The accused woman surprised by mercy wept for joy.

LET THE PERSON WITHOUT SIN BE THE FIRST TO THROW A STONE.

"In your kindness blot out my sins."

"Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. But early in the morning he arrived again in the temple area, and all the people started coming to him, and he sat down and taught them. Then the scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery and made her stand in the middle. They said to him, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the very act of committing adultery.....

"Jesus bent down and began to write on the ground with his finger. But when they continued asking him, he straightened up and said to them, “Let the one among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.”

...... And in response, they went away one by one, beginning with the elders. So he was left alone with the woman before him. Then Jesus straightened up and said to her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” She replied, “No one, sir.” Then Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you. Go, and from now on do not sin any more.” (John 8: 10..... 11)

Sunday 3rd April 2022, of the 5th Week of Lent. Final Sunday before Holy Week.

Today's  Gospel celebrates Divine Mercy and Divine Intervention. The woman caught in adultery is guilty. If Jesus had not intervened in the nick of time, the story would have ended differently. This woman is surprised by Mercy.

Jesus became the Face of Mercy for the Adulterer who gazed into the Face of God and heard these words:  “Neither do I condemn you. Go, and from now on do not sin any more.”

"Forgiveness is the remission of sins.  For it is by this that what has been lost, and was found, is saved from being lost again."  (St. Augustine).

The Bible has many examples of the merciful love of God. When you hear this testimony of mercy, put yourself in the place of the beneficiary of mercy and claim it for yourself.
"The testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy." (Revelation 19: 10).
What does this mean? Scripture is filled with examples of mercies and miracles that you can claim as prophecy, that is divine promise to you. 

"The blessing of the priest is a great means by which good is made to triumph over evil, love over hatred, and mercy over judgment. Similarly, the blessing given with the relics of My saints pleases Me much. I am glorified in My saints, and I pass through them to distribute the riches of My Heart in the universe of souls." (IN SINU JESU, Wednesday, October 10, 2007).

Daily Bible Verse @ SeekFirstcommunity.com

Jesus Christ is still a cause of divisions today.

"FROM THE VERY BEGINNING - FROM THAT NIGHT IN THE CENACLE WHEN I HANDED OVER THE MYSTERIES OF MY BODY AND BLOOD - MY FACE AND MY HEART HAVE BEEN PRESENT IN THE MOST HOLY EUCHARIST."

"Some in the crowd who heard these words of Jesus said, “This is truly the Prophet.” Others said, “This is the Christ.” But others said, “The Christ will not come from Galilee, will he? Does not Scripture say that the Christ will be of David’s family and come from Bethlehem, the village where David lived?” So a division occurred in the crowd because of him. Some of them even wanted to arrest him, but no one laid hands on him."

Saturday 2nd April 2022  of the 4th Week in Lent.

As Jesus embarked in His public ministry, dissension and division followed Him everywhere. No surprise at all because Simeon prophesied this to Mary and Joseph in the Temple during the Presentation of Jesus.
"Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, “Behold, this child is destined for the fall and rise of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be contradicted." (Luke 2: 34).

Like the Prophet Jeremiah, Jesus "knew their plot because the Lord informed me; at that time you, O Lord, showed me their doings." (Cf Jeremiah11:18-20).
"So a division occurred in the crowd because of him [Jesus]." (John 7: 43).

Jesus was born to be a sign of contradiction. This is true while he was walking the muddy terrain of Galilee as it is today, 2000 years after He ascended into Heaven. Let us consider the cause of dissensions about Jesus in 2022:

#1. The First is Ignorance: The dissenters in the days of Jesus could have easily learned that Jesus was born in Bethlehem and not in Nazareth. They did not care to find out. "Ignorance of Scripture is Ignorance of Christ." (St Jerome).
#2. Today, people can look at the religious terrain in Christianity and ask: Did Jesus truly found 60,000 churches?  The multiplicity of churches is a great cause of scandal and dissension.
#3. Some claim that the doctrine of Jesus is too harsh and restrictive. Why can't people destroy babies in the womb if they choose to or marry whoever  they wish? For example.
#4. Who is this Jesus to tell us how to live our lives?

