God's precious promises are irrevocable.

"For the gifts and the call of God are irrevocable." (Romans 11: 29).

Sunday 16th August 2020, 20th Week in Ordinary Time.

Do you delight in the sweet and precious promises of God? If you don't, ask the Holy Spirit to open your mind and eyes to what you may be missing. The psalmist said of them: "Your faithful promises are my armor and protection." (Psalm 91: 4). Peter speaking to the crowd on the morning of Pentecost told them: "These promises are for you and your children." Indeed for us all.

Not to be aware of these precious promises that laced the Bible is very unfortunate. In the second Reading today, Paul reveals one of those great promises of God:
"For the gifts and the call of God are irrevocable." (Romans 11: 29). He is writing about the call of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and the gift God made them through a Covenant. Although the children of Abraham broke the covenant again and again, God swore that the gift and call are irrevocable. This promise gave great hope to St Paul and all Christians.

This promise of finality of God's gifts and call to me fills me with joy whenever I remember it which by the way is often. After the years of prodigal life, I returned home to the Father's house and thought that all was lost. One day, I encountered this promise in Romans 11: 29. It blew the lies of the devil.

Highlight all the promises you come across in the Bible. Ask the Holy Spirit to show you those that apply in your life. Ask Him to give you the faith and wisdom to appropriate them.

Daily Bible Verse @ Seekfirst.blogspot.com

The Solemnity of the Glorious Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

"He has thrown down the rulers from their thrones but lifted up the lowly." (Luke 1: 52).

Saturday 15th August 2020, 19th Week in Ordinary Time is the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Just as in  the Transfiguration of Jesus, Mary's Son confirms our hope of transformation at the Resurrection. The Assumption of Mary reveals our hope and destiny.

Mary overcame sin and the ravages of sin through her Immaculate Conception. The Church has known the truth of the glorious Assumption of Mary from ancient times. On 1st November 1950, Pope Pius XII in an Apostolic Constitution defined the dogma of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary into Heaven. Thus was fulfilled one of the prayer intentions of Jesus in the Last Supper:

"Father, they are your gift to me. I wish that where I am they also may be with me, that they may see my glory that you gave me, because you loved me before the foundation of the world." (John 17: 24).

In the second Reading today, we hear: "For just as in Adam all die, so too in Christ shall all be brought to life,  but each one in proper order: Christ the firstfruits; then, at his coming, those who belong to Christ." (1 Corinthians 15: 22 - 23).

Mary is primus inter pares, first among equals in the order of privileges.  Mary our Mother goes before us. Where she is, there shall we be.

Daily Bible Verse @ Seekfirst.blogspot.com

The Feast of St Maximilian Kolbe, Priest and Martyr.

"This is my commandment: love one another as I love you. No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends." (John 15: 12 - 13).

Friday 14th August 2020, 19th Week in Ordinary Time is the feast of St Maximilian Kolbe.  (1894 - 1941).Polish Franciscan Priest, Martyr at Auschwitz. Maximilian is known for his profound love for the Blessed Virgin Mary. He founded the "City of the Immaculate." An avid evangelizer, he used the press and the written word to propagate the Gospel. He was a missionary in Japan.

St Maximilian Kolbe lived literally our Gospel for today taken from the Communion Antiphon:
"No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends."

This is how Maximilian lived literally John 15: 12 - 13: Sentenced to hard labor at Auschwitz, Maximilian offered his life in place of a young innocent man who was the father of young children. The Gestapo agreed to the deal and sent St Maximilian Kolbe to the starvation chamber where he died.

"Come, you blessed of my of  Father, says the Lord. Amen, I say to you: Whatever you did for one of the least of my brethren, you did it for me." (Matthew 25: 34, 40)

Daily Bible Verse @ Seekfirst.blogspot.com

The Feast of Saints Pontian and Hippolytus - Pope and Anti-Pope.

"So will my heavenly Father do to you, unless each of you forgives his brother from his heart.” (Matthew 18: 35).

Thursday 13th August 2020, 19th Week in Ordinary Time is the feast of a Pope and an anti Pope: Saints Pontian, Pope and Hippolytus, anti Pope (priest). By a mysterious design of Divine Providence, both waring clerics found themselves in the the same prison at the same time. They reconciled and were martyred together under the Emperor Maximinus Thrax. (+ 235).

Our heavenly Father will smile upon Pontian and Hippolytus as He welcomed them into paradise because they heard the message of His Son, Jesus Christ and forgave "his brother from his heart."

How about you sister? How about you brother? Do you know anyone you need to forgive today from your heart? Think about this:

#1 "Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors." (Matthew 6: 12).

#2 David said to God after his serious sins: "I have sinned. Have mercy on me." The Father said to David: "Your sins have been forgiven."

#3 From the cross while still in excruciating agony, Jesus prayed: "Father forgive them for they know not what they are doing."

#4 Nelson Mandela was put behind maximum security prison for 27 years of torture. By the mystery of Divine Providence, when he was released, he became the President of a large and rich country. The first thing he did was to forgive all those who persecuted him.

