Matthew 1:18
This is how Jesus Christ was born. Mary His mother had been given to Joseph in mariage but before they lived together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit.

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In order that I may bring You to birth in my own life, I too, like Mary must say, "Behold the handmaid of the Lord, may it be done to me according to Your Word. Then, the Holy Spirit will come over me and the power of the Most High will overshadow me. The Holy Spirit will have His way with me and in this communion, my Savior, Jesus Christ, will be made manifest in me. On this feast of Pentecost, O Holy Spirit, fill me, that I may be a witness to Christ in every way that God has appointed for me. Amen.

Mark 11:12-14
On the following day, when they came from Bethany, He was hungry. Seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, He went to see whether perhaps He would find anything on it. When He came to it, He found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs. He said to it, ‘May no one ever eat fruit from you again.’ And His disciples heard it.

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My Jesus, You are hungry for my love yet when You come to me, You find me barren. I look very good from the exterior full of healthy green , shiny leaves - all pomp and show - but the hungry remain hungry for I have nothing to offer. There is no season for love - all year round I am called to feed the hungry and give drink to the thirsty. You have said, "Whatsoever you do to the least of my brethren You do it to Me." If I wait until I am ready to bear fruit I never will be. My life has to be an outpouring of self always in imitation of You - help me Lord!

Wisdom 16:20-28
...You gave your people food of angels, and without their toil you supplied them from heaven with bread ready to eat, providing every pleasure and suited to every taste. For your sustenance manifested your sweetness towards your children;and the bread, ministering to the desire of the one who took it,was changed to suit everyone’s liking. Snow and ice withstood fire without melting,so that they might know that the crops of their enemies were being destroyed by the fire that blazed in the hail and flashed in the showers of rain; whereas the fire in order that the righteous might be fed, even forgot its native power. For creation, serving you who made it, exerts itself to punish the unrighteous, and in kindness relaxes on behalf of those who trust in you. Therefore at that time also, changed into all forms, it served your all-nourishing bounty,according to the desire of those who had need, so that your children, whom you loved, O Lord, might learn that it is not the production of crops that feeds humankind but that your word sustains those who trust in you. For what was not destroyed by fire was melted when simply warmed by a fleeting ray of the sun, to make it known that one must rise before the sun to give you thanks.

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My beloved Jesus, Bread of Life - how beautifully these verses describe the manna and how powerfully they speak of the Eucharist. The manna that God provided in the desert was food that satisfied the body. In the Eucharist the Manna provided by Your Body satisfies the soul.
Verse 28 tells us beautifully why we ought to wake up before the sun to give you praise and thanks at dawn. Thank You Jesus for speaking to me through Your Word.

Hosea 6:1, 4
Come, let us return to Yahweh. He who shattered us to pieces, will heal us as well, He has struck us down, but He will bind up our wounds. O Ephraim, what shall I do with you? O Judah, how shall I deal with you? This love of your is like morning mist, like morning dew that quickly disappears.

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My Jesus, when in Your goodness You strike me down in order to bring me to repentance, contrition and obedience may I continue to keep my gaze on You. I do not want my love for You to be as transient as the morning mist. Only You can give me a deep and abiding love for You.

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"Remember to love and accept people despite their faults this is how I love you."

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Thank You Lord, for this timely reminder.

Sirach 39:33-35

All the works of the Lord are good and He will satisfy every need in due time. You must not say this: This is less good than that, for in its time every thing will serve a purpose. So now, with all your heart and in full voice sing and bless the Name of the Lord.

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Thank you my Beloved Jesus for this timely reminder. St. Paul echoes this thought in Romans 8:28 when he says, "We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose." PRAISE YOU LORD!!!!

Romans 8:14-17

All those who walk in the Spirit are sons and daughters of God. Then, no more fear, you did not receive a spirit of slavery, but the Spirit that makes you sons and daughters and everytime we cry, "Abba! Father!" the Spirit assures our spirit that we are sons and daughters of God. If we are children we are heirs too. Ours will be the inheritance of God and we will share it with Christ, for if we now suffer with Him, we will also share glory with Him.

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"All that I have is yours this is the will of My Father. This was His plan from the beginning. When your first parents sinned He did not allow it to be the end of the story but the beginning of a new one where His love would conquer evil and death. My Father is generous. He grafted you to Me. He gave You the same Spirit that binds My Father to Me, so that where I am you too can be."

John 16:26-27

...You will ask the Father in My Name and it will not be for Me to ask the Father for you, for the Father Himself loves you because you have loved Me and you believe that I came from the Father.

