Saturday, May 17, 2025
Friday, May 16, 2025
THE FATHER AND I ARE ONE.
IF YOU ASK ANYTHING IN MY NAME, I WILL DO IT.
"Jesus said to his disciples: “If you know me, then you will also know my Father.
"From now on you do know him and have seen him.”
"Philip said to Jesus, “Master, show us the Father, and that will be enough for us.” Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you for so long a time and you still do not know me, Philip?
"Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on my own. The Father who dwells in me is doing his works. Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else, believe because of the works themselves.
"Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever believes in me will do the works that I do, and will do greater ones than these, because I am going to the Father.
"And whatever you ask in my name, I will do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything of me in my name, I will do it.” (John 14: 7 - 14).
Saturday 17th May in the 4th Week in the Easter Season.
Reflect with me on this great promise of Jesus on Prayer:
"If you ask anything of me in my name, I will do it.”
Jesus Christ Himself taught that Prayer is a vital necessity. (Luke 18:1). God is obliged as a matter of justice to answer every Prayer. ("Will not God then secure the rights of his chosen ones who call out to him day and night? Will he be slow to answer them? 8 I tell you, he will see to it that justice is done for them speedily." (Luke 18: 7 - 8).
The God of Abraham is the God of Covenant who remembers His covenant forever.
Two of my greatest teachers on Prayer are:
1. St Alphonsus Liguori, CSsR.
2. St Claude de la Colombière, SJ.
There teaching on Prayer is remarkably similar. Here is what I learned about their teaching on Prayer:
Pray with faith.
Ask God for big stuff.
Ask with persistence until you receive what you ask. If you quit asking before you receive, blame yourself. If God does not intend to grant your prayer, you will know somehow interiorly and quit.
Since Prayer is such a vital necessity in life, it is worth paying any price to get this gift and learn as much as possible about Prayer. Every significant gift I have enjoyed came from Prayer.
I learned from the Liturgy of the Hours: "T'is not from chance springs any of the comfort we enjoy but from God's gracious ordaining."
This is true. Ask and you shall receive.
Saints are the happiest people on earth. Why not start by desiring to be a saint?
“From Mary we learn to surrender to God's Will in all things. From Mary we learn to trust even when all hope seems gone. From Mary we learn to love Christ her Son and the Son of God!” “As the family goes, so goes the nation and so goes the whole world in which we live.” (St John Paul II).
The Church honors the Blessed Virgin Mary in the Month of May.
"The greatest saints, those richest in grace and virtue will be the most assiduous in praying to the most blessed virgin, looking up to her as the perfect model to imitate and as a powerful helper to assist them."
- (Saint Louis Marie de Montfort)
Honor Mary through the Holy Rosary, Litany, Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, Consecration to The Immaculate Heart of Mary, Pilgrimages, etc.
For the Litany, 15 Promises of Mary, Consecration Prayer, etc and Prayer intentions click the link below:
http://seekfirst.blogspot.com/2024/04/may-devotion-to-mary.html?m=1
Wednesday, May 14, 2025
THE FEAST OF ST ISIDORE THE FARMER.
FEAST OF ST ISIDORE THE FARMER.
THE GOODNEWS:
"When Jesus had washed the disciples’ feet, he said to them: “Amen, amen, I say to you, no slave is greater than his master nor any messenger greater than the one who sent him. If you understand this, blessed are you if you do it. I am not speaking of all of you. I know those whom I have chosen." (John 13: 16...20).
Thursday 15th May 2025 in the 4th Week in the Easter Season is
the feast of St Isidore the Farmer.
Isidore the Farmer lived between (1070 - 1130).
Isidore was a humble Spanish farmer who spent most of his day on the land and managed to attend daily Mass and spend significant time before the Blessed Sacrament.
His wife Maria is a canonized saint. His life reminds us that all creation belong to God who requires us to care for the environment that surrounds us. Isidore is the Patron of the National Rural Life Conference in the US.
Two important things to note about the life of St Isidore the Farmer.
1. As a farmer, he spent most of his time in the field. How did he manage to attend daily Mass?
2. How did Isidore find the time to spend before the Blessed Sacrament?
We enter one of the most consequential conversations of Jesus with His disciples: The Last Supper Discourse.
The first thing Jesus did as He gathered the disciples to celebrate the Passover in the Upper Room which became the Last Supper was to wash the dirty feet of His disciples. What is the lesson for them and for us?
"Amen, amen, I say to you, no slave is greater than his master nor any messenger greater than the one who sent him. If you understand this, blessed are you if you do it." (John 13: 16 - 17).
Jesus the Christ came to serve and not to be served. Imitation of Jesus is the key to a blessed life.
We become saints not by the amount of knowledge or degrees we have but by imitating Jesus. As we become little by little like Jesus every day we start to imitate his mannerisms: His words and actions. Jesus promises that this is the secret of the ultimate blessings and happiness in this world and the next.
