My first thought today is that once we realize that we have sinned, we should not feel depressed; instead we should turn immediately to God to repent and ask for forgiveness and healing. See this as an opportunity to become holier and forge a closer relationship with God once more.
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Follow God's Timetable
God has his timetable for us and for all things. Of course, we mess it up by not paying attention and sinning against him. For us followers, we must be patient and alert at the same time. Patient so that we don't rush ahead of the Holy Spirit, and alert so that we are ready to move when the Holy Spirit so directs. Follow God's timetable for us and we'll be in step with the him at all times.
Change Yourself by Yourself?
Try to change yourself with determination by yourself and you will always experience a struggle, with the ego involved right there in the midst of your battle. The easy way is to humbly call upon the Lord to do the work for you and you'll succeed brilliantly in peace and freedom.
Boast in God Only
Today's Entrance antiphon, Galatians 6.14: "...I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ..." To boast in God only is to never boast in ourselves. The two are to be mutually exclusive if we love God.
Focus on God Alone
Today is the Memorial of St. John of the Cross. The Gospel reading from Matthew 21 shows that it's important to believe in the right person (John the Baptist in this case). My own experiences have taught me to focus on Jesus alone and nothing else.
Once I saw a miracle, which made me believe that an event I witnessed earlier genuinely came from God. With this belief, I was able to bring about a miraculous healing by using an object I obtained at the event. Later, that event proved to be a hoax. And I asked God what really happened ~ I was confused.
The lesson I've learned is that God wants us to put our faith in him alone and not in any seemingly miraculous events happening around us. We must never let any miracles we witness draw our attention away from God. As long as our faith is placed in God alone, miracles can happen with anything we use, whether genuine or false. So I am now leaving all those happenings not yet approved officially by the Church alone for they can easily detract us from focusing on God. I leave all miracles to God too ~ they are not for me to interpret or get curious about.
Monday, December 13, 2010
The Perfection of the Lord
Imagine that you are in full union with God, who is Love. I have no question that you'll actually feel that besides him, there is truly nothing you will want.
As I was in prayer after Mass, alone in the chapel, I acutely sensed the perfection of Jesus the Lord. The more I sensed it, the more I was drawn into him, and the more I was overwhelmed. I was moved to tears when I sensed the depth of this perfection. I now understand why contemplation of the Lord can lead one into ecstasy.
Pray for Clear Spiritual Vision
Today is also the Memorial of St. Lucy, patron saint to cure blindness and all other eye problems. It is my prayer today that spiritually we'll always have the clear vision to see the beauty and love of God, our proper place and role in this life, what's good and what's bad for us, and that God alone is our bright hope for eternal life.
Aim for full union with God through the Holy Eucharist in this life, then you may bypass purgatory altogether. It's perfectly all right to wish to skip purgatory if it's for the glory of God. (On the other hand, we must be willing to go to purgatory to remain as long as God wishes.)
Looking Good Naked
Some more thoughts follow the last posting. No one who ever questioned or tried to trick Jesus had ever succeeded. Being omnipotent, he has the advantage of knowing our minds and hearts in advance better than we know ourselves. Being aware of this fact can sharpen our conscience and help us become holy. As I remember, I said once before: we are completely naked before God and have absolutely no way of hiding ourselves in any way. So take full advantage of this by making ourselves look good before him.
Jesus Has Full Authority
In today's Gospel reading from Matthew 21, the chief priests and the elders of the people questioned Jesus' authority. (They were always trying to test or trap him.) Of course, the Lord knew exactly how to foil such attempts by turning the table on them.
Jesus, being Lord of all things, has full authority to do whatever he wishes. If we accept this, then we must accept all the teachings of his church, our Catholic Faith. If we do not accept certain teaching(s), then we basically pit our own "authority" against that of Jesus. To want to stand on the same side as the Lord, we have no choice but to obey all his teachings as taught through his church.
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