What do you fear most?

"Jesus said to the Twelve: “Fear no one." (Matthew 10: 26).

Sunday 21st June 2020, 12th Sunday in Ordinary Time.

What Jesus says to the Bishops this Sunday, He says to you and to me. Do not fear Caesar. Do not fear Napoleon. Rather be afraid of God who can destroy both your body and soul in hell fire. Fear of man is the clearest sign that you are not prepared to embrace the gracious and mysterious will of the Father always and everywhere.
Consider John the Baptist, Jeremiah, St Paul. They feared neither Caesar nor Napoleon.
Jeremiah exclaimed: "The Lord is with me like a mighty Champion."

Are you afraid of man? It may be a sign that you are not aware of the presence of the Lord with you.
David proclaimed in exultant faith:
"The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom should I fear?
The Lord is my life’s refuge; of whom should I be afraid?" (Psalm 27: 1).

Brethren, know once and for all that fear, worry and doubt are never from God. They are from the Evil One who may still be controlling a part of your real estate. It is about time to give him the Quit Notice.

Daily Bible Verse @ SeekFirstcommunity.com

The Feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

Jesus said to them,
“Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?” (Luke 2: 49).

Saturday 20th June 2020, 11th Week in Ordinary Time is the feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

The Gospel for today is from Luke 2: 41 - 51. It is a revealing incident in the Infancy Narrative of the Gospel. Although Jesus was 12 years old at this point, this story is still considered part of the Infancy Narrative. The story reveals a number of of things about the Boy Jesus and His mother Mary.

#1 Jesus manifested very early that His Father's business is a top priority. Later, we will see that this business is the Kingdom of God. We know that up to His Ascension, Jesus has magnificent obsession for this intention.

#2 We see too in this Gospel story a pleasing side of Mary. She was highly perturbed like any mother who has lost a child. Mary is not a goddess. She is a human being that is full of grace.

#3 "His mother [Mary] kept all these things in her heart." (Luke 2: 51). For me, this is the lesson, the takeaway from this incident. Mary pondered what happened and grew in her knowledge that God is a Mystery and His ways are not our ways. This incident prepared Mary to embrace God’s gracious and mysterious will every moment of her life. She remembers this lesson at Calvary.

After this nice story, life continues as usual for the Holy Family of Mary, Joseph and Jesus. "He [Jesus] went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was obedient to them." (Luke 2: 51).

"My heart will rejoice in your salvation. I will sing to the Lord, who has been bountiful with me." (Psalm 12: 6).

Daily Bible Verse @ SeekFirstcommunity.com

The Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

"We have come to know and to believe in the love God has for us.(1 John 4: 16).

Friday 19th June 2020, 11th Week in Ordinary Time is the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

What do we celebrate today? We celebrate the human fleshy Heart of the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity whose name is Jesus. In His infinite wisdom, Jesus chose the symbol of the heart ♥ to make us reflect and believe in His love for us.

What does love demand? Very simple. If I love you, I want you to love me back. I don't want excuses, delays or postponement. St Mary Magdalene understands this dimension of love. When she became aware of the deep love of Jesus for her, she loved Him back. Heart talks to heart. So does St Margaret Mary Alacoque who brought us the private revelation of the Heart of Jesus crying for love.  Jesus gave Margaret Mary 12 Promises of the Sacred Heart of Jesus to all those who shall respond to His message of love.
Today we celebrate the intense love of Jesus for you and for me and His plea that we become aware of this love and return love for love.

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

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

Daily Bible Verse @ Seekfirstcommunity.com

This is how to pray.

"This is how you are to pray." (John 6 : 9).

Thursday 18th June 2020, 11th Week in Ordinary Time.

Jesus said to His disciples: "This is how you are to pray." (John 6 : 9).
This command makes what we call "Our Father" or "The Lord’s Prayer" normative. This means that Our Father becomes the most perfect of prayers and an example on how to pray. No prayer formulated by the Church or any saint rises to the lofty heights of the Lord's Prayer. This is why the Church has used it in its most sacred Liturgy from its beginning.

