My message will be rejected.

THE MESSAGE OF THE PROPHET  WILL BE CONTENTIOUS IN OUR TIMES.

"In those days, the princes said to the king:
“Jeremiah ought to be put to death: he is demoralizing the soldiers who are left in this city, and all the people, by speaking such things to them; he is not interested in the welfare of our people, but in their ruin.” (Jeremiah 38: 4).

Sunday of the 20th week in Ordinary Time has a message of strife, contention and extreme courage in following Jesus.

The people got King Zedekiah to condemn Jeremiah to death for doing his work as a prophet. In the Gospel, Jesus proclaims how He came to set the earth on fire. "From now on a household of five will be divided, three against two and two against three.” (Luke 12: 52 - 53).

The 2nd Reading from Hebrews 12: 1- 4 confirms the message of Christ on the nature of the Enterprise He has given his life for. A great crowd of witnesses has already paid the price with their life: John the Baptist, Peter and Paul and all the Apostles, Stephen, Lawrence, Cecilia, Agatha, Thomas More, Oscar Romero, Martin Luther King Jr, etc. These are the heroes of our faith. All these witnesses belong to the Communion of the Saints, the holy ones who day and night are interceding for us before the Throne of grace and mercy and urging us to persevere in running the race that lies before us.

Brethren, this saying is trustworthy:
“Eye has not seen, and ear has not heard, and has not entered the human heart, what God has prepared for those who love him,” (1 Corinthians 2: 9).

The reward for faithfulness and perseverance will be extraordinary.

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Feast of Saints Pontian and Hippolytus.

"GIVE ONLY GOOD EXAMPLE, TO THE CHILDREN; NEVER CORRECT THEM, WHEN OUT OF HUMOR OR IMPATIENT. WE MUST WIN THEM BY AN APPEAL TO THEIR PIETY AND TO THEIR HEARTS. SOFTEN YOUR REPRIMANDS WITH KIND WORDS; ENCOURAGE AND REWARD THEM. THAT IS, IN SHORT, OUR WAY OF TEACHING." (ST MADELINE SOPHIE BARAT).

“Let the children come to me, and do not prevent them; for the Kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” After he placed his hands on them, he went away." (Matthew 19: 13 - 15).

Saturday 13th August 2022, 19th Week in Ordinary Time is the feast of a Pope and an anti Pope: Saints Pontian, Pope and Hippolytus, anti Pope (priest). St Pontian was elected Pope in 230 and St Hippolytus challenged him and set up himself as a rival. By a mysterious design of Divine Providence, both waring clerics found themselves in the the same prison at the same time. They reconciled and were martyred together under the Emperor Maximinus Thrax. (+ 235).

In the Gospel for today the disciples rebuked children and their mothers who prayed that Jesus might lay His hands on them. But Jesus said,
“Let the children come to me, and do not prevent them; for the Kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”

Have you ever been annoyed by unrestrained and noisy children during Mass?  I discovered something curious and very beautiful about this recently. Little children love the house of God in a natural way. At first, I thought that little children might mistake the Sanctuary for a super market like Walmart. A little reflection convinced me that this is not the case.  There is something about the solemnity of the assembly gathered for Mass that gets even to little children. They see something in the House of God that we distracted adults don't see. After one Sunday Mass, I saw a young child suddenly detach himself from the gripping hold of the mother and ran to the side Altar, the Shrine of the Blessed Virgin Mary. He was gazing at the beautiful statue of the Blessed Virgin. I have learned to leave the little ones alone.

"Blessed are you, Father,
Lord of heaven and earth, for revealing the mysteries of the kingdom to mere children." (Matthew 11: 25).

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The Feast of St Jane Frances de Chantal. Cofounder of the Visitation Order.

"GOD HATES DIVORCE." (MALACHI 2: 16). THE CHURCH HAS DIVINE AUTHORITY TO INTERPRET THE SACRED SCRIPTURES. (CCC 2382 to 2385).

"Some Pharisees approached Jesus, and tested him, saying, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any cause whatever?” He said in reply, “Have you not read that from the beginning the Creator made them male and female and said, For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh? So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore, what God has joined together, man must not separate.”  (Matthew 19: 3... 12).

