The Parable of the Talents.

The Parable of the Talents. 

"Jesus told his disciples this parable: 

“A man going on a journey called in his servants and entrusted his possessions to them.

"To one he gave five talents; to another, two; to a third, one—to each according to his ability. 

"Then he went away.

"Immediately the one who received five talents went and traded with them, and made another five. 

"Likewise, the one who received two made another two.

"But the man who received one went off and dug a hole in the ground and buried his master’s money.

"After a long time the master of those servants came back and settled accounts with them.

"The one who had received five talents came forward bringing the additional five. He said, ‘Master, you gave me five talents. See, I have made five more.’ His master said to him, ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant. Since you were faithful in small matters, I will give you great responsibilities. Come, share your master’s joy.’ 

"Then the one who had received two talents also came forward and said, ‘Master, you gave me two talents. See, I have made two more.’ His master said to him, ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant. Since you were faithful in small matters, I will give you great responsibilities. Come, share your master’s joy.’

"Then the one who had received the one talent came forward and said, ‘Master, I knew you were a demanding person, harvesting where you did not plant and gathering where you did not scatter; so out of fear I went off and buried your talent in the ground. Here it is back.’ 

"His master said to him in reply, ‘You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I did not plant and gather where I did not scatter? Should you not then have put my money in the bank so that I could have got it back with interest on my return? 

"Now then! Take the talent from him and give it to the one with ten. For to everyone who has, more will be given and he will grow rich; but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. 

"And throw this useless servant into the darkness outside, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.’”

 (Matthew 25: 14 - 30).

Sunday November 19th 2023 in the 33rd Week of Ordinary Time. 

The third servant who made no returns on his investment says:  ‘Master, I knew you were a demanding person, harvesting where you did not plant and gathering where you did not scatter; so out of fear I went off and buried your talent in the ground. Here it is back.’"

This servant provides us the interpretative key for the Parable: Hiding or Burying the Master's talent is what many people do. This unproductive servant may argue that he acted out of abundance of caution. 

+Hear the word of the Lord you Bishop who fail to speak truth to power or correct your priests. 

+Hear the word of the Lord, you scholars who fail to teach but indulge in empty speculations. 

+Hear the word of the Lord you priests and deacons too lazy to prepare a homily. 

+Hear the word of the Lord you catechists who turn your classes into storytelling sessions. 

Every day is for the Thief. But one day is for the Owner of the House.

 Wake up now all you who bury the talent of the Lord before it is late. 

November is the Month we pray for the Souls in PURGATORY. 

““I come to tell you that they suffer in Purgatory, that they weep, and that they demand with urgent cries the help of your prayers and your good works. I seem to hear them crying from the depths of those fires which devour them: ‘Tell our loved ones, tell our children, tell all our relatives how great the evils are which they are making us suffer. We throw ourselves at their feet to implore the help of their prayers. Ah! Tell them that since we have been separated from them, we have been here burning in the flames!’” (St. John Vianney). 

For Catholic Church teaching on the Souls in PURGATORY and how to help them, click the link below:

http://seekfirst.blogspot.com/2023/10/10-ways-to-assist-poor-souls-in.html

Daily Bible Verse @ SeekFirstcommunity.com 

The Feast of St Rose Philippine Duchesne, Virgin and Religious.

St Rose Philippine Duchesne, Virgin.  

"Jesus told his disciples a parable about the necessity for them to pray always without becoming weary.

“He said, “There was a judge in a certain town who neither feared God nor respected any human being. And a widow in that town used to come to him and say, ‘Render a just decision for me against my adversary.’

“For a long time the judge was unwilling, but eventually he thought, ‘While it is true that I neither fear God nor respect any human being, because this widow keeps bothering me I shall deliver a just decision for her lest she finally come and strike me.’” 

“The Lord said, “Pay attention to what the dishonest judge says. 

“Will not God then secure the rights of his chosen ones who call out to him day and night? Will he be slow to answer them?

