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

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TODAY’S WORD…

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How beautiful on the mountains

are the feet of those who bring good news,

who proclaim peace,

who bring good tidings,

who proclaim salvation.

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– Isaiah 52:7 (NIV)

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QUOTE…

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“Nothing is more beautiful, urgent and important

than freely offering to men and women, in turn,

what we ourselves have freely received from God!

Nothing can dispense or relieve us

from this burdensome but fascinating commitment.

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While the joy of Christmas…fills us with hope,

it spurs us at the same time

to proclaim to everyone God’s presence in our midst.

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[…] May every Christian and every community

feel the joy of sharing with others

the Good News

that ‘God so loved the world that He gave His Only Son…

that the world might be saved through Him’.

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This is the authentic meaning of Christmas,

which we must rediscover and live intensely.”

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– Pope Benedict XVI

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REPETITIVE PRAYER FOR TODAY…

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O Lord, my God, my Joy…

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TODAY’S WORD…

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Jesus said,

“So therefore, none of you can become my disciple

if you do not give up all your possessions.”

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– Luke 14:33 (NRSV)

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REFLECTION…

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An effective detachment from everything we have and are

is necessary if we are to follow Jesus,

if we are to open our hearts to Our Lord who is passing by and calls out to us.

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On the other hand, attachment to earthly things

closes our doors to Christ and closes the doors to love

and to any possibility of understanding what is most essential in our lives.

“So therefore, none of you can become my disciple

if you do not give up all your possessions.”

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Whatever our possessions, we must thank God for them

but we must not allow ourselves to become obsessed by them or by adding to them.

Detachment from our possessions does not mean carelessness,

because we can even do good by means of them;

detachment from our possessions means not becoming fixated in them and enslaved by them.

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Love for riches and possessions leaves no room for love of God;

it is not possible for God to dwell

in a heart which is filled with a different kind of love from His.

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If I struggle effectively to live detached from the things I have and use,

my heart will be clean, wide open and welcoming,

with lots of space for Jesus to live within me.

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REPETITIVE PRAYER FOR TODAY…

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Come, Lord Jesus, come. Come into my heart!

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[*] Today’s reflection is sourced from the seven-volume work “In Conversation with God” by Padre Francisco Fernández Carvajal.

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TODAY’S WORD…

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“Do not sit down at the place of honour

…but when you are invited, go and sit down at the lowest place.”

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– Luke 14:8,10 (NRSV)

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REFLECTION…

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Humility is at the root of all virtues,

and without it none of them can be developed.

There is no possibility of sanctity without an effective struggle to acquire humility;

without it, it is not even possible to develop an authentic human personality.

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Humility is, in a very special way, the basis of charity.

It gives consistency to Christian love and makes it possible

to the extent that a person can forget about self

yet take an interest in others and attend to their needs.

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Vanity, pride, selfishness and the desire to stand out from among others

are the an antithesis of heartfelt and soulful Christian charity.

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By being always conscious that you are in the presence of God,

and by resolutely refusing to allow your judgement to be distorted by ambition,

places of honour lose their attraction.

What becomes important is to always prepare space for the Lord to come and sit by your side

…and guide you to where He wants you to be.

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REPETITIVE PRAYER FOR TODAY…

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Lord, make me humble like You were humble,

teach me how to love like You loved.

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[*] Today’s reflection is sourced from the seven-volume work “In Conversation with God” by Padre Francisco Fernández Carvajal.

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TODAY’S WORD…

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“Truly I tell you,

whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.”

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– Matthew 25:40 (NIV)

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REFLECTION…

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Generosity to God must be shown by generosity to our fellow men and women:

“whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.”

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A characteristic of generosity

is knowing how to quickly forget those little irritations that can crop up in daily life.

It is knowing how to smile and make life more agreeable for those around us,

even though they may be suffering setbacks;

to give others the benefit of the doubt;

to do the least pleasant tasks first in our work or in family life;

to accept people as they are, without attaching too much importance to their defects;

to be ready with a pat on the back for a job well done;

to give a positive tone to our conversation

and, if the occasion arises, to a possible correction that we ought to make;

to avoid negative criticism, which is often useless and unfair;

to open up wider horizons, both human and supernatural, for our friends.

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All these betoken generosity of spirit,

but above all, if we are to be really generous in loving our neighbour,

we must do our best to make it easier for those around us to come closer to Christ.

