Write your vision down. It shall be fulfilled in the fullness of time.

"YET I WILL REJOICE IN THE LORD; I WILL EXULT IN THE VICTORIOUS GOD OF MY SALVATION!" (HABAKKUK 3: 18).

"How long, O LORD? I cry for help
but you do not listen!
I cry out to you, “Violence!”
but you do not intervene.
Why do you let me see ruin;
why must I look at misery?
Destruction and violence are before me; there is strife, and clamorous discord.

"Then the LORD answered me and said:

"Write down the vision clearly upon the tablets, so that one can read it readily.

"For the vision still has its time,
presses on to fulfillment, and will not disappoint; if it delays, wait for it, it will surely come, it will not be late.

"The rash one has no integrity;
but the just one, because of his faith, shall live." (Habakkuk 1:2-3; 2:2-4).

Sunday October 2, 2022 of the 27th week of Ordinary Time.

What a feast of Sacred Scriptures we enjoy this Sunday.  Our first Reading from Habakkuk has remained one of my 10 Top Scriptures for a long time. When one need is fulfilled by God, a new need emerges.
Our God is the God of Divine Providence and not of Chance. The word Chance or Luck or Lottery is not found in the Sacred Scriptures.

In the first Reading today, God asks the Prophet Habakkuk to write down the answer to what He plans to do in the future. Every plan, vision of God is for its intended time.  (Cf Ecclesiastes 3:1, 11).

Abraham and Sarah were promised a son. When this promise was fulfilled 25 years later, Sarah sang that it had pleased God to fulfill His promise at the time of His own choosing. Elizabeth, the mother of John the Baptist praised God for answering her prayers for a son at His chosen time.
In the fullness of time, the Angel Gabriel visited Mary of Nazareth and announced the birth of the Messiah.

Search throughout Sacred Scripture, you will not find anything  happening by haphazard. Our God is a Father of Divine Providence and not a god of Chance. Your future and your destiny has been planned with meticulous care. Your future does not belong to lottery or gambling. It is not from any chance that your comfort and happiness springs. Every joy, every good thing you enjoy in life comes from God's gracious ordaining.

Thank You O Faithful Father. I have learned that You are a Father who keeps His promises. You asked me to write down my dream so that I do forget it. I nearly forgot it but You reminded me and restored my dream. Thank You Father.

"Within your will, O Lord, all things are established, and there is none that can resist your will. For you have made all things, the heaven and the earth, and all that is held within the circle of heaven; you are the Lord of all." (Cf Esther 4: 17).

10.2 :"The Rosary is the most beautiful and the most rich in graces of all prayers; it is the prayer that touches most the Heart of the Mother of God…and if you wish peace to reign in your homes, recite the family Rosary."  ( Pope Saint Pius X.)

Daily Bible Verse @ SeekFirstcommunity.com

Feast of the Little Flower, St Therese of the Child Jesus.

"OH JESUS, HOW LITTLE KNOWN IS THE MERCIFUL LOVE OR YOUR HEART!" (ST THERESE OF THE CHILD JESUS).

"At that very moment Jesus rejoiced in the Holy Spirit and said, “I give you praise, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, for although you have hidden these things from the wise and the learned you have revealed them to the childlike.

"Yes, Father, such has been your gracious will.

"All things have been handed over to me by my Father. No one knows who the Son is except the Father, and who the Father is except the Son and anyone to whom the Son wishes to reveal him.”  (Matthew 11: 17.... 25).

Saturday 1st October 2022 of 26th Week of Ordinary Time is the feast of the Little Flower, St Therese of the Child Jesus, also known as St Therese of Lisieux. (1873 - 1897). French Carmelite Nun. Pope Leo XIII granted Therese to enter Carmel at the age of 15 and she died at 24. In 1927, Therese was named the co-patron saint of the Mission. Pope John Paul II made Therese a Doctor of the Church in 1997.

October 1st is also First Saturday in October. October is the month dedicated to the Most Holy Rosary. There will be inspiring quotes on the mystery of the Holy Rosary in the Blog  for each day of October.

St Therese is one of the most beloved saints in the Church. She is a powerful intercessor and her contribution to spirituality can be summarized thus:

#1 Utter simplicity in everything.
#2 Profound trust in Divine Providence.

