“Ten were cleansed, were they not? Where are the other nine?  Has none but this foreigner returned to give thanks to God?”  Then he said to him, “Stand up and go; your faith has saved you.” (Luke 17: 17 - 19).

Wednesday of the 32nd week in Ordinary Time is the feast of St Frances Xavier Cabrini (1850 - 1917), Virgin and Patroness of immigrants. Mother Frances Xavier Cabrini served well the immigrants of America in obedience to the order of Pope Leo XIII. Her anniversary is a reminder of our debt to widows, orphans and immigrants.

In two weeks, we shall be celebrating Thanksgiving. Our Gospel meditation for today is a great lesson to shape our minds and hearts for Thanksgiving 2019.

Are you postponing thanking God for anything? Health, family blessings, financial prosperity, new job or promotions, sold homes or new cars, plentiful food, peace about the future? How about the Daily Bread of the Eucharist? Do you know that the Eucharist means Thanksgiving? To him whom much is given, much will be required.

For the leper who did not postpone his Thanksgiving, Jesus said: “Stand up and go; your faith has saved you.” (Luke 17: 19). Beware: what you think is now yours may not be yours until you return to give thanks. For the Lord orders:
"In all circumstances give thanks, for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus." (1 Thessalonians 5: 18).

Daily Bible Verse @ SeekFirstcommunity.com

 

 

"The souls of the righteous are in the hand of God, and no torment shall touch them. They seemed, in the view of the foolish, to be dead; and their passing away was thought an affliction and their going forth from us, utter destruction.
But they are in peace." (Wisdom 3: 1-3).

 

Tuesday of the 32nd week in Ordinary Time is the feast of St Josaphat (1580 - 1623), Bishop and Martyr. Born in Poland to Orthodox parents, Josaphat became a Catholic. As Bishop, he worked for the unity of the Orthodox and the Roman Church and was martyred for his efforts.

November is the month we remember in a special way the souls of the faithful departed. An Indian guru said to the disciples on his death bed: "When you remember me, I shall be present." Exactly! Is this not what we do in the Eucharist? This is why Memorial is one of the many names of the Eucharist. How do you remember your loved ones who are on the other side of life? Because our saint of the day is a canonized saint, we remember Josaphat through the Sacred Liturgy. You can remember your loved ones through offering Mass, Rosary and prayers for them.

"Chastised a little, they shall be greatly blessed, because God tried them and found them worthy of himself." (Wisdom 3: 5).

After brief chastisement, that is purification, these souls will be admitted to Paradise to enjoy eternal life with Jesus.

"Those who trust in him shall understand truth, and the faithful shall abide with him in love: Because grace and mercy are with his holy ones, and his care is with the elect." (Wisdom 3: 9).

Amen!

Daily Bible Verse @ SeekFirstcommunity.com

 

 

 

“Increase our faith.”  The Lord replied, “If you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you would say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you." (Luke 17: 5 - 6).

Monday of the 32nd week in Ordinary Time is the feast of St Martin of Tours (316 - 397), Bishop. Martin was a soldier in the imperial army of Rome. After he encountered Jesus Christ, he became a Christian and a man of peace. Today is also Veteran holiday in the USA, Armistice Day in other countries. November 11  served in the past as a day of memorial of signing peace treaties.  The treaty to end World War One was signed on the Feast of St Martin of Tours, November 11th. Hail Jesus Christ, Prince of Peace. Happy Veterans Day!

"Increase our faith." What is the connection between Faith and Prayer. I have two favorite quotations from two great men on faith and prayer.

#1. If you pray, you are saved. If you do not pray, you are lost. (St Alphonsus Liguori, Bishop and Doctor of the Church).
#2. I believe because I pray.  (Karl Rahner, SJ hailed as one of the greatest theologians.

The only thing Jesus called a vital necessity is Prayer. Not work. Not fasting. (CCC 2742). Therefore if you want your faith to grow, start praying.
Pray always. Pray everywhere. Pray about everything. And before you know it, you too will be enjoying the fruits of the faith that moves mountain.

Daily Bible Verse @ SeekFirstcommunity.com

 

 

 

"That the dead will rise even Moses made known in the passage about the bush, when he called ‘Lord’ the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob;  and he is not God of the dead, but of the living, for to him all are alive.” (Luke 20: 37 - 38).

Sunday of the 32nd week in Ordinary Time. Do you know that November is the month the Church prays especially for the poor souls in purgatory? They are poor because the purification process is not a champagne party. Moreover, many of these souls have nobody to pray for them.

Do you scoff at the idea of the Resurrection of the dead, eternal life, heaven and hell? A Protestant friend of mine asked me once: "Why do you people pray to and for dead people?" I answered him by pointing to our Scripture verse for today. God Himself says that "He is not God of the dead, but of the living, for to him all are alive.” Jesus silenced the Sadducees  through this Scripture. My friend had no answer.

We profess this faith:
"I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic Church,
the communion of the saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting. Amen."

If you believe in the Resurrection and life everlasting, live as you believe.

“In learning and professing the faith, you must accept and retain only the Church’s present tradition, confirmed as it is by the Scriptures…. Now I order you to retain this creed for your nourishment throughout life and never to accept any alternative, not even if I myself were to change and say something contrary to what I am now teaching, not even if some angel of contradiction, changed into an angel of light, tried to lead you astray. For even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to that which you have now received, let him be accursed in your sight.” (St Cyril of Jerusalem, Father of the Church).

If there is no Resurrection of the dead, then the Church has deceived billions of people for over 2000 years. St John Henry Newman said  that what so many people have believed for so many years cannot be wrong.

"The King of the world will raise us up to live for ever." (Cf 2 Maccabees 7:1-2,9-14).

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"I have chosen and consecrated this house, says the Lord, for my name to be there forever. (2 Chronicles 7: 16).

Saturday of the 31st week in Ordinary Time is the feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica.
The Lateran Basilica in Rome is the Pope’s own church as the Bishop of Rome. It was dedicated in 324 AD. It is the Mother Church of all the Churches in the world and the sign of the unity of the Church built on the Apostles. All the Bishops of the world, successors of the Apostles manifest this unity through their union with the Bishop of Rome, the successor of Peter.

We the Faithful are the living and chosen stones that make up the edifice of our Basilica, Cathedral or our humble Parish Church. May God increase the growth of the Church.

On this day, let us also remember that each Basilica, Cathedral and Church in the world foreshadows the heavenly Jerusalem. It is in the holy Sanctuary we partake of the Sacraments.

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"What is this I hear about you? Prepare a full account of your stewardship, because you can no longer be my steward." (Luke 16: 2).

Friday of the 31st week in Ordinary Time. When the boss asks: "What is this I hear about you?" How do you react to the query?

Tell me how you have managed your time, talent and treasure, the boss queries. Like the fruitless fig tree, do you understand that you have less than one year to become fruitful? When your stewardship of time, talent and treasure is found wanting, cry out to the Holy Spirit for help. God will not tolerate a fruitless fig tree after the probation period is over.

O that you will hear His voice today, do not harden your heart.

Daily Bible Verse @ SeekFirstcommunity.com