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

.

TODAY’S WORD…

.

Jesus said,

“Out of the heart come evil thoughts

– murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander.

These are what defile a person…”

.

– Matthew 15:19-20 (NIV)

.

.

.

REFLECTION…

.

Our Lord explains what really makes us pure or impure in God’s eyes:

We are defiled by what happens in our heart : evil desires, intentions, envy, spite…

These external sins, which our Lord enumerates,

before ever being committed externally

will have already been committed internally…inside the sinner’s heart.

.

It is in the heart where God is loved or offended

and that is why are all summoned to purity of heart.

Uncleanness of heart produces insensitivity to the things of God,

and to much that is humanly good as well,

including compassion for the unhappiness of others.

.

From a pure heart spring joy,

the ability to see the divine,

trust in God,

sincere repentance,

recognition of ourselves and our sins,

true humility,

and a great love for God and for other people.

.

It is our heart, therefore, that we must purify, and keep healthy and clean,

so that all the rest will be pure and pleasing to God.

.

Jesus describes as blessed and happy those who guard their hearts,

and we have to work at this every day.

Love of frequent confession and persistence with the daily examination of conscience

help us to keep our hearts clean

and ready to accommodate the Lord – who is the true source of all our joy.

.

.

.

REPETITIVE PRAYER FOR TODAY…

.

Come into my heart, O Lord, and take full control.

Help me make it a temple of Your Spirit.

.

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

.

TODAY’S WORD…

.

May you always be joyful in your union with the Lord.

I say it again: rejoice!

.

– Philippians 4:4 (GNT)

.

.

.

REFLECTION…

.

Jesus is always near us…and this fills us with happiness.

Unhappiness is when we lose Him,

when we put a distance between ourselves and the Lord our God

through our egoism, our sins, and our lukewarm attitude to our faith.

.

The Lord always brings joy…never affliction.

We shall be full of joy if our Lord is present in our life,

unless we have lost Him;

unless we have allowed our sight to be clouded by tepidity

or by a lack of generosity, mercy and compassion.

.

To find Christ, and to remain in His company,

is to possess a deep happiness which is new every day!

.

.

.

QUOTE…

.

“Your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you.”

.

– Our Lord Jesus Christ (Jn 16:22)

.

.

.

REPETITIVE PRAYER FOR TODAY…

.

My heart rejoices when I walk with You, when I talk with You. Lord, You are my Joy!

.

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

.

TODAY’S WORD…

.

“Look, I am coming soon,

bringing my reward with me to repay all people according to their deeds.”

.

– Revelation 22:12 (NLT)

.

.

.

REFLECTION…

.

What the Lord really wants is for us to be just, merciful and be faithful.

Through regular examination of conscience

we can make sure that we do not get lost in what is basically of little consequence,

while failing to notice and to practice what is really important.

We may excel in the day-to-day practice of our religious duties,

but our private attitude and behaviour may be more than lacking.

.

If we make it a habit of humbly examining our conscience every day – briefly, but thoroughly

– we will overcome any latent hypocrisy in our heart

as well as a consequent distorted and self-focused vision.

.

A daily examination of conscience is an indispensable help

if we are to follow Our Lord with sincerity of heart and integrity of life.

.

A daily examination of conscience will help us discover

the hidden origins of our obvious failures in our actions or in our demonstrations of love;

the hidden roots of our gloom and bad temper;

our lack of piety…

All of these may crop up quite often in our lives,

and so we need to repeatedly and faithfully acknowledge the omnipresent Holy Spirit

and allow Him to help us identify our failings as Christians

and to help us find and embrace the remedies which will change us

and make us more like Christ.

.

.

.

QUOTE…

.

“By [an examination of conscience]

do I see and become enlightened,

that I avoid dangers and correct faults,

and that I set my ways right.

By it do I flood my soul with light and bring light to bear upon everything;

and thus I cannot abide in evil, but I am bound to do the truth,

that is to say, to advance in piety.”

.

– Fr. Joseph Tissot

.

.

.

REPETITIVE PRAYER FOR TODAY…

.

Holy Spirit, Cleansing Fire, purify my heart and flood my soul with Your penetrating light.

.

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

.

TODAY’S WORD…

.

“Lord, to whom can we go?

You have the words of eternal life.”

.

– John 6:68 (NRSV)

.

.

.

REFLECTION…

.

Lord, to whom can we go?

You have the words of eternal life.

To whom can we go indeed –

our life does not make sense if we are not following our Lord closely!

.

Anyone who follows You, Lord, will have the light of life.

Such a person is like a tree that is planted beside the flowing waters,

that yields its fruit in due season,

and whose leaves never fade. (Resp. Psalm, Ps 1:1-4)

.

Our successes and gains that boost our ego,

any human happiness that goes to make up our earthly treasure,

all is worthless compared to Christ’s eternal promise.

.

Truly we can say to Our Lord in our own personal prayer:

Stay with us, because our souls are full of darkness and You are the one true light;

You alone can satisfy the longings that consume us.

For we know that above everything that is beautiful and good, the greatest is this:

to possess You forever, O Lord.” (St. Gregory Nazianzen)

.