“I tell you, he will see to it that justice is done for them speedily.

“But when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?” (Luke 18: 1 - 8).

Saturday 18th November 2023 of the 32nd Week of Ordinary Time is the feast of St Rose Philippine Duchesne. (1769 - 1852). French. Virgin and Religious.

The French Revolution disrupted her religious formation. She waited for 11 years to join a new Congregation: The Society of the Sacred Heart.

At the age of 49, St Rose undertook her missionary journey to America. She founded schools to educate girls.

St Rose Philippine Duchesne left her native country France at the age of 49 to travel to America. She heard the urgency of the Gospel to educate little girls in America and show them the way of the love and peace of Christ. The Lord blessed her ministry. 170 years after the death of St Rose Philippine Duchesne, Duchesne Academy continues the work of educating girls in America.

In the Gospel of today, 

"Jesus told his disciples a parable about the necessity for them to pray always without becoming weary." The Widow in today's Gospel proves that even with God, persistence breaks resistance. So pray always. Pray everywhere. Pray about everything. God hears the prayers of the widow, the orphan and the immigrant. He hears the prayers of all who call on Him in faith and persistence. 

"Wait for the LORD; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the LORD!" 

"Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer." (Psalm 27: 14, Romans 12: 12).

St Augustine teaches that "God wills that our desire should be exercised in prayer, that we may be able to receive what He is prepared to give."

It is important to persevere in prayer because if we do, God will not simply answer the prayer, He will reveal His will to us - this is much more important.  

“Perseverance in prayer reveals the quality of our faith. James says, "I will show you my faith by my works" (James 2:18).  ) Anonymous.) 

God could NEVER say NO to any prayer. God promises:

"Ask and you will be given. Seek and you will find. Knock and the door will be opened to you." (Matthew 7: 7-8). 

Pray in accordance to God's will always and you will be happy. 

Satan lies that God does not answer every prayer. 

For God to say No to a Prayer will be DIVINE INJUSTICE. God is not capable of being unjust. It is one of the greatest lies of Satan to convince us that God is a Liar. He never answers all our prayers. 

In the Parable of the Persistent Widow in Luke 18: 1 - 8, Jesus calls failure to answer prayers by God an act of injustice. Read the text below:

"Because this widow keeps bothering me I shall deliver a just decision for her lest she finally come and strike me.’” 6 The Lord said, “Pay attention to what the dishonest judge says. 7 Will not God then secure the rights of his chosen ones who call out to him day and night? Will he be slow to answer them? 8 I tell you, he will see to it that justice is done for them speedily."

"There are no sufferings that cannot be borne peacefully, so long as a soul is praying the Rosary. Through the Rosary, all the grace and power of My mysteries passes through My Mother’s Immaculate Heart into the hearts of the little ones who invoke her, repeating the angel’s “Ave” over and over again. There are illnesses that can be cured through the Rosary. There are clouds of darkness and confusion that only the Rosary can disperse, and this because it is My Mother’s favorite prayer, a prayer that originated in the heights of heaven and was carried to earth by My Archangel, a prayer echoed and amplified in the Church through the ages, a prayer loved by all My saints, a prayer of disarming power and of immense depth." (IN SINU JESU, Tuesday, December 2, 2014).

November is the Month we pray for the Souls in PURGATORY. 

“Purgatory is simply the place where already saved souls are cleansed of the temporal effects of sin before they are allowed to see the holy face of Almighty God. Revelation 21:27 tells us that “...nothing unclean will enter [Heaven].”

For Catholic Church teaching on the Souls in PURGATORY and how to help them, click the link below:

http://seekfirst.blogspot.com/2023/10/10-ways-to-assist-poor-souls-in.html

Daily Bible Verse @ SeekFirstcommunity.com

The Feast of St Elizabeth of Hungary, OFM.

Feast of St Elizabeth of Hungary. Married Woman and Franciscan Tertiary. 

