Cast all your burden and worries on your Good Shepherd, He will sustain you.

"Jesus said to them [Apostles], “Come away by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while.” (Mark 6: 31).

The common thread in the Scriptures of this Sunday is the tender and great care of the Good Shepherd for us His sheep. If you come to the table of God's word hungry, you will be nourished and be satisfied by the rich menu of the Scriptures.  So come and eat rich food without money. (Cf Isaiah 55: 1 - 3).

"The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I lack."  (Psalm 23: 1).

What do you lack that Your Good Shepherd cannot provide you? If He has not provided, have you asked why?

"Cast all your cares [all your anxieties, all your worries, and all your concerns, once and for all] on Him, for He cares about you [with deepest affection, and watches over you very carefully]." (1 Peter 5: 7 AMP).

This is a promise that every person of good will should try and confirm.
After you have confirmed God's faithfulness, sing with the saints:
"See, I have God for my help.
The Lord sustains my soul.
I will sacrifice to you with willing heart, and praise your name, O Lord, for it is good."  (Psalm 53: 6, 8).

"Show favour, O Lord, to your servants and mercifully increase the gifts of your grace, that, made fervent in hope, faith and charity, they may be ever watchful in keeping your commands..."  (Collect Sunday, July 22, 16th Sunday in Ordinary Time).

SeekFirstcommunity.com

They plotted to put the Prophet to death.

"The Pharisees went out and took counsel against Jesus to put him to death."  (Matthew 12: 14).

A shocking turn of events in the fortunes of the Prophet that  healed the sick, fed multitudes and taught the clueless masses. What is the crime of Jesus?  Let us turn to the Prophet Isaiah for the profile of the Prophet Jesus:

“Behold, my servant whom I have chosen, my beloved in whom I delight; I shall place my spirit upon him, and he will proclaim justice to the Gentiles. He will not contend or cry out, nor will anyone hear his voice in the streets. A bruised reed he will not break, a smoldering wick he will not quench, until he brings justice to victory. And in his name the Gentiles will hope.”  (Matthew 12: 18 - 21).

Jesus predicted that His mission will be confronted by intense opposition culminating in His crucifixion.  And he said, "The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.". (Luke 9: 22).

We are foolish in judging spiritual things too quickly.  "Was it not necessary that the Messiah should suffer these things and enter into his glory?”  (Luke 24: 26).

Jesus, Son of God, our Savior and our Redeemer have mercy on us.

"Holy Father and Lord, you willed that Christ your Son should be the price of our salvation. Give us grace so to live that through sharing his sufferings we may be strengthened by the power of his resurrection.
Who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.
Amen."  (Prayer: Vespers Friday, 15th Week in Ordinary Time).

SeekFirstcommunity.com

The Son of Man is Master of the Sabbath.

“See, your disciples are doing what is unlawful to do on the sabbath.” (Matthew 12: 2).

The Sabbath is a sacred Covenant between God and His people.  "Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy" (Exodus 20: 8). And then the Lord blessed the Sabbath Rest.

How the Sabbath is to be observed became a sore point of controversy between Jesus and the the Jewish leaders.  The Pharisees wanted a strict adherence to the Sabbath code. Jesus teaches God's intention in establishing the Sabbath.  He quickly enunciated His authority:

"I say to you, something greater than the temple is here."  (Matthew 8: 6).
And added in good measure:
"For the Son of Man is Lord of the sabbath.”  (Matthew 8: 8).

No need to ask who is right in the Sabbath debate.  The person who has authority on his side always wins.

A little time after the Ascension of Jesus, the Jewish leaders kicked out the Jewish Christians from the Temple.  After the Resurrection, the Christians observed the Sabbath law and still met on Sunday, the first Day of the Week to celebrate the Eucharist.  After they were expelled from the Temple, the Church used the authority given to the Church by Jesus to make Sunday the new Day of Rest.

Emperor Constantine made the Sunday Rest official day of Rest for the Roman Empire in 321 AD. Christians have been observing Sunday Rest before 321 AD for over 200 years. Constantine did not hallow Sunday.  The Church did.

