HAVE MERCY ON US O MERCIFUL FATHER.

Welcome TO YOUR HOME PRODIGAL. 

"Tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to listen to Jesus, but the Pharisees and scribes began to complain, saying, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.”

"So to them Jesus addressed this parable. “A man had two sons, and the younger son said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of your estate that should come to me.’ So the father divided the property between them.

"After a few days, the younger son collected all his belongings and set off to a distant country where he squandered his inheritance on a life of dissipation.

"When he had freely spent everything, a severe famine struck that country, and he found himself in dire need. So he hired himself out to one of the local citizens who sent him to his farm to tend the swine. And he longed to eat his fill of the pods on which the swine fed, but nobody gave him any. 

"Coming to his senses he thought, ‘How many of my father’s hired workers have more than enough food to eat, but here am I, dying from hunger.

"I shall get up and go to my father and I shall say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I no longer deserve to be called your son; treat me as you would treat one of your hired workers.”’

"So he got up and went back to his father. While he was still a long way off, his father caught sight of him, and was filled with compassion. He ran to his son, embraced him and kissed him. His son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you; I no longer deserve to be called your son.’ 

"But his father ordered his servants, ‘Quickly, bring the finest robe and put it on him; put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Take the fattened calf and slaughter it. Then let us celebrate with a feast, because this son of mine was dead, and has come to life again; he was lost, and has been found.’ 

"Then the celebration began. Now the older son had been out in the field and, on his way back, as he neared the house, he heard the sound of music and dancing. He called one of the servants and asked what this might mean. The servant said to him, ‘Your brother has returned and your father has slaughtered the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.’

"He became angry, and when he refused to enter the house, his father came out and pleaded with him. He said to his father in reply, ‘Look, all these years I served you and not once did I disobey your orders; yet you never gave me even a young goat to feast on with my friends. But when your son returns who swallowed up your property with prostitutes, for him you slaughter the fattened calf.’

"He said to him, ‘My son, you are here with me always; everything I have is yours. But now we must celebrate and rejoice, because your brother was dead and has come to life again; he was lost and has been found.’” (Luke15:1-3, 11-32).

Sunday March 30th in the 4th Week in Lent.

I see God’s face of mercy in the Parable of the Prodigal Son. The Mass Scriptures for this 4th Sunday in Lent proclaims the Father’s merciful love in the Parable of the Prodigal Son. 

The Father of the Prodigal who is a type of Abba Father is kind and merciful.

The Gospel of the Parable of the Prodigal Son dives into the depth of the Father’s bottomless mercy. 

This divine Message from Jesus our Teacher sounds too good to be true but is true. God our Father will pursue us with His merciful love to bring us home even when we are stubborn and incorrigible.

 

How can we believe this with certainty? 

God's merciful love of His people is a constant theme of the prophets. 

Look at the Tradition of the Church:

The Conversion of St Paul, Saints Francis of Asissi, Ignatius Loyola, John of God, Mary Magdalene, etc. 

Faith comes through hearing. Hearing the word and testimonies of Sacred Scripture and and the people who have been touched by God's mercy and believing what you hear. 

"I shall get up and go to my father and I shall say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you.  I no longer deserve to be called your son; treat me as you would treat one of your hired workers." (Luke 15: 18 - 19).

The Scriptures reveal to us in the Parable of the Prodigal Son, Jesus Christ as the Face of mercy of God the Father. How do we apply this truth to our needs?

The ABC of Mercy:

Ask for Mercy.

Be Merciful.

Completely trust Jesus for Mercy.

St Joseph is the man chosen by God to be the foster father and guardian of Jesus.

Joseph most faithful. 

Mirror of patience. 

Lover of poverty. 

Pray for us. 

For Prayers and Prayer intentions click the link:

http://seekfirst.blogspot.com/2023/05/devotion-to-st-joseph.html?m=1

JESUS TEACHES US THE PRAYER ACCEPTABLE TO GOD.

THE PHARISEE AND THE PUBLICAN AT PRAYER.  

"Jesus addressed this parable to those who were convinced of their own righteousness and despised everyone else.

“Two people went up to the temple area to pray; one was a Pharisee and the other was a tax collector.

The Pharisee took up his position and spoke this prayer to himself, ‘O God, I thank you that I am not like the rest of humanity—greedy, dishonest, adulterous—or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week, and I pay tithes on my whole income.’

But the tax collector stood off at a distance and would not even raise his eyes to heaven but beat his breast and prayed, ‘O God, be merciful to me a sinner.’

I tell you, the latter went home justified, not the former; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and the one who humbles himself will be exalted.” (Luke 18: 9 - 14).

Saturday 29th March 2025, in the 3rd Week in Lent. 

