Father send Your Spirit into our lives with the power of a mighty wind.

"They were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke of the marvels of God." (Acts 2: 4, 11).

Pentecost Sunday 2019. The Birthday 🎂 of the Church. Happy Birthday our dear Mother and Teacher!

"The mission of Christ and the Holy Spirit is brought to completion in the Church, which is the Body of Christ and the Temple of the Holy Spirit. This joint mission henceforth brings Christ's faithful to share in his communion with the Father in the Holy Spirit. The Spirit prepares men and goes out to them with his grace, in order to draw them to Christ. (CCC 737).

"Father of light, from whom every good gift comes, send your Spirit into our lives with the power of a mighty wind, and by the flame of your wisdom open the horizons of our minds. Loosen our tongues to sing praises your in words beyond the power of speech, for without your Spirit man could never raise his voice in words of peace or announce the truth that Jesus is Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever." (Pentecost Collect).

SeekFirstcommunity.com

The sweet Providence of Jesus provided for Paul in Rome.

"He [Paul] remained for two full years in his lodgings. He received all who came to him, and with complete assurance and without hindrance he proclaimed the kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ." (Acts 28: 30 - 31).

Saturday of the 7th week of Easter. The end of the Easter Season. Sunday is Solemnity of Pentecost. Paul has now arrived in Rome after a scary sea voyage. He will be tried by the Emperor. Our Scripture text today is the very last verses of the Acts of the Apostles. What strikes you in this Scripture? It is a happy ending for Paul and consolation for us.
Although Paul was under house arrest, he was allowed to remain in his own lodgings. He was free to receive whomever he wished.
"And with complete assurance and without hindrance he proclaimed the kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ."

What a happy set of circumstances! Is this situation accident, luck or just a happy break for Paul? It is the providence of Jesus that arranged these circumstances for Paul. Why? In order to encourage Paul and every disciple of Jesus that the Lord is faithful. He will always be with us in every situation.

SeekFirstcommunity.com

Bless the Lord my soul.

"Bless the Lord, my soul; and do not forget all his gifts." (Psalm 103: 2).

Friday of the 7th week of Easter is also the First Friday of June. Our reflection today is taken from the Responsorial Psalm 103, verse 2. This Psalm is titled the Psalm of David and is in praise of divine goodness. David, the "man after God's heart" gives us the secret of enduring loving relationship with God: Thanksgiving and Praise.

David remembers every one of God's favors to him and frequently composes psalms to celebrate new favors. For example, he lists particular favors below:
"Who pardons all your sins, and heals all your ills,
Who redeems your life from the pit, and crowns you with mercy and compassion,
Who fills your days with good things, so your youth is renewed like the eagle’s." (Psalm 103: 3 - 5).

Sunday is Pentecost Sunday. We have the opportunity for a special renewal by the Holy Spirit. All we need is the desire and asking for it. David had a great boost of the Holy Spirit after he was anointed by the Prophet Samuel. When the Holy Spirit is established in us, remembering God's gifts will be automatic. The Holy Spirit will constantly remind us of these gifts.

SeekFirstcommunity.com

Honor Jesus in the First Friday of June 2019.

June 7th First Friday in June 2019.

The 12 Promises of the Sacred Heart of Jesus:  Jesus promised 12 special favors to all those who will honor His Sacred Heart especially on the First Friday of every month.  In the 6th month of the year 2019, we look at Promise #6.

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

June is the Month the Church honors the Sacred Heart of Jesus. 

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

"Jesus has loved us all with a human heart. For this reason, the Sacred Heart of Jesus, pierced by our sins and for our salvation, "is quite rightly considered the chief sign and symbol of that. . . love with which the divine Redeemer continually loves the eternal Father and all human beings" without exception."  (CCC 478).

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

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

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

Seekfirstcommunity.com

Where is your Jerusalem?

“Take courage. For just as you have borne witness to my cause in Jerusalem, so you must also bear witness in Rome.” (Acts 23: 11).

