The Samaritan Woman receives the gift of Faith.

“If you knew the gift of God and who is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.” (John 4: 10).

Sunday 15th March, 2020 is the 3rd Sunday of Lent.

Our reflection comes from the story of the Samaritan Woman. Jesus and the Samaritan woman talked about water near Jacob’s Well. At first, the woman thought Jesus was talking of ordinary water. Water in the Bible symbolizes the Holy Spirit.
The theme of this Sunday is the big "Gift of God", the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit is the Lord and Giver of life. He is the Abundant life promised by Jesus in John 10: 10.
Last Sunday we read and reflected on the Story of the Transfiguration of Jesus. Peter, James and John experienced the splendor of the transfigured Jesus on Mount Tabor. This experience big as it is was, did not give them a robust faith in Jesus as the Messiah who must suffer death and rise from the dead. What was the missing ingredient?

"But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, throughout Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” (Acts 1: 8).

On Pentecost Sunday, the "Promise of the Father" was delivered to the disciples gathered in the Upper Room. The Holy Spirit was the game changer. He descended on the disciples with His 7 gifts:
Wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety and fear of the Lord. The disciples received too the fruits of the Holy Spirit which transformed their character. These fruits are:

Charity, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, generosity, gentleness, faithfulness, modesty, self-control and chastity.
You see the gifts in action every day in Christians. Jesus promises that by these characteristics people will know that we are Christians.

Lord Jesus, Word of God give me the living water, so that I may never get thirsty.

Daily Bible Verse @ SeekFirstcommunity.com

The return of the Prodigal.

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

Saturday 14th March, 2020 of the 2nd week of Lent. The theme of the Scripture message from Micah and Luke is compassion. In Luke we have the Parable of the Prodigal Son where the Father of the Prodigal is an allegory for Abba Father who has always desired to be our Father come what may.

Let us savor the healing Scriptures from today's Liturgy which come to us directly from God's tender and compassionate Heart.

#1. "The Lord is kind and full of compassion, slow to anger, abounding in mercy. How good is the Lord to all, compassionate to all his creatures." (Psalm 145: 8 - 9).

#2. "Who is there like you, the God who removes guilt and pardons sin for the remnant of his inheritance; Who does not persist in anger forever, but delights rather in clemency." (Micah 7: 18).

#3. "Bless the Lord, O my soul,
and forget not all his benefits. 
He pardons all your iniquities,
he heals all your ills. He redeems your life from destruction, he crowns you with kindness and compassion." (Psalm 103: 1 - 2).

#4. "He pardons all your iniquities,
he heals all your ills. He redeems your life from destruction, he crowns you with kindness and compassion."  (Psalm 103: 3 - 4).

#5 "My son, you are here with me always; everything I have is yours. But now we must celebrate and rejoice, because your brother was dead and has come to life again; he was lost and has been found." (Luke 15: 31 - 32).

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

Return to the Lord, your God.
For he is gracious and merciful.

Daily Bible Verse @ SeekFirstcommunity.com

Here comes the master dreamer!

 

"They said to one another: “Here comes that dreamer!  Come now, let us kill him and.... We will see then what comes of his dreams.” (Genesis 37: 19-20).

Friday 13th March 2020, of 2nd week of Lent. The first Reading from Genesis and the Gospel from Matthew serve us with intrigues, plots and murder. Any surprises? None. Especially when we remember that Cain committed the first murder in the Bible when he killed his brother Abel.

The Scriptures from Genesis and the Gospel end well. God writes straight lines with crooked lines.
"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 in disguise. All is well. All things are well. All manner of things are well, says the mystic, Julian of Norwich.

Trust in Divine Providence forever.

Daily Bible Verse @ SeekFirstcommunity.com

Choose blessings today.

"Thus says the Lord:
Cursed is the man who trusts in human beings, who makes flesh his strength, whose heart turns away from the Lord." (Jeremiah 17: 5).

