Ten lepers were healed. Only one came back to give thanks.

“In all created things discern the providence and wisdom of God, and in all things give Him thanks.”  (St. Teresa of Avila).

"As Jesus continued his journey to Jerusalem, he traveled through Samaria and Galilee. As he was entering a village, ten lepers met him.

"They stood at a distance from him and raised their voices, saying, “Jesus, Master! Have pity on us!”

"And when he saw them, he said, “Go show yourselves to the priests.”

"As they were going they were cleansed.

"And one of them, realizing he had been healed, returned, glorifying God in a loud voice; and he fell at the feet of Jesus and thanked him.

"He was a Samaritan.

"Jesus said in reply, “Ten were cleansed, were they not? Where are the other nine? Has none but this foreigner returned to give thanks to God?”

"Then he said to him, “Stand up and go; your faith has saved you.” (Luke 17: 11 - 19).

Sunday 9th October of the 28th week of Ordinary Time.

The first Reading from 2 Kings and the Gospel from St Luke teaches us the importance of Thanksgiving. “Ten were cleansed, were they not? Where are the other nine?" Asked Jesus. Was Jesus hurt that nine lepers who were healed of the terrible malady of leprosy walked away without giving thanks. I bet he was. Here is why:

Worship is at the heart religion. At the heart of worship is Thanksgiving. God does not eat steak, barbecue or drink champagne or wine. He has no need for gold or silver. God feeds on: "Sacrifice of thanksgiving." And again in the same Psalm 50: "Pay your sacrifice of thanksgiving to God." Imperative!

Do not walk away after realizing that your prayers have been answered. You are now pregnant, got the job, home, health, money, etc. Return and Give Thanks.

The Church teaches on the Prayer of Thanksgiving:
"Thanksgiving characterizes the prayer of the Church which, in celebrating the Eucharist, reveals and becomes more fully what she is. Indeed, in the work of salvation, Christ sets creation free from sin and death to consecrate it anew and make it return to the Father, for his glory. The thanksgiving of the members of the Body participates in that of their Head." (CCC 2637).

Do not deny God your sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving.

10. 9  "The Rosary is a meditation and contemplation of the mysteries of our Lord's life in the company of his Mother." (St John Henry Newman).

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You are blessed Mary. You know the word of God.

GOD'S WORD NEVER FAILS.

"While Jesus was speaking, a woman from the crowd called out and said to him, “Blessed is the womb that carried you and the breasts at which you nursed.”

"He replied, “Rather, blessed are those who hear the word of God and observe it.”  (Luke 11: 27 - 28).

Saturday 8th October 2022 of the 27th week  of Ordinary Time is the first Saturday of October, the Memorial of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Do you truly want to be blessed? Do you desire happiness above all things? Let us listen to the Blessed One, the Master teach us the secret of happiness.

First, note that Jesus points to His Mother Mary as a truly blessed One. She is "full of grace."
Blessedness, happiness (makarios) occurs 15 times in Luke.
In Luke 1: 45, Elizabeth pronounced Mary a blessed One for hearing God's incredible promise and believing it. In Matthew and Luke, the Beatitudes bring happiness and a blessed state.

Our Gospel pick for today gives us a sure, tried, proven means of being blessed:
"Blessed are those who hear the word of God and observe it." Faith comes from hearing the word of God. The word of God is so powerful because God is in His word. The word of God brings wisdom, knowledge, understanding, counsel, piety and fear of the Lord.
Do not forget that another name for Jesus is the "the word of God."

It is not possible to hear the word of God, understand it and not observe it. This is because the word of God is the word of life. But Jesus added for emphasis in our Scripture for today: "Blessed are those who hear the word of God and observe it."

All things are established in the will (word) of God and nothing can resist God's will (word). (Cf Esther 4: 7).

John the Evangelist teaches that observing the word of God is not difficult. "In fact, this is love for God: to keep his commands. And his commands are not burdensome." (1 John 5: 3).

Let us ask God to open our eyes to the beauty of His word and give us the grace to keep it so that we can enjoy happiness here on earth and life everlasting.

