The Vineyard of the Lord is the Church.

"Therefore, I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people that will produce its fruit." (Matthew 21: 43).

Sunday 4th October 2020, 27th Week in Ordinary Time.

The Church is the seed of the kingdom of God in this world. The Prophet Isaiah foresaw this when he said: "The vineyard of the Lord is the house of Israel." Why then is the Vineyard of the Lord planted with such care and equipped with all the wherewithal to produce great fruits be unproductive and utter disappointment? Because the shepherds/managers who were hired to manage the business looked after themselves and not the sheep or the vineyard? They feast on the fattened sheep and drank from the choicest grapes but neglected the sheep and the vineyard.

The day of reckoning and accountability came suddenly without warning and the tenants were not ready.

How can we escape such fate? By commitment to work and grow the Lord's Vineyard. The Kingdom of God and the holiness of life that goes with it must be the first priority in our lives  We must believe firmly that the Lord of the Vineyard will compensate us generously.

Daily Bible Verse @ SeekFirstcommunity.com

The demons are subject to us in the name of Jesus.

"The seventy-two returned rejoicing, and said, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us because of your name.” (Luke 10: 17).

Saturday 3rd October 2020, 26th Week in Ordinary Time. First Saturday in October, the month of Mary.

The jubilant disciples declared to Jesus: "The demons are subject to us because of your name." This is what impressed most the student missionaries. Do you believe in demons? Today, belief in demonic spirits seems to have gone out of fashion. Note that the heart of our faith are truths revealed by Sacred Scripture, embedded in Sacred Tradition and confirmed by the authoritative teaching of Magisterium. So this truth about demonic spirits cannot be in fashion or out of fashion.

Here is what the Holy Church teaches about demons:
"Satan or the devil and the other demons are fallen angels who have freely refused to serve God and his plan. Their choice against God is definitive. They try to associate man in their revolt against God." (CCC 414).

Rebellion, disobedience are characteristics of the evil one and its minions. Another universal character trait of the devil is falsehood, lies and distractions. The devil is is incapable of telling the truth.

Every Christian by virtue of his Baptism is anointed and empowered to subjugate  demons in the Name of Jesus. How do we come to this power? Faith. Faith comes by hearing, hearing the word of Christ. The more you hear the word, the more it makes an impression on your mind until one day, it reaches the critical mass and you find that you have come to believe what you have been hearing. At this point, you are ready to act.

Act in trust and confidence and you will rejoice that the demons are subject to you in the Name of Jesus.

Daily Bible Verse @ SeekFirstcommunity.com

Feast of the Guardian Angels.

 “See that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that their angels in heaven always look upon the face of my heavenly Father." (Matthew 18: 10).

Friday 2nd October 2020, 26th Week in Ordinary Time is the feast of the Guardian Angels.

Our Father God in His loving Providence has provided each of His children a Guardian Angel. Are you aware of this stupendous fact? Fortunately for us, whether we are aware of our Guardian Angel that accompanies us on the journey of life or not, the Angel still performs all its duties lovingly towards us. Our Guardian Angels report to God not us. Here is what the Church teaches about our Guardian Angel:

"Beside each believer stands an angel as protector and shepherd leading him to life." Already here on earth the Christian life shares by faith in the blessed company of angels and men united in God." (CCC 336).

Your Guardian Angel is a friend who protects you in danger and can direct your steps when you are lost. It shepherds you away from moral dangers from situations that can imperil your soul. When you have a warm and personal relationship with your Guardian Angel, you enjoy more privileges. Saints recommend praying to your Guardian Angel when you wake up in the morning and when you are ready to go to bed at night.

For a Guardian Angel Prayer, click the link below:

http://seekfirstcommunity.com/2020/10/guardian-angel-prayer.html?m=1

Daily Bible Verse @ Seekfirstcommunity.com

Guardian Angel Prayer

Angel of God, 

my guardian and my friend, 

To whom I have been entrusted by God's merciful love. 

Enlighten, guide, direct and protect me this day/night. 

Amen.

SeekFirstcommunity.com 

First Friday in October 2020. Honor the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

October 2, 2020 - First Friday in October.

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 10th month of the year 2020, we look at Promise #10.

#10.  "I will give to priests the power to touch the most hardened hearts."

