We are called and chosen

"We too must be like all the nations, with a king to rule us, lead us in warfare, and fight our battles”  (1 Samuel 8: 20)

The Lord God chose and established Israel as a unique and exceptional nation.  But this choice and calling came with a set of responsibilities.  Israel, unique and exceptional must have integrity and morality.  The people found this very burdensome.  They looked at other nations and compared their fortune with theirs.  They admired their easy lifestyle and they wanted to be like them.  They wanted to be like their neighbors and they rejected the kingship of God.

Father, grant us the grace to know who we are, your children called to a unique and exceptional destiny.

Put on the full armor

"Why has the Lord permitted us to be defeated today by the Philistines?"  (1 Samuel 4: 3)

All warfare prefigures spiritual warfare.  The Israelites did not ask for the blessings of God before they engaged the Philistines in battle.  If they done this, they would have learned that there was sin in the camp which they needed to deal with in the first place.

The Lord permitted them to be defeated because they  did not put on the full armor.

Before you go into Battle against Evil:

"Finally, 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.."  (Ephesians 6: 10 - 18)

My sheep hears my voice

"Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening."  (1 Samuel 3: 9)

How much do I listen to the Lord?  I know that listening to the Lord is good because the Lord speaks of peace.
"I will listen for what God, the LORD, has to say;
surely he will speak of peace
To his people and to his faithful.
May they not turn to foolishness!"  (Psalm 85: 9)

The word of the Lord is not just perfect, but for simple souls like myself, it gives wisdom.
"The law of the LORD is perfect,
refreshing the soul.
The decree of the LORD is trustworthy,
giving wisdom to the simple.
The precepts of the LORD are right,
rejoicing the heart.
The command of the LORD is clear,
enlightening the eye."  Psalm 19: 8 - 9)

Why then do I not listen to the Lord more often through His word and through prayer?  The silly reason is "I don't have enough time."  Yet if I truly believe what the Bible claims for the word of God, I must find time to read it more.  Suppose I know that if I go to a certain place, I pick up $1000 without hassle, the only thing that would prevent me from going is severe incapacity.  I want to face the truth in order to shame the devil.  I don't completely believe the claim of the Bible as I pretend to do.

What must I do to believe more?  First, I must ask the Lord to give me more faith.  Then I must start acting as if the faith is there.  When I keep doing the action, faith follows.  The action is a daily commitment to listen to the Lord for a specific amount of time.

Anxious thoughts

"None of the thoughts that render us anxious and agitated in spirit in any way  comes from God, who is the Prince of Peace. These are the temptations of the enemy and consequently one must reject them and not take them into account."  (St Francis de Sales)

Repent and believe in the Gospel

"After John had been arrested, Jesus came to Galilee proclaiming the gospel of God:
“This is the time of fulfillment. The kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel." (Mark 1: 14 - 15)

"There is an appointed time for everything,
and a time for every affair under the heavens."  (Ecclesiastes 3: 1)

There is a time for prophecy and a time for fulfillment.  There is a time for waiting and a time for rejoicing in answered prayers.

Jesus cleanses a leper

"Now there was a man full of leprosy* in one of the towns where he was; and when he saw Jesus, he fell prostrate, pleaded with him, and said, “Lord, if you wish, you can make me clean.”
Jesus stretched out his hand, touched him, and said, “I do will it. Be made clean. ”And the leprosy left him immediately."  (Luke 5: 12 - 13)

In the Bible and Christian tradition, mortal sin is seen as leprosy of the soul.  While leprosy is an external and horrible disease, mortal sin reproduces similar effects on the soul but is invisible to human eyes.  The leper horribly disfigured by his disease is rejected by society. On his part, he  tends to hide himself for shame of his condition.  The person that goes about with a leprous soul may mingle in society and shows no outward sign of his interior disposition. But he enjoys no peace and is tormented by a relentlessly fighting conscience.

Jesus Christ says to the leper in the above scripture, “I do will it. Be made clean.”  He then stretched out His hand, touched the man and he was healed instantly.  In His public ministry, Jesus Christ has taught by word and example that the life of a soul is more important than flesh and blood.  God in His mercy continues to use medical science to heal our  bodies.  But for  our souls, Jesus instituted the Sacrament of Reconciliation or Confession/Penance to heal the soul burdened and leprous with mortal sin.