Is the Sunday Rest threatened today? The consequences will be simply catastrophic.  For the Sabbath Rest is  Rehearsal for Eternal Rest. If Sunday goes, so goes our faith in Heaven.
Observe Sunday.  Protect Sunday.

SeekFirstcommunity.com

Come to me with your anxieties, fears and burdens.

"Jesus said, ‘Come to me, all you who labour and are overburdened, and I will give you rest."  (Matthew 11:  28).

Are you weary? Are you overburdened by life's struggles? Health, Family, Money, Job and Worries about the Future?

Today I am celebrating the 4th anniversary of Passport.  Four years ago, I woke up suddenly at 5 am burdened by many crisis.  Still lying in bed, like King Hezekiah in Isaiah 38: 2, I turned my face to the wall and prayed directly to Abba Father.  I find that my prayer thoughts and sentiments are similar to the first Reading and the Responsorial Psalm for today's Liturgy from Isaiah 26: 7 - 19 and Psalms 102 respectively.
I prayed thus:

Lord, oppressed by Your heavy hand , I cry out in anguish under your discipline.  (Isaiah 26: 16).

"Lord, hear my prayer; let my cry come to you. Do not hide your face from me in the day of my distress.
Turn your ear to me; when I call, answer me quickly."  (Psalms 102: 2 - 3).

I was sobbing as I made this prayer.   A friend of mine told me many years ago that if you want to get God's attention, you must mix tears with prayers. I had never tried the idea.  Like Hezekiah, mine were genuine tears.

I continued to plead earnestly.
"You will again show mercy to me; now is the time for pity; the appointed time has come. Please no more delays"  (Cf Psalms 102: 14).

God saw my tears and heard my prayers.  He gave me an answer in one word:  "PASSPORT."  At the word, my soul was filled with joy. I jumped down from bed and concluded my morning prayers on my knees.  Two days later, I left for the inspired city almost a thousand miles away.  Today, I am celebrating the 4th anniversary of Passport.

My friends, in my experience, nothing is as sweet as the pure joy of answered prayer.  Why am I celebrating the 4th anniversary? Because I got this Scripture from EWTN Journey Home program this Monday, July 16th:

"Do not forget your ancient Landmarks."  (Proverbs 22: 28).
Your Landmarks are the gracious providences of God in your life.
Note them. Celebrate them.

"For the Lord will rebuild Zion and appear in his glory. He will respond to the prayer of the destitute; he will not despise their plea." (Psalms 102: 16 - 17).

SeekFirstcommunity.com

The SuperEye sees everything.

"Does the one who shaped the ear not hear? The one who formed the eye not see?" (Psalms 94: 9).

In Psalms 94: 9 God reminds us of His sovereign attributes: omnipresence, omniscience, omnipotence. For this reflection, let us call God SuperEye and SuperEar.
God asks the question:
What in heaven and earth does SuperEye not see?  What sound in all the universe does SuperEar not hear?
The simple answer is:  God sees everything. God hears everything.

God sees the sick in the hospitals.
He sees all the homeless.
He sees all the widows and the fatherless.

God hears the cry of the poor.
He hears the cry of the immigrants.
God hears the cry of the hungry.

"Does the one who shaped the ear not hear? The one who formed the eye not see?" (Psalms 94: 9).

God sees your present situation.
God hears every prayer you utter even those hidden in the depth of your heart.  God wants you to trust in the plan He has for you.

SeekFirstcommunity.com

The Lord says: It will not happen.

“Let us invade Judah; let us tear it apart and divide it among ourselves, and make the son of Tabeel king over it.”  (Isaiah 7:  6).

Have you ever been attacked by a gang of enemies bent on your ruin? Like King Ahaz of Judah in Isaiah 7: 6? This Scripture came to my aid years ago in the corporate world when a gang of managers swore to my destruction.

"Be careful, keep calm and don’t be afraid. Do not lose heart because of these two smoldering stubs of firewood."  (Isaiah 7:  4).

The word of God urged me to be calm and fearless. Throughout the weeks of the crisis, I repeated the Scripture to myself and called my foes "smoldering stubs of firewood."

"The Lord says this:  "It will not take place, it will not happen. "  (Isaiah 7: 7).

