They cried out to God in their distress and He heard them.

"Leaving the crowd, they took Jesus with them in the boat just as he was. And other boats were with him. A violent squall came up and waves were breaking over the boat, so that it was already filling up. Jesus was in the stern, asleep on a cushion. They woke him and said to him, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” He woke up, rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Quiet! Be still!” The wind ceased and there was great calm. Then he asked them, “Why are you terrified? Do you not yet have faith?” (Mark 4: 34 - 40).

Sunday June 20th 2021, in the 12th Week in Ordinary Time.

“Why are you terrified? Do you not yet have faith?” This is the apparently exasperated rebuke of the disciples by Jesus.  The disciples had seen signs and wonders performed by Jesus.

Apart from the miracle of the Eucharist, which I appropriate by faith, I have not seen any miracle in my life. I hear TV Evangelists claim all types of miracles. I have never seen one. Let me tell you what I have seen many times from Sacred Scriptures: Whenever anyone cries out to God for help in mortal danger (whether a sinner or a saint), God hears and responds as Jesus did in today's Gospel.
We have example of this in the Responsorial Psalm where sailors in grave danger in the high seas cried out to God to save them.

"They cried to the Lord in their distress; from their straits he rescued them, he hushed the storm to a gentle breeze, and the billows of the sea were stilled." (Psalm 107).

God works silent miracles all the time for us. Show appreciation like the sailors. God is very pleased by our gratitude.

"They rejoiced that they were calmed, and he brought them to their desired haven.
Let them give thanks to the Lord for his kindness and his wondrous deeds to the children of men." (Psalm 107).

Such lessons from the Scriptures build up our faith. Don't miss them.

Daily Bible Verse @ Seekfirst.blogspot.com

O you of little faith!

"So do not worry and say, ‘What are we to eat?’ or ‘What are we to drink?’ or ‘What are we to wear?’ All these things the pagans seek. Your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given you besides. Do not worry about tomorrow; tomorrow will take care of itself. Sufficient for a day is its own evil.” (Matthew 6: 32 - 34).

Saturday 19th June 2021, in the 11th Week in Ordinary Time.

The Gospel of today from Matthew 6: 24 - 34 is the crème de la crème of the Sermon on the Mount.
Why are we full of fear, worry and doubt? Because we are of little faith. We may go to Church and live in the Church. We may be involved deeply in several ministries in our parish.

But deep deep down, we are no different from the pagans. How? Jesus says in the Gospel of today that pagans worry a lot about what to eat, what to wear, which car to drive or fine house to live in. Stop behaving like pagans. You have a Father in Heaven who knows exactly what you need and when you need it.

How do we come by the faith that trusts God the Provident and Gentle Father and stop behaving like pagans?
Go back to the basics. Start praying. Mother St Teresa of Kolkata says: "The fruit of prayer is faith." As you commit to daily prayer and listening to God in His word, your faith start growing and fears, worries and doubts start receding.

Jesus concludes the teaching in today's Gospel by giving the supreme remedy for trusting and enjoying the merciful and powerful Providence of God:

"Seek first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given you besides. Do not worry about tomorrow; tomorrow will take care of itself. Sufficient for a day is its own evil.” (Matthew 6: 33 - 34).

Daily Bible Verse @ Seekfirst.blogspot.com

Where do you hide your treasure?

"Jesus said to his disciples: “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and decay destroy, and thieves break in and steal. But store up treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor decay destroys, nor thieves break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there also will your heart be."  (Matthew 6: 19 - 21).

Friday 18th June 2021, in the 11th Week in Ordinary Time.

No doubt about it that your heart is always where your treasure lies whether you like it or not. Consider these six areas most people consider treasure:
Health, family, money, job, tools and possessions and food. Each of these has an expiration date stamped into it. There is no security in anything with an expiration date.

What shall we do in the light of the explicit teaching of Jesus on how to manage money and all our needs? How do we store up treasures in heaven while living on earth? Consider the following:

"Blessed are the poor in spirit; for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven."
The poor in spirit understand that every material thing is subject to decay and loss. So they do not cling tightly to them.

"Apart from these things, there is the daily pressure upon me [Paul] of my anxiety for all the churches." (2 Corinthians 11: 28).
The Church is the seed of the kingdom of God on earth. Paul puts all his treasure in the kingdom. He is therefore anxious for her well-being.

The supreme remedy for greed, idolatry and materialism is given by Jesus:
"But first and most importantly seek (aim at, strive after) His kingdom and His righteousness [His way of doing and being right—the attitude and character of God], and all these things will be given to you also." (Matthew 6: 33 AMP).

Those who are entrusted with material wealth like Abraham have the responsibility of using their wealth to help others.
Those who seek the will of God in their lives on wealth will find it.

Father, in Your will is our peace. 

Daily Bible Verse @ Seekfirst.blogspot.com

Forgiveness of the other is a precondition for Reconciliation.

"If you forgive others their transgressions, your heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you do not forgive others, neither will your Father forgive your transgressions." (Matthew 6: 14-15).

Thursday 17th June 2021, in the 11th Week in Ordinary Time.

Why did Jesus conclude the teaching on Our Father, the Lord's Prayer by stating unequivocally a precondition for the forgiveness of our sins and reconciliation with the Father? This is obviously an important theme for Jesus because He taught it in Matthew 18:21–35, which concluded thus: "Then in anger his master handed him [the unforgiving servant] over to the torturers until he should pay back the whole debt. So will my heavenly Father do to you, unless each of you forgives his brother from his heart.”

Reconciliation is crucial to enjoying the privileges of filial adoption. A girl who ran away from home and lived a lawless life for a couple of years may be hesitant as she approaches home. The prodigal son understands the importance of Reconciliation.

Many people claim that forgiveness of the other is hard. Lessons that help forgiveness:
#1. Forgive at once.
#2. Forgive everyone without discrimination.
#3. Forgive always.
#4. Forgive everywhere.
#5. "Father forgive them for they know not what they do." Forgive everyone. This step is modeled for us from the Cross.  Jesus forgave in real time those who were killing Him. He did not wait until Sunday when He rose from the dead.
#6.  Pray everyday for all those whom you have offended, known or unknown to forgive you and set you free.

Jesus Christ invites us to a life of continual conversion so that we can pray Our Father (the Lord's Prayer) with confidence.

Daily Bible Verse @ Seekfirst.blogspot.com

God loves a cheerful giver.

"Brothers and sisters, consider this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each must do as already determined, without sadness or compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver." (2 Corinthians 9: 6 - 7).

Wednesday 16th June 2021, 11th Week in Ordinary Time.

We all want to be blessed by God. Right? The beauty and power of Sacred Scripture is that God has set out in the Word how we can be abundantly blessed. Here are two principles:

#1. Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and God will provide you with all your needs. (Cf Matthew 6: 33).

#2. Sow generously into God's business and you will reap a rich harvest.

What do we sow? We sow our time, talent and treasure. In business and agriculture, the principle is the same. The more you sow, the more you reap. It is the same principle in education and in all areas of human endeavor. The student who reads the most books and spends the most time in his school work harvests the most benefit from his investment of time, talent and treasure in education.

How do we sow? 4 biblical considerations:
#1. Everything you have comes from God.
#2. You can never outdo God in generosity.
#3. God loves a cheerful giver.
#4. Ask the Holy Spirit, our Helper and Advocate to tell you how to give and how much to give.

The God who can never lie, who owns all things and for whom all things are possible have promised:
"The one who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed and increase the harvest of your righteousness."

Trust Him completely.

Daily Bible Verse @ Seekfirst.blogspot.com

Love those who persecute you.

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’  But I say to you, love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you,  that you may be children of your heavenly Father, for he makes his sun rise on the bad and the good, and causes rain to fall on the just and the unjust."  (Matthew 5:  43 - 45).

Tuesday 15th June 2021, in the 11th Week in Ordinary Time.

The new law proclaimed by Jesus Christ is for children of the heavenly Father. The law inaugurated by Moses is different. "While the law was given through Moses, grace and truth came through Jesus Christ." (John 1: 17).

The new law is the Covenant of grace. We become members of the New Covenant through faith. "But to those who did accept him [Jesus] he gave power to become children of God, to those who believe in his name, who were born not by natural generation nor by human choice nor by a man’s decision but of God." (John 1: 11 - 13).

Now that we understand that we live under the Covenant of grace, we see that it is not impossible to live the command of Jesus Christ in our key Scripture:
"Love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you."

Our Father in Heaven makes His sun rise on the bad and the good, and causes rain to fall on the just and the unjust.

Abba Father, make us love all men for Your sake. Father, in Your will is our peace.

Daily Bible Verse @ Seekfirst.blogspot.com

Christian: No Complain. No Criticize. No Condemn.

"Jesus said to his disciples: “You have heard that it was said, An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. But I say to you, offer no resistance to one who is evil. When someone strikes you on your right cheek, turn the other one to him as well."  (Matthew 5: 38 - 39).

Monday 14th June 2021, in the 11th Week in Ordinary Time.

Offer no resistance to one who you know to be a thief, a liar, an oppressor, a violent person, etc. What is Jesus teaching us here? Let us note that it is impossible to go through life without meeting the type of person the Lord calls "evil."

Our key Scripture for today evokes some word associations: Forgiveness, Retaliation, Litigation, etc.

What archetypes of evil does the Bible place the wicked person? "immorality, impurity, licentiousness,  idolatry, sorcery, hatreds, rivalry, jealousy, outbursts of fury, acts of selfishness, dissensions, factions,  occasions of envy, drinking bouts, orgies, and the like." (Galatians 5: 19 - 21). In the same passage it says that those with such behavior will never see the Kingdom of God.

Now, if we desire to see the Kingdom of God, we must practice what Jesus teaches: Forgiveness and not retaliation. Reconciliation and not litigation.

When we live as Christians in the power of the Holy Spirit, we will produce the fruits of the Spirit which are:  love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. (Galatians 5: 22 - 23).

"If we live in the Spirit, let us also follow the Spirit." (Galatians 5: 25).
This is the core teaching of our key Scripture for today?

Daily Bible Verse @ Seekfirst.blogspot.com