"Jesus said to his disciples: “As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be in the days of the Son of Man; they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage up to the day that Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all. 

"Similarly, as it was in the days of Lot: they were eating, drinking, buying, selling, planting, building; on the day when Lot left Sodom, fire and brimstone rained from the sky to destroy them all.

“So it will be on the day the Son of Man is revealed. On that day, someone who is on the housetop and whose belongings are in the house must not go down to get them, and likewise one in the field must not return to what was left behind. 

“Remember the wife of Lot. Whoever seeks to preserve his life will lose it, but whoever loses it will save it.

“I tell you, on that night there will be two people in one bed; one will be taken, the other left.

“And there will be two women grinding meal together; one will be taken, the other left.” 

“They said to him in reply, “Where, Lord?” He said to them, “Where the body is, there also the vultures will gather.” (Luke 17: 26 - 37).

Friday 17th November 2023 of the 32nd Week in Ordinary Time is the feast of St Elizabeth of Hungary. (1207 - 1231) Religious. 

Born Hungarian Princess. Married a German Prince. In her short life of only 23 years, Elizabeth had four children and then became a Franciscan Tertiary after the death of her husband. She spent the rest of her life bringing comfort to the poor, the sick and the aged.

Quote of St Elizabeth of Hungary:

"How could I bear a crown of gold when the Lord bears a crown of thorns? And bears it for me!" (St Elizabeth of Hungary). 

Our key Scripture for today from Luke 17: 26 - 37 is a sobering message from Jesus. In one word, History Repeats Itself. 

In the times of Noah, people lived with abandon. The world is ours. No fear, no worry, no doubt about tomorrow. 

But the truth is that this world is not our home. We are pilgrims passing by. 

What is your attitude? A permanent resident or a temporary resident? 

As temporary residents, we must be in Waiting mode. 

How do we wait? "Be watchful! Be alert! You do not know when the time will come." (Mark 13: 33).

In order to be fully awake and take full advantage of all the blessings that God has prepared for those who wait for His time and season, we must be vigilant about our daily devotions:

Prayer, Word of God, Eucharist, Adoration, Penance, etc.

“Beware that your hearts do not become drowsy from carousing and drunkenness and the anxieties of daily life, and that day catch you by surprise like a trap." (Luke 21: 34). 

November is the Month we pray for the Souls in PURGATORY. 

“On May 13, 1917, during the first apparition to the three shepherd children, the eldest visionary, Lucia dos Santos, asked the Blessed Mother about two of her friends who had died. The Lady responded that one was in Heaven, but the other, Amelia, would be in Purgatory until the end of the world."

For Catholic Church teaching on the Souls in PURGATORY and how to help them, click the link below:

http://seekfirst.blogspot.com/2023/10/10-ways-to-assist-poor-souls-in.html

Daily Bible Verse @ SeekFirstcommunity.com

Feast of Saints Gertrude the Great and Margaret of Scotland.

Feast of Sts Margaret of Scotland and Gertrude the Great. 

"Asked by the Pharisees when the Kingdom of God would come, Jesus said in reply, “The coming of the Kingdom of God cannot be observed, and no one will announce, ‘Look, here it is,’ or, ‘There it is.’ For behold, the Kingdom of God is among you.”

Then he said to his disciples, “The days will come when you will long to see one of the days of the Son of Man, but you will not see it. There will be those who will say to you, ‘Look, there he is,’ or ‘Look, here he is.’ Do not go off, do not run in pursuit. For just as lightning flashes and lights up the sky from one side to the other, so will the Son of Man be in his day. But first he must suffer greatly and be rejected by this generation.” (Luke 17: 20 - 25)

Thursday 16th November 2023, 32nd Week in Ordinary Time is the feast of St Margaret of Scotland (1046 - 1093). Born Hungarian and married to King Malcolm of Scotland. Mother of 8 children who raised her children in the fear of the Lord. She is noted especially for her love for the poor. Margaret is the Patroness of Scotland.