"O God, be merciful to me a sinner." The attitude and prayer of the Tax Collector becomes our example of the type of prayer that justifies and the prayer that is heard by God. Here is what the Church teaches on the Prayer of Humility:

"The first movement of the prayer of petition is asking forgiveness, like the tax collector in the parable:

"God, be merciful to me a sinner!"

"It is a prerequisite for righteous and pure prayer. A trusting humility brings us back into the light of communion between the Father and his Son Jesus Christ and with one another, so that "we receive from him whatever we ask."

"Asking forgiveness is the prerequisite for both the Eucharistic liturgy and personal prayer." (CCC 2631).

"Have mercy on me, God, in accord with your merciful love; in your abundant compassion blot out my transgressions, " (Psalm 51: 3) cried King David after his sins of adultery, cover up and murder.

The prayer of David was heard by God and David went home justified. The Lord hears the cry of the poor and the humble.

Because of the great mercy of God, God gave the Church Baptism as the great Sacrament of Reconciliation and Regeneration. Baptism wipes out our sins and the record of our sins. 

Does Baptism remove concupiscence, our ingrained tendency to certain sins? It does not. What then happens to sins that are committed after Baptism? Jesus Christ gave the Church the Sacrament of Reconciliation (Confession, Penance) to deal with this crisis and stubbornness of sin.

Those who are humble like the Tax Collector are justified by this Sacrament and enjoy the mercy and peace of God.

St Joseph is the man chosen by God to be the foster father and guardian of Jesus.

Joseph is a man of high purity and chastity. God chose him to be the husband of Mary because God had fitted him with the appropriate graces to protect the perpetual virginity of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

For Prayers and Prayer intentions click the link:

http://seekfirst.blogspot.com/2023/05/devotion-to-st-joseph.html?m=1

GOD IS LOVE. LOVE HIM WITH ALL YOUR HEART. LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR TOO.

LOVE GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART. LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF. 

THE GOSPEL:

"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).

Friday 28th March 2025 in the 3rd Week in Lent. 

In the Gospel of today from Mark 12, Jesus teaches us the greatest commandment: "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."

To love the Father with all my heart, mind, soul and all my strength is to embrace God's mighty, merciful and mysterious Providence in everything. This is to accept God's total governance of the world. 

This is what St John of God believed and lived after his conversion at the age of 40. St John of God writes:

"We owe God three things: love, service, and ­reverence. Love: as our heavenly Father we should love him above all the things of the world..... And above all, always have charity, for this is the mother of all the virtues." 

Love of God and love of neighbor are the twin pillars of the spiritual life. St Joseph who we honor in March excel in both. 

St Joseph is the man chosen by God to be the foster father and guardian of Jesus.

Joseph is a man of high purity and chastity. God chose him to be the husband of Mary because God had fitted him with the appropriate graces to protect the perpetual virginity of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

For Prayers and Prayer intentions click the link:

http://seekfirst.blogspot.com/2023/05/devotion-to-st-joseph.html?m=1

LISTEN TO ME AND YOU WILL PROSPER IN MIND AND BODY.

GOD WILL ALWAYS BE FAITHFUL TO HIS PROMISES.  

THE WORD OF GOD:

"Thus says the Lord: This is what I commanded my people: Listen to my voice; then I will be your God and you shall be my people. Walk in all the ways that I command you, so that you may prosper.

But they obeyed not, nor did they pay heed. They walked in the hardness of their evil hearts and turned their backs, not their faces, to me.

From the day that your fathers left the land of Egypt even to this day, I have sent you untiringly all my servants the prophets.

Yet they have not obeyed me nor paid heed; they have stiffened their necks and done worse than their fathers.

When you speak all these words to them, they will not listen to you either; when you call to them, they will not answer you. 

Say to them: This is the nation that does not listen to the voice of the Lord, its God, or take correction.

Faithfulness has disappeared; the word itself is banished from their speech." (Jeremiah 7: 23 - 28).

Brethren, God is pleading with us that we listen to His voice in Lent 2025 and prosper. There will be no prosperity in mind, body and soul if we fail to listen to the voice of the Author of all good things. 

Remember what Jesus taught us in the Sermon on the Mount. God our Father knows exactly what we need and when we need it. 

God is faithful and will keep every one of His promises. 

Not long ago, I accused God of unfaithfulness to His promise because He did not fulfill His promise at once as I expected. When I came to my senses, I regretted this sin and took it to the Sacrament of Reconciliation. God forgave me gladly. Do you know why accusing God of unfaithfulness is very painful to God? Because faithfulness is the very ESSENCE of who God is. It is impossible for God to be unfaithful. 

God will always be faithful to His promises. God's faithfulness is forever. God will not be God if He is unfaithful.

