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

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TODAY’S WORD…

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Let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes.

Put on your new nature, created to be like God

— truly righteous and holy.

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– Ephesians 4:23-24 (NLT)

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QUOTE…

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"The power of God is made manifest in our weakness

and it spurs us on to fight,

to battle against our defects,

although we know that we will never achieve total victory during our pilgrimage on earth.

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The Christian life is a continuous beginning again each day.

It renews itself over and over."

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– St Josemaria Escriva

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REPETITIVE PRAYER FOR TODAY…

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Come Holy Spirit, come and renew my thoughts and attitudes.

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TODAY’S WORD…

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Jesus said,

“I am the bread of life.

He who comes to me will never be hungry;

he who believes in me will never thirst.”

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– John 6:35 (JB)

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REFLECTION…

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Going to Jesus means believing in Him,

for it is through faith that we approach our Lord.

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Jesus uses the metaphor of food and drink

to show that He is the one who really meets all our noblest aspirations.

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Our faith

provides a solution for all our anxieties,

calms our minds

and fills our hearts with hope

– it is like this if and when we entrust ourselves fully to the Lord, our God,

and faithfully accept that His will be done.

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REPETITIVE PRAYER FOR TODAY…

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Jesus, Bread of Life,

forgive me for when I let myself go hungry by not coming to You,

and for when I thirst because I close my heart to You.

Hold my hand, Lord, heal me, and show me the way.

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TODAY’S WORD…

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Jesus said,

“What God wants you to do

is to believe in the One He sent.”

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– John 6:29 (GNT)

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REFLECTION…

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This is an exhortation to have faith in the Son of Man,

in the giver of the food that does not perish.

Without faith in Him whom the Father has sent,

it is not possible to recognise and accept this gift which does not pass away.

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Many people, also within the Church, live a superficial and pagan life,

not really believing in Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

We are therefore invited to a profound conversion,

to a deep union with the Sacred Heart

and to a personal faith in Jesus Christ,

whose richness of merciful and just love, is all ours for the taking.

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Belief in Jesus Christ, then, is the way to arrive definitively at salvation;

the way to rush into Jesus’ waiting arms!

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REPETITIVE PRAYER FOR TODAY…

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Jesus, I believe in You.

Jesus, I hope in You.

Jesus, I trust in you.

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TODAY’S WORD…

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“Obedience to God comes before obedience to men.”

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– Acts 5:29 (JB)

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REFLECTION…

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Read it again,

“Obedience to God comes before obedience to men”

…and again…

and consider whether it is a statement which reflects your principles.

Unbelievers would obviously simply dismiss the statement.

For some Christians, it could read as an obvious declaration

– so obvious that they do not even bother to give it a second thought

…and therein lies the problem,

because it gets overlooked time and time again.

For others, on the other hand, it is a statement of faith;

and a declaration that reflects the desire to submit oneself totally to God’s will

and to love and serve Him

even at the cost of fortune, of reputation,

and of life.

Do I count myself among the latter?

Do I place God first, no matter the circumstance,

and no matter the consequence?

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REPETITIVE PRAYER FOR TODAY…

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Help me always cherish Your law and to obey You above all,

for Yours, Lord, is the obedience that gives freedom and life.

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TODAY’S WORD…

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Gamaliel, addressing the Sanhedrin, said

“Leave these men alone and let them go.

If this enterprise – this movement of theirs –

is of human origin, it will break up of its own accord;

but if it does in fact come from God,

you will not only be unable to destroy them,

but you might find yourselves fighting against God.”

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– Acts 5:38-39 (JB)

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REFLECTION…

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This is how Gamaliel, a respected Pharisee and teacher of the law,

had defended Peter and the Apostles, when addressing the Sanhedrin.

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He was respected for his prudence and wisdom.

He was a religiously-minded man,

but also clearly wise and impartial.

The Fathers of the Church see him as an example of an upright man

who is awaiting the Kingdom of God and dares to defend the Apostles.

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Gamaliel’s intervention shows that a person with good will

can discern God’s action in events,

or at least investigate objectively without pre-judging the issue.

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Are we like Gamaliel,

when we find ourselves in the midst of others

who are arguing contrary to Christ’s message?

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Are we like Gamaliel,

or do we act or speak as if we agree with the arguments, so as not “lose face”

and risk being called narrow-minded, intolerant and judgemental?

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Are we like Gamaliel,

or we are like those who, when defending the Christian side of the argument,

often become impatient, dismissive, even offensive and positively “un-Christian”?

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How wonderful it would be if in such situations

we would take from Gamaliel’s example,

and simply be wise and respectfully succinct,

and demonstrate gentle and loving Christian conviction!

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REPETITIVE PRAYER FOR TODAY…

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Renew me, O Lord, and fill me with hope and joy,

and make me always firm and steadfast

in my faith and trust in You.

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TODAY’S WORD…

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For He will command His angels concerning you

to guard you in all your ways.

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– Psalm 91:11 (NRSV)

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REFLECTION…by Saint Bernard of Clairvaux

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How greatly should these words draw you

to respect…the presence of your good angel!

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What great confidence they ought to inspire in you

– since it is God who is taking care of you.

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Pay great attention to all you do

since the angels are present to all your affairs

as God has commanded them.

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Wherever you go,

in whatever nook or cranny you may find yourself,

always show great devotion to your good angel…

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Do you question

whether this unseen spirit is present to all you do?

