God Be Our Only Focus

        To love God, we must focus upon him alone and not get sidetracked by or become attached to anything along the way.  As St. John of the Cross said, if a beautiful statue or image draws us to the Lord, we must never become attracted to it and lose sight of the Lord it represents.  On a pilgrimage, even if I witness a miracle, I should not let it distract me from my concentration on the Lord.  We are to zero in on him alone, the Lord of all.    

Conflicting Feelings

        When I was about to receive Holy Communion this morning, I felt that it was just too overwhelming to receive the Lord daily for a wretched sinner like me, then I also felt that he would not mind entering me again because of my love and yearning for him.  He won out.      

To Die in Christ

        When you love the Lord, it becomes natural for you to want to die in him. What I mean is that you want the old you to die so that he may make you anew.

Communion of Saints

        Today I see that the Communion of Saints we believe in is a beautiful thing.  All members of the Church, living or dead, in heaven or in purgatory, are in spiritual union, forming part of the Mystical Body of Christ.  When I pray, it is a comfort to know that the angels and saints can intercede for me.  They are my family and my support.  We've all heard stories of people who died and came back.  After the soul left the body, they could see what took place around the dead body.  This reinforced my belief that all angels and saints,through the power of God, can know everything about us.  We are not alone; we belong to the big family of God.  

Knowing God

        Naturally, the first thing is that you desire to know him; that is, you are open to him.  Then he will start drawing you.  This is the beginning.  The process is gradual, but may accelerate at some points depending upon your disposition.  You may not feel much that he is drawing you, then one day you look back and will see that the Lord is a lot closer to you than before.  You reach the point at which you are aware of his holy presence at every moment, day and night.  This is a great blessing, as it helps you stay holy. 

Union, Fulfillment

        When I received the Lord this morning in the Holy Eucharist, the bread of heaven entered me and I realized that Christ is now part of me.  I, a little branch, am now totally grafted onto him, the vine.  He feeds me to keep me living and I become part of him.  This is union, fulfillment.  I now lack nothing.

God Is Joy

        This morning when I was feeling content and peaceful in the Lord after Mass, all the past unhappy, painful experiences of life seemed to have receded and faded away.  This verse from Revelation came to my mind: "God will wipe away every tear from their eyes."

Humility Effected by Union

        Thoughts this morning before Mass.  To be safe from fall, humility is absolutely necessary.  A humble soul is one that dwells securely in the Lord.  To become humble, one must want to be like Jesus, our perfect model of humility.  And this brings us right back to union with the Lord.

        When I received Holy Communion this morning, I saw again that I could not just regard this reception as taking any kind of food.  This reception must effect a deep union with the Lord, ultimately if not instantly.  This is what the Lord desires and how the soul finds perfect rest.     

Ask the Lord to Make You Well

        In today's Gospel reading from John 5, Jesus saw a man lying by a pool and knew that he had been ill for a long time.  He said to him, "Do you want to be well?"  And because of his helplessness, Jesus cured him. 

        I can't help sensing that at times Jesus asks us this same question too.  If you hear his voice, don't pass up the opportunity to answer yes.  Better yet, ask him to make you well before you hear him ask.

Dealing with Others

         The last line in the poem Do It Anyway attributable to Mother Teresa reads, "In the final analysis, it is between you and God; it was never between you and other people anyway" (see post of 8/27/10). All of us must deal with God in the end. If someone mistreats you, he or she will have to face God. About how we react to that person, we'll have to face God too. Realizing this fact, we can learn to remain cool in dealing with others in all things.