Remain faithful to Jesus

"When Barnabas arrived 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. And a large number of people was added to the Lord."  (Acts 11: 23 - 24)

Encourage the brethren to remain faithful to Jesus.

Jesus Always, Everywhere in All Things!

Romans 8:38-39

"For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers,  nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord."

"The life of faith is nothing less than the continued pursuit of God through all that disguises, disfigures, destroys and, so to say, annihilates Him." (John Pierre de Caussade, SJ)
      

Jesus overcame death

"We know that Christ, raised from the dead, dies no more; death no longer has power over him."  (Romans 6: 9)

What do you fear most?  Death?  Jesus overcame death to free us of the fear of death.
No fear, No worry, No doubt.

Good Shepherd and Good Mother's Sunday

"I am the good shepherd, and I know mine and mine know me,"  (John 10: 14)

My mother was a good shepherd to me.

Happy Mothers Day to all my friends who are mothers!

Your words are Spirit and life

"It is the spirit that gives life, while the flesh is of no avail. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and life."  (John 6: 63)

The Holy Spirit is Lord and Giver of life.

A Prayer to the Holy Spirit:

Lord of life, O Comforter, the Spirit of Truth, Who art everywhere present and fills all thing, O Bringer of every good gift:  Come and dwell in us and make us whole.

Holy and life-giving breath of God, fill our hearts and minds with your love, assist us to be faithful disciples of Jesus, always open to hear His call.  O promise of God, grant us the grace to faithfully and eagerly respond to the awesome gift of Your personal, passionate Presence.  Amen.

Jesus died for all

"He indeed died for all, so that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised."  (2 Corinthians 5: 15)

Although Jesus died for every human being.  Not every human being who is alive today is benefiting from the death of Jesus.  It is by His death and resurrection that we are saved.   We that have appropriated the fruit of salvation have the responsibility of living in such a way that would make the unsaved desire what we have.

Jesus has freed us from the darkness of error and sin. Help us Jesus to cling to your truths with fidelity.

Jesus is the Bread of life

" Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me will never hunger, and whoever believes in me will never thirst."  (John 6:  35)

When we eat the Bread of life with faith, we shall be freed of dependency on family, money, job, health, tools, property, food, etc.  Dependency on these creatures is what enslaves us.

Psalm 16: 1 - 2 puts it this way:

"Keep me safe, O God;
in you I take refuge.
I say to the LORD,
you are my Lord,
you are my only good."

The psalmist asks God to keep him safe and acknowledges that God is his only good.  Psalm 16: 4 hammers away at dependencies that may enslave us:

"They multiply their sorrows
who court other gods.
Blood libations to them I will not pour out,
nor will I take their names upon my lips."

Every kind of dependency (other god) is an addiction which brings its particular sorrows.  Each  of them urges us to pour libations to it.  This is  why addiction of any kind is idolatry.

What is the cure?

"Jesus replied, 'I am the Bread of Life.  He who comes to me will never be hungry, and he who believes in and cleaves to and trusts in and relies on Me will never thirst any more (at any time)  (John 6: 35 AMP)

Do not work for food that perishes

"‘One does not live by bread alone,
but by every word that comes forth from the mouth of God."  (Matthew 4: 4)

God's powerful and generous Providence fulfills all our needs in a timely manner."
"Fear is useless; what is needed is trust."  (Luke 8: 50; Mark 5: 36)

Jesus Christ is the Top Prize

"Jesus said to him, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."   (John 14: 6)

You want abundant life?  Jesus is abundant life.

If God is with us, it is accomplished

"For if this endeavor or this activity is of human origin, it will destroy itself.
But if it comes from God, you will not be able to destroy them; you may even find yourselves fighting against God.” They were persuaded by him."  (Acts 5: 38 - 39)

No fear, No worry, No doubt.  God is in control.

Is Jesus not the son of the carpenter?

"Unless the LORD build the house,
they labor in vain who build.
Unless the LORD guard the city,
in vain does the guard keep watch.
It is vain for you to rise early
and put off your rest at night,
To eat bread earned by hard toil—
all this God gives to his beloved in sleep."  (Psalm 127: 1 - 2)

Lord, prosper the work of our hands.

Believers were of one heart and mind

"The community of believers was of one heart and mind, and no one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they had everything in common."  (Acts 4: 32)

Our time, talent and treasure come from God.

Tested by fire

"In this you rejoice, although now for a little while you may have to suffer through various trials, so that the genuineness of your faith, more precious than gold that is perishable even though tested by fire, may prove to be for praise, glory, and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ."  (1 Peter 1: 6 - 7)

Endure your trials as discipline.  (Hebrews 12: 7)

What wonderful truths to contemplate on Divine Mercy Sunday.   My faith is being tried in the crucible of fire.   God is most merciful and loving.  The purpose of the testing is not to prove me a failure.  Just as God does not rejoice in the destruction of a wicked man, so does He not want the failure of His children. In my trials, scripture encourages me with these words:

"Consider it all joy, my brothers, when you encounter various trials,
for you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.
And let perseverance be perfect, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing."  (James 1: 2 - 4)

Dear Lord Jesus Christ, you are the most merciful.  Grant me the grace to persevere to the end.  You are the One Thing Necessary.  At the end of my testing, may you become all that I need.  May I say:  Jesus Christ has truly become my Good Shepherd.  I have everything I need.

Give thanks for answered prayer

"Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his mercy endures forever. My strength and my courage is the Lord, an he has been my savior.  
The joyful shout of victory in the tents of the just."  (Psalm 118: 1, 14-15)

The pure joy of answered prayer is unbelievable.  Have you experienced it?  Keeping a list of answered prayers could provide a strategic shield in the next warfare which is just round the corner.  It occurred to me recently that the reason why I forget answered prayers is that I do not sufficiently etch them into my memory.  I keep daily journal to be sure and have done so for a longtime.  But journals and diaries could be like books stacked on the bookcase gathering dust.   The written word has been called a dead letter.  The living word is the one in your heart that you can use here and now.  That word that makes you leap up and dance.  That is what I want the list of answered prayer to do for me.  I want to dance with every answered prayer.

But how do I accomplish this?  I will from hence forth celebrate every answered prayer.  I placed an order on Amazon for a bell after searching for one in vain in the Houston area.  I received the bell with joy some days ago.  Once I have a prayer answered, I will ring the bell and dance around my apartment singing a praise song to God.  This I hope will reinforce the journal entry and makes forgetfulness more difficult.  I hope it works.  I will ring the bell not just for the big favors.  Small, medium and big favors will all be celebrated with the chiming of the bell.

The Name of Jesus is a Strong Tower

Acts 4:11-12 "This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone. And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” "The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous man runs into it and is safe." (Proverbs 18:10) Seekfirst.blogspot.com

Scripture cause our heart to burn with faith

"He said to them, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the law of Moses and in the prophets and psalms must be fulfilled.”  (Luke 24:  44)

Then He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures.