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Luke 15-21

He was still a long way off when his father caught sight of him. His father was so deeply moved with compassion that he ran out to meet him, threw his arms around his neck and kissed him.

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My Jesus, I love You to the utmost capacity of my being - but that capacity is so pitiably small my Lord and You are so extravagantly generous in Your response to my little love. Thank You for reminding me how much the Father loves me, His poor, foolish, sinful child.

Psalm 89:14-17

You have a powerful arm, mighty and exalted is Your right hand! Justice and righteousness are the foundation of Your throne; love and faithfulness go before You. Blessed is the people who know Your praise. They walk in the light of Your Face. They celebrate all day Your Name and Your protection lifts them up.

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My beloved Jesus, how beautifully these verses describe You and the relationship that those who walk with You enjoy. Thank you for the love, joy and peace that come from knowing , trusting and having a deep abiding faith in You.

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Philippians 4:4-8

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, beloved, whatever is true, whatever is honourable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.

Sirach 6:37, Sirach 7:10

Meditate on the precepts of the Lord and apply yourself unceasingly to His commandments. He will strengthen your heart and the wisdom you desire will be given to you. Pray with a strong spirit and do not neglect to give alms.

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Source of all strength, grant that I may always mediate on Your Word, obey it, live it, make it the rule of my life, so that I may please you always, my God.

(See May 16)

Psalm 34: 16, 18, 23
The eyes of the Lord are fixed on the righteous, His ears are inclined to their creis. The Lord hears the cries of the righteous and rescues them from all their troubles. The Lord will redeem the life of His servants, none of those who trust Him will be doomed.

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My Beloved, Your eyes are on me, Your ears hear me, and You will redeem me. What more can I ask for.

Thank You Lord.

Psalm 138:1-3

I thank You O Lord, with all my heart, for You have heard the word of my lips. I sing Your praises in the presence of the gods. I bow down towards Your holy temple and give thanks to Your Name, for Your love and faithfulness, for Your Word which exceeds everything. You answered me when I called; You restored my soul and made me strong.

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My Jesus, You are the Word that the Father has spoken from all eternity, the Word that brings me wholeness, healing and strength - I LOVE YOU.

"Myra,

I came in order that you may have life and have it more abundantly. You know the way, walk in it. You know the truth, live it. You are filled with my life, witness to it. Many have gone the way of the flesh and have perished, so be on your guard always. The devil is always prowling around seeking to plunder and destroy, so remain alert and watchful in prayer. Be wise with the wisdom of My Spirit, be gentle, humble and obedient like Me so that the Father and I may dwell in you. "

"Thank You Lord."

Hosea 2:19-20

You will be my spouse forever, bethrothed in justice and integrity; we will be united in love and tenderness. I will espouse you in faithfulness and you will come to know God.

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My Beloved Jesus, what a beautiful passage. Since I am one body in You along with the Church and since in marriage the two become one- so You make me Your spouse. The marks of my bethrothal are justice and integrity. To be just as You are just, is to see the whole view and thus to be merciful and compassionate. Integrity, what a beautiful word, to have integrity in all I say and do means I can be trusted. You will make me faithful for on my own I will fail and fall every time. And finally, You promise that I will come to know You. To know in the scriptural sense implies intimacy. It is a knowledge and union between God and His people, it is a knowledge between spouses, it is a self-donation which yields life.

Psalm 138:6-8

From above the Lord watches over the lowly, from afar He marks down the haughty. If I walk in the midst of trouble, You give me life. With outstretched arms You save me from the wrath of my foes, with Your right hand You deliver me. How the Lord cares for me! Your kindness O Lord, endures forever, forsake not the work of Your hands.

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My Beloved Jesus, how do I begin to thank You for Your great love and care for me. You watch over me, You listen when I talk to You, You forgive me my sins, You generously pour Your Spirit of love and goodness over me, You have blessed me abundantly. In turn my Lord, I place my heart and my life at Your feet.

Luke 13:23-25

Someone asked him, ‘Lord, will only a few be saved?’ He said to them, ‘Strive to enter through the narrow door; for many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able. When once the owner of the house has got up and shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and to knock at the door, saying, “Lord, open to us”, then in reply he will say to you, “I do not know where you come from.”

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I can enter by the narrow door when I make You the treasure of my heart and the focus of my life. When the world and all it offers does not distract me with its passing pleasures. When I can rest in You as a weaned child against its mother's breast. You will know where I come from if I follow the Way that You have marked for me. For You have said, ‘If anyone wants to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.' Give me this grace Lord to stay close to You every day.