Friday 12th August 2022 of the 19th Week of Ordinary Time is the feast of St Jane Frances Chantal (1572 - 1641). Religious. French.
At the age of 20, Jane married a noble man, Baron de Chantal. After her husband died, Jane settled her children and embraced the ideals of religious life: chastity and poverty. Jane cofounded the Order of the Visitation with St Francis de Sales (Bishop and Doctor of the Church).
Jane Frances left Behind a large quantity of letters between her and St Francis de Sales that offer great insight on spiritual direction.

Is divorce permitted?

The Pharisees asked Jesus.  Jesus used this question to teach us God's original plan for marriage between one man and one woman.  God joined man and woman together to become one for life.
If this is so, what is the reason for the prevalent heart-wrenching divorces? Hardness of heart or sin is the cause, Jesus answered.

This is how the Church explains the progression of the hardness of heart that leads to divorce:

"The harmony in which they had found themselves, thanks to original justice, is now destroyed: the control of the soul's spiritual faculties over the body is shattered; the union of man and woman becomes subject to tensions, their relations henceforth marked by lust and domination. Harmony with creation is broken: visible creation has become alien and hostile to man. Because of man, creation is now subject "to its bondage to decay".Finally, the consequence explicitly foretold for this disobedience will come true: man will "return to the ground", for out of it he was taken. Death makes its entrance into human history."  (CCC 400).

What sin has torn asunder, Jesus Christ has reconciled in His body by giving man and woman the means and tools to live in harmony.  The Church accompanies the married couples on their journey of faith with these Sacraments: Matrimony, Eucharist, Reconciliation. The Church provides a number of effective tools as aid to harmony: marriage preparation classes, counseling, Cursillo, Encounters, etc.

Like any vocation, it is impossible for marriage to work outside the framework of sacraments, tools and resources provided by the Providence of God for the institution today.

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Feast of St Clare. Virgin and Founder of the Poor Clares.

"UNLESS YOU ARE WILLING TO DO THE RIDICULOUS, GOD WILL NOT DO THE MIRACULOUS."
(MOTHER ANGELICA OF EWTN, A  POOR CLARE).

"Peter approached Jesus and asked him, “Lord, if my brother sins against me, how often must I forgive him? As many as seven times?”

"Jesus answered, “I say to you, not seven times but seventy-seven times. That is why the Kingdom of heaven may be likened to a king who decided to settle accounts with his servants. When he began the accounting, a debtor was brought before him who owed him a huge amount. Since he had no way of paying it back, his master ordered him to be sold, along with his wife, his children, and all his property, in payment of the debt. At that, the servant fell down, did him homage, and said, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay you back in full.’

"Moved with compassion the master of that servant let him go and forgave him the loan. When that servant had left, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a much smaller amount. He seized him and started to choke him, demanding, ‘Pay back what you owe.’ Falling to his knees, his fellow servant begged him, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay you back.’

"But he refused. Instead, he had the fellow servant put in prison until he paid back the debt. Now when his fellow servants saw what had happened, they were deeply disturbed, and went to their master and reported the whole affair.

"His master summoned him and said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you your entire debt because you begged me to. Should you not have had pity on your fellow servant, as I had pity on you?’ Then in anger his master handed him 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.” (Matthew 18: 21.... 19: 1).

Thursday 11th August 2022 of the 19th week of Ordinary Time is the feast of St Clare. (1193 - 1253). Italian. At 18, Clare was not only beautiful but her parents were very wealthy. She gave up everything to follow the original Little One, Jesus Christ our Savior. Imitating St Francis of Assisi, the little poor man of Assisi, Clare embraced radical poverty. She founded the Poor Clares and modeled its constitution from what she learned from St Francis of Assisi. The Poor Clares continue to serve the Church today.

I know one Poor Clare Nun, who made a great contribution to the world. Mother Angelica (+ 2016). She founded EWTN which is the only global Catholic Television Network in the world. For me, Mother Angelica is a saint. She prayed and worked. She suffered persecution from inside and outside the Church. She experienced much ill health most of her life. She remained a Poor Clare all her life. "Santo Subito!"

The Gospel today deals with the sensitive topic of Forgiveness. I reflected on this topic a couple of times and presumed that I am a forgiving person and understand a few things about Forgiveness. My attitude changed today when I looked closely at Peter's question. “Lord, if my brother sins against me, how often must I forgive him? As many as seven times?”
I reflected thus: If someone offends me once on something serious, I am disposed by grace to forgive the person even immediately. If the same person repeats the same offense three or four times, that's a different ballgame. Then I realized that I had never understood Jesus teaching on Forgiveness.

