Let yourself be loved by God first. (This has got to be my shortest post.)
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
We Are Prodigal Too
I venture to say that we all know the Parable of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15: 11-32). We may not be as bad as he was, but we are all prodigal to some degree and the Father's great love applies to us as well. God always loves us. Now, rejoice.
My Pleasure!
I once checked into a hotel and one desk clerk was extra helpful. Every time I asked her to do something, she always responded enthusiastically, "My pleasure!" That really made me feel good. I got to thinking that we should respond to the Lord the same way. "My pleasure," "At your service," "At your disposal" ~ they all sound pretty good. In other words, be glad to do his will always.
Mutual Giving
During the Liturgy of the Eucharist at morning Mass today, the priest consecrated the bread and wine and the Lord was ready to offer himself to us again as our bread of life and spiritual drink. I was wondering what I could give to him for exchange. His answer was that I should give him my heart.
Are You Ready to Die?
At this morning's Mass, the pastor asked us if we're ready to die right now. Simeon was ready after seeing the child Jesus with his own eyes, but we have in a way already seen so much more than Simeon. We have the Gospels, the testimonies from the saints, the teachings of the Church, and much more.
If your answer is "no," then is it because the faith is not there yet? there is still too much attachment to the world? What is holding you back? This question needs to be urgently addressed while we still have life (time).
Let God's Plan Unfold
Today's Gospel reading was from Luke 2 on the Presentation of the child Jesus in the temple. You are probably familiar with the story of how the man Simeon was ready to die after seeing Jesus because the Holy Spirit had revealed to him that he should not see death before he had seen the Christ of the Lord. What struck me was that this wasn't anything earthshaking. It just seemed to be something that came along at the proper time in God's plan. The entire life of Jesus on earth also seemed to proceed naturally, one event at a time. He remained humble and meek, going about doing the Father's will quietly with dignity. Our own life should be lived like that too with no intention to make our own waves or call attention to ourselves, but to seek and do God's will quietly in his time.
Are You in the Light?
Today's first reading at Mass was from 1 John 2. Verses 9 & 10 read: "Whoever says he is in the light, yet hates his brother, is still in the darkness. Whoever loves his brother remains in the light, and there is nothing in him to cause a fall." It's clear that if there is still someone you cannot forgive, then you are not in the light yet. When you truly see Christ in everyone, then you are securely in the light. A good test for us to take.
God's Awesomeness
Today I approached the Lord before Mass with great trepidation. I didn't mean it in a bad way; I just felt God's awesomeness and my unworthiness. Nevertheless, his love and mercy came through just the same, removing all fears and apprehension and drawing me ever closer to him.
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
In Complete Union with God
At today's Mass, the Feast of the Holy Innocents, Reading 1 is from 1 John. The Apostle speaks of God as light. The following beautiful picture came to my mind:
By virtue of God's light shining upon us, we are transformed into light, and the two lights merge together in complete union so that they are no longer distinguishable from each other.
The Compassion of God
In my last post, I pointed out how common, daily occurrences can affect us. We get disturbed, upset or emotional, lose peace, and turn negative in thoughts, words, and/or deeds. Then I thought of God. When we sin against him, he does not react the way we do ~ he becomes even more compassionate and looks upon us with even greater pity, for his love and mercy knows of no bounds.
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