What is hypocrisy? How can a baptized Christian avoid hypocrisy? 

"When the Pharisees with some scribes who had come from Jerusalem gathered around Jesus, they observed that some of his disciples ate their meals with unclean, that is, unwashed, hands. (For the Pharisees and, in fact, all Jews, do not eat without carefully washing their hands, keeping the tradition of the elders. And on coming from the marketplace they do not eat without purifying themselves. And there are many other things that they have traditionally observed, the purification of cups and jugs and kettles and beds.) 

"So the Pharisees and scribes questioned him, “Why do your disciples not follow the tradition of the elders but instead eat a meal with unclean hands?” 

"He responded, “Well did Isaiah prophesy about you hypocrites, as it is written:

"This people honors me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me; in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines human precepts.

"You disregard God’s commandment but cling to human tradition.” He went on to say, “How well you have set aside the commandment of God in order to uphold your tradition! For Moses said, Honor your father and your mother, and Whoever curses father or mother shall die. 

"Yet you say, ‘If someone says to father or mother, “Any support you might have had from me is qorban”’ (meaning, dedicated to God), you allow him to do nothing more for his father or mother. You nullify the word of God in favor of your tradition that you have handed on. And you do many such things.” (Mark 7: 1 - 13).

Tuesday February 7th 2023 of the 5th Week in Ordinary Time. 

The confrontation of Jesus in today's Gospel is time for frank talk with His adversaries. 

Jesus calls His the Pharisees hypocrites. 

How often do you defend the truth of the Catholic Church when it is savaged by extremists or the media. 

You cannot do this unless the Holy Spirit is in you granting you the gift of fortitude. 

Prepare yourself to live fully your Baptismal commitment and the grace of Confirmation by activating the Holy Spirit in you. 

Daily Bible Verse @ SeekFirstcommunity.com

You are the Salt and Light of the World. 

"ANH EM LÀ MUỐI VÀ ÁNH SÁNG CHO ĐỜI" (MAT 5, 13-6)

Sunday 5th February in the 5th Week of Ordinary Time. 

I keep a small bottle of salt and a small electric light without shade on my desktop to remind me of this awesome truth. 

St John Chrysostom, Bishop and Doctor of the Church commenting on this verse alluded to the gruesome corruption in the world. Salt is essential to preserve what can be preserved. Every baptized Christian has this saltiness in him that comes with the gift of the Sacrament of Baptism. Become salt in your home, church and workplace by becoming the salt of truth. Challenge the culture of falsehood and fake news that is corrupting even Catholic Media. 

As the light of the world, become joyful in hope and thankful in everything. The world today is starved of joyful spirit. Joy is infectious. It is one of the fruits of the Holy Spirit. I prayed for the gift of joy for a long time. When people ask: "Why are you brimming with joy?" I laugh and point to the Holy Spirit.

St Teresa of Kolkata is a saint that brimmed with joy. St Philip Neri refers to Cheerfulness as a great tool for evangelization. Cheerfulness and joyfulness are one and the same thing. Finally Brethren:

"Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful. And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching." (Hebrews 10:23?-?25). 

Daily Bible Verse @ SeekFirstcommunity.com

First Saturday in February - Memorial of the Blessed Virgin Mary. 

Do not neglect to do good. 

"Brothers and sisters: Through Jesus, let us continually offer God a sacrifice of praise, that is, the fruit of lips that confess his name. Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have; God is pleased by sacrifices of that kind.

"Obey your leaders and defer to them, for they keep watch over you and will have to give an account, that they may fulfill their task with joy and not with sorrow, for that would be of no advantage to you.

"May the God of peace, who brought up from the dead the great shepherd of the sheep by the Blood of the eternal covenant, Jesus our Lord, furnish you with all that is good, that you may do his will. May he carry out in you what is pleasing to him through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen." (Hebrews 13: 15 - 17, 20 - 21).

Saturday February 4th in the 4th Week of Ordinary Time. Memorial of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Today is the first Saturday of February 2023. 

Our reflection is from the first Reading, Hebrews 13: 15 - 17, 20 - 21. 

Brethren, the Spirit urges us: "Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have; God is pleased by sacrifices of that kind."

You may ask: What good does the Holy Spirit wants me to do? Holy Mother Church has prepared for us a suitable list:

CORPORAL WORKS OF MERCY

1. Feed the hungry

2. Give drink to the thirsty

3. Clothe the naked

4. Shelter the homeless

5. Visit the sick

6. Visit the imprisoned

7. Bury the dead

SPIRITUAL WORKS OF MERCY

1. Instruct the ignorant

2. Counsel the doubtful

3. Admonish sinners

4. Bear wrongs patiently

5. Forgive offences willingly

6. Comfort the afflicted

7. Pray for the living and the dead

In considering our individual gifts and abilities, I like to be guided by the example of the Apostles Peter and John:

"Peter said, “I have neither silver nor gold, but what I do have I give you: in the name of Jesus Christ the Nazorean, [rise and] walk.” (Acts 3: 6). Peter gave the crippled man a lot. While many of us will not be able to perform such miracle, we can all pray for the needy. Scripture teaches that the effective prayer of a righteous person is very powerful. 

Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have. 

The Responsorial Psalm 23 encourages us to trust in the Lord our Good Shepherd who will never let us be wanting of anything we need for ourselves and the extra to do good to our neighbors. 

"The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

In verdant pastures he gives me repose.

Beside restful waters he leads me;

he refreshes my soul." (Psalm 23).

Daily Bible Verse @ SeekFirstcommunity.com