God fulfills every promise in the fullness of time. Remember that the Father knows what we need and WHEN we need it. 

Be patient and wait for God. Are you wiser than God? Are you more caring for your child and your family than God? 

"O that today you will listen to His voice, harden not your hearts." (Cf 95).

In Lent, God offers us the opportunity for the transformation of our hearts and minds through prayer, fasting and almsgiving. 

Do not miss this opportunity. 

St Joseph is the man chosen by God to be the foster father and guardian of Jesus.

For Prayers and Prayer intentions click the link:

http://seekfirst.blogspot.com/2023/05/devotion-to-st-joseph.html?m=1

READ AND BELIEVE THE WORD AND SHARE IT.

BELIEVE WHAT YOU READ. PRACTICE WHAT YOU BELIEVE. 

THE GOODNEWS:

"Jesus said to his disciples:

“Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets. I have come not to abolish but to fulfill. 

Amen, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or the smallest part of a letter will pass from the law, until all things have taken place.

Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments and ­teaches others to do so will be called least in the Kingdom of heaven. But whoever obeys and teaches these commandments will be called greatest in the Kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 5: 17 - 19).

On Wednesday 26th March 2025 in the 3rd Week in Lent, we hear this injunction from the Master:  Study the Law. Observe the Law. Teach the Law.

One dominant theme from today's Mass Readings: Teach the Law [the word]. The message comes strongly from the first Reading from Deuteronomy 4 and Matthew 5. Below are the Scriptures:

#1 "Israel, hear the statutes and ordinances I am teaching you to observe." (Deuteronomy 4: 1).

#2 "See, I am teaching you the statutes and ordinances as the Lord, my God, has commanded me." (Deuteronomy 4: 5).

#3 "However, be on your guard and be very careful not to forget the things your own eyes have seen, nor let them slip from your heart as long as you live, but teach them to your children and to your children’s children." (Deuteronomy 4: 9).

From the Gospel:

#4 "But whoever obeys and teaches these commandments will be called greatest in the kingdom of heaven." (Matthew 5: 19).

#5 "Whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do so will be called least in the kingdom of heaven." (Matthew 5: 19).

The Church is in dire need of teachers of the word of God: catechists and evangelists. Without teaching and knowledge, a people perishes. (Cf Hosea 4: 6).

Therefore,

Believe what you read.

Practice what you believe.

Teach what you practice.

Every Christian who obeys the commandments of God is able to share the same by word and example.

"Glory to you, O Christ, you are the Word of God!

Your words are spirit, Lord, and they are life; you have the message of eternal life.  (Cf. John 6: 63, 68).

"As for you, dear son of mine, persevere in praying to me. Hold fast to my Rosary and beware of every ploy of the Evil One to separate you from it. My Rosary is your safeguard and your weapon in the fight against the forces of evil. At the same time, for you it is a remedy and a comfort. Do you not see how the Rosary has stabilized you? Do you not experience its healing and all its benefits? Pray my Rosary and teach others to do the same." (IN SINU JESU, Tuesday, December 11, 2007).

St Joseph is the man chosen by God to be the foster father and guardian of Jesus.

For Prayers and Prayer intentions click the link:

http://seekfirst.blogspot.com/2023/05/devotion-to-st-joseph.html?m=1

MARY SAID YES TO GOD.

THE SOLEMNITY OF THE ANNUNCIATION OF THE LORD. 

THE GOODNEWS:

"The angel Gabriel was sent from God to a town of Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the house of David, and the virgin’s name was Mary.

And coming to her, he said, “Hail, full of grace! The Lord is with you.”

But she was greatly troubled at what was said and pondered what sort of greeting this might be.

Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name him Jesus. He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give him the throne of David his father, and he will rule over the house of Jacob forever, and of his Kingdom there will be no end.”

But Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I have no relations with a man?”

And the angel said to her in reply, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God. And behold, Elizabeth, your relative, has also conceived a son in her old age, and this is the sixth month for her who was called barren; for nothing will be impossible for God.”

Mary said, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word.” Then the angel departed from her.”  (Luke 1: 26 - 38).

Tuesday 25th March 2025 is the Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord. A feast day in Lent. 

What does the Annunciation of the Lord celebrate?

"The Annunciation to Mary inaugurates "the fullness of time", the time of the fulfillment of God's promises and preparations. Mary was invited to conceive him in whom the "whole fullness of deity" would dwell "bodily". The divine response to her question, "How can this be, since I know not man?", was given by the power of the Spirit: "The Holy Spirit will come upon you." (CCC 484).