Do not think: "I am not excited by this promise.  I am not a priest."  We are all priests by virtue of our Baptism. Jesus Christ chose and ordained a tiny percentage of men to celebrate the Sacraments.  The first mission of the Church is evangelization.  You are an evangelist. Moreover, the first 3 Spiritual Works of Mercy instruct us:
#1. Instruct the ignorant.
#2. Counsel the doubtful.
#3. Admonish sinners.

Jesus promises to give you power to touch the most hardened of sinners.  These sinners could be in the family. They could be friends or neighbors.  Will you refuse such a gift?

Honor the Sacred Heart of Jesus this Friday by attending Holy Mass if you can or reciting the Sacred Heart Prayer and meditating on the 12 Promises below.

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

http://seekfirstcommunity.com/2020/08/12-promises-of-sacred-heart-of-jesus.html?m=1

Seekfirstcommunity.com

The Feast of the Simple One: St Therese of the Child Jesus.

"Blessed are you, Father,
Lord of heaven and earth,
for revealing the mysteries of the kingdom to mere children." (Matthew 11: 25).

Thursday 1st October 2020, 26th Week in Ordinary Time is the feast of the Little Flower, St Therese of the Child Jesus, also known as St Therese of Lisieux. (1873 - 1897). French. Carmelite Nun and Doctor of the Church.

St Therese is one of the most beloved saints in the Church. She is a powerful intercessor and her contribution to the history of spirituality can be summarized thus:

#1 Utter simplicity in everything.
#2 Profound trust in Divine Providence.

St Therese you may say was chosen to be St Therese before she was born. At the age of 6, she had a profound faith in the Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist and in the Blessed Sacrament. Asked one day how she was so sure of this, her response was disarming and profound: Jesus said: "This is My Body. This is My Blood." Since Jesus is God and Almighty, nothing is impossible for Him. Does this not remind us of the Blessed Virgin Mary? To the word that She would conceive by the power of the Holy Spirit and give birth to the Son of God, she replied: "Be it done to me according to Your word."

There is a direct connection between faith and simplicity. The more complicated you are in your mind, habits and behavior, the more difficult it is to believe.
"Unless you turn and become like children, you will not enter the Kingdom of Heaven." (Matthew 18: 3).

Be simple like Jesus and Therese. Dare to Believe.

Daily Bible Verse @ SeekFirstcommunity.com

Feast of St St Jerome, Priest and Doctor of the Church.

"Blessed indeed is he who ponders the law of the Lord day and night:
he will yield his fruit in due season." (Cf Psalm 1: 1 - 2. Entrance Antiphon on the Feast of St Jerome).

Wednesday 30th September 2020, 26th Week in Ordinary Time is the feast of St Jerome (342 - 420). From Dalmatia in former Yugoslavia. Priest, Doctor of the Church. Translated the Bible into the Latin Vulgate. "Ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ" is his famous saying.

We chose our key Scripture for today from the great promise of God to those who love His word and study it season and out of season. Note that a similar promise is made to Joshua:
"Do not let this book of the law depart from your lips. Recite it by day and by night, that you may carefully observe all that is written in it; then you will attain your goal; then you will succeed." (Joshua 1: 8).

If you are still not excited by the promises of investing in the word of God, consider this:
"When I found your words, I devoured them; your words were my joy, the happiness of my heart,
Because I bear your name, Lord, God of hosts." (Jeremiah 15: 16).
When Jeremiah devoured the word of God, what did he find? Incomparable happiness and joy.

I too discovered the word of God in a career crisis while working for a large multinational company in Paris. The word that was waiting for me to discover was Exodus 14: 13 - 14. I was blown away by God's utter faithfulness to His gracious promise. I resolved to read the Scriptures everyday from that day. It has been over 35 years and God is still blessing me through His word.

Lord, help us to follow the example of St Jerome in reflecting on Your word day and night. May Your word prepare us to offer You a sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving always and everywhere. Amen.

Daily Bible Verse @ SeekFirstcommunity.com

The Feast of the Archangels: Michael, Gabriel and Raphael.

“Amen, amen, I say to you, you will see the sky opened and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.” (John 1: 51).

Tuesday 29th September 2020, 26th Week in Ordinary Time is the feast of the Archangels Michael, Gabriel and Raphael. Jesus' encounter with Nathanael (Bartholomew) in the Gospel of today confirms the existence of angels, a fact known in the Hebrew Scriptures.