The Our Father contains all our desires and orders these desires according to a prescribed hierarchy of needs. Desire makes a man says St Ignatius Loyola. You can never be superior to the desires of your heart. So the Lord gives us the two things we are to desire most:

#1 The Holy Spirit.
#2 The Kingdom of God and His righteousness.

If you make the above two the constant and undying desires of your heart, not only will your request be satisfied but you will receive everything you need to live a holy, safe, secure and contented life.

Christians, let us believe the Gospel that declares that "Your Father knows what you need before you ask him." (Matthew 6: 8).

Daily Bible Verse @ SeekFirstcommunity.com

I want a double portion.

“Request whatever I might do for you, before I am taken from you.” Elisha answered, “May I receive a double portion of your spirit.”

Wednesday 17th June 2020, 11th Week in Ordinary Time.

Pentecost Sunday is barely 17 days ago and we are talking about another outpouring of the Holy Spirit! That is right. In the Bible, there are multiple outpourings of the awesome Spirit. Sometimes, you receive the Baptism of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost and you still feel a certain hunger for more. Ask and you shall receive more.

One of the reasons I like and remember Prophet Elisha is because of his bold request:
“May I receive a double portion of your spirit.” This is how we should come to God in prayer:  With bold confidence! Did Jesus not say that the Father does not ration the Holy Spirit?

Elijah replied Elisha: “You have asked something that is not easy." (2 Kings 2: 9 - 10).
For God all things are easy and possible.

Ask and you will receive. I will ask for a double portion of the Holy Spirit. I will ask for a fresh outpouring of the Holy Spirit.

Daily Bible Verse @ SeekFirstcommunity.com

How to love your enemies.

"Jesus said to his disciples: “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’  But I say to you, love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you." (Matthew 5: 43 - 44).

Tuesday 16th June 2020, 11th Week in Ordinary Time.

Love your enemies. Embrace and pray for the Nazi tugs who perpetrated such unspeakable horrors on your parents and grandparents. This is humanly speaking impossible Jesus.  "I know. This is why my Holy Spirit lives in you and is with you always. He will help you accomplish impossible things."

The life and virtues of Jesus are found in the fruits of the Holy Spirit:
Charity, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, generosity, gentleness, faithfulness, modesty, self-control and chastity.

My friends, let us believe in the Gospel and not conform to the principles of this world. Let us conform to the model of Jesus in His life. He is our Way. The bridge we must walk through to eternal life is Jesus.

Daily Bible Verse
@ SeekFirstcommunity.com 

Give to the one who borrows and never pays back.

"Give to the one who asks of you, and do not turn your back on one who wants to borrow." (Matthew 5: 42).

Monday 15th June 2020, 11th Week in Ordinary Time.

Our Scripture verse today is one of the most challenging teachings of Jesus to me. I have avoided it in my Blogs for over 20 years. As a freshman in college some 40 years ago, I tried to live this teaching. Not because of any love of Jesus or His Gospel but because this was the way to friendships and easy popularity in a campus where I knew nobody. To make a long story short, I loaned money and books to guys that appeared honest and well-bred. They never paid back the money in time or returned the books. What pained me most was they did not seem to mind what their attitude was shouting loudly: We don't care for your friendship.

The habit of what I called wreckless lending cost me many valuable friendships I thought. Solution: My friend: "Buddy, do you have this book?" Answer: No. Another friend: "Lend me $20. I will pay you back on Friday." Me: "Buddy, I don't have a dime!"

Why did I decide to blog on this today? Two weeks ago was the Solemnity of Pentecost. I did the Novena and I learned something. I can't do any good in my strength. Not even the least. The Holy Spirit is promised us as a Friend, Paraclete, Advocate, the Voice that speaks in court for us. How do I activate this Dynamite Power to work for me? PRAYER! PRAYERS! Expectant PRAYER!

Since Pentecost 2020, I have read five books on the Holy Spirit. They all confirmed this word of knowledge. So if a difficult person is walking towards me with the intention of borrowing, I will pray quietly and quickly: Holy Spirit, tell me what to do.