Thursday 12th March 2020 of the 2nd week of Lent. Jeremiah offers us curse or blessing as Moses before him.
"See, I am setting before you today a blessing and a curse." (Deuteronomy 11: 16).

What are the things that make our hearts turn away from the Lord? In one word: IDOLATRY! Something we love more than we love God. They could be any or all of the following:

#1 Money
#2 Job
#3 Health
#4 Family
#5 Possessions
#6 Food
#7 Worries

Prophet Jeremiah continues:
"Blessed are those who trust in the Lord; the Lord will be their trust.
They are like a tree planted beside the waters that stretches out its roots to the stream:
It does not fear heat when it comes,
its leaves stay green;
In the year of drought it shows no distress, but still produces fruit." (Jeremiah 17: 7 - 8).

Things that move our hearts to trust in the Lord and receive blessings and be blessing to others:

#1 Prayer
#2 Word of God
#3 Eucharist
#4 Penance
#5 Ministry
#6 Spiritual Reading

"Choose life, then, that you and your descendants may live, by loving the Lord, your God, obeying his voice, and holding fast to him. For that will mean life for you, a long life for you to live on the land which the Lord swore to your ancestors, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give to them." (Deuteronomy 30: 19 - 20).

Daily Bible Verse @ SeekFirstcommunity.com

How can we forget the promises of God?

“Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be handed over to the chief priests and the scribes, and they will condemn him to death,  and hand him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and scourged and crucified, and he will be raised on the third day.” (Matthew 20: 18 - 19).

Wednesday 11th March, 2020 of the 2nd week of Lent. Our Gospel for today gives us the third prediction by Jesus of His coming Passion, Death and Resurrection, the Pascal Mystery.

Jesus predicted the unforgettable last events in His earthly life. Why was this most hard to forget prediction forgotten by all the Apostles in His intimate circle?
If your best friend tells you that he is traveling to the capital where he will be tried and condemned to death and executed through the electric chair, can you forget such words?

Think of this: Jesus promised several things to His beloved Church which are forgotten by a significant number of His friends today. Example:

#1 The Eucharist
#2 The Holy Spirit
#3 Eternal life

Ask yourself this question:
#a. What if the Eucharist is true? Can we afford to neglect it?
#b. What if the Holy Spirit is truly the best Gift and Friend He is promised to be? Will you turn your back on Him?
#c. What if Eternal life is our destiny?
Can anyone live as if everything ends here on earth?

The enemy of mankind who is the Father of lies will do the utmost to wipe out from our memories the wonderful memories of God's gifts and promises to us.
Don’t allow it to happen to you. Fight back. Lent is the time. 

Daily Bible Verse @ SeekFirstcommunity.com

Resisting God's will is futile.

"If you are willing, and obey, you shall eat the good things of the land; But if you refuse and resist, you shall be eaten by the sword: for the mouth of the Lord has spoken!" (Isaiah 1: 19 - 20).

Tuesday 10th March, 2020 of the 2nd week of Lent. Our Scripture gift to live by today from Isaiah 1, is sweet music to the ears of everyone who believes that God is truly Abba, Daddy and desires our best.

One of the great insights I received in recent years is that it is futile to resist the will of God. Imagine if your doctors tell you that you have less than 3 months to live. You storm out of the office shouting: "I will not die. I will never die. You are liars. Fake news!" What difference does your childish tantrum make? It is like resisting God's will. My friend, it profits nothing.

The Scriptures teach that God's will is just, holy, gracious. Yet many occasions, for us spiritually blind mortals, God's will is mysterious. Mysterious or not, the holy teaching Church instructs us to embrace it always, everywhere and in everything. I am working on this and the effort has brought me much joy.

"I will recount all your wonders.

I will rejoice in you and be glad,

and sing psalms to your name, O Most High." (Psalm 9: 2 - 3).

Daily Bible Verse @ SeekFirstcommunity.com 

As you receive mercy, be merciful.