I said to myself that their plans will not succeed because God has said that "It will not happen."  

"Unless your faith is firm, you shall not be firm."  (Isaiah 7: 9).

I learned the importance of faith and appropriating the promises of Sacred Scripture and standing firm on them.

"Unless the Lord builds the house, the builders labor in vain.
Unless the Lord watches over the city, the guards stand watch in vain."  (Psalms 127: 1 - 2).

"Blessed are those who trust in the Lord; the Lord will be their trust." [Security] (Jeremiah 17: 5).

SeekFirstcommunity.com

Unsubscribe

Seekfirst@seekfirstweb.com

What is the the Cross?

"Whoever does not take up his cross and follow after me is not worthy of me." (Matthew 10: 38).

What is the Cross for me and for you?

The Cross is to seekfirst the Kingdom of God and to live righteously. In other words, make Jesus Christ the first in your home, work and play. Live as righteously as Jesus lived.

How do the deepest truths of the Gospel help us to pick up the Cross every day and follow Jesus?

#1. Believe that God is watching over us night and day and that not a hair falls from our head without His permission!

#2.  Believe that in His infinite Wisdom, He knows  better than you what is good for you.

#3. Believe that in His great power, He can bring good even out of evil. 

To carry your Cross today is no more than making Jesus first in your life, obeying His commandments and accepting with serenity always and everywhere God's disposal of events in your life.  With the help of the Holy Spirit, you can do it.

"Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them."
(John 13:17).

SeekFirstcommunity.com

The Father blesses us with every blessing in the heavens.

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavens." (Ephesians 1: 3).

The above text is from Ephesians 1: 3 - 14, the second Reading in the Sacred Liturgy of this Sunday.  Savor the message of the Holy Spirit for the Church.

I asked Abba Father for the Holy Spirit. The Father gave me not only what I asked for but gave me as well:
Prayer, Word of God, Eucharist, Penance, Ministry.
He gave me peace, pardon, power, purpose, Presence, protection and provision.
He gave me Faith, Patience, Wisdom, Courage and Contentment.

Let us bless "the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavens" for He is a Promise-Maker and a Promise-Keeper.

"In him you also, who have heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and have believed in him, were sealed with the promised holy Spirit,  which is the first installment of our inheritance toward redemption as God’s possession, to the praise of his glory." (Ephesians 1: 13 - 14).

Amen.  Alleluia!

SeekFirstcommunity.com

Lord send me.

"Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? Who will go for us?” “Here I am,” I said; “send me!”  (Isaiah 6: 8).

The Prophet Isaiah had a vision of God in His Temple. In this vision, the Almighty has a message for the world.  “Whom shall I send? Who will go for us?”  “Here I am,”  said Isaiah “send me!”  (Isaiah 6: 8).

In today's Gospel (Matthew 10: 24 - 33).  Jesus once again instructs His disciples on the cost of discipleship.  In your missionary endeavors, I warn you to be prepared for anything. He concludes by giving them a great assurance of Divine protection and provision.  Without God's great faithfulness in keeping this promise, there will be no Church or missionaries today.
Read Christ's assurance and believe the word as the word of God and not the word of man.

"Are not two sparrows sold for a small coin? Yet not one of them falls to the ground without your Father’s knowledge.  Even all the hairs of your head are counted.  So do not be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows."  (Matthew 10:  29 - 31).

You are indeed worth more than many sparrows.

SeekFirstcommunity.com

Honey, please come back.

"Thus says the Lord:
Return, Israel, to the Lord, your God;
you have stumbled because of your iniquity. Take with you words, and return to the Lord; Say to him, “Forgive all iniquity, and take what is good.  Let us offer the fruit of our lips."  (Hosea 14: 2 - 3).

Yahweh God in the above Scripture is pleading with His spouse, Israel who offended Him and keeps offending Him by her flagrant prostitution: "Honey, please come back. I am prepared to forgive and forget everything.  Only tell Me that you are sorry and we can start all over as if nothing happened."

This is no melodrama here. This is the true Heart of God as presented in Sacred Scripture.  We are all the wayward woman.

