"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

"AT SUNSET, ALL WHO HAD PEOPLE SICK WITH VARIOUS DISEASES BROUGHT THEM TO JESUS. HE LAID HIS HANDS ON EACH OF THEM AND CURED THEM." (LUKE 4: 40).

"An argument arose among the disciples about which of them was the greatest. Jesus realized the intention of their hearts and took a child and placed it by his side and said to them, “Whoever receives this child in my name receives me, and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me. For the one who is least among all of you is the one who is the greatest.”

"Then John said in reply, “Master, we saw someone casting out demons in your name and we tried to ­prevent him because he does not follow in our company.” Jesus said to him, “Do not prevent him, for whoever is not against you is for you.” (Luke 9: 46 - 50).

THÁNH COSMA VÀ THÁNH DAMIAN TỬ ĐẠO

Monday 26th September 2022 of the 26th week of Ordinary Time is the feast of two great physicians. Cosmas and Damian were twins.  They combined a supernatural gift of healing with sound medical training and practice. What is extraordinary about these two doctors is that they offered their services completely free of charge. They were martyred under Emperor Diocletian (+305).
Christ, the Divine Physician worked through Cosmas and Damian to heal body and soul. Jesus was pleased with the Twins and crowned their life with a martyr's crown and raised them to eternal glory.

After the Twelve heard the Second Prediction of the Passion, Death and Resurrection of Jesus, we were told that they did not understand what Jesus was talking about. They did not want to ask Him any questions. They however launched into a worldly competition as to who is the greatest in the Kingdom of God.

"Jesus took a child and placed it by his side and said to them, “Whoever receives this child in my name receives me, and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me. For the one who is least among all of you is the one who is the greatest.”

True greatness in the eyes of Jesus is: humility, a loving concern for the little ones, the poor and the needy and homeless.

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

"BLESSED THE ONE CONCERNED FOR THE POOR; ON A DAY OF MISFORTUNE, THE LORD DELIVERS HIM." (PSALM 41: 2).

The Liturgical readings this Sunday focus on the Lazarus Principle.

Sunday September 25th of the 26th week of Ordinary Time.
All four readings in today's Liturgy address social conditions and justice. The poverty, ignorance and disease all around us cry for remedy.

"Jesus said to the Pharisees: “There was a rich man who dressed in purple garments and fine linen and dined sumptuously each day.

"And lying at his door was a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, who would gladly have eaten his fill of the scraps that fell from the rich man’s table. Dogs even used to come and lick his sores.

"When the poor man died, he was carried away by the angels to the bosom of Abraham. The rich man also died and was buried, and from the netherworld, where he was in torment, he raised his eyes and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus at his side.

"And he cried out, ‘Father Abraham, have pity on me. Send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am suffering torment in these flames.’ Abraham replied, ‘My child, remember that you received what was good during your lifetime while Lazarus likewise received what was bad; but now he is comforted here, whereas you are tormented."  (Luke 16: 19.... 31).

The likes of the Rich man in today's Gospel was castigated by the Prophet Amos in the first Reading:

"Thus says the Lord, the God of hosts: Woe to the complacent in Zion! Lying upon beds of ivory, stretched comfortably on their couches, they eat lambs taken from the flock, and calves from the stall." (Amos 6: 1, 4).

In all the hopelessness today in the world, we are comforted by the truth of Scripture which reminds us of these perennial truths:

#1 God keeps faith forever.
#2 He gives food to the hungry.
#3 The Lord sets captives free.
#4 The Lord protects strangers.
#5 He sustains the widows and the orphans.
#6 God's mighty, merciful and mysterious Providence is firmly in control of everything in the world.

God our Father can remedy the world's problems of poverty, ignorance disease directly by Himself immediately. Why does He need our collaboration? God wants us to share in His work and glory. He wants us to build up credits for ourselves in heaven. The poor that we help here will speak up for us on the last day. Lazarus could not offer one good word in defense of the selfish rich man.

Daily Bible Verse @ SeekFirstcommunity.com