Wednesday 17th November 2021, 33rd Week in Ordinary Time is also the feast of St Elizabeth of Hungary. (1207 - 1231) Religious. Born Hungarian Princess. Married a German Prince. In her short life of only 23 years, Elizabeth had four children and then became a Franciscan Tertiary after the death of her husband. She spent the rest of her life bringing comfort to the poor, the sick and the aged.

Our Gospel today is the Gold Coins Parable. The Ten Gold Coins represent the Gifts of Time, Talent and Treasure God has entrusted to each of us. I asked myself: What particular talent does God entrust me with? Not Treasure since I have little money and little love for money. Not talent since I do not feel specially gifted in any particular area. But I find that God has gifted me with Abundant Time.
Time for what?
Time for Prayer, Word of God, Eucharist and Ministry.

My great prayer and desire is to hear Jesus say to me:
‘Well done, Emmanuel! You have been faithful in this very small matter; take charge of ten ministries."

The bystanders said to Jesus:
"Sir, Emmanuel has ten gold coins.’ Jesus replied, ‘I tell you, to everyone who has, more will be given, but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away."

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Sunday 14th November 2021, in the 33rd Week in Ordinary Time.

With the end of the Church Liturgical Year in one week, the Gospel of this Sunday focuses on the End Times. When will it be? How will it happen? Who are the big players? How do we recognize the signs of the times?

The Church devotes paragraphs #675 to 679 of the Catechism to answer the questions of the End Times. Below is a very illuminating paragraph into what to know and what to expect:

"Before Christ's second coming the Church must pass through a final trial that will shake the faith of many believers. The persecution that accompanies her pilgrimage on earth will unveil the "mystery of iniquity" in the form of a religious deception offering men an apparent solution to their problems at the price of apostasy from the truth. The supreme religious deception is that of the Antichrist, a pseudo-messianism by which man glorifies himself in place of God and of his Messiah come in the flesh." (CCC 675).

For those who may not take Christ's pronouncements on the End Times seriously, Jesus says:
"Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away."

Come Lord Jesus!

"If you would abide in Me, according to My word, you must begin by abiding with Me. The union to which I have called you, a fruitful union with Myself, will begin in the time you dedicate exclusively to Me and to My companionship. Behold, I stand at the gate, and knock. If any man shall hear My voice, and open to Me the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with Me. (Apocalypse 3:20). Those souls who never abide with Me remain closed to the graces of union with Myself that I so desire to give them. Time spent in My presence softens the heart and makes it permeable to the love that radiates from My Eucharistic Heart. Time spent in My presence allows the eyes of the soul to adjust, in faith, to the brightness of My Eucharistic Face." (IN SINU JESU, Thursday, April 7, 2016).

Daily Bible Verse @ Seekfirstcommunity.com

Saturday 13th November 2021, 32nd Week in Ordinary Time is the feast of St Frances Xavier Cabrini. (1850 - 1917). Virgin. Italian. Patroness of Immigrants.

Our saint for today overcame the first obstacle to her vocation: fear of drowning.  She founded the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus to serve immigrants in schools, hospitals and parishes. Before she died in 1917, St Frances Xavier Cabrini had traversed the seas about 30 times planting missionary services to the vulnerable in many countries of the world.

"Jesus told his disciples a parable about the necessity for them to pray always without becoming weary." The Widow in today's Gospel proves that even with God, persistence breaks resistance. So pray always. Pray everywhere. Pray about everything.

Jesus Christ chose St Frances Xavier Cabrini to be a symbol of His tender care for immigrants. This is why the Church honors her today. In honoring her, we glorify Jesus Christ, the Good Shepherd of all immigrants.

"There are no sufferings that cannot be borne peacefully, so long as a soul is praying the Rosary. Through the Rosary, all the grace and power of My mysteries passes through My Mother’s Immaculate Heart into the hearts of the little ones who invoke her, repeating the angel’s “Ave” over and over again. There are illnesses that can be cured through the Rosary. There are clouds of darkness and confusion that only the Rosary can disperse, and this because it is My Mother’s favourite prayer, a prayer that originated in the heights of heaven and was carried to earth by My Archangel, a prayer echoed and amplified in the Church through the ages, a prayer loved by all My saints, a prayer of disarming power and of immense depth." (IN SINU JESU, Tuesday, December 2, 2014).

Daily Bible Verse @ Seekfirstcommunity.com