Ascension of the Lord 2020.

"Go, make disciples of all the nations. I am with you always; yes, to the end of time." (Matthew 28: 19, 20).

Sunday 24th May 2020, 7th Week in the Easter Season is the Ascension of the Lord.

Before departing this earth, the Lord Jesus repeated the Great Promise: "You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you, and then you will be my witnesses not only in Jerusalem but throughout Judaea and Samaria, and indeed to the ends of the earth." (Acts 1: 8).

My friends, let me share with you a great insight I learned from a great Bible teacher, Father Al Lauer of Presentation Ministries. Father Al is today enjoying his well deserved rewards in Heaven. Father Al Lauer taught that YOU CAN BE FILLED WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT MULTIPLE TIMES. I was first filled in 1995, then in 2015. Today, I am expecting a deep filling on Pentecost Sunday. At the moment, I  join other disciples all over the world in the Cenacle making the Pentecost Novena.

Why prepare for Pentecost? Why make a Novena? The answer is plainly in the first Reading today:
"May the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation resulting in knowledge of him.  May the eyes of your hearts be enlightened, that you may know what is the hope that belongs to his call, what are the riches of glory in his inheritance among the holy ones,  and what is the surpassing greatness of his power for us who believe." (Ephesians 1: 17 - 19).

My friends, we have a glorious commission from our Lord Jesus Christ:
"Go, make disciples of all the nations. I am with you always; yes, to the end of time." The Scripture above from Ephesians tells us that the reward will be huge.

Let us embrace this sweet task with joy and excitement. Apart from the truth that this life is very short, what does it profit you if you gain the whole world and risk eternal life?

Daily Bible Verse @ SeekFirstcommunity.com

God's faithful promises are my armor and protection.

"Amen, amen, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in my name he will give you.  Until now you have not asked anything in my name; ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be complete." (John 16: 23 - 24).

Saturday 23rd May 2020, 6th Week in the Easter Season.

Today in the Last Supper Discourse, Jesus touched the subject of Prayer in the strongest and most persuasive language. "Amen, amen, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in my name he will give you.  Until now you have not asked anything in my name; ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be complete."

Do you believe that God answers prayers? We all affirm that God is true and faithful. Why then do we doubt Him when it comes to prayer? I discovered this Scripture a couple of weeks ago about God's trustworthiness: "God's faithful promises are my armor and protection." (Psalm 91: 4). Armor and protection mean the same thing. Scripture is using double equivalent words to describe God's faithfulness.

The most amazing thing to discover in religion is that God is true and faithful and He answers prayer. If your nine-year old son asks you for a big Harley Davidson Superbike for a birthday gift, how do you respond?  God our Father knows exactly what we need and when we need it. God answers prayers. Ask and keep asking. If you ask for something that would harm you, expect a No.

I will trust in God's faithfulness forever and ever.

Daily Bible Verse @ SeekFirstcommunity.com

A Woman in Labor.

"When a woman is in labor, she is in anguish because her hour has arrived; but when she has given birth to a child, she no longer remembers the pain because of her joy that a child has been born into the world. (John 16: 21).

Friday May 22nd 2020, 6th Week in the Easter Season is also the feast of the Italian mystic, St Rita of Cascia (1381 - 1457), Augustinian nun. Rita was able to stop a vendetta between the relations of her murdered husband and the murderers. That was a feat in those days. Rita subsequently entered a convent where she spent 40 years in contemplation, austerities and service to the poor and sick.

Many people will be familiar with the daily Scripture verse for today. But did you know that this gem of wisdom was given by Jesus on the night before His death in an intimate monologue with the Twelve in the Cenacle? A couple of weeks before Pentecost, the Scriptures are from the Last Supper Discourse (John 13 - 17). This is to prepare us for the glorious feast of Pentecost, the Birthday of the Church.

What does a woman do when her expected delivery date is 10 days? She prepares for the big event. She does not focus on anxiety but the joy of the outcome: "a child has been born into the world."

The Pentecost Novena starts Friday, May 22, today. How have you prepared? The Holy Spirit is the Big Gift of God. He is the Abundant life promised by Jesus in John 10: 10.

Are you searching for a treasure? Search no further. There are acres of diamond in your backyard.
“The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure buried in a field, which a person finds and hides again, and out of joy goes and sells all that he has and buys that field." (Matthew 13: 44).

Daily Bible Verse @ SeekFirstcommunity.com

The Feast of the Mexican Martyrs.

"Amen, amen, I say to you, you will weep and mourn, while the world rejoices; you will grieve, but your grief will become joy." (John 16: 20).