Today is also the feast of St Gertrude. (1256 - 1301). Virgin. German. Known as Gertrude the Great, she was a respected scholar and mystic. Over 300 years before St Margaret Mary Alacoque, Gertrude, a mystic like Margaret Mary introduced the devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

Pope Benedict XVI, says that St Gertrude “shows us that the heart of a happy life, of a true life, is friendship with the Lord Jesus.”

"Asked by the Pharisees when the Kingdom of God would come,

"Jesus said in reply, “The coming of the Kingdom of God cannot be observed, and no one will announce, ‘Look, here it is,’ or, ‘There it is.’ For behold, the Kingdom of God is among you.”

One fact is absolutely certain:  Jesus spent most of His preaching and teaching ministry talking about the Kingdom. Even after His Resurrection, Acts 1 informs us that Jesus continued to speak about the Kingdom. How do we address these questions about the identity and operations of the Kingdom?

"The Kingdom of God is among you." 

What does this mean to you?

What is the Kingdom?

Where is the Kingdom?

Why the Kingdom?

How does the Kingdom operate?

Any signs of the Kingdom here and now? 

The Kingdom is the King Jesus. Where the King is, there is His Kingdom. 

The Kingdom has certain similarities with earthly kingdoms. But the differences are striking.

The Kingdom of God is the reign of God in hearts and minds of people who believe in Jesus and have committed to allow Jesus to reign in their hearts and minds.

For example: The Kingdom of Belgium comprises all the people who live in the geographical area that is recognized as Belgium. They obey the laws of Belgium. The Kingdom of God and the Kingdom of Belgium have officers and structures for their operations. That is where the similarities end.

The Kingdom of God is worldwide. It is eternal and indestructible. The mighty Roman Empire and many kingdoms of the world have been destroyed. The Kingdom of God launched by Jesus Christ in the course of His earthly ministry will never be destroyed. God will never allow the powers of hell to wipe out the Church. The Church will be there at the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. 

What does all this mean to us here and now? There are two types of people: those who are aware only of the earthly, material and physical kingdom. Others who belong to the the Kingdom of God whose seed is the Church. The saints like our saints of today, Saints Margaret and Gertrude spent their lives on earth building up the Church, the Kingdom of God on earth which we can see and touch.

November is the Month we pray for the Souls in PURGATORY. 

“Temporal punishments are suffered by some in this life only, by some after death, by some both here and hereafter, but all of them before that last and strictest judgment. But not all who suffer temporal punishments after death will come to eternal punishments, which are to follow after that judgment”  (Saint Augustine, Father and Doctor of the Church). 

For Catholic Church teaching on the Souls in PURGATORY and how to help them, click the link below:

http://seekfirst.blogspot.com/2023/10/10-ways-to-assist-poor-souls-in.html

Daily Bible Verse @ SeekFirstcommunity.com

Feast of St Albert the Great, Bishop, Doctor of the Church and Great Scientist.

Feast of St Albert the Great, OP. Bishop and Doctor of the Church. 

"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 voice, 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).

Wednesday 15th November 2023 of the 32nd week of Ordinary Time is the feast of St Albert the Great OP, Bishop and Doctor of the Church.

 (1206 - 1280) German.

St Albert belongs to the Order of Preachers (Dominicans). He is an eminent theologian and scientist and Doctor of the Church.

Albert the Great combined his human wisdom and divine faith to advance knowledge and science.

St Albert wrote a great deal on Divine Providence. One of the most comforting is this one below:

“The greater and more persistent your confidence in God, the more abundantly you will receive all that you ask.” 

Another precious quote from St Albert:

"Banish, therefore, from thy heart the distractions of earth and turn thine eyes to spiritual joys, that thou mayest learn at last to repose in the light of the contemplation of God." 

 St Albert the Great is the patron saint of scientists. 