“Behold, this child is destined for the fall and rise of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be contradicted," proclaims prophecy. The Day of reckoning is coming. It came for the Jews in 70 AD. It will come for everyone sooner than later.

"O Lord, my God, in you I take refuge;
save me from all my pursuers and rescue me, lest I become like the lion’s prey, to be torn to pieces, with no one to rescue me. " (Psalm 7).

Daily Bible Verse @ SeekFirstcommunity.com

This is the hour. The appointed time.

"TRUST ME WITH THE TIMING OF ALL THINGS." - JESUS CHRIST.

"They tried to arrest him, but his hour had not yet come." (Cf John 7: 30).

On Friday, 1st April 2022 also the First Friday of April, in the 4th week of Lent 2022, we reflect on the Hour of Destiny.

Jesus refers uncannily to His hour not yet come or His hour that has come. What is this hour that Jesus talks about all the time?

We know that the biblical concept of time is divided into Chronos from where we get chronology: years, months, weeks, hours, minutes, etc. Is this what Jesus means when He talks of the Hour? For example: Friday. April 1st. 2022? Or does He allude to Kairos, which can be interpreted as the hour of grace, the appointed time  set by the Almighty Father for the execution or realization of His plans, purposes, designs and providences.

God’s Kairos hour governs all events in the life of Jesus, viz: Birth, Baptism, Desert Experience, Transfiguration, Last Supper, Passion, Death and Resurrection to mention but the outstanding ones.

It also governs the major events in our life. Are you impatient that some prayers or expectations of yours have not been fulfilled? Are you in the appointed time? Nothing happens in God's government of the world before the appointed time.

"There is an appointed time for everything, and a time for every affair under the heavens." (Ecclesiastes 3: 1).

In the fullness of time, Jesus would hand over Himself to be glorified on the Cross. For the Cross is the appointed means of the glorification of the Son of Man. Before that hour, no enemy can harm Jesus.

As followers of Jesus, our lives are hemmed in by God's loving and powerful Providence. If we make the Kingdom of God and His holiness the top priority of our life, God's promise of provision and protection for us will never fail.

"Praise to you, O Christ, king of eternal glory! Now, now – it is the Lord who speaks –come back to me with all your heart, for I am all tenderness and compassion." ( Joel 2: 12 - 13).

Daily Bible Verse @ SeekFirstcommunity.com

Honor the Sacred Heart of Jesus this Friday, April 1st 2022 by attending Holy Mass and receiving Holy Communion.

April 1st , 2022  First Friday in April in the Season of Lent.

Jesus promised 12 special favors to all those who will honor His Sacred Heart especially on the First Friday of every month by attending Holy Mass and receiving Holy Communion.  In the 4th month of the year 2022, we look at Promise #4.

#4.  "They shall find in My Heart an assured refuge during life and especially at the hour of death."

The key phrase in this promise is THE HOUR OF DEATH.  Death is a divine appointment in which there is no negotiation.

I consider Promise #4 a great Promise.  St Augustine says:  "If you pray well, you live well. If you live well, you die well. If you die well, all is well."  To die well therefore is what every human being must desire. 

The Church declared St Joseph, Spouse of the Blessed Virgin, patron saint of a Happy Death.  I believe in the Resurrection of the dead and life everlasting. The thought of dying no longer scares me.

Honor the Sacred Heart of Jesus THIS First Friday by attending Holy Mass and receiving the Eucharist.

For the 12 Promises of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, Sacred Heart devotional prayers and prayer intentions click the link below:

http://seekfirst.blogspot.com/2020/08/12-promises-of-sacred-heart-of-jesus.html?m=1

Daily Bible Verse @ Seekfirstcommunity.com

The work that I do testify for Me.

"YOU WILL BE FILLED WITH POWER WHEN THE HOLY SPIRIT COMES ON YOU, AND YOU WILL BE WITNESSES FOR ME TO THE ENDS OF THE EARTH."

"But I have testimony greater than John’s. The works that the Father gave me to accomplish, these works that I perform testify on my behalf that the Father has sent me." (John 5: 36).

Thursday 31st March 2022 of the 4th week of Lent.

