"I HAVE SAID THESE THINGS TO YOU WHILE STILL WITH YOU; BUT THE ADVOCATE, THE HOLY SPIRIT, WHOM THE FATHER WILL SEND IN MY NAME, WILL TEACH YOU EVERYTHING AND REMIND YOU OF ALL I HAVE SAID TO YOU" (John 14: 25 – 26)

“it happened that while Apollos was in Corinth, Paul made his way overland as far as Ephesus, where he found a number of disciples. When he asked, ‘Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you became believers? They answered, ‘No, we were never even told that there was such a thing as a Holy Spirit.’ He asked, ‘Then how were you baptized?’ They replied, ‘With John’s baptism.’ Paul said, ‘John’s baptism was a baptism of repentance; but he insisted that the people should believe in the one who was to come after him – namely Jesus.’ When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus, and the moment Paul had laid hands on them, the Holy Spirit came down on them, and they began to speak with tongues and to prophesy.” (Acts 19: 1 – 17).

Monday 30th May 2022 of the 7th Week of Easter.

Our first Reading from Acts of the Apostles remind me of my encounter with the Most Awesome Spirit many years ago.

We might smile to learn that some early disciples of Jesus did not know that “there was such a thing as a Holy Spirit.”

Many years ago in the midst of my desert experience, I received the message from a trustworthy friend that “all that I need is the Holy Spirit.” I wondered: “What is the relevance of the Holy Spirit to my pressing problems of unemployment, money, health and a host of other issues?” Because I considered the messenger trustworthy, I did not discard the message.

I did the Novena to the Holy Spirit before Pentecost of that year and on the final day of the Novena, following the instruction in the booklet I used, I knelt down and pleaded with all my heart for the Holy Spirit. I opened wide my mouth and took a deep breath. When I got up, I accepted in faith as instructed that the Holy Spirit was in me.

I felt two emotions immediately.  One was a deep feeling of peace and joy.  The other was an urge to read the Bible immediately.  The first words I read from the holy book were:  “All wisdom comes from the Lord and with him it remains forever.”  (Sirach 1:1). 

The Holy Spirit is Wisdom. I needed no further confirmation.  The Holy Spirit truly was within me.  I am His temple.  He is the Advocate who pleads my cause with the Father.  How great!  How wonderful!  His presence is peace and tranquility.  I knew that whenever I pray to the Holy Spirit my prayer will receive a hearing. 

My joy in the Holy Spirit continued to grow throughout the years. Then one day a  couple of years ago, I discovered this amazing truth from the Roman Missal: “God is the source of all inspiration and power.” This is the truth I have been seeking.  The Holy Spirit is all that I need. It is true! He is the source of all inspiration and power. Inspiration and source of unlimited ideas and God's power to accomplish what the Holy Spirit inspires one to do. For example:  The Holy Spirit inspired me one day to start SeekFirstcommunity.com Blog. Then He inspired me to join WhatsApp and Facebook to extend my reach in evangelization. He has taught me how to prepare some very appetizing dishes. He helps me in shopping. He points out which books to read. He helps me to prepare for the Sacrament of Penance by pointing out what He wants me to take to the priest in-persona-Christi in Reconciliation. The list is simply endless.

5.30.  “Let us run to Mary, and, as her little children, cast ourselves into her arms with a perfect confidence.”  (St Francis de Sales, Bishop and Doctor of the Church).

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GREAT THINGS IN LIFE START FROM GREAT DESIRE. ST IGNATIUS LOYOLA SAYS THAT DESIRE TRANSFORMS A MAN. THEREFORE GREAT DESIRE FOR THE HOLY SPIRIT WILL TRANSLATE TO THE CONDITION OF BEING FILLED WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT.

"Amen, amen, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in my name he will give you.  Until now you have not asked anything in my name; ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be complete." (John 16: 23 - 24).

Saturday 28th May 2022, 6th Week in the Easter Season.

What does Jesus say about prayer in the Farewell Discourse? "Amen, amen, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in my name he will give you.  Until now you have not asked anything in my name; ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be complete."

Two important things to note from the key Scripture for this Saturday.
#1. Asking Abba Father for our needs and gifts in the Name of Jesus.
#2. The joy of of answered prayer.

Do you believe that God answers prayers? We all affirm that God is true and faithful. Why then do we doubt Him when it comes to God's answer to prayer?

Psalm 91 is about God's trustworthiness: "God's faithful promises are my armor and protection." (Psalm 91: 4). Armor and protection mean the same thing. Scripture is using double equivalent words to describe God's faithfulness.

One of the most amazing things to discover in religion is that God is true and faithful and He answers prayers. If your nine-year old son asks you for a big Harley Davidson Superbike for a birthday gift, how do you respond? 

God our Father knows exactly what we need and when we need it. God answers prayers. Ask and keep asking. If you ask for something that would harm you, expect a No.  If you do not ask with faith and persistence, you will never know the joy of answered prayer. The intense joy of answered prayer is intended to grow your faith.

"God is not a man, so he does not lie. He is not human, so he does not change his mind. Has he ever spoken and failed to act? Has he ever promised and not carried it through?"
(Numbers 23: 19 NTL).

I will trust in God's faithfulness forever and ever.