My Beloved Jesus, when we love as You love, when we pour out ourselves in love-giving and life-giving love in imitation of You, then we will love with the power given to us by the Holy Spirit. As one body in You, we will be taken up in the eternal dance of love between You and the Father in the Holly Spirit. We will become one in the Triune God because we are one with You.

Psalm 51:1-4, 6-7, 10-11 & 17

Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love;according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me. Against you, you alone, have I sinned, and done what is evil in your sight,so that you are justified in your sentence and blameless when you pass judgement. You desire truth in the inward being; therefore teach me wisdom in my secret heart. Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within me. Do not cast me away from your presence, and do not take your holy spirit from me. The sacrifice acceptable to God is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.

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Job 13:23

How many are my iniquities and my sins? Make me know my transgression and my sin.

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My God make known to me all my sins, all my faults, my weaknesses and failings; however, once I have confessed them let me not be scrupulous and worry about them. May I be childlike enough to leave all to You tender mercy and compassion.

Nehemiah 9:15

You sent them bread from heaven to satisfy their hunger; You made water gush forth from the rock to quench their thirst.

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Father, You have given us Your Son as the Living Bread so we will never hunger again. You allowed Your Son the Rock to be struck just as Moses struck the rock in the desert and from His sacred side flowed blood and water to quench our thirst, to cleanse us and to give us new life. Thank You.

Matthew 8:25-26

They woke Him up and cried, "Lord save us! We are lost! But Jesus answered, "Why are you afraid, you of little faith?" then He stood up and ordered the wind and the seas and it became completely calm.

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My Jesus, how often in my own life I have come before You weeping and wailing. In all these experiences my God, You were not asleep, but You have watched me allow myself drown in my fears, anxiety and feelings of helplessness until I finally turned to You and away from myself. It is then I found You and You comforted and consoled me and answered me. Thank You.

Zechariah 9:9

Rejoice greatly daughter of Zion! Shout for joy daughter of Jerusalem! for your King is coming, just and victorious, humble and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.

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My daugher, my sister, my bride - remember this - In a world that desires the biggest, brightest, newest, flashiest of everything to proclaim their worth, I the Lord of all, do not need anything on the outside to declare who I am. Humility and obedience are the marks of the children of the Father.

Wisdom 5:15-16

The upright live forever, their reward is with the Lord, and the Most High has them in His care. This is why they receive, from the hands of the Lord, a royal crown, a splendid diadem. He will shelter them in His hand and His arm will be their shield.

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My Beloved Jesus, only with Your help can this promise be fulfilled for me. I am weak and I need Your strength. Stay close by me my Lord. Help and strengthen me in times of temptation. Come to my aid when I call. Deliver me from evil and with Your help I shall be able to hold firm till the end.

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My God, there is a work You have created me to do. Grant that by Your grace I may do it.

Jeremiah 29:11-14

You have plans for me my Beloved, wonderful plans to give me a future and a hope. You promise that when I call You will listen. When I seek You, You will let Yourself be found. When I look for You with all the fervour of my soul, You will not hide Yourself from me. You will bring me back home to the home of Your own most Sacred Heart. Thank You.

Sirach 14:20-27

Happy is the person who meditates on wisdom
and reasons intelligently,
who reflects in their heart on her ways
and ponders her secrets,
perusing her like a hunter, and lying in wait on her paths;
who peers through her windows and listens at her doors;
who camps near her house and fastens their tent peg to her walls;
who pitches their tent near her,
and so occupies an excellent lodging place;
who places their children under her boughs;
who is sheltered by her from the heat,
and dwells in the midst of her glory.

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To have wisdom is the gift of Your Holy Spirit my Lord. Who is wise? The one who takes time to sit in Your Presence, to be silent before You. To listen to Your voice. One who reads Your Word and ponders on it and makes Your Word the rule of life.

Pour Your widom on me O Lord and all those I love for without wisdom, we will be nothing less than fools. Give us wisdom in order that we may please You in all things - that we may be gracious in speech, in thought and in deed. Amen.

2Samuel 22:7

I called to the Lord in my distress to my God I cried for help and from His temple He has heard my voice, my cry of grief reached His ears.

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Psalm 51:8-9

I know you desire truth in the heart, teach me wisdom in my inmost being. Cleanse me with hyssop and I shall be clean, wash me, I shall be whiter than snow.

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The perfect obedience of Jesus to the Father was able to reveal His infinite love us His children and bring about the most wonderful fruit of our redemption.