That is the best thing we can do.

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Every day we have a treasure to distribute.

If we don’t give it, we lose it.

If we share it, our Lord multiplies it.

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REPETITIVE PRAYER FOR TODAY…

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Lord Jesus, teach me to live Your truth

and let me be an example of Your love!

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[*] Today’s reflection is sourced from the seven-volume work “In Conversation with God” by Padre Francisco Fernández Carvajal.

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TODAY’S WORD…

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Then Mary said,

“Here am I, the servant of the Lord;

let it be with me according to your word.”

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– Luke 1:38 (NRSV)

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REFLECTION…

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Our Lady yields to God’s will with prompt obedience – unreservedly.

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Mary, combining humility and obedience, responds perfectly to God’s will:

“Here am I, the servant of the Lord;

let it be with me according to your word.”

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Mary, shows us how we are to accept God’s will,

and to trust fully in His plans for us..

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AMEN!

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What is the word, which in the language spoken by Mary,

corresponds most closely to her expression of acceptance?
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When a Jew wished to say to God, “yes, so be it,” he said “amen!”

If we try to go back to the exact word that came from Mary’s lips,

we arrive precisely at the word “amen.”
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Amen is a Hebrew word,

the root of which means to be solid, to be certain;

it was used in the liturgy as a response of faith to the Word of God. […].

It indicates faith and obedience at the same time;

it recognises that what God says is true

and one submits to it.

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It is to say “yes” to God.

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– from an Advent reflection by Fr. Raniero Cantalamessa.

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REPETITIVE PRAYER FOR TODAY…

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Here I am, Lord, lead me – I so want to do Your will.

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TODAY’S WORD…

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Jesus said,

“Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.”

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– Mark 10:15 (NIV)

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REFLECTION…

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We have to approach our faith with the dispositions of children

– simply, that is, without prejudice and with our souls wide open to grace.

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Even more than that, as our Lord emphasises further on another occasion,

it is necessary to become completely child-like

in order to enter the kingdom of heaven:

“Unless you change and become like little children,

you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” (Mat 18:3).

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Jesus is not recommending childishness, but innocence and simplicity.

He sees in children traits and attitudes that are essential in anyone

if he or she is to gain heaven,

and even in this life, if he or she is to enter the kingdom of faith.

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A child is devoid of even the slightest feeling of self-sufficiency.

A child is in constant need of its parents, and knows it.

A child is fundamentally a being in need,

and this is what we Christians should be like before our Father God,

beings in total need.

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QUOTE…

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“To become children we must renounce our pride and self-sufficiency,

recognising that we can do nothing by ourselves.

We must realise that we need grace and the help of God the Father

to find our way and keep to it.

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To be little, you have to abandon yourself as children do,

believe as children believe,

beg as children beg.”

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– St. Josemaria Escriva

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REPETITIVE PRAYER FOR TODAY…

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Lord, save me from myself and my pride,

that I may abandon myself to You and faithfully do Your will.

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[*] Today’s reflection is sourced from the seven-volume work “In Conversation with God” by Padre Francisco Fernández Carvajal.

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TODAY’S WORD…

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Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky;

and all the peoples of earth will weep

as they see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.

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– Matthew 24:30 (GNT)

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REFLECTION…

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The season of Advent also prepares our souls

for the expectation of the second coming of Christ at the end of time.

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Jesus will come as the Redeemer of the World, as King, Judge and Lord of the whole Universe.

He will take men by surprise as they busy themselves about their own affairs.

He will not give any warning of the imminence of His coming.

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Men, both good and evil, living and dead, will gather to Him;

all men will turn irresistibly towards Christ triumphant,

some attracted by love,

others forced by justice.

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There will appear in heaven the sign of the Holy Cross

– that Cross so often despised, so often abandoned,

considered by some as something senseless;

that Cross will appear before the astonished gaze of men as the sign of salvation.

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Jesus Christ will show Himself in all His glory to those who have rejected Him.

He will show Himself to those who, not satisfied with rejecting Him, persecuted Him;

to those who lived without ever coming to know Him.

He will also show Himself to those who loved Him with deeds.

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The whole of humanity will then realise that Jesus Christ is Lord!

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QUOTE…

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“God raised Him to the highest place above
and gave Him the name that is greater than any other name.
And so, in honour of the name of Jesus
all beings in heaven, on earth, and in the world below
will fall on their knees,
and all will openly proclaim that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.”

