PRAY ALWAYS. PRAY WITH PERSISTENCE.

PRAY ALWAYS. THE LORD REMEMBERS HIS COVENANT FOREVER. 

"Jesus told his disciples a parable about the necessity for them to pray always without becoming weary. 

He said, “There was a judge in a certain town who neither feared God nor respected any human being.

 And a widow in that town used to come to him and say, ‘Render a just decision for me against my adversary.’

 For a long time the judge was unwilling, but eventually he thought,

 ‘While it is true that I neither fear God nor respect any human being, because this widow keeps bothering me I shall deliver a just decision for her lest she finally come and strike me.’”

 The Lord said, “Pay attention to what the dishonest judge says.

 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?

 I tell you, he will see to it that justice is done for them ­speedily. 

But when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?” (Luke 18: 1 - 8)..

In the Gospel of this Sunday, 

"Jesus told his disciples a parable about the necessity for them to pray always without becoming weary."

The Widow in today's Gospel proves that even with God, persistence breaks resistance. 

So pray always. Pray everywhere. Pray about everything.

 God hears the prayers of the widow, the orphan and the immigrant. He hears the prayers of all who call on Him in faith and persistence. 

"Wait for the LORD; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the LORD!" (Psalm 27: 14). 

"Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer." (Romans 12: 12).

St Augustine teaches that "God wills that our desire should be exercised in prayer, that we may be able to receive what He is prepared to give."

Be persistent with praying the Holy Rosary. 

"There are no sufferings that cannot be borne peacefully, so long as a soul is praying the Rosary. Through the Rosary, all the grace and power of My mysteries passes through My Mother’s Immaculate Heart into the hearts of the little ones who invoke her, repeating the angel’s “Ave” over and over again.

"There are illnesses that can be cured through the Rosary.

"There are clouds of darkness and confusion that only the Rosary can disperse,

 and this because it is My Mother’s favourite prayer, 

a prayer that originated in the heights of heaven and was carried to earth by My Archangel, 

"a prayer echoed and amplified in the Church through the ages,

"a prayer loved by all My saints, a prayer of disarming power and of immense depth." (IN SINU JESU, Tuesday, December 2, 2014).

Why a special month for the Holy Rosary?

 Because the Rosary is a special Prayer that came down from heaven to the Church. St Dominic received the Holy Rosary on behalf of the Church. 

A FAMILY THAT PRAYS THE ROSARY TOGETHER STAYS TOGETHER. 

Say the Holy Rosary every day in October. 

For Prayers, Consecration, Litany, Testimony of Jesus about those who pray the Rosary, click the link below:

https://seekfirst.blogspot.com/2023/09/october-devotion-to-holy-rosary.html?m=1

FEAST OF ST LUKE THE EVANGELIST.

THE FEAST OF ST LUKE, EVANGELIST

"The Lord Jesus appointed seventy-two disciples whom he sent ahead of him in pairs to every town and place he intended to visit.

He said to them, “The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few;

so ask the master of the harvest to send out laborers for his harvest.

Go on your way; behold, I am sending you like lambs among wolves.

Carry no money bag, no sack, no sandals; and greet no one along the way.

Into whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace to this household.’

If a peaceful person lives there, your peace will rest on him; but if not, it will return to you.

Stay in the same house and eat and drink what is offered to you, for the laborer deserves payment.

Do not move about from one house to another. Whatever town you enter and they welcome you, eat what is set before you,

cure the sick in it and 

say to them,

‘The Kingdom of God is at hand for you.’” (Luke 10: 1 - 9).

Saturday 18th October 2025 in 27th Week in Ordinary Time is the feast of St Luke the Evangelist.

The Master of the harvest, God the Father sent Jesus to preach the Good News. Jesus trained and sent Apostles to spread the Gospel.  Luke was commissioned to preach the word and author the Gospel according to St Luke and Acts of the Apostles. A few words on the profile of St Luke is in order here

According to Tradition, St Luke is a Gentile physician. When he heard the Good News, he abandoned his medical practice and attached himself to St Paul as his traveling companion.

He demonstrated a thorough ability for research and a keen eye for detail in his subjects.  He showed a preferential option for the poor, women and sinners. 

