YOU LACK ONE THING!

YOU LACK ONE THING. 

"As Jesus was setting out on a journey, a man ran up,

knelt down before him, and asked him,

"Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?"

"Jesus answered him, "Why do you call me good? 

No one is good but God alone.

"You know the commandments: You shall not kill;

you shall not commit adultery;

you shall not steal;

you shall not bear false witness;

you shall not defraud;

honor your father and your mother." 

He replied and said to him,

"Teacher, all of these I have observed from my youth."

"Jesus, looking at him, loved him and said to him,

"You are lacking in one thing.

Go, sell what you have, and give to the poor

and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me." 

"At that statement his face fell,

and he went away sad, for he had many possessions.

"Jesus looked around and said to his disciples,

"How hard it is for those who have wealth

to enter the kingdom of God!"

 

"The disciples were amazed at his words.

"So Jesus again said to them in reply,

"Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! 

It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle

than for one who is rich to enter the kingdom of God." 

"They were exceedingly astonished and said among themselves,

"Then who can be saved?"

"Jesus looked at them and said,

"For human beings it is impossible, but not for God. 

All things are possible for God." 

"Peter began to say to him,

"We have given up everything and followed you." 

"Jesus said, "Amen, I say to you, there is no one who has given up house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands

for my sake and for the sake of the Gospel who will not receive a hundred times more now in this present age:

houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands,

with persecutions, and eternal life in the age to come." (Mark 10: 17 - 30).

Jesus looked with love at the rich young man who came to Him for advice and Jesus said to him:   “You are lacking in one thing."

What is the One Thing holding you back from fully embracing Jesus?

Money, job, possessions, comfort?  Letting go that one thing is your path to fulfillment and genuine happiness. 

Here is what the Rich Young man needed to know from our first Reading today (Wisdom 7: 7 - 11):

 "I prayed, and prudence was given me;

        I pleaded, and the spirit of wisdom came to me.

    I preferred her to scepter and throne,

    and deemed riches nothing in comparison with her,

        nor did I liken any priceless gem to her;

    because all gold, in view of her, is a little sand,

        and before her, silver is to be accounted mire.

    Beyond health and comeliness I loved her,

    and I chose to have her rather than the light,

        because the splendor of her never yields to sleep.

    Yet all good things together came to me in her company,

        and countless riches at her hands." (Cf Wisdom 7: 7 - 11). 

At the root of the young man's negative response is: Lack of faith and lack of wisdom. 

The young man is a man of Doing. "I have done all the commandments since my youth." 

Faith is believing and not doing. Example: "I believe that God will help me to enter into Eternal life." 

It is a sad and tragic response we hear from the young man.

 The many possessions of the man have now possessed him and made him a slave. We see this situation too often in life. 

The Lord Jesus provides a solution in Matthew 6: 33.

"Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need." (NLT).

THE ONE THING WE LACK IS THE VERY ONE THING WE NEED.  WE NEED COMPLETE TRUST IN GOD. 

"The Lord became my Protector.  He brought me out to a place of freedom;  He saved me because He delighted in me."  (Cf Psalm 18: 19-20 RM)

"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." (IN SINU JESU, Tuesday, January 8, 2008).

October is the Holy Rosary Month. 

“The Rosary is my favorite prayer” – “How beautiful is the family that recites the Rosary every evening!” – “The Rosary is a prayer both so humble and simple and a theologically rich in Biblical content. I beg you to pray it”.(St. Pope John Paul II). 

Say the Holy Rosary every day in October. 

For Prayers, Consecration, Litany, Testimony of Jesus about those who pray the Rosary, click the link below:

https://seekfirst.blogspot.com/2023/09/october-devotion-to-holy-rosary.html?m=1 

BLESSED ARE YOU AMONG WOMEN!

BLESSED ARE THOSE WHO HEAR THE WORD OF GOD AND KEEP IT. 

"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 12th October 2024 in the 27th Week in Ordinary Time. We celebrate the Memorial of the Blessed Virgin Mary. 

Jesus said to the woman who praised His saintly Mother:

“Rather, blessed are those who hear the word of God and observe it.”

What is the word of God? What did Mary hear and observed? 

1. Mary heard the message of the Archangel Gabriel and believed it and said Yes to the Will and Plan of God for her life. 

2. Mary heard the inspired prophecy of Elizabeth: 

"You are blessed among women." 

Mary believed and responded:

"All generations shall call me blessed." She believed the inspired message of Elizabeth and responded  with her own inspired words which became a prophecy. 

3. Simeon the aged holy Prophet said to Mary at the Presentation of the Child Jesus in the Temple:

 A sword will pierce your heart because of this little boy. 

Mary responded in total silence of submission to the Will and Plan of God for her Boy. 

The above are a few examples to show that Mary's life is completely oriented to hearing God's word and saying Yes to God. 

How about you and I? 

Although we were not born of the Immaculate Conception, we were reborn again in holy Baptism as the children of God and adopted brothers and sisters of Jesus Christ. 