.

.

REPETITIVE PRAYER FOR TODAY…

.

Come Lord Jesus, fill me with the fire of Your love

and remove all that is pointless in my life; all that leads me away from You.

.

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

.

TODAY’S WORD…

.

For I, the Lord your God,
hold your right hand;
it is I who say to you, ‘Do not fear,
I will help you.’

.

– Isaiah 41:13 (NRSV)

.

.

“Stand up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”

.

– Luke 21:28 (NRSV)

.

.

.

REFLECTION…

.

A lifelong struggle will be necessary if we are to follow Our Lord in this life

and gaze on Him forever in Heaven.

The Christian life is simply not compatible with self-satisfied mediocrity

or with love of comfort and lukewarmness.

.

It is always a good moment to ask ourselves how much we struggle against our own passions, defects, sins and bad inclinations.

Our Lord asks us to keep up this struggle through the whole of our life.

.

Very, very often we will hear the Holy Spirit say:

Make a new start…, be constant;

that last failure doesn’t matter;

all the bad things in your life put together don’t matter…,

make a new start with deeper humility, asking your Lord for still more help.

.

Our failures can very often lead to progress in our interior life,

but only if we react to them with humility and genuine contrition

and with a firmer determination to follow Our Lord.

.

Our Lord wants us to begin again after every failure,

and He tells us: “Stand up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”

Our hope is based on this.

.

.

.

QUOTE…

.

“Today, as yesterday, heroism is expected of the Christian,

a heroism in great struggles, if the need arises.

Normally, however, the heroism will be in the little skirmishes of each day.”

.

– St. Josemaria Escriva

.

.

.

REPETITIVE PRAYER FOR TODAY…

.

My Lord and my God, have mercy on me a sinner.

Give me the grace and humility always to begin again and to persevere.

.

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

.

TODAY’S WORD…

.

Jesus said,

“Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens,

and I will give you rest.

Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me;

for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

.

– Matthew 11:28-30 (NRSV)

.

.

.

REFLECTION…

.

Our Lord proposes Himself as a model of meekness and humility

– virtues and dispositions of the heart which always go together.

.

If we follow Jesus and listen to Him,

He will win our trust through the meekness of His heart, always so welcoming and understanding.

.

Jesus is gentle and humble, which is why we can go to Him in all simplicity,

and even try to imitate Him.

There, in His most lovable Heart, we will find shelter and rest…and peace.

Our Lord told us to learn from Him

and a true Christian is perforce one who embraces the Christ-like virtue of meekness.

.

If we look closely at Jesus

we will see how patient He is with the defects of His disciples,

and how unweariedly He repeats the same teaching over and over again,

explaining it in detail,

so that His slow-minded and easily-distracted friends can master His saving doctrine.

He never loses patience with their obtuseness and failure to grasp His meaning.

.

The way to cure our bad temper, impatience and failure to be warm and understanding,

is therefore to imitate Jesus in His meekness.

This calm and welcoming spirit will be born and develop in us

in exact proportion to our efforts to remember the constant presence of God

and to think about Our Lord Jesus’ life.

To contemplate Jesus will especially help us not to be arrogant,

and not to lose our temper when things go wrong.

.

.

.

QUOTE…

.

“The peace of our spirit does not depend on the good nature and kindness of other people.

Our neighbours’ good nature and kindness are in no way subject to our control of opinion.

That would be absurd.

The tranquillity of our heart depends on ourselves.

The ability to avoid anger, with all its ridiculous effects,

has to come from within ourselves and not be dependent on the nature of other people.

The power to overcome the evil in our character

must not depend on some perfection outside us, but on our own virtue.”

.

– Cassian

.

.

.

REPETITIVE PRAYER FOR TODAY…

.

Jesus, Lamb of God, make me more like You!

.

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

.

TODAY’S WORD…

.

Give strength to hands that are tired
and to knees that tremble with weakness.
Tell everyone who is discouraged,
“Be strong and don’t be afraid!” […].

The blind will be able to see,
and the deaf will hear.
The lame will leap and dance,
and those who cannot speak will shout for joy.
Streams of water will flow through the desert;
the burning sand will become a lake,
and dry land will be filled with springs.

.

– Isaiah 35:3-7 (GNT)

.

.

.

REFLECTION…

.

The Messiah is very close to us,

and during these days of Advent we should get ready to receive Him

in a new way when Christmas comes.

.

During these days, Jesus is encouraging me by imploring:

“Be strong and don’t be afraid!”

Have I have lost my sense of what is most essential to my very existence?

Am I feeling unable or unworthy to go towards the Lord?

Am I walking along the paths of life as though paralysed because I have lost hope?

.

These days, the Holy Spirit points me towards the humble cave in Bethlehem.

There I will find the meaning of my life.

There I can gaze upon the beauty of the Lord

and be filled with unshakeable hope in His mercy and grace.

.

These days also, the Holy Spirit points me towards the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

If I accept His prompting and go with a humble, contrite and expectant heart,

my experience will be very much like that of

the blind being able to see,
the deaf starting to hear,
the lame leaping and dancing,
those who cannot speak suddenly shouting for joy;
like streams of water flowing through the desert,like burning sand turning into a lake,
and dry land becoming filled with springs.