Our Gospel of today from (Luke 17: 11 - 19) is perhaps one of the most dramatic healing stories of Jesus. Healing one leper is dramatic enough, especially if you understand the disease of leprosy and the social taboo it attracts at the time of Jesus. Today, Jesus heals 10 lepers at once. 

Another famous leprosy healing in the Bible is that of Naaman the Leper. (2 Kings 5: 1 - 19).

"Now Naaman was commander of the army of the king of Aram." 2 Kings 5: 1). Naaman was a top General and a very capable military leader, valued highly by his king. 

His leprosy did not threaten his career. Yet he wanted to get rid of the accursed disease by any means. With the backing of his king, he traveled to Israel in search of healing. God's mercy smiled upon him and he was healed by the Prophet Elisha. Read of the gold, silver, expensive garments Naaman brought for thanksgiving. 

The Ten Lepers in today's story are in a worse predicament. Be this as it may, the real essence of the Healing of the Ten Lepers is a lesson on Thanksgiving, Gratitude, Eucharistein. 

Are you a thankful person? 

Everything you have: family, health, money, job, food, friends, every possession from the smallest to the largest is a gift from God. 

How do you render thanks for the gifts you enjoy. 

Do you know the source of your gifts? Do you know that God expects you to render thanks?

"A sacrifice of thanksgiving honors me." (Psalm 50: 23).

This means that God is most delighted if you honor Him with the Sacrifice of the Mass (Eucharist = Thanksgiving). 

November is the Month we pray for the Souls in PURGATORY. 

“For the souls in purgatory there is great joy as well as pain as they know for certain they are bound for Heaven!” ~ St. Catherine of Genoa

For Catholic Church teaching on the Souls in PURGATORY and how to help them, click the link below:

http://seekfirst.blogspot.com/2023/10/10-ways-to-assist-poor-souls-in.html

Daily Bible Verse @ SeekFirstcommunity.com

The Boss and the Servant.

The Boss and the Servant. 

"Jesus said to the Apostles:

“Who among you would say to your servant who has just come in from plowing or tending sheep in the field, ‘Come here immediately and take your place at table’?

"Would he not rather say to him, ‘Prepare something for me to eat. Put on your apron and wait on me while I eat and drink. You may eat and drink when I am finished’?

"Is he grateful to that servant because he did what was commanded?

“So should it be with you. When you have done all you have been commanded, say, ‘We are unprofitable servants; we have done what we were obliged to do.’” (Luke 17: 7 - 10).

Tuesday of the 32nd Week of Ordinary Time. 

What is the essence of today's Gospel? 

Today's Scripture elevates our conception, knowledge of who God is. In this Parable, the Master is Jesus and the servant is you and me. 

Why did God create man? An older Catechism puts it beautifully:

God created man to know Him, to love Him and serve Him. 

Why? So that man will enjoy eternity with God. 

God is kind and merciful. But He is not your buddy. You must give Him full honors and reverential fear at all times. Give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God. 

Trust, obedience, humility and submission to God's will is what belongs to God. 

November is the Month we pray for the Souls in PURGATORY. 

"Suffering in Purgatory is greater than all suffering on Earth. Such is the doctrine of tradition, supported by theological reasoning. Tradition is expressed by St. Augustine: "That fire will be more painful than anything man can suffer in the present life."  St. Isidore speaks in the same sense. According to these testimonies and others similar to them, the least pain in Purgatory surpasses the greatest sufferings of the present life." (FR. GARRIGOU-LAGRANGE, O.P.1877 - 1964).

For Catholic Church teaching on the Souls in PURGATORY and how to help them, click the link below:

http://seekfirst.blogspot.com/2023/10/10-ways-to-assist-poor-souls-in.html

Daily Bible Verse @ SeekFirstcommunity.com

The Feast of St Frances Xavier Cabrini, Virgin.

Feast of St Frances Xavier Cabrini, Virgin. 

