Monday, 4th October 2021 in the 27th week in Ordinary Time is the great feast of St Francis of Assisi, the Little One.

Who is St Francis of Assisi? (1182 - 1226). Italian. Deacon and Founder of the Order of Friars Minor, popularly known as the Franciscans. We Salute all our Franciscan friends all over the world who have labored in the Lord's Vineyard since the 1220s in all fields of the Apostolate. Persevere to the end and your reward will be huge.

Francis became famous for imitating closely the poverty of Jesus Christ in spirit and in deed. Holiness always attracts. After Francis was seized by Jesus and said Yes to the Lord, Francis soon attracted a group of like-minded young men who bound themselves together to live evangelical poverty, chastity and obedience. Our Lord Jesus Christ, Head of the Church has used simple men like Francis and the Franciscans to renew the Church which is ever in need of reform.

What comes to your mind when you hear of St Francis of Assisi in 2021?  Many people would think of a man of peace. "Lord, make me an instrument of peace..." Others will think of radical evangelical poverty... "The little poor man of Assisi." Both are salient attributes in the profile of this exceptionally gifted holy man. I want to mention too Francis' deep love of creation and care of the earth.  Most people that are aware of the impending disaster from Global Warming will know Francis of Assisi and his contribution to this topical debate.

Other pivotal figures raised up by Jesus for the renewal of the Church are:
Benedict, Clare, Dominic, Ignatius Loyola, Teresa of Avila, Teresa of Kolkata, etc.

Are you the next great Saint? You too can be a saint. You too can be an instrument of Peace. You too can be committed to preserving the beauty and goodness of the environment for future generations and become an apostle of Care for Creation and Safe Environment.

"Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."  (Matthew 5: 3).

"We thank you for the beauty of creation: may the work of man not disfigure it, but enhance it to your greater glory."  Amen.

"For some time already, Our Lord has made me desire to have adoration on Thursday in thanksgiving for the Holy Eucharist, and also in thanksgiving for the mystery of the priesthood. After Mass, I made my confession to the chaplain of the monastery. He confirmed certain things having to do with the resistances to grace that I confessed. He directed me towards the saints, something that corresponds exactly to the strong attraction to the friendship of the saints that has always marked my life." (IN SINU JESU, Thursday, October 4, 2007 Saint Francis of Assisi).

Daily Bible Verse @ SeekFirstcommunity.com

Saturday 2nd October 2021, 26th Week in Ordinary Time is the feast of the Guardian Angels.

Our Father God in His loving Providence has provided each of His children a Guardian Angel. Are you aware of this stupendous truth? Fortunately for us, whether we are aware of our Guardian Angel that accompanies us on the journey of life or not, the Angel still performs all its duties lovingly towards us. Our Guardian Angels report to God not to us. Here is what the Church teaches about our Guardian Angels:

"Beside each believer stands an angel as protector and shepherd leading him to life." Already here on earth the Christian life shares by faith in the blessed company of angels and men united in God." (CCC 336).

Your Guardian Angel is a friend who protects you in danger and can direct your steps when you are lost. It shepherds you away from moral dangers and situations that can imperil your soul. When you have a warm and personal relationship with your Guardian Angel, you enjoy more privileges. Saints recommend praying to your Guardian Angel when you wake up in the morning and when you are ready to go to bed at night. I have prayed to my Guardian Angel ever since I learned my first prayers. I have enjoyed few close encounters with my Guardian Angel.

As an active and adventurous boy, I know how many times my Friend saved me from peril. Today I honor my Guardian Angel with a sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving.
Angel of God my Guardian and dear Friend, thank you for your protection. Continue to enlighten and guard me till my last breath. Amen!

"Listen to the inspiration that I give you through your guardian angel, and you will prosper in all that you do." (IN SINU JESU, Saturday, February 19, 2011).

For a Guardian Angel Prayer, click the link below:

http://seekfirstcommunity.com/2020/10/guardian-angel-prayer.html?m=1

Daily Bible Verse @ Seekfirstcommunity.com

Sunday 3rd October 2021, 27th Week in Ordinary Time.

The kingdom of the God belongs" "to such as these." That is, to the childlike. How childlike are you? Scripture teaches that God resists the proud and uplifts the humble. The childlike are humble in their own eyes. They do not walk straight to the front seat or have an air of entitlement.

The childlike recognizes that God is the Father of all human beings and therefore prohibits discrimination between men and women, Jew and Gentile, Black and White.

If you are in Christ, you become a new creation. The old stuff in you has died. The new childlike personality who lives through the power of of Christ in you is the You who blesses the world.

As a baptized Christian, the only thing keeping you from being the childlike Christian you are called to be is Sin. Sin has been dealt with by Jesus Christ the Savior on the Cross. Do not allow the regrets of Sin to depress you. We have in Jesus a faithful and true Advocate who pleads our case before the throne of mercy of God.

Take advantage of this stream of mercy through the readily available Sacrament of Reconciliation today.

"My priests should be the first to seek Me out in the Sacrament of Reconciliation. They should be the first to run to Me as soon as they experience the pangs of an uneasy conscience and the regret of their sinful weaknesses. The single greatest service My priests can offer one another is the readiness to hear each other’s confessions and to pronounce over each other the healing words of absolution. In this way, they carry out the example I gave you when, at the Last Supper, I washed the feet of My disciples. Frequent confession, weekly confession is, more than ever, necessary to My priests." (IN SINU JESU, Thursday, July 31, 2008).

Daily Bible Verse @ Seekfirstcommunity.com

Friday 1st October 2021, 26th Week in 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 and Doctor of the Church. Today is also First Friday in 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."

Is there a connection between faith and simplicity?  Simplicity in thoughts and habits may facilitate the habit of believing.
"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.

Daily Bible Verse @ SeekFirstcommunity.com