The Response the Holy Spirit prompts the Church to use in today's Sacred Liturgy is the very response of David when he was cornered by Prophet Nathan to admit his guilt of adultery and murder.

"Have mercy on me, God, in your kindness. In your compassion blot out my offence. O wash me more and more from my guilt and cleanse me from my sin.

Indeed you love truth in the heart;
then in the secret of my heart teach me wisdom. O purify me, then I shall be clean; O wash me, I shall be whiter than snow.

A pure heart create for me, O God,
put a steadfast spirit within me.
Do not cast me away from your presence, nor deprive me of your holy spirit.

Give me again the joy of your help;
with a spirit of fervour sustain me,
O Lord, open my lips and my mouth shall declare your praise.
(Psalm 51:3-4,8-9,12-14,17).

Ask for Mercy.
Be Merciful.
Completely trust Jesus for Mercy.

SeekFirstcommunity.com

Join hands with Me to complete this mission.

"Without cost you have received; without cost you are to give."  (Matthew 10: 8).

In Matthew 10: 1 - 7, Jesus chose the Twelve Apostles and commissioned them to start building the new Church He came to found:  Heal the sick, cast out demons and preach the arrival of the Kingdom of God. He lays down two principles to guide their missionary work:

#1.  They had full scholarship. Tuition and board were free.  Their healing and teaching ministry will be done free of charge.
Christ recognizes that the Apostles still need food and lodging. He lays down the second principle of missionary work.
#2. "The laborer deserves his keep."  (Matthew 10: 10).
They are not to be anxious about their needs. The people they serve will be inspired to provide what they need.

Seekfirst the Kingdom of God and live as simply as I do.  If you take care of My business, I promise to take care of yours.
"Master, this is a deal."

The mustard seed continues to grow and has become a huge tree where every kind of bird makes its home.
Will you trust Jesus?  Will you join hands with Him to complete this project?

SeekFirstcommunity.com

To understand Jesus, you must understand the Kingdom He came to build.

"Then he summoned his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits to drive them out and to cure every disease and every illness."  (Matthew 10: 1).

The Twelve is now formally constituted into a body to speak and act as Jesus. Cast out evil spirits and cure every disease and illness.  Then Jesus mandated the definitive mission of the Twelve and the Church they would oversee:
Make the proclamation everywhere:
"THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN IS AT HAND." (Matthew 10: 7).

This is our mission. To seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness. (Matthew 6:33).

But what is the Kingdom of God?
Pope Francis has something important to say about the Kingdom of God and our personal involvement in its realization.  In his recent Apostolic Exhortation, "Rejoice and Be Glad."

"Just as you cannot understand Christ apart from the kingdom he came to bring, so too your personal mission is inseparable from the building of that kingdom: “Strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness” (Matthew 6:33). Your identification with Christ and his will involves a commitment to build with him that kingdom of love, justice and universal peace. Christ himself wants to experience this with you, in all the efforts and sacrifices that it entails, but also in all the joy and enrichment it brings. You cannot grow in holiness without committing yourself, body and soul, to giving your best to this endeavor. (Gaudate et Exsultate: REJOICE & BE GLAD).

To understand Jesus, you must understand the Kingdom which is His life's work. To be a Christian, you must seek first the kingdom of God and live as Jesus lived.

SeekFirstcommunity.com

Wherever love and joy is to be found, there is God.

"But the Pharisees said, “He drives out demons by the prince of demons.”  (Matthew 9: 34).

Jesus cast out a demon from a mute demoniac and the Pharisees accuse Him of working under the power of the prince of demons.

Joy, peace, encouragement can never come from the Devil.  UBI CARITAS (wherever love is to be found, there is God) is a popular song in the Church teaches that love comes only from God.  Jesus is love, peace, joy and mercy incarnate.  How can the Pharisees not see this?

St Paul advices his spiritual children:
"Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise." (Philippians 4: 8).
These qualities come only from God.

"Every good tree bears good fruit, and a rotten tree bears bad fruit.  A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a rotten tree bear good fruit."  (Matthew 7: 17 - 18). The Pharisees and their likes are known by their fruits.

