Forgive! Forgive! Forgive!

Forgive seventy-seven times. 

"Peter approached Jesus and asked him, “Lord, if my brother sins against me, how often must I forgive? 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 your brother from your heart.” (Matthew 18: 21 - 35).

Sunday September 17th 2023 in the 24th Week in Ordinary Time. 

God said to Moses :  I am a God of mercy and compassion.  Be holy as I am holy.

If we receive mercy from God, we must show mercy to others. It is not okay to say that it is difficult to forgive.

Sirach in the first Reading today portrays a divine quid pro quo when it comes to forgiving our neighbor. "Forgive your neighbor the wrong done to you; then when you pray, your own sins will be forgiven." (Sirach 28: 2).

"Can one refuse mercy to a sinner like oneself, yet seek pardon for one’s own sins?" (Sirach 28: 4).

Notice the punchline in Sirach: "A sinner like yourself." 

Jesus says the same in today's Gospel:

"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?" (Matthew 18: 32 - 33).

I have struggled with the question of forgiveness. Below is what I learned:

#1 Forgive the offense immediately. Everywhere, always, for everything, for everyone without discrimination.

#2 Pray blessings on the offender morning and evening. Continue to pray for the offender until you are healed of the hurt.

#3 Ask God to grant the grace to everyone you have offended to forgive you and set you free. I practiced #1 and #2 for years before it occurred to me that there are people out there that I have offended.

#4 If you do not read the word of God regularly, you will never understand anything about God's mercy and will find it difficult to forgive.

Our Responsorial Psalm 103 for today is on the mercy of God.

"The Lord is kind and merciful, slow to anger, and rich in compassion.

Bless the Lord, O my soul;

and all my being, bless his holy name.

Bless the Lord, O my soul,

and forget not all his benefits.

He pardons all your iniquities,

heals all your ills.

He redeems your life from destruction, crowns you with kindness and compassion."

In September, the Church honors the Sorrowful Heart of Mary. May the Blessed Virgin Mary, Our Lady of Sorrows obtain for us  mercies from her Son Jesus. 

For Prayers of Consecration to the Immaculate and Sorrowful Heart of Mary, Litany, Promises of Mary to those who say the Holy Rosary, etc click the link below:

http://seekfirst.blogspot.com/2023/06/immaculate-heart-of-mary-consecration.html?m=10

Daily Bible Verse @ Seekfirstcommunity.com

The Feast of Saints Cornelius and Cyprian.

Feast of Saints Cornelius & Cyprian, Martyrs. 

"Jesus said to his disciples: “A good tree does not bear rotten fruit, nor does a rotten tree bear good fruit.

"For every tree is known by its own fruit. For people do not pick figs from thornbushes, nor do they gather grapes from brambles.

"A good person out of the store of goodness in his heart produces good, but an evil person out of a store of evil produces evil; for from the fullness of the heart the mouth speaks.

“Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ but not do what I command? 

"I will show you what someone is like who comes to me, listens to my words, and acts on them. That one is like a man building a house, who dug deeply and laid the foundation on rock; when the flood came, the river burst against that house but could not shake it because it had been well built. 

"But the one who listens and does not act is like a person who built a house on the ground without a foundation. When the river burst against it, it collapsed at once and was completely destroyed.” (Luke 6: 43 - 49).

Saturday 16th September 2023 in the 23rd Week of Ordinary Time is the feast of Saints Cornelius (Pope and Martyr) and Cyprian (Bishop and Martyr). 

Pope Cornelius was martyred under Emperor Gallus in 253.  St Cyprian, a Bishop from Carthage (modern Tunisia) was martyred in 258 under Emperor Valerian.

The two saints we honor today were acquainted with one another. They lived under one of the most severe persecutions of the Church. Tens of thousands were martyred. Rome was determined to stamp out once and for all Christianity in the empire.

Many Christians did not have the courage to face martyrdom. So they denied Jesus in order to preserve their lives. When the violent persecution abated, those Christians who denied Jesus wanted to be received back into the Church.  Some Bishops said Yes. Other Bishops refused them a second chance. The controversy nearly split the Church asunder.