Thursday of the 7th week of Easter.
Paul was under voluntary house arrest when Jesus appeared to him at night and promoted him in his ministry. "I am happy with the work you have done in Jerusalem. I here and now promote you to go up to Rome."

Where is your Jerusalem? How do you account for your stewardship? Remember the commission? We are to bear witness to 4 things:

#1 The Death of Jesus.
#2 Testimony of Scripture to the suffering and death of Jesus: (Luke 24: 44 - 46).
#3 The Resurrection of Jesus.
#4 The power of the Name of Jesus.

Are you ready for the New Pentecost?

Eternal Father, prepare us for the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Let Your Spirit come upon us with the power to fill us with His gifts and make us always willing to embrace Your gracious will every moment of our lives. Amen.

SeekFirstcommunity.com

Lord, prepare us for spiritual warfare.

"Keep watch over yourselves and over the whole flock of which the holy Spirit has appointed you overseers, in which you tend the church of God that he acquired with his own blood." (Acts 20: 28).

Wednesday of the 7th week of Easter. The above Scripture fits the life and mission of St Boniface (680 - 754), the Apostle to Germany whose feast the Church celebrates today. Born in England and sent to evangelize Germany, he was consecrated to the truth as the first Bishop of Germany. Boniface was martyred by the natives. The people who martyred him did not know that the blood of martyrs is the seed of the Church. The German Church flourished to the benefit of Christianity.

What did Jesus mean when He prayed for us:  "Consecrate them in the truth. Your word is truth." He prayed that our minds will remember and understand the wonderful truth He came to teach us. Baptism of the Holy Spirit brings us the gifts and fruits of the Holy Spirit. It is also preparation for spiritual warfare. Do you not yet understand? Do you not remember that you too must suffer before you come to everlasting life?

But do not be afraid. Jesus our Captain and Leader has gone there before us and He tells us: "Have courage. I have overcome the world." St Boniface too overcame the world. He is honored all over the world on his feast day.

SeekFirstcommunity.com

T'is not from chance our comfort springs.

"The Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and remind you of all I have told you." (John 14: 26).

Tuesday of the 7th week of Easter. There are 7 gifts of the Holy Spirit. There are 12 fruits of the same awesome Spirit. When I became acquainted with the Holy Spirit and began to appreciate Him more and more, what I appreciated most is the subject of our Scripture reflection: The Holy Spirit helps me to understand the Scriptures that I have appropriated and secondly, the Holy Spirit reminds me of the good things God is doing for me. It is impossible to offer praises and thanks if you do not know what God is doing for you. I thank the Holy Spirit every morning for this wonderful gifts.

Consider for a moment what God is doing for you:

"The child of God can fear no ill,
His chosen, dread no foe;
We leave our fate with thee, and wait Thy bidding when to go.
‘Tis not from chance our comfort springs, Thou art our trust, O King of kings." (Liturgy of the Hours).

What does this mean? Not even a single comfort you enjoy in life comes from chance, luck or accident. Every good thing that comes to you is from God's gracious ordaining. We find exactly the same idea in 2 Corinthians 1: 3 where God is called "Father of mercies and God of ALL comforts."
Did you notice the word ALL. It means TODO, no exception. It is impossible for you to know all these without the ministry of the Holy Spirit.

On Sunday the 9th of June, as we celebrate the feast of Pentecost, each of us has the opportunity to be renewed with the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.

SeekFirstcommunity.com

We have never even heard there is anything like the Holy Spirit.

“Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you became believers?” (Acts 19: 2).

Monday of the 7th week of Easter. Why did Paul ask the Christians of Ephesus this blunt and embarrassing question? Probably Paul noticed something from their questions, words and behavior that were dissonant with the experience of the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. Is this really the Blood of Christ? Asked a Eucharistic minister, a new convert to the Church.

How would you answer the question? “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you became believers?” Not this way: “We have never even heard that there is a Holy Spirit,” said the new Ephesian Christians. What difference does the Holy Spirit make in your life? Which of His gifts can you claim?