St Therese you may say was chosen to be St Therese before she was born. At the age of 6, she had a profound faith in the Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist and in the Blessed Sacrament. Asked one day how she was so sure of this, her response was disarming and profound: Jesus said: "This is My Body. This is My Blood." Since Jesus is God and Almighty, nothing is impossible for Him. Does this not remind us of the Blessed Virgin Mary? To the word that She would conceive by the power of the Holy Spirit and give birth to the Son of God, she replied: "Be it done to me according to Your word." No fear. No worry. No doubt.

Is there a connection between faith and simplicity?  Simplicity in thoughts and habits may facilitate the habit of believing. This seems to be the witness of many saints.
"Unless you turn and become like children, you will not enter the Kingdom of Heaven." (Matthew 18: 3).

Be simple like Jesus and Therese. Dare to Believe.

"The Rosary is very pleasing to our Mother in heaven; she herself has recommended it. There are two elements of the Holy Rosary: meditation on its mysteries and vocal prayer. The Rosary surely reaches the motherly heart of Mary and moves her to obtain abundant graces for us." (Roman Missal).

Daily Bible Verse @ SeekFirstcommunity.com

Feast of St Jerome, Priest and Doctor of the Church.

"GOOD, BETTER, BEST. NEVER LET IT REST. 'TIL YOUR GOOD IS BETTER AND YOUR BETTER IS BEST." (ST JEROME, DOCTOR OF THE CHURCH).

"Blessed indeed is he who ponders the law of the Lord day and night:
he will yield his fruit in due season." (Cf Psalm 1: 1 - 2. Entrance Antiphon on the Feast of St Jerome).

Friday 30th September 2022 of the 26th Week of Ordinary Time is the feast of St Jerome (342 - 420). From Dalmatia in former Yugoslavia. Priest, Doctor of the Church. Jerome translated the Bible into the Latin Vulgate, which became the official version of the Bible for the Church for over 1000 years.

We chose our key Scripture for today from Psalm 1, the great promise of God for those who love His word and study it season and out of season. Note that a similar promise is made to Joshua:
"Do not let this book of the law depart from your lips. Recite it by day and by night, that you may carefully observe all that is written in it; then you will attain your goal; then you will succeed." (Joshua 1: 8).

If you are still not excited by the promises of investing in the word of God, consider this:
"When I found your words, I devoured them; your words were my joy, the happiness of my heart." (Jeremiah 15: 16).
When Jeremiah devoured the word of God, what did he find? Incomparable happiness and joy.

I too discovered the word of God in a career crisis while working for a large  company. The word that was waiting for me to discover was Exodus 14: 13 - 14. I was blown away by God's utter faithfulness to His gracious promise. I resolved to read the Scriptures everyday from that day.

I am delighted by these quotes from St Jerome:

+  "Ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ."

+ "As often as the world’s vain ambition delights you, as often as you see in mundane affairs something that vaunts itself, transport yourself in your thoughts to paradise: begin to be what you shall be. And you shall hear from your Bridegroom: Put me as a seal upon your heart, as a seal upon your arm."

Lord, help us to follow the example of St Jerome in reflecting on Your word day and night. May Your word prepare us to offer You a sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving always and everywhere. Amen.

Daily Bible Verse @ SeekFirstcommunity.com

The Feast of the Archangels: Michael, Gabriel and Raphael.

"THE BATTLE AGAINST THE DEVIL, WHICH IS THE PRINCIPAL TASK OF SAINT MICHAEL THE ARCHANGEL, IS STILL BEING FOUGHT TODAY, BECAUSE THE DEVIL IS STILL ALIVE AND ACTIVE IN THE WORLD."  (POPE ST JOHN PAUL II).

"Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said of him, “Here is a true child of Israel. There is no duplicity in him.” Nathanael said to him, “How do you know me?”

"Jesus answered and said to him, “Before Philip called you, I saw you under the fig tree.”

"Nathanael ­answered him, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel.” Jesus answered and said to him, “Do you believe because I told you that I saw you under the fig tree? You will see greater things than this.”

"And he said to him, “Amen, amen, I say to you, you will see heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.” (John 1: 47 - 51).

Thursday 29th September 2022 of the 26th Week of Ordinary Time is the feast of the Archangels Michael, Gabriel and Raphael.

Angels are mentioned many times in the Hebrew Scriptures. Jesus' encounter with Nathanael (Bartholomew) in the Gospel of today confirms the existence of angels. A fact that is known in the Hebrew Scriptures.