Expectant prayer is based on the promise of Jesus: "Ask and you shall receive. Seek and you shall find."

Daily Bible Verse @ SeekFirstcommunity.com

The Solemnity of Corpus Christi (the Most Holy Body and Blood of Jesus Christ).

"Jesus said to them, “Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you.  Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day. For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink." (John 6: 53 - 55).

Sunday June 14th 2020, Solemnity of Corpus Christi (the Most Holy Body and Blood of Jesus). Today, the Church demonstrates her faith in the most precious Eucharist: the source, center and summit of her life. It is also the occasion of great thanksgiving for this immense gift and the radical faithfulness of Jesus to His Bride all these 2020 plus years.

Jesus I believe in Your Real Presence.
Jesus I believe in Your Real Presence in the Eucharist.
Jesus I believe in Your Real Presence in the Blessed Sacrament.
Jesus I believe in Your Real Presence in me in the Sacrament of the Present Moment.

The mode of Christ's presence in these three forms is unique and very real. The whole of Jesus is present in each of these modes.
Thank You Jesus. Thank You Jesus. Thank You Jesus. Amen.

"This is Jesus, Emmanuel. God is with us, in this sacrament, come receive him, adore him, This is Jesus, our Lord."

Daily Bible Verse @ SeekFirstcommunity.com

The Feast of St Anthony of Padua.

"Let your ‘Yes’ mean ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No’ mean ‘No.’ Anything more is from the evil one." (Matthew 5: 37).

Saturday 13th June 2020, 10th Week in Ordinary Time is the feast of St Anthony of Padua (1195 - 1231), Franciscan Priest and Doctor of the Church. Born in Lisbon, Portugal, trained in Italy, his outstanding talent as a preacher took him to Africa and France. Anthony is a great miracle worker but is fondly remembered for his help in finding lost objects. After he helped me find an important object I lost some years ago, he became one of my patron saints.

Are you a person of your word? Do you confess regularly the sin of untruth, exaggeration, white lies, etc. If we do not work to make truthful speech our standard, we may not be able to appreciate the faithfulness of God. God's Yes is always a Yes. His No is always a No. "His faithful promises are our armor and protection." (Psalm 91: 4). David prays in Psalm 51:12, "A clean heart create for me, God; renew within me a steadfast spirit."
Two causes of a lying tongue are:
#1 Lack of purity or clean heart.
#2 A spirit that lacks stability.

The remedy for the above is to pray often Psalm 51 to Jesus who is Truth Himself. "It [Psalm] is medicine for our spiritual health. Whoever reads it will find in it a medicine to cure the wounds caused by his own particular passions." (St Ambrose of Milan).

Daily Bible Verse @ SeekFirstcommunity.com

Wait for the Lord. Again wait for the Lord.

"I believe that I shall see the bounty of the Lord in the land of the living.
Wait for the Lord with courage;
be stouthearted, and wait for the Lord." (Psalm 27: 13 - 14).

Friday 12th June 2020, 10th Week in Ordinary Time.

Are you waiting for any favors from the Lord? Any promises to be fulfilled by God? If you are not, why not?  Are you self satisfied and feel you have everything you need from life?  "Man's extremity is God's opportunity. Man's prosperity is Satan's opportunity," says an adage.

Our Scripture verse from the Responsorial Psalm 27 urge us to develop a habit of waiting for the Lord because it is in waiting for the Lord that we come to learn that the Lord is faithful. The Psalmist exclaimed in wonderment at God's faithfulness:  "Your faithful promises are my armor and protection." (Psalm 91: 4).

I have found that life is made up of a series of waiting: waiting for small things and waiting for the big items. We are all waiting all the time. This is life. No one is excused from waiting. Another word to wait is hope. We wait for the Second Coming of Jesus. We rejoice in Hope for this.

Let your waiting be strengthened by the unfailing promise of God:
"I believe that I shall see the bounty of the Lord in the land of the living.
Wait for the Lord with courage;
be stouthearted, and wait for the Lord."

Daily Bible Verse @ SeekFirstcommunity.com

The Feast of the good man filled with the Holy Spirit and faith.

