

.

TODAY’S WORD…

.

Stay alert!

Watch out for your great enemy, the devil.

He prowls around like a roaring lion,

looking for someone to devour.

Stand firm against him,

and be strong in your faith.

.

– 1 Peter 5:8-9 (NLT)

.

.

.

REFLECTION…

.

We are urged

to be sober and clear-headed,

because it puts us on guard against the evil one.

.

There is always need to be watchful

against the assaults of the devil

– that liar, detractor and tempter,

who will pounce on us if we lower our guard.

.

If we are strong in faith;

if we adhere to our Christian principles;

if we truly love God above all,

above ourselves,

above everything else;

then we shall be able to resist the attacks of the devil..

.

.

.

QUOTE…

.

“He (the devil) moves round each one of us,

like an enemy who has us surrounded and is checking the walls

to see if there is some weak, unsecured part, where he can get in.”

.

– St. Cyprian

.

.

.

PRAYER FOR TODAY…

.

Lord Jesus Christ, King of kings,

You have power over life and death.

You know even things that are uncertain and obscure,

and my very thoughts and feelings are not hidden from You.

.

Cleanse me from my secret faults

– I have done wrong and You saw it.

.

You know how weak I am,

both in soul and in body.

.

Give me strength, O Lord, in my weakness

and sustain me in my sufferings.

.

Grant me a prudent judgment, dear Lord,

and let me always be mindful of Your blessings.

.

Let me retain, until the end,

Your loving and protecting grace.
.

Amen.

.

.

[from a prayer for strength in weakness by St. Ephrem of Syria]

.

.

TODAY’S WORD…

.

Jesus said,

“I have come as light into the world,

so that everyone who believes in me should not remain in the darkness.”

.

– John 12:46 (NRSV)

.

.

.

REFLECTION…

.

Jesus is Light and Life of the world!

.

In Jesus Christ, the whole of God’s truth has been made manifest.

Full of grace and truth,

He came as the “light of the world.”

.

Once we open our heart to Jesus,

we will soon recognise Him as the Truth,

and then we start to realise that all around us was darkness

compared to the purifying light that Christ brings into our heart.

.

Do I embrace the Light?

.

.

.

REPETITIVE PRAYER FOR TODAY…

.

Lord Jesus, come and consume all my darkness.

.

.

TODAY’S WORD…

.

The people surrounded Jesus and asked,

“How long are you going to keep us in suspense?

If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly.”

.

Jesus answered,

“I have already told you, and you don’t believe me.

The proof is the work I do in my Father’s name.

But you don’t believe me because you are not my sheep.”

.

– John 10:24-26 (NRSV)

.

.

.

REFLECTION…

.

Jesus reproaches

those who refuse to recognise the works He does in His Father’s name.

He reproaches

those who because of the hardness of their heart,

and because of their own separate self-centred agenda,

simply refuse to believe.

.

Believing in Christ, who is the Truth,

can be discomforting since it often requires a complete change of direction.

It is a life-changing experience,

which includes having to admit one’s own faults, one’s selfishness and pride.

.

To believe in Christ we must stop being self-centered,

because that is what makes us refuse to see the love of God Almighty;

refuse to accept and embrace the Truth.

.

Those of us who do not oppose divine grace do come to believe in Jesus.

We are known to Him and loved by Him.

We enter under His protection and remain faithful with the help of His grace,

which is a pledge of the eternal life which the Good Shepherd will eventually give us.

.

It is true that in this world we will have to strive,

and that in the course of striving we will sustain wounds,

but if we stay united to the Good Shepherd

nothing and no one will snatch Christ’s sheep from Him.

.

.

.

REPETITIVE PRAYER FOR TODAY…

.

Jesus, Son of the Living God, watch over me.

.

.

TODAY’S WORD…

.

Jesus said,

“Very truly I tell you,

I am the gate for the sheep.”

.

– John 10:7 (NIV)

.

.

.

REFLECTION…

.

Christ calls Himself the “gate“.

He is the only “gate”

through which shepherds and sheep safely enter and exit the sheepfold.

.

He is a gate

open for the passage and communication of goodness and truth

as we welcome these into our hearts

and then pass them on to others.