Saints are the happiest people on earth. Why not start by desiring to be a saint?
“From Mary we learn to surrender to God's Will in all things. From Mary we learn to trust even when all hope seems gone. From Mary we learn to love Christ her Son and the Son of God!” “As the family goes, so goes the nation and so goes the whole world in which we live.” (St John Paul II).
"The greatest saints, those richest in grace and virtue will be the most assiduous in praying to the most blessed virgin, looking up to her as the perfect model to imitate and as a powerful helper to assist them."
- (Saint Louis Marie de Montfort)
Honor Mary through the Holy Rosary, Litany, Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, Consecration to The Immaculate Heart of Mary, Pilgrimages, etc.
For the Litany, 15 Promises of Mary, Consecration Prayer, etc and Prayer intentions click the link below:
http://seekfirst.blogspot.com/2024/04/may-devotion-to-mary.html?m=1
Tuesday, May 13, 2025
THE FEAST OF ST MATTHIAS, APOSTLE.
THE FEAST OF ST MATTHIAS, APOSTLE.
"Jesus cried out and said, “Whoever believes in me believes not only in me but also in the one who sent me, and whoever sees me sees the one who sent me.
"I came into the world as light, so that everyone who believes in me might not remain in darkness.
"And if anyone hears my words and does not observe them, I do not condemn him, for I did not come to condemn the world but to save the world.
"Whoever rejects me and does not accept my words has something to judge him: the word that I spoke, it will condemn him on the last day, because I did not speak on my own, but the Father who sent me commanded me what to say and speak. And I know that his commandment is eternal life. So what I say, I say as the Father told me.” (John 12: 44 - 50).
Wednesday May 14th 2025 in the 4th Week in the Easter Season is the feast of St Mathias, Apostle.
Jesus said to the Apostles during the Last Supper:
"It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit that will remain."
Matthias, our saint for today was not among the original Twelve Apostles.
Like St Matthias, each of us is called, chosen and anointed for a specific mission in the Kingdom. This is true whether we are soldiers, teachers, accountants, lawyers or housewives. Your day job is the field for your ministry. We are called to be friend and companion of Jesus who will carry on His ministry through us in the power of the Holy Spirit.
Mattias who had followed Jesus since His Baptism at the Jordan became a witness to the Resurrection and saw Jesus ascend into Heaven. He was present with the disciples in the Upper Room at Pentecost. Matthias met the criteria established by the Apostles to be qualified to replace Judas Iscariot.
Matthias must have been deeply surprised by his call to join the Apostolic College. This is the way of God:
"God raises up the lowly from the dust; from the dunghill he lifts up the poor to seat them with princes, with the princes of his own people." (Psalm 113: 7 - 8).
Ancient tradition placed St Matthias' ministry in Jerusalem, Cappadocia and Ethiopia. He was martyred in Jerusalem.
Matthias is the patron saint of Alcoholics.
"I chose you from the world, to go and bear fruit that will last, says the Lord." (John 15: 16).
The Church honors the Blessed Virgin Mary in the Month of May.
"The greatest saints, those richest in grace and virtue will be the most assiduous in praying to the most blessed virgin, looking up to her as the perfect model to imitate and as a powerful helper to assist them."
- (Saint Louis Marie de Montfort)
Honor Mary through the Holy Rosary, Litany, Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, Consecration to The Immaculate Heart of Mary, Pilgrimages, etc.
For the Litany, 15 Promises of Mary, Consecration Prayer, etc and Prayer intentions click the link below:
http://seekfirst.blogspot.com/2024/04/may-devotion-to-mary.html?m=1
Monday, May 12, 2025
THE FEAST OF OUR LADY OF FATIMA.
THE FEAST OF OUR LADY OF FATIMA.
THE GOODNEWS:
"The feast of the Dedication was taking place in Jerusalem. It was winter.
And Jesus walked about in the temple area on the Portico of Solomon.
So the Jews gathered around him and said to him, “How long are you going to keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly.”
Jesus answered them, “I told you and you do not believe. The works I do in my Father’s name testify to me. But you do not believe, because you are not among my sheep.
My sheep hear my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish. No one can take them out of my hand.
My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one can take them out of the Father’s hand. The Father and I are one.” (John 10: 22 - 30). O
Tuesday 13th May 2025 in the 4th Week of the Easter Season.
Today is the feast of Our Lady of Fatima, not a solemnity but a feast celebrated worldwide because of the significance of the message of Fatima. What does Fatima mean to Christians and why does it matter? First, Fatima is in the domain of private revelation. Nobody is obligated to believe the message. But because the Church approves the apparitions of the Blessed Mother in Fatima in 1917, and very importantly because the Church gives it a place in its solemn liturgy, it makes sense to pay attention to it.
What is the message of Fatima?
"The message of Fatima includes a call to conversion of heart, repentance from sin and a dedication to the Blessed Virgin Mary, shown especially by praying the Rosary." (Roman Missal, Feast of Our Lady of Fatima, May 13).