When the penitent hears this words after his Confession, "I absolve you from your sins, in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit," It is Christ Himself who speaks in the person of the priest.  The effect is the same as we see in Luke 5: 12 -13: ”And the leprosy left him immediately."  (Luke 5: 12 - 13)  This is the effect of the Sacrament of Reconciliation, one of the seven Sacraments instituted by Jesus Christ and bequeathed to His Church by which He continues the work of salvation on earth.  Through the power of Christ operating through the words of the priest in the Sacrament of Confession, souls are cleansed instantly and freed from the leprous pollution.  Angels and saints rejoice in heaven.  The Church welcomes back the sinner with sincere embrace and the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit are magnified.

We can overcome the world

"For whoever is begotten by God conquers the world. And the victory that conquers the world is our faith."  (1 John 5: 4)

A big and bold claim:  We can overcome the world!  If the promise that we can overcome the world is not in the word of God, I would have dismissed the claim.  But indeed, we can overcome the world because God  says so.  We cannot overcome the world by our own strength or from borrowed strength from the world, but through faith in the power that comes from God Himself.

Father, give us the faith that overcomes the world.

God has given us the Holy Spirit

"This is how we know that we remain in him and he in us, that he has given us of his Spirit." (1 John 4: 13)

"There is no fear in love, but perfect love drives out fear because fear has to do with punishment, and so one who fears is not yet perfect in love."  (1 John 4: 18)

The Lord said to me:  “Take courage, it is I, do not be afraid!”  I rejoiced when I heard these words in my spirit O Lord.  I will remember your  indwelling Spirit as I go about my business today.  I will not be afraid of anything because of your word.  If I forget O Lord, whisper into my ears, “Take courage, it is I, do not be afraid!” 

Jesus knows their deepest needs

"When he disembarked and saw the vast crowd, his heart was moved with pity for them, for they were like sheep without a shepherd; and he began to teach them many things."  (Mark 6: 24)

Jesus was moved with pity for the welfare of those who followed Him seeking to hear the word of God.  When we seek Jesus, we shall find Him.  When we knock on His door, He shall open for us.

The wise old man in gave this testimony worthy of notice:

"Neither in my youth, nor now in old age
have I seen the righteous one abandoned
or his offspring begging for bread."  (Psalm 37: 25)

If you follow Jesus, trust Him for your welfare and all your provisions.  Jesus knows your deepest needs.

We receive from Him whatever we ask

"He went around all of Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom, and curing every disease and illness among the people."

We see here the exercise of two ministries of Jesus:  healing every disease and teaching the people about the Kingdom of God.  Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever.  He is still in the business of healing and teaching. To enjoy the fruits of the ministries of Jesus, faith is still a necessity as it was yesterday and today and forever.

Lord Jesus heal your people.

The Magi recognized Jesus by faith

"They were overjoyed at seeing the star,
and on entering the house they saw the child with Mary his mother. They prostrated themselves and did him homage. Then they opened their treasures and offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh."  (Matthew 2:  10 - 11)

When the magi saw the Child Jesus and Mary, they prostrated themselves and did Him homage.  They recognized Him as a Divine King.  They were not ashamed or hesitated to adore and worship Him.  The magi were kings in their own rights.  God who moved their hearts to make the long and often treacherous journey to see His Son guided them through a star and gave them the faith to recognize Jesus even though disguised as a humble child of humble parents in a humble home.

The priestly class did not recognize Jesus when He was brought to the temple for presentation to God.  But He was recognized by Simeon and Anna through faith.

While the leaders of the people stood close to the cross on Calvary to mock Jesus and gloat in His pains and weakness, the Good Thief suffering the same fate as Jesus recognized Him as the Son of God.

In this side of eternity, we can only recognize Jesus through faith.  "For we walk by faith, not by sight."  (2 Corinthians 5: 7)

The God who speaks

"In times past, God spoke in partial and various ways to our ancestors through the prophets;  in these last days, he spoke to us through a son, whom he made heir of all things and through whom he created the universe."  (Hebrews 1: 1 - 2)

When God called Abraham to start His family with him, He spoke to Him. Then He spoke to Moses in the burning bush.  But He had communicated to man through forces of nature.  Hebrews 1: 1 - 2 describes God's manner of communication in the past as "in partial and various ways."

Today God speaks to us through one Word, Jesus.  This Word contains the entire promise of salvation.  Father, you have spoken to us through your Son Jesus.  He is the Word of life, the Way, the Truth and the Life.  Open our ears to hear His message.