Dear Jesus, you opened the minds of your disciples to understand the Scriptures after your Resurrection.  Do the same for us, O Lord.  Open our minds to understand the Scriptures so that our hearts will burn within us as we listen to you. Teach us Lord and help us to share what we learn from you.  Amen!

I was dead but now I am alive forever

"Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go tell my brothers to go to Galilee, and there they will see me.”  Matthew 28: 10)

This is the day the Lord has made, let us be glad and rejoice in it.

Today is the day of Easter joy!

This is the morning on which the Lord appeared to men who had begun to lose hope and opened their eyes to what Scripture foretold:  that first Jesus must die, and then He would rise and ascend into His Father's glorious presence.

May the Risen Lord open our eyes to recognize Him in the Scriptures and in the Breaking of Bread.

Do this in remembrance of me

 "For I received from the Lord what I also handed on to you,k that the Lord Jesus, on the night he was handed over, took bread, and, after he had given thanks, broke it and said, “This is my body that is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.”  (1 Corinthians 11: 23 - 24)

"How can I repay the LORD
for all the great good done for me?"  (Psalm 116: 12)

St. Paul shares with the Corinthian Church a personal revelation from the Lord Jesus on the Eucharist.  Summary of this revelation:  the Eucharist is the true Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ.  How can we repay the Lord for this great gift?  Let us approach the throne of grace in the Eucharist with joy and thanksgiving and we shall and we shall receive more gifts.

Do this in remembrance of me

1 Corinthians 11:23-24

"For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread,  and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, “This is my body which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.”

Psalm 116:12
"What shall I render to the Lord
for all his benefits to me?"

Seekfirst.blogspot.com

The Disciples Never Washed the Feet of Jesus

"Just so, the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom* for many.”  (Matthew 20: 28)

We never read in the Gospels that the disciples washed the feet of Jesus.  Jesus, the King of kings on the other hand washed the feet of the disciples.  He whom "All things serve."  (Psalm 119: 91) and at whose name "every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth" (Philippians 2: 10) became our Servant.
Dear Jesus, give me a genuine spirit of humble service.

In the Name of Jesus

"Who, though he was in the form of God,
did not regard equality with God something to be grasped.
Rather, he emptied himself,
taking the form of a slave,
coming in human likeness;
and found human in appearance,
he humbled himself,
becoming obedient to death, even death on a cross.
Because of this, God greatly exalted him
and bestowed on him the name
that is above every name,"  (Philippians 2: 6 - 9)

Hosanna to the Son of David.

Jesus was sacrificed for our salvation

"Caiaphas did not say this on his own, but since he was high priest for that year, he prophesied that Jesus was going to die for the nation,"  (John 11: 51)

The Church is the Family of the Father, the Body of the Son and the Temple of the Holy Spirit.
For His Body, Jesus gave His flesh and blood.  Scripture says that nobody hates his body.  Jesus loves His body unconditionally.

In my distress I called and He heard me

"But the Lord is with me like a mighty warrior; so my persecutors will stumble and not prevail.  They will fail and be thoroughly disgraced; their dishonor will never be forgotten."  (Jeremiah 20: 11)

God is the Guardian of my rights.

The Truth shall make you free

"Jesus then said to those Jews who believed in him, “If you remain in my word, you will truly be my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”  (John 8: 31 - 32)

"If the Son makes you free, then you will be free indeed."  (John 8: 36)

The strong attraction of the Cross

"And when I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw everyone to myself."  (John 12: 32)

"The message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God."  (1 Corinthians 1: 18)

Jesus predicted that men would be strongly attracted to the cross.  This prediction has proved true.  From the first instance of Christianity till this very day, the Cross has been a magnet to men.  Of all signs, it is the most unlikely to attract me.  But it sure does.  It reminds me of the sign of the manger:  a baby boy wrapped in swaddling clothes in a dismal environment.  Yet this is the sign by which the shepherds were to recognize the Child Jesus.  The Cross is the sign of salvation.  Acceptance of the Cross is acceptance of Jesus while rejection of the Cross is rejection of Jesus.

In your kindness blot out our sins

"Then Jesus straightened up and said to her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?”
She replied, “No one, sir.” Then Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you. Go, [and] from now on do not sin any more."  (John 8: 10 - 11)

Let the person without sin be the first to throw a stone.

"Forgiveness is the remission of sins.  For it is by this that what has been lost, and was found, is saved from being lost again."  (St. Augustine)

I am the resurrection and the life

"When Jesus heard this he said, “This illness is not to end in death, but is for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it."  (John 11: 4)

Delay is not denial.  Delay may glorify God.

"Faith is to believe what you do not see; the reward of the faith is to see what you believe."  (St. Augustine)

Endure your trials as discipline

"Blessed are those who have kept the word with a generous heart and yield a harvest through perseverance."  ( See Luke 8: 15)

God rewards faithfulness, loyalty, steadfast love.

Create in us a pure heart

"In Christ we have redemption by his blood, the forgiveness of transgressions, in accord with the riches of his grace."  (Ephesians 1: 7)

Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures.

Our sins bring us sorrow

"So the LORD changed his mind about the punishment he had threatened to inflict on his people." (Exodus 32: 14)

Your promise of salvation bring us joy, O Lord.

Answer us O God

"Thus says the LORD:
In a time of favor I answer you,
on the day of salvation I help you;
I form you and set you."  (Isaiah 49: 8)

At the break of day, God will answer us.

The Lord of hosts is with us

"God is our refuge and our strength,

an ever-present help in distress.

Thus we do not fear, though earth be shaken and mountains quake to the depths of the sea,

Though its waters rage and foam

and mountains totter at its surging."  (Psalm 46: 2 - 4)

Psalm 46 is one of my favorite.  It is loaded with juicy promises.  Verses 2 - 4 is what I call crème de la crème of the Psalter.  Just consider the promises: 

When we are on the run from any distress, God is the Rock of Refuge to dash to.  When we are weak and exhausted by constant fighting in the family, pressure at work, debt, etc, God provides the strength to sustain us.

God is our present help in distress.  Note carefully the promise.  It is not - God is our future help in future crisis.  God provides His help here and now.  There is an immediacy to this promise.  Two days ago, I had a walk out in my favorite park.  At one moment, I wanted to exit the park to take a different route.  The edges of the ground were covered by ankle high grasses.  It was until I turned the corner that I saw a foot path.  Sometimes, God keeps us in suspense until the last moment.

Verses 3 and 4 state the perennial truth:  If God is in control, why worry.  He provides step by step guidance and moment to moment protection. If God is with me, it is accomplished.

These scriptures verses have ministered to my spirit today. I hope they minister to you too.

Come O Holy Spirit

"I will put my spirit within you so that you walk in my statutes, observe my ordinances, and keep them."  (Ezekiel 26: 27)

The Holy Spirit is the final solution for unrighteousness.

The Lord is my Shepherd

"Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil, for you are with me;
your rod and your staff comfort me."  (Psalm 23: 4)

"Fear is useless; what is needed is trust."  (Luke 8: 50)
The darkest valleys in my life's journey will not terrify me.

