"My daughter, just as you prepare in My presence, so also you make your confession before Me. The person of the priest is, for Me, only a screen. Never analyse what sort of a priest it is that I am making use of; open your soul in confession as you would to Me, and I will fill it with My light."
(#1725:  St. Faustina, Divine Mercy in My Soul).

"One day as Jesus was teaching, Pharisees and teachers of the law, who had come from every village of Galilee and Judea and Jerusalem, were sitting there, and the power of the Lord was with him for healing.

"And some men brought on a stretcher a man who was paralyzed; they were trying to bring him in and set him in his presence. But not finding a way to bring him in because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and lowered him on the stretcher through the tiles into the middle in front of Jesus.

"When Jesus saw their faith, he said, “As for you, your sins are forgiven.”

"Then the scribes and Pharisees began to ask themselves, “Who is this who speaks blasphemies? Who but God alone can forgive sins?”

"Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them in reply, “What are you thinking in your hearts? Which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise and walk’? But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he said to the one who was paralyzed, “I say to you, rise, pick up your stretcher, and go home.”

"He stood up immediately before them, picked up what he had been lying on, and went home, glorifying God. Then astonishment seized them all and they glorified God, and, struck with awe, they said, “We have seen incredible things today.” (Luke 5: 17 - 20).

Monday 5th December 2022 of the 2nd Week of Advent.

Our key Scripture for today has one fascinating line for me.
"The power of the Lord was with him for healing.... When Jesus saw their faith, he said, “As for you, your sins are forgiven.”

Two things are linked in a cause and effect manner. Faith provokes the power to heal, the power to unleash miracles.

Look at this incidence in Acts of the Apostles:
"At Lystra there was a crippled man, lame from birth, who had never walked.  He listened to Paul speaking, who looked intently at him, saw that he had the faith to be healed,  and called out in a loud voice, “Stand up straight on your feet.” He jumped up and began to walk about." (Acts 14: 8 - 10).

We see clearly that faith in the subject unleashes the power of miracle in the agent. Whether the Agent is Jesus, God, St Paul or any Christian. We conclude: No faith, no miracle.

Advent is a time of preparation. We prepare to meet the Lord by making sure our house is as clean as possible. How? Through the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Do you believe in the power of God to heal through the Sacrament of Penance? I am a prime witness. Jesus healed me instantly from demonic oppression from alcohol through the Sacrament of Penance. He can heal anyone from anything if you demonstrate faith. Advent and Lent are the seasons of favor. The appointed time to come to Jesus and ask and you shall receive. Forget your foolish pride. Come to Jesus and be healed.

"I want you to go to confession weekly. This is necessary for the health of your soul and even of your body. You will experience the benefits of My merciful pardon and the saving power of My precious Blood. Prepare your confessions well. Listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit and repent of the sins that He will show you. The work to which I have called you requires a great delicacy of conscience and an uncompromising purity of heart." (IN SINU Thursday, July 31, 2008 Saint Ignatius of Loyola).

To see an example of Examination of Conscience which you can use, click the link below. Permission is granted for printing anything you like on the website:

https://seekfirst.blogspot.com/2020/09/a-good-examination-of-conscience.html

Daily Bible Verse @ SeekFirstcommunity.com

"It is impossible to find a Saint who did not take the 'two P's' seriously, Prayer and Penance." (St Francis Xavier SJ. 1506 - 1552).

"Jesus went around to all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the Gospel of the Kingdom, and curing every disease and illness.

"At the sight of the crowds, his heart was moved with pity for them because they were troubled and abandoned, like sheep without a shepherd.

"Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few; so ask the master of the harvest to send out laborers for his harvest.”

"Then he summoned his Twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits to drive them out and to cure every disease and every illness.

"Jesus sent out these Twelve after instructing them thus, “Go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.

"As you go, make this proclamation: ‘The Kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, drive out demons. Without cost you have received; without cost you are to give.” (Matthew 9:35–10:1, 5A, 6-8).

Saturday 3rd December 2022 of the First Week of Advent is the feast of St Francis Xavier of the Society of Jesus (1506 - 1552). Priest and Missionary. Spanish.
This Saturday is also the first Saturday in December. Honor the Immaculate Conception of Mary.

Francis Xavier is one of the seven men along with leader St Ignatius Loyola who founded the Society of Jesus, which is popularly known as Jesuits. Francis Xavier will rank as one of the greatest missionaries in the history of the Church. We know who has the title #1: St Paul. Francis is said to have baptized over 30,000 souls in his 10 years of missionary endeavors. He is called the Apostle of the East. He worked in India and Japan and died facing the coast of China in 1552 at the age of 46.