.

Oh what incredible joy it is to receive the Sacrament of divine mercy!

.

.

.

REPETITIVE PRAYER FOR TODAY…

.

Lord Jesus, on bended knees I come

for You to fill my heart with the joy of Your divine mercy!

.

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

.

TODAY’S WORD…

.

“Be encouraged, my child! Your sins are forgiven.”

.

– Matthew 9:10 (NLT)

.

.

.

REFLECTION…

.

Every well-made Confession is an impulse which Our Lord gives us

to go ahead, freed from our miseries, with new courage and joy.

.

This is when Christ lovingly says to us once more:

Be encouraged, my child! Your sins are forgiven, begin again…

.

It is Christ Himself who forgives us when we have humbly told Him our faults.

St. Pope John Paul II tells us that when we confess our sins

it is “to God Himself, although in the confessional there is a man – the priest – who listens to us.”

.

A confession made with consciousness of its supernatural nature

is a real act of love for God.

In the depth of our soul we hear Christ ask, as He asked Peter: Do you love me?

And we too can answer, in the very words of the Apostle:

Lord, You know everything, You know that I love You!

Lord, You know that I love You…in spite of everything.

.

In Confession we are given special graces

to avoid precisely those defects and sins which we have confessed and repented.

To value frequent Confession

is a sign of spiritual refinement and love for God.

To despise it or to be indifferent to it

suggests inward coarseness, pride even, and a real blindness to supernatural realities.

.

.

.

REPETITIVE PRAYER FOR TODAY…

.

Lord Jesus, thank You for the Sacrament of Reconciliation,

through which I can get close to You again.

Thank You, Lord God. Forgive me, Lord God.

.

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

.

TODAY’S WORD…

.

“Prepare the way of the Lord,
make His paths straight.”

.

– Matthew 3:3 (NRSV)

.

.

.

REFLECTION…

.

John the Baptist’s words have echoed compellingly throughout the centuries

ever since he uttered them to prepare the people to meet Christ

and to recognise Him as Lord; to accept Him; and to love Him.

.

As Christians, we know that the world needs Christ to reign,

we know that the happiness and salvation of all mankind depend on Him.

As Christians, we are witnesses

and we are duty bound to bear witness and show others the way.

.

In today’s world,

many people have thrown themselves, heart and soul, into possessing material things

as if nothing else mattered.

But their hearts will never be satisfied with these things

and we have to show the way to such people and to everyone.

.

Our family, friend, workmates, those people we come in contact with frequently,

they should be the first to benefit from our love for God.

Moreover, with our example and our prayer

we should even be able to reach others we do not have a chance to talk to.

.

Since nobody can give what he or she does not have,

the effort to grow in our interior life becomes more urgent,

so that all those we meet and pass on the road

can be infected by our superabundant love for God.

.

.

.

QUOTE…

.

“You know what each one of you must do in your own home,

with your friend, your neighbour, your servant, your superior, your subordinate.

You also know the way in which God provides the opportunity,

and the way He opens the door with His word.

.

Do not be content, then, to live at peace with yourselves until you have won them all for Christ,

for you have been won for Christ.”

.

– St. Augustine

.

.

.

REPETITIVE PRAYER FOR TODAY…

.

Jesus, Holy Lamb of God, take away my sins, heal me, renew me and use me.

.

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

.

TODAY’S WORD…

.

“I am the Good Shepherd.”

.

– John 10:11 (NRSV)

.

.

.

REFLECTION…

.

Jesus came into the world to gather God’s flock

– He is the Good Shepherd.

.

The Good Shepherd comes to return the lost sheep to its flock,

to guide it,

to defend it,

to feed it,

to judge it,

and to lead it finally to the eternal pastures irrigated by springs of the water of life (Rev 7:17).

.

Jesus is the Good Shepherd proclaimed by the prophets.

He knows each one of His sheep and calls it by its name (Jn 10:3).

Yes, Jesus knows us personally.

He calls us, seeks us and heals us.

.

There is no need for us to feel lost, submerged in a huge mass of nameless humanity.

To Him each one of us is unique.

We can say with perfect accuracy: He loved me and gave Himself for me (Gal 2:20).

.

Jesus distinguishes my voice among many others.

No Christian has the right to say he or she is alone. Jesus is there, with him, with her.

If we are lost in the by-ways of wrongdoing,

the Good Shepherd is already out searching for us.

.

Only the perverse will and obstinacy of each individual sheep

can bring to naught the vigilance of the Shepherd

– in other words, a plain refusal to return to the sheepfold.

That, and that alone.

.

.

.

QUOTE…

.

“In the same way that a ship with a good pilot arrives safely in port,

so also will the soul that has a good shepherd safely reach its destination

even though it may many times have gone astray.”

.

– St. John Climacus

.

.

.

REPETITIVE PRAYER FOR TODAY…

.

Jesus, my Good Shepherd, I entrust myself to You.

Protect me, O Lord. Lead me, O Lord.

.

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