LOVE THE LORD WITH ALL YOUR HEART AND YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.
"One of the scribes came to Jesus and asked him,
"Which is the first of all the commandments?"
Jesus replied, "The first is this:
Hear, O Israel!
The Lord our God is Lord alone!
You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart,
with all your soul,
with all your mind,
and with all your strength.
The second is this:
You shall love your neighbor as yourself.
There is no other commandment greater than these."
The scribe said to him, "Well said, teacher.
You are right in saying,
'He is One and there is no other than he.'
And 'to love him with all your heart,
with all your understanding,
with all your strength,
and to love your neighbor as yourself'
is worth more than all burnt offerings and sacrifices."
And when Jesus saw that he answered with understanding,
he said to him,
"You are not far from the kingdom of God."
And no one dared to ask him any more questions." (Mark 12: 28 - 34).
Sunday 3rd November 2024 in the 31st Week in Ordinary Time.
Should it be very hard to love Abba Father above everything? Treating our neighbor exactly the way you want to be treated does not appear an impossible feat.
Today's teaching of Jesus is not a suggestion but a command.
Moses concluded his teaching on the love of God thus:
"Hear, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD alone!
Therefore, you shall love the LORD, your God,
with all your heart,
and with all your soul,
and with all your strength.
Take to heart these words which I enjoin on you today." (Deuteronomy 6: 2 - 6).
"Take to heart these words which I enjoin on you today."
This means: Pay great attention to these words.
Below is God's gold standard in loving us:
"I am always patient and kind with you. I do not compare you unfairly to other people. I treat you as a unique and irrepeatable person. I don't dishonor you. I respect your uniqueness. I don't burst into anger when you sin nor do I keep a record of your wrongs. My love does not delight in evil but rejoices in your successes and accomplishments. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres." (Cf 1 Corinthians 13:4-7).
God wants us to apply this standard to our neighbor.
When we obey God and make Him the top priority in our universe, we enjoy a full and rich life.
"Moses spoke to the people, saying:
“Fear the LORD, your God, and keep, throughout the days of your lives, all his statutes and commandments which I enjoin on you, and thus have long life." (Deuteronomy 6: 2).
Our response should be:
"I love you, O LORD, my strength, O LORD, my rock, my fortress, my deliverer." (Psalm 18: 2 - 3).
Do not be readers but doer of the word.
"Whoever loves me will keep my word, says the Lord;
and my Father will love him and we will come to him." (John 14: 23).
A few examples of Saints who loved God in their own ways:
The Little Flower, St Therese of the Child Jesus may put her doctrine of Love this way: "I, Therese I am incapable of doing great things. I am not a scholar nor can I boast of great gifts of grace. I am going to do the little things with great love."
Therese lived this doctrine. It pleased Jesus so much that He awarded Therese Doctor of the Church.
St Catherine of Siena may put her doctrine of love this way:
"I will seek to know the Will of God in everything. I will endeavor to do it. In the Will of God is our peace." Jesus was also very pleased with Catherine and made her a great teacher in the Church with the title of Doctor of the Church.
St Ignatius Loyola sought loving God with all his heart, mind and soul through doing everything "For the Greater Glory of God."
Whether you choose St Therese's "Way of Love" or St Catherine's "Will of God," you will find that all ways lead to Jesus.
The masters of spirituality list the Seven Daily Habits of Saints thus:
Prayer
Word of God
Eucharist
Reconciliation
Examination of Conscience
Faith sharing (ministry)
Spiritual reading
"I love you, O Lord, my strength,
O Lord, my rock, my fortress, my deliverer." (Responsorial Psalm 18).
November is the Month dedicated to praying for the Poor Souls in Purgatory.
"If during life, we have been kind to the suffering souls in purgatory, God will see that help be not denied us after death.” (St Paul of the Cross).
Remember the Poor Souls in Purgatory daily in your prayers.
ALL SOULS DAY. NOVEMBER 2.
THE COMMEMORATION OF THE SOULS OF THE FAITHFUL DEPARTED.
"Jesus said to the crowds:
“Everything that the Father gives me will come to me, and I will not reject anyone who comes to me, because I came down from heaven not to do my own will but the will of the one who sent me.
"And this is the will of the one who sent me, that I should not lose anything of what he gave me, but that I should raise it on the last day.
"For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in him may have eternal life, and I shall raise him on the last day.” (John 6: 37 - 40).
Saturday 2nd November 2024 in the 30th Week in Ordinary Time is the Commemoration of all the holy souls in Purgatory.
