Holy Spirit, the Great Teacher

        At this morning's Mass in John 14, Jesus said to his disciples, "The Holy Spirit that the Father will send in my name will teach you everything and remind you of all that I told you."  I had the strong desire to want the Holy Spirit to teach me, to illuminate my muddy mind, to make me see what's right and what's wrong, and to guide me always.  I shall now post what I did learn during and after the Mass.  

Jesus Is God

        Pretty much all this week in the Gospel readings this week at Mass, Jesus let it be known that he is in the Father and the Father is in him, that he and the Father are one, and that whoever has seen him has seen the Father.  In that case, Jesus is God.  In that case, we must believe in him 100%, not any less.  Once you have that rock solid faith in him, you will see wonders happen and be rewarded with deep satisfaction.

God Makes the Difference

         Thoughts this morning.       

        Without God, I would be living a self-centered life, grabbing whatever I can for myself, wanting to do better than or at least keep up with the others, and enjoying the things of the world as much as possible.               

        With God, everything that's important before is no longer so.  Now I have him guiding and leading me ~ I do not have to struggle for myself anymore.  A new, free way of living with peace in the heart ~ it's God's way, which makes all the difference in this life, and the next too (I almost forgot).   

Ego, Still an Enemy

        I was telling a friend something.  That something was true and appropriate for the moment as it illustrated a point relevant to the topic we were on.  I realized that telling the story would reveal the fact that I was involved in a ministry that might make me look "holy" to the other person; but since that's not really my intention and the story was interesting, I went ahead and told it.  I did feel a little uncomfortable afterwards because it made me feel like a name-dropper. 

        I started thinking about this.  I feel that the buildup or formation of the self (ego) starts from the moment of our birth.  Over time through upbringing, learning, and experience, we become the center of  ourselves.  From this center, we think, speak, and do things our way.   You hear people say "That's the way I am" or "God has made me this way."  Of course, we can change; but after years of forming shields and protective layers around the ego, it becomes difficult.   Surrendering to God by displacing the ego with humility provides the solution.  Nothing is impossible with God. 

God's One-Way Giving

        After receiving Jesus in Holy Communion, again I felt that the Lord had been giving me everything; that is, everything I needed and that's good for me had come from him.  Even myself he had made.  So the only logical thing left for me to do was to love him with all my heart, all my soul, all my mind, and all my strength, as he had requested.    

Heaven, Only Sensible Choice

        I still remember when I first learned how to drive a car many years ago, I read that a head-on collision is something that I should avoid at all costs ~ it's the last thing you want on the list of accidents.  I have always remembered that.  May I say that in planning your future, eternal separation from God should be the last thing on your list of destinations.  In fact, it should be deleted from the list if you possess any good sense at all.  Therefore, aim for the only item left on the list, which is eternal union with God.  Choose it without reservation.

Between God and Us Always

        In the last two posts, I talked about the personal relationship between God and us.  This is what really matters.  When we face God alone after we die, no one can testify on our behalf anymore ~ it's between God and us all the way.  How good it would be to surrender to him now and hear the words "Well done, my good and faithful servant" and share the master's joy (Matthew 25.21) later in heaven.

Benefit of Surrender

        I must mention one great benefit of surrender to God ~ you get to "see" the great beauty of God, out of this world.  When it happens, the heart and soul are overwhelmed by delight.

Surrender Leads to Freedom

        You hear a lot about the importance of having a personal relationship with God.  But a personal relationship could be quite superficial, intimate, or anywhere in-between.  If you want to go all the way, then surrender to God.  When you do it, you will realize that this is something you should have done way at the beginning.  It marks the end of your rebellion and the beginning of true freedom of the heart.  Now you and God are on the same side. 

Three Joyful Things

        From today's first reading from Acts 11, I heard that certain early converts, before they were known as Christians, started proclaiming the Lord Jesus.  That brought joy to my heart.  To proclaim the Lord is one of the most joyful things to do.  The other two joyful things are hearing the voice of the Lord and following him.