Let us strive to know Jesus

Hosea 6:6

"For I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice,
the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings."

Abba Father, grant us the grace to know the Heart of Jesus intimately, to love Him passionately and to follow Him everywhere.

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The Blessed Sacrament is the Throne of Mercy in our midst

"She said to herself, “If only I can touch his cloak, I shall be cured.
Jesus turned around and saw her, and said, “Courage, daughter! Your faith has saved you.” And from that hour the woman was cured."  (Matthew 9: 21 - 22)

"Those who dare approach my throne of mercy will receive mercy."  I felt these words in my heart one day kneeling close to the Blessed Sacrament.  Kneeling close to the Blessed Sacrament apparently was not good enough.  I must imitate what I notice women and men do.  They walk up right in front of the Monstrance, place their hands on the Monstrance containing the Blessed Sacrament and pour out their hearts to Jesus.  Before I felt these words of encouragement in my heart, I too had stood in front of the Blessed Sacrament to ask for special blessings.  But I have not made it a habit.  Those words of inspiration that I felt invite me to make it a habit to approach the throne of grace to find mercy at a time of need.

The woman with the issue of blood in the scripture above (Matthew 9: 21 - 22) felt strongly the unusual and powerful inspiration to touch the cloak of Jesus.  Faith is a response to God's initiative.  God is the source of all inspiration and power.  Because of her profound needs, she succumbed to the pull of this inspiration and dared touch the cloak of Jesus.  The result was instant healing for her.

At the early morning Mass today, I thought of what the woman did.  I will not only touch Jesus in the Eucharist but will receive Him in my hand, my tongue and my heart.  Why am I not healed of my ills and the burdens of my heart?  It is said that man's extremity is God's opportunity and man's security is Satan's opportunity.  Why do we appear afraid to approach God with our desperate needs?  Lord Jesus, grant me the grace always to dare approach your throne of mercy

The Lord our God is Lord alone

"And ‘to love him with all your heart, with all your understanding, with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself’ is worth more than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.” (Mark 12: 33)

There is no God to compare with you, Abba Father!  No money, No technology, No health, No property.  You alone are God and our Father.  We shall not tolerate any idolatry.

Whatever your troubles

"I am the Savior of all people,says the Lord.  Whatever their troubles, I will answer their cry, and I will always be their Lord."  (Antiphon, Thursday 3rd week in Lent)

If today you hear His voice, harden not your heart.

Do not forget the blessings of Jesus

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

The Holy Spirit reminds us of all the blessings of Jesus.

God provides for all living things

"As the sparrow finds a home
and the swallow a nest to settle her young,
My home is by your altars,
LORD of hosts, my king and my God!
Blessed are those who dwell in your house!
They never cease to praise you."  (Psalm 84: 4 - 5)

Even the tiny and most insignificant birds are provided the best of homes by God - near His altars.  How much more will God take care of us, man and woman created in His image and likeness.  Jesus says to us, no need to fear, worry or doubt, "But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given you besides."  (Matthew 3: 33)

The Lord is loving and merciful

"I shall get up and go to my father and I shall say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you."  (Luke 15: 18)

Reconciliation with God brings joy, music and dancing.  The Lord is loving and merciful.

Remember the marvels the Lord has done

"Jesus said to them, “Did you never read in the scriptures:
‘The stone that the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone;
by the Lord has this been done,
and it is wonderful in our eyes’?

God's loving and powerful providence is always acting for us and often in disguise. A good example is the story of Joseph in Genesis:

"Then his brothers also proceeded to fling themselves down before him and said, “We are your slaves!”
But Joseph replied to them: “Do not fear. Can I take the place of God?
Even though you meant harm to me, God meant it for good, to achieve this present end, the survival of many people.
So now, do not fear. I will provide for you and for your children.” By thus speaking kindly to them, he reassured them."  (Genesis 50: 18 - 21)

Christ our Hope of Victory

Isaiah 1: 19-20

"If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land, but if you refuse and rebel, you shall be eaten by the sword, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken."

Resistance to the God's will profit nothing.

Jesus Christ is the One Thing Necessary

 “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.”  (Matthew 17: 5)

Abba Father, I will listen to your Son Jesus.  I will seek Him as the One Thing Necessary.  I will continue to knock on His door till He admits me. (Matthew 7: 7 - 8)  I will do whatever He tells me to do.  (John 2: 5)  Thank you Abba Father for your loving instruction.  This Sunday, as I meditate on your words, my soul will be filled with joy.

A clean heart create for me, O God.

"When God saw by their actions how they turned from their evil way, he repented of the evil he had threatened to do to them; he did not carry it out."  (Jonah 3: 10)

When Jesus saw their faith, He healed the paralytic. Producing the works that show conversion is important.  Seeing is believing.

Whatsoever you do to the least of my brothers

"And the king will say to them in reply, ‘Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me."  (Matthew 25: 40)

Lord Jesus, grant me the grace to see you always in the least of your brothers.  Lord you said:  “For human beings it is impossible, but not for God. All things are possible for God.”  (Mark 10: 27)
Because all things are possible for you, I know you are willing and able to grant me this request.

Get away, Satan. I will not serve you.

"And he said to him, “All these I shall give to you, if you will prostrate yourself and worship me.”
At this, Jesus said to him, “Get away, Satan! It is written:
‘The Lord, your God, shall you worship
and him alone shall you serve.’”  (Matthew 4: 9 - 10)

Satan promises Jesus all He wants if Jesus worships him.  But the promise is fake and untrue as we see from the response of Jesus:  “Get away, Satan! It is written:
‘The Lord, your God, shall you worship and him alone shall you serve.’”

In Mathew 6: 33, Jesus promises us all that we want if we seek first His kingdom and righteousness.  This is a promise that is proven true for over 2000 years. Matthew 6: 33 is one of the most researched scripture verse in the entire bible. It is my favorite. The promise of Jesus covers all critical areas of human life and happiness, viz: family, finances, job, health, tools and property, food, future.  We obtain all these in accordance to God's will and plan for our lives.  Bear in mind that God is a loving Father who has good and great plans for all His children. (Jeremiah 29:11)  In the light of this, God will not give His child a snake when the child needs a fish. (Luke 11: 11)

It is not necessary to worship Satan to get all we need for your life and happiness.  God has already promised ample provision for us.  When we work to know His will and plan for our lives, we will appreciate better His Divine Providence working for us.

My take away from today's bible verse is this:  “Get away, Satan! It is written:
‘The Lord, your God, shall you worship and him alone shall you serve.  I will not serve you Satan.  I will not obey you.’”