We see in our key Scripture for today the compassion of Jesus for the crowds who were troubled and appeared totally abandoned, like sheep without a shepherd. Jesus healed many of their illnesses and preached to them the Good News of the Kingdom of God. Yet Jesus was sad because the need is so great and the human resources needed for the work are paltry.

What can you do to help?

"No one takes this honor on himself; it needs a call from God, as in Aaron's case." (Hebrews 5: 4)

A vocation is a call from God, an appointment by God. God appoints those he chooses to share in a particular manner in the work of redemption with his son, Jesus. When we are baptized, God chooses us to be his adopted children. This is also when we receive our vocation. While some are called to the ministerial priesthood like Aaron, every baptized is called to a particular ministry.

Become an evangelist. From here, you may be led to your proper path.

"My Eucharistic Heart overflows with love for My priests. I would give to each of them the grace I gave Saint John, My beloved disciple: that of intimacy with My Heart and with the Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart of My Mother. I would renew the priesthood of My Church in this way. I would make My priests resplendent with holiness. I would impart to their tongues and to their hands the very graces that I poured out upon My Apostles in the beginnings of My Church." (IN SINU JESU, Friday, December 7, 2007).

For information on the Compendium of the the Church, click the link below:

http://seekfirst.blogspot.com/2021/03/compendium-of-catholic-teachings.html?m=1

Daily Bible Verse @ Seekfirstcommunity.com

“Look today to John the Baptist,
an enduring model of fidelity to God and His Law.
John prepared the way for Christ,
by the testimony of his word and his life. Imitate him with docile and trusting generosity.” (St Pope John Paul II).

"John the Baptist appeared, preaching in the desert of Judea and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!” It was of him that the prophet Isaiah had spoken when he said:

"A voice of one crying out in the desert, Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths.

"John wore clothing made of camel’s hair and had a leather belt around his waist. His food was locusts and wild honey. At that time Jerusalem, all Judea, and the whole region around the Jordan were going out to him and were being baptized by him in the Jordan River as they acknowledged their sins.

"When he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them,

“You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? Produce good fruit as evidence of your repentance. And do not presume to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I tell you, God can raise up children to Abraham from these stones. Even now the ax lies at the root of the trees. Therefore every tree that does not bear good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.

"I am baptizing you with water, for repentance, but the one who is coming after me is mightier than I. I am not worthy to carry his sandals.

"He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fan is in his hand. He will clear his threshing floor and gather his wheat into his barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.”  (Matthew 3: 1 - 12)

Who is John the Baptist?
Isaiah describes him as “A voice of one crying out in the desert,
‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths."  (Isaiah 40: 30)

John the Baptist has a simple profile.  Although born into the priestly nobility, he forsook the privileges that were his by birth to serve Jesus.
"John wore clothing made of camel’s hair and had a leather belt around his waist. His food was locusts and wild honey."  (Matthew 3: 4) In order not to compromise his mission, he took extraordinary steps to safeguard his independence.

He was direct and bold in his preaching, fearing no one.
"Produce good fruit as evidence of your repentance."  (Matthew 3: 8) He urged the great and the powerful who came to him at the River Jordan. 

His humility was profound.
"I am not worthy to carry his sandals."  (Matthew 3: 11) He said of Jesus.  Jesus returned the compliments by calling John the greatest of the prophets.

Lord Jesus grant us the singleness of purpose, courage and humility of John the Baptist.

Daily Bible Verse @ SeekFirstcommunity.com

December 2nd, 2023  -  First Friday in December 2022.

Jesus promised 12 special favors to all those who will honor His Sacred Heart especially on the First Friday of every month by attending Holy Mass and receiving Holy Communion. In the 12th and last month of the year 2022, we look at Promise #12.

#12. "The all-powerful love of My Heart will grant to all those who shall receive Communion on the First Friday of nine consecutive months the grace of final repentance; they shall not die under My displeasure, nor without receiving their Sacraments; My Heart shall be their assured refuge at that last hour."

What is the grace of Final Repentance? This is tantamount to the grace of Perseverance in being a good Christian to the end of your life. This is one of the best things anyone can ask for.

Friends, this is a tremendous promise. Let us thank our Lord Jesus Christ for such a generous offer.   You will appreciate this promise when you are close to death. No fear. No worry. No doubt about your eternal destiny.

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

For the 12 Promises of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, Sacred Heart prayers and prayer intentions, click the link below:

http://seekfirst.blogspot.com/2020/08/12-promises-of-sacred-heart-of-jesus.html?m=1

Daily Bible Verse @ Seekfirstcommunity.com