Here is the meaning of the names of the Archangels:

Micha-El: Who is like God?
Gabri-El: God’s strength” or “Power of God”
Rapha-El: “God heals”
El means God.

By the ministry of the angels, our sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving come before the presence of Almighty God. The Archangel Michael is assigned to guard the Church. ( Cf Daniel 12: 1). Pope Leo XIII who had a vision of this in the Sanctuary composed the Prayer to St Michael which became an inspired and principal prayer in spiritual warfare. Many Catholics say this prayer daily.
Click the link below to print a copy for yourself.

http://seekfirstcommunity.com/?m=1

Daily Bible Verse @ SeekFirstcommunity.com 

St Michael the Archangel Prayer

Saint Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle. Be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the devil; May God rebuke him, we humbly pray; And do thou, O Prince of the Heavenly Host, by the power of God, thrust into hell Satan and all evil spirits who wander through the world for the ruin of souls.

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Who is the greatest amongst us?

"An argument arose among the disciples about which of them was the greatest." (Luke 9: 46).

Monday 28th September 2020, 26th Week in Ordinary Time is the feast of two martyrs:  St Wenceslaus (907 - 927). King and Martyr. Saintly monarch. Murdered by his own brother in a sibling rivalry that reminds us of Cain and Abel. St Lorenzo Ruiz (+1630). Filipino layman and his companions. Martyred in Japan with other Christian missionaries.

Who is the greatest among us? The Apostles were caught asking this question. You recognize this sin as the spirit of rivalry condemned as one of the works of the flesh by St Paul in a letter to the Galatian Christians:
"Now the works of the flesh are obvious: immorality, impurity, licentiousness, idolatry, sorcery, hatreds, rivalry, jealousy, outbursts of fury, acts of selfishness, dissensions, factions, occasions of envy, drinking bouts, orgies, and the like." (Galatians 5: 19 - 21).

Jesus praised St John the Baptist as the greatest person born of a woman in the Kingdom of God. You may rank St Wenceslaus and St Lorenzo and companions whom we honor today as great in the Kingdom of God. They heard the word of Jesus Christ and believed Him and laid down their lives for Him. All the Apostles whom Jesus reproached in our Gospel of today repented and went on to lay down their lives for Jesus and became great in the Kingdom of God. They give many of us hope. The game is not over.

Daily Bible Verse @ SeekFirstcommunity.com

Who enters the Kingdom of God first and who enters last?

“Amen, I say to you, tax collectors and prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God before you. When John came to you in the way of righteousness, you did not believe him; but tax collectors and prostitutes did. Yet even when you saw that, you did not later change your minds and believe him." (Matthew 21: 31 - 32).

Sunday 27th September 2020, 26th Sunday in Ordinary Time.

Who enters the Kingdom of God first and why? Let us look at the list of the invited: High priests, priests, Pharisees, scribes, scholars, judges,  tax collectors, prostitutes, brigands, and all the other deplorables.
Jesus, the Chief Executive Officer of the Kingdom tells us that the "tax collectors and prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God before you." This is an incredible reversal of perking order. But why? Because John the Baptist came and preached righteousness and mercy and the great ones rejected him. The tax collectors and prostitutes heard him and embraced his message. The chief priests and elders and their friends saw what was happening and refused to change their minds. So they merited the condemnation of Christ for the hardness of heart and pride.

God who shows His almighty power in His mercy and forgiveness will welcome the chief priests, elders and Pharisees if they change their minds and accept His mercy. Mercy and forgiveness are constant in salvation history.
Ask for mercy.
Be merciful.
Completely trust Jesus for mercy.

Daily Bible Verse @ SeekFirstcommunity.com

The Feast of St Cosmas and Damian, Martyrs, Twins and Great Physicians.

“Pay attention to what I am telling you. The Son of Man is to be handed over to men.” (Luke 9: 44).

Saturday 26th September 2020, 25th Week in Ordinary Time is the feast of two great physicians, twins Cosmas and Damian martyred under Emperor Diocletian +305. Cosmas and Damian combined a supernatural gift of healing with sound medical training and practice. What is extraordinary about these two doctors is that they offered their services completely free of charge. Because they did so, it pleased Christ, the Divine Physician to work through them. He crowned their life with a martyr's crown and raised them to eternal glory.