Jesus prays, yearns, cries for the salvation of all men and women. The loving mercy of God makes this possible through the providential existence of Purgatory. Without Purgatory, only a few people will be saved. Without Purgatory, Christian Hope will be very thin. When we pray in the Creed: "I believe in life everlasting", we should thank God for Purgatory.
The Church teaches from the very beginning that:
"All who die in God's grace and friendship, but still imperfectly purified, are indeed assured of their eternal salvation; but after death they undergo purification, so as to achieve the holiness necessary to enter the joy of heaven." (CCC 1030).
Where do people go for the cleansing or purification after they take their last breath and close their eyes in death? "The Church gives the name Purgatory to this final purification of the elect, which is entirely different from the punishment of the damned." (CCC 1031).
The unbelievers think that the dead are lost and would decay in the ground like organic matters. They do not believe that man has a soul. But the word of God answers the unbelievers thus:
"They [the dead] seemed, in the view of the foolish, to be dead; and their passing away was thought an affliction and their going forth from us, utter destruction. But they are in peace." (Wisdom 3: 2 - 3).
PURGATORY: ONLY GOD CAN MEND A BROKEN EGG.
We celebrate the feast of All Souls because the Church teaches that the souls in Purgatory can benefit from our prayers.
The Book of Wisdom, our first Reading gives us the end game of Divine Providence on the Souls in Purgatory:
"Chastised a little, they shall be greatly blessed, because God tried them and found them worthy of himself.
As gold in the furnace, he proved them, and as sacrificial offerings he took them to himself." (Wisdom 3: 5 - 6).
"My intercession is everlasting even in the glory of eternity because I chose to keep the wounds in My hands and in My feet and in My side. They constitute an uninterrupted pleading for the sake of all: for those in glory that they may go from light to light and from sweetness to sweetness; for those on earth that they may find in My wounds healing, purity, and holiness; and for the souls in purgatory that by the merits of My holy wounds they may be refreshed and delivered." (IN SINU JESU, Friday, March 28, 2008).
Remember the Poor Souls in Purgatory daily in your prayers.
THE SOLEMNITY OF ALL SAINTS. NOVEMBER 1. HOLY DAY OF OBLIGATION.
"I, John, saw another angel come up from the East, holding the seal of the living God. He cried out in a loud voice to the four angels who were given power to damage the land and the sea, “Do not damage the land or the sea or the trees until we put the seal on the foreheads of the servants of our God.”
"I heard the number of those who had been marked with the seal, one hundred and forty-four thousand marked from every tribe of the children of Israel.
"After this I had a vision of a great multitude, which no one could count, from every nation, race, people, and tongue. They stood before the throne and before the Lamb, wearing white robes and holding palm branches in their hands. They cried out in a loud voice:
“Salvation comes from our God, who is seated on the throne, and from the Lamb.”
"All the angels stood around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures. They prostrated themselves before the throne, worshiped God, and exclaimed:
“Amen. Blessing and glory, wisdom and thanksgiving, honor, power, and might be to our God forever and ever. Amen.”
"Then one of the elders spoke up and said to me, “Who are these wearing white robes, and where did they come from?” I said to him, “My lord, you are the one who knows.” He said to me, “These are the ones who have survived the time of great distress; they have washed their robes and made them white in the Blood of the Lamb.” (Revelation 7: 2 - 4, 9 - 14).
Friday 1st November 2023 of the 30th Week of Ordinary Time is the Solemnity of All Saints. A Holy Day of Obligation.
In the vision from Revelations, the two elders asked John: “Who are these wearing white robes, and where did they come from?”
These are the Saints whose feast we celebrate today. The Church venerates in one huge celebration the merits of All the Saints. From Abel the Just to the newest Saint who enters Paradise Now.
“These are the ones who have survived the time of great distress; they have washed their robes and made them white in the Blood of the Lamb.”
The Saints are now in Heaven enjoying the reward that Jesus Christ promised.
What is Heaven? "Heaven is the ultimate end and fulfillment of the deepest human longings, the state of supreme, definitive happiness." (CCC 1024).
The Saints tell us that our experience of Heaven begins right here and now.
Our Baptism makes us children of God. If you are in sanctifying grace, you experience the presence of the Blessed Trinity living in you. What does this mean? You enjoy to the extent of your capacity the gifts and the fruits of the Holy Spirit. This is what the Saints in Heaven enjoy all the time. St Catherine of Siena says that the joy of Heaven begins here and all the way to eternity.
Jesus promises that He is glorified when we honor His saints. Communion of Saints is one of the most powerful and comforting doctrines in the Church. You can have as close friends many of the saints. These friend saints take your petitions to the Prince of Saints who has promised to be favorable to their intercessions on your behalf.