Mary heard the word of God from the Archangel Gabriel and believed what she heard. In the first Reading today, King Ahaz heard the word of God from the Prophet Isaiah (7: 10 - 14) and did not believe. Mary believed and became Mother of Christ and our exemplar in faith. Ahaz exhibited unbelief and became a nonentity in history.

Believe in the Lord Jesus and you shall be saved.

"I am your Mother, the Mother given you by my Son Jesus, from the Cross, in the solemn hour of His sacrifice. And you are my son, dear to my Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart, precious to me, and ever under the mantle of my protection. Let me live with you as I lived with John, the second son of my Heart and the model for all my priest sons down through the ages. Speak to me simply and with complete trust in the compassion of my maternal Heart and in the power given to my maternal intercession." (IN SINU JESU, Wednesday, March 25, 2009). 

St Joseph is the man chosen by God to be the foster father and guardian of Jesus.

For Prayers and Prayer intentions click the link:

http://seekfirst.blogspot.com/2023/05/devotion-to-st-joseph.html?m=1

THE BAPTISM OF NAAMAN THE LEPER.

THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE HEALING OF NAAMAN. 

THE WORD OF GOD:

"Naaman, the army commander of the king of Aram, was highly esteemed and respected by his master, for through him the Lord had brought victory to Aram. 

But valiant as he was, the man was a leper.

Now the Arameans had captured in a raid on the land of Israel a little girl, who became the servant of Naaman’s wife. “If only my master would present himself to the prophet in Samaria,” she said to her mistress, “he would cure him of his leprosy.”

Naaman went and told his lord just what the slave girl from the land of Israel had said. “Go,” said the king of Aram. “I will send along a letter to the king of Israel.” 

So Naaman set out, taking along ten silver talents, six thousand gold pieces, and ten festal garments. To the king of Israel he brought the letter, which read: “With this letter I am sending my servant Naaman to you, that you may cure him of his leprosy.”

When he read the letter, the king of Israel tore his garments and exclaimed: “Am I a god with power over life and death, that this man should send someone to me to be cured of leprosy? Take note! You can see he is only looking for a quarrel with me!”

When Elisha, the man of God, heard that the king of Israel had torn his garments, he sent word to the king: “Why have you torn your garments? Let him come to me and find out that there is a prophet in Israel.”

Naaman came with his horses and chariots and stopped at the door of Elisha’s house.

The prophet sent him the message: “Go and wash seven times in the Jordan, and your flesh will heal, and you will be clean.”

But Naaman went away angry, saying, “I thought that he would surely come out and stand there to invoke the Lord his God, and would move his hand over the spot, and thus cure the leprosy. Are not the rivers of Damascus, the Abana and the Pharpar, better than all the waters of Israel? Could I not wash in them and be cleansed?” With this, he turned about in anger and left.

But his servants came up and reasoned with him. “My father,” they said, “if the prophet had told you to do something extraordinary, would you not have done it? All the more now, since he said to you, ‘Wash and be clean,’ should you do as he said.”

So Naaman went down and plunged into the Jordan seven times at the word of the man of God. His flesh became again like the flesh of a little child, and he was clean.

He returned with his whole retinue to the man of God. On his arrival he stood before him and said, “Now I know that there is no God in all the earth, except in Israel.” (2 Kings 5: 1 - 15). 

Monday 24th March 2025 in the 3rd Week in Lent.

The healing of Naaman is one of the most dramatic miracles in the Bible. 

Naaman had his own ideas about how he would be healed. His preconception and programming nearly deprived him of his cure. Our battles often are in our minds. Naaman did not know that:

. For God everything is possible. Everything is easy. “All things serve you.” (Psalm 119: 91)

· God’s ways are not our ways.

· God’s thoughts are not our thoughts.

· God is master of means.

· God is the Lord of times and seasons.

When we compare Naaman’s behavior with that of the Centurion in Matthew 8: 5 – 13, we understand that faith is a simple and childlike trust in God’s word. The centurion knew that the power of God can work through words and through space. Naaman wanted something more tangible as in pagan practices, for example: incantations, rituals, sacred dances etc.

Baptism, Confirmation, Eucharist, Penance, Matrimony, Holy Orders, and the Anointing of the Sick are the 7 Sacraments of the Church instituted by the Lord Jesus. These 7 Sacraments are outward signs of inner grace (power). The Healing of Naaman the Leper foreshadows the Sacraments. 

Naaman's bath at the River Jordan at first appeared to him as a ridiculous sign. But it accomplished a mighty healing. It foreshadows the Sacrament of Baptism. 

Our faith contains our obedience. 

God’s word is always effective and sufficient.

St Joseph is the man chosen by God to be the foster father and guardian of Jesus.

For Prayers and Prayer intentions click the link:

http://seekfirst.blogspot.com/2023/05/devotion-to-st-joseph.html?m=1