"Be merciful, as your Father is merciful, says the Lord." (Luke 6: 36).

Monday 9th March, 2020 of the 2nd Week of Lent is the feast of St Frances of Rome (1384 - 1440), Religious. Frances brought up her three children in the fear and love of God. "A married woman must often leave God at the altar to find Him in her household care." St Frances founded an order of Oblates. She demonstrated a rare example of love and devotion in marriage as well as in religious life.

Jesus asks us today to be merciful as Abba Father is merciful. What is mercy? Mercy can be defined as unmerited: compassion, forgiveness, pardon. It is impossible for us to be merciful unless we have experienced mercy and are grateful for the mercy given to us. The temptation is to think that you received mercy because you deserved it by virtue of your character, faithfulness, integrity, etc. But how about the other person? Oh no. This is her habit. She is a habitual offender, a delinquent.
Jesus teaches that nobody merits the mercy of God. To be merciful is the character of God. But we must extend mercy when we receive mercy. Remember the ABC OF MERCY:
A: ASK FOR MERCY.
B: BE MERCIFUL.
C: COMPLETELY TRUST JESUS FOR MERCY.

Daily Bible Verse @ SeekFirstcommunity.com

The Transfiguration of Jesus strengthens our hope of Resurrection.

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

Sunday 8th March, 2020 of the 2nd Week of Lent. The Gospel narrative today is the Transfiguration of Jesus.

At the beginning of His public ministry, Jesus journeyed to the River Jordan to be baptized by John the Baptist. Before Jesus journeyed to Jerusalem to begin His Pascal Mystery, He climbed Mount Tabor to confer with Moses and Elijah.
Jesus' Baptism prepared for our Baptism. Baptism makes us a new creation, the adopted children of God.
The Transfiguration of Jesus gives us a foretaste of Christ's second coming when the Elect will be transformed and become like Jesus as He appeared in the Transfiguration. The Transfiguration prepares us for the great mystery of our own Resurrection.

The Transfiguration of Jesus sustained the faith of the disciples of Jesus in the life and death struggles they faced in the first centuries of Christianity.

Because of the Transfiguration, we see Christ as our hope. We also understand that the victory over death and sin will come via the Cross.  The Cross is the Means of Salvation, Redemption, Glorification and Eternal life. This is the gracious and mysterious will of the Father.

Are you fired up by the great promise of the Transfiguration?

Daily Bible Verse @ SeekFirstcommunity.com

Saints Perpetua and Felicity fearlessly faced their butchers.

"Today you have accepted the Lord’s agreement: he will be your God, and you will walk in his ways, observe his statutes, commandments, and ordinances, and obey his voice.  And today the Lord has accepted your agreement." (Deuteronomy 26: 17 - 18).

Saturday 7th March 2020, of 1st Week of Lent is also the feast of two young martyrs from North Africa: Saints Perpetua and Felicity. (+ 203). Perpetua was mother of a young child and Felicity was pregnant.
Perpetua and Felicity triumphed over their butchers by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death. (Cf Revelation 12: 11).

In our key Scripture for today, Yahweh God signed an agreement with His People. He would protect them and provide all their needs. The People will obey His commandments. Have you heard some televangelists say something like: "God loves you with an infinite love. No matter what you do, it can never effect the degree of God's love for you." You may ask such false teachers: "How about the agreement, the covenant?" Throughout the Bible, breaking of the Covenant has met with severe punishment ranging from crop failure, draught, military defeats and the most severe, exile. Jesus Christ foretold the destruction of Jerusalem because of the unfaithfulness of the People. This happened in 70 AD.

Beware of false teachers.

Daily Bible Verse @ SeekFirstcommunity.com

I desire repentance and not condemnation.

"Do I find pleasure in the death of the wicked—oracle of the Lord God? Do I not rejoice when they turn from their evil way and live?" (Ezekiel 18: 23).

Friday 6th March 2020 of the 1st Week of Lent is also the First Friday of March. The dominant theme today is Sin and Reconciliation.