Listen to our key Scripture for today: “Pay attention to what I am telling you. The Son of Man is to be handed over to men.” If an important person tells me: "Pay attention to this fact." I will sit upright, lean forward and listen intently. When God said to Joshua: "You must have these words constantly on your mind," Joshua recognized immediately that God was giving him a formula for success and Joshua paid great attention and succeeded greatly in his work. The disciples of Jesus did not pay attention to what Jesus told them here and it caused a huge problem for them. Frustrations and denials.

Now Jesus is telling us to pay great attention to this truth and never to forget: "The Son of Man is to be handed over to men.” In other words, we must understand thoroughly the significance of the Paschal Mystery, that is the mystery of the suffering, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Our life, peace and success depends on it. God chose the Cross as the means of our salvation.

You shall know the truth and the truth you know shall set you free. Set you free from what? Sin, addiction, fear, worry, doubt, sickness, ignorance and poverty? You think really? It is the promise of Jesus Christ that the supernatural truth you know can set you free. Cosmas and Damian witnessed this a lot in their practice and today every honest medical doctor can attest to this truth.

“Pay attention to what I am telling you. The Son of Man is to be handed over to men.”

Daily Bible Verse @ Seekfirstcommunity.com

In the fullness of time, I make everything beautiful.

"There is an appointed time for everything, and a time for every affair under the heavens...... God has made everything appropriate to its time" (Ecclesiastes 3: 1, 11).

Friday 25th September 2020, 25th Week in Ordinary Time.

My brethren, Victor Hugo said: "Nothing is more powerful than an idea whose time has come." I hope the power and wisdom in our key Scripture for today will be for you life changing. Let us unpack the Gift.

Everything that happens in life happens at its appointed time. Therefore no chance, no accidents, no coincidence. Period. (Ecclesiastes 3: 1).
Are you waiting for God for the fulfillment of any promise? It will happen only when the set time for it has reached. Whether it is one month, one year or ten years.

Now the sweet news: At the appointed time (fullness of time), God makes everything beautiful. (Ecclesiastes 3: 11).

Do you now understand that our God and Father is not capricious. He is a faithful and merciful God. A God of purpose who is in control of His entire creation.

What is our response to this revelation? Trust. Wait for God. See!
Those who trust in God and wait for the Lord will see His miracles. As for me, I wish to live as I believe. I believe that God is everywhere, all-powerful, all good, kind, merciful, gentle, generous and all loving. I wish to live every moment aware of God's presence surrounded by His love and all His attributes.

"In the fullness of time, I make everything beautiful."

Daily Bible Verse @ Seekfirstcommunity.com

How eager are you to meet Jesus?

"Herod the tetrarch heard about all that was happening.... But Herod said, “John I beheaded. Who then is this about whom I hear such things?” And he kept trying to see him. [Jesus]" (Luke 9: 7 - 9).

Thursday 24th September 2020, 25th Week in Ordinary Time.

Why was Herod anxious to see Jesus? Herod had reasons to believe that John the Baptist whom he beheaded was a mysterious and great prophet. After the beheading of John the Baptist, Jesus launched His ministry in earnest and there was great excitement everywhere and people were talking. The chatter about Jesus reached the palace and Herod could not resist his curiosity to meet Jesus.

You who are reading this Blog has met Jesus. You meet Him one-to-one in prayer. You meet Him when you read His word. You meet Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. You meet Him in a substantial real way in the Most Holy Eucharist. Whenever you remember Him, Jesus is present to you.

If one of the Herod’s of our world were to ask you today: "Who is this Jesus?" Can you satisfy his curiosity to such a degree that you lead him to faith in Jesus?

It is St Jerome, Doctor of the Church and one of the greatest Scripture scholars who said: "Ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Jesus Christ." Jerome said this over 1500 years ago. The Church has affirmed from its experience down the ages the truth of this maxim. Will you ignore it?

Daily Bible Verse @ Seekfirstcommunity.com

Feast of St Padre Pio, the Man of truth.

"Two things I ask of you, do not deny them to me before I die: Put falsehood and lying far from me."
(Proverbs 30: 7 - 8).

