"The first question which the priest and the Levite asked was: 'If I stop to help this man, what will happen to me?' But... the good Samaritan reversed the question: 'If I do not stop to help this man, what will happen to him?" (MARTIN LUTHER KING JR).

“And who is my neighbor?”
Jesus replied,  “A man fell victim to robbers."

"A priest happened to be going down that road, but when he saw him, he passed by on the opposite side.
Likewise a Levite came to the place, and when he saw him, he passed by on the opposite side.
But a Samaritan traveler who came upon him was moved with compassion at the sight."

"Which of these three, in your opinion, was neighbor to the robbers’ victim?”
He answered, “The one who treated him with mercy.”
Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.”  (Luke 10:25-37 RM)

Monday 3rd October of the 27th Week of Ordinary Time.

A scholar of the law tests Jesus with a tricky question.  Our Master and Teacher answers the scholar.

“You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your being, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.” (Luke 10: 27).

Jesus tells the scholar the parable of the Good Samaritan and ends the story by asking the lawyer:

"Which of these three, in your opinion, was neighbor to the robbers’ victim?”
He answered, “The one who treated him with mercy.”
Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.”  (Luke 10:25-37)

Jesus concludes by saying to the man: "Do this and you will live."
St James amplifies this in his letter:  "For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also." (James 2: 26).

Jesus ends what we call the Parable of the Good Samaritan by saying to the scholar of the law: Go and do as the Good Samaritan. Every person in need is our neighbor.

You may call this Parable a story of mercy.
What is mercy? From the Parable, we may say that mercy is when someone shows you pity in a moment of great need.

Be a good neighbor.
Allow someone to be a good neighbor to you. Jesus is always a good neighbor.
Our neighbor is every person in need.

Jesus gave us the Divine Mercy Devotion through St Maria Faustina to teach us that initiative of mercy starts from God. This devotion is summarized through the ABC of Mercy:

A = Ask for mercy.
B = Be Merciful.
C = Completely trust Jesus for
mercy.

10.3  “If you say the Rosary faithfully until death, I do assure you that, in spite of the gravity of your sins “you shall receive a never fading crown of glory.” (St Louis Marie de Monfort).

Daily Bible Verse @ SeekFirstcommunity.com

"GOOD, BETTER, BEST. NEVER LET IT REST. 'TIL YOUR GOOD IS BETTER AND YOUR BETTER IS BEST." (ST JEROME, DOCTOR OF THE CHURCH).

"Blessed indeed is he who ponders the law of the Lord day and night:
he will yield his fruit in due season." (Cf Psalm 1: 1 - 2. Entrance Antiphon on the Feast of St Jerome).

Friday 30th September 2022 of the 26th Week of Ordinary Time is the feast of St Jerome (342 - 420). From Dalmatia in former Yugoslavia. Priest, Doctor of the Church. Jerome translated the Bible into the Latin Vulgate, which became the official version of the Bible for the Church for over 1000 years.

We chose our key Scripture for today from Psalm 1, the great promise of God for those who love His word and study it season and out of season. Note that a similar promise is made to Joshua:
"Do not let this book of the law depart from your lips. Recite it by day and by night, that you may carefully observe all that is written in it; then you will attain your goal; then you will succeed." (Joshua 1: 8).

If you are still not excited by the promises of investing in the word of God, consider this:
"When I found your words, I devoured them; your words were my joy, the happiness of my heart." (Jeremiah 15: 16).
When Jeremiah devoured the word of God, what did he find? Incomparable happiness and joy.

I too discovered the word of God in a career crisis while working for a large  company. The word that was waiting for me to discover was Exodus 14: 13 - 14. I was blown away by God's utter faithfulness to His gracious promise. I resolved to read the Scriptures everyday from that day.

I am delighted by these quotes from St Jerome:

+  "Ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ."

+ "As often as the world’s vain ambition delights you, as often as you see in mundane affairs something that vaunts itself, transport yourself in your thoughts to paradise: begin to be what you shall be. And you shall hear from your Bridegroom: Put me as a seal upon your heart, as a seal upon your arm."

Lord, help us to follow the example of St Jerome in reflecting on Your word day and night. May Your word prepare us to offer You a sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving always and everywhere. Amen.

Daily Bible Verse @ SeekFirstcommunity.com

"OH JESUS, HOW LITTLE KNOWN IS THE MERCIFUL LOVE OR YOUR HEART!" (ST THERESE OF THE CHILD JESUS).

"At that very moment Jesus rejoiced in the Holy Spirit and said, “I give you praise, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, for although you have hidden these things from the wise and the learned you have revealed them to the childlike.

"Yes, Father, such has been your gracious will.

