Take Advantage of God's Grace

        Reading 2 today is taken from 2 Corinthians 5, in which Paul appeals to them not to receive the grace of God in vain.  The verse caught my attention.  God's grace is all there ~ how do we respond to it?  We can ignore or reject it, receive it but not pay much attention to it, or receive it, treasure it, and respond to it with all our heart.  The grace of God is ready to pour into us like a mighty river, so let it drench us, cleanse us, and transform us.                 

Ash Wednesday Thoughts

        When you go up to receive the ashes on the forehead, the words you hear are "Remember, man, you are dust and to dust you will return."  The message is clear as a bell and irrefutable.  We have the physical body and the soul.  The body will only last a brief moment on earth, but the soul is imperishable.  We automatically take care of our body, but don't think much about the soul.  Shouldn't the priorities be taking care of the soul first and foremost and then the body?  Ash Wednesday is a good wake-up call for many of us.

Give to God What Belongs to Him

        In today's Gospel reading from Mark 12, Jesus said to the Pharisees and Herodians out to test him, “Repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God.”  Having failed to ensnared him, they were amazed at his reply.

        What exactly of us belongs to God?  It's clear that the whole of us belongs to him.  Why not start with the heart, the most important part to us?  When you are at it, throw in your mind as well.  Offer your heart and mind to God and he will purify both, filling the heart with his love and enlightening the mind with his wisdom.  And we become a new creature, pleasing to ourselves and delightful to him.  A great way to pay what's due.     

Let Love Motivate Us

        Sometimes I want to do something to someone, which seems harmless or even helpful on the surface, then I detect that there is the underlying motive to justify myself, to hurt someone emotionally, to convey a subtle message, or to put someone in his or her place.  This must not be so because we must let love motivate every thought.  (I didn't include word and deed because they automatically follow thought.)  This is what following Christ is all about.  To follow Christ is to follow love and nothing else.  The Lord has made it clear that this is the way to eternal life.        

Taking Refuge in God

        Every time I see my own faults, weaknesses, and imperfections, I look at Jesus and see a more perfect Lord.  

        Too many times when our hearts are troubled, we try to resolve the problem on our own.  I hear people say that it's not a big thing and I don't want to bother God.  Could this be just a pretense put up to hide the unwillingness to get God involved?  I now see that if I profess to trust in God, I must include him in everything I do and at all levels.  In fact, anytime my heart is troubled, the first thing I should do is to run to him without hesitation, asking for understanding, guidance, and healing.  Dwelling on the trouble by myself still shows the presence of pride.  I see a great example in Jesus going through the agony in the garden, at the same time praying to the Father.  May God free us completely.                 

The Process of Union

        The yearning for the Lord prompts us to seek union with him.  The Lord then helps us grow in holiness and the process of union begins.  Now he helps us even more (rather, we are now more receptive) and we are drawn still closer to him.  This process continues on.  It all starts with a desire at the very beginning and ends with perfect union.  Naturally, the Holy Eucharist is the essential aid in this process.

Does the Lord Know You?

        Today's Gospel reading is from Matthew 7.  Jesus told his disciples that only those who does the will of the Father would enter the kingdom of heaven.  And to all the others he would say, "I never knew you.  Depart from me..."

        It would be so terrible for the Lord to not know you.  This is worse than being a nobody ~ it's like you have never even existed.  So, we must live in such a way as to make him notice us.  Another reason for seeking union with him in this life.     

Grafted to the Lord

        Today I heard the verse before the Gospel reading about Jesus being the vine and us the branches.  This gives me another picture of union with the Lord.  We are grafted to him, thereby becoming part of him.  Cut off from him and we die.  United with him, we get fed and continue to grow.  How nice it is to flourish right before his eyes!

Charity Begins at Home

        We often act nicer to those outside of the family than we do to members of our own family.  To the outsiders we want to create a good image because of pride, whereas at home we freely show our true colors as there's not much to hide anymore.  Well, the Lord makes me see that this shouldn't be so.  Everyone must be treated alike with love, respect, and patience.  The saying "Charity begins at home" takes on a new meaning.   

Chance for Heaven

        Last thought as I came home from Mass.  No one looks perfect in this world.  We can be ugly, have wrinkles on the face, scars on the body, bad teeth, crooked smiles, and so on.   After we die, we all turn into bare skeletons.  Lucky for us is that when we apply for admission to heaven, the Lord totally ignores our appearance and looks at our heart only ~ so we stand a good chance getting our application approved.