All Saints come from all races, countries, backgrounds and occupations. They give us powerful example and motivation to imitate them.
Become a Saint. Become holy.
November is the Month the Church prays for and honors the Poor Souls in Purgatory.
For Catholic Church teaching on the Souls in PURGATORY and how to help them, click the link below:
November 1st, 2024 First Friday in November.
Jesus promised 12 special favors to all those who will honor His Sacred Heart especially on the First Friday of every month by attending Holy Mass and receiving Holy Communion in Nine Consecutive First Fridays. In the 11th month of the year, November 2024, we look at Promise #11.
#11. "Those who 
propagate this devotion shall have their name written in My Heart, and it shall never be effaced."
Seven Easy Ways to Promote the Sacred Heart of Jesus Devotion and earn the everlasting rewards:
1. Make a list of your family, friends and colleagues and share this Sacred Heart of Jesus Blog with them every month.
2. Get about 100 Sacred Heart of Jesus picture cards or more from your local Catholic Bookstore. Or from Amazon or any Internet vendor of Catholic books and holy cards. Get the ones with the picture of the Sacred Heart in front and the Promises of the Sacred Heart on the back.
3. Give the Sacred Heart cards to family members, relatives, friends and work mates. Leave some of the Sacred Heart cards in the Church Narthex or Gathering Area at the back of the Church. Don't be afraid of rejection.
4. Water your new Sacred Heart of Jesus ministry through daily prayers. Praying for the success of your ministry is very important and tells Jesus something about who you are: "This person is serious about this ministry. I will try her for a few months to see if she is faithful." You are already on the way as a promoter of the Sacred Heart devotion.
5. Tell friends and family about the 12 Promises of the Sacred Heart of Jesus any opportunity you have.
6. Remind the Sacred Heart often of these promises especially those that touch your present needs. Jesus loves to be reminded of His promises. Not that He forgets. It is important for you to know deeply that the Lord is faithful in all His promises.
7. Friends, this is a question of whether you trust the promises of Jesus or not. Review the 12 Promises about once a month to see which promises have been fulfilled.
Honor the Sacred Heart of Jesus this Friday by attending Holy Mass and receiving Holy Communion.
For the Sacred Heart of Jesus Promises, Prayers, Prayer intentions, click the link below:
PUT ON THE FULL ARMOR.
"Brothers and sisters: 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.
"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)
Thursday 31st October 2024 in 30th Week in Ordinary Time.
Do you realize that we are in covert spiritual warfare? The first Reading today Ephesians 6: 10 - 20 is a call to arms especially to the brethren who do not know the meaning of the Signs of the Times.
Christians are constantly in spiritual warfare and Jesus our Captain promises: To be our strength in proportion to the trust we place in Him.
Do you doubt the severity of the warfare? The power of darkness is everywhere. "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." (Ephesians 6: 12).
Consider a few of the great ones of this world that had been used by the Evil One and then discarded: Judas, Nero, Hitler, Mussolini, Stalin. These are some of the high priests of Satan.
In another passage, St Paul elaborates on our weapon:
"For the weapons of our battle are not of flesh but are enormously powerful, capable of destroying fortresses. We destroy arguments and every pretension raising itself against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive in obedience to Christ." (2 Corinthians 10: 4 - 5).
Our faith is our shield in this warfare. For God promises that His faithful promises are our armor and protection. (Cf Psalm 91: 4).
So brothers and sisters, "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." (Ephesians 6: 13).
October 31st 2024, last day of the Holy Rosary Month of October.
The Great Month of October ends today. If you have been faithful, have confidence that our Blessed Mother will reward you.
"The rosary shall be a powerful armor against hell, it will destroy vice, decrease sin, and defeat heresies." (The 3rd Promise of Mary to Devotees of the Holy Rosary).
For Prayers, Consecration, Litany, Testimony of Jesus about those who pray the Rosary, click the link below:
STRIVE TO ENTER THE KINGDOM THROUGH THE NARROW GATE.
“Jesus passed through towns and villages,
teaching as he went and making his way to Jerusalem.
Someone asked him,
"Lord, will only a few people be saved?"
He answered them,
"Strive to enter through the narrow gate,
for many, I tell you, will attempt to enter
but will not be strong enough.
After the master of the house has arisen and locked the door,
then will you stand outside knocking and saying,
'Lord, open the door for us.'
He will say to you in reply,
'I do not know where you are from.'