Wednesday 23rd September 2020, 25th Week in Ordinary Time is the feast of St Pio Pietrechina better known as Padre Pio. (1887 - 1968). Italian Capuchin Priest. Stigmatist. A highly gifted confessor and counseling guru. Padre Pio died and was canonized in the lifetime of many people reading this Blog.

The Bible indicts falsehood and lies more than perhaps it indicts fornication and adultery, the principal causes of abortion. Our key Scripture for today puts it starkly: "Put falsehood and lying far from me."

Why is lying so hateful to the Almighty? Because the enemy of mankind is the Father of lies. He has  been a Liar from the very beginning. It is disconcerting and most distressing to witness lies after lies told on public media. Many times by old men and women who went to Ivy League institutions and hold responsible positions in government, academia and society. They live for the moment and do not care about divine retribution or their legacy. Like King Jeroboam of Israel who sinned and led Israel to sin, they will pay dearly for their sins.

The Eight Commandment is all about dishonest Speech:

#8.    You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.

Have you lied?  Have you gossiped?  Have you ever spoken behind someone else's back?  Are you sincere in your dealing  with what concerns others?  Are you critical, negative or uncharitable in your thoughts of others?  Do you keep secret what should be kept confidential?  Do you expose the faults of others?

Almighty Father, have mercy on us. Put falsehood and lying far from us. We ask for this in Jesus Name. Amen.

For what God thinks of lies and falsehood in the Bible, click on the link below:

http://seekfirstcommunity.com/2020/09/god-hates-lies.html?m=1

Daily Bible Verse @ SeekFirstcommunity.com 

God hates lies

God's word on truth and falsehood. (From the Scriptures: Psalm 12).

"The words of the Lord are words without alloy, silver from the furnace, seven times refined." 

"Help, O Lord, for good men have vanished; truth has gone from the sons of men.

Falsehood they speak one to another, with lying lips, with a false heart.

May the Lord destroy all lying lips, the tongue that speaks high-sounding words,

those who say: ‘Our tongue is our strength; our lips are our own, who is our master?’

‘For the poor who are oppressed and the needy who groan I myself will arise,’ says the Lord, ‘I will grant them the salvation for which they thirst.’

The words of the Lord are words without alloy, silver from the furnace, seven times refined.

It is you, O Lord, who will take us in your care and protect us for ever from this generation.

See how the wicked prowl on every side, while the worthless are prized highly by the sons of men." (Psalm 12)

"The words of the Lord are words without alloy, silver from the furnace, seven times refined." 

SeekFirstcommunity.com 

The word of God creates new families.

“Your mother and your brothers are standing outside and they wish to see you.”  Jesus said to them in reply, “My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and act on it.” (Luke 8: 20 - 21).

Tuesday 22 September 2020, 25th Week in Ordinary Time.

What is the word of God?
#1. The word of God is the written word of God in the Sacred Scriptures.
#2. The word of God is decrees of God through the Sacred Tradition.
#3. The living word of God comes to us through the living and Sacred Magisterium, that is the teaching authority of the Church.

In the Scriptures, the word of God is also called the promise, will, command, precepts, ordinances law and decrees of God. Psalm 119, our Responsorial Psalm for today (the longest chapter in the Bible) is a beautiful hymn to the wonders of the word of God.

In the Gospel for today, Jesus teaches that those who hear the word of God and observe it belong to a new family. It is a new family where blood is thicker than water. Jesus gives power to those who listen to His voice and accepts His teaching the power to become the children of God.

Do we have an example of where the word of God forms close  and tight families? From the beginning of the Church, this divine teaching of Jesus has been vindicated in the early Christian communities of the Desert Fathers and Mothers. Today we have several religious communities, viz: Benedictines, Dominicans, Franciscans, the Poor Clares, etc. The members of these communities love and cherish one another and are closely knit as a family more than most families in the world.

Can the word of God form a tight human family of father, mother and children? Absolutely. Last Sunday of the year, the Church celebrates the feast of the Holy Family of Mary, Joseph and Jesus and points to this family as example for all families. This is a family created by the word of God and maintained by the word of God till the last.

"Be it done to me according Your word."

Daily Bible Verse @ Seekfirstcommunity.com

The Feast of St Matthew the Apostle and Evangelist.

 "Jesus... saw a man named Matthew sitting at the customs post. He said to him, “Follow me.” And he got up and followed him." (Matthew 9: 9).