"When Barnabas arrived [in Antioch] and saw the grace of God, he rejoiced and encouraged them all to remain faithful to the Lord in firmness of heart, for he was a good man, filled with the holy Spirit and faith." (Acts 11: 23 - 24).

Thursday 11th June 2020, 10th Week in Ordinary Time is the feast of the Apostle Barnabas (+ 61).

St Barnabas, a Jew from Cyprus is profiled in Sacred Scripture as: "a good man, filled with the holy Spirit and faith." You won't find many Bible characters profiled with similar language. What else do we know about St Barnabas?
He was a levite. He discipled Paul the Apostle and mentored John Mark. He was generous in using all his time, talent and treasure in serving the Lord. He was a prophet, teacher and evangelist. Barnabas was martyred in Cyprus under the reign of Emperor Nero in 61 AD.

"While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” (Acts 13: 2).

The Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Evangelization and Mission commissioned the first Missionary Journey of Paul and Barnabas.

"O God, who decreed that Saint Barnabas, a man filled with faith and the Holy Spirit, should be set apart to convert the nations, grant that the Gospel of Christ, which he strenuously preached, may be faithfully proclaimed by word and by deed. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son." Amen.

Daily Bible Verse @ SeekFirstcommunity.com

Who do you serve? God or Baal?

"If the Lord is God, follow him; if Baal, follow him.” (1 Kings 18: 21).

Wednesday 10th June 2020, 10th Week in Ordinary Time.

The apostate people of Israel had gathered with their leader, the apostate-in-chief King Ahab for a face off between the Prophet Elijah and the 400 plus prophets of Baal. Elijah threw the challenge to the people and their king: If Yahweh is God, follow Him. If Caesar is God, follow him. You must choose today whom you must serve. As for me and my household, we must serve the Lord. "The God who answers with fire is God.” (1 Kings 18: 24).

We know that only one God can answer with fire. We know how it fares with the gods of this world. Just a few months ago, Dubai was the center of attraction for investments of all sorts, technology magnets, tourism, night life and all illicit pleasures. The pandemics have changed everything and thrown a stable country into a wild spin.

Do you court other gods? You will only multiply your sorrows.
As for me, the Lord is my allotted portion and cup. He is my Prize. All that belongs to me is safe in His hands.

"Stockpile heavenly treasures for yourselves that cannot be stolen and will never rust, decay, or lose their value." (Matthew 6: 20 TPT).

Daily Bible Verse @ SeekFirstcommunity.com

Feast of the Illustrious St Ephrem the Syrian.

“You are the salt of the earth. But if salt loses its taste, with what can it be seasoned?...... You are the light of the world. A city set on a mountain cannot be hidden." (Matthew 5: 13 - 14).

Tuesday 9th June 2020, 10th Week in Ordinary Time is the feast of St Ephrem the Syrian (306 - 373) Deacon and Doctor of the Church. There is so much to write about the accomplishments of Ephrem the Syrian. I will pick a few:
Ephrem had a keen intellect. His pen was like a sharp sword. Part of his genius is that he used poems and hymns to combat the heresies of his time. He expounded the mysteries of Christ and the Glorious Virgin Mary. Ephrem had a great devotion to Mary and was not shy about it.

In our core Scripture for today, Jesus said to His disciples: You are the salt of the earth. You are the light of the world.
What is salt? What is uncorrupted salt? Salt is doctrine. The core and unbending truth which the Church offers to the world, season and out of season; welcomed or not. This salt of the earth is found in the Creed of the Church which was fleshed out at the Council of Nicaea during the life time of St Ephrem the Syrian. It has not changed one iota.

What does Jesus our Teacher mean when He says that we are the light of the world? Jesus Christ Himself is the Light of the nations. The light of Jesus shines through missionary evangelization. We saw how this works in the lives of saints we celebrated recently. Pope St Gregory the Great sent [missio] St Augustine of Canterbury to evangelize England. Mission accomplished. Pope St Gregory II sent St Boniface from England to evangelize Germany. And so forth and so on.