And you will say,
'We ate and drank in your company and you taught in our streets.'
Then he will say to you,
'I do not know where you are from.
Depart from me, all you evildoers!'
And there will be wailing and grinding of teeth
when you see Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob
and all the prophets in the Kingdom of God
and you yourselves cast out.
And people will come from the east and the west
and from the north and the south
and will recline at table in the Kingdom of God.
For behold, some are last who will be first,
and some are first who will be last." (Luke 13: 22 - 30).
When you decide to follow Jesus, the choice is clear but challenging for most of us. The narrow door are the Beatitudes and the Corporal and Spiritual Works of Mercy. This is how Jesus lived. Jesus is Our Example. He is the "The Way, the Truth and Life" set for us.
For Christians, there is no alternative. "For many, I tell you, will attempt to enter but will not be strong enough." (Luke 13: 24).
Many will be tempted to compromise but will fall short. The 300 English Bishops tried to compromise their faith with King Henry VIII in the 16th century. They failed miserably. Henry the VIII proved stronger than them all. Some evangelicals tried to compromise with Adolf Hitler in 1940s. They failed miserably. Adolf Hitler proved stronger than all of them.
What does it profit a man to get everything he wants in this life but to be confronted with this scenario when he takes his last breath:
"Lord, open the door for us.’ He will say to you in reply, ‘I do not know where you are from." (Luke 13: 25).
The regret will be huge and unspeakable.
"And there will be wailing and grinding of teeth when you see Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God and you yourselves cast out." (Luke 13: 28).
I will rather be last now and enter the kingdom than be first and lost.
"For behold, some are last who will be first, and some are first who will be last.”. (Luke 13: 30).
October is the Holy Rosary Month.
"The whole purpose of the Rosary is to lead to this deep experience of Our Lady, who together with Jesus breathes the Spirit into us." Thomas Keating).
The Great Month of October ends tomorrow. If you have been faithful, be prepared for a rich harvest. The Rosary can be compared to the tiny mustard seed that the Holy Spirit planted in your heart this October. If you nourish this tiny mustard seed and allow it to grow, what will it become in 10 years, 20 years or 30 years?
For Prayers, Consecration, Litany, Testimony of Jesus about those who pray the Rosary, click the link below:
THE TINY MUSTARD SEED & THE KINGDOM OF GOD.
THE CHURCH IS THE SEED OF THE KINGDOM OF GOD ON EARTH.
What is the Kingdom of God like?
"Jesus said, “What is the Kingdom of God like? To what can I compare it? It is like a mustard seed that a man took and planted in the garden. When it was fully grown, it became a large bush and the birds of the sky dwelt in its branches.”
Again he said, “To what shall I compare the Kingdom of God? It is like yeast that a woman took and mixed in with three measures of wheat flour until the whole batch of dough was leavened.” (Luke 13: 18 - 21).
Tuesday, 29th October 2024 in the 30th Week in Ordinary Time.
“What is the Kingdom of God like?"
The Kingdom of God can be compared to many things. You may compare it to the yeast that leavens dough, or to a fishing net that catches all types of fish. The Kingdom of God has been compared to a wedding feast.
What is your favorite image of the Kingdom of God?
My favorite comparison is this:
"It is like a mustard seed that a man took and planted in the garden. When it was fully grown, it became a large bush and the birds of the sky dwelt in its branches.”
This is what happens when the tiny mustard seed is planted in your soul.
It grows and gives birth to your awareness of the Person of the Holy Spirit. Then of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
The seed continues to grow and develop branches. And then awareness of the Church and the knowledge of the Sacraments. Now you come to know Holy Scriptures, Rosary and so forth.
After a period of time, the tiny seed planted by the Lord Jesus Christ becomes a bush, ready to welcome birds of the sky.
The seed, is the Word of God planted in your heart when you were baptized.
You cultivate and nourish the Seed daily through:
Daily prayers
Reading and study of the word of God
Daily examination of conscience
Frequent Confession, and spiritual reading.
Prayer is the key and efficient cause of blessings.
October is the Holy Rosary Month.
"The whole purpose of the Rosary is to lead to this deep experience of Our Lady, who together with Jesus breathes the Spirit into us." (Thomas Keating).
The Great Month of October ends in a few days. If you have been faithful, be prepared for a rich harvest. The Rosary can be compared to the tiny mustard seed that the Holy Spirit planted in your heart this October. If you nourish this tiny mustard seed and allow it to grow, what will it become in 10 years, 20 years or 30 years?
For Prayers, Consecration, Litany, Testimony of Jesus about those who pray the Rosary, click the link below:
