Saturday, February 01, 2025
Friday, January 31, 2025
FEAR IS USELESS. WHAT YOU NEED IS COMPLETE TRUST IN GOD.
THE MEMORIAL OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY. FIRST SATURDAY IN FEBRUARY.
THE GOODNEWS:
"On that day, as evening drew on, Jesus said to his disciples: “Let us cross to the other side.” Leaving the crowd, they took Jesus with them in the boat just as he was. And other boats were with him.
"A violent squall came up and waves were breaking over the boat, so that it was already filling up.
"Jesus was in the stern, asleep on a cushion. They woke him and said to him, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” He woke up, rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Quiet! Be still!”
"The wind ceased and there was great calm. Then he asked them, “Why are you terrified? Do you not yet have faith?”
"They were filled with great awe and said to one another, “Who then is this whom even wind and sea obey?” (Mark 4: 35 - 41).
Saturday February 1st, 2025. First Saturday in February. We observe the Memorial of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
FEBRUARY is the Month the Church honors the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph.
“Why are you terrified? Do you not yet have faith?” This is the apparently exasperated rebuke of the disciples by Jesus. The disciples had seen signs and wonders performed by Jesus. Yet, they are easily shaken by every new crisis.
Were are the storms in your life today? Family, Health, Finances, Job, Property or Tools? Or have you nothing to worry about but your future?
All storms are sanctioned by God's mighty, merciful and mysterious Providence. Because the storms are sanctified or ordered by God, they are blessings and more often than not blessings in disguise.
"Consider it all joy, my brothers, when you encounter various trials,
for you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.
And let perseverance be perfect, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing." (James 1: 2 - 4)
James tells us that trials test our faith in order to produce perseverance. Without perseverance, we can never succeed.
Storm times are testing times. Where do you place your trust? Who is your security? Who is the first person you call upon to help you?
"My foes treat me harshly all the day; yes, many are my attackers.
O Most High, when I am afraid,
in you I place my trust.
I praise the word of God;
I trust in God, I do not fear.
What can mere flesh do to me?" (Psalm 56: 3 - 5).
This Psalm was penned by David when he was in crisis. When he was in trouble, he trusted only in God. He remembered the word (promises) of God and he was strengthened in his resolve not to surrender to discouragement.
The whole of Sacred Scripture teaches one lesson: Love God with all your heart and put Him first in everything. And you shall have nothing to fear.
"But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given you besides.
"Do not worry about tomorrow; tomorrow will take care of itself. Sufficient for a day is its own evil." (Matthew 6: 33 -34)
When we put God and His interests first in our affairs, we experience a state that can be described as "No fear, No Worry, No Doubt." Because Jesus Himself has promised that:
"Fear is useless; what is needed is trust." (Luke 8: 50, Mark 5: 36)
As we open our hearts and minds to the word of God with confident trust, we experience the power of faith to rule and calm the furious storms that arise in our lives.
"Do not fear: I am with you;
do not be anxious: I am your God.
I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my victorious right hand." (Isaiah 41: 10).
"They cried to the Lord in their distress; from their straits he rescued them, he hushed the storm to a gentle breeze, and the billows of the sea were stilled." (Cf Psalm 107).
God works silent miracles all the time for us. Show appreciation like the sailors in Psalm 107 above. God is very pleased by our gratitude.
Such lessons from the Scriptures build up our faith. Don't miss them.
I was comforted by the Scripture below when I was anxious this afternoon.
"Have no anxiety at all, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God. Then the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:6-7).
The Church honors the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph in the Month of February.
"Most Holy Family of Nazareth, perfection of family love grew strong in your school of love. Please bestow upon me, my family, and all families the grace needed to more fully imitate the love you shared, so that families will remain the fundamental building block of the world. Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, pray for us and have mercy on all. Jesus, I trust in You." (Cf Roman Missal).
For Devotional prayer and prayer intentions to the Holy Family, click the link below:
http://seekfirst.blogspot.com/2024/01/the-holy-family-devotion.html
Thursday, January 30, 2025
THE MEMORIAL OF ST JOHN BOSCO, PATRON SAINT OF THE YOUTH.
THE MEMORIAL OF ST JOHN BOSCO, PRIEST AND FOUNDER.
THE GOODNEWS:
"Remember the days past when, after you had been enlightened, you endured a great contest of suffering. At times you were publicly exposed to abuse and affliction; at other times you associated yourselves with those so treated. You even joined in the sufferings of those in prison and joyfully accepted the confiscation of your property, knowing that you had a better and lasting possession.
"Therefore, do not throw away your confidence; it will have great recompense. You need endurance to do the will of God and receive what he has promised.
"For, after just a brief moment, he who is to come shall come; he shall not delay. But my just one shall live by faith, and if he draws back I take no pleasure in him. We are not among those who draw back and perish, but among those who have faith and will possess life." (Hebrews 10: 32 - 39).