Without St Luke, our knowledge of the life and work of Jesus Christ would be poorer.  Examples of unique Lukan content:

1. The Infancy Narrative from the Annunciation to the Presentation of Jesus in the Temple. (Luke 1 - 2).

2. Parable of the Good Samaritan (Lk 10:25-37).

3. The Publican and the Pharisee. (Lk 18: 13 ).

4. The Parable of the Prodigal Son. (Luke 15: 11 - 32).

5. The forgiveness of the Good Thief from the Cross. (Lk 23:40... ).

“The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few."  (Luke 10: 2).  It was so in the beginning. It is still so today.

So many people in our communities no longer consider themselves members of any Church and live lives far removed from the Gospel of Christ. How do we reach these people? This is the challenge for you and me. Whatever answer you have, consider Prayer as the first tool.

"[Evangelization] is not something optional, but the very vocation of the People of God, a duty that corresponds to it by the command of the Lord Jesus Christ himself."

(Pope Benedict XVI)

“If families give Our Lady fifteen minutes a day by reciting the Rosary, I assure them that their homes will become, by God’s grace, peaceful places."

The family that prays together stays together." (Father Patrick Peyton). 

Say the Holy Rosary every day in October.

For Prayers, Consecration, Litany, Testimony of Jesus about those who pray the Rosary, click the link below:

https://seekfirst.blogspot.com/2023/09/october-devotion-to-holy-rosary.html?m=1

MEMORIAL OF ST IGNATIUS OF ANTIOCH, BISHOP AND MARTYR.

MEMORIAL OF ST IGNATIUS OF ANTIOCH, BISHOP AND MARTYR. 

THE GOSPEL:

"At that time: So many ­people were crowding together that they were trampling one another underfoot. 

Jesus ­began to speak, first to his disciples,

 “Beware of the leaven—that is, the hypocrisy—of the Pharisees.

“There is nothing concealed that will not be revealed, 

nor secret that will not be known. 

Therefore whatever you have said in the darkness will be heard in the light, and what you have whispered behind closed doors will be proclaimed on the housetops.

 I tell you, my friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body but after that can do no more.

 I shall show you whom to fear.

 Be afraid of the one who after killing has the power to cast into Gehenna; yes, I tell you, be afraid of that one.

 Are not five sparrows sold for two small coins? 

Yet not one of them has escaped the notice of God. 

Even the hairs of your head have all been counted. Do not be afraid. You are worth more than many sparrows.” (Luke 12: 1 - 12).

Friday 17th October 2025 in the 27th Week in Ordinary Time is the feast of a giant of our faith:

 St Ignatius of Antioch. (+ 107). Syrian. Bishop and Martyr.

 Ordained Bishop by St Peter himself. He is Father of the Church. Ground to pieces by wild beasts under the persecution of Emperor Trajan.

Why is St Ignatius of Antioch pivotal in the history of the Church? 

Anyone ordained Bishop by the Apostle Peter has a claim to fame. But for St Ignatius of Antioch, there are other reasons.

 During his journey from Antioch to Rome under heavy armed guards, Ignatius composed seven extraordinary letters. These letters are the earliest authoritative teaching on the Eucharist, the hierarchy of the Church, etc.

Ignatius was torn to pieces by the iron teeth of wild beasts because he acknowledged Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior before Emperor Trajan.

Below is St Ignatius of Antioch in his own words, his quotes:

'Do not have Jesus Christ on your lips, and the world in your heart."

“Let me be food for the wild beasts for they are my way to God. I am God’s wheat and shall be ground by their teeth so that I may become Christ’s pure bread. Pray to Christ for me that the animals will be the means of making me a sacrificial victim for God.” (St Ignatius of Antioch).

In the Gospel of today, Our Master and Teacher touches a variety of topics.

 What touches me most is:

"Are not five sparrows sold for two small coins? Yet not one of them has escaped the notice of God.

Even the hairs of your head have all been counted. Do not be afraid. You are worth more than many sparrows.” 

"Are not five sparrows sold for two small coins? Yet not one of them has escaped the notice of God.

“Even the hairs of your head have all been counted. Do not be afraid. You are worth more than many sparrows.” 

The subject of Divine Providence is the sweetest doctrine in the entire Bible. It has no rival in the entire magisterium of Church teachings. 

The Church Fathers, Doctors of the Church and countless Saints have amply added their reflections and writings to the elucidation of Divine Providence. 

What is Divine Providence?

This is Divine Providence:

Five sparrows are sold for two small coins. Yet not one of them has escaped the notice of God.

Abba Father knows every single thing of the trillions of things He created. 

He knows where they are. He gives each creature a name. 

Each of these creatures worships Abba Father in its own way and Father delights in this worship. 