Do you know that you can renew your Baptismal Promises not once a year at Easter but once a day during your morning prayer? It takes about a minute. The effect of this ritual is life changing. 

This is an example of how to do it:

"Father, I Kathy declare that I am Your child and the sister of Your Son Jesus Christ. I desire to embrace Your holy, almighty and merciful will for me in everything today. I renounce sins completely. I renounce Satan totally: all his lies and tricks and seductions. So help me Father. Amen." 

One minute a day that can change your destiny forever. 

The Seed is the word of God. 

Believe in the word of God. 

Share the word of God. 

Practice what you believe. 

October is the Holy Rosary Month. 

“The Rosary is a powerful weapon to put the demons to flight and to keep oneself from sin…If you desire peace in your hearts, in your homes, and in your country, assemble each evening to recite the Rosary. Let not even one day pass without saying it, no matter how burdened you may be with many cares and labors.” – Pope Pius XI

Say the Holy Rosary every day in October. 

For Prayers, Consecration, Litany, Testimony of Jesus about those who pray the Rosary, click the link below:

https://seekfirst.blogspot.com/2023/09/october-devotion-to-holy-rosary.html?m=1

THE FEAST OF THE "GOOD POPE", JOHN XXIII.

FEAST OF ST JOHN XXIII, POPE. 

"Realize then that it is those who have faith who are children of Abraham." (Galatians 3: 7).

“Brothers and sisters:

“Realize that it is those who have faith who are children of Abraham.

“Scripture, which saw in advance that God

would justify the Gentiles by faith,

foretold the good news to Abraham, saying,

Through you shall all the nations be blessed.

“Consequently, those who have faith are blessed along with Abraham who had faith.

“For all who depend on works of the law are under a curse; for it is written, Cursed be everyone who does not persevere in doing all the things written in the book of the law.

“And that no one is justified before God by the law is clear, for the one who is righteous by faith will live.

But the law does not depend on faith; rather, the one who does these things will live by them.

“Christ ransomed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us,

for it is written, Cursed be everyone who hangs on a tree,

that the blessing of Abraham might be extended to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus,

so that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith." (Galatians 3: 7 - 14).

Friday 11th October 2024 in the 27th Week in Ordinary Time is the feast of Pope St John XXIII. (1881 - 1963). Italian. Pontiff.

Pope St John XXIII convened the Second Vatican Council which transformed the Church. He wrote the popular encyclical Pacem in Terris. He was a humble and well beloved Pope and was popularly called the Good Pope. I like very much this quote below from him:

"Consult not your fears but your hopes and your dreams. Think not about your frustrations, but about your unfulfilled potential. Concern yourself not with what you tried and failed in, but what is still possible for you to do." (Pope St John XXIII).

Yesterday, we saw in Galatians 3: 1-5, that we received the Holy Spirit through faith and not through works. That is to say: We heard about the Holy Spirit and we accepted what we heard as true! And asked for His indwelling. 

St Paul continues to teach us the beautiful subject of Faith today. We are children of Abraham because we share in that powerful faith that made Abraham great. Abraham our grandfather in faith was the first to hear of the promises of God and accepted the promises as true. We the children do what our grandparents did. We hear and we believe. 

"Consequently, those who have faith are blessed along with Abraham who had faith." (Galatians 3: 9).

How does faith impact our life from day to day?

#1 Faith is belief that Jesus will keep His promises come what may.

# 2 Jesus says: Fear is useless. What you need is faith.

#3 Lack of faith robs us of God's wonderful plans for us.

#4 We grow in faith through reading and studying the word of God. 

#5. We grow in faith when we exercise faith. When we pray, we exercise faith. When we thank God for what He does for us, we exercise faith. 

You may be at the threshold of your Promised Land. You need faith to push through the door. 

October is the Holy Rosary Month. 

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

Say the Holy Rosary every day in October. 

For Prayers, Consecration, Litany, Testimony of Jesus about those who pray the Rosary, click the link below:

https://seekfirst.blogspot.com/2023/09/october-devotion-to-holy-rosary.html?m=1

ASK GOD FOR THE GREATEST GIFT: THE AWESOME HOLY SPIRIT.

ABOVE ALL, PRAY FOR THE HOLY SPIRIT. 

"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 October 10th 2024 in the 27th Week in Ordinary Time. 

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. 

3. Persistence breaks Resistance. This is also a law in prayer. 

#4. God's commitment to answer prayers is ironclad. This is the unanimous teaching of Sacred Scripture,  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. What is the the Best and Highest Thing to pray for? THE HOLY SPIRIT! THE HOLY SPIRIT! THE HOLY SPIRIT! 

Prayer is the Activator of Power. Power is the dominant attribute of the Holy Spirit. Prayer and the Holy Spirit are like inseparable twins. 

The Bible commands: "Taste and See that the Lord is good." If you do not pray habitually, you will never be able to taste; much less attest to the truth that God is good. 

#6. Do not be unbelieving. Believe and experience the joy of answered prayer. It is sweet.

Testimony to answered prayer:

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. When I looked at the prayer requests after five years, I was shocked to see that 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!