1. Wisdom
2.Understanding
3. Counsel
4. Fortitude
5. Knowledge
6. Piety
7. Fear of the Lord

Without the active indwelling of the Holy Spirit, it will be impossible to avoid serious sin and to live an effective Christian life. Was this what Paul observed in Ephesus?

Pope St John XXIII must have the Holy Spirit in mind when he advised: "Consult not your fears but your hopes and your dreams. Think not about your frustrations, but about your unfulfilled potential. Concern yourself not with what you tried and failed in, but what is still possible for you to do." (Pope St John XXIII)

Today is the feast of St Charles Lwanga and 14 companions who were martyred in 1886 and 1887 by King Mwanga of Uganda for resolutely refusing to participate in homosexual practices.

SeekFirstcommunity.com

Why are you standing there looking at the sky?

“Men of Galilee, why are you standing there looking at the sky? This Jesus who has been taken up from you into heaven will return in the same way as you have seen him going into heaven.” (Acts 1: 11).

Sunday of the 7th week of Easter, the Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord Jesus. Forty days after His Resurrection and at the end of His instructions on the Kingdom of God, it was time to depart for Heaven. His disciples were filled with joy as they returned to Jerusalem to await "the Promise of the Father", the Holy Spirit of whom Jesus talked a lot in His last discourse before His passion.

We do not have time to stand here or there looking at the sky. Now is the time to busy ourselves through prayer and study preparing for the the feast of the Holy Spirit which is next Sunday.

"Grant, we pray, almighty God,
that we, who believe that your Only Begotten Son, our Redeemer,
ascended this day to the heavens,
may in spirit dwell already in heavenly realms.
Who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever." Collect of the feast of Ascension).

SeekFirstcommunity.com

No Prayer, No Experience of God.

"Amen, amen, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in my name he will give you.  Until now you have not asked anything in my name; ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be complete." (John 16: 23 - 24).

Saturday of the 6th week of Easter. Jesus tells us to approach the throne of grace and mercy of Abba Father and ask for whatever we need with boldness and expectant faith. If you never ask in prayer, you may never experience the pure joy of answered prayer.

"Ask and keep on asking and it will be given to you; seek and keep on seeking and you will find; knock and keep on knocking and the door will be opened to you." (Matthew 7: 7 AMP).

Jesus teaches that Prayer is a vital necessity because Prayer is the only thing that gives us the direct and irrefutable experience of God.
But to pray with the guarantee of receiving, you must pray like Jesus. You must pray as the Church has learned to pray. "According to Your will and not mine for I do not know what is the best for me."

When you pray and receive answer to your prayer, do you think it is a coincidence? Perhaps the first time. Or the first few times. The cause and effect of prayer is no accident. No prayer. No answer.

The Father wants you to experience the pure joy of answered prayer so that your joy will be complete.

SeekFirstcommunity.com

Mary said YES to an incomprehensible mystery.

"Blessed are you who believed that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled.” (Luke 1: 45).

Friday of the 6th week of Easter is the feast of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary. "The Visitation is the meeting between Mary and her cousin Elizabeth, the mother of St John the Baptist. Mary's "Magnificat" is another testimony of her humility before God. Her readiness to serve Elizabeth is a good lesson on charity." (Roman Missal).

Mary said YES to an incomprehensible mystery. Like Abraham, she believed and hoped against hope. Like Abraham, Mary was richly rewarded for her faith...  “Most blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb," cried out Elizabeth under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit....."Behold, from now on will all ages call me blessed," Mary cried out with exuberance. (Luke 1: 48). Yes indeed. Billions of people call Mary blessed amongst women.

"Blessed is the Virgin Mary, who believed that the promise made her by the Lord would be fulfilled." (Luke 1: 45).

SeekFirstcommunity.com

He laughs best who laughs last.

"Amen, amen, I say to you, you will weep and mourn, while the world rejoices; you will grieve, but your grief will become joy." (John 16: 20).

Thursday of the 6th week of Easter. Many of us have probably heard this: "He who laughs last, laughs best." Jesus promises us the last laugh. This laugh will be filled with joy and will last forever. In the short time, our Savior and Redeemer is asking us to endure all the trials, deprivations and persecutions with the strength that comes from the Holy Spirit.