"Even the hairs of your head have all been counted. Do not be afraid. You are worth more than many sparrows.”

We humans are created in God's image and likeness. We are created with immortal souls and are created to live with God forever.

If Father cares for sparrows and delights in sparrow worship, how much more you and me?

Here is what the Church teaches on DIVINE PROVIDENCE From the Catechism of the Catholic Church :

321 Divine providence consists of the dispositions by which God guides all his creatures with wisdom and love to their ultimate end.

322 Christ invites us to filial trust in the providence of our heavenly Father (cf.Mt 6:26-34), and St. Peter the apostle repeats: "Cast all your anxieties on him, for he cares about you" (I Pt 5:7; cf. Ps55:23).

323 Divine providence works also through the actions of creatures. To human beings God grants the ability to cooperate freely with his plans.

324 The fact that God permits physical and even moral evil is a mystery that God illuminates by his Son Jesus Christ who died and rose to vanquish evil. Faith gives us the certainty that God would not permit an evil if he did not cause a good to come from that very evil, by ways that we shall fully know only in eternal life."

For me, the best quote of the Catechism of the Catholic Church on Divine Providence is #303:

It states:

"The witness of Scripture is unanimous that the solicitude of divine providence is concrete and immediate; God cares for all, from the least things to the great events of the world and its history. The sacred books powerfully affirm God's absolute sovereignty over the course of events: 'Our God is in the heavens; he does whatever he pleases.' And so it is with Christ, 'who opens and no one shall shut, who shuts and no one opens.' As the book of Proverbs states: 'Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the LORD that will be established.'"

What does this mean? There are no accidents in life. No coincidences. Everything is Divine Providence. 

 “The Rosary is the most powerful weapon to touch the Heart of Jesus, Our Redeemer, who loves His Mother.” (St Louis Marie de Monfort).

"One day through the Rosary and the Scapular I will save the world.” -Blessed Virgin Mary to St. Dominic

Say the Holy Rosary every day in October. 

For Prayers, Consecration, Litany, Testimony of Jesus about those who pray the Rosary, click the link below:

https://seekfirst.blogspot.com/2023/09/october-devotion-to-holy-rosary.html?m=1

FEAST OF SAINTS MARGARET MARY ALACOQUE AND HEDWIG.

FEAST OF SAINTS MARGARET MARY ALACOQUE & HEDWIG. 

"The Lord said:

“Woe to you who build the memorials of the prophets 

whom your fathers killed.

Consequently, you bear witness and give consent

to the deeds of your ancestors,

for they killed them and you do the building.

Therefore, the wisdom of God said,

‘I will send to them prophets and Apostles;

some of them they will kill and persecute’

in order that this generation might be charged

with the blood of all the prophets

shed since the foundation of the world,

from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah

who died between the altar and the temple building.

Yes, I tell you, this generation will be charged with their blood!

Woe to you, scholars of the law!

You have taken away the key of knowledge.

You yourselves did not enter and you stopped those trying to enter.”

When Jesus left, the scribes and Pharisees

began to act with hostility toward him

and to interrogate him about many things,

for they were plotting to catch him at something he might say." (Luke 11: 47 - 54)."

Thursday 16th October 2025, 28th Week in Ordinary Time is the feast of St Margaret Mary Alacoque (1647 - 1690). 

St Margaret is the French Visitation Nun that brought the world the private revelations of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

 Today is also the feast of St Hedwig (1173 - 1243). Wife of the Duke of Poland and mother of 7 children. 

After the death of her husband, Hedwig took the habit of a Nun and lived the rest of her life in a Cistercian monastery that she and her late husband had founded.

In the Gospel of today, Jesus warns Church leaders to learn from history and avoid the mistakes of the past in fullfilling their ministry. 

They are to avoid:

Alignment with the powers that be. 

Flattery. 

Ostentatious lifestyle. 

Superficial spirituality. 

All these lead to Hypocrisy. 

A word is enough for the wise. 

The reaction of the Scribes and Pharisees was predictable. They adopted the playbook of their ancestors: Eliminate Jesus! 

"One day through the Rosary and the Scapular I will save the world.” -Blessed Virgin Mary to St. Dominic

Say the Holy Rosary every day in October. 

For Prayers, Consecration, Litany, Testimony of Jesus about those who pray the Rosary, click the link below:

https://seekfirst.blogspot.com/2023/09/october-devotion-to-holy-rosary.html?m=1

FEAST OF ST CALLISTUS I, POPE AND MARTYR.