Who is Jesus sending you to? The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Mission. Let us ask God the Father to send the Holy Spirit to renew the face of the earth and missionary spirit in the Church.

Daily Bible Verse @ SeekFirstcommunity.com

When the Brook dries up and the Ravens stop coming..

“Leave here, turn eastward and hide in the Kerith Ravine, east of the Jordan. You [Elijah] will drink from the brook, and I have directed the ravens to supply you with food there.” (1 Kings 17: 3 - 4).

Monday 8th June 2020, 10th Week in the Ordinary Time.

Do you serve God with all your heart? Do you make His Kingdom and His righteousness your first priority? Then you should be comforted by what happened to the Prophet Elijah when he was on the run for his life from King Ahab and his wicked wife Jezebel.

"So he [Elijah] did what the Lord had told him. He went to the Kerith Ravine, east of the Jordan, and stayed there.  The ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning and bread and meat in the evening, and he drank from the brook." (Verse 5 - 6).

Ravens brought Elijah food morning and evening. What happened when the brook dries up and the ravens stopped coming? God's care and provisions for Elijah did not cease. God upgraded the sources. This narrative is in the Scriptures to give the man of God deep trust in God’s providence and provisions.

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart; Do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, And he will show you which path to take." (Proverbs 3: 5 - 6).

As I enjoy divine provisions and providence in my ministry, my heart is warmed up by the experience of Elijah in the Brook and the Ravens narrative. God Never Fails!

Daily Bible Verse @ SeekFirstcommunity.com

The Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity.

"The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the holy Spirit be with all of you." (2 Corinthians 13: 13).

Sunday 7th June 2020 is the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity.

What is the the Most Holy Trinity? The Holy Trinity is the revealed truth that God is One: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. God has always been one and undivided Unity that manifests in the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.
This is the central mystery of Christianity revealed by Jesus Christ Himself.

What does this mean for our day-to-day life as Christians? We can enter and enjoy rich personal relationship with the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. The prayer of the Church is richly Trinitarian. The saints also have a Trinitarian spirituality. You too can enjoy a personal and intimate relationship with the Father, Jesus the Son and the Holy Spirit. Start by observing how the Church prays and note when she prays to the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. You will reap a rich example on how to enjoy a Trinitarian spirituality.

"The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the holy Spirit be with all of you."

Daily Bible Verse @ SeekFirstcommunity.com

Perform the work of an evangelist; fulfill your ministry.

"Proclaim the word; be persistent whether it is convenient or inconvenient; convince, reprimand, encourage through all patience and teaching." (2 Timothy 4: 2).

Saturday 6th June 2020, 9th Week in Ordinary Time is the feast of St Nobert (1080 - 1134), Bishop. Nobert started life as a prodigal of some sort. The grace of Christ knocked him off his horse and then embraced him. Nobert quickly rose from the rubbles and showed his true colors. He became a priest and then a Bishop and worked hard to implement the reforms of Pope St Gregory VII. He was a noted preacher. He died as Archbishop of Magdeburg in Germany.

St Paul seems to have written our key Scripture for today for St Nobert and also the sequel:

"But you, be self-possessed in all circumstances; put up with hardship; perform the work of an evangelist; fulfill your ministry." (2 Timothy 4: 5).

The life of St Nobert is an inspiration for those of us who started life as a prodigal. We learn that the grace and mercy of God are truly limitless.

Daily Bible Verse @ SeekFirstcommunity.com

The Feast of the Apostle of Germany, St Boniface.

"In fact, all who want to live religiously in Christ Jesus will be persecuted." (2 Timothy 3: 12).

Friday 5th June 2020, 9th Week in Ordinary Time is the feast of St Boniface (680 - 754), Bishop and Martyr. The well educated English priest St Boniface was sent by Pope Gregory II to evangelize the German tribes. Boniface was consecrated the first Bishop of Germany. He organized the Church in Germany but was martyred in Friesland (present day Netherlands) when he went to preach there. St Boniface is the patron saint of Germany.

Today is also the first Friday in June 2020.