"Jesus said to his disciples,

“Things that cause sin will inevitably occur, but woe to the one through whom they occur. It would be better for him if a millstone were put around his neck and he be thrown into the sea than for him to cause one of these little ones to sin. 

"Be on your guard! If your brother sins, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him.

"And if he wrongs you seven times in one day and returns to you seven times saying, ‘I am sorry,’ you should forgive him.”

And the Apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith.” The Lord replied, “If you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you would say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you.” (Luke 17: 1 - 6).

Monday 13th November 2023 , 32nd Week in Ordinary Time is the feast of St Frances Xavier Cabrini. (1850 - 1917). Virgin. Italian. Patroness of Immigrants.

Our saint for today overcame the first obstacle to her vocation: fear of drowning.  She founded the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus to serve immigrants in schools, hospitals and parishes in the United States. Before she died in 1917, St Frances Xavier Cabrini had traversed the seas about 30 times planting missionary services to the vulnerable in many countries of the world.

Our key Scripture deals with the all important question of faith.

"And the Apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith.”

"The Lord replied, “If you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you would say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you.”

"What is faith? It is the confident assurance that something we want is going to happen. It is the certainty that what we hope for is waiting for us, even though we cannot see it up ahead." (Hebrews 11: 1 TLB).

I thank our Lord Jesus for the mustard size faith that He gave me. Because of this small faith, I am who I am today. Everything I enjoy in life such as the Eucharist, Reconciliation, Sunday leisure, even this Blog, etc comes from faith. Faith opens the door to unimaginable blessings. 

In the 11th Chapter of Hebrews, we see the portrait of faith drawn from the key characters of the Hebrew Scriptures. For example: Abraham, David, Elijah, etc. We may add to this list: Mary, John the Baptist, John the Evangelist, Mary Magdalene, Paul, etc. All these people and All the Saints we celebrate in the Roman Missal lived by faith and fulfilled the spiritual law that "the just man shall live by faith." (Cf Habakkuk 2: 4, Romans 1: 17, Galatians 3: 11, Hebrews 10: 38).

How do we get faith?

"So faith comes from hearing, and what is heard comes by the [preaching of the] message concerning Christ." (Romans 10: 17 AMP).

Faith comes too by asking for, pleading, praying for faith like the Apostles: "Lord increase our faith." 

Do you believe the message below?

"God so loved the world that he gave his Only Begotten Son, so that all who believe in him may not perish, but may have eternal life." (John 3: 16). If you believe this Scripture, you have faith. Fan it into flame. 

"Why do you think I have spoken to you so often of My Eucharistic Face? It is because “face” signifies “presence.” The devotion to My Eucharistic Face is the remedy to the loss of faith in My real presence that has swept through My Church at every level, extinguishing the fire of Eucharistic charity and causing even My elect, My priests, to grow cold and distant from Me. This is My word to you tonight and this is why I brought you to this place. Any loneliness you may feel is an invitation to seek Me out in the Sacrament of My divine friendship and to console My Eucharistic Heart." (IN SINU JESU, Sunday, October 19, 2008 Saint Paul of the Cross).

November is the Month we pray for the Souls in PURGATORY. 

“After all—I ask myself—what is Purgatory, actually? ... We see that the word "Purgatory" means "purification," and as all of us are more or less sinners, all of us need being purified of our own sins, faults, and imperfections, in order to be admitted to the enjoy­ment of the possession of the Kingdom of eternal glory.

"We can still realize this purification during this life, if God gives us the time for it: by asking God for forgiveness, with sincere repentance and the resolution to change our life by doing pen­ance, receiving the sacrament of Confession." (Lucia of Fatima on Purgatory). 

For Catholic Church teaching on the Souls in PURGATORY and how to help them, click the link below:

http://seekfirst.blogspot.com/2023/10/10-ways-to-assist-poor-souls-in.html

Daily Bible Verse @ SeekFirstcommunity.com