10. 8 "The holy Rosary is a powerful weapon. Use it with confidence and you'll be amazed at the results."  (St. Josemaria Escriva).

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Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary.

"The Rosary shall be a powerful armor against Hell; it will destroy vice, decrease sin and defeat heresies." (The Blessed Virgin Mary:  3rd Promise to those who say the Holy Rosary).

"When Jesus had driven out a demon, some of the crowd said: “By the power of Beelzebul, the prince of demons, he drives out demons.”

"Others, to test him, asked him for a sign from heaven.

"But Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself will be laid waste and house will fall against house. And if Satan is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand?

"For you say that it is by Beelzebul that I drive out demons. If I, then, drive out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your own people drive them out?

"Therefore they will be your judges.

"But if it is by the finger of God that I drive out demons, then the Kingdom of God has come upon you.

"When a strong man fully armed guards his palace, his possessions are safe. But when one stronger than he attacks and overcomes him, he takes away the armor on which he relied and distributes the spoils. Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters.

“When an unclean spirit goes out of someone, it roams through arid regions searching for rest but, finding none, it says, ‘I shall return to my home from which I came.’ But upon returning, it finds it swept clean and put in order. Then it goes and brings back seven other spirits more wicked than itself who move in and dwell there, and the last condition of that man is worse than the first.” (Luke 11: 5 - 26).

Friday 7th October 2022 of 27th Week of Ordinary Time is the feast of Our Lady of the Rosary.

The Blessed Virgin Mary is known as Lady under many titles: Our Lady of Guadalupe, Our Lady of Fatima, Our Lady of Mount Carmel, etc.  Our Lady of the Rosary celebrates Mary as a powerful intercessor using the instrument of the Rosary Prayer.

In the Gospel of today from Luke 11: 15 - 26, we hear of UNCLEAN SPIRITS, DEMONS, BEELZEBUL and SATAN.

It is obvious that we are in the arena of Spiritual Warfare. "The Rosary is the means by which I attach souls to myself. The Rosary assures souls of my presence and of my protection."  (IN SINU JESU). Yes. Protection in the spiritual warfare raging everywhere today in: families, work places, schools, offices, roads, etc.

We hear of demonic possessions and infestations. Do not take these happenings lightly. The Church does not ignore the many signs of the activities of evil spirits everywhere today. Neither should you. Jesus Christ speaking to one mystic says that the Holy Rosary is one of the most effective offensive and defensive tools against the Enemy of mankind.

Here is what the Church teaches about the Rosary:

"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).

Two recent popes, Pope St Paul VI and Pope St John Paul II have highly recommended the Rosary. Most saints since the 1500s have said the Rosary without fail.

"Your Rosary is like a ladder that you climb step by step, drawing you closer to our Lady, which means finding Christ. It is a devotion which leads us to Christ through Mary." (Pope St Paul VI, Marialis Cultus).

For the 15 Promises of Mary to those who say the Holy Rosary, click the link below:

http://seekfirst.blogspot.com/2020/08/the-15-promises-of-mary-to-those-who.html?m=1

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Honor the Sacred Heart of Jesus by receiving Holy Communion this First Friday of October 2022.

October 7, 2022 - First Friday in October.

The 12 Promises of the Sacred Heart of Jesus:  Jesus promised 12 special favors to all those who will honor His Sacred Heart especially on the First Friday of every month and receive Holy Communion.  In the 10th month of the year 2022, we look at Promise #10.

#10.  "I will give to priests the power to touch the most hardened hearts."

Do not think: "I am not excited by this promise.  I am not a priest."  We are all priests by virtue of our Baptism. We are priest, prince and prophet. Jesus Christ chose and ordained a tiny percentage of men to celebrate the Sacraments.  The first mission of the Church is evangelization.  As a Catholic Christian, you are an evangelist. Moreover, the first 3 Spiritual Works of Mercy instruct us:
#1. Instruct the ignorant.
#2. Counsel the doubtful.
#3. Admonish sinners.

Jesus promises to give you power to touch the most hardened of sinners.  Sinners are everywhere. They could be in the family. They could be friends or neighbors.  Will you refuse the gift promised by the Sacred Heart of Jesus to equip you to help sinners? Moreover, you can apply the grace of this promise to any priest of your choice.