Come to God in prayer full of confidence and expectant faith and battle God in prayer if necessary. God may delay but He will not deny you the request inspired by the Holy Spirit you present to Him. 

October is the Holy Rosary Month. 

"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).

Say the Holy Rosary every day in October. 

For Prayers, Consecration, Litany, Testimony of Jesus about those who pray the Rosary, click the link below:

https://seekfirst.blogspot.com/2023/09/october-devotion-to-holy-rosary.html?m=1

FEAST OF THE FIRST BISHOP OF PARIS, ST DENIS & CO MARTYRS.

FEAST OF SAINTS DENIS & CO MARTYRS & JOHN LEONARDI, PRIEST. 

"Jesus was praying in a certain place, and when he had finished, one of his disciples said to him,

"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 9th October 2024 in the 27th Week in Ordinary Time. 

Today is the feast of St Denis, First Bishop of Paris, martyr and Companion martyrs. (3rd century).

We honor too St John Leonardi (1541 - 1609). Italian priest. John qualified first as a pharmacist before he decided to become a priest. He founded the Order of Clerics Regular to serve sick people and those in prison.

"In the Gospel of today: Luke 11: 1 - 4, the disciples asked Jesus to teach them how to pray. 

“Lord, teach us to pray just as John taught his disciples.”

Jesus responded eagerly and taught them the Our Father or the Lord's Prayer. 

The Church teaches that the Lord's Prayer is the greatest Prayer. This is the Prayer given to us by Jesus as a model prayer of how to approach Our Father in Prayer. 

No wonder the Church incorporated the Lord's Prayer in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass and in the Divine Office. 

At the very heart of the Lord's Prayer or Our Father is the personality of Abba Father. Who is Abba Father? 

Abba Father is the Father of Our Lord Jesus Christ. The revelation that God is a Father with a Son Jesus Christ is by far the greatest revelation by Jesus in the Holy Scriptures. 

Jesus taught us that His Father is also our Father. We become His Adopted Children through the Rites of Holy Baptism. 

Abba Father takes His duty as a Father seriously. He knows already our daily needs. It is a command that we must approach Abba respectfully every day to ask for our Daily Bread. 

Jesus teaches us that "Man does not live by bread alone." 

Man is body, soul and spirit. Abba Father provides needs to respond fully to who we are at every level of our life. 

Therefore approach Abba Father with supreme confidence and expectant faith to ask for your every need, knowing full well that He who made the promise is faithful and immensely rich. 

October is the Month of the Holy Rosary.

Why a special month for the Holy Rosary. Because the Rosary is a very powerful prayer. It is an important prayer in the life of the Church and in the life of individual Christian. Knowing this, you do not want to ignore the Rosary. There will not be sexual molestation of children in the Church if the priest says the daily Rosary that is mandatory for all clergy. 

A FAMILY THAT PRAYS THE ROSARY TOGETHER STAYS TOGETHER. 

Say the Holy Rosary every day in October. 

Mary Queen of the Angels, pray for us. 

For Prayers, Consecration, Litany, Testimony of Jesus about those who pray the Rosary, click the link below:

https://seekfirst.blogspot.com/2023/09/october-devotion-to-holy-rosary.html?m=1

MARTHA AND MARY. CLOSE FRIENDS OF JESUS.

MARTHA AND MARY. HOLY AND DIFFERENT. 

Mary has chosen the better part. 

"Jesus entered a village where a woman whose name was Martha ­welcomed him.

"She had a sister named Mary who sat beside the Lord at his feet listening to him speak.

"Martha, burdened with much serving, came to him and said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me by myself to do the serving? Tell her to help me.”

"The Lord said to her in reply, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and worried about many things.

"There is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part and it will not be taken from her.” (Luke 10: 38 - 42).

Tuesday 8th October 2024 in the 27th Week in Ordinary Time. 

The story of two sisters Martha and Mary teaches us great lessons of faith, hope and love. 

Martha appears addicted to work. Mary is laid back and seems to relish the Sacrament of the Present Moment. 

How do we get addicted to activity? What is the cause? How did it start? 

Fear of man? Desire to please? 

Desire to win at all cost? 

Love of money? 

Love of pleasure? 

Jesus said to Martha:

"You are worried and distracted by many things." 

In short, you are an activity addict. 

What is the remedy for this hyper addiction? 

"Be still and know that I am God." (Psalm 46: 11).

Enjoy the Sacrament of the Present Moment. 

What can you do every day to help you to heal from this condition? 

1. Daily Prayer. 

2. Daily word of God. 

3. Frequent Eucharist and Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. 

4. Affirm constantly that God is in control. 

Since you know this, do it and you will be blessed. 

Most Catholics know that October is the Month of the Holy Rosary. Many have benefitted from this Devotion to find healing for body, mind and soul. If you have never done the October Devotion before, this is an excellent opportunity. 

For Prayers, Consecration, Litany, Testimony of Jesus about those who pray the Rosary, click the link below:

https://seekfirst.blogspot.com/2023/09/october-devotion-to-holy-rosary.html?m=1