APPENDIX
COMPOSED DEVOTIONAL AIDS
MY COMMITMENT TO LOVE
Today I will love, because this is the most important thing in life. Without love, I am nothing. I will love God with all my heart, with all my strength, because He is my Creator and deserves to be loved by me. I will keep Jesus Crucified constantly before my eyes to remind me always what it really means to love in it's maximum expression, and I will offer my life as a sacrifice of love to the Father with Him, in every Eucharist that I celebrate. I will love Mary, and ask her to teach me to accept my share of the Cross with her, as the only road of true love. I will ask the Holy Spirit to inhabit me as Love, so that He can love through me.
Today I will love; I will love all Creation and every moment the Lord gives me, even the most painful ones. I will love all people, even those who do harm to me and to others. I will learn something from everyone, even if it's something that shouldn't be done. I will listen to God speaking to me through nature, history and each person I encounter. I will love all people, whether they are pleasant to me or not, whether they think like me or not, whether they are younger or older or the same age as me, whether they are female or male, whether they are richer or poorer than me, whether they are from my culture or another, whether they are sick or disabled, whether they are beggars or criminals. I will love all without exception, especially the weak, the downtrodden, the ones who find themselves on the margin of society and who received special attention from Christ. With Christ I will love them specially, so that they feel that they have their place in society, no matter what others think.
Today I will love. I will also love myself as part of that Creation I have decided to love. I will let nothing disturb me or put me off balance, as all things pass. I will avoid getting enslaved by things or people. I will remember that with God, I have everything. I will accept problems and obstacles as challenges that help me to grow, and if suffering should increase, so will my capacity to cope with it. And because I love myself, I will not pamper and spoil myself, but I will give value to penance: by disciplining my body, treating it with moderation and keeping it clean and healthy; and by taking full advantage of my time, dedicated to the service of the Lord and to His Kingdom of Love. I will know that I love myself when I feed my mind with the Wisdom that comes from God and when I guard it from being poisoned by thoughts that come from the Evil One. I will share my heart and it will widen. Through prayer, my soul will always struggle forward and not become dormant. Today I will love. Tomorrow I will love. I will love persistently without ceasing. Nothing or nobody will detain me. I will love, and I will reach my goal in life, because I will love. I will run the race all the way, and when I feel tired, I shall turn to God and He will renew my strength. Never will I sit down to mope over a failure; instead I will learn from my failures and try again. With persistent love, I will overcome all obstacles, even when they may seem impossible, just as the persistent rain can finally level a mountain. I will love now and always for all eternity in God who is Love. I will value what God has given me, by developing all my potentialities to their maximum capacities. I will strive to reach the height of Jesus, following His advice to be perfect as the Father. From an insignificant grain of wheat that I am, but full of potential, I shall grow to my fullness. I will never be content to reach only half way through a life of mediocrity. I will be grateful to God for making me so like others as well as so different and original, which enables Him to enrich others through me. Thanks to Him, I am an original synthesis of many generations, and new generations shall benefit from God's gift to them through me. Through self denial, I will allow the Lord to carry out to the full His creative work in me, which began at conception and which will reach it's completion at death, when I shall be born into Eternity as a completed work of creation for the glory of the Father. Through love, I will learn to have control over my emotions, however exaggerated they may become; I will learn to cope with them, whether I become as depressed as a valley, or as grandiose as a mountain, or as explosive as a volcano, or as thirsty for affection as a desert for water. And if I find I can't cope on my own, I will search for someone who can help me. And remembering that emotions fluctuate as the waves of the sea, I will be understanding towards myself and others when moods change. I will learn not to let the moods of others or the adverse changes in life, whether they come from within me of from outside of me, knock me off balance. If I feel depressed, I will sing; if I feel sad, I will laugh; if I feel lazy, I will redouble my work; if I feel fearful, I will boldly go forward; if I feel inferior, I will think about my past successes; if I feel insecure, I will speak with confidence, lifting my voice. If I feel too confident, I will remember my failures; if I feel important, I will remember moments of shame. And I will learn to smile, even when I fail, for smiling is a gift given only to human beings. Never will I take life too seriously.
And when shall I start loving? Right now. Immediately. All
my dreams are dust unless I put them into action. Jesus tells me that only
those who listen to the Words of God and practices them, shall inherit the
Today I will love and I will love today, because it could be my last day on earth. I will appreciate every moment of it, as a precious gift of God to me. I will consider this day my last one. I will not allow the mistakes of yesterday rob me of these precious last minutes of my life. I will not worry about tomorrow, as it could be so different to what I now imagine, and I may never see it. So why worry? I will live intensely today and enjoy it as my last. I will enjoy every moment of it. I will make it my best. I will live it full of enthusiasm and happiness. And if I wake up tomorrow, to find that I am still here on earth, I will show my gratitude to God for the gift of another day, and if not, I will rejoice even more to find myself on the way to eternity with the confidence that is His will for it to be so.
