Self-Consciousness Is Self-Centeredness

        Earlier today I said something quite normal (nothing extraordinary) in the presence of others and was self-conscious about it; immediately afterwards, I realized that I was still self-centered because I cared about what others thought of me.  I should be solely concerned about what God alone thinks of me.  If doing his will causes others to misunderstand or even laugh at me, so be it.  The self must decrease to nothing before God. 

        Later, the homily at today's Mass (Feast of the Baptism of the Lord) confirmed this.  The priest emphasized that "we are not to fall into the trap of always thinking what I can do, but to concentrate on our relationship with God."  We must get our priorities right.

God Fills "Nothing"

        An afterthought to the last post.  To be nothing before God makes us empty, and we are ready to let God wipe out our sins and fill us with his love and graces. 

"Nothing" Is Beautiful

        We are merely instruments in God's scheme and are nothing before him.  All glory should go to God alone.  Many in our world seek fame and fight for recognition; they love to bask in the honor and glory bestowed upon them by other worldlings.  By contrast, to be able to humble oneself to become "nothing" before God is downright refreshing and truly beautiful before him. 

An Ego Test

        If you feel hurt or get upset when someone misunderstands or blames you and you really haven't done anything wrong, then you still have some of that ego in you. Here's a chance to ask God to crush it for you to remain peaceful.

Planned Parenthood Exposed

        At http://www.UnplannedWebcast.com, you can register to hear Abby Johnson, a former Planned Parenthood director, talk about her new book "Unplanned."  The webcast has been scheduled for next Monday, Jan. 10 at 9 PM Eastern (8 PM Central, 7 PM Mountain, 6 PM Pacific) and the book is coming out the following day.  She is going to reveal the shocking details of what she saw inside the abortion business...and why she resigned her job and joined the pro-life movement.  This should be a huge event.  Watch it if you can and tell others about the webcast and the book too.

Doing God's Will

        This thought came to me today.  I could very well do only what I feel like doing, take control of my life and be just myself.  I may even achieve something in this world, making a name for myself and even benefiting others as a result.  I could really enjoy my own "freedom," even though I may have to fight many battles along the way on my own.  Well, I used to think and live that way.  Now I see clearly that if I were to go through all my life like that and do not change to become a holier person before God, then I shall have wasted all my time on earth.  In other words, I busy myself all life and end up being still the same old me (or possibly a lot worse).  

        Doing one small will of God is infinitely more meaningful and meritorious than doing one million wills of my own.  I am happy that by God's grace, I had come to realize this truth. 

The Depth of God

        I had sensed the great beauty and sheer perfection of God in the past.  Today at Mass I sensed the awesome depth of God.  I would like to remain deep in him, learn from him, and draw all I need from this depth.  I believe that if I continue searching and exploring in it, I'll discover even more treasures, wonders, and be amazed.  There is unlimited power in this depth for us to tap.  God is all we need, more than sufficient for us.  I could even say that God is too much of a good thing for us.  Thanks be to Jesus for revealing the Father to us. 

Distributing God's Love

        This is kind of a sequel to the last post.  Since God loved us first, we can think of ourselves as empty vessels, continuously filled to the brim with God's love, as we distribute this love to others as needed.  This should help us remember that we are not the source of this love, but merely channels of it.

God First Loved Us

        St. John reminds us today that we love God because he first loved us (1 John 4.19).  It's easy to think that we do his will because we love him, whereas the right reason for doing his will is because he loves us.  It's his love that makes us love him back and love others. 

Connect or Reconnect to God

        We adults forget most of the things that happened to us in life when we were at a very young age, but certain things do stick in our mind.  I still remember vividly when I was perhaps around six, the time I went over to a person sitting in a chair in the kitchen at home ~ she's not even a member of the family, but she was very endearing to me.  I walked over to her, sat on the edge of the seat between her legs, and leaned back on her.  She  didn't even try to hold me, but I felt so good and secure just being with her, touching her ~ there was definitely a connection there.

        This was how I felt this morning during prayer before Mass.  Now I have God the Father holding me close to him, letting me know that I am his and I belong to him. This was such a rock-solid, good feeling that only God can provide.  What the world needs is love and the sense of belonging ~ there are so many lonely and lost souls out there. They need to connect or reconnect to God, so that they'll know where to go and to belong.