Here on earth in court, a lawyers or yourself can defend you and a lot of talk may get you off the hook; but when you face the Lord, who already knew what's in your heart and mind, all talk will be useless. Since God is truth, all-knowing, and knows all about us, everyone will receive perfect justice at the end. For this, both saints or sinners can greatly rejoice.
Friday, December 23, 2011
Thursday, December 22, 2011
No New Year's Resolutions
Today is December 22 and some people are already thinking about what New Year's resolutions to make this time. For the devout Christian to whom every day is the beginning of a new year and a day to love the Lord to the fullest, New Year's resolutions would be superfluous.
Linked to Christ
During prayer after Mass, I looked at the altar and realized that Christ was present in the consecrated hosts inside the tabernacle and that I had just received him in Holy Communion a little earlier. I immediately became aware that I was already linked to him intimately like a branch on the vine. The feeling was a mixture of surprise, astonishment, and gratitude.
Yearning of the Soul
As the soul desires greater intimacy with the Lord, it yearns for more and more of him. To seek union, the soul is ready to receive as much as the Lord is willing to grant to quench its thirst. The soul will not be fully satisfied until it sees the Lord in heaven face to face.
The Conscience Difference
God gives each one of us a conscience. If we let the Holy Spirit take over, God will show us clearly what's good and what's evil, and we shall all think as God does. What happens sadly today is that because people follow their own wishes and desires, their conscience has become so muddy that they no longer can distinguish between the good and the evil. Take unmarried couples living together. I know for a fact that one couple is doing it because they can claim that one parent has low income so that the kids can get the government to pay for the college tuition. Generally, couples do it because lots of other couples are doing it. How about abortion? If you don't think about it, "to have the freedom of choice" just sounds good. So you believe that abortion is not really wrong, but deep down you know that it's not quite right either. If it's totally right, then why isn't there much joy and peace after an abortion? The conscience is "gone" because people are trapped in sin, because everybody is doing it, because it's easy to turn away from conscience, and because they don't bother to do any deep soul searching.
On the other hand, when you let the light of Christ shine upon you, all sins are exposed and with repentance and God's forgiveness, the conscience is restored to its pristine state. The sharp conscience then keeps you living in a state of grace, with peace and joy.
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
Christmas Joy & Sorrow
With Christmas approaching, receiving the Holy Eucharist at Mass brought me extra joy. Yet, I felt great sorrow too because there had been so many sins committed against the Lord by so many at all times. Overall, my joy outweighed my sorrow, for God always triumphs in the end.
Blessed Mary
In today's Gospel reading from Luke 1 at Mass, Mary visited her cousin Elizabeth, who, filled with the Holy Spirit, recognized her as the mother of her Lord. How endearing it is to address Mary as the mother of our Lord! She always listens to her Divine Son and leads us to him. To love her is to love Jesus even more. We are truly blessed to have her as our Blessed Mother.
A Right Time for Everything
In this life, my role is to believe and trust in God and not to question why. After we get to heaven, we can ask God all the questions we want.
We're Poor & Nothing
That's how I feel before God today. What do we really have that can make us say that we, apart from God, are rich? One billion dollars may make me appear rich to others, but will mean nothing to God. Can we amount to something on our own? Again, whatever we accomplish just for our own sake will be transitory and effort wasted before the Lord. By acknowledging that we are poor and nothing by ourselves, we maintain our humility before God, learn to depend upon him in all things and not to judge others, and consequently, enjoy peace in our hearts. Doing the right thing always brings the right results.
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