The Feast of the Presentation of Mary.

"That the dead will rise even Moses made known in the passage about the bush, when he called ‘Lord’ the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob;  and he is not God of the dead, but of the living, for to him all are alive.” (Luke 20: 37 - 38).

Saturday 21st November 2020, 33rd Week in Ordinary is the feast of the Presentation of Mary in the Temple.

What are we celebrating in this feast?  This feast celebrates an event in the life of the Blessed Virgin Mary that is not recorded in the Scriptures. It is nonetheless an ancient feast of the Church. This feast remembers the occasion when Mary's parents, Joachim and Anne presented the little girl in the Temple to be educated by priests.

The Church affirms that along with Sacred Scriptures, Sacred Tradition and the authoritative Magisterium are the sources of the truth we subscribe to in the Church. The Church has this ancient sacred maxim:
"Lex credendi, lex orandi, lex vivendi." It means that the rule of prayer is the rule of faith and the rule of living. As you pray, so you believe. As you believe, so you live.

Some Protestant groups believe unfortunately that the Church is wrong in honoring Mary because they say she is dead and remains dead. Catholics honor dead people they believe. But Jesus Himself knocked out the unbiblical assertion in today's Gospel:
"That the dead will rise even Moses made known in the passage about the bush, when he called ‘Lord’ the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob;  and he is not God of the dead, but of the living, for to him all are alive.” (Luke 20: 37 - 38).

The Holy Spirit who is promised to lead the Church into the fullness of the truth of everything that Jesus taught and did will not allow the Church to teach and practice idolatry for over 2000 years.

Mary is full of grace. She is the Mother of the Son and our Mother.
Mother of Mercy, pray for us.

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You have made my House a den of thieves.

"Then Jesus entered the temple area and proceeded to drive out those who were selling things,  saying to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be a house of prayer, but you have made it a den of thieves." (Luke 19 - 45 - 46).

Friday 20th November 2020, 33rd Week in Ordinary Time.

Our short Gospel for today comes from Luke 19: 45 - 48. It is the only place in the Gospels where Jesus appeared visibly very angry. Why was Jesus mad at what was going on in the Temple?

Is it possible that the Church could be made into a den of robbers? Let us consider a few scenarios:

#1 Why did the Church venture into real estate business in London and who knows where else?
#2 Why does the Church use Insurance as a means of security instead of fire tried promises of God?
#3 Why are some clergy attracted to worldly lifestyle?
#4 Why is the SeekFirst Promise in Matthew 6: 33, key Scripture on security not affirmed more often?
#5 Why does the Church appear to turn a blind eye on the Commandment: "Keep holy the Lord's Day!"?

The Prophet Malachi foresaw the degradation of the sacred ministers of the Temple and prophesied:

"For he will be like a refiner’s fire,
like fullers’ lye. He will sit refining and purifying silver, and he will purify the Levites, refining them like gold or silver, that they may bring offerings to the Lord in righteousness." (Malachi 3: 2 - 3).

Let us continue to lift up the Church and the clergy to the mercy of God.

Daily Bible Verse @ SeekFirstcommunity.com

Is this the hour of our visitation?

“If this day you only knew what makes for peace—but now it is hidden from your eyes... And Jesus wept over it [Jerusalem] " (Luke 19: 42, 41).

Thursday 19th November 2020, 33rd Week in Ordinary Time.

Is Jesus weeping over America?  Does America recognize that today is her time of visitation? What is it that makes for peace?

#1 Stop abortion.
#2 Stop death penalty.
#3 Stop racism.
#4 Stop molestation of refugees.
#5 Stop discrimination.

Stop these evils and the Peace of Christ will return to these shores. America will become again the land of the free and the home of the brave.

Jesus is weeping.

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The Feast of the Educator, St Rose Philippine Duchesne.

"I chose you from the world
to go out and bear fruit,
fruit that will last, says the Lord." (John 15: 16).

Wednesday 18th November 2020, 33rd Week in Ordinary Time is the feast of St Rose Philippine Duchesne. (1769 - 1852). Virgin. French. The French Revolution disrupted her religious formation. She had to wait for 11 years to join a new Congregation, The Society of the Sacred Heart. At the age of 49, St Rose undertook her missionary journey to America. She founded schools to educate girls.

Our key Scripture is from the Alleluia Verse in today's Liturgy. Jesus chose St Rose Philippine Duchesne from the world to go into the world and bear fruit that will last. Rose arrived in America from France and labored relentlessly in the mission field and bore plenty of fruits that are still enduring. Many of us are familiar with the Duchesne Academy in many places in the USA training smart young women to serve the Church and society.

Have you ever considered the truth that you too are chosen, called and anointed for a special purpose? St Rose discovered her purpose in life almost at the age of 50. Abraham discovered his at 75 and Moses at 84. An African proverb says that when a child wakes up from sleep, she can say "Good morning!" Because that is the beginning of her day.
Wake up and embrace your purpose in life.

