A Not-to-Judge Reminder

        On EWTN last night, I heard Father Corapi (in a 2003 video) quoting Jesus in The adulteress incident (John 8).  When the scribes and Pharisees tried to trap Jesus by asking him what he had to say about following the law of Moses to stone the woman, Jesus answered: "Let the man among you who has no sin be the first to cast a stone at her."  This again is a good reminder for me not to judge others. 

The Lord Really Meant It!!!

        During Eucharistic Prayer at this morning's Mass, father, consecrating the bread, said the usual words of Jesus, "Take this, all of you, and eat it: this is my body which will be given up for you."  Then, to consecrate the wine, again using Jesus' words, he said "Take this, all of you, and drink from it: this is the cup of my blood, the blood of the new and everlasting covenant. It will be shed for you..." ~ at this precise point, it hit me hard that the Lord really meant it, as he did go right on to shed his blood.  Then when he said "I am the way, and the truth, and the life," he must really mean it too.  It follows that the Lord has been truthful in all his sayings.  This greatly increased my admiration and love for him.  Thank you, Jesus.   

God Is Sweet

        If you love the Lord, you'll find that everything about the Lord is sweet, sweet to the spirit, that is.  Today at Mass when I heard "the kingdom of God" mentioned, I instantly sensed its sweetness.  (A note of caution to myself: I must never let such feeling distract me from the central faith I have in God.)   

Making God Feel Good

        I've been feeling happy because I realize that I don't need to hide in any darkness ~ I'll just let the purifying light of God shine upon me, revealing all the specks in me and then removing all of them so that I may be made clean.  Being clean is a great feeling, then I must remember that the goal must be to make God the Father feel good, not me.  I should feel good only when he feels good.  

        At morning Mass, I wanted to prostrate myself before the mercy of God, letting him take over, taking complete care of me.  Again, good feeling for both of us.     

"Pessimistic Christian"

        Another oxymoron here.  A true Christian places all his hope in God.  Being hopeful in God, he remains optimistic.  Placing his faith in God, he leaves all subsequent events to God.  Since he sees afterlife as a continuation of the present life, his vision is longrange, keeping him upbeat.  Suffering, OK; being pessimistic, NoK. 

The Christian Edge

        When you see others distressed, you comfort them by asking what's the worst that could possibly happen.  If they are not going to lose their life, then you tell them not to worry about it ~ right?  But we Christians have a edge here because even we die, it's OK ~ we get to be with the Lord in paradise ~ right?  Right.

A Judgment Experience (video)

        Here's the story of Fr. Steven Scheier as told to Mother Angelica on EWTN.

        The video plays for just over 40 minutes, but it's well worth watching.  The story reinforces the knowledge that God's mercy is so wide, broad, and deep in scope that if you are still an atheist or not a true believer and keep going your own way and end up at the wrong destination, you have only yourself to blame.  God has bent forwards, backwards, and sideways, to the point of sacrificing his own beloved Son to save us, exactly what more do you expect him to do?

        One last thought.  People will pay to buy a lottery ticket, hoping to gain financial security in this life when the odds of winning are so slim that you're more likely to be killed by lightning, yet they are not willing to accept the free mercy offered by God to win eternal life.  You figure that out.

"All Up to You"

        Instead of saying "Thy will be done" at the end of prayer, I find it easier to say "I leave it all up to you."  This immediately frees me because now it's the Lord's turn to make the move.         

Holy Spirit, the Teacher Extraordinaire

        I posted earlier about God the psychiatrist, now I want to say something about Holy Spirit the teacher extraordinaire.  The Holy Spirit teaches with love.  Other teachers lecture to the brain, but the Holy Spirit whispers to the heart.  Other teachers force you to reason, but the Holy Spirit gently infuses sublime knowledge of God into your soul.   All other good teachers demand you to do rigorous homework for you to learn, but the Holy Spirit only needs you to remain passive and recollected to be enlightened.  Best of all, the Holy Spirit already knows your heart and will always give you what's best for you to know.     

Remarkable Lord

        It struck me today that one most impressive, remarkable, and beautiful trait of Jesus is his humility.  He is God with infinite power and knowledge, yet he never once did anything to show himself off ~ every word and action were motivated by love and compassion.  He is Lord, but never lord it over us.  I rejoice that I have such a one to be my Lord.