"All things have been handed over to me by my Father. No one knows who the Son is except the Father, and who the Father is except the Son and anyone to whom the Son wishes to reveal him.”  (Matthew 11: 17.... 25).

Saturday 1st October 2022 of 26th Week of Ordinary Time is the feast of the Little Flower, St Therese of the Child Jesus, also known as St Therese of Lisieux. (1873 - 1897). French Carmelite Nun. Pope Leo XIII granted Therese to enter Carmel at the age of 15 and she died at 24. In 1927, Therese was named the co-patron saint of the Mission. Pope John Paul II made Therese a Doctor of the Church in 1997.

October 1st is also First Saturday in October. October is the month dedicated to the Most Holy Rosary. There will be inspiring quotes on the mystery of the Holy Rosary in the Blog  for each day of October.

St Therese is one of the most beloved saints in the Church. She is a powerful intercessor and her contribution to spirituality can be summarized thus:

#1 Utter simplicity in everything.
#2 Profound trust in Divine Providence.

St Therese you may say was chosen to be St Therese before she was born. At the age of 6, she had a profound faith in the Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist and in the Blessed Sacrament. Asked one day how she was so sure of this, her response was disarming and profound: Jesus said: "This is My Body. This is My Blood." Since Jesus is God and Almighty, nothing is impossible for Him. Does this not remind us of the Blessed Virgin Mary? To the word that She would conceive by the power of the Holy Spirit and give birth to the Son of God, she replied: "Be it done to me according to Your word." No fear. No worry. No doubt.

Is there a connection between faith and simplicity?  Simplicity in thoughts and habits may facilitate the habit of believing. This seems to be the witness of many saints.
"Unless you turn and become like children, you will not enter the Kingdom of Heaven." (Matthew 18: 3).

Be simple like Jesus and Therese. Dare to Believe.

"The Rosary is very pleasing to our Mother in heaven; she herself has recommended it. There are two elements of the Holy Rosary: meditation on its mysteries and vocal prayer. The Rosary surely reaches the motherly heart of Mary and moves her to obtain abundant graces for us." (Roman Missal).

Daily Bible Verse @ SeekFirstcommunity.com

DAILY BIBLE VERSE:  "ANH HÃY THEO TÔI" (LUCA 9, 59)

"I AM A CATHOLIC AND WHOLEHEARTEDLY DO ACCEPT DEATH FOR GOD; HAD I A THOUSAND LIVES, ALL THESE TO HIM SHALL I OFFER." (ST LORENZO RUIZ).

"As Jesus and his disciples were proceeding on their journey, someone said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.”

"Jesus answered him, “Foxes have dens and birds of the sky have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to rest his head.”

"And to another he said, “Follow me.” But he replied, “Lord, let me go first and bury my father.”

"But Jesus answered him, “Let the dead bury their dead. But you, go and proclaim the Kingdom of God.”

"And another said, “I will follow you, Lord, but first let me say farewell to my family at home.”

"Jesus answered him, “No one who sets a hand to the plow and looks to what was left behind is fit for the Kingdom of God.” (Luke 9: 57 - 62).

Wednesday 28th September 2022 of the 26th Week of Ordinary Time is the feast of two martyrs:  St Wenceslaus (907 - 927). King and Martyr. Saintly monarch. Murdered by his own brother in a sibling rivalry that reminds us of Cain and Abel.
St Lorenzo Ruiz (+1630). Filipino layman and his companions were martyred in Japan with other Christian missionaries.

Our Gospel today shows how Jesus handles applications for a spot in the group of His disciples. Each applicant is treated differently. But to each, Jesus says:

You must count carefully the cost of discipleship.  How far and how long are you prepared to follow Me? What will you do when the going becomes tough?  A prudent and faithful disciple must be prepared to follow always and everywhere to the End.

“What sort of servant, then, is faithful, wise enough for the master to place him over his household to give them their food at the proper time? Happy that servant if his master’s arrival finds him at his employment. I tell you solemnly, he will place him over everything he owns.” (Matthew 24: 45 – 48)

Faithfulness is key to Discipleship.

Pope St John Paul II writing on faithfulness teaches that: It is good to be faithful for one day, but
better to be faithful for ten years.
It excellent and blessed to be faithful day after day to the end of the Journey.

The Blessed Virgin Mary is called the most excellent and faithful disciple of Jesus.  She received the message of salvation from the Archangel Gabriel. She followed Jesus everywhere in His public ministry learning everything she could. She walked the Via Dolorosa with her Son to Calvary.  She received the body of her Son from the Cross from the Roman soldiers. She laid Him in the tomb and witnessed the sealing of the tomb. This is examplary faithfulness. From womb to tomb.
A disciple of Jesus must be prepared to give all.

Daily Bible Verse @
SeekFirstcommunity.com