"LORD, YOU HAVE MADE US FOR YOURSELF, AND OUR HEARTS ARE RESTLESS UNTIL THEY REST IN YOU."

"Mary took a liter of costly perfumed oil made from genuine aromatic nard and anointed the feet of Jesus and dried them with her hair; the house was filled with the fragrance of the oil."  (John 12: 3).

Monday 11th April 2022, Monday of Holy Week.

In six days, it will be the Passover. Jesus visited the home of Martha, Mary and Lazarus, His very good friends. Perhaps to enjoy one last good meal and wine in Martha's Vineyard before His Passion. The star of the story today is not the matriarch, Martha whose hospitality is proverbial nor their apparently recluse brother, Lazarus.

The star is Mary who performed an outlandish gesture to demonstrate her love for Jesus. She broke a vial of what may be considered the very equivalent of the top line of Pierre Chardin and poured the oozing aromatic liquid on the feet of Jesus and wiped the feet with her long hairs. While some guests criticized this apparent waste, Jesus was very pleased and spoke up for Mary.

Who is Mary? Mary is the sister of Martha and Lazarus. They hail from the village of Bethany a couple of miles from Jerusalem. We want to focus here not on Mary of Bethany but on Mary, a type of female passionate follower of Jesus who is marked by the following characteristics:
#1 Absolute and radical commitment.
#2 Total self-giving.
#3 Deep consecration (set apart) to Jesus and His cause.
Consider the following female saints who fit this profile:

+ Mary of Nazareth, the Mother of the Son.
+ Mary Magdalene, the Apostle to the Apostles.
+ Margaret Mary, the Apostle of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
+ Mary Faustina, the Apostle of Divine Mercy.

We are today in the last week of Lent 2022. Where are you in the Journey of knowing Jesus more intimately so that you can love Him more passionately and serve Him everywhere?

I share below a powerful inspiration I received from the SENDING FORTH Song today at the Mass of the Passion of the LORD at my Parish.

STAY WITH ME,
REMAIN HERE WITH ME,
WATCH AND PRAY,
WATCH AND PRAY.

Daily Bible Verse @ SeekFirstcommunity.com

"THEY UNITED IN MAKING PLANS TO ARREST JESUS BY THREACHERY AND HAVE HIM PUT TO DEATH."

"Many of the Jews who had come to Mary and seen what Jesus had done [Raising of Lazarus to life] began to believe in him. But some of them went to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done.

"So the chief priests and the Pharisees convened the Sanhedrin and said, “What are we going to do? This man is performing many signs. If we leave him alone, all will believe in him, and the Romans will come and take away both our land and our nation.”

"But one of them, Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, said to them, “You know nothing, nor do you consider that it is better for you that one man should die instead of the people, so that the whole nation may not perish.” He did not say this on his own, but since he was high priest for that year, he prophesied that Jesus was going to die for the nation, and not only for the nation, but also to gather into one the dispersed children of God.

"So from that day on they planned to kill him. (John 11: 45..... 56).

Saturday 9th April 2022 of the 5th week of Lent.

We are on the Eve of Palm Sunday, the beginning of Holy Week. The plot to kill Jesus has thickened at this point. Who wants to kill Jesus and who will benefit most from His disappearance from the religious-political scene?

“You know nothing, nor do you consider that it is better for you that one man should die instead of the people, so that the whole nation may not perish.” (John 11: 49 - 50).
This is the voice of the High Priest, Caiaphas. He provides a powerful motive for the criminal conspiracy. The fate of Jesus is sealed.

The plan of the Father for the salvation of the world has taken a definitive path to victory. Is God the Father incapable of stopping the execution of His beloved Son Jesus? Or to stop all the evils in the world? Just one word from the Father will change everything.

"In the most mysterious way God the Father has revealed his almighty power in the voluntary humiliation and Resurrection of his Son, by which he conquered evil." (CCC 272).

The Cross has been ordained by the Father from eternity to be the means of our Salvation. No Cross, No Crown. No Trials. No Triumph.
As we enter the most holy Week of the year, we pray for the grace to understand the meaning of the Cross in our lives.

Daily Bible Verse @ SeekFirstcommunity.com

ABBA FATHER KEEPS ALL HIS PROMISES. CONSIDER ALL THE PEOPLE IN THE BIBLE WHO ATTEST TO THIS TRUTH :
ABRAHAM, JOSHUA, DAVID, ELIZABETH, PETER, PAUL, ETC.
HERE IS A TRUTH THAT CAN MAKE US FREE.

"Here is my covenant with you: you are to become the father of a multitude of nations." (Genesis 17: 4).

Thursday 7th April of the 5th Week of Lent 2022 is the feast of Saint John Baptist de la Salle. (1651 - 1719). French Priest. He founded the Brothers of the Christian Schools.

He died on Good Friday, April 7, 1751 and was canonized by Pope Leo XIII in 1900. In 1950, Pope Pius XII named St John de la Salle patron saint of teachers.

We draw our inspiration for reflection from the Responsorial Psalm 105. This word of God /Promise of God can set us free from anxiety and doubt.

The Lord remembers his covenant for ever.

"Look to the Lord in his strength;
seek to serve him constantly.
Recall the wondrous deeds that he has wrought,
his portents, and the judgments he has uttered.

"You descendants of Abraham, his servants,
sons of Jacob, his chosen ones!
He, the Lord, is our God;
throughout the earth his judgments prevail.

"He remembers forever his covenant which he made binding for a thousand generations—
Which he entered into with Abraham and by his oath to Isaac.

"The Lord remembers his covenant forever."

God remembers all His promises to Abraham and fulfills every one of them. He remembers His promises to the Blessed Virgin Mary and fulfills every promise. Joshua reminded the people that God has not defaulted in a single promise He made to Israel. The Lord remembers all His promises to David and fulfills all.

Our God is a Father who keeps His promises. This truth which I learned from Scripture and believe, helps me to deal with fears, anxiety and doubt. Thank You Father, O Faithful God!

"Glory and praise to you, O Christ!
Your words are spirit, Lord, and they are life; you have the message of eternal life.
Glory and praise to you, O Christ!" (John 6: 63, 68).

Daily Bible Verse @ SeekFirstcommunity.com