Brief Form:
Today I will love. I will love God with all my heart, mind and strength. I will constantly keep Jesus Crucified before my eyes, and learn through Him to love through sacrifice. I will offer myself with Him on the Cross in every Eucharist. I will love Mary. She will teach me how to sacrifice myself through love. I will ask the Holy Spirit to inhabit me, so that He who is love can love through me. Today I will love. I will love all Creation. I will listen to God resounding in nature, history and through every person I encounter, and I shall love them without exceptions no matter how difficult this may seem to me, but I will go out especially to those who need me most and not those whom I need most. I shall not let selfishness ruin my love for others. Today I will love. I will also love myself as another of God's beloved creatures. I will learn to accept myself as I am, but I will grow in what is still lacking to develop all my potentialities, and I shall persist until I succeed. I will discipline my life by taking advantage of the time, being in control of my emotions, taking care of my body and keeping it healthy, by feeding my mind with the Wisdom of God given to human kind throughout all ages, by sharing my heart so that it widens, and by praying to God so that my spirit may remain fresh and youthful, full of the vitality to strive forward without ceasing. Today I will love. I will start right now, because if I leave it for tomorrow, all my determinations will be but empty words. Only when these words become reality in me, will they be of value. Today I will love, and I will love today, considering it my last day. I will live my last day intensely and enjoy it while it's here, because it is all I have. I shall not let worries of yesterday nor of the future disturb the happiness of today. I will smile and be happy, even if something painful turns up. And if I wake up tomorrow, I will thank the Lord for another day on earth.
Note: It is recommended that you read by parts or fully the text out loud on getting up in the morning and when going to bed at night, to have it as the first and last thing on your mind, and this repeatedly over a period of time; this should help you grow spiritually.[1]
A MORNING PRAYER
Lord, here I am in Your Presence.
I am entirely Yours.
I adore You.
I offer You my whole heart.
I wish only to do Your will.
I offer You all my efforts.
I offer You all my sufferings.
I offer You all this day with all that it brings.
I offer them now,
but especially in today's Eucharist,
in union with Your Sacrifice, on
the Cross,
and in union with all those
who offer themselves to You
for the Salvation of the World.
LITANY OF LOVE
Lord have mercy (R)
Christ have mercy (R)
Lord have mercy (R)
Loving Father (R: Teach us Love)
Good Father
Kind Father
Merciful Father
Attentive Father
Watchful Father
Generous Father
Just Father
Patient Father
Father rich in Love
Father giver in Love
Father loving Creator
Son of the Loving God
Jesus, Beloved Son of the Father
Jesus, Consecrated Son to the Father
Jesus, Most Faithful Son
Jesus, Word of Love
Jesus, Seed of Love
Jesus, Vine of Love
Jesus, Bread of Love
Jesus, Sacrament of Love
Jesus, Incarnated Love
Jesus, Maximum expression of Love
Jesus, Loving Shepherd
Jesus, Lover of the poor
Jesus, Lover of the oppressed
Jesus, Lover of the abandoned
Jesus, Lover of the sick
Jesus, Lover of the afflicted
Jesus, Lover of the disabled
Jesus, Lover of the young
Jesus, Lover of the old
Jesus, Lover of the sinners
Jesus, most understanding
Jesus, most compassionate
Jesus, most tolerant
Jesus, most serviceable
Jesus, most sacrificial
Jesus, most hungry for justice
Jesus, most free in loving
Jesus, most dead to sin
Spirit, Love of God
Spirit, Gift of Love
Spirit, Love that unites us in God
Spirit, Love that strengthen us
Spirit, Love that gives us courage
Spirit, Love of God
Spirit, Gift of Love
Spirit, Love that unites us in God
Spirit, Love that strengthen us
Spirit, Love that gives us courage
Spirit, Love that makes us free
Spirit, Love that makes us be like God
Spirit, Love that makes us God's children
Spirit, Love that urges us to love
Spirit, Love that leads us to Heaven
Spirit, Love in whom we love
Spirit, Love in whom we consecrate our life to God
Spirit, Love in whom we rejoice
Mary, Mother of Love (R: Pray for us)
Mary, teacher of Love
Mary, model of Love
Mary, sure road to Love
Mary, giver of Love
Mary, animator of Love
Mary, most loving
Mary, most compassionate
Mary, most tender
Mary, most courageous
Mary, most decisive
Mary, our protector
All apostles, pillars of Love
All saints, expressions of Love
All angels, guardians of Love
Lamb of God,
who takes away the sins of the world
R: Have mercy on us!