How do you recognize the actions of God in your life?  What are the fruits? Joy, peace, love, encouragement? They are from God.  Sadness, fears, worries and doubts? They are from the Evil One.
Swing into spiritual warfare and reject them in the mighty Name of Jesus.

SeekFirstcommunity.com

The unbelievable faith of the official.

 “My daughter has just died. But come, lay your hand on her, and she will live.”  (Matthew 9: 18).

An official whose daughter has just died said to Jesus: I believe that if You come with me to my house and lay Your hand on my dead daughter, she would be alive again.
Whence come the faith of this man? Why does one person have faith and another no faith? Can faith be developed?

The world today is witnessing an unprecedented crisis of faith.  It reminds us of the time of Hosea in the 8th century BC when the Kingdom of Israel had become very prosperous and experienced mass idolatry: idols of money, business, pleasure and all types of distractions.  Sounds familiar?  Large portions of the world today live in unbridled materialism.  Materialism has always opposed faith in the individual and society.

The official in the Gospel of today believed in Jesus.  He believed that Jesus is the Author and Finisher of our Faith. (Hebrews 12: 2).  The official believed that the words and person of Jesus produce miracles.

How can we develop such strong faith?  Faith is a pure gift of God which God is more willing to give than we to receive. Ask for faith with boldness. Study passages like the message of today in the Gospels and learn all that you can about faith.

How about the materialism that infects all of us?  This is a prayer I would like to make every day:

“Two things I ask of you, Lord; do not refuse me before I die:
Keep falsehood and lies far from me; give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread. Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you and say, ‘Who is the Lord?’ Or I may become poor and steal, and so dishonor the name of my God."  (Proverbs 30: 7 - 9).

SeekFirstcommunity.com

My grace is sufficient for you.

 “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness.”  (2 Corinthians 12: 9).

If the grace of Christ is sufficient for the Apostle Paul, the same grace of Jesus will do exactly the same for us. To enjoy this favor, understand and trust the Divine Providence.  Then adopt these three steps to peace of heart and mind:

#1 Accept all that has happened.
#2 Accept everything that is happening.
#3  Cooperate with everything except what is sinful.

St Paul understood the mystery of Divine Providence and the Sufficiency of the Grace of God. His attitude underwent 360 degree change. Read St Paul's insight into mysteries of faith:

"I will rather boast most gladly of my weaknesses, in order that the power of Christ may dwell with me.  Therefore, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and constraints, for the sake of Christ; for when I am weak, then I am strong."  (2 Corinthians 12: 9 - 10).

Before you can boast of the things Paul boasted about, you must accept them.
Help us O Lord to know Your power working in us.

SeekFirstcommunity.com

The Lord promises full restoration.

"Thus says the Lord: On that day I will raise up the fallen hut of David;
I will wall up its breaches, raise up its ruins, and rebuild it as in the days of old." (Amos 9: 11).

God castigated His people through His word proclaimed by Prophet Amos. God's anger lasts a moment. His mercy lasts forever.  The Chosen people that once dwelt in palaces and big mansions now lived in dilapidated huts.  From riches to rags.  God's ways are not our ways.  He strikes and He heals.

"There is an appointed time for everything, and a time for every affair under the heavens.
A time to give birth, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to uproot the plant.
A time to kill, and a time to heal;
a time to tear down, and a time to build.
A time to weep, and a time to laugh;
a time to mourn, and a time to dance."  (Ecclesiastes 3: 1 - 4).

The Lord promises restoration to a long suffering people.  Are you waiting for restoration in any areas of your life? This promise is for all of us.
"I will restore my people Israel, they shall rebuild and inhabit their ruined cities, Plant vineyards and drink the wine, set out gardens and eat the fruits."  (Amos 9:  14).

"I, the LORD will do it." (Amos 9: 12).

SeekFirstcommunity.com

When will the new moon be over?

"See what days are coming – it is the Lord who speaks –
days when I will bring famine on the country, a famine not of bread, a drought not of water, but of hearing the word of the Lord.
They will stagger from sea to sea,
wander from north to east,
seeking the word of the Lord
and failing to find it."  (Amos 8: 11 - 12).