Here is the meaning of the names of the Archangels:

Micha-El: Who is like God?
Gabri-El: God’s strength” or “Power of God”
Rapha-El: “God heals”
El means God.

By the ministry of the angels, our sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving come before the presence of Almighty God. The Archangel Michael is assigned to guard the Church. ( Cf Daniel 12: 1). Pope Leo XIII who had a vision of this in the Sanctuary of his Church composed the Prayer to St Michael which became an inspired and principal prayer in spiritual warfare. Many Catholics say this prayer daily.

United with the angels, we will conquer the Great Deceiver by the Blood of the Lamb and by the word of our testimony. (Cf Revelations 12: 7 - 12).

How do we enter into personal relationship with the angels? Exactly the same way we enter into relationship with our patron saints. We honor the saints by praying to them, asking them favors and their protection. We celebrate their feast as we do this day. Jesus Christ, the Prince of Saints says that when we honor the saints and angels, we glorify Him. Besides the three Archangels we honor today, each human being is assigned a Guardian Angel when he is created. We celebrate the feast of the Guardian Angels on October 2nd.

Click the link below for the St Michael the Archangel Prayer:

http://seekfirst.blogspot.com/2020/09/st-michael-archangel-prayer.html?m=1

Daily Bible Verse @ Seekfirstcommunity.com

Feast of Saints Lorenzo Ruiz & Wenceslaus, Martyrs.

"I AM A CATHOLIC AND WHOLEHEARTEDLY DO ACCEPT DEATH FOR GOD; HAD I A THOUSAND LIVES, ALL THESE TO HIM SHALL I OFFER." (ST LORENZO RUIZ).

"As Jesus and his disciples were proceeding on their journey, someone said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.”

"Jesus answered him, “Foxes have dens and birds of the sky have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to rest his head.”

"And to another he said, “Follow me.” But he replied, “Lord, let me go first and bury my father.”

"But Jesus answered him, “Let the dead bury their dead. But you, go and proclaim the Kingdom of God.”

"And another said, “I will follow you, Lord, but first let me say farewell to my family at home.”

"Jesus answered him, “No one who sets a hand to the plow and looks to what was left behind is fit for the Kingdom of God.” (Luke 9: 57 - 62).

Wednesday 28th September 2022 of the 26th Week of Ordinary Time is the feast of two martyrs:  St Wenceslaus (907 - 927). King and Martyr. Saintly monarch. Murdered by his own brother in a sibling rivalry that reminds us of Cain and Abel.
St Lorenzo Ruiz (+1630). Filipino layman and his companions were martyred in Japan with other Christian missionaries.

Our Gospel today shows how Jesus handles applications for a spot in the group of His disciples. Each applicant is treated differently. But to each, Jesus says:

You must count carefully the cost of discipleship.  How far and how long are you prepared to follow Me? What will you do when the going becomes tough?  A prudent and faithful disciple must be prepared to follow always and everywhere to the End.

“What sort of servant, then, is faithful, wise enough for the master to place him over his household to give them their food at the proper time? Happy that servant if his master’s arrival finds him at his employment. I tell you solemnly, he will place him over everything he owns.” (Matthew 24: 45 – 48)

Faithfulness is key to Discipleship.

Pope St John Paul II writing on faithfulness teaches that: It is good to be faithful for one day, but
better to be faithful for ten years.
It is excellent and blessed to be faithful day after day to the end of the Journey.

The Blessed Virgin Mary is called the most excellent and faithful disciple of Jesus.  She received the message of salvation from the Archangel Gabriel. She followed Jesus everywhere in His public ministry learning everything she could. She walked the Via Dolorosa with her Son to Calvary.  She received the body of her Son from the Cross from the Roman soldiers. She laid Him in the tomb and witnessed the sealing of the tomb. This is examplary faithfulness. From womb to tomb.
A disciple of Jesus must be prepared to give all.

Daily Bible Verse @
SeekFirstcommunity.com

The Feast of St Vincent de Paul, Priest and Founder.

"GO TO THE POOR AND YOU WILL FIND GOD." (ST VINCENT DE PAUL).

"On the way [to Jerusalem] they [Jesus and His disciples] entered a Samaritan village to prepare for his reception there, but they would not welcome him because the destination of his journey was Jerusalem. When the disciples James and John saw this they asked, “Lord, do you want us to call down fire from heaven to consume them?” Jesus turned and rebuked them, and they journeyed to another village." (Luke 9: 51- 56).