Today we look at the "testimony" of Jesus. We ask: What are the credentials of Jesus? How do we know that this Man is who He claims to be?

In His trial before Pontius Pilate, Jesus affirms that the purpose He came into the world is to bear witness to the truth. Jesus, according to His own testimony is the Way, the Truth and the Life.

To validate that Jesus is who He claims to be, we match His claims with His works. A Trauma doctor must be able to perform in a critical emergency situation in order to be believed. If not, he is considered an impostor, a fraud.

Jesus is genuine and authentic in every sense. He healed every type of sickness. He raised the dead. He cast out demons. He fed thousands from a few loaves and fish. He taught people the message of eternal life. Jesus fulfilled every profile of the Messiah prophesied by Isaiah and other prophets.

How about His character? Jesus is irreprochable in His personal conduct.
Finally, He was crucified and rose from the dead as prophesied by Himself. He appeared to those He chose to see Him. His Apostles who saw Him after His Resurrection were all prepared to die and actually died to testify to the truth of His Resurrection.

The Church Jesus founded which shall never be destroyed by forces of evil is alive and following the Way of her Lord all over the world. The lives of the Saints continue to be irrefutable advertisement for the authenticity that the Church is the Body of Christ and the Temple of the Holy Spirit.

"The testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy." (Revelation 19: 10). That testimony is alive today in the Church in miracles, healing, teaching and witnessing to the truth of the Gospel.

Daily Bible Verse @ SeekFirstcommunity.com

Behold NOW is the time for MERCY!

O LORD ARISE TO HAVE MERCY ON THE CHURCH. FOR THIS IS THE TIME TO HAVE MERCY. YES LORD, THE TIME APPOINTED FOR MERCY HAS COME.
"BEHOLD NOW IS THE FAVORABLE TIME. THIS IS THE DAY OF SALVATION."

"Thus says the Lord: In a time of favor I answer you, on the day of salvation I help you; and I have kept you and given you as a covenant to the people, To restore the land and allot the desolate heritages, Saying to the prisoners: Come out! To those in darkness: Show yourselves! Along the ways they shall find pasture, on every bare height shall their pastures be. They shall not hunger or thirst, nor shall the scorching wind or the sun strike them; For he who pities them leads them and guides them beside springs of water....

"But Zion said, “The Lord has forsaken me; my Lord has forgotten me.” Can a mother forget her infant, be without tenderness for the child of her womb? Even should she forget, I will never forget you." (Isaiah 49: 8... 15).

Wednesday, of the 4th week of Lent 2022.

The kindness and mercy of God is in full display in our first Reading. The People broke the Covenant with God and suffered as a result. The suffering was crushing. They must have muttered thus: "We are convinced now that God has utterly forsaken and forgotten us." How close have you been to despair? You pray for recovery from illness but no sign of healing. For the mending of a broken family but things get worse. For financial improvement but slide into bankruptcy. Or any one of the conditions that befalls man on earth.
If you or your loved ones is in any of the above situation, God has a special good news for you in His word today.

"Can a mother forget her infant, be without tenderness for the child of her womb? Even should she forget, I will never forget you." (Isaiah 49: 15).
But in case you still have some doubts, "See, upon the palms of my hands I have engraved you." The Lord God assures us. (Isaiah 49: 16).

Now, the ball is in your court:
To believe or not to believe. It is a choice. If you believe, appropriate the Scripture, write it down, memorize it and repeat it until it is yours.

"The LORD is faithful in all his words and holy in all his works.
The LORD lifts up all who are falling
and raises up all who are bowed down." (Psalm 145: 13 - 14).
The Lord is gracious and merciful. His mercies never fail.

"Glory and praise to you, O Christ!
God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son: everyone who believes in him has eternal life.
Glory and praise to you, O Christ!" (John 3: 16).

Daily Bible Verse @ SeekFirstcommunity.com

Yes Lord, heal me today.

OUR GOD IS OUR HEALER, OUR REFUGE IN ALL TYPES OF DISTRESS. HE IS OUR STRENGTH. CALL ON HIM WITH ABUNDANT TRUST IN THE DAY OF DISTRESS AND HE WILL ANSWER YOU. GOD NEVER FAILS!