Thursday 21st May 2020, 6th Week in the Easter Season is also the feast of St Christopher Megallanes (1869 - 1927), Priest and Martyr and his companions, martyrs. Mexico massacred 21 priests and 3 lay men during the Cristeros movement during the 1920s.

Jesus predicted these events in the Last Supper Discourse: "Amen, amen, I say to you, you will weep and mourn, while the world rejoices; you will grieve, but your grief will become joy." The antagonism to Jesus and His Gospel is more pronounced today than ever. If you are not prepared today to bear witness to Jesus, what is the likelihood that you will be ready tomorrow? The Scripture says: O that today you will listen to His voice, harden not your hearts.

Daily Bible Verse @ SeekFirstcommunity.com

Come and be filled with the Holy Spirit of truth.

"When he comes, the Spirit of truth, he will guide you to all truth." (John 16: 13).

Wednesday 20th May 2020, 6th Week in the Easter Season is the feast of a great preacher and Evangelist, Franciscan priest, St Bernardine of Siena (1380 - 1444). The Father of our Lord Jesus Christ gave Bernardine a great love for the name of Jesus. Bernardine made spreading this holy Name his core ministry and converted thousands of his fellow Italians.

Have you noticed that the theme of the Holy Spirit has dominated the Last Supper Discourse these past few days? No accident! Today Jesus reveals that "When he comes, the Spirit of truth, he will guide you to all truth." Now what does the Spirit of truth means? You think immediately of the Spirit of falsehood as the opposite. Satan is the Father of Lies. He is also a murderer, especially a murderer of truth.

The greatest threat of the world today is not nuclear bomb or Corona Virus. The greatest threat to civilization is falsehood and lies. The contrepoint to this threat is the Holy Spirit. We have this consolation of the Scriptures:
"The light shines in the darkness,
and the darkness can never extinguish it." (John 1: 5 NLT).

Pentecost Novena 2020 starts Friday May 22 all over the world. Do not miss the opportunity to be filled with the Holy Spirit on Pentecost Sunday, May 31. Remember: This is the biggest Gift of the Father. This is a Gift you ask for and you receive immediately. No delay. No rationing.

Daily Bible Verse @ SeekFirstcommunity.com

Do not lean on your own understanding. Trust in the Spirit of truth to lead and guide you.

"I will send you the Spirit of truth, says the Lord; he will lead you to the complete truth." (Cf John 16: 7, 13. Gospel Acclamation).

Tuesday 19th May 2020, 6th Week in the Easter Season.

The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of truth. He leads and guides the Church to the fullness of truth. Let us observe how the Spirit leads and guides Paul and Silas in Philippi in the first Reading (Acts 16: 22 - 34).
Paul and Silas were thrown into the maximum security jail in Philippi with their feet secured to a stake. The Spirit of truth and power inspired them to pray and sing hymns to God. A severe earthquake shook the jail and the doors were thrown open and the prisoners' chains were unshackled. No prisoner escaped. The jailer  thought every prisoner had escaped and wanted to end his life. Paul prevented this.

Paul did not file charges against the city administration for treating a Roman citizen like a common criminal. All these events led to:

"Sirs, what must I do to be saved?’ They told him, ‘Become a believer in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, and your household too."

The Spirit of Jesus led and guided Paul and Silas to Philippi and directed all their actions which led to the conversion of the important government official and his family.

Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved. And your family too.

Daily Bible Verse @ SeekFirstcommunity.com

You too Oscar will be my witness.

"The Spirit of truth will be my witness; and you too will be my witnesses." (John 15: 26,27).

Monday 18th May 2020, 6th Week in the Easter Season is also the feast of Pope St John 1 (+ 526), Martyr. Pope St John 1 opposed the Arian heresy and bore witness that Jesus is true God and true Man. He was cast into prison where he died of ill treatment.

"The Spirit of truth will be my witness; and you too will be my witnesses," says Jesus in His Last Supper Discourse. Have you ever thought of the possibility that you too will bear witness to Jesus Christ? I winced when I heard preachers say that the world has changed and the age of martyrdom and bearing witness was over. How wrong they are! St Oscar Romero, Archbishop of El Salvador was shot to death while celebrating Mass in the Chapel in 1980.

The English Hierarchy during the reign of King Henry VIII thought that all was safe. They woke up one morning and were asked to deny their faith under pain of death. Only the Bishop St John Fisher resolved to imitate Pope St John I whose feast we celebrate today. The Hierarchy of the Church today does not seem to have a strategy for known historical anomalies like worldwide pandemics. Wake up. Read the Scriptures. Study Church history and pray a lot.

"I will be a witness to You in the world O Lord.  I will spread the knowledge of your name among my brothers, Alleluia! " (Psalm 18:50;  22 :23).

Daily Bible Verse @ SeekFirstcommunity.com