The Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity.

"The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the holy Spirit be with all of you." (2 Corinthians 13: 13).

Sunday 7th June 2020 is the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity.

What is the the Most Holy Trinity? The Holy Trinity is the revealed truth that God is One: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. God has always been one and undivided Unity that manifests in the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.
This is the central mystery of Christianity revealed by Jesus Christ Himself.

What does this mean for our day-to-day life as Christians? We can enter and enjoy rich personal relationship with the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. The prayer of the Church is richly Trinitarian. The saints also have a Trinitarian spirituality. You too can enjoy a personal and intimate relationship with the Father, Jesus the Son and the Holy Spirit. Start by observing how the Church prays and note when she prays to the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. You will reap a rich example on how to enjoy a Trinitarian spirituality.

"The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the holy Spirit be with all of you."

Daily Bible Verse @ SeekFirstcommunity.com

Perform the work of an evangelist; fulfill your ministry.

"Proclaim the word; be persistent whether it is convenient or inconvenient; convince, reprimand, encourage through all patience and teaching." (2 Timothy 4: 2).

Saturday 6th June 2020, 9th Week in Ordinary Time is the feast of St Nobert (1080 - 1134), Bishop. Nobert started life as a prodigal of some sort. The grace of Christ knocked him off his horse and then embraced him. Nobert quickly rose from the rubbles and showed his true colors. He became a priest and then a Bishop and worked hard to implement the reforms of Pope St Gregory VII. He was a noted preacher. He died as Archbishop of Magdeburg in Germany.

St Paul seems to have written our key Scripture for today for St Nobert and also the sequel:

"But you, be self-possessed in all circumstances; put up with hardship; perform the work of an evangelist; fulfill your ministry." (2 Timothy 4: 5).

The life of St Nobert is an inspiration for those of us who started life as a prodigal. We learn that the grace and mercy of God are truly limitless.

Daily Bible Verse @ SeekFirstcommunity.com

The Feast of the Apostle of Germany, St Boniface.

"In fact, all who want to live religiously in Christ Jesus will be persecuted." (2 Timothy 3: 12).

Friday 5th June 2020, 9th Week in Ordinary Time is the feast of St Boniface (680 - 754), Bishop and Martyr. The well educated English priest St Boniface was sent by Pope Gregory II to evangelize the German tribes. Boniface was consecrated the first Bishop of Germany. He organized the Church in Germany but was martyred in Friesland (present day Netherlands) when he went to preach there. St Boniface is the patron saint of Germany.

Today is also the first Friday in June 2020.

"My child, when you come to serve the Lord, prepare yourself for trials." (Sirach 2: 1). No priest or prophet is ignorant of this truth. Paul is repeating a very obvious wisdom to Timothy. "In fact, all who want to live religiously in Christ Jesus will be persecuted." (2 Timothy 3: 12). Commitment to the service of God is not for the faint of heart. When the Bishop Boniface left his native shores to travel to Germany, he must have sensed that he would not be coming home alive to England.

The present age has been reputed to be the bloodiest for Christian missionaries. Consider the constant and undying persecution of the Church in China and Sudan. Missionaries compelled by the love of Christ are still finding their way into these hostile countries.

Jesus Christ is the light of the nations. He shines through His missionaries. The blood of martyrs is the seed of Christianity.

Daily Bible Verse @ SeekFirstcommunity.com

Honor the Sacred Heart of Jesus this Friday 5th June.

June 5th, First Friday in June 2020.

The 12 Promises of the Sacred Heart of Jesus:  Jesus promised 12 special favors to all those who will honor His Sacred Heart especially on the First Friday of every month.  In the 6th month of the year 2020, we look at Promise #6.

#6.  "Sinners shall find in My Heart the source and infinite ocean of mercy."

June is the Month the Church honors the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Friday June 19, 2020 is the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

"O Sacred Heart of Jesus, living and life-giving fountain of eternal life, infinite treasure of the Divinity, and glowing furnace of love, You are my sanctuary.  O adorable and glorious Savior, consume my heart with that burning fire that ever inflames Your Heart.
Pour down on my soul those graces which flow from Your Love.  Let my heart be one with, and in all things conformed to, Yours. May Your Will be the rule of both my desires and my actions. Amen."  (St Alphonsus Liguori, Bishop and Doctor of the Church).

Honor the Sacred Heart of Jesus this Friday by attending Holy Mass, online Mass, holy hour, Rosary, etc.