Jesus Christ is the Face of Mercy of God. No sin is too sinister, too big for God to forgive. No time is too soon, too late to ask for mercy. Everyone who asks for mercy will receive mercy.

The Lord is kind and merciful.
Ask for mercy.
Be merciful.
Completely trust Jesus for mercy.

Daily Bible Verse @ SeekFirstcommunity.com

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Honor the Sacred Heart of Jesus this First Friday.

First Friday in March, 2020 .

Jesus promised 12 special graces and favors to all those who will honor His Sacred Heart especially on the First Friday of every month.  In the 3rd month of the year 2020, we look at Promise #3.

#3.  "I will console them in all their troubles."

Jesus does not promise us a trouble free life.
"My son, if you aspire to serve the Lord, prepare yourself for an ordeal." (Sirach 2: 1).

Troubles are opportunity to grow spiritually.  "I promise to be your strength in proportion to the trust you place on Me." The more you trust Jesus, the more He is your comfort, strength and security in trials.

Remind the Lord often of these promises. Remind Him also of His promise to answer every prayer. (Matthew 7: 7).

Honor the Sacred Heart of Jesus on the First Friday of March, 2020.

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

Prayer is the key to your destiny.

"Everyone who asks, receives; and the one who seeks, finds;
and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened." (Matthew 7: 8).

Thursday 5th March 2020 in the 1st Week of Lent. You can call this Thursday "Ask and Receive Thursday" because Confidence in Prayer is the theme of the liturgical texts. Prayer determines your destiny. Do you come to God in prayer with a confident and expectant faith? If you you do not, have you asked why? Could it be any of the following:

#1 Unbelief in God's promises.
#2 Pride.
#3 Unconfessed sin.

If Prayer is the key to receiving all the good things God has planned for us, not to pray and learn to pray well is the gravest injustice against oneself. Jesus calls Prayer a vital necessity. Sacred Scripture bids us:
#1 Pray always.
#2 Pray everywhere.
#3 Pray about everything.

Do this and it shall be well with you.
St Augustine teaches:
If you pray well, you live well.
If you live well, you die well.
If you die well, All is well.

Daily Bible Verse @ SeekFirstcommunity.com

O God have mercy on me.

"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).

Wednesday 4th March 2020, of 1st Week of Lent is the feast of St Casimir (1458 - 1484). Son of King and Queen of Poland and Lithuania. Compared to his siblings who may be called brood of vipers, Casimir had faith, piety, humility and chastity. He loved the Eucharist and had a great devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary. He died at the age of 26.

Our key Scripture is from Jonah 3: 1 - 10. This Scripture reminds us that God calls us to repentance this Lent 2020. There is no time to waste. God is waiting to see a humble and contrite spirit. He pleads: "Even now, says the Lord, return to me with your whole heart for I am gracious and merciful." (Joel 2: 12 - 13).

Do not delay the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Remember the ABC of Mercy:
A: ASK FOR MERCY.
B: BE MERCIFUL.
C: COMPLETELY TRUST JESUS FOR MERCY.

A heart contrite and humbled, O God, you will not spur.
Behold, now is the favourable time.
This is the day of salvation.

Daily Bible Verse @ SeekFirstcommunity.com

St Katharine Drexel heard the call of Jesus and responded fully.

"My word that goes forth from my mouth; shall not return to me empty, but shall do what pleases me, achieving the end for which I sent it." (Cf Isaiah 55: 11).

Tuesday 3rd March 2020, of 1st Week of Lent is the feast of St Katharine Drexel (1858 - 1955), Virgin. Katharine was a wealthy heiress from the rich and famous class of the Philadelphia society. She realized that it profits her nothing to gain the whole world and put her eternal destiny in jeopardy. She listened to the Call of Jesus Christ to teach the message of the Gospel and bring the Eucharist to African-American and Native American people in the South of the United States. In 1915, Katharine founded the Xavier University in New Orleans. At her death in 1955, over 500 of her sisters were teaching in 63 schools.