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– Philippians 2:9-11

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REPETITIVE PRAYER FOR TODAY…

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Jesus, I hope in You, I trust in You.

Jesus, You are Lord, You are God!

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[*] Today’s reflection is sourced from the seven-volume work “In Conversation with God” by Padre Francisco Fernández Carvajal.

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TODAY’S WORD…

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Jesus said,

“Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.

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Be careful not to let yourselves become occupied with too much feasting and drinking and with the worries of this life,

or that Day may suddenly catch you.”

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– Luke 21:33-34 (GNT)

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REFLECTION…

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Our Lord Invites us to be watchful and careful

and He says this knowingly and lovingly

because He knows only too well about our tendencies towards lethargy, comfort-seeking,

egocentric self-satisfaction, and self-centeredness.

If we allow our tendencies to get their way,

then we will stifle and lose that supernatural outlook

with which we would otherwise give life to everything we do.

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Keeping watch is above all a matter of loving.

We may have difficulties in keeping our love awake:

selfishness, a lack of mortification and temperance always threaten to extinguish the flame that our Lord lights time and again in our hearts.

That is why we need to constantly revive the flame,

to shake ourselves out of any repetitive routine,

to struggle.

We must never allow ourselves to be taken by surprise.

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For Christians who gladly keep the Lord in focus

and who have many meetings with Him each day:

through the Sacraments

and also during ordinary events of the day – all filled with love, compassion and friendship –

that Day will not come as a surprise.

Such Christians will not be caught unawares

…because they have been careful;

because they are prepared and their hearts are always full of hope and expectation.

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REPETITIVE PRAYER FOR TODAY…

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Come, Lord Jesus, come!

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[*] Today’s reflection is sourced from the seven-volume work “In Conversation with God” by Padre Francisco Fernández Carvajal.

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TODAY’S WORD…

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…there is no one besides me;

I am the Lord, and there is no other.

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– Isaiah 45:6 (NRSV)

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REFLECTION…

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Jesus is our Lord and God,

He brings us the happiness that we are hoping for

and He satisfies all the aspirations of the soul.

There is nothing or no one greater

and He comes as a hidden treasure of great value.

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We learn to recognise and appreciate this great Treasure

if we have the right internal disposition,

if we approach Jesus with humility and purity of heart.

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QUOTE…

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“He who finds Jesus finds a good treasure…

and he who loses Jesus loses a great deal, more than if he lost the whole world.

He who lives without Jesus is poor indeed,

and he who is with Jesus is rich indeed.”

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– St. Thomas a Kempis

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REPETITIVE PRAYER FOR TODAY…

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There is none like You, O Lord – my Teacher, my Saviour, my Jesus!

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[*] Today’s reflection is sourced from the seven-volume work “In Conversation with God” by Padre Francisco Fernández Carvajal.

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TODAY’S WORD…

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And the Word became flesh and lived among us.

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– John 1:14 (NRSV)

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“You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God!”

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– Matthew 16:16 (NRSV)

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REFLECTION…

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Jesus is God, made man for love of us, every single one of us.

He is the key, the centre and the purpose of the whole of man’s history.

On Him depends our whole existence, on earth and in heaven.

And He wants us to treat Him with friendship and complete confidence.

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God the father predestined humanity to be conformed to the image of His Son,

in order that He might be the first-born among many brethren.

Our life has to be a continual imitation of His life here on earth.

He is our model for all the virtues.

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Jesus has a deep love for all that is truly human – work, friendship, the family –

and above all for us men and women, with our defects and miseries.

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We must take Christ as our Model

in the way we practise the virtues,

the way we treat other people,

the way we carry out our work,

in everything.

To imitate Him is to be filled with a spirit and a way of reacting which ought to direct the life of every Christian,

whatever his or her qualities, state of life, or place in society.

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To imitate Our Lord, we must see ourselves in Him.

It is not enough to have a general idea of the spirit of Jesus;

we have to learn the details of His life and, through them, His attitudes.

We must especially contemplate His life,

to derive from it strength, light, serenity and peace.

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REPETITIVE PRAYER FOR TODAY…

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My Jesus, forgive me for whenever I let circumstances take away that serenity and peace that only You give.

Help me be more like You, Lord. Strengthen me and fill me with Your light.

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[*] Today’s reflection is sourced from the seven-volume work “In Conversation with God” by Padre Francisco Fernández Carvajal.