Mary teaches us how to respond to God's promises.

"I am the handmaid of the Lord:
let what you have said be done to me. (Luke 1: 38).

Sunday 20th December 2020, 4th Sunday of Advent.

In our key Scripture for today, we find an apt response to every good promise of God to us in Holy Scriptures. The Bible is a record of God's dealings and interactions with human beings across centuries and geographies. They contain also the word of God to these men and women and their responses to God.

This Sunday, we read of how God sent the Angel Gabriel to a young woman with an astonishing promise. Gabriel told Mary that through the power of God, she will become the Mother of God. Once Mary fully understands the implications of the message, she replies:  "I am the handmaid of the Lord: let what you have said be done to me. (Luke 1: 38).

When we read the Bible, we encounter promises that we like. How do we react to these promises? Pause. Read it again. Underline it. And then tell God that you like the promise and want it for yourself. "I am the servant of the Lord: let what you have said be done to me."
God is faithful and will always honor His word.

Daily Bible Verse @ SeekFirstcommunity.com

Do not be afraid. Your prayers have been heard.

"But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, because your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall name him John.  And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth, for he will be great in the sight of the Lord." (Luke 1: 13 - 15).

Saturday 19th December 2020, 3rd Week of Advent.

God intervened miraculously to heal the wife of Manoah, Samson's mother of advanced barrenness. First Reading. God did the same wonders for Elizabeth, the wife of the priest Zechariah. Both women conceived and gave birth to miracle kids who played significant role in salvation history.

What God does once, He can replicate. These miracle stories are not just historical narratives. They are personal word of God to us. We find our place in the narrative, insert our situations and emulate the faith that is demonstrated. When we do this, we receive our miracle and everyone glorifies God.

Daily Bible Verse @ SeekFirstcommunity.com

Who is the just man Joseph?

“Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home. For it is through the holy Spirit that this child has been conceived in her." (Matthew 1: 20).

Friday 18th December 2020, 3rd Week of Advent.

In the Christmas crib, we notice the Woman, Mary and then the Infant Jesus lying in the feeding trough of of lambs. Who is the man standing still and upright gazing at the Baby quietly? Our key Scripture from the Gospel of Matthew identifies him as: "Joseph, son of David."

Here is what we know about Joseph:
#1. Joseph is from the royal line of David.
#2. A carpenter by trade and a man of humble means.
#3. He is a just and honest man.
#4. Because it was not good for a woman with child to be alone, God chose Joseph to provide for Mary and Jesus, to protect them and to be foster father to Jesus and raise Him up in virtue and manly manners.

Joseph excelled in all the roles that Divine Providence entrusted to him.

Joseph is the patron saint of the Church and a powerful intercessor for the Church and us all. He is also the patron saint of a happy death. Do you know that we are in the Year of St Joseph? The Holy Father proclaimed a “Year of Saint Joseph” from 8 December 2020, to 8 December 2021. To read the Apostolic Letter and see how to receive all the blessings and indulgences, click the link below:

http://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/apost_letters/documents/papa-francesco-lettera-ap_20201208_patris-corde.html

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The lessons of the Genealogy of our Savior, Jesus Christ.

"The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham........Eleazar became the father of Matthan, Matthan the father of Jacob, Jacob the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary. Of her was born Jesus who is called the Messiah."  (Matthew 1: 1 - 2 & 15 - 16).

Thursday 17th December 2020, 3rd Week of Advent. From 17th December, we enter a different and fast rhythm in our Advent Journey. There is still time for a good housekeeping for example: Confession and Novena.

Do you consider the Genealogy boring? Not when you understand the purpose for its inclusion in Sacred Scriptures. The Holy Spirit, the Author of the Sacred Text does not waste words as human authors do. Here are a few reasons for the Genealogy or Family History of Jesus Christ:

#1 Jesus Christ is truly God and truly Man. He descended from the lines of Abraham and David.

#2 His human family is not perfect (like His Church). It contains saints and sinners. He was not ashamed of His family nor was He ever tempted to deny them.

#3 His family lineage was planned by God from the foundation of the ages. So do not be scandalized by what you see.

#4 By the time Jesus was born of the Virgin Mary, gone were the days of the great patriarchs like Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and great kings like David and Solomon. What we have are common folks like Joseph and Mary. God has a plan that will lead us to the humble stable in Bethlehem where Jesus will be born, the King of the Jews.

"Wisdom of the Most High,

ordering all things with strength and gentleness,

come and teach us the way of truth." (Gospel Acclamation). 

Daily Bible Verse @ SeekFirstcommunity.com 

12 - 15 Tax Collectors and prostitutes responded to the call of repentance.

“Amen, I say to you, tax collectors and prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God before you." (Matthew 21: 31).

Tuesday 15th of December 2020, 3rd Week of Advent. We are exactly ten days to Christmas. The grace laden season of Advent will soon slip out of our control.

What is possibly the best and most important thing you can do for yourself and your family in the next few days? Call your parish and schedule a time for Reconciliation for you and members of your family.

Jesus said to the proud and the self righteousness:
"When John came to you in the way of righteousness, you did not believe him; but tax collectors and prostitutes did. Yet even when you saw that, you did not later change your minds and believe him." (Matthew 21: 31 - 32).

Advent is a time of grace and mercy. Do not harden your heart. The Lord hears the cry of the poor. He is waiting for you with open arms. Rush to Him.

Daily Bible Verse @ SeekFirstcommunity.com

The Feast of the Carmelite Mystic - St John of the Cross.

"Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me, says the Lord." (Cf Matthew 16: 24 - Communion Antiphon).

Monday 14th December 2020, 3rd Week of Advent is the feast of St John of the Cross. (1542 - 1591). Spanish Carmelite. Priest and Doctor of the Church. Called Doctor of Mystical theology because of the depth of his understanding and writings on mysticism. Author of the classic: "The Dark Night of a Soul."

St John of the Cross read our key Scripture for today as if it was addressed to him personally by Jesus. He took up his cross by embracing severe bodily mortifications. He endured terrible persecutions from his confreres in his religious community. They imprisoned him for nine months, flogged him publicly and imposed other forms of maltreatment.

You may be scared if you think that if you respond to Jesus to pick up your cross and follow Jesus, you may experience the same thing as John of the Cross. Not necessarily. Just like your DNA is unique to you, so is God's plan for your salvation. You are unique and irrepeatable. God has designed your own cross which will fit on you aptly. With the help of the grace God promises to provide, you will find your burden light and your yoke even sweet.

What do you like to boast about? Family, health and looks, bank account, job and status, houses, cars and boats? If you consider yourself the sheep of Christ and who hears His voice, you may hear like our Carmelite:
"May I never boast, except in the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world." (Galatians 6: 14).

O that today you will listen to His voice, harden not your hearts.

Daily Bible Verse @ SeekFirstcommunity.com