God Himself is the Top Prize

"If you refrain from trampling the Sabbath,
from following your own pursuits on my holy day;
If you call the Sabbath a delight,
the LORD’s holy day glorious;
If you glorify it by not following your ways,
seeking your own interests, or pursuing your own affairs—
Then you shall delight in the LORD,
and I will make you ride upon the heights of the earth;
I will nourish you with the heritage of Jacob, your father,
for the mouth of the LORD has spoken."  (Isaiah 58: 13 - 14)

Sunday Rest is Rehearsal for Eternal Rest.
May the souls of the faithful departed through the mercy of God rest in peace.

Transform us according to your word.

"Make known to me your ways, LORD;
teach me your paths."  (Psalm 25: 4)

What are the ways of Christ?  - The Beatitudes

“Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
 Blessed are they who mourn,
for they will be comforted.
 Blessed are the meek,
for they will inherit the land.
Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be satisfied.
Blessed are the merciful,
for they will be shown mercy.
Blessed are the clean of heart,
for they will see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called children of God.
Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you and utter every kind of evil against you [falsely] because of me.
Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven.h Thus they persecuted the prophets who were before you."  (Matthew 5: 12)

The Beatitudes paint a faithful image of who Christ is and what he does.  The Beatitudes are the ways and paths of Christ. They are most worthy of study and imitation.

God is the Lord of History

God Is The Lord of History

“Why does God allow Turks and heretics to flourish?  They proclaim his infinite perfection.  That is the sole purpose of Pharaoh and all the impious men who have followed his example.   It is no use looking at these historical facts and figures in the ordinary way.  We must shut our eyes and cease to reason if we wish to see the divine mysteries in these affairs.

You speak Lord, to all men in general by the great events of history.  All revolutions are only the waves of your providence raising storms and tempests in the minds of those who question your mysterious actions.   You speak to every individual through what happens to them moment by moment.  Instead of hearing the voice of God in all these things and revering the mysterious obscurity of his word, however, men see in them only material happenings, the effect of a chance or purely human activities.  They find fault with everything, want to change this continual expression of God’s word and give themselves absolute freedom to commit every kind of excess, the very least of which they would consider a monstrous outrage if it involved a single comma in Holy Scripture.  “That is the word of God,” they say, “and all that is there is holy and true.”  The less they understand it, the more they venerate it and adore the depths of God’s wisdom.  Very right and proper, too.  But when God speaks to us at every moment, not with words of ink on paper, but by what we suffer and do from moment to moment, should we not give equal attention to him?  Why do we not venerate his truth and goodness in all this?  But we are pleased by nothing and critical of everything.  For we are judging by our senses and our reason that which can only be measured by faith.  We read, with the eyes of faith, the word of God in the Scriptures, and we are very wrong to read it with other eyes when it comes to us in his activities.”  (John-Pierre de Caussade, SJ in ABANDONMENT TO DIVINE PROVIDENCE)

Lent 2014 - Theme

1 Peter 1:14-16

"As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.”

Holy, holy, holy is the Lord our God!

Holiness consists in obeying the will of God  moment by moment.
Moment by moment obedience means: 
1. Do what must be done here and now. 
2. Accept with Serenity what cannot be avoided.

"Do not conform to the passions of your former ignorance."  It means - do not conform to the evil desires that ruled your heart when you did not know the will of God.
What are the desires of your heart?
Desire makes a man.

If you desire holiness and aim for holiness this Lent, God will give you the desires of your heart.

Tested by fire

"In this you rejoice, although now for a little while you may have to suffer through various trials, so that the genuineness of your faith, more precious than gold that is perishable even though tested by fire, may prove to be for praise, glory, and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ."  (1 Peter 1: 6 - 7)

The Transition is a trial by fire.  1 Peter 1: 6-7 reminds me that the duration of the tribulation is for a short period.  Although I may not see it so, because in the heat of the moment, I imagine that the testing has been going on for  20 years.  Whatever is the duration in chronological terms is irrelevant.  What is important is what scriptures says of it:  "a little while."  Scripture measures the duration in the light of eternity which is endless.  And eternal will be he weight of glory that comes from this momentary testing of the genuineness of my faith.

Faith that is not confirmed by fire is no faith.  The  fire removes the perishable dross and leaves behind the genuine article which is a great currency.  Lord Jesus, as you try me by fire, do remember my fragility, O Lord.

The Lord will remember His covenant forever.  I will rejoice in the mercy of my God!

Faith overcomes the world

1 John 5:4 "For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith." (ESV)

"For whoever is begotten by God conquers the world. And the victory that conquers the world is our faith." (NABRE)

"Faith transforms the earth into paradise. By it our hearts are raised with the joy of our nearness to heaven. Every moment reveals God to us. Faith is our light in this world. By it we know the truth without seeing it, we are put in touch with what we cannot feel, recognize what we cannot see, and view the world stripped of all its superficialities.

Faith unlocks God's treasury. It is the key to all the vastness of His wisdom. The hollowness of all created things is disclosed by faith, and it is by faith that God makes His presence plain everywhere. Faith tears aside the veil so that we can see the everlasting truth." (John-Pierre de Caussade, SJ)

God's watchful Providence

"If we could lift the veil and if we watched with vigilant attention, God would endlessly reveal Himself to us and we should see and rejoice in His active presence in all that befalls us. At every event we should exclaim: "It is the Lord!" (John 21:7). Nothing could happen to us without our accepting it as a gift from God. We should regard all creatures as very feeble tools serving His purpose ; we should realize, too, that we are in want of nothing and that His continual care for us makes Him give us everything that is good and proper. If we had faith, we should be grateful to all creatures, cherish them and thank them silently for their good will in helping us, by God's design toward perfection." (John-Pierre de Caussade, SJ)

Place your load on the camel

"Cast your burden on the Lord,
And He shall sustain you;
He shall never permit
the righteous to be moved."  (Psalm 55: 22)

Camel ready to carry your burden

The Psalmist came to realize that the best course in time of troubles is not to run away from them, but to cast the burden of them on the Lord.  May we learn the lovely lesson set forth by Bishop Horne:  "He who once bore the burden of our sins and sorrows requests that we should now and ever permit Him to bear the burden of our cares."  (From Believers' Bible Commentary)

St Joseph the Worker

Great Intercessor, obtain for us the grace to discern our mission in life and the courage to embrace it and persevere in it till death.

Cast your burden on the Lord

“Cast your burden on the Lord, and he will sustain you; he will never permit the righteous to be moved.”  (Psalm 55: 22)

Here is a commentary from the Navarre Bible -the Psalms:

St. Josemaria Escrivá records the use he made of Psalm 55: 22:  "A paradox: every day I have had fewer worries on my mind since I decided to follow the advice of the psalm 'Cast your care upon the Lord, and He will sustain you.'  And at the same time, once we have done whatever needs doing, everything can be solved more easily."

“The things we pray for, good Lord, give us grace to labor for: through Jesus Christ our Lord. " (Prayer of Thomas More)

Cast your burden on the Lord

"Cast your care upon the LORD,
who will give you support.
He will never allow
the righteous to stumble."  (Psalm 55: 22)

How do we cast our burden on the Lord?