Monday 21st September 2020, 25th Week in Ordinary Time is the feast of St Matthew the Apostle. Jewish. Evangelist. Author of the Gospel according to St Matthew. Died a martyr.

A man called Matthew was called by Jesus to follow Him. The man left everything: job, money, house and property and friends and followed the stranger called Jesus. Matthew was not a saint when Jesus called him. But Jesus did not come to call saints. He called Paul who describes his calling thus:

"I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength, that he considered me trustworthy, appointing me to his service.  Even though I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man, I was shown mercy because I acted in ignorance and unbelief. The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus." (1 Timothy 1: 12 - 14).

Jesus delights in sinners because sinners give Him the opportunity to show off His mercy. Why did Jesus institute the Sacred Heart of Jesus Devotion? The Divine Mercy Devotion? Mercy may well be the last covenant with mankind.

For Prayer to Abba Father to check out your life Purpose: the Choice, the Call and the Anointing, click on the link below:

http://seekfirstcommunity.com/2020/09/abba-father.html?m=1

Daily Bible Verse @ SeekFirstcommunity.com 

Abba Father

ABBA FATHER 

My Father in Heaven, how good it is to know that You are my Father and that I am Your child!

Especially when the skies of my soul are cloudy and my cross weighs more heavily, I feel the need to repeat to You: Father, I believe in Your love for me.

Yes, I believe that You are a Father to me at every moment of my life, and that I am Your child!

I believe that You love me with an infinite love!

I believe that You are watching over me night and day and that not a hair falls from my head without Your permission!

I believe that, in Your infinite Wisdom, You know better than I what is good for me.

I believe that, in Your infinite power, You can bring good even out of evil.

I believe that, in your infinite goodness, You make everything to the advantage of those who love You: even under the hands of those who strike me, I kiss Your hand which heals!

I believe, but increase in me faith, hope, and love!

Teach me always to see Your love as my guide in every event in my life.

Teach me to surrender myself to You like a baby in its mother’s arms.

Father, You know everything, You see everything, and You know me better than I know myself: You can do everything, and You love me! 

Give me the light, the grace, and the power of the Holy Spirit!

Strengthen me in this Spirit, that I may never lose Him, never sadden Him, and never allow Him to become weaker in me.

My Father, I ask this in the name of Jesus, Your Son! And you, Jesus, open Your Heart and place in it my own, and, together with Mary’s, offer it to our Divine Father! Obtain for me the grace that I need!

Divine Father, call all men to Yourself. Let all the world proclaim Your Fatherly Goodness and Your Divine Mercy!

Be a tender Father to me and protect me wherever I am, like the apple of Your eye. 

Make me always a worthy son/daughter, Have mercy on me!

Divine Father, sweet hope of our souls, may You be known, honored, and loved by all men!

Divine Father, infinite goodness poured out on all peoples, may You be known, honored, and loved by all men!

Divine Father, beneficent dew of humanity, may You be known, honored and loved by all men!

[Adapted from Mary’s Call]

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Your thoughts are not our thoughts O God.

"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways—oracle of the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways, my thoughts higher than your thoughts." (Isaiah 55: 8 - 9).

Sunday 20th September 2020, 25th Week in Ordinary Time.

Where can we see examples of God's ways and thoughts so different from humans? Two examples come to mind:

#1 Prayer:  God does not answer every prayer literally. Saints who are masters of Prayer like St Augustine have taught that God treats us like children who at times do not know what they want. God knows exactly what we need and when we need it. God acts according to His knowledge and providence.

#2 Divine Providence: God governs this world through His most loving and powerful Providence. We tend to think that God's Providence works only in big ticket items like birth and death and moments of big changes in life. God's Providence is operational every moment, in every thing and everywhere.  It is not from chance springs any of the comforts we enjoy in life but from God’s gracious ordaining.

Our Gospel of today from Matthew 20: 1 - 16 shows how God's thoughts and ways are so different from our thoughts and ways. We should take Jesus seriously when He says often that in the Kingdom of Heaven, be prepared to see the first last and the last first.
"Summon the laborers and give them their pay, beginning with the last and ending with the first." (Matthew 20: 8).

God is just but not fair.
"I am the Good Shepherd, says the Lord; I know my sheep, and mine know me." (John 10: 14).

Daily Bible Verse @ SeekFirstcommunity.com