Jesus Savior of all mankind

"The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world"  (John 1: 29)

How do we see Jesus, know Him and love Him today?  By Faith.  Remember the Sign of the babe in the manger, the Sign of the Bread of life, the Sign of the dying Man on the cross.  People were able to recognize Jesus disguised in these Signs.  Today, just as John the Baptist recognized the Lamb of God in His humble garb, people continue to recognize Jesus today in the Eucharist, the Blessed Sacrament and in the Poor and Needy.

Lord Jesus, help us not to fail to recognize you in your various disguises.

"In this way the love of God was revealed to us: God sent his only Son into the world so that we might have life through him."  (1 John 4: 9)

Jesus Savior of all mankind

"The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world"  (John 1: 29)

How do we see Jesus, know Him and love Him today?  By Faith.  Remember the Sign of the babe in the manger, the Sign of the Bread of life, the Sign of the dying Man on the cross.  People were able to recognize Jesus disguised in these Signs.  Today, just as John the Baptist recognized the Lamb of God in His humble garb, people continue to recognize Jesus today in the Eucharist, the Blessed Sacrament and in the Poor and Needy.

Lord Jesus, help us not to fail to recognize you in your various disguises.

"In this way the love of God was revealed to us: God sent his only Son into the world so that we might have life through him."  (1 John 4: 9)

What I heard in the beginning

"Let what you heard from the beginning remain in you. If what you heard from the beginning remains in you, then you will remain in the Son and in the Father."  (1 John 2: 24"

A voice I became familiar with later told me that all that I needed is the Holy Spirit.  The timing was at the height of my Desert Experience.  I was so deeply impressed by this message that I wondered how all that I needed could ever be the Holy Spirit.  I needed health, job, money, food, car, computer, telephone, etc.

After wondering about the appropriateness of this message, I started immediately to research Who the Holy Spirit is.  Providentially, I bought a big book on the Holy Spirit which I had not even opened.  I took the well-written book from my bookcase and poured over the pages voraciously.  It did not take many days before I discovered one curious fact.

For many years prior to this, I bought and read almost everything I could find on self-development.  America excels in this motivational genre.  I was familiar with all the major authors.  I read biographies and autobiographies of the principal political and business leaders.  I was seeking one formula:  how to quickly get to the top in my company.

What I discovered from the book on the Holy Spirit was at every promise of gifts of mind, body, wealth and fame were gifts of the Holy Spirit.  It was like traveling across the world to search for diamonds while there are acres of the precious metal in your very backyard.

"Let what you heard from the beginning remain in you. If what you heard from the beginning remains in you, then you will remain in the Son and in the Father."  (1 John 2: 24"

What did I hear from the beginning of my spiritual journey?  "All that you need is the Holy Spirit."  In Desert 2.0, the truth still remains.  Abide in the Holy Spirit and you will abide in Jesus.  When I am afraid in 2014, I will remember another truth.  I am the adopted son of God.  I will not forget the privileges and in any distress will cry out ABBA FATHER.

Abba Father!

"The LORD bless you and keep you!
The LORD let his face shine upon you, and be gracious to you!
The LORD look upon you kindly and give you peace!
So shall they invoke my name upon the Israelites, and I will bless them."  (Numbers 6: 24 - 27)

When I become afraid in 2014, I will cry out ABBA FATHER!  O Father, when I cry out to you ABBA FATHER in my distress, hear and answer me speedily.  Amen!

Jesus gives us power to become the children of God

"And the Word became flesh
and made his dwelling among us."  

"But to those who did accept him he gave power to become children of God, to those who believe in his name."  (John 1: 14, 12)

Lord Jesus, I want to enjoy the privileges of the children of God.  I want to know the Father and do His will.  Grant me faith that overcomes the world.  Help me to accept you as you come to me everyday.  Help me never to reject the cross you have designed for me.

Do not love the things of the world

1 John 2:17

"And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever."

The enticements of the world:
Sensual lust
Enticement for the eyes
Pretentious life

Seekfirst.blogspot.com

The family can be a path to holiness

"The shepherds hastened to Bethlehem, where they found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger."  (Luke 2:16)

Eternal Father, we want to live as Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, in peace with you and one another.

Seekfirst.blogspot.com

Baptism of James

Baptism of the infant James within the 9am Mass today Saturday the Octave of Christmas.
Father TJ the Pastor of St Thomas More Church is flanked by the delighted godparents.

St Thomas More Church is family of families on Hillcroft St in Houston,  Texas.