A Beautiful Picture

        Promoting my favorite saint, St. Therese of Lisieux, again.  She wrote: "My heart is filled to the brim with the will of Our Lord so that nothing else can find place there, but glides across like oil over tranquil waters."  What a beautiful picture! 

Life Is...

a battleground.  The warfare in which you engage is a spiritual one.  You fight by making the right choices.  If there's a decision to make, you may chose either to glorify or offend God.  Of course, sometimes the right choice is not clear and we need to pray about it.  If the decision is difficult to make, you'll know that you've made the right one if peace follows in your heart.  It helps also to know that you should never make any decision that you know will make you regret later, no matter how much gratification you can get out of it.    

In Sync with Jesus

Let the joys of Jesus be your joys, and the sorrows of Jesus be your sorrows. 

Mary's Humility

        Those outside the Church who do not venerate Mary often point out that there's not much in Scriptures, especially the Gospels, to justify the honors bestowed upon her by the Catholic Church and the great devotion many Catholics have developed for her.  Not long ago, I read The Life of Mary as Seen by the Mystics.  The book had been compiled entirely from the visions and private revelations of St. Elizabeth of Schoenau, St. Bridget of Sweden, Venerable Mother Mary of Jesus of Agreda, and Sister Anne Catherine Emmerich.  What is interesting is that from one of the stories I found out that Mary, being humble, did not wish anyone to write about her in order to let Jesus alone be in the spotlight.  What holy humility! 

It's the Lord!

        Yesterday I read John 21, The Fishermen.  Jesus appeared (the 3rd time after his resurrection) on the shore of the Sea of Tiberias.  The disciples fished all night and caught nothing.  After daybreak, Jesus in the distance suggested to them to cast the net off to the starboard side and they made a big haul.  Then John cried to Peter, "It is the Lord!"  On hearing it, Peter threw on some clothes and jumped into the water.

        I love this excitement!  Receiving the Lord in the Holy Eucharist should give you the same feeling, because you could truly yell out "It is the Lord!" right after consecration.  Also, when you see God working every moment in your life, you can proclaim "It is the Lord!" continuously.  A great way to be aware that he is there at all times.

Why Be Lonely?

        The other day on TV, I heard the story of someone who at one time didn't feel that he fitted in with his peers in college, felt inferior to his more talented sister, got really depressed, and tried various escapes to overcome his loneliness.  This kind of feeling is pretty common among all of us, myself included in the old days.  We all want to feel liked or admired by others and be somebody ~ it's that ego in us. 

       Of course, when you do become that somebody, you may lose any old friends who really care about you and gain new ones not necessarily of the desirable kind.   The truth is that you can have a lot of friends and buddies and deep down still feel lonely.    

        But, once you get to know the Lord well, all things change (as happened later to that person I mentioned at the beginning).  When you have Jesus as your friend, the emptiness in life is gone!  Do you know that "lonely Christian" is an oxymoron?  The only time a disciple of Christ could feel "lonely" is when he or she no longer belongs to the world.  The Lord alone is more than sufficient for us.              

Saints Having Fun?

        In my early Christian years, a saint to my mind was someone rather old, who  likes solitude, prays a lot, and lives a disciplined life, thus missing all the fun in the world.  Being a saint certainly wasn't attractive to me.  Now that I have advanced more spiritually, I know that a saint forgoes the pleasures of the world  because he or she has experienced a much greater and more delightful joy, and it's God who draws him or her into deep prayer.  In fact, it's the unbeliever or weak believer who sooner or later finds emptiness in all the fun in the world, missing out on inner peace and joy.  Our mental images or impressions do not always reflect the truth. 

Treat for the Devil

        This is a humorous, true story.  Way back, when  I felt the need to pass gas while I was praying, I always felt awkward, slightly guilty, and apologetic, hoping that the Lord would understand.  Then one day I heard a Father D (I've forgotten to spell his last name correctly) of San Francisco talk exactly about this situation (I didn't bring up the subject).  He said that when that happens, all you do is stop praying momentarily, turn to the Devil, say "this is for you", do it and resume.  This has worked beautifully for me.  God does have a good solution to any of our problems, big or small.         

Ignoring the Devil

        Question: Should you pay attention to the Devil? 
        If you focus all your attention on the Lord and remain humble by acknowledging your total helplessness without him, then you may safely ignore the Devil, for the Evil One wouldn't dare touch any humble souls with a hundred-foot pole. 

Not See But Believe

        This morning while driving to Mass, I got the feeling as if I was going to meet Jesus face-to-face.  It turned out that today was the Feast of St. Thomas, who didn't believe that Jesus had risen until he saw and touched the wounds in him.  And the Lord said to Thomas, "You believe in me, Thomas, because you have seen me.  Blessed are those who have not seen, but still believe."  I did not see the Lord at Mass, but I felt blessed extra.