Friday 31 January 2025 in the 3rd Week in Ordinary Time is the feast of St John Bosco (1815 - 1888), Italian Priest and Founder of the Salesian Religious Congregation.
St John Bosco is called the "Apostle of Youth." He was a great educator and father to the young. He founded the Salesian School to educate boys and girls.
St John Bosco is the patron saint of apprentices, young people and Catholic publishers and editors.
Our key Scripture for today is from Hebrews 10: 32 - 39. Specifically, we focus on this injunction:
"Therefore, do not throw away your confidence; it will have great recompense. You need endurance to do the will of God and receive what he has promised."
The Christian life is a warfare. A daily battle with the forces of evil. In this battle like real life battles, there are mountain-top moments and there may be plenty of valleys. How can you fight to win?
#1. Your confidence of victory comes from the word of God, the never failing promises of God. Have this constantly before you. Forget it and you are doomed.
#2. The soldier of Jesus Christ must be imbued with a hardened spirit of endurance. Nothing worthwhile has ever been achieved without peserverance. The enemy will be coming at you again and again. As one battle ends, he may begin another without pulse.
But your persistence will break the resistance.
#3. Remember that your brethren all over the world are fighting the same battle. I find this a comforting truth. (1 Peter 5: 9; 1 Corinthians 10: 23).
You will emerge from the valley of battles stronger and renewed with deeper conviction in:
#1. The just person lives by faith. Faith in the promise of God which can never fail.
#2. A firm conviction that the gracious and mysterious will of God is the best thing for you always, everywhere and in everything.
#3. Deep knowledge, insights and experiences of God's mighty, sovereign, merciful and Yes, mysterious Providence. This third point (#3) is worth all the scars of the battle.
Armed with this new knowledge, you resolve never again to neglect daily prayer, daily nourishment from the word of God. You commit yourself never to slacken in doing good to your neighbor.
The Jesus Prayer:
"You may have heard of this prayer before: “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner.” Many know it as The Jesus Prayer. It focuses on the name of Jesus and his mercy.
This simple invocation of faith developed in the tradition of prayer under many forms in East and West. The most usual formulation … is the invocation, “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on us sinners.” It combines the Christological hymn of Philippians 2:6–11 with the cry of the publican and the blind men begging for light [see Mark 10:46–52; Luke 18:13] (CCC, 2667).
For the Litany of the Most Holy Name of Jesus and prayer intentions click the link below:
http://seekfirst.blogspot.com/2023/12/litany-of-most-holy-name-of-jesus.html?m=1
Wednesday, January 29, 2025
SHINE YOUR LITTLE LITTLE LIGHT. SHINE! SHINE! SHINE!
YOU RECEIVE AS YOU GIVE.
THE GOODNEWS:
“Jesus said to his disciples:
“Is a lamp brought in to be placed under a bushel basket or under a bed, and not to be placed on a lampstand?
For there is nothing hidden except to be made visible; nothing is secret except to come to light. Anyone who has ears to hear ought to hear.”
"He also told them, “Take care what you hear. The measure with which you measure will be measured out to you, and still more will be given to you.
"To the one who has, more will be given; from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.” (Mark 4: 21 - 25).
Brethren, let us consider the last paragraph of today's Gospel:
"To the one who has, more will be given; from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.”
I know this teaching is absolutely true because I have experienced it personally in my life and as a catechist. The greatest gift of God to us is the Precious Holy Spirit. Once you activate the Gift in your life, you start to grow in all manner of ways in everything, everywhere, all at once. Beautiful experience.
What if you reject the Holy Spirit by a life of sin without any effort to reconcile with God through the Sacrament of Penance?
You start shrinking in the divine life within you. You will shrink like a dying 230 pound man who shrunk to about 80 pounds in his last weeks on earth.
The good news is that if you come back to your senses and seek God in the Sacrament of Reconciliation, you recover the beautiful life of God inside you.
And you become like the lamp placed on the lampstand in your house, church, school, marketplace, everywhere. Because the Light of Christ will be shining in you and through you to the world around you.
“St. Peter, enflamed with the Holy Spirit after Pentecost, preached, “There is no salvation through anyone else, nor is there any other name under heaven given to the human race by which we are to be saved” (Acts 4:12). And again, “Everyone who believes in him will receive forgiveness of sins through his name” (Acts 10:43).
For the Litany of the Most Holy Name of Jesus and prayer intentions click the link below:
http://seekfirst.blogspot.com/2023/12/litany-of-most-holy-name-of-jesus.html?m=1
Tuesday, January 28, 2025
JESUS SOWS THE WORD IN OUR LIFE.
JESUS IS THE SOWER OF THE WORD.
“It is I. Do not be afraid.”
THE GOSPEL:
"On another occasion, Jesus began to teach by the sea.
