Tag Archives: Gracelines

Resist the devil

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January 8
“Resist the devil and he will flee from you.”
-James 4:7
Today’s Reflection:
Anytime we are serious about our relationship with God, we can be certain that Satan will try to dissuade us in every way possible. He will taunt us, tempt us, and try us in an effort to make us give up and give in. What are your biggest distractions? How is God calling you to remain faithful to your time of prayer?

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Hear God speak in the bottom of your heart

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January 7

“The chief exercise of prayer is to speak to God and to hear God speak in the bottom of your heart.”

-St. Francis de Sales

 

For Reflection

Prayer is a gateway to intimacy with our Creator and Lord. Through it, we find fellowship with Him. What effect does such an interaction have?

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Prayer is essential

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January 6

“Prayer is not one occupation among many, but is at the center
of our life in Christ.”

-St. John Paul II

 

For Reflection

Prayer is not optional; it is essential. How is God calling you to turn your prayer life into the breath of your existence?

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I stand at the door and knock

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January 5
“Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if any one hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.”
-Revelation 3:20
For Reflection
God will never trespass on our free will. Daily, God calls us to surrender to His plans and will. Today, He is calling you to give everything to Him.
What is He asking you to surrender?

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Their eyes were opened

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January 4
“Then the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves aprons.”
– Gen. 3:7
For Reflection
What effect did the sin of disobedience have on Adam and Eve? What ripple effect did that have on the whole of mankind? How does disobedience impact you in your day to day walk with God? What remedies can you employ today to grow in humility and obedience to God’s will?

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God so loved the world

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January 1
Solemnity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of God

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.”

– John 3:16

 

For Reflection

Why would God do such a thing even as man often stubbornly opposes His divine will? As we enter this New Year, how can you more freely accept God’s amazing gift to us, Jesus Christ? Ask Mary, Mother of God, to intercede for you to have greater receptivity to every grace and blessing that He desires to give you in this New Year and new decade.

Mother of God

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December 31

Eve of the Feast of Mary, Mother of God

Mother benign of our redeeming Lord,
Star of the sea and portal of the skies,
Unto thy fallen people help afford –
Fallen, but striving still anew to rise.
Thou who dids’t once, while wond’ring
worlds adored,
Bear thy Creator, Virgin then as now,
O by thy holy joy at Gabriel’s word,
Pity the sinners who before thee bow.

-Roman Breviary, Antiphon of the Blessed Virgin

 

For Reflection

Spend some quiet moments with Mary by reflecting on this antiphon. Journal your reflections.

Highest dignity

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December 30
“God could make a bigger world or a wider sky, but He could not raise a pure creature higher than Mary, for the dignity of Mother of God is the highest dignity that can be conferred on a creature.”
-St. Bonaventure
For Reflection
Pray the prayer of Consecration to Jesus Through Mary by St. Louis Grignion de Montfort. Jot down any insights, reflections, inspirations that come to you through this prayer. Adopt this prayer as your own for the next year or write your own prayer of consecration to Jesus through Mary. Add this to your list of resolutions for the coming new year.