Lamb of God,
who takes way the sins of the world
R: Fill us with Your Love!
Lamb of God,
who takes away the sins of the world
R: Make us instruments of Your Love!
From all hatred (R: Free us Lord!)
From all pride and conceit
From all jealousy and envy
From all harshness and rudeness
From all narrow-mindedness
From all bitterness and pessimism
From all indifference
From all lack of confidence
From all uncharitable thoughts
From all tepidness and laziness
From all sarcasm
From a loose tongue
From all emotional slavery
From all evil.
Let us pray
Heavenly Father, we thank you for
sending your Beloved Son in a great
gesture of Love to Humankind;
He showed us the Way to Love.
We ask that we may learn to love by the Power of Your spirit,
with the same intensity that Jesus loved us.
May Our Loving Mother, protect
and guide us to the
This we ask through Christ Our Lord who loved us unto death. Amen.
PRAYER TO THE HOLY TRINITY
Lord, my God,
Fount of all Humility,
I open my heart to You,
Allow me to be humble,
each time more,
in your Humility.
Lord, my God,
Fount of all Good,
I thirst for You.
Allow me to be good,
each time more,
in your Goodness.
Lord, my God,
Fount of all Love.
I adore You.
Allow me to love,
each time more,
in Your Love.
SONGS
IN RELATION TO THE THEME OF THE BOOK
Note: The original music are found
online. Check "Grupo Pueblo de Dios"
(click link) and under:"Buscar en autores", write "Gibson".
This will pull up all my songs as indicated
under each title in English below.
ON THE CROSS OF THE LORD
(Original
in Spanish: "En la Cruz del Señor")
R: Thank you my Lord
for your death on the cross.
1. For the love of your people
you gave up your life
as an offering of love
for our salvation.
R: Thank you my Lord
for your death on the cross.
2. Now I offer my life Lord
to you and for all
completing your loving
offering
for our salvation.
THE WATER OF CHRIST
(Original in Spanish: "El Agua de Cristo")
R: Jesus Christ, with the Water, pouring forth
from his side
washed
us clean from all evil, and he gave us all new life
1.
In our baptism oh Lord, you have wash us clean of sin
from your cross oh loving Lord, you call us
to renounce our sins
2. He has given us new life, with the waters from
his heart.
Let us promise him to love; follow him who
loved us much.
CHRIST OUR BREAD
(Original in Spanish: "Jesús Nuestro
Pan")
R: Only you oh
lord can save us all
In a world that is such
a mess
giving us your body and
your blood
In the holy Eucharist.
1. In a world that is so beautiful,
there are many who are
lacking bread,
it is because of
selfishness
That much evil is to be
found.
2. If we love
like Jesus who loved us all
So much bread then will
be multiplied
because that
love is life giving
as it multiplies so much
good.
THE CANDLE OF CHRIST
(Original in Spanish: "El Cirio de Cristo")
R: Christ you are the Candle,
with the bright new light.
Shine and inflame us,
in our open hearts.
1. We are so much like the bees Lord,
that
produce all the wax,
to
form this special candle.
Alleluia.
2. You enlighten our minds Lord,
as
you show us the way,
that
leads all to your Kingdom.
Alleluia.
3. You burn deep inside our hearts Lord;
you
are all our joy.
You
give us love and life Lord.
Alleluia.
4. Now we give you all our wax Lord,
to
be burnt in your fire Lord;
light
for the world to see us.
Alleluia.
THE HOUSE OF CHRIST
Original
in Spanish: "La Casa de Dios")
1. In the house that God is building, Jesus Christ is
the main foundation,
and we are
the living stones, that make up the house of the Lord.
2. The Spirit of
God unites us, with his love that forms the Church,
as happens
with the cement, that unites all the stones of the house.
3. There are
leaders there to guide us, like the pillars of a construction,
who together
with all the stones are forming the House of the Lord.
4. A roof over all protects us; it’s the mother of
Christ our Savior,
and is mother of
all his family who protects us and leads all to God.
5. As we grow in
the love of Jesus like the building that's growing upward
we are moving towards the Father, who awaits us as we go to Him.
BIBLIOGRAPHY AND GOOD
READING RESOURCES
[1] Bear in
mine that this is inspired by Og Mandino.
The Greatest Salesman in the World
. Bantam Books. 1968. There are parts that are his. I refurbished it to suit my
beliefs as a Catholic, and to be used in the spiritual training of my
seminarians in