"My child, when you come to serve the Lord, prepare yourself for trials." (Sirach 2: 1). No priest or prophet is ignorant of this truth. Paul is repeating a very obvious wisdom to Timothy. "In fact, all who want to live religiously in Christ Jesus will be persecuted." (2 Timothy 3: 12). Commitment to the service of God is not for the faint of heart. When the Bishop Boniface left his native shores to travel to Germany, he must have sensed that he would not be coming home alive to England.

The present age has been reputed to be the bloodiest for Christian missionaries. Consider the constant and undying persecution of the Church in China and Sudan. Missionaries compelled by the love of Christ are still finding their way into these hostile countries.

Jesus Christ is the light of the nations. He shines through His missionaries. The blood of martyrs is the seed of Christianity.

Daily Bible Verse @ SeekFirstcommunity.com

Honor the Sacred Heart of Jesus this Friday 5th June.

June 5th, First Friday in June 2020.

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 6th month of the year 2020, we look at Promise #6.

#6.  "Sinners shall find in My Heart the source and infinite ocean of mercy."

June is the Month the Church honors the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Friday June 19, 2020 is the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

"O Sacred Heart of Jesus, living and life-giving fountain of eternal life, infinite treasure of the Divinity, and glowing furnace of love, You are my sanctuary.  O adorable and glorious Savior, consume my heart with that burning fire that ever inflames Your Heart.
Pour down on my soul those graces which flow from Your Love.  Let my heart be one with, and in all things conformed to, Yours. May Your Will be the rule of both my desires and my actions. Amen."  (St Alphonsus Liguori, Bishop and Doctor of the Church).

Honor the Sacred Heart of Jesus this Friday by attending Holy Mass, online Mass, holy hour, Rosary, etc.

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

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

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Love God. Worship Him. Love your neighbor.

"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: 34).

Thursday 4th June 2020, 9th Week in Ordinary Time.

Jesus told the lawyer who asked: “Which is the first of all the commandments?” that he is not far from the kingdom of God. The scribe agreed with Jesus that love of God and love of neighbor is the greatest commandment.

How far are you from the kingdom of God? How far are you from the peace and tranquility of the kingdom? For Jesus, the criterion is love of God and love of neighbor. Let us measure how far we are.

In 1 Corinthians 13: 4 - 7, we see the attributes of love. These attributes describe how God loves us and how God wants us to love our neighbor.

" Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.
It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.  
Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.
It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres." (1 Corinthians 13: 4 - 7).

Before we despair and think it is impossible to love always like this, let us remember that charity or love is the first fruit of the Holy Spirit. (Galatians 5: 22). Without the Holy Spirit, nobody is capable of meeting the standard of love.

Where there is love, there is God.

Daily Bible Verse @ SeekFirstcommunity.com

The Feast of St Charles Lwanga and Companions.

"For this reason, I remind you to stir into flame the gift of God that you have through the imposition of my hands. For God did not give us a spirit of cowardice but rather of power and love and self-control." (2 Timothy 1: 6 - 7).

Wednesday 3rd June 2020, 9th Week in Ordinary Time is the feast of St Charles Lwanga and 22 companions. (1886, 1887). On the feast of Ascension 1886, the powerful but immoral King Mwanga of Uganda mercilessly killed Charles Lwanga and 14 companions who resisted resolutely his homosexual advances. Eight of the companions were killed later.

This year, this feast is in the Octave of Pentecost. The short lives of these young men will help us appreciate the power of the Holy Spirit in bearing witness to Jesus. "The blood of martyrs is the seed of Christians," Tertullian wrote in the 3rd century.

Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you were baptized on Pentecost Sunday? "Stir into flame the gift of God." Paul said to Timothy in the first Reading. The big Gift of God is the Holy Spirit. The muscle that is exercised becomes strong and useful for service. No exercise can atrophy a muscle.

St Charles Lwanga and companions were baby Christians and pages in a royal court. Yet, they chose to die for their faith rather than compromise with Caesar. The Holy Spirit gives us wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety and fear of the Lord.
Come Holy Spirit and fill the hearts of Your faithful.

Daily Bible Verse @ SeekFirstcommunity.com