"In the Blessed Sacrament, Jesus Christ is really, truly and substantially present, with His Body and Blood, with His Soul and His Divinity. He is personally present, not by a mere sign or image, not in a spiritual manner only. Devotion to the Sacred Heart, as expressly declared by the Sacred Congregation of Rites, is essentially the same as devotion to the Blessed Sacrament. It honors the Divine love of our Eucharistic God which revealed itself in His Passion and Death and continually reveals itself in the Holy Eucharist. Therefore, the Sacred Heart devotion is the most agreeable to Our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament."
(DEVOTION TO THE SACRED HEART OF JESUS by the Benedictine Sisters of Missouri).

Honor the Sacred Heart of Jesus this Friday by attending Holy Mass and receiving Holy Communion.

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

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Feast of Saints Bruno, Carthusian & Blessed Marie-Rose Durocher, Virgin & Religious.

“A soul arms itself by prayer for all kinds of combat. In whatever state the soul may be, it ought to pray. A soul which is pure and beautiful must pray, or else it will lose its beauty; a soul which is striving after this purity must pray, or else it will never attain it; a soul which is newly converted must pray, or else it will fall again; a sinful soul, plunged in sins, must pray so that it might rise again. There is no soul which is not bound to pray, for every single grace comes to the soul through prayer.” (St Maria Faustina).

"Jesus said to his disciples:

“Suppose one of you has a friend to whom he goes at midnight and says, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread, for a friend of mine has arrived at my house from a journey and I have nothing to offer him,’ and he says in reply from within, ‘Do not bother me; the door has already been locked and my children and I are already in bed. I cannot get up to give you anything.’

"I tell you, if he does not get up to give him the loaves because of their friendship, he will get up to give him whatever he needs because of his persistence.

“And I tell you, ask and you will receive; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives; and the one who seeks, finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.

"What father among you would hand his son a snake when he asks for a fish? Or hand him a scorpion when he asks for an egg? If you then, who are wicked, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him?” (Luke 11: 5 - 13).

Thursday 6th October 2022 of the 27th Week of Ordinary Time is the feast of St Bruno (1030 - 1101). Priest. German. Founder of the Carthusian Order.

Today is also the feast of Blessed Marie-Rose Durocher. (1811 - 1849) Virgin. Canadian. Founder of the Sisters of the Holy Name of Jesus and Mary. Blessed Marie-Rose Durocher helped establish the first Canadian parish solidarity for young women. She had a very busy life.

In the Gospel of today, Jesus gives one of His most profound and beautiful teaching on the Prayer of Petition. Here is what I got from reflecting on Jesus' teaching on the Prayer of Petition:

#1. Prayer works more than most people believe.
#2. One of the greatest and most consequential falsehood of the Big Liar is that God does not answer prayers. Consequently why bother praying.
#3. Ask the Lord to open your mind and heart and show you how many of your prayers have been answered. Most times, there is a lag between the time of your petition and the answer. It would appear that it is our responsibility to track our petitions and our answered prayers

I sent prayer intentions containing 4 points to EWTN on the occasion of Divine Mercy Sunday some years ago. Fortunately, I made a copy of the prayer requests and the date and pinned it to the wall near my workstation. I forgot all about it till about five years later. God answered everyone of the prayer intentions. I had been enjoying peace and serenity in all the areas of the prayer petitions without giving God one iota of thanks!

#4. God's commitment to answer prayers is ironclad. This is the unanimous teaching of the Sacred Magisterium, all the Church fathers and doctors and all the saints. You will be amazed by God's mighty, merciful and mysterious Providence when it comes to prayers.
#5. Do not be unbelieving. Believe and experience the joy of answered prayer. It is sweet.

10. 6 "Your Rosary is like a ladder that you climb step by step, drawing you closer to our Lady, which means finding Christ. It is a devotion which leads us to Christ through Mary." (Pope St Paul VI, Marialis Cultus).

Daily Bible Verse @ SeekFirstcommunity.com

Feast of St Maria Faustina, Apostle of Mercy.