When Jesus answered Peter, “I say to you, not seven times but seventy-seven times." Jesus is saying: You have to be perfect as My Father is perfect. His mercy has no limit. Let your own mercy be limitless. Think about this: Many of us who use the Sacrament of Reconciliation confess the same sins over and over again. For example:  "Forgive me Father for I have sinned....I lied 5 times in the past 4 weeks."  Many of us come back in the next few weeks and repeat:
"Forgive me Father for I have sinned....I lied 7 times in the past 4 weeks."
The priest who is acting in persona Christi in the Sacrament of Confession gives us absolution in the name of Jesus.

If we do not make effort to forgive those who offend us without counting the number of times we are offended, we will hear from Jesus:

"You wicked servant! I forgave you your entire debt because you begged me to. Should you not have had pity on your fellow servant, as I had pity on you?"

"My Mother, on the other hand, raises souls when they fall; she instills in them a confidence in My loving mercy, a readiness to believe in My merciful love, a desire to come into My presence and to expose to Me, the divine physician, the wounds suffered in spiritual combat. My Mother is the Mother of Holy Hope. She is the Mother of Holy Confidence. One who entrusts himself to My Mother will never fall into the pit of despair. Even when sorely tempted, there will remain in that soul enough confidence to turn to Me, and to make an act of abandonment to My merciful love that will touch My Heart and release from it a torrent of forgiveness, healing, and mercy." (IN SINU JESU page 203).

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The Feast of St Lawrence. Martyr. Doyen of Deacons.

"LEARN, UNHAPPY MAN, HOW GREAT IS THE POWER OF MY GOD; FOR YOUR BURNING COALS GIVE ME REFRESHMENT. BUT THEY WILL BE YOUR ETERNAL PUNISHMENT." (ST LAWRENCE THE DEACON).

"Jesus said to his disciples: “Amen, amen, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains just a grain of wheat; but if it dies, it produces much fruit. Whoever loves his life loses it, and who­ever hates his life in this world will preserve it for eternal life. Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there also will my servant be. The Father will honor whoever serves me.”  (John 12: 24 - 26).

Wednesday 10th August 2022 of the 19th Week of Ordinary Time is the feast of St Lawrence, Deacon and Martyr. (+258). St Lawrence, Roman citizen born in Spain. Archdeacon in the Church of Rome during the pontificate of Pope St Sixtus II. St Lawrence spent his life in the service of the poor of Rome. He perished in a gruesome torture under the persecution of Emperor Valerian. St Lawrence is the Doyen of all the Deacons of the Church. Happy feast day all you holy deacons out there.

Lavishly Lawrence gave to the poor; his generosity shall endure forever; his horn shall be exalted in glory. (Cf Responsorial Psalm 112).

"Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully." (2 Corinthians 9: 6).
St Lawrence sowed bountifully and the Lord rewarded him and made him the Doyen of Deacons and patron Saint of many charities.

During the trial of St Lawrence, the  judge asked: “Where are the riches of the Church?” But Lawrence extended his hand toward the poor and said: “These are the riches of the Church.”

Lawrence cared for the poor, the ill, and the abandoned of Rome and became their patron. St Lawrence is the patron saint of deacons, librarians, cooks, seminarians and students, butchers, etc.

St Lawrence answered the call to the clerical state when that calling was a certain death sentence. Jesus empowered Lawrence with His grace and the Holy Spirit enabled Lawrence to produce large harvest.

"The attack on My priesthood that appears to be spreading and growing is, in fact, in its final stages. It is a satanic and diabolical onslaught against My Bride the Church, an attempt to destroy her by attacking the most wounded of her ministers in their carnal weaknesses; but I will undo the destruction they have wrought and I will cause My priests and My Spouse the Church to recover a glorious holiness that will confound My enemies and be the beginning of a new era of saints, of martyrs, and of prophets." (IN SINU JESU page 149).

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St Teresa Benedicta of the Cross, OCARM. Virgin and Martyr.

"REMEMBER THAT NOTHING IS SMALL IN THE EYES OF GOD. DO ALL THAT YOU DO WITH LOVE." (ST THERESE THE LITTLE FLOWER).

“The disciples approached Jesus and said, “Who is the greatest in the Kingdom of heaven?” He called a child over, placed it in their midst, and said, “Amen, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will not enter the Kingdom of heaven. Whoever becomes humble like this child is the greatest in the Kingdom of heaven. And whoever receives one child such as this in my name receives me.