"Thy burden, or what thy God lays upon thee, lay thou it upon the Lord. His wisdom casts it on thee, it is thy wisdom to cast it on him. He cast thy lot for thee, cast thy lot on him. He gives thee thy portion of suffering, accept it with cheerful resignation, and then take it back to him by thine assured confidence .
He shall sustain thee. Thy bread shall be given thee, thy waters shall be sure. Abundant nourishment shall fit thee to bear all thy labors and trials. As thy days so shall thy strength be .
He shall never suffer the righteous to be moved. He may move like the boughs of a tree in the tempest, but he shall never be moved like a tree torn up by the roots. He stands firm who stands in God. Many would destroy the saints, but God has not suffered it, and never will. Like pillars, the godly stand immovable, to the glory of the Great Architect.  (Charles Spurgeon)

"Be aware that holiness means the eager acceptance of every trial sent you by God.  This is vastly superior to the enjoyment of all extraordinary experiences.  It is the philosopher's stone which changes into gold all your worries, all your troubles, all your sufferings.  Realize this and how happy you would be! (Jean-Pierre de Caussade, S.J.)

Cast thy burden upon the Lord, etc. The best way to ease thyself is to lay thy load upon God; he will take it up and also carry thee. There is many a man would be willing to go of himself if another would but carry his burden for him; but if you throw your burden upon God he will not only carry that, but will also carry you. He cares not how much weight a Christian layeth on his back; a true Israelite may ease himself, and best please his God at once. God delights not to see tears in thine eyes, or paleness in thy countenance; thy groans and sighs make no music in his ears. He had rather that thou wouldst free thyself of thy burden by casting it upon him, that he might rejoice in thy joy and comfort. Now, true confidence in God, and resting upon God, will both free thee of thy burden and also bring in the strength of God to sustain and bear thee up from falling.
Wouldst thou, therefore, own God as thy strength, and fetch strength from God to thy soul? Rest upon God, roll thyself upon him, and that
1. In time of greatest weakness
2. In time of greatest service
3. In times of greatest trials.
(Samuel Blackerby,1674)

"Cast thy burden upon him in the same way that the ship in a storm casts her burden on the anchor, which anchor holds on to its sure fixing place. And to my mind, that is the more beautiful sense of the two--a sense which once entered into, may be followed out in these glorious verses: -- And I see the good ship riding, all in a perilous road; The low reef booming on her lee; the swell of ocean poured Sea after sea, from stem to stern; the mainmast by the board; The bulwarks down; the rudder gone; the boats stove by the chains. But courage still, brave mariners, the ANCHOR yet remains: And he will flinch--no, never an inch--until ye pitch sky high; Then he moves his head, as if he said, "Fear nought; for here am I!"   (J. M. Neale's Commentary)

"Here we see the believer has--
1. A burden to try him .
2. A duty to engage him, "Cast thy burden, "etc .
3. A promise to encourage him, "He shall sustain, "etc.  (Ebenezer Temple,1850)

"Thy burden--literally, "gift," what is assigned you.
he shall sustain--literally, "supply food," and so all need ( Psalms 37:25 , Matthew 6:11 ).
to be moved--from the secure position of His favor (compare Psalms 10:6 ).  (Commentary Critical and Explanatory (CCE)

"Cast thy burden upon the Lord
These are either the words of the Holy Ghost to David, according to Jarchi; or of David to his own soul in distress, and may be directed to any good man in like circumstances. The word rendered "burden" signifies a gift and so the words are translated by many, "cast thy gift upon the Lord"; what he has given in a way of providence and of grace, acknowledge him to be the author of it; pray for a continuance of mercies, and for fresh supplies, and expect them; and also what he gives in a way of trial, the cross, with all afflictions and troubles: which sense seems most agreeable to the context; and these may be said to be "the gift" of God, as the cup of sorrow Christ drank of is said to be "given" him by his Father, ( John 18:11 ) . These are given by the Lord to bring his people to a sense of sin, and acknowledgment of it; to humble them for it, and cause them to return from it; and to try their graces: and then do they cast them upon him, when they acknowledge them as coming from him; wait the removal of them in his time; desire a sanctified use of them, and expect deliverance from them by him. Or the sense is, whatever thou desirest should be given thee by the Lord, cast it on him; that is, leave it with him to do as he pleases, who works all things after the counsel of his own will. The Targum renders it,
``cast thy hope upon the Lord;''
as an anchor on a good bottom, to which hope is compared, ( Hebrews 6:19 ) . This is done when persons make the Lord the object of their hope, and expect all from him they hope to enjoy here and hereafter. The Septuagint version is, "cast thy care upon the Lord"; of thy body, and all the temporal concerns of thy family, and everything relating thereunto; and of thy soul, and its everlasting welfare and salvation; see ( 1 Peter 5:7 ) . But Jarchi, Aben Ezra, and Kimchi, interpret the word by (Kavm) , "thy burden", which is learnt from the use of it in the Arabic language. The Rabbins did not know the meaning of the word, till one of them heard an Arabian merchant say F7,
``take up (Kybhy) , "thy burden", and cast it upon the camels.''
The burden here meant is either the burden of afflictions, which is sometimes very heavy; see ( Job 6:23 ) ( 23:2 ) ; no affliction is joyous, but grievous; but some are heavier in their own kind and nature than others, and become so through the multiplicity of them, as in the case of Job; or through the long continuance of them, and especially when attended with the hidings of God's face, or with the temptations of Satan: or else the burden of sin and corruption, which is an heavy burden, and a very disagreeable one; under which the saints groan, and by which they are hindered in running their Christian race, and which they are like to carry with them to their graves; their only relief under it is to look to Christ, who has borne it and took it away; which may be meant by casting it on the Lord:
and he shall sustain thee;
in being, both natural and spiritual; and supply with all things necessary both to the temporal and spiritual life, and support under all trials and difficulties;
he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved;
to be shaken and stagger so as to fall, especially totally and finally; for the words may be rendered, "he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved forever" F8; or so to be moved by their afflictions as to desert the cause in which they are engaged; nor shall they ever be moved by men or devils, or anything whatever, from their spiritual estate, in which they are by grace; nor from the love of God and covenant of grace; nor out of the hands of Christ; nor from their state of justification, adoption, and sanctification.  (John Gills Exposition)

"(v. 22): "Cast thy burden upon the Lord,’’ whoever thou art that art burdened, and whatever the burden is. "Cast thy gift upon the Lord’’ (so some read it); "whatever blessings God has bestowed upon thee to enjoy commit them all to his custody, and particularly commit the keeping of thy soul to him.’’ Or, "Whatever it is that thou desirest God should give thee, leave it to him to give it to thee in his own way and time. Cast thy care upon the Lord,’’ so the Septuagint, to which the apostle refers, 1 Pt. 5:7 . Care is a burden; it makes the heart stoop (Prov. 12:25 ); we must cast it upon God by faith and prayer, commit our way and works to him; let him do as seemed him good, and we will be satisfied. To cast our burden upon God is to stay ourselves on his providence and promise, and to be very easy in the assurance that all shall work for good. If we do so, it is promised, 1. That he will sustain us, support and supply us, will himself carry us in the arms of his power, as the nurse carries the sucking-child, will strengthen our spirits so by his Spirit as that they shall sustain the infirmity. He has not promised to free us immediately from that trouble which gives rise to our cares and fears; but he will provide that we be not tempted above what we are able, and that we shall be able according as we are tempted. 2. That he will never suffer the righteous to be moved, to be so shaken by any troubles as to quit either their duty to God or their comfort in him. However, he will not suffer them to be moved for ever (as some read it); though they fall, they shall not be utterly cast down."  (Matthew Henry Commentary)

Be faithful. Be consistent.