 "The condition regarding every good prayer: Humility, perseverance, matters in conformity with God's will, then you can expect the fulfillment of Christ's promises." (St Maria Faustina).

“Lord, teach us to pray just as John taught his disciples.” He said to them, “When you pray, say:
Father, hallowed be your name, your Kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread and forgive us our sins for we ourselves forgive everyone in debt to us, and do not subject us to the final test.”  (Luke 11: 1... 4).

Wednesday 5th October 2022 of the 27th Week of Ordinary Time is the feast of the Apostle of Mercy, St Maria Faustina Kowalski (1905 - 1938). Polish. Nun of the Blessed Sacrament.

Jesus Christ our Merciful Savior communicated with St Maria Faustina His desire to have the Divine Mercy Devotion established. Maria was not well educated but she worked very hard to accomplish this divine purpose. Before she died in 1938, she left the world a book which has since become a classic: "Diary of St Maria Faustina Kowalski." This book recounts the conversations of the mystic, Maria Faustina had with Jesus. This book is instrumental in the establishment of the Divine Mercy Devotions.

In Our Gospel of today, Jesus teaches His disciples and ourselves how to pray. The OUR FATHER or the LORD'S PRAYER is the Prayer known and recited by all Christians. It is the model of what a pleasing Prayer to God should be. It lays down the sequence and order of both our praises and prayer intentions  according to St Augustine.

Let us reflect on the Our Father Prayer:

#1. Can you truly call God
FATHER, if you do not demonstrate this relationship in daily living?

#2.   Can you say HALLOWED BE YOUR NAME, if you , who are called by His name, do not endeavor to live a holy life?

#3.  Can you say YOUR KINGDOM COME, if you are unwilling to embrace God's sovereignty and accept Kingdom principles in your life.

#4.  Can you ask God with confidence GIVE US EACH DAY OUR DAILY BREAD if you refuse to work or if you refuse to share your bread with the needy?

#5. Can you honestly pray FORGIVE US OUR SINS FOR  WE OURSELVES FORGIVE EVERYONE IN DEBT TO US?

#6. Do you understand what you pray when you say AND DO NOT SUBJECT US TO THE FINAL TEST?
Are you prepared to put on the full armor of Christian warfare at all times and fight for Christian victory?

Jesus entrusted the Divine Mercy Devotion to Sister Maria Faustina. Maria did not have a theological education. No PhD. No Masters degree. Barely literate. This is the person Jesus chose to be His Secretary in the Divine Mercy project. Maria needed only one thing: Complete trust in Jesus. This is grace that No one can take from her.

The Divine Mercy Devotion may be summarized through the ABC of Mercy:

A = Ask for mercy.
B = Be Merciful.
C = Completely trust Jesus for mercy.

To learn how to recite the Divine Mercy Rosary, click on the link below:

http://seekfirst.blogspot.com/2020/10/how-to-recite-divine-mercy-rosary.html?m=1

"My Father’s goodness and love remain hidden from so many souls. They have not understood that I came into the world to reveal My Father who is all love, and to draw souls to Him in filial confidence and in the joy of abandonment to His goodness. Love our Father. Trust our Father. Depend upon our Father in every weakness. This revelation of God as a Father who cherishes His children, and so loves them that He sent Me, His only-begotten Son, into the world to suffer and to die, lies at the very heart of My Gospel. Love My Father and open your heart to the immensity of His love for you. Thus will you become for Him, in Me, a beloved son in whom He takes delight." (IN SINU JESU, Monday, March 21, 2011).

Daily Bible Verse @ Seekfirstcommunity.com

The Feast of St Francis of Asissi, OFM.

“I have been all things unholy. If God can work through me, He can work through anyone.” (St Francis of Asissi).

"Francis, the man of God, left his home behind, abandoned his inheritance and became poor and penniless, but the Lord raised him up." (Entrance Antiphon on the Feast of St Francis of Assisi).

Tuesday, 4th October 2022 of the 27th week of Ordinary Time is the great feast of St Francis of Assisi, the Little One.