"I will not leave you orphans, says the Lord; I go, but I will come back to you, and your hearts will be full of joy." (Cf John 14: 18).

SeekFirstcommunity.com

When the Holy Spirit is Jesus..

"I shall ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate to be with you for ever." (John 14: 16).

Wednesday of the 6th week of Easter. The drums are sounding louder for the celebration of Pentecost. What do we expect?
#1. The Parakletos who in 1 John 2: 1 is the Lord Jesus Himself.

#2. In John 14: 16, the Holy Spirit is the Advocate, the Third Person of the Blessed Trinity whom the Father will give us to abide with us forever!

#3. In John 14: 26, He is the Advocate that the Father will send in the name of Jesus to teach us all that we need to know for our ministry and remind us everything Jesus has taught us.

#4. In John 15: 26, the Advocate the Spirit of truth whom the Father will send "in my name." He will bear witness to Jesus and enable us to bear witness to Jesus too.

All these promises are ours for the desire and the asking.

"I will bear witness to You in the world O Lord. I will spread the knowledge of Your name among my brothers and sisters." (Cf Psalm 17: 50; 21: 23).

SeekFirstcommunity.com

What must I do to be saved?

 “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” (Acts 16: 30).

Tuesday of the 6th week of Easter. We The Holy Spirit is building up the Body of Christ. Paul and Silas were incarcerated in a maximum security prison in Philippi, a Roman colony. God responded to their praise,  thanksgiving and songs through a powerful earthquake that smashed all the jail doors and unshackled all the prisoners. The statled goaler was shocked that Paul and Silas did not escape. This action coupled with the their prayers and songs led him to faith.

The prison guard perceived that Paul and Silas are in truth free while he the goaler is in fact imprisoned by fears, anxieties and doubts. With the help of grace of the Holy Spirit, he decided that he needs what Paul and Silas enjoys. That is, the Shalom of Jesus.

Where do you feel deep pain, fears, worries and doubts in your life?

Paul answered the goaler's question:  “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”
“Believe in the Lord Jesus and you and your household will be saved.” (Acts 16: 31).
The same truth can set you free today.

SeekFirstcommunity.com

Words to remember the next time you are in crisis.

“I have told you these things so that you won’t abandon your faith." (John 16: 1).

Monday of the 6th week of Easter. Stark warning of the cost of discipleship. Severe tests and persecutions that will be provoked by witnessing to Jesus Christ.

On the three occasions I had a serious crisis of faith, I wished I had remembered this warning of Jesus. If it were not for the timely intervention of the Holy Spirit, my faith would have been in the past tense. On one of the three occasions, I heard these words in my heart: "Who is your security?" I answered correctly "Jesus Christ." The Tempter sneaked away.

On the two other occasions, I felt like the two disciples on the road to Emmaus. Hope was vanishing. I felt sad and foolish for trusting Jesus. Again the direct intervention of the Holy Spirit restored faith and hope. My heart was burning within me as I heard:
“I’ve told you these things to prepare you for rough times ahead."

Without the Holy Spirit, it is impossible to experience how God works in our lives and even to remember to share the experience with others.

"It was ordained that the Christ should suffer and rise from the dead, and so enter into his glory." (Luke 24: 46, 26). So must we. 

SeekFirstcommunity.com

The Holy Spirit will teach you everything.

"The Advocate, the holy Spirit that the Father will send in my name—he will teach you everything and remind you of all that I told you." (John 14: 26).

Sunday of the 6th week of Easter. Two weeks to Pentecost. The excitement is growing. The disciples were advised to retreat to the Upper Room and prepare for this phenomenal event.  The Holy Spirit? Why does He matter?
"The Holy Spirit, whom Christ the head pours out on his members, builds, animates, and sanctifies the Church. She is the sacrament of the Holy Trinity's communion with men." (CCC 747). This is He and this is what He does. He is also the Lord and Giver of life. The eternal life we start enjoying here and now when we believe in Jesus. He is also the Abundant life promised by Jesus in John 10: 10.