Be faithful. Be consistent.

"Go on, and you cannot but go forward; believe it, though you do not see it.  Do the duties of your calling, though they are distasteful to you.  Educate your children carefully in the good way, though you cannot tell how far God's grace has touched their hearts.  Let your light shine before men, and praise God by a consistent life, even though others do not seem to glorify their Father on account of it, or to be benefited by your example." (Blessed John Henry Newman)

I believe, help my unbelief!

"Jesus said to him, “‘If you can!’ Everything is possible to one who has faith.”

Jesus says that everything is possible to one who has faith.  When we look at  life here and now, what are the things we want faith to impact?  Health, family, money, job, tools, food and future. Many would not be particularly interested in moving a mountain from its location into the sea.  Is our faith today impacting our health, family, money, job, tools, food and future?  If we are to be honest, we would answer:   Not completely.  Why not?  Because we still experience  anxiety over these matters.  This  anxiety tells us that our faith is still far from perfect.

The faith that is perfect is the faith that trusts completely in God's promises come what may.  It is  faith that has no anxiety at all but in everything, by prayer and petition mingled with thanksgiving commits all needs to God. (Philippians 4: 6 - 7).  This type of firm faith is also patient. (Isaiah 28: 16)  This is the faith that conquers the world. (1 John 5:4)

Since faith is a supernatural gift of God who encourages us to ask, seek, knock and we shall receive, find and enter, (Matthew 7:7)  let us approach the throne of grace with confidence to ask for this faith now and at every time of need.  (Hebrews 4: 16)

Do not be anxious

Matthew 6:25-26

Do Not Be Anxious

“Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?"

Devotion to St Joseph

“Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” (Matthew 1:20-21)

"I wish I could persuade everyone to be devoted to this glorious saint, for I know from long experience the benefits he obtains from God. I have never known anyone who was truly devoted to him and performed particular services in his honor, who did not advance greatly in virtue... I only ask, for the love of God, that anyone who doubts what I say make a test of it himself, and he will see, from actual experience, the great benefit it is to commend oneself to this glorious Patriarch, and to have devotion to him." (St Teresa of Avila, LIFE)

Hope delayed

Proverbs 13:12 "Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a desire fulfilled is a tree of life." The pure joy of answered prayer. I will rejoice in hope. I will bear my trials as discipline from a loving Father. I will pray constantly.

Trust in God's Providence - St Teresa of Avila

St Teresa had complete trust in God’s Providence. "To those who give up everything for Him, God gives Himself," she wrote. "Nothing is insignificant in our lives. Every event represents a divine opportunity, a divine call, a definite contribution to the intricate design of God's Providence." She says that God is watching and will care for you; therefore she advises: "Cease to be anxious for yourselves, for He bears your anxiety and will bear it always." (St Teresa of Avila)

Productive Moments

"All our moments are made productive by our obedience to the will of God, which reveals itself in a thousand different ways, each of which successively becomes our immediate duty. Together they mold and perfect within us that "new self." (John-Pierre de Caussade, SJ)

The hope of our calling

"That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation resulting in knowledge of him.
May the eyes of [your] hearts be enlightened, that you may know what is the hope that belongs to his call, what are the riches of glory in his inheritance among the holy ones."  (Ephesians 1: 17 - 18)

Matthew Henry comments on the subject of Paul's prayer for the Ephesians:
"Now what is it that Paul prays for in behalf of the Ephesians? Not that they might be freed from persecution; nor that they might possess the riches, honors, or pleasures of the world; but the great thing he prays for is the illumination of their understandings, and that their knowledge might increase and abound: he means it of a practical and experimental knowledge. The graces and comforts of the Spirit are communicated to the soul by the enlightening of the understanding. In this way he gains and keeps possession. Satan takes a contrary way: he gets possession by the senses and passions, Christ by the understanding." (Matthew Henry Commentary)

Present Moment

"What God arranges for us to experience at each moment is the best and holiest thing that could happen to us." (John-Pierre de Caussade)

Do you still not understand?

"When he became aware of this he said to them, “Why do you conclude that it is because you have no bread? Do you not yet understand or comprehend? Are your hearts hardened?"  (Mark 8: 17)

What do I need to understand and remember today about Jesus that will enhance my faith?
First, whenever I remember the wonderful things Jesus has done for me, my faith is boosted.  When I understand that Jesus did these awesome things for me because He loves me and also because He is sending a signal through His actions, I become not just full of trust but even courageous as I confront the world.

Memory and understanding are important abilities in the life of faith.  Every believer has the responsibility to develop these two faculties.  I keep a daily journal of  events in my life.  I guess that these journals capture 90% or more of significant events.  The act of writing helps memory.  But how often do I forget the wonderful things God does for me.  If it were not for the work of the Holy Spirit, I will remember so little of these amazing things.  My faith in God today is in direct proportion to my awareness of what God is doing in my life.  For this, I owe all the thanks to the Holy Spirit who reminds me always.

Endure your trials as discipline

"Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.  And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing." (James 1:2-4)

"Consider it wholly joyful, my brethren, whenever you are enveloped in or encounter trials of any sort or fall into various temptations.  Be assured and understand that the trial and proving of your faith bring out endurance and steadfastness and patience.  But let endurance and steadfastness and patience have full play and do a thorough work, so that you may be [people] perfectly and fully developed [with no defects], lacking in nothing."
(James 1:2-4 AMP)

"Everything is bread to nourish me, soap to cleanse me, fire to purify me."  (John-Pierre de Caussade)

Be my rock of safety

"For you are my rock and my fortress;
for your name’s sake lead me and guide me."  (Psalm 31: 4)

Do I know God as my rock and fortress?  Where do I run to in crisis?  Where do I place my hope for rescue and safety?

O Lord my God, You are all that I have.  For the sake of Your Name, lead me, guide me and use me.

They ate and were satisfied!

Matthew 4:4

“‘Man shall not live by bread alone,
but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”

Man does not live on money alone..
Man does not live on salary alone..
Man does not live on job alone..

Seekfirst.blogspot.com

Trust in the Lord with all your heart

"Commit your way to the LORD;
trust in him and he will act."  (Psalm 37: 50

How do you know the Lord will act for you when you need Him?
Trust His word.  Then walk by faith.

