The Solemnity of Pentecost.

Sunday of the The Solemnity of Pentecost. 

“On the evening of that first day of the week, when the doors were locked, where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in their midst and said to them, “Peace be with you.”

 "When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. The disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. 

"Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.”

And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them,

 “Receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained." (John 20: 19  - 23).

Sunday May 28th 2023 is the Solemnity of Pentecost.

Brethren, this is Pentecost! This is the Birthday of our Mother, the Church. 

She is Mother and Teacher. Very old and ever young and beautiful. Virgin and Mother of many children. Queen of Peace and Seat of Wisdom. Happy Birthday Mother Church!

The Holy Spirit descended on the disciples in the Cenacle "like a strong driving wind, and it filled the entire house in which they were." (Acts 2: 2). 

The Novena, the waiting and praying are over. The Father has delivered the Big Gift He promised. "I promised. I will do it." Thank You Abba Father.

"Come, Holy Spirit, come!

And from your celestial home

Shed a ray of light divine!

Come, Father of the poor!

Come, source of all our store!

Come, within our bosoms shine.

You, of comforters the best;

You, the soul’s most welcome guest;

Sweet refreshment here below;

In our labor, rest most sweet;

Grateful coolness in the heat;

Solace in the midst of woe.... " (The Pentecost Sequence).

"The Spirit prepares men and goes out to them with his grace, in order to draw them to Christ. The Spirit manifests the risen Lord to them, recalls his word to them and opens their minds to the understanding of his Death and Resurrection." (CCC 737).

Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in us the fire of your love.

Daily Bible Verse @ SeekFirstcommunity.com

The Feast of St Augustine of Canterbury, OSB.

 The Feast of St Augustine of Canterbury. 

"It is this disciple who testifies to these things and has written them. 

"Peter turned and saw the disciple following whom Jesus loved, the one who had also reclined upon his chest during the supper and had said, “Master, who is the one who will betray you?” When Peter saw him, he said to Jesus, “Lord, what about him?”

"Jesus said to him, “What if I want him to remain until I come? What concern is it of yours? You follow me.” 

"So the word spread among the brothers that that disciple would not die. But Jesus had not told him that he would not die, just “What if I want him to remain until I come? What concern is it of yours?”

"It is this disciple who testifies to these things and has written them, and we know that his testimony is true. 

"There are also many other things that Jesus did, but if these were to be described individually, I do not think the whole world would contain the books that would be written." (John 21: 20 - 25).

Saturday 27th May 2023, Saturday before the Solemnity of Pentecost Sunday. 

May 27th is the Feast of St Augustine of Canterbury.

 Saturday 27th May 2023 is the feast of St Augustine of Canterbury. (+ 604). 

St Augustine was an Italian Benedictine monk sent by Pope St Gregory the Great to evangelize the Anglo-Saxon people who conquered England and dominated the original Celtic population who embraced Christianity centuries earlier.

St Augustine baptized Ethelbert, the Anglo-Saxon king and the people followed their king into the Church.

St Augustine made Canterbury his Episcopal See and became the first Primate of all England.

Our key Scripture from the Gospel of today is:

"It is this disciple who testifies to these things and has written them, and we know that his testimony is true." 

John the Apostle and Evangelist is a faithful and true Witness. 

Jesus said "You too, you will testify for Me."

You cannot bear witness for Jesus without the power of the Holy Spirit. 

"The testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy." (Revelations 19: 10).

"RECEIVE THE HOLY SPIRIT."

For a Pentecost Novena, click the link below:

http://seekfirst.blogspot.com/2023/05/9-days-pentecost-novena.html?m=1

Daily Bible Verse @ SeekFirstcommunity.com

The Feast of St Philip Neri, Priest and Founder.

The Feast of St Philip Neri, Founder of the Oratorians. 

"After Jesus had revealed himself to his disciples and eaten breakfast with them, he said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?”

 Simon Peter answered him, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my lambs.” 

"He then said to Simon Peter a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Simon Peter answered him, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.” 

"He said to him, “Tend my sheep.” 

"He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Peter was distressed that he had said to him a third time, “Do you love me?” and he said to him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.”

"Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep. Amen, amen, I say to you, when you were younger, you used to dress yourself and go where you wanted; but when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go.”

"He said this signifying by what kind of death he would glorify God.

"And when he had said this, he said to him, “Follow me.” (John 21: 15 - 19).

Friday May 26th 2023 in the 7th Week of Easter is the feast of St Philip Neri (1515 - 1595). Italian Priest. 

St Philip Neri was an extraordinary priest filled with the Holy Spirit and ecstatic joy. He founded the Congregation of the Oratory, the religious community of St John Henry Newman.

 He converted thousands through the Sacrament of Reconciliation. He was a great catechist and spiritual director. He was noted for his joyful and cheerful disposition which attracted thousands to him.

 Our key Scripture for today recalls the triple denials of Peter.  

After the Resurrection, Jesus met the Apostles on the shores of Lake Tiberius. Jesus offered Peter the opportunity for complete reconciliation.

 Peter confirmed three times that he loves Jesus dearly. Jesus confirmed Peter's leadership of the Church. "Feed my lamb."

What if Jesus asks us: Do you love me more than your family? Do you love me more than your country? Consider carefully how you respond to the Lord. Peter was very presumptuous before the Passion of Christ to claim that he loved Jesus more than anything in the world.

Our love for Jesus may not be perfect. But this love can grow through our openness to receive the gifts and fruits of the Holy Spirit. The highest proof of love is for a man to lay down his life for his friends.  

"Lord Jesus, I present myself before Thy Eucharistic Face today, placing myself in spirit close to that tabernacle in the world, where Thou art most forsaken, most ignored, and most forgotten. Since Thou hast asked me for it, I offer Thee my heart, the heart of a priest, to keep company with Thy priestly and Eucharistic Sacred Heart. I adore Thee in a spirit of reparation for all the priests of the Church, but especially for those who never, or hardly ever, stop in Thy presence, there to put down their burdens, and to receive from Thee new strength, new lights, new capacities to love, to pardon, and to bless. I do not want to leave this tabernacle today."  (IN SINU JESU).

For a Pentecost Novena, click the link below:

http://seekfirst.blogspot.com/2023/05/9-days-pentecost-novena.html?m=1

Daily Bible Verse @ SeekFirstcommunity.com

Feast of Saints Bede the Venerable, Gregory VII and Mary Magdalene de Pazzi.

The Feast of St Bede the Venerable, Pope St Gregory VII & St Magdalene de Pazzi. 

"Lifting up his eyes to heaven, Jesus prayed saying: “I pray not only for these, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, so that they may all be one, as you, Father, are in me and I in you, that they also may be in us, that the world may believe that you sent me. 

"And I have given them the glory you gave me, so that they may be one, as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may be brought to perfection as one, that the world may know that you sent me, and that you loved them even as you loved me. 

"Father, they are your gift to me. I wish that where I am they also may be with me, that they may see my glory that you gave me, because you loved me before the foundation of the world.

"Righteous Father, the world also does not know you, but I know you, and they know that you sent me. I made known to them your name and I will make it known, that the love with which you loved me may be in them and I in them.” (John 17: 20 - 26)

Thursday May 25th in the 7th Week of Easter is the feast of:

St Bede the Venerable, Pope St Gregory VII & St Magdalene de Pazzi. 

1. St Bede the Venerable (672 - 735). English Benedictine Priest and Doctor of the Church. St Bede worked hard to help the Church in England grow stronger in faith and numbers. He accomplished this through his application of the study of Scriptures and History to Evangelization. He was a brilliant light in England of his day.

2.  St Gregory VII, (+ 1085),Pope and  Monk of Cluny. Gregory incurred the wrath of Emperor Henry IV by fighting against the evils of Lay Investiture. The Emperor exiled him to Salerno where he died.

3. St Mary Magdalene de Pazzi (1566 - 1607), Italian Carmelite from Florence. Great ascetic. Worked untiringly for the renewal of the Church. 

In our key Scripture for today, Jesus prayed for Church Unity.

He wants Christians to be of one heart and one mind so that the world would look at Christians and see Jesus in us.  

The gold standard for this unity is: "Just as you [Father] are in me and I am in you, so they will be in us, and the world will believe you sent me."

Today there may be more than 40,000 denominations in the world.  Each with its credo and liturgy. You may wonder: What type of answer is this to Jesus' prayer for the unity of His disciples. This is surely a mystery of Divine Providence.

One of the greatest obstacles to Unity is that a sizable number of denominations have no desire for unity and may not even believe in the type of Unity that Jesus prayed for His Church. 

Number one obstacle to Unity without doubt is Sin. Sin exists in all churches. Let us pray that the Holy Spirit deals  with sins in the churches. Can we hope to see visible unity of the churches in our lifetime? 

For a Pentecost Novena, click the link below:

http://seekfirst.blogspot.com/2023/05/9-days-pentecost-novena.html?m=1

Daily Bible Verse @ SeekFirstcommunity.com

Deliver us Father from All Evil.

Keep My disciples from the Evil One. 

"Lifting up his eyes to heaven, Jesus prayed, saying: 

“Holy Father, keep them in your name that you have given me, so that they may be one just as we are one.

"When I was with them I protected them in your name that you gave me, and I guarded them, and none of them was lost except the son of destruction, in order that the Scripture might be fulfilled.

"But now I am coming to you. I speak this in the world so that they may share my joy completely. I gave them your word, and the world hated them, because they do not belong to the world any more than I belong to the world.

"I do not ask that you take them out of the world but that you keep them from the Evil One.

"They do not belong to the world any more than I belong to the world.

"Consecrate them in the truth. Your word is truth.

"As you sent me into the world, so I sent them into the world.

"And I consecrate myself for them, so that they also may be consecrated in truth.”

Wednesday 24th of May in the 7th Week of Easter. 

Our key Scripture for today is from the High Priestly Prayer of Jesus in the Upper Room before He steps out into the Garden of Gethsemane. 

There is so much to chew in this message but one sentence jumped out to me:

"Keep them from the Evil One."

The Evil One figures prominently in today's message. Paul instructs the Church in Ephesus:

"I know that after my departure savage wolves will come among you, and they will not spare the flock. And from your own group, men will come forward perverting the truth to draw the ­disciples away after them. So be vigilant." (Acts 20: 28 - 38).

In the Lord's Prayer, Jesus taught us to pray to the Father:

"Lead us not into temptation but deliver from evil." The Our Father is a daily prayer. 

Spiritual Warfare is a necessity in Christian life. If it cannot be avoided, we do well to prepare adequately for it. Let us be comforted by the truth that the real battle has been fought and won by Jesus. To claim the victory that is ours, we must follow the instructions of Holy Scripture:

"Finally, draw your strength from the Lord and from his mighty power.

"Put on the armor of God so that you may be able to stand firm against the tactics of the devil.

"For our struggle is not with flesh and blood but with the principalities, with the powers, with the world rulers of this present darkness, with the evil spirits in the heavens. 

"Therefore, put on the armor of God, that you may be able to resist on the evil day and, having done everything, to hold your ground. So stand fast with your loins girded in truth, clothed with righteousness as a breastplate, and your feet shod in readiness for the gospel of peace.

"In all circumstances, hold faith as a shield, to quench all [the] flaming arrows of the evil one. And take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 

"Constant Prayer. With all prayer and supplication, pray at every opportunity in the Spirit. To that end, be watchful with all perseverance and supplication for all the holy ones and also for me, that speech may be given me to open my mouth, to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel for which I am an ambassador in chains, so that I may have the courage to speak as I must." (Ephesians 6: 10 - 20). 

For a Pentecost Novena, click the link below:

http://seekfirst.blogspot.com/2023/05/9-days-pentecost-novena.html?m=1

Daily Bible Verse @ SeekFirstcommunity.com

Abba Father glorified Jesus through the Cross.

Father, I glorified You on earth by doing the work You gave me. 

"Jesus raised his eyes to heaven and said, “Father, the hour has come. Give glory to your son, so that your son may glorify you, just as you gave him authority over all people, so that your son may give eternal life to all you gave him.

"Now this is eternal life, that they should know you, the only true God, and the one whom you sent, Jesus Christ. I glorified you on earth by accomplishing the work that you gave me to do. Now glorify me, Father, with you, with the glory that I had with you before the world began.

“I revealed your name to those whom you gave me out of the world. They belonged to you, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word.

"Now they know that everything you gave me is from you, because the words you gave to me I have given to them, and they accepted them and truly understood that I came from you, and they have believed that you sent me.

"I pray for them. I do not pray for the world but for the ones you have given me, because they are yours, and everything of mine is yours and everything of yours is mine, and I have been glorified in them.

"And now I will no longer be in the world, but they are in the world, while I am coming to you.” (John 17: 1 - 11a).

Tuesday 23rd May 2023 7th Week in the Easter Season. 

Our daily Scripture verse today is the High Priestly Prayer, part of the Farewell Discourse. 

Jesus Christ glorified the Father through the Cross by overcoming evil.The Father glorified His Son through the Resurrection. The Cross is the ordained means of our salvation.  (CCC 272).

Jesus embraced the pain and humiliation of the Cross so that we may be free. 

Those who are chosen and called for eternal life are justified by faith in the atoning work of Jesus and glorified by the Cross. 

We accept to embrace the inevitable trials in our lives. Rejection of the Cross is rejection of Jesus Christ.

We adore You O Christ and worship You. Because of Your holy Cross, You redeemed the world.

For a Pentecost Novena, click the link below:

http://seekfirst.blogspot.com/2023/05/9-days-pentecost-novena.html?m=1

Daily Bible Verse @ SeekFirstcommunity.com

Feast of St Rita of Cascia, Mystic and Religious.

The Holy Spirit, the Unknown God. 

"It happened that while Apollos was in Corinth, Paul made his way overland as far as Ephesus, where he found a number of disciples.

 When he asked, ‘Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you became believers? They answered, ‘No, we were never even told that there was such a thing as a Holy Spirit.’

"He asked, ‘Then how were you baptized?’ They replied, ‘With John’s baptism.’

"Paul said, ‘John’s baptism was a baptism of repentance; but he insisted that the people should believe in the one who was to come after him – namely Jesus.’

"When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus, and the moment Paul had laid hands on them, the Holy Spirit came down on them, and they began to speak with tongues and to prophesy.” 

(Acts 19: 1 – 17).

Monday 22nd May 2023 of the 7th Week of Easter.

Monday May 22nd 2023 7th Week in the Easter Season is also the feast of the Italian mystic, St Rita of Cascia (1381 - 1457), Augustinian nun. 

Rita was able to stop a vendetta between the relations of her murdered husband and the murderers. That was a feat in those days. Rita subsequently entered a convent where she spent 40 years in contemplation, austerities and service to the poor and sick. 

St Rita of Cascia is known as the patron saint of desperate and impossible situations. 

Our first Reading from Acts of the Apostles remind me of my encounter with the Most Awesome Spirit many years ago.

We might smile to learn that some early disciples of Jesus did not know that “there was such a thing as a Holy Spirit.”

Many years ago in the midst of my desert experience, I received the message from a trustworthy friend that “all that I need is the Holy Spirit.” I wondered: “What is the relevance of the Holy Spirit to my pressing problems of unemployment, money, health and a host of other issues?” Because I considered the messenger trustworthy, I did not discard the message.

I did the 9-Day Novena for the Holy Spirit before Pentecost Sunday and on the final day of the Novena, following the instruction in the Pentecost Novena booklet I used, I knelt down and pleaded with all my heart for the Holy Spirit. I opened wide my mouth and took a deep breath. When I got up. I accepted in faith as instructed that the Holy Spirit was in me. I accepted and believed the message. 

I felt two emotions immediately.  One was a deep feeling of peace and joy.  The other was an urge to read the Bible immediately.  The first words I read from the holy book were:  “All wisdom comes from the Lord and with him it remains forever.”  (Sirach 1:1). 

The Holy Spirit is Wisdom. I needed no further confirmation.  The Holy Spirit truly was within me.  I am His temple.  He is the Advocate who pleads my cause with the Father.  How great!  How wonderful!  His presence is peace and tranquility.  I knew that whenever I pray to the Holy Spirit my prayer will receive a hearing. 

My joy in the Holy Spirit continued to grow throughout the years. Then one day a  couple of years ago, I discovered this amazing truth from the Roman Missal: “God is the source of all inspiration and power.” This is the truth I have been seeking.  The Holy Spirit is all that I need. It is true! He is the source of all inspiration and power. Inspiration and source of unlimited ideas and God's power to accomplish what the Holy Spirit inspires one to do.  He points out which books to read. He helps me to prepare for the Sacrament of Penance by pointing out what He wants me to take to the priest in-persona-Christi in Reconciliation. The list is simply endless.

“Let us run to Mary, and, as her little children, cast ourselves into her arms with a perfect confidence.”  (St Francis de Sales, Bishop and Doctor of the Church).

For a Pentecost Novena, click the link below:

http://seekfirst.blogspot.com/2023/05/9-days-pentecost-novena.html?m=1

Daily Bible Verse @ SeekFirstcommunity.com