Can a day actually come when people will hunger so much for the word of God?
"O God, when will this day come?" could be the unsurprising response of modern prophets worn out by constant rejection of their message. 

“When will the new moon be over,” you ask, “that we may sell our grain,
And the sabbath, that we may open the grain-bins?"  (Amos 8: 5).

The people rejected the Sabbath Rest which is a bonus bestowed by a loving God on His people. 
"They must realize that the Sabbath is the LORD's gift to you. That is why he gives you a two-day supply on the sixth day, so there will be enough for two days. On the Sabbath day you must each stay in your place. Do not go out to pick up food on the seventh day."  (Exodus 16: 29 NLT).

"Come to me, all you who labour and are overburdened, and I will give you rest, says the Lord."  (Matthew 11: 28).
Who will respond to this cry of Jesus?
"Human beings cannot live on bread alone, but need every word that God speaks."  (Matthew 4: 4), Jesus teaches.

SeekFirstcommunity.com

Honor the Sacred Heart of Jesus on the First Friday of July 2018.

July 6, 2018 First Friday in July 2018.

The 12 Promises of the Sacred Heart of Jesus:  Jesus promised 12 special favors to all those who will honor His Sacred Heart especially on the First Friday of every month.  In the 7th month of the year 2018, we look at Promise #7.

#7.  "Tepid souls shall become fervent."

What is tepid?  Tepid is defined as lukewarm, slightly warm, unenthusiastic, apathetic, half-hearted.
Listen to what Jesus said about such persons:
"Because you are lukewarm--neither hot nor cold--I am about to spit you out of my mouth."  (Revelation 3: 16).

Honor the Sacred Heart of Jesus this Friday by attending Holy Mass.

For the 12 Promises of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, click the link below:

http://sfjweb.com/?q=content/sacred-heart-12-promises

Seekfirstcommunity.com

Is it easier to heal the body or the soul?

"When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Courage, child, your sins are forgiven.”  (Matthew 9:   2).

Jesus was ministering in a room packed with people.  The friends of the paralytic man lowered him from the roof and dropped him in front of Jesus.  Their action is the "faith" that Jesus saw.  So you can see faith.

The bigger theme of the Gospel of today is the sin of the paralyzed man.  Since Jesus came to suffer and die for sin, He dealt first with the root and source of illness.  “Courage, child, your sins are forgiven." (Matthew 9: 2).  Jesus was immediately attacked for forgiving the man's sins. “This man is blaspheming.” (Matthew 9: 3).

The Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world knows more than anyone the intricate connection between Sin, Suffering and Salvation.  He proves it:
"Which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise and walk’? But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he then said to the paralytic, “Rise, pick up your stretcher, and go home.”  (Matthew 9: 5 - 6).

"Lord, send your mercy and your truth to rescue us from the snares of the devil, and we will praise you among the peoples and proclaim you to the nations, happy to be known as companions of your Son."  (Psalm Prayer, Lauds Thursday, July 5th, 13th Week in Ordinary Time).

SeekFirstcommunity.com

The message of Prophet Amos on the occasion of the Independence Anniversary.

"Seek good and not evil, that you may live; Then truly the Lord, the God of hosts, will be with you as you claim. Hate evil and love good,
and let justice prevail at the gate;
Then it may be that the Lord, the God of hosts, will have pity on the remnant of Joseph."  (Amos 5: 14 - 15).

America celebrates its Independence Anniversary today.  The exhortation from the Prophet Amos in today's Scripture reminds us that genuine freedom is a gift from God.   To safeguard this freedom, the nation must pursue goodness and justice.
The prophet concludes his persuasive nudge to the nation thus:
"But if you would offer me burnt offerings, then let justice surge like waters, and righteousness like an unfailing stream."  (Amos 5:  22, 24).

"Father of all nations and ages,
we recall the day when our country
claimed its place among the family of nations; for what has baen achieved we give you thanks,
for the work that still remains we ask your help, and as you have called us from many peoples to be one nation, grant that, under your Providence, our country may share your blessings with all the peoples of the earth.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen." (Collect of the Mass of Independence Day).

Happy Independence to you all.

SeekFirstcommunity.com