God’s word to go and proclaim the message of the Gospel did not fall in vain on the heart of St Katharine. It accomplished the end for which God sent the word. A harvest of 100 fold. So shall it be for you and me if we follow the third petition of the Lord's Prayer:
"Your will be done,on earth as in heaven."

Lord Jesus, You blessed St Katharine Drexel with abundant harvest in Your field. Look upon us in Your mercy and bless and prosper the work of our hands.

Daily Bible Verse @ SeekFirstcommunity.com

Be holy.

"The Lord said to Moses:  Speak to the whole Israelite community and tell them: Be holy, for I, the Lord your God, am holy." (Leviticus 19: 1 - 2).

Monday 2nd March 2020, of 1st Week of Lent.

God is appealing to us in the first Reading today to be holy. The child of God must emulate the character of the Father. Why do we assume that holiness is impossible for many except a few? This is a big lie of the Devil. Jesus teaches that the shortcut to a happy fulfilled life is to make first priority His Kingdom and His righteousness and everything we need will flow to us. Do you realize that righteousness is another word for holiness?

How do we become righteous or holy? The saints have taught us the secrets since the dawn of Christianity. The simplest formula may be: Embrace God’s gracious and mysterious Will every moment. When you do this, you keep ALL the commandments. Start by praying for the desire to embrace God’s gracious and mysterious Will every moment in your life.

St Ignatius Loyola teaches that Desire is the Key. Desire transforms a man. Desire produces a spiritual kinetic energy that moves you to action. Then in the Last Judgment, you can ask Jesus with a smile on your face:
"Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink?  When did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you?  When did we see you ill or in prison, and visit you?" (Matthew 25: 37 - 39).

"Behold, now is a very acceptable time; behold, now is the day of salvation."

Daily Bible Verse @ SeekFirstcommunity.com

Jesus overcomes the Devil in the Desert.

"Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil." (Matthew 4: 1)

Sunday, 1st March 2020, 1st Sunday of Lent.

The Gospel, Matthew 4: 1 - 11 is the Temptation of Jesus the Christ. After His Baptism, the Devil whisked Him off to the Desert.
What is the Desert?
Where is your Desert?

#1 The Desert is the place of spiritual combat.
#2 The Desert is the place of preparation for our life's work.
#3 The Desert is the period of Closed Door experience. Closed Doors: Health, job, finance, etc.

No preparation, no performance.  I was fortunate that I had five years of closed door Desert Experience before I had a big opportunity.
Recently, there was news of a young lady mayor of one of our large cities sentenced to three years in a federal penitentiary for financial impropriety.  Was she prepared by a desert experience before her big job? The Desert is the place where we confront our demons, discover who we are and develop plans to deal
with the wiles of the enemy of mankind. No preparation. No performance.

Starting from Abraham and Jacob, David to Jesus, John the Baptist and Paul, all of our Bible heroes spent time in the Desert.

See how James in his letter describes what the Desert does for you:

"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).

The Church teaches that we can overcome evil in our lives through prayer, fasting and almsgiving. (Cf CCC 1434). Lent is a great time to start.
O that today you listen to the Lord, harden not your hearts.

Daily Bible Verse @ SeekFirstcommunity.com

Step by step guidance better than the GPS.

"The Lord will guide you always." (Isaiah 58: 11).

Saturday, 29th February, Saturday after Ash Wednesday.

Brethren, you know without doubt that the Bible is God's precious manual for our life. Will you carelessly discard the manual of an expensive computer software or How to use booklet of a medical equipment on which your life depends? Every single day, the Church celebrates the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, the Perfect Sacrifice. The Church uses the same Scriptures inspired by the Holy Spirit organized in a lectionary everywhere in the world.