A very large crowd gathered around him so that he got into a boat on the sea and sat down. And the whole crowd was beside the sea on land.
"And he taught them at length in parables, and in the course of his instruction he said to them,
“Hear this! A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seed fell on the path, and the birds came and ate it up.
"Other seed fell on rocky ground where it had little soil. It sprang up at once because the soil was not deep. And when the sun rose, it was scorched and it withered for lack of roots.
"Some seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it and it produced no grain.
"And some seed fell on rich soil and produced fruit. It came up and grew and yielded thirty, sixty, and a hundredfold.” He added, “Whoever has ears to hear ought to hear.”
"And when he was alone, those present along with the Twelve questioned him about the parables. He answered them, “The mystery of the Kingdom of God has been granted to you. But to those outside everything comes in parables, so that
they may look and see but not perceive, and hear and listen but not understand, in order that they may not be converted and be forgiven.”
"Jesus said to them, “Do you not understand this parable? Then how will you understand any of the parables?
"The sower sows the word. These are the ones on the path where the word is sown. As soon as they hear, Satan comes at once and takes away the word sown in them.
"And these are the ones sown on rocky ground who, when they hear the word, receive it at once with joy. But they have no roots; they last only for a time. Then when tribulation or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away.
"Those sown among thorns are another sort. They are the people who hear the word, but worldly anxiety, the lure of riches, and the craving for other things intrude and choke the word, and it bears no fruit.
" But those sown on rich soil are the ones who hear the word and accept it and bear fruit thirty and sixty and a hundredfold.” (Mark 4: 1 - 20).
Wednesday January 29th in the 3rd Week in Ordinary Time.
"The sower sows the word."
Jesus says as He explained the Parable of the Sower to the Twelve and those who were with them.
What is the word? The word here could mean teaching, advice, counsel, commandments, etc.
The word can also mean the various circumstances of daily living that present challenges to our comforts.
God's mighty, merciful and mysterious Providence governs all things. God speaks to us through various circumstances of our day. Some of these circumstances are pleasant and others are afflictive. These beneficent and afflictive circumstances are different words of God to us. How do we handle them?
Today, I experienced difficulties of daily living that made me weary of the word or the promises of God. I prayed to Jesus to lift the dark cloud over me. He answered immediately. I listened to a commentary on the Parable of the Sower from a trusted person. And the cloud was dispersed.
Friends, have trust in prayer. Have trust in the word of God.
THE CHURCH HONORS THE MOST HOLY NAME OF JESUS IN JANUARY.
"There is power in wielding the Holy Name of Jesus. The early Church continually preached of its saving power." (Cf CCC).
For the Litany of the Most Holy Name of Jesus and prayer intentions click the link below:
http://seekfirst.blogspot.com/2023/12/litany-of-most-holy-name-of-jesus.html?m=1
Monday, January 27, 2025
MEMORIAL OF THE ANGELIC DOCTOR, PATRON SAINT OF CATHOLIC SCHOOLS.
THE MEMORIAL OF ST THOMAS AQUINAS, OP. PRIEST & DOCTOR OF THE CHURCH.
"For whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother.”
THE GOODNEWS:
"The mother of Jesus and his brothers arrived at the house. Standing outside, they sent word to Jesus and called him.
"A crowd seated around him told him, “Your mother and your brothers and your sisters are outside asking for you.”
"But he said to them in reply, “Who are my mother and my brothers?”
"And looking around at those seated in the circle he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers. For whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother.” (Mark 3: 31 - 35).
Tuesday January 28th is the Memorial of St Thomas Aquinas, OP. Priest and Doctor of the Church.
Called the Angelic Doctor, St Thomas Aquinas, OP. (1225 - 1274) was an eminent Italian Dominican priest. Doctor of the Church. He wrote the Summa Theologica and other great books. Apart from being one of the greatest theologians in the Church, Thomas is noted for his humility and holiness.
Favorite quote of St Thomas Aquinas:
"The things that we love tell us what we are."
What is the central message in the Gospel of today? Knowing and doing the WILL OF GOD is far more important than anything else.
In 2 Samuel 6: 12 - 19, David is God's darling boy because he tries to know and do the will of God.
But the holy Virgin Mary is ultimately the bright Morning Star when it comes to knowing and doing the Will of God. This is why she has many feast days in the liturgical calendar of the Church. This is so that we may take note and imitate her in seeking and doing the Will of God.
The Church honors the Most Holy Name of Jesus in January.
“To pray "Jesus" is to invoke him and to call him within us. His name is the only one that contains the presence it signifies. Jesus is the Risen One, and whoever invokes the name of Jesus is welcoming the Son of God who loved him and who gave himself up for him." (Cf CCC).
For the Litany of the Most Holy Name of Jesus and prayer intentions click the link below:
http://seekfirst.blogspot.com/2023/12/litany-of-most-holy-name-of-jesus.html?m=1
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