5. 28.  "Dear Dominic, do you know which weapon the Blessed Trinity wants to use to reform the world?"
‘Oh my Lady,’ answered Saint Dominic, ‘you know far than I do because next to your Son Jesus Christ you have always been the chief instrument of our salvation."
The Holy Rosary. Mary answered St Dominic, OP.

Daily Bible Verse @ Seekfirst.blogspot.com

"TO THE EXTENT THAT EACH CHRISTIAN GROWS IN HOLINESS, HE OR SHE WILL BEAR GREATER FRUIT FOR OUR WORLD." (POPE FRANCIS, EXSULTATE ET GAUDATE - REJOICE AND BE GLAD).

"Jesus said to his disciples:
“Thus it is written that the Christ would suffer and rise from the dead on the third day and that repentance, for the forgiveness of sins, would be preached in his name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem.
You are witnesses of these things.
And behold I am sending the promise of my Father upon you;
but stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.

"Then he led them out as far as Bethany, raised his hands, and blessed them.
As he blessed them he parted from them and was taken up to heaven.
They did him homage and then returned to Jerusalem with great joy, and they were continually in the temple praising God."  (Luke 24: 46 - 53).

Sunday 29th May 2022, in the 7th Week of Easter is the Solemnity of the Ascension.  The Feast of the Ascension is celebrated on the Thursday of the 6th Week of Easter or on the 7th Sunday of Easter depending on the Diocese in the United States.

Jesus is taken up into heaven in full view of His disciples. During the forty days after His Resurrection, Jesus continued teaching, encouraging and comforting His disciples. Now the time of Departure has come. He instructed them to wait in Jerusalem for the promised Gift of the Father. He then turned the work of building the Kingdom of God on earth to them with the Great Commission:

“Go into the whole world and proclaim the gospel to every creature." ( Mark 16: 15).

Every epoch and people respond to the Great Commission with the peculiar gifts and infrastructure provided by God. But the universal and perennial Gift of God is the Holy Spirit. Without the power and gifts of the Holy Spirit we cannot evangelize. Nobody can undertake the onerous missionary work of evangelization without the Holy Spirit.

Two powerful and different examples of evangelization are:
#1. St Therese of the Chlld Jesus (1873 - 1897). She became the Patroness of Missionaries without stepping out of her Carmelite Convent. She offered her prayers and sufferings to support the missionary endeavors of the Church. She gave the world a spirituality of "little ways."  One can be very effective in the spiritual life by doing "little things." She is a Doctor of the Church.

#2. St Teresa of Kolkata (1910 - 1997). Her missionary endeavors all over the world earned her a Noble Peace price and more importantly sainthood.

Every saint in the Church, that includes you and me are missionaries. Our Baptism gives us the mandate of Mission and Witness.

Do what you are inspired to do. The Holy Spirit will do the rest.

5. 29. "Mary is not only the bridge joining us to God; she is more. She is the road that God travelled to reach us, and the road that we must travel in order to reach him." (Pope Francis).

Daily Bible Verse @ SeekFirstcommunity.com

CONSIDER IT ALL JOY MY FRIENDS WHEN YOU ENCOUNTER VARIOUS TRIALS, FOR YOU KNOW THAT THE TESTING OF YOUR FAITH PRODUCES PERSEVERANCE. (CF JAMES 1: 2).

"Jesus said to his disciples: “Amen, amen, I say to you, you will weep and mourn, while the world rejoices; you will grieve, but your grief will become joy. When a woman is in labor, she is in anguish because her hour has arrived; but when she has given birth to a child, she no longer remembers the pain because of her joy that a child has been born into the world. So you also are now in anguish. But I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy away from you. On that day you will not question me about anything. Amen, amen, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in my name he will give you.” (John 16: 20 - 23).

Friday May 27th 2027, 6th Week in the Easter Season is also the feast of

Friday 27th May is the feast of St Augustine of Canterbury. (+ 604). Italian Benedictine monk sent by Pope St Gregory the Great to evangelize the Anglo-Saxon people who conquered England and dominated the original Celtic population who embraced Christianity centuries earlier. St Augustine baptized Ethelbert, the Anglo-Saxon king and the people followed their king into the Church. St Augustine made Canterbury his Episcopal See and became the first Primate of all England.

Many people will be familiar with the daily Scripture verse for today. But did you know that this gem of wisdom was given by Jesus on the night before His death in an intimate monologue with the Twelve in the Cenacle? A couple of weeks before Pentecost, the Scriptures are from the Last Supper Discourse (Chapters John 13  to 17). This is to prepare us for the glorious feast of Pentecost, the Birthday of the Church.

What does a woman do when her expected delivery date is 10 days? She prepares for the big event. She does not focus on anxiety but the joy of the outcome: "a child has been born into the world."

Are you searching for a treasure? Search no further. There are acres of diamond in your backyard.
“The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure buried in a field, which a person finds and hides again, and out of joy goes and sells all that he has and buys that field." (Matthew 13: 44).

5. 27. “God might have created a more beautiful world,
He might have made heaven more glorious
but it was impossible for Him, to exalt a creature,
higher than Mary, in making her His Mother.” (St Bonaventure, OFM, Doctor of the Church).

Daily Bible Verse @ SeekFirstcommunity.com