FEAST OF ST CALLISTUS I, POPE AND MARTYR.

"After Jesus had spoken, a Pharisee invited him to dine at his home.

"He entered and reclined at table to eat

"The Pharisee was amazed to see that he did not observe the prescribed washing before the meal.

"The Lord said to him,

“Oh, you Pharisees! Although you cleanse the outside of the cup and the dish, inside you are filled with plunder and evil. You fools! Did not the maker of the outside also make the inside?



"But as to what is within, give alms, and behold, everything will be clean for you.” (Luke 11: 37 - 41).

Tuesday October 14th 2025 in the 27th Week in Ordinary Time is the feast of St Callistus I, Pope and Martyr.

Died circa 222.

How does history remember Pope St Callistus? From slave to pope to Martyr. Callistus was a slave who Jesus Christ promoted to become the Roman Pontiff.

Pope St Callistus was opposed openly by some of his Bishops, clergy and theologians.

 Why?

These people disagreed with some of his teaching.

Some members of the hierarchy also disagreed with the uncompromising stand of Callistus that the Church must show mercy and forgive even the worst of sinners.

 This struggle in the Church with the Rigorist faction outlived St Callistus who was martyred by Emperor Alexander Severus.

The core message of the Gospel today is simple and pointed:

"But as to what is within, give alms, and behold, everything will be clean for you.” (Cf Luke 11: 37 - 41).

God loves the cheerful giver. (Cf 2 Corinthians 9: 6 - 7).

All good gifts come from God. (Cf James 1: 17).

It is not from chance our comfort springs but from God's gracious ordaining. (Cf Liturgy of the Hours - Lauds).

Do not be mean with your possessions because you can not outdo God in generosity.

"Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that anyone who fled to thy protection, implored thy help, or sought thine intercession was left unaided." (St Bernard of Clairvaux, Doctor of the Church).

Say the Holy Rosary every day in October.

For Prayers, Consecration, Litany, Testimony of Jesus about those who pray the Rosary, click the link below:

http://seekfirst.blogspot.com/2023/09/october-devotion-to-holy-rosary.html?m=1

BELIEVE AND STOP ASKING FOR SIGNS.

ONE MORE SIGN O LORD! 

"While still more people gathered in the crowd, Jesus said to them,

“This generation is an evil generation;

it seeks a sign, but no sign will be given it,

except the sign of Jonah.

Just as Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites,

so will the Son of Man be to this generation.

At the judgment 

the queen of the south will rise with the men of this generation

and she will condemn them,

because she came from the ends of the earth

to hear the wisdom of Solomon,

and there is something greater than Solomon here.

At the judgment the men of Nineveh will arise with this generation 

and condemn it,

because at the preaching of Jonah they repented,

and there is something greater than Jonah here.” (Luke 11: 29 - 32).

Monday October 13th in the 28th Week in Ordinary Time. 

 

Jesus told the crowd in today's Gospel: 

 No more miracles for you. 

You keep looking for a big sign from heaven to prove that I am the Messiah. But what happened to Jonah is the only sign you will get. 

My friends, where are you today in your spiritual walk with Jesus? Are you still looking for more signs?

Listen to what Abraham said to Dives in the Parable of the Rich man and Lazarus. 

The former rich man denied Lazarus a little sign that his life matters. 

Abraham told him that his brothers have more than enough signs from the Church to make them believe and change their lives. 

‘If they will not listen to Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded if someone should rise from the dead." (Luke 16: 31).

We have in the Catholic Church all the signs we need.

 The Church of the living God is the sign of salvation.

 The Church is the Seed of the Kingdom of God. The Catholic Church teaches that the Church is “on earth the seed and beginning of the Kingdom” of God. (Cf CCC 541, 542, and 567). 

The true Church subsists in the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church founded by Jesus Christ.

This Church has visible structures. It exists in almost every country in the world, attesting to her universality. 

The Church has one Shepherd, one Liturgy and holds the entire Deposit of Faith. That is, the Church has the fullness of Faith. 

What more are we looking for? There will be no more signs till the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. 

"One day through the Rosary and the Scapular I will save the world.” -Blessed Virgin Mary to St. Dominic

Say the Holy Rosary every day in October. 

For Prayers, Consecration, Litany, Testimony of Jesus about those who pray the Rosary, click the link below:

https://seekfirst.blogspot.com/2023/09/october-devotion-to-holy-rosary.html?m=1