God keeps faithfully His covenant of mercy

"Solomon said, “LORD, God of Israel, there is no God like you in heaven above or on earth below; you keep covenant and love toward your servants who walk before you with their whole heart."  (1 Kings 8: 23)

How happy I am to be reminded  that our Father keeps His covenant and love toward His servants.  His covenants are His solemn promises.  There is one covenant of God that is specially close to my heart:

"But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given you besides"  (Matthew 6: 33)
How do I understand this covenant?  If Jesus Christ comes first in my life; if He reigns over my family, health, job, finances, tools and toys, food and future; if I allow the Holy Spirit to produce in me the fruits of righteousness, then God will keep His covenant of mercy and love for me.  This is consoling and exciting.  I love Matthew 6;33 so much that I have this scripture verse pinned all over my apartment.  My Blog is named after this promise: Seekfirst.blogspot.com.  I own the domains:  Seekfirstweb.Com, Seekfirstweb.Net and Seekfirstweb.Org.  This shows how much I need to be reminded of this covenant promise.

In Sacred Scripture, every covenant has a sign.  The covenant of God with Abraham was sealed with circumcision. Circumcision is therefore the sign of the Old Covenant.  What is the sign of the New Covenant?  It is the  Eucharist.

"TAKE THIS, ALL OF YOU, AND EAT OF IT, FOR THIS IS MY BODY, WHICH WILL BE GIVEN UP FOR YOU.

TAKE THIS, ALL OF YOU, AND DRINK FROM IT, FOR THIS IS THE CHALICE OF MY BLOOD, THE BLOOD OF THE NEW AND ETERNAL COVENANT, WHICH WILL BE POURED OUT FOR YOU AND FOR MANY FOR THE FOR THE FORGIVENESS OF SINS.  DO THIS IN MEMORY OF ME."

The above words of consecration in Holy Mass affirms the Eucharist as the sign of the New Covenant.  Every single promise in Sacred Scripture is sealed in this Eucharistic sign.  The logic is simple.  If the Father can swear to His trustworthiness by giving us the Flesh and Blood of His Only Begotten Son, what can He not give us as well.

"What then shall we say to this? If God is for us, who can be against us?
He who did not spare his own Son but handed him over for us all, how will he not also give us everything else along with him?"  (Romans 8: 31 - 32)

What is the conclusion?  Seek first the Kingdom of God and His justice and you shall find everything you need for life and happiness.

You are the light of the world

"Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”  (John 8: 12)

The Church exists to be the light of the world.  How is the Church the light of the world?
"I have chosen you from the world to go and bear fruit that will last." (John 15: 16, 19)
The Church responds:
"I will bear a witness to you in the world, O Lord.  I will spread the knowledge of your name among my brothers."  (Psalm 17: 50; 21: 23)

"The origin and purpose of mission. The Lord's missionary mandate is ultimately grounded in the eternal love of the Most Holy Trinity: "The Church on earth is by her nature missionary since, according to the plan of the Father, she has as her origin the mission of the Son and the Holy Spirit." The ultimate purpose of mission is none other than to make men share in the communion between the Father and the Son in their Spirit of love."  (Catechism of the Catholic Church #850)

When we evangelize, we become who we are, Christians.  The essence of a salt is to be salty. The essence of light is to illuminate.

Lord, I want the little light in me to shine, shine shine.  Thank you Jesus.

Let us thank God for the blessed rest of Sunday

"Jesus said to them, “Come away by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while.” People were coming and going in great numbers, and they had no opportunity even to eat."  (Mark 6: 31)

Sunday is God's great gift to humanity.  Let us thank God for the gift of Sunday.  As we enjoy the blessed rest of Sunday every week, we prepare to transition from Sunday rest to eternal rest.  As we worship God on Sunday, our faith in heaven grows.  As our faith in heaven grows so does our desire to please in everything.

Don't grow weary of Jesus

"But as for the seed that fell on rich soil, they are the ones who, when they have heard the word, embrace it with a generous and good heart, and bear fruit through perseverance."  (Luke 8: 15)

"Let us not grow tired of doing good, for in due time we shall reap our harvest, if we do not give up.
So then, while we have the opportunity, let us do good to all,h but especially to those who belong to the family of the faith."  (Galatians 6: 9 - 10)

Is it possible to get weary of Jesus?  The answer is yes if we do not nurture the relationship.  On His part, Jesus is always present and trustworthy.  We can be sure that He always does His own part of the equation.  Jesus does not force us to do own part of the relationship.  We have our free will.  A mutually loving relationship is nurtured through constant communication.

For the Christian, the path of growth in relationship with Jesus may pass through daily prayer, daily reading of the word of God, frequent Communion, faith sharing and others.  Love seeks the maximum and not the minimum practice.

Trust in Jesus with all your heart

"He instructed them to take nothing for the journey but a walking stick—no food, no sack, no money in their belts.
They were, however, to wear sandals but not a second tunic."  (Mark 6: 8 -9)

How do we grow in trusting God?  In Mark 6: 8 - 9, we see Jesus training His disciples to learn to rely on their hidden source of supply.   The alternative is to encumber themselves with unnecessary baggage.  Our faith is put on spot when we have to trust Jesus to deliver on His promises.  The promises of Jesus is unerring and fire-tried.  How about our trust?  Here lies the problem.  God makes it easy to trust Him by helping us with His instructions:
"He instructed them to take nothing for the journey but a walking stick—no food, no sack, no money in their belts.
They were, however, to wear sandals but not a second tunic."  (Mark 6: 8 -9)

I confess my faults to the Lord

"David answered Gad: “I am greatly distressed. But let us fall into the hand of God, whose mercy is great, rather than into human hands.”  (2 Samuel 24: 14)

David, faced with a most distressing situation falls back on his knowledge of God.  He knows that God is most merciful.  He knows that he can rely on this mercy.  If David's knowledge of God comes to his rescue at the moment of his greatest need, what we know about God can save us from great distress at the moment of our greatest need.

Cultivate your knowledge of God through prayer and the word of God.

We overcome by faith

"Disregarding the message that was reported, Jesus said to the synagogue official, “Do not be afraid; just have faith."  (Mark 5: 366)

Fear is useless.  All that is needed is trust.

Jesus wants us to trust Him completely in everything, always and everywhere.  But how do you trust Jesus in anything?  You trust that He will do what He promises to do in His word.  You trust that He has the power to accomplish anything that He wills.  You trust in His love and mercy for you.  You trust that Jesus knows what is best for you.

To maintain and grow your faith in Jesus, pray always.  Read the word of God everyday.

"Disregarding the message that was reported, Jesus said to the synagogue official, “Do not be afraid; just have faith."  (Mark 5: 366)

Disregarding the doctor's report...
Disregarding the empty bank account...
Disregarding the teacher's evaluation of your child...
Disregarding the supervisor's evaluation and the pink slip..
Disregarding the empty pantry...

We walk by faith and  not by sight.  Sense evidence means nothing.  Only the word of God stands forever.