How to deal with the poison of Unforgivenness:
#1 Ask for forgiveness for your sins every day.
#2 Ask God every day to grant the grace to all those you have offended to forgive you.
#3 Use the power of the Sacrament of Reconciliation to break the poisonous strangle of unforgiveness.

Never forget the forgiveness of the Lord!

Daily Bible Verse @ SeekFirstcommunity.com 

The Feast of St Jane Frances Chantal.

"Again, amen, I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything for which they are to pray, it shall be granted to them by my heavenly Father. For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.” (Matthew 18: 19 - 20).

Wednesday 12th August 2020, 19th Week in Ordinary Time is the feast of St Jane Frances Chantal (1572 - 1641). Religious. French. Co-founder of the Order of the Visitation with St Francis de Sales (Bishop and Doctor of the Church).
Jane Frances left behind large quantities of letters between her and St Francis de Sales that offer great insight on spiritual direction.

Our key Scripture for today is aimed at the community of believers. Believers know that Jesus teaches that prayer is a vital necessity. Scripture urges the believing Christian to pray always, everywhere and for everything.

What type of prayer is guaranteed to produce expected results? "Again, amen, I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything for which they are to pray, it shall be granted to them by my heavenly Father. For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.”

Let's consider two conditions:
#1 Prayer of agreement between two or more people produce the discernment of the will of God. The will of God is the word of God. God always honors His word or promises come what may. The will of God is ultimately the best thing you want.
#2 Wherever two or three are gathered to honor Jesus, He is always there. His presence guides the prayer of the gathered Christians to produce a discernment of the will of God. The outcome is the sweet joy of answered prayer.

Whenever you can, do the prayer of agreement.

Daily Bible Verse @ SeekFirstcommunity.com

The Feast of the Little One - St Clare.

"Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven." (Matthew 18: 4).

Tuesday 11th August 2020 is the feast of St Clare. (1193 - 1253). Italian. At 18, Clare was not only beautiful but her parents were very wealthy. She gave up everything to follow the original Little One, Jesus Christ our Savior. Imitating St Francis of Assisi, the little poor man of Assisi, Clare embraced radical poverty. She founded the Poor Clares and modeled its constitution from what she learned from St Francis of Assisi.

I know one Poor Clare Nun, who made a great contribution to the world. Mother Angelica (+ 2016). She founded EWTN which is the only global Catholic Television Network in the world.

Our key Scripture for today teaches that God loves the little ones and uses them in big projects for the kingdom of God.

How can we become little ones?

#1 Go to the School of Mary, the little Virgin of Nazareth. She will teach us everything we need.

Daily Bible Verse @ SeekFirstcommunity.com

The Feast of St Lawrence, the Doyen of Deacons.

"Amen, amen, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains just a grain of wheat; but if it dies, it produces much fruit." (John 12: 24).

Monday 10th August 2020, 19th Week in Ordinary Time is the feast of St Lawrence, Deacon and Martyr. (+258). St Lawrence, Roman and Deacon in the Church of Rome during the pontificate of Pope St Sixtus II. St Lawrence spent his life in the service of the poor of Rome. He perished in a gruesome torture under the persecution of Emperor Valerian. St Lawrence is the Doyen of all the Deacons of the Church.

Jesus is the "grain of wheat" who died, buried and rose from the dead to produce immense fruit of salvation. Without the death of Jesus, the Church would have no martyrs. We will not be celebrating the feast of St Lawrence today. Nor for that matter Saints Peter and Paul, Agatha and Agnes, Thomas More and John Fisher. The saints followed the Lamb of God to the Cross. They thus become the best interpretation of the Gospel.

But the Gospel is a living document not a dead letter. What does it mean for you to be the grain of wheat who falls to the ground and dies in order to produce large amounts of fruits? The answer is in the life of St Lawrence. He answered the call to the clerical state when that calling was a certain death sentence. Jesus empowered Lawrence with His grace and the Holy Spirit enabled Lawrence to produce large harvest.

Here is something else Jesus said about producing large harvest if you are willing:

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the vine grower.  He takes away every branch in me that does not bear fruit, and every one that does he prunes so that it bears more fruit." (John 15: 1 - 2).

When you are not a dead branch, rejoice when the Father prunes you with trials.  "Endure your trials as “discipline”; God treats you as sons. For what “son” is there whom his father does not discipline?" (Hebrews 12: 7).

Every Christian who aspires to be a saint may not necessarily be blessed with the crown of martyrdom but Jesus promises that the Christian could achieve heroic sanctity if he follows some simple plan of life:

#1 Embrace God’s gracious and mysterious will every moment.
#2 Enjoy the constant presence of Jesus in the Sacrament of the Present Moment.
#3 Offer everywhere, always and for everything a sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving.
#4 Make a sweet surrender of all trials to Jesus.

This prayer will help anyone live the above-mentioned principles if repeated frequently and daily:

JESUS-EMMANUEL I TRUST IN YOUR MERCIFUL LOVE AND NOT IN MY FILTHY WORKS. I SURRENDER MYSELF TO YOU COMPLETELY. TAKE CARE OF EVERYTHING YOUR WAY. (10 times).

Daily Bible Verse @ SeekFirstcommunity.com