What I am about to reveal to you may not be a secret for many. During the holy Season of Lent, the Church pulls out the best and the most powerful Scriptures for our consumption. This is because God Himself promises that Lent is the favorable Season to bless us.

Before the era of GPS navigation, being a roaming salesman in a large city was a very challenging task. But I discovered God's promise: "The Lord will guide you always." (Isaiah 58: 11). Things changed for me. All I needed to activate this promise was a short prayer: "My God, I can't find my way to the client's place. I need this sale desperately. Please help me O God." Again and again, the Lord led me like the three magis to where I needed to be.

Daily Bible Verse @ SeekFirstcommunity.com

Your will or God's will?

"See, on your fast day you carry out your own pursuits." (Isaiah 58: 3).

Friday 29th February after Ash Wednesday in the Season of Lent.

Of the many indictments in the first Reading from Isaiah 58: 1 - 9, the one that struck home for me is:
"See, on your fast day you carry out your own pursuits."
Put simply, this says: "You do your will and not mine."

Do you prefer your will to the will of God? Falsehood and fake doctrine are so prevalent today that some false teachers will have you believe your will is the same as the will of God or as good as the will of God provided your intentions are good.

"Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world." (1 John 4: 1).

Pray for the gift of discernment of spirits this Lent 2020. And embrace the narrow way of sanctity: Embrace God’s gracious and mysterious Will every moment.

Daily Bible Verse @ SeekFirstcommunity.com

The key to life and prosperity.

“If anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me." (Luke 9: 23).

27 February 2020, Thursday after Ash Wednesday.

Many of us received the ashes and started the Journey of Lent yesterday on Ash Wednesday. There was much enthusiasm for Jesus and His mission. Today, Jesus shows us how to journey with Him successfully to Easter. There are 2 key words in our chosen Scripture verse: :

#1 Daily: The Journey is a daily commitment you renew at the beginning of each day. For example: Lord Jesus, this is Day 2 of Lent, I choose to continue the Journey of Lent with the help of Your grace.

#2 Deny: Do not be afraid of the word "Deny yourself." The Lord who created you and knows exactly what you need and when you need it asks you: "Are you able to embrace my holy, gracious will even when it is mysterious to you?"
If you say Yes to the question and commit to embracing the gracious and mysterious will of God every moment, this is ALL the self-denial Jesus is asking of you today. One day at a time this Lent.

Today, God is setting before us: life and prosperity, death and doom. Whichever we choose shall be ours. If we choose life by obeying the commandments, God promises to prosper whatever we do. (Cf Psalm 1: 4).

Daily Bible Verse @ SeekFirstcommunity.com

Here is Lent 2020!

"Working together, then, we appeal to you not to receive the grace of God in vain. For he says:
In an acceptable time I heard you, and on the day of salvation I helped you.
Behold, now is a very acceptable time; behold, now is the day of salvation." (2 Corinthians 5:20; 6:2).

Today is Ash Wednesday, 26th February 2020.

Our Lenten Journey begins today. The Destination is Easter.
What you need for the Journey:
#1 Prayer
#2 Fasting
#3 Almsgiving

We struggle against evil day and night. Jesus Christ overcame evil on the Cross. The Cross therefore is the means to the End we all desire: Victory, Freedom, Peace, Prosperity, etc. Our Cross during the next 40 days is: To embrace God’s gracious and mysterious will every moment in Prayer, Fasting and Almsgiving. Rejection of the Cross is rejection of Jesus Christ, Savior and Redeemer. The Prince of Peace and Prosperity.

If we are faithful during this Journey of Faith, the reward will be huge and unbelievable. Among other things, we will grow in perseverance and come to exclaim: The Lord is truly my Good Shepherd. Now I lack nothing.

"To every time its purpose:
There is a season for everything, a time for every occupation under heaven:
A time for tears,
a time for laughter;
a time for mourning,
a time for dancing." (Cf Ecclesiastes 3:1-22).

Happy Lent!

Daily Bible Verse @ SeekFirstcommunity.com