For the 12 Promises of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, click the link below:

http://sfjweb.com/?q=content/sacred-heart-12-promises

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Love God. Worship Him. Love your neighbor.

"And when Jesus saw that he answered with understanding, he said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” And no one dared to ask him any more questions." (Mark 12: 34).

Thursday 4th June 2020, 9th Week in Ordinary Time.

Jesus told the lawyer who asked: “Which is the first of all the commandments?” that he is not far from the kingdom of God. The scribe agreed with Jesus that love of God and love of neighbor is the greatest commandment.

How far are you from the kingdom of God? How far are you from the peace and tranquility of the kingdom? For Jesus, the criterion is love of God and love of neighbor. Let us measure how far we are.

In 1 Corinthians 13: 4 - 7, we see the attributes of love. These attributes describe how God loves us and how God wants us to love our neighbor.

" Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.
It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.  
Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.
It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres." (1 Corinthians 13: 4 - 7).

Before we despair and think it is impossible to love always like this, let us remember that charity or love is the first fruit of the Holy Spirit. (Galatians 5: 22). Without the Holy Spirit, nobody is capable of meeting the standard of love.

Where there is love, there is God.

Daily Bible Verse @ SeekFirstcommunity.com

The Feast of St Charles Lwanga and Companions.

"For this reason, I remind you to stir into flame the gift of God that you have through the imposition of my hands. For God did not give us a spirit of cowardice but rather of power and love and self-control." (2 Timothy 1: 6 - 7).

Wednesday 3rd June 2020, 9th Week in Ordinary Time is the feast of St Charles Lwanga and 22 companions. (1886, 1887). On the feast of Ascension 1886, the powerful but immoral King Mwanga of Uganda mercilessly killed Charles Lwanga and 14 companions who resisted resolutely his homosexual advances. Eight of the companions were killed later.

This year, this feast is in the Octave of Pentecost. The short lives of these young men will help us appreciate the power of the Holy Spirit in bearing witness to Jesus. "The blood of martyrs is the seed of Christians," Tertullian wrote in the 3rd century.

Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you were baptized on Pentecost Sunday? "Stir into flame the gift of God." Paul said to Timothy in the first Reading. The big Gift of God is the Holy Spirit. The muscle that is exercised becomes strong and useful for service. No exercise can atrophy a muscle.

St Charles Lwanga and companions were baby Christians and pages in a royal court. Yet, they chose to die for their faith rather than compromise with Caesar. The Holy Spirit gives us wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety and fear of the Lord.
Come Holy Spirit and fill the hearts of Your faithful.

Daily Bible Verse @ SeekFirstcommunity.com

What is it that belongs to Caesar?

 "So Jesus said to them, “Repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God.”  (Mark 12: 17).

Tuesday 2nd June 2020, 9th Week in Ordinary Time is the feast of two early martyrs of the Church St. Marcellinus, Priest and Peter, Exorcist (+ 304). In prison, they converted many of their fellow prisoners including the jailer. Both were martyred under Emperor Diocletian.

What do we owe to Caesar?
We owe to Caesar his taxes and obedience to just laws.
What does Caesar owe to us?
Caesar owes us protection from anarchy and freedom to worship.

Saints Marcellinus and Peter heard the message of Jesus Christ and became convinced that their purpose is more than mere biological life. They accepted Baptism and were transformed. Faced with the threat of death, they chose eternal life.

May we benefit from their example and prayers. Amen.

Daily Bible Verse @ SeekFirstcommunity.com

The Feast of Mary Mother of the Church.

"When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple there whom he loved, he said to his mother, “Woman, behold, your son.”  Then he said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother.” And from that hour the disciple took her into his home." (John 19: 26 - 27).

Monday 1st June 2020, 9th Week in Ordinary Time is the feast of Mary, Mother of the Church.

Jesus in saying to Mary from the Cross, “Woman, behold, your son,” chose Mary to be the Mother of all disciples of Jesus.

One of the most touching scenes in the new Jesus Christ Superstar movie is where Jesus cried out from the Cross: "Where is My mother?" Mary was there under the Cross. The remarkable thing about the Blessed Virgin Mary is that she is the only human being that knew Jesus from womb to tomb to the birth of the Church on Pentecost Sunday. She was the sole eyewitness in these peak critical moments in the life of Jesus and the Church.

After the Ascension of Jesus, Mary guided the disciples and evangelists with information on the life and mystery of Jesus the Christ. John the Evangelist became the son of Mary as every great saint in the Church. Are you a child of Mary?

Daily Bible Verse @ SeekFirstcommunity.com