Pope Cornelius wanted the Christians who apostasized to confess their sins and do appropriate penance and be allowed to rejoin the Church. Many Bishops opposed him. 

St Cyprian from the powerful African Church in Carthage came to his support. Their side won and schism was prevented. 

In the Prayer over the Gifts for this Mass, the Church affirmed that the Eucharist gave Saints Cornelius and Cyprian the courage to offer their lives for Christ. The same Eucharist can keep us faithful in all our trials, the Church prays. If you can receive the Eucharist more than once a week and do not do so, how can you justify your abstinence from such a Gift? It is simply ridiculous. 

[Receive, we pray, O Lord, the offerings of your people

in honor of the passion of your holy Martyrs

Saints Cornelius and Cyprian,

and may the gifts that gave them courage under

persecution

make us, too, steadfast in all trials.

Through Christ our Lord.] 

Remember the Choice and Call of Peter, James and John to be Fishers of Men? Jesus asked them to cast the net into the deep water to catch fish. They did and caught incredible quantity of fish.

In today's Gospel, Jesus asks us to dig Deep into the rock to build a safe home that will withstand flood and hurricane and other natural disaster.

We have in our key Scripture for today basic common sense message about building a family home. 

One of my favorite psalms is Psalm 127: 1:  

"Unless the Lord builds the house, They labor in vain who build it; Unless the Lord guards the city, The watchman keeps awake in vain."

Jesus ends this ominous teaching by saying:

"But the one who listens and does not act is like a person who built a house on the ground without a foundation. When the river burst against it, it collapsed at once and was completely destroyed.”

Floods and hurricanes are part of life. Houses are simple enough to be replaced. But lives are much harder. He who builds on the word of God builds on a solid foundation. How do you build your "family house" on the word of God? 

You use the tested building materials of expert builders: the 7 Daily Habits of Saints:

1. Prayer. 

2. Word of God. 

3. Eucharist. 

4. Reconciliation. 

5. Examen. 

6. Spiritual Reading. 

7. Faith Sharing/Ministry. 

"The riches of My kingdom are for all whom I have redeemed with My own Blood, but it pleases Me to bestow them through My Mother, the Queen and Mediatrix who stood at the foot of My Cross, offering Me and offering herself with Me. Today she reigns with Me in paradise.  All that I won for souls from My Father on the altar of the Cross, with My Mother at My side, I will now pour out on souls through her Heart and through her hands. This, too, is the secret of a fruitful priesthood. In every priestly act and in all of life, place your hands in the hands of My Mother and your heart in her Heart." (IN SINU JESU page 35).

In September, the Church honors the Sorrowful Heart of Mary. May the Blessed Virgin Mary, Our Lady of Sorrows obtain for us  mercies from her Son Jesus. 

For Prayers of Consecration to the Immaculate and Sorrowful Heart of Mary, Litany, Promises of Mary to those who say the Holy Rosary, etc click the link below:

http://seekfirst.blogspot.com/2023/06/immaculate-heart-of-mary-consecration.html?m=10

Daily Bible Verse @ Seekfirstcommunity.com

The Feast of Our Lady of Sorrows.

Feast of Our Lady of Sorrows 

"Standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. 

"When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple there whom he loved he said to his mother, “Woman, behold, your son.” Then he said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother.”

"And from that hour the disciple took her into his home." (John 19: 25 - 27).

Friday September 15th 2023 in the 23rd Week of Ordinary Time is the feast Our Lady of Sorrows.

"At the cross her station keeping,

Stood the mournful Mother weeping, Close to Jesus to the last." (Stabat Mater). Thus was the prophecy of Simeon at the Presentation of the Child Jesus in the Temple fulfilled. "Your own soul a sword will pierce."

By the Cross of Jesus, the Mother of Sorrows received her everlasting vocation:

“Behold, your mother… Behold your Son." Mary may have murmured silently: "Be it done to me according to Your word." And she became our Mother too from that instance.

