Do not neglect to do good..

First Saturday in February - Memorial of the Blessed Virgin Mary. 

Do not neglect to do good. 

"Brothers and sisters: Through Jesus, let us continually offer God a sacrifice of praise, that is, the fruit of lips that confess his name. Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have; God is pleased by sacrifices of that kind.

"Obey your leaders and defer to them, for they keep watch over you and will have to give an account, that they may fulfill their task with joy and not with sorrow, for that would be of no advantage to you.

"May the God of peace, who brought up from the dead the great shepherd of the sheep by the Blood of the eternal covenant, Jesus our Lord, furnish you with all that is good, that you may do his will. May he carry out in you what is pleasing to him through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen." (Hebrews 13: 15 - 17, 20 - 21).

Saturday February 4th in the 4th Week of Ordinary Time. Memorial of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Today is the first Saturday of February 2023. 

Our reflection is from the first Reading, Hebrews 13: 15 - 17, 20 - 21. 

Brethren, the Spirit urges us: "Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have; God is pleased by sacrifices of that kind."

You may ask: What good does the Holy Spirit wants me to do? Holy Mother Church has prepared for us a suitable list:

CORPORAL WORKS OF MERCY

1. Feed the hungry

2. Give drink to the thirsty

3. Clothe the naked

4. Shelter the homeless

5. Visit the sick

6. Visit the imprisoned

7. Bury the dead

SPIRITUAL WORKS OF MERCY

1. Instruct the ignorant

2. Counsel the doubtful

3. Admonish sinners

4. Bear wrongs patiently

5. Forgive offences willingly

6. Comfort the afflicted

7. Pray for the living and the dead

In considering our individual gifts and abilities, I like to be guided by the example of the Apostles Peter and John:

"Peter said, “I have neither silver nor gold, but what I do have I give you: in the name of Jesus Christ the Nazorean, [rise and] walk.” (Acts 3: 6). Peter gave the crippled man a lot. While many of us will not be able to perform such miracle, we can all pray for the needy. Scripture teaches that the effective prayer of a righteous person is very powerful. 

Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have. 

The Responsorial Psalm 23 encourages us to trust in the Lord our Good Shepherd who will never let us be wanting of anything we need for ourselves and the extra to do good to our neighbors. 

"The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

In verdant pastures he gives me repose.

Beside restful waters he leads me;

he refreshes my soul." (Psalm 23).

Daily Bible Verse @ SeekFirstcommunity.com