The Feast of St Augustine Zhao Rong and the Martrys of China.

"NOTHING CAN HAPPEN TO ME THAT GOD DOESN'T WANT. AND ALL THAT HE WANTS, NO MATTER HOW BAD IT MAY APPEAR TO US, IS REALLY FOR THE BEST." (ST THOMAS MORE)

"Jesus said to his Apostles:........

"Therefore do not be afraid of them. Nothing is concealed that will not be revealed, nor secret that will not be known. What I say to you in the darkness, speak in the light; what you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops. And do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather, be afraid of the one who can destroy both soul and body in Gehenna. Are not two sparrows sold for a small coin? Yet not one of them falls to the ground without your Father’s knowledge. Even all the hairs of your head are counted. So do not be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows. Everyone who acknowledges me before others I will acknowledge before my heavenly Father. But whoever denies me before others, I will deny before my heavenly Father." (Matthew 10: 24...... 33).

Saturday 9th July 2022, of the 14th Week of Ordinary Time  is the feast of St Augustine Zhao, Chinese priest and martyr and 119 of his companion martyrs. These 120 martyrs died
between 1648 and 1930.  Augustine Zhao Rong was a Chinese soldier and after his conversion was ordained a diocesan priest. He was martyred in 1815.

The Chinese martyrs were beatified in groups at various times. On the 1st of October 2000, Pope St John Paul II canonized the 120 martyrs in Rome.

The Gospel of today contains one of the sweetest doctrines in the Bible.  It is God's powerful and merciful Providence over all of creation. What does this mean? Abba Father cares lovingly even for the tiniest creatures such as sparrows. He cares for them so much that He gives sparrows permission to build their nests right above His altars. David envied the tiny sparrows this privilege.

How is it possible that man created in the image and likeness of God, destined to live forever with God could be possibly treated with less dignity than a sparrow?  You are worth more than many sparrows, declares Jesus. Believe this. Faith comes from hearing. You have heard/read this. This is the word of God proclaimed today in every Church in the world. I believe it.

"I will teach you all that you need to know as you go forward' says Jesus to a mystic.  "I will not give you My words ahead of time, but I will give them to you as you need them, at the moment chosen by My loving providence. Renounce the desire to control and arrange things ahead of the time that I have decreed. Each thing has its own moment, and that moment alone and no other brings with it the grace sufficient to your need, to your weakness, and to the task at hand. I am proceeding this way with you because I want you to trust Me completely, to trust Me in all things, great and small." (IN SINU JESU pg 76).

Thank You Jesus. This is a sweet message.

7. 9. We honor the Most Precious Blood of Jesus Christ in July.

“Don’t hold yourselves cheap, seeing that the creator of all things and of you estimates your value so high, so dear, that he pours out for you every day the most precious blood of his only-begotten Son.” (St Augustine).

Daily Bible Verse @ SeekFirstcommunity.com