What do you make of the Seven Sorrows of Mary? Was it necessary? Superfluous? An overkill? Our Church teaches: "Our Mother Mary teaches us to live, together with her, beside the cross of her Son. In her suffering, she reminds us of the malice of sin and shows us the way of true repentance." (Roman Missal).

The Memorial of Our Lady of Sorrows follows the Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross. Back to back we celebrate the mystery of suffering in the economy of salvation.  

Devotion to the Seven Sorrows of Mary had been practiced since the 

13th Century. The Swedish mystic, St Bridget received this Devotion.

Below are the Seven Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin Mary:

1. The prophecy of Simeon

2. The flight into Egypt 

3. Loss of the Child Jesus for three days 

4. Mary meeting Jesus on his way to Calvary

5. Crucifixion and Death of Jesus

6. The body of Jesus being taken from the Cross

7. The burial of Jesus. 

Mary like her Son Jesus endured each of her agony with perfect love and total abandonment to God. 

How do we summarize the dynamics of Cross and Crown, Test and Testimony, Trial and Triumph? The Apostle Peter says it best in the Communion Antiphon:

"Rejoice when you share in the sufferings of Christ, that you may also rejoice exultantly when his glory is revealed." (1 Peter 4: 13).

In September, the Church honors the Sorrowful Heart of Mary. May the Blessed Virgin Mary, Our Lady of Sorrows obtain for us  mercies from her Son Jesus. 

For Prayers of Consecration to the Immaculate and Sorrowful Heart of Mary, Litany, Promises of Mary to those who say the Holy Rosary, etc click the link below:

http://seekfirst.blogspot.com/2023/06/immaculate-heart-of-mary-consecration.html?m=10

Daily Bible Verse @ SeekFirstcommunity.com

The Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross.

The Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross. 

"Jesus said to Nicodemus:

“No one has gone up to heaven except the one who has come down from heaven, the Son of Man. 

"And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.”

"For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life. 

For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him.” (John 3: 13 - 17). 

Thursday 14th September 2023 in the 23rd Week in Ordinary Time is the great feast of the Exaltation of the Cross.

Why celebrate the feast of the Exaltation of the Cross?

#1 There is a divine necessity for the Son of Man to be lifted up on the Cross in order to save mankind. 

#2 The crucifixion, death and resurrection of Jesus transformed the Cross into a true sign of salvation. The Cross transformed our trials into possibilities of triumphs and testimonies. 

#3  "Christ crucified is thus "the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men." It is in Christ's Resurrection and exaltation that the Father has shown forth "the immeasurable greatness of his power in us who believe" (CCC 272)

#4. "It is suffering, more than anything else, which clears the way for the grace which transforms human souls. Suffering, more than anything else, makes present in the history of humanity the powers of the Redemption." (ON the Christian Meaning of Suffering - Salvifici Doloris #27). 

#5. We exalt the cross whenever we embrace our trials and tribulations and understand that God's holy will is the means of peace and joy in our lives. 

The Cross has become a synonym for the trials of life. Jesus says: "If you want to follow Me, pick up your own cross and follow Me." 

Hence we find plastic cross, gold cross, silver cross, wooden cross, etc. We find crosses in homes, cars, schools, hospitals, churches, cemeteries.

We find crosses in every country in the world. The ubiquitous presence of the Cross everywhere is significant and providential. It signifies that grace and mercy are everywhere we accept trials and situations we can not avoid.

We are baptized with the sign of the Cross: "In the Name of the Father and of the Son and the Holy Spirit." This reminds us of the Trinitarian character of our faith.

As the catechumens are reminded in the RCIA Rite of Acceptance,  embracing our cross is embracing the will of God. It is the most assured route to sanctity and the good life. The will of God is our shalom, our peace. Peace is the first and greatest gift of salvation.

"Father, in Your will is our peace." 

Man has always rejected the Cross as we see in the first Reading (Numbers 21: 4b - 9).