Psalm 89:26

He shall cry to me, “You are my Father, my God, and the Rock of my salvation!”

My dearest Jesus, thank You for revealing to us that God loves us as a Father. Thank You for being the Rock on which the Church stands firm and nothing, not even the gates of hell shall prevail against it. And finally, You are my salvation - the reason for my hope. Thank You.

Numbers 21: ..7-9

Moses pleaded for the people and Yahweh said to him, "Make a fiery serpent and set it on a standard, whoever has been bitten and then looks at it shall live." So Moses made a bronze serpent and set it on a standard. Whenever a man was bitten he looked towards the bronze serpent and lived.

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My beloved Jesus, just as Moses pleaded before God for His people, so You plead before the Father for us. You became sin for my sake and You were raised on the cross in order to save me. I am confident that everyone I am praying for will be saved for You intercede for us night and day. Thank You.

Song of Songs 2:2:16-17, 3: ...4

My Lover is mine and I am His, He shepherds His flock among the lilies. Before the dusk blows and shadows flee, return my Lover, be like a gazelle or a young stag on the rugged hills. I found the love of my heart, I held Him and would not let Him go.

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My beloved Jesus, every morning we meet in personal prayer. My heart entwines with Your own. You speak to me and I to You - the minutes flow into an hour or more and my soul finds its true rest in You. It's hard to let go but You assure me that You won't let go of me but will stay with me through the day. Thank You my Lord.

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John 10:27-30

"My sheep hear my voice and I know them; they follow me and I give them eternal life. They shall never perish and no one will ever steal them from me. What the Father has given me is stronger than everything and no one can snatch it from the Father's hand. I and the Father are one."

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I am Your sheep, You know me, I recognise Your voice in the din of the world and I follow You and You alone. You and the Father are one and I and You are one and so I am one with You, the Father and the Holy Spirit. Alleluia!!!!!!

Matthew 28:17

When they saw Jesus, they bowed before Him although some doubted.

My Jesus, in the very last encounter between You and Your disciples when You met them on a mountain, it says that all bowed before You, though some doubted.

It is so easy to be critical of the doubters. Yet, how often I myself fall into this category. Inspite of all that You have done for me, how often I have shown a marked lack of trust in You. You look at the doubters as You looked at Thomas, without any condemnation but You help us to understand as long as we are willing to let You guide us into the truth.

1John 3:1-2 See what love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God; and that is what we are. The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know Him. Beloved, we are God’s children now; what we will be has not yet been revealed. What we do know is this: when He is revealed, we will be like Him, for we will see Him as He is.

Self-giving love, self-emptying love, self-donating love, self-sacrificial love - This is God's love for me. Love that did not count the cost. In order to make me His child, He sent His Son to die in order that I may live and Jesus who also wants me to live, willingly and joyfully laid down His life for me. This is indeed Good News which I should be proclaiming from the roof tops but I am not only self-centered, I make excuses to be silent instead of shouting in exultation.

Acts 4:12 There is no salvation in anyone else, for there is no other Name given to humankind all over the world by which we may be saved.

All Christians believe this to be true - there is only One through Whom we receive salvation. So many do not know Jesus and those of us who do, are content to sit on our hands, we do nothing to communicate this truth to others in order that they too may inherit God's Kingdom.

John 10:18 No one takes My life from Me, but I lay it down freely. It is Mine to lay down and to take up again: this mission I received from My Father.

Dying You destroyed our death. Rising You restored our life. Lord Jesus, come in glory!!! Maranatha!!! In the meantime help me to be a faithful and better witness. Amen

Hosea 2:19-20

You will be my spouse forever, bethrothed in justice and integrity; we will be united in love and tenderness. I will espouse you in faithfulness and you will come to know Yahweh.

My Lord, here are the words You use - spouse, bethrothed, united, espouse and know. All these words and promises pertain to marriage. You make a covenant of love with me who am nothing but a tiny speck in all creation. You take this nothing and you raise it up to Yourself and You make promises that will last eternally. I can believe You because Your Name is also Truth. You promise me knowledge of Yourself, grant me the grace to receive this knowledge of You. Amen

Jeremiah 31: .. 12...13, 16

"You will be like a well-watered garden. I will turn your mourning into gladness, I will give you comfort and joy for sorrow."

My Lord says this to me, "Weep no more and wipe the tears from your eyes. Your sorrow will have redress. They will come back from the enemy's land."

My Jesus, the grace poured on me by Your Holy Spirit makes me a well-watered garden. May I bear good fruit for Your glory. Thank You for Your promise that all the people I am praying for will come home again.