If you have received Him but not yet activated this awesome Person, prepare for Pentecost Sunday June 9th through intense desire and prayer.

"If you love me, keep my commandments, says the Lord,
and I will ask the Father and he will send you another Paraclete,
to abide with you for ever." (John 14: 15 - 16).

SeekFirstcommunity.com

St Bede the Venerable shed a brilliant light on England.

"Day after day the churches grew stronger in faith and increased in number." (Acts 16: 5).

Saturday of the 5th week of Easter. Our reflection today is pulled from the 1st Reading: The introduction of St Timothy to the Apostle Paul and their work in Derbe and Lystra. We read of the fruit of their missionary endeavors:
"Day after day the churches grew stronger in faith and increased in number." What does it mean to say that the Church grew stronger in faith? It means that the Christians grew stronger in their understanding and acceptance of the truths of the faith. Is this something that can be said of you? For example, are you growing in your understanding and acceptance of the truths in Sacred Scripture and all the teachings of the Church?

Today is the feast of St Bede the Venerable (672 - 735), Priest and Doctor of the Church. St Bede worked hard to help the Church in England grow stronger in faith and increase in numbers. He was a brilliant light in his day.

"Lord, You have enlightened Your Church with the learning of St Bede. In Your love, may Your people learn from his wisdom and benefit from his prayers. Grant this through our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen" (Collect on the feast of St Bede the Venerable, May 25).

SeekFirstcommunity.com

Who are you prepared to lay down your life for?

"No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends." (John 15: 13).

Friday of the 5th week of Easter. We hear throughout the Gospel of how much Jesus loves us. This lesson comes to us through His teaching, parables, miracles. But the greatest of this word comes to us through His teaching by example:
"No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends." Who can doubt this? Who can sneer at this? This is why the Cross is such a powerful symbol. It proclaims graphically the whole message of salvation.

“For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life." (John 3: 16 NLT).

Thank You Jesus.

SeekFirstcommunity.com

We are saved by grace through faith.

"And God, who knows the heart, bore witness by granting them the holy Spirit just as he did us." (Acts 15: 8).

Thursday of the 5th week of Easter. The first Reading of today (Acts 15: 7 - 21)is what is often referred to as the first Church Council of Jerusalem. The rights, privileges and obligations of the Gentile Christians were defined and codified "but tell them by letter."

What won the argument between the party of the Pharisees and the non Judaisers was this critical insight:
"And God, who knows the heart, bore witness by granting them the holy Spirit just as he did us." (Acts 15: 8). That is to say: God saves all people by grace through faith. (Ephesians 2: 8).

Brothers and sisters, rejoice in this truth. Let nothing keep you from enjoying fully the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, eternal life and all the fruits of Salvation.

"We believe that we are saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, in the same way as they.” (Acts 15: 11). This silenced the whole assembly. They understood that the Holy Spirit has spoken.

"O God, by whose grace,
though sinners, we are made just
and, though pitiable, made blessed,
stand, we pray, by your works,
stand by your gifts, that those justified by faith may not lack the courage of perseverance.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever." (Collect, Thursday of the 5th week of Easter).

SeekFirstcommunity.com

When the Father starts pruning you, get ready for promotion.

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener.  He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will bear even more fruitful." (John 15: 1 - 2).

Wednesday of the 5th week of Easter. During this great Easter Season, the Son speaks to us always. We hear of the Holy Spirit, the third Person of the Blessed Trinity. Rarely do we hear of Abba Father, the first Person of the Holy Trinity. All the Three Sacred Persons are involved in the work of our salvation.

Jesus teaches us in (John 15: 1 - 2) of the pruning action of Abba for the son and daughter being prepared for promotion. We have further encouragement from the Book of Hebrews:
"Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as his children. For what children are not disciplined by their father?  If you are not disciplined—and everyone undergoes discipline—then you are not legitimate, not true sons and daughters at all." (Hebrews 12: 7 - 8).

Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you submit yourself for discipline.

SeekFirstcommunity.com