In our key Scripture for today, Jesus says:
"My sheep hear my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish. No one can take them out of my hand."
Do you hear the voice of Jesus? You hear His voice by listening to the Scriptures every day.
If your heart is troubled by affairs of this world: family, health, money, politics, etc, it is because you do not put your trust in Jesus Christ. In you depend on the world for your peace and serenity, you are promised lots of trouble. But it should not be so.
Listen to the promises of Jesus. Reflect on them continually and you shall have peace. Below are a few of the promises of our Lord Jesus Christ. Call them healing truths because they destroy the lies of Satan in the soul and establish the peace of Christ.
1. "I have told you this so that you might have peace in me. In the world you will have trouble, but take courage, I have conquered the world.”
2."It is I. Do not be afraid."
3. "Do not let your heart be troubled. Believe in God and believe in Me also."
4. "Fear is useless. All you need is Faith."
5. "My grace is sufficient for you. For power is made effective in weakness."
The Church honors the Blessed Virgin Mary in the Month of May.
Honor Mary through the Holy Rosary, Litany, Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, Consecration to The Immaculate Heart of Mary, Pilgrimages, etc.
For the Litany, 15 Promises of Mary, Consecration Prayer, etc and Prayer intentions click the link below:
http://seekfirst.blogspot.com/2024/04/may-devotion-to-mary.html?m=1
Sunday, May 11, 2025
THE FEAST OF THREE YOUNG ROMAN MARTYRS.
FEAST OF SAINTS NEREUS, ACHILLEUS AND PANCRAS.
THE GIFT OF ABUNDANT LIFE.
THE GOODNEWS:
"Jesus said: “Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever does not enter a sheepfold through the gate but climbs over elsewhere is a thief and a robber.
"But whoever enters through the gate is the shepherd of the sheep.
"The gatekeeper opens it for him, and the sheep hear his voice, as he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has driven out all his own, he walks ahead of them, and the sheep follow him, because they recognize his voice.
"But they will not follow a stranger; they will run away from him, because they do not recognize the voice of strangers.” Although Jesus used this figure of speech, they did not realize what he was trying to tell them.
"So Jesus said again, “Amen, amen, I say to you, I am the gate for the sheep. All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them.
"I am the gate. Whoever enters through me will be saved, and will come in and go out and find pasture. A thief comes only to steal and slaughter and destroy; I came so that they might have life and have it more abundantly.” (John 10: 1 - 10).
Monday May 12, 2025 in the 4th Week in the Easter Season.
The Church celebrates today the feast of three youthful soldier martyrs. St Pancras (+ 304). Roman. Martyred at 14 under Emperor Diocletian. Also today: Saints Nereus and Achilleus, Roman soldiers. Both martyred under Emperor Trajan. The Church rejoices in saints that bore witness to Jesus at very young age: Agnes, Perpetua, Felicity, Agatha, Maria Goretti, etc.
"I came so that they might have life and have it more abundantly.”
Why was Jesus conceived of the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontus Pilate, crucified, died and buried and raised again on Easter Sunday, which we celebrate each Easter Season?
The answer is: THAT WE MAY HAVE ABUNDANT LIFE.
Humanity had lanquished in squalor since the downfall of Adam and Eve.
What is Abundant Life?
Abundant Life is the Holy Spirit. When we become baptized, the third Person of the Blessed Trinity instantly comes and dwells in us. He does not come empty handed.
The Holy Spirit comes with all His gifts: Wisdom, Understanding, Counsel, Fortitude, Knowledge, Reverential Fear of the Lord and Piety.
These gifts come to us as seeds to be developed by us through desire, prayer and study.
The Holy Spirit blesses us too with the fruits of His personality, for example: Charity, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, generosity and others.
This is the Abundant Life that Jesus speaks about in John 10: 10.
He who believes enjoys Abundant Life Here and Now. St Catherine of Siena says that we continue to enjoy this Abundant Life from now all the way to eternity.
Abundant life is life in the Spirit. It is not eating, drinking and revelry which is the life of the unsaved.
If you lose the joy and peace of abundant life through sin, you go to the Hospital in the Sacrament of Reconciliation where the Good Shepherd is waiting for you with the merciful medicine of Mercy.
The Church honors the Blessed Virgin Mary in May. How can you honor the Most Holy Virgin in May? Mary loves the Rosary and rewards those who honor her by praying the Rosary in May.
“Woe to those who despise devotion to Mary! ... The soul cannot live without having recourse to Mary and recommending itself to her. He falls and is lost who does not have recourse to Mary.” (St Alphonsus Liguori).
Honor Mary through the Holy Rosary, Litany, Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, Consecration to The Immaculate Heart of Mary, Pilgrimages, etc.
For the Litany, 15 Promises of Mary, Consecration Prayer, etc and Prayer intentions click the link below:
http://seekfirst.blogspot.com/2024/04/may-devotion-to-mary.html?m=1
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