.

Christ is both the Gate and the Shepherd,

He is all things.

.

What greater security have we

than having the Lord Jesus between us and evil?

In Him we place our full trust,

in Him who is the great Mediator between God and man.

.

.

.

REPETITIVE PRAYER FOR TODAY…

.

O Lord, Gate of Goodness and Truth,

lead me towards You, that I may find protection and peace.

.

.

TODAY’S WORD…

.

Jesus said,

“My sheep listen to my voice;

I know them, and they follow me.

I give them eternal life,

and they shall never perish;

no one will snatch them out of my hand.”

.

– John 10:27-28 (NIV)

.

.

.

REFLECTION…

.

Those who do not oppose divine grace come to believe in Jesus.

They are known to and loved by Him,

enter under His protection and remain faithful with the help of His grace,

which is a pledge of the eternal life which the Good Shepherd will eventually give them.

.

It is true that in this world they will have to strive

and that in the course of striving they will sustain wounds;

but if they stay united to the Good Shepherd

nothing and no one will snatch Christ’s sheep from Him,

because our Father, God, is stronger than the Evil One.

.

Our hope that God will grant us final perseverance

is not based on our strength but on God’s mercy:

this hope should always motivate us to strive to respond to grace

and to be more faithful to the demands of our faith.

.

.

.

REPETITIVE PRAYER FOR TODAY…

.

Jesus, remove all that there is inside of me that stops me from listening to Your voice.

Have mercy on me, O Lord.

.

.

TODAY’S WORD…

.

…many of Jesus’ followers turned back

and would not go with Him any more.

So He asked the twelve disciples,

“And you – would you also like to leave?”

.

Simon Peter answered Him,

“Lord, to whom would we go?

You have the words that give eternal life.”

.

– John 6:66-68 (GNT)

.

.

.

REFLECTION…

.

Today, perhaps even more than ever,

many of Jesus’ followers appear to be moving away from Him

and from His teachings.

.

Why?

Basically because we tend to be selfish

and that makes us desire instant gratification and solutions,

which are, invariably, always short-lived.

.

Jesus, on the other hand,

teaches us to accept sacrifice and suffering now,

but promises us eternal fulfilment.

.

This fulfilment – this new life, which only Jesus gives –

in fact commences from the moment we recognise Him as Lord;

from the moment we truly accept Him in our lives as the Way, the Truth and the Life.

.

.

.

REPETITIVE PRAYER FOR TODAY…

.

Lord, Giver of life, to whom shall I go?

.

.

TODAY’S WORD…

.

Praise the LORD, all you nations;
extol Him, all you peoples.

.

– Psalm 117:1

.

.

.

REFLECTION…

.

We are all called to praise the Lord.

If we have experienced God in our life;

if we consider ourselves to be truly one of His,

how can we not feel the urge to praise Him?

.

If we have experienced God in our life;

if we have experienced the kind of love, joy and peace

that only He can bring;

how can we not worship Him

and Him alone?

.

We praise and worship Him

through our prayer,

through our thoughts,

through our deeds,

all done in humility and love,

and in faith, hope and complete trust..

.

.

.

REPETITIVE PRAYER FOR TODAY…

.

Jesus, You are holy, You are glorious, You are worthy of all praise!

.

.

TODAY’S WORD…

.

Jesus said,

“I am the Bread of Life.”

.

– John 6:48 (NIV)

.

.

.

REFLECTION…

.

Jesus explicitly reveals the great mystery of the Blessed Eucharist.

If His real presence in the Eucharist is accepted on faith,

then His meaning is quite clear

and we can see how infinite and tender His love for us is.

.

This bread is Christ’s human nature.

It is so great a mystery that it has always acted as a touchstone for Christian faith. :

Immediately after the Consecration of the Mass

this bread is proclaimed as “the mystery of our faith”.

.

The true use of the Sacraments

is to ascend from them to Christ:

and by the partaking of Him alone

we get everlasting life.

.

.

.

REPETITIVE PRAYER FOR TODAY…

.

O Bread of Life, feed me.

O Great Mystery, strengthen me.

.