Who is St Francis of Assisi? (1182 - 1226). Italian. Deacon and Founder of the Order of Friars Minor, popularly known as the Franciscans. We Salute all our Franciscan friends all over the world who have labored in the Lord's Vineyard since the 1220s in all fields of the Apostolate. Persevere to the end and your reward will be huge.

Francis became famous for imitating closely the poverty of Jesus Christ in spirit and in deed. Holiness always attracts. After Francis was seized by Jesus and said Yes to the Lord, Francis soon attracted a group of like-minded young men who bound themselves together to live evangelical poverty, chastity and obedience. Our Lord Jesus Christ, Head of the Church has used simple men like Francis and the Franciscans to renew the Church which is ever in need of reform.

What comes to your mind when you hear of St Francis of Assisi in 2022?  Many people would think of a man of peace. "Lord, make me an instrument of peace..." Others will think of radical evangelical poverty... "The little poor man of Assisi." Both are salient attributes in the profile of this exceptionally gifted holy man. I want to mention too Francis' deep love of creation and care of the earth.  Most people that are aware of the impending disaster from Global Warming will know Francis of Assisi and his contribution to this topical debate.

Other pivotal figures raised up by the Holy Spirit for the renewal of the Church are:
Benedict, Clare, Dominic, Ignatius Loyola, Teresa of Avila, Teresa of Kolkata, etc.

Are you the next great Saint? You too can be a saint. You too can be an instrument of Peace. You too can be committed to preserving the beauty and goodness of the environment for future generations and become an apostle of Care for Creation and Safe Environment.

"Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."  (Matthew 5: 3).

"We thank you for the beauty of creation: may the work of man not disfigure it, but enhance it to your greater glory."  Amen.

10. 4  "Some people are so foolish that they think they can go through life without the help of the Blessed Mother. Love the Madonna and pray the rosary, for her Rosary is the weapon against the evils of the world today. All graces given by God pass through the Blessed Mother." (St. Padre Pio).

Daily Bible Verse @ SeekFirstcommunity.com

Who is my neighbor?

"The first question which the priest and the Levite asked was: 'If I stop to help this man, what will happen to me?' But... the good Samaritan reversed the question: 'If I do not stop to help this man, what will happen to him?" (MARTIN LUTHER KING JR).

“And who is my neighbor?”
Jesus replied,  “A man fell victim to robbers."

"A priest happened to be going down that road, but when he saw him, he passed by on the opposite side.
Likewise a Levite came to the place, and when he saw him, he passed by on the opposite side.
But a Samaritan traveler who came upon him was moved with compassion at the sight."

"Which of these three, in your opinion, was neighbor to the robbers’ victim?”
He answered, “The one who treated him with mercy.”
Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.”  (Luke 10:25-37 RM)

Monday 3rd October of the 27th Week of Ordinary Time.

A scholar of the law tests Jesus with a tricky question.  Our Master and Teacher answers the scholar.

“You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your being, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.” (Luke 10: 27).

Jesus tells the scholar the parable of the Good Samaritan and ends the story by asking the lawyer:

"Which of these three, in your opinion, was neighbor to the robbers’ victim?”
He answered, “The one who treated him with mercy.”
Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.”  (Luke 10:25-37)

Jesus concludes by saying to the man: "Do this and you will live."
St James amplifies this in his letter:  "For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also." (James 2: 26).

Jesus ends what we call the Parable of the Good Samaritan by saying to the scholar of the law: Go and do as the Good Samaritan. Every person in need is our neighbor.

You may call this Parable a story of mercy.
What is mercy? From the Parable, we may say that mercy is when someone shows you pity in a moment of great need.

Be a good neighbor.
Allow someone to be a good neighbor to you. Jesus is always a good neighbor.
Our neighbor is every person in need.

Jesus gave us the Divine Mercy Devotion through St Maria Faustina to teach us that initiative of mercy starts from God. This devotion is summarized through the ABC of Mercy:

A = Ask for mercy.
B = Be Merciful.
C = Completely trust Jesus for
mercy.

10.3  “If you say the Rosary faithfully until death, I do assure you that, in spite of the gravity of your sins “you shall receive a never fading crown of glory.” (St Louis Marie de Monfort).

Daily Bible Verse @ SeekFirstcommunity.com