Go and tell what the Lord has done for you

“Go home to your family and announce to them all that the Lord in his pity has done for you.”
Then the man went off and began to proclaim in the Decapolis what Jesus had done for him; and all were amazed."  (Mark 5: 19 - 20)

What I like about this story is how a man went from being possessed to being an evangelist.  In this narrative, we see the best content for evangelization.  When people are challenged to share their faith, you hear often:  "I don't know what to say"; 'I have not studied the faith or the catechism."  

Listen to what Jesus told the man who has just been set free from demonic possession:
“Go home to your family and announce to them all that the Lord in his pity has done for you.”  How did the man respond:  "Then the man went off and began to proclaim in the Decapolis what Jesus had done for him; and all were amazed."

How then do we evangelize?  Start with your family and friends.  Share with them the simple touches of goodness you experience from the Lord during the day.  Don't wait for the big ticket items like being cured of cancer or winning a lottery.  During the day, we experience many blessings from the Lord such as.  A hot shower, a nice breakfast, the humble car that took you to work, a beautiful smile.  The strongest way to evangelize and may be your strongest act of witness to Jesus Christ is a constant joyful and cheerful expression.  Sooner or later people will  notice and ask what makes you bubble.  Be ready with your answer.

Why are you terrified?

"Jesus was in the stern, asleep on a cushion. They woke him and said to him, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?”
He woke up, rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Quiet! Be still! The wind ceased and there was great calm."
"Then he asked them, “Why are you terrified? Do you not yet have faith?”
 (Mark 4: 38 - 40)

Lord Jesus, You ask me:  “Why are you terrified? Do you not yet have faith?”
Lord, when I face troubling situations with regard to family, health, finances, job, tools and property, food and future, I am terrified because my faith is very small.  I know You are God and present everywhere.  But I still wonder whether You will leave me to sort out things by myself. This is why I am terrified.  If only I can believe Your promise that You will never fail me; You will never forsake me.  Lord, if You strengthen my faith in Your promises, I will no longer be terrified.

Lord Jesus, increase my faith.

Why are you terrified?

"Jesus was in the stern, asleep on a cushion. They woke him and said to him, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?”
He woke up, rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Quiet! Be still! The wind ceased and there was great calm."
"Then he asked them, “Why are you terrified? Do you not yet have faith?”
 (Mark 4: 38 - 40)

Lord Jesus, You ask me:  “Why are you terrified? Do you not yet have faith?”
Lord, when I face troubling situations with regard to family, health, finances, job, tools and property, food and future, I am terrified because my faith is very small.  I know You are God and present everywhere.  But I still wonder whether You will leave me to sort out things by myself. This is why I am terrified.  If only I can believe Your promise that You will never fail me; You will never forsake me.  Lord, if You strengthen my faith in Your promises, I will no longer be terrified.

Lord Jesus, increase my faith.

St Catherine of Sienna on Suffering

"In Jesus crucified all things are possible to us, and God never lays a burden on us beyond our strength. We ought to rejoice when we receive a heavy burden, for it is then that God bestows on us the gift of fortitude. It is by the love of suffering that we get to lose the feeling of suffering." (St Catherine of Sienna)

Stop striving!

Be Still! Hold your peace!
You strive too much.

Abortion!

An interesting thought!

Abortion is the coverup for fornication, adultery and promiscuity within marriage. Deal with the sin and there will be no need for a coverup.

David to coverup his adultery with Bethsheba had to kill her husband, Uriah.

No sin - No coverup. But where sin has occurred, the Divine Mercy is always available.

A Sower goes out to sow

"But those sown on rich soil are the ones who hear the word and accept it and bear fruit thirty and sixty and a hundredfold."  (Mark 4: 20)

Jesus is the Sower.

One thing I ask the Father

"I believe I shall see the LORD’s goodness
in the land of the living.
Wait for the LORD, take courage;
be stouthearted, wait for the LORD!"  (Psalm 27: 13 - 14)

Yes, I believe too I shall see the good things of the Lord in the land of the living.  Therefore, I have no fear, no worry and no doubt.

Tell the Good News Everywhere

John 15:16

"You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you."

The Good News is Jesus Christ!

"Every soul with Christ is a missionary ; every soul without Christ is a mission field."  -  (Our Daily Bread)

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Jesus entrusts us with the message

"He went up the mountain and summoned those whom he wanted and they came to him.
He appointed twelve [whom he also named apostles] that they might be with him and he might send them forth to preach and to have authority to drive out demons:"  (Mark 3: 13 - 15)

The apostles were the close companions of Jesus who would be with Him all the time and later would be equipped to act like Jesus.

But the apostles were not the only people that were called by Jesus.

"And he gave some as apostles, others as prophets, others as evangelists, others as pastors and teachers, to equip the holy ones for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ,"  (Ephesians 4: 11 - 12)

Jesus chose, called and anointed His members to use their gifts in building up of the Church.

Effective Prayer of the Righteous

Psalm 56:9-11

"Then my enemies will turn back
in the day when I call.
This I know, that God is for me.
In God, whose word I praise,
in the Lord, whose word I praise,
in God I trust; I shall not be afraid.
What can man do to me?"

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God trains my hands for battle

"David continued: “The same LORD who delivered me from the claws of the lion and the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.” Saul answered David, “Go! the LORD will be with you.”  (1 Samuel 17: 37)

If God did it once, God will repeat what He has done before.  David knew that his source of inspiration and power is God.  This awareness gives him considerable calm and courage.

"All this multitude, too, shall learn that it is not by sword or spear that the LORD saves. For the battle belongs to the LORD, who shall deliver you into our hands."  (1 Samuel 17: 47)

God is sovereign, almighty and the First Cause of everything.  He does not need spear or sword to affect any outcome.  "Let there be light."  And there was light.  "Stretch out your hand.'  He stretched it out and his hand was restored."  (Mark 3: 5)  If God wills David to overcome Goliath, He inspires the means and gives David the power to accomplish God's purpose.

Years later, David was to include in his memoir (the Psalms) the following thought:

"Blessed be the LORD, my rock,
who trains my hands for battle,
my fingers for war;

My safeguard and my fortress,
my stronghold, my deliverer,
My shield, in whom I take refuge,
who subdues peoples under me."  (Psalm 144: 1 - 2)

How does God train our hands for battle, our fingers for war.

The answer is plain in Hebrews 12: 7:  "Endure your trials as 'discipline.'"
Every disappointment, delay, pain, suffering is a blessing.  Our disappointment is God's appointment.  Our pain is our tutor.

God sees the heart

1 Samuel 16:7
"But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.”

The Choice, the Call and the Anointing!

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Obedience is better than sacrifice

1 Samuel 15:22

“Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices,
as in obeying the voice of the Lord?
Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice,
and to listen than the fat of rams."

Here I am Lord, I come to do your will.

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God loves us first

1 John 4:16

"So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him."

God's perfect love for us drives out all fear.

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.