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What great respect you would show

if you understood,

touched

and felt him beside you!

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Take good note that it isn’t only by seeing

that we become convinced that something is present

– not all present, corporeal things can be grasped by sight.

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How much more, then,

are spiritual things outside the grasp of our senses

and cannot be sought or found

except by spiritual means?

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So if you examine your faith,

doesn’t it assure you

that your good angel is always with you?

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Yes indeed, faith gives you its proof

because…

‘faith grants proof and conviction of realities we do not see.’ (Heb 11:1)

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Be assured, then,

that our good angels are always there,

not just with us but on our side.

They are close to us to protect and serve us.

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REPETITIVE PRAYER FOR TODAY…

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O Faithful Guardian of my spirit, soul and body,

pray to God for me, protect me from the evil one,

and keep me on the sure path to salvation.

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TODAY’S WORD…

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Taste and see that the Lord is good.

Oh, the joys of those who take refuge in Him!

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– Psalm 34:8 (NLT)

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REFLECTION…

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You cannot know of the goodness of the Lord

unless you taste for yourself.

Don’t hold back, try Him,

go to Him with an open heart,

learn all about Him,

and listen to what He has to say.

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He is the author of all good.

He is essentially,

infinitely,

perfectly,

unchangeably,

and exclusively good in Himself.

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The Father is good;

He has good plans for us, His people;

He provided good things for us,

made good promises to us,

and bestows good gifts on us.

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The Son is good;

the Good Shepherd who has laid down His life for His sheep;

He is the fountain of all grace and goodness;

He so lovingly undertook the good work of redemption;

and He speaks a good word on our behalf in the Courts of Heaven.

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The Spirit is good;

His consolation uplifts us and works good things in our hearts;

He counsels goodness;

and He reveals good things to us.

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If we welcome the Lord, our God, into our life,

we will then truly taste and discern how good He is.

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If we are stubborn and unrepentant,

our taste is impaired,

and we will remain unchanged,

preferring the taste of our selfish pleasures.

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REPETITIVE PRAYER FOR TODAY…

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How sweet are Your words, O Lord! How good is Your love!

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TODAY’S WORD…

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Commit everything you do to the Lord.

Trust Him,

and He will help you.

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– Psalm 37:5 (NLT)

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PRAYER…

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Thy way, not mine, O Lord,
However dark it be:
Lead me by Thine own hand,
Choose out the path for me.
Smooth let it be or rough,
It will be still the best;
Winding or straight, it leads
Right onward to Thy Rest

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I dare not choose my lot;
I would not if I might:
Choose Thou for me, my God;
So shall I walk aright.
Take Thou my cup, and it
With joy or sorrow fill
As best to Thee may seem;
Choose Thou my good and ill.

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Choose Thou for me my friends,
My sickness or my health;
Choose Thou my cares for me,
My poverty or wealth.
Not mine, not mine the choice
In things or great or small;
Be Thou my guide, my strength,
My wisdom, and my all.

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[a prayer/hymn by Horatius Bonar (1808-1889)]

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REPETITIVE PRAYER FOR TODAY…

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Your way, not mine, O Lord.

I trust in You!

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TODAY’S WORD…

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So if you have been raised with Christ,

seek the things that are above,

where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.

Set your minds on things that are above,

not on things that are on earth…

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– Colossians 3:1-2 (NRSV)

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REFLECTION…

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Through Baptism,

we Christians have been raised to a new kind of life,

a supernatural life,

whereby we share, even while on earth,

in the glorious life of the risen Jesus.

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This life with the Lord,

is at present spiritual and hidden,

but when our Lord comes again in glory,

it will become gloriously clear.

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As baptised persons, therefore,

and as believers,

we should seek the things that are above,

that is, the things of God,

with the supernatural purpose

of walking and living with Christ.

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The Gospels are God’s gift to us,

a gift that helps us carry out our Christian duties

of loving and protecting,

and working and giving,

always with our eyes fixed firmly on Jesus.

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By going through life’s many challenges,

and through all its ups and downs;

by living in the way Jesus taught us,

all the while keeping our eyes fixed on Heaven,

we can look forward to everlasting, glorious life!.

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REPETITIVE PRAYER FOR TODAY…

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My Lord, my God, my Loving Mentor,

help me keep my eyes fixed firmly on You.

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TODAY’S WORD…

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The LORD is my strength and my song;

He has become my salvation.

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Shouts of joy and victory

resound in the tents of the righteous:

“The LORD’s right hand has done mighty things!

The LORD’s right hand is lifted high;

the LORD’s right hand has done mighty things!”

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I will not die but live,

and will proclaim what the LORD has done.

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– Psalm 118:14-17 (NIV)

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REFLECTION…

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We believe that Christ came and died for us on the Cross

– to save us.

He is my salvation,

my strength,

and my heart sings out with joy.

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We believe that Jesus has done mighty things.

He was lifted high on the Cross,

was resurrected

and He ascended to heaven

– to His place at the right hand of the Father.

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The heart of a believer,

who seeks to follow God’s Commandments

and who strives to act in an upright manner,

shouts out with joy at Christ’s victory over death!

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Believers joyfully proclaim what the LORD has done

because they know that, with God’s grace,

they can now look forward

to life everlasting in God’s heavenly Kingdom.

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Amen. Alleluia!.

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REPETITIVE PRAYER FOR TODAY…

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The Lord is my strength and my song; He is my salvation.

How great is my God!

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