Tuesday 27th September 2022 of the 26th Week of Ordinary Time is the feast of St Vincent de Paul, Priest (1581 - 1660). French.

For many people around the world, St Vincent de Paul needs no introduction. His name and prestige blesses the world-wide charitable organization that ministers spiritually and materially to the needs of the poor, the homeless and the very needy. St Vincent de Paul is known in history for his love of the Poor and for deep humility.  He also had great interest in the formation of priests.
St Vincent de Paul founded the Daughters of Charity with St Louise de Marillac. After this, he founded the Congregation of the Mission.

St Vincent de Paul discerned after his ordination to the priesthood that the greatest need of the Church in France was the training and formation of the clergy. He threw himself into preparation for this ministry. Imagine his dismay when his Bishop sent him hundreds of miles from Paris to the provinces to the home of a prince, a friend of the king of France. He remained in the castle for several years teaching the two young sons of the prince.
St Vincent de Paul went to this mission in obedience. For the years he spent in the castle trying to teach the boys who did not want to learn anything, he wondered the strange ways of Divine Providence. He was soon to learn on his return to Paris.

St Vincent de Paul soon learned that in the eyes of God true greatness is: humility, a loving concern for the little ones, the poor and the needy and homeless. This became the new ministry of St Vincent de Paul in Paris. Because of the connection with the Prince and his family, St Vincent de Paul got to know who is who in the court of the king of France. These nobles provided the funds for the ministry of St Vincent de Paul to the poor and downtrodden of Paris. St Vincent de Paul did not forget the second love of his life: the formation of the clergy.

Throughout his life, Vincent marveled and then trusted God's mighty, merciful and mysterious Providence. St Vincent de Paul is the patron saint of the St Vincent de Paul Society founded in 1833 by Frederic Ozanam.

“Lord, do you want us to call down fire from heaven to consume them?” Jesus turned and rebuked them, and they journeyed to another village."

"My way is one of gentleness, of mercy, and of compassion. I offer My Cross to souls, but I never impose it, and when a soul begins to say “Yes” to the sweet and terrible exigencies of My love, I fit My Cross to her shoulders, and then help her to carry it step by step, increasing its weight only as that soul grows in love and in the fortitude that comes from the Holy Spirit." (IN SINU JESU, September 23, 2011, Feast of Saint Pio of Pietrelcina).

Daily Bible Verse @ Seekfirstcommunity.com

The Feast of Saints Cosmas and Damian, Martyrs.

"AT SUNSET, ALL WHO HAD PEOPLE SICK WITH VARIOUS DISEASES BROUGHT THEM TO JESUS. HE LAID HIS HANDS ON EACH OF THEM AND CURED THEM." (LUKE 4: 40).

"An argument arose among the disciples about which of them was the greatest. Jesus realized the intention of their hearts and took a child and placed it by his side and said to them, “Whoever receives this child in my name receives me, and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me. For the one who is least among all of you is the one who is the greatest.”

"Then John said in reply, “Master, we saw someone casting out demons in your name and we tried to ­prevent him because he does not follow in our company.” Jesus said to him, “Do not prevent him, for whoever is not against you is for you.” (Luke 9: 46 - 50).

Monday 26th September 2022 of the 26th week of Ordinary Time is the feast of two great physicians. Cosmas and Damian were twins.  They combined a supernatural gift of healing with sound medical training and practice. What is extraordinary about these two doctors is that they offered their services completely free of charge. They were martyred under Emperor Diocletian (+305).
Christ, the Divine Physician worked through Cosmas and Damian to heal body and soul. Jesus was pleased with the Twins and crowned their life with a martyr's crown and raised them to eternal glory.

After the Twelve heard the Second Prediction of the Passion, Death and Resurrection of Jesus, we were told that they did not understand what Jesus was talking about. They did not want to ask Him any questions. They however launched into a worldly competition as to who is the greatest in the Kingdom of God.

"Jesus took a child and placed it by his side and said to them, “Whoever receives this child in my name receives me, and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me. For the one who is least among all of you is the one who is the greatest.”

True greatness in the eyes of Jesus is: humility, a loving concern for the little ones, the poor and the needy and homeless.

Daily Bible Verse @ Seekfirstcommunity.com