Daily Bible Verse @ SeekFirstcommunity.com

Zacchaeus, I want to spend this night in your house.

“Zacchaeus, come down quickly, for today I must stay at your house.” And he came down quickly and received him with joy.  (Luke 19: 5 - 6).

Tuesday 17th November 2020, 33rd Week in Ordinary Time is also the feast of St Elizabeth of Hungary. (1207 - 1231) Religious. Born Hungarian Princess. Married a German Prince. In her short life of only 23 years, Elizabeth had four children and then became a Franciscan Tertiary after the death of her husband. She spent the rest of her life bringing comfort to the poor, the sick and the aged.

Zacchaeus must have made a wave in the early Christian community because of the story of how he encountered Jesus for the first time. Because of his short stature, he climbed a sycamore tree in order to see Jesus because there was a huge crowd surrounding Jesus. Jesus, touched by this humbling gesture reciprocated with warm friendly encouragement. “Zacchaeus, come down quickly, for today I must stay at your house.”

Who is Zacchaeus? A very wealthy tax collector. Probably living in a large estate with servants, horses and carriages. Be that as it may, Zacchaeus was despised and shunned in his community because he worked as a tax collector for the resented Roman government. Yet this man had such intense desire to meet Jesus and humbled himself to accomplish this goal.

Who is the Zacchaeus of our day? They may be:
* The abortion doctor and nurse.
* The young homeless pregnant teenage girl.
* The lady forced into prostitution in order to survive.
* The drug dealer from the ghetto.
* The refugee or immigrant scrapping a living at a night job nobody wants.

Like Zacchaeus, all the above are considered fringe elements, undesirables, etc. But Jesus who comes to seek the lost knows each one of them by name and knows where they are hiding.
St Teresa of Avila, Doctor of the Church says that the Lord Jesus has finished His work on earth and turned over to us to complete what needs to be done. Jesus is saying: Go find these people. You are now my feet and hands, my eyes and ears. Through corporal and spiritual works of mercy, the Church points out to us how to engage this mission.

If you want to explore the corporal and spiritual works of mercy, click on the link below:

http://seekfirstcommunity.com/2020/11/works-of-mercy.html?m=1

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Works of Mercy

CORPORAL WORKS OF MERCY:

1. Feed the hungry

2. Give drink to the thirsty

3. Clothe the naked

4. Shelter the homeless

5. Visit the sick

6. Visit the imprisoned

7. Bury the dead

SPIRITUAL WORKS OF MERCY:

1. Instruct the ignorant

2. Counsel the doubtful

3. Admonish sinners

4. Bear wrongs patiently

5. Forgive offences willingly

6. Comfort the afflicted

7. Pray for the living and the dead

SeekFirstcommunity.com 

What can I do for you, man?

"Jesus asked him [Blind man] “What do you want me to do for you?” (Luke 18: 41).

Monday 16th November 2020, 33rd Week in Ordinary Time is the feast of St Margaret of Scotland (1046 - 1093). Born Hungarian and married to King Malcolm of Scotland. Mother of 8 children who raised her children in the fear of the Lord. She is noted especially for her love for the poor. Margaret is the Patroness of Scotland.

Today is also the feast of St Gertrude. (1256 - 1301). Virgin. German. Known as Gertrude the Great, she was a respected scholar and mystic. Over 300 years before St Margaret Mary Alacoque, Gertrude, a mystic like Margaret Mary introduced the devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
Pope Benedict XVI, says that St Gertrude “shows us that the heart of a happy life, of a true life, is friendship with the Lord Jesus.”

In the Gospel Reading of today, we read of the interesting encounter of Jesus with the Blind man [named Bartimaeus by the Gospel of Mark). We see here the power of persistent prayer in action. Bartimaeus had prayed and waited for the opportunity to meet Jesus. When it happened suddenly, he was prepared. Lesson: Fortune favors the prepared.

Bartimaeus was shouting on top of his voice: "Son of David, have pity on me." He could not be stopped by the disciples of Jesus. Jesus asked him to come to Him. Lesson: Persistent prayer gets the attention of God. How can I help you, Jesus asked the Blind man.
"He replied, “Lord, please let me see.”  Jesus told him, “Have sight; your faith has saved you.”  He immediately received his sight and followed him, giving glory to God. When they saw this, all the people gave praise to God." (Luke 18: 41 - 43). Bartimaeus became a friend and companion of Jesus.

This is not a parable but a life event in the ministry of Jesus. Jesus teaches through words (narrative/discourse) and action.
"Man does not live on bread alone. There is life for him in every word that comes from the mouth of God." The word of God nourishes the hunger in our hearts for new life.

What do you desire most in your heart? Desire makes a man, teaches St Ignatius Loyola.
Guard as treasure the utmost/greatest desire of your life. Nourish it with prayer and the word of God. Be always prepared to jump up as Bartimaeus for you do not know when Jesus will be passing by.

Daily Bible Verse @ SeekFirstcommunity.com