"There was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. Now there is in Jerusalem at the Sheep Gate a pool called in Hebrew Bethesda, with five porticoes. In these lay a large number of ill, blind, lame, and crippled. One man was there who had been ill for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him lying there and knew that he had been ill for a long time, he said to him, “Do you want to be well?” The sick man answered him, “Sir, I have no one to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up; while I am on my way, someone else gets down there before me.” Jesus said to him, “Rise, take up your mat, and walk.” Immediately the man became well, took up his mat, and walked.” (John 5: 1.... 6).

Tuesday 29th March 2022, in the 4th Week of Lent.

Our Gospel of today records the encounter of Jesus with a crippled man. Jesus knew he had been in this condition for 38 years. What the man did not know was that Jesus was not there by chance or accident. Jesus had a divine appointment with the crippled man on that day and place and time. Happily the crippled man was ready and received his healing.

We are saved by grace through faith. The day Jesus freed me from the oppression of alcohol by His merciful love, I received a free gift but I cooperated with Jesus like the crippled man by saying "Yes Lord. Heal me."

Where do you need healing in your life? Jesus is always passing by. Are you ready for Him?

"My Mother is the agent of all healing, the chosen instrument of the Holy Spirit for the restoration of life, of light, and of unity in every place or instance where these are lacking. Not until this sovereign disposition of My Father is recognized and confessed will there be the healing, purification, and sanctification of the priesthood and of the Church for which so many souls labour and offer themselves. None of these objectives can be obtained by human means, or even by spiritual ones, apart from the role that belongs to My Mother and to none other, because she alone is the Immaculate and, so, is alone the human instrument fit for the workings of the Holy Spirit." (IN SINU JESU, Thursday, January 29, 2009).

Daily Bible Verse @ SeekFirstcommunity.com

The Incredible faith of the royal official.

FEAR IS USELESS.
WORRY IS USELESS.
DOUBT IS USELESS.
WHAT IS NEEDED IS TRUST.

"Then Jesus returned to Cana in Galilee, where he had made the water wine. Now there was a royal official whose son was ill in Capernaum. When he heard that Jesus had arrived in Galilee from Judea, he went to him and asked him to come down and heal his son, who was near death. Jesus said to him, “Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will not believe.” The royal official said to him, “Sir, come down before my child dies.” Jesus said to him, “You may go; your son will live.” The man believed what Jesus said to him and left." (John 4: 43.....54).

Monday 28th March 2022 of the 4th week of Lent.

In our key Scripture for today, we see an example of faith. Faith is the radical trust and confidence in the word of Christ. Jesus said simply to the Royal Official: “You may go; your son will live.” The Scripture records:
"The man believed what Jesus said to him and left." (John 4: 50).

Our faith contains our obedience. We see the example in the Gospel of today. To say that "I believe" and act contrary to what you believe is not faith but hypocrisy.

If any Christian invests time and resources to learn what Faith is and how Faith works, the harvest will be incredibly huge and this gift will keep giving and giving all your life.

Consider Faith as Obedience. The Royal Official heard Jesus say: Don't worry. Go home. Your son is OK. He believes and went home. He obeyed the directive. No questions. No arguments. Are you able to imitate his action and show the Obedience of Faith?

Consider also that the man's faith was prepared by what he heard about Jesus before he met Him.
"When he heard that Jesus had arrived in Galilee from Judea, he went to him and asked him to come down and heal his son, who was near death."

When we read the Gospel, we see many healings and miracles. The stories are preparing us to believe and deepen our Faith in Jesus. You do not know when you will stand face to face with Jesus needing His help. Faith comes from hearing. Hearing the word of God and believing it.

"Many priests do not have a real and practical faith in My Eucharistic presence. Do they not know that the Eucharist encloses within itself all the merits of My Passion? Let them recover the faith of their childhood. Let them come to find Me there where I am waiting for them and I, for My part, shall work miracles of grace and holiness in them." (IN SINU JESU, Monday, October 29, 2007).

Daily Bible Verse @ SeekFirstcommunity.com