"With their patience worn out by the journey, the people complained against God and Moses, “Why have you brought us up from Egypt to die in this desert, where there is no food or water? We are disgusted with this wretched food!” (Numbers 21: 4 - 5).

If like Jesus, we humble ourselves under the mighty hands of God and accept our crosses, in the fullness of time, God will lift us up. (Cf 1 Peter 5: 6).

Jesus came to undo the disobedience of Adam and Eve by embracing the prescribed means of salvation by the Father.

"When I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw everyone to myself, says the Lord." (John 12: 32)

We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you, because by your Cross you have redeemed the world.

September is the month we celebrate the feast of the Exaltation of the Cross. It is also the month the Church honors the Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart of Mary. May the Blessed Virgin Mary, Our Lady of Sorrows obtain for us  mercies from her Crucified Son Jesus. 

For Prayers of Consecration to the Immaculate and Sorrowful Heart of Mary, Litany, Promises of Mary to those who say the Holy Rosary, etc click the link below:

http://seekfirst.blogspot.com/2023/06/immaculate-heart-of-mary-consecration.html?m=10

Daily Bible Verse @ Seekfirstcommunity.com

The Feast of St John Chrysostom, Bishop and Doctor of the Church.

Feast of St John Chrysostom, Bishop and Doctor of the Church. 

"Raising his eyes toward his disciples Jesus said:

"Blessed are you who are poor, for the Kingdom of God is yours.

"Blessed are you who are now hungry, for you will be satisfied.

"Blessed are you who are now weeping, for you will laugh.

"Blessed are you when people hate you, and when they exclude and insult you, and denounce your name as evil on account of the Son of Man.

"Rejoice and leap for joy on that day!

Behold, your reward will be great in heaven.

For their ancestors treated the prophets in the same way.

"But woe to you who are rich,

for you have received your consolation.

"But woe to you who are filled now, for you will be hungry.

"Woe to you who laugh now,

for you will grieve and weep.

"Woe to you when all speak well of you, for their ancestors treated the false prophets in this way."

(Luke 6: 20 - 26).

Wednesday 13th September 2023 in the 23rd Week of Ordinary Time is the feast of St John Chrysostom, 

 Archbishop of Constantinople and Doctor of the Church. (349 - 407).  Syrian.

As the Archbishop of Constantinople, John Chrysostom could have chosen a quiet, comfortable and non controversial life. Not Chrysostom, a great admirer of St Paul the Apostle. He worked very hard for the cause of the poor and the marginalized people in his See.

"When fully trained, every disciple will be like his teacher." (Luke 6: 40).  John Chrysostom was fully trained and became a great preacher and teacher in addition to his other ministries.

"Blessed are you who are poor, for the Kingdom of God is yours."

Bishop Chrysostom is known for his spirit of poverty and patience. His patience was shown in great suffering in the course of his life. He left us an example of invincible courage and patience. He died on his way to his last exile. We continue to enjoy today the vast writings he left behind.

Below is what St John Chrysostom wrote on the Eucharist:

"O miracle! O goodness of God! He that sits above with the Father…gives himself to all who desire to embrace and receive him. At that moment all do this with the eyes of faith."

St John Chrysostom is the patron saint of preachers.

St John Chrysostom pray for us.

"Many priests do not have a real and practical faith in My Eucharistic presence. Do they not know that the Eucharist encloses within itself all the merits of My Passion? Let them recover the faith of their childhood. Let them come to find Me there where I am waiting for them and I, for My part, shall work miracles of grace and holiness in them." (IN SINU JESU Monday, October 29, 2007). 

In September, the Church honors the Sorrowful Heart of Mary. May the Blessed Virgin Mary, Our Lady of Sorrows obtain for us  mercies from her Son Jesus. 

For Prayers of Consecration to the Immaculate and Sorrowful Heart of Mary, Litany, Promises of Mary to those who say the Holy Rosary, etc click the link below:

http://seekfirst.blogspot.com/2023/06/immaculate-heart-of-mary-consecration.html?m=10

Daily Bible Verse @ Seekfirstcommunity.com