““See that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that their angels in heaven always look upon the face of my heavenly Father.   (Matthew 18: 1 - 5, 10, 12...14).

Tuesday 9th August 2022 of the 19th Week of Ordinary Time is the feast of the St Teresa Benedicta of the Cross. (1891 - 1942). Virgin & Martyr. Polish.  Teresa was born Edith Stein of Jewish parents and converted to the Church after reading the books of St Teresa of Avila. Some years after her conversion to the Catholic Church, she followed St Teresa of Avila into the Carmelite Order.  Edith Stein was a well established philosopher in the universities in Germany.  The Gestapo arrested her on August 2nd 1942 and sent her to Auschwitz where she died in the gas chambers on August 9th.

Jesus praises the humility of a little child.  What is humility?
Just like love, humility is patient and kind.  Humility is not jealous, conceited or proud. It does not keep a record of wrongs. In short, humility is love.

The little child is the face of innocence in whom the Holy Spirit likes to dwell and play. The little child manifests the fruits of the Holy Spirit.

Aim to become like a little child and the Kingdom of God will be yours and all the rest as well.

Daily Bible Verse @ SeekFirstcommunity.com

The Feast of St Dominic, OP. Founder of the Dominicans.

"ARM YOURSELF WITH PRAYER INSTEAD OF A SWORD; BE CLOTHED WITH HUMILITY INSTEAD OF FINE RAIMENT." (ST DOMINIC, OP).

"As Jesus and his disciples were gathering in Galilee, Jesus said to them, “The Son of Man is to be handed over to men, and they will kill him, and he will be raised on the third day.” And they were overwhelmed with grief.

"When they came to Capernaum, the collectors of the temple tax approached Peter and said, “Does not your teacher pay the temple tax?” “Yes,” he said. When he came into the house, before he had time to speak, Jesus asked him, “What is your opinion, Simon? From whom do the kings of the earth take tolls or census tax? From their subjects or from foreigners?” When he said, “From foreigners,”

"Jesus said to him, “Then the subjects are exempt. But that we may not offend them, go to the sea, drop in a hook, and take the first fish that comes up. Open its mouth and you will find a coin worth twice the temple tax. Give that to them for me and for you.” (Matthew 17: 22 - 27).

Monday 8th August 2022, 19th Week of Ordinary Time is the feast of St Dominic, OP. Born August 8th, 1170. Died August 6th 1221. Priest. Spanish. St Dominic founded the Order of Preachers, popularly known as Dominicans. They fought and marginalized the Albigensian heresy in France. The Blessed Virgin Mary gave Dominic the Holy Rosary as a potent tool in the fight against all heresies. The Holy Rosary with its mysteries is the Whole of the Gospel and a nuclear weapon against heresies. I have said the Rosary every day for 26 years to protect the Daily Bible Verse ministry against heresy. Think about this: The Dominican order has contributed to the mission of the Church for some 800 years. The Dominicans promote the study of Sacred Scripture and the Holy Rosary.

There are two tracks in today's Gospel:
#1. How did Jesus handle tax matters?
#2. How did Jesus handle money?

The first is easy. Jesus paid His taxes.
Throughout His ministry, there is no single incident where we see Jesus handling money directly. Jesus and the Twelve had a bursar who was charged with keeping the donations and buying the necessities for the Group. Jesus seemed to have a disdain for money. He called money  dishonest wealth and the Bible calls it filthy lucre. Money taints and corrupts everything it touches.

When Jesus sent His disciples to evangelize, He discouraged them from carrying large amounts of cash. Trust completely in the mighty and merciful Providence of God to provide all your needs.

When the Temple Tax collectors challenged Jesus over tax, Jesus and the Twelve probably had no money in their purse. Not wanting to delay the payment of the Temple tax, Jesus did an interesting thing.

"But that we may not offend them, go to the sea, drop in a hook, and take the first fish that comes up. Open its mouth and you will find a coin worth twice the temple tax. Give that to them for me and for you.” Jesus knew precisely where the fish with the golden coin in its mouth would be hiding.

In our work for the Gospel, we trust in the mighty and merciful Providence of Jesus, to provide our necessities.

"His Eucharistic love surpasses all the laws of perishable nature: there is no greater miracle on the face of the earth than the real presence of my Son in the Sacrament of the Altar." (Mary in IN SINU JESU page 184).

The greatest miracle according to Jesus and His Mother is the Presence of Jesus in the Holy Eucharist. Do we appreciate this?

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