Protecting the Lord

        At Mass this morning, I felt the Lord dwelling within me and I wanted to protect him within me. Of course, I am the one who needs his protection, but I could protect him in the sense that I'll do my best to draw others to him so that he would be offended less by sins. This should be the desire and goal for all his disciples. 

Faith Necessary for Finding God

        Read about Jesus in all the Gospels. If you believe that he is truly God, then everything you read would make perfect sense to you. But if you start out believing that he is not divine, then all the stories would absolutely make no sense and you end up knowing even less. In a way, this shows that Jesus is the truth and that faith or at least some faith is necessary for finding God. 

Soul over Body

        God can heal our soul and our body. The soul is more important than the body because the soul does not perish, but the body has no life of it own. When we ask the Lord to heal our soul, he readily complies as the soul is what he loves and a healed soul is a saved one. Our request for healing of the body is granted only if it'll help us spiritually toward saving our soul or give God glory in some other way, as the body, whether healed or not, will perish soon one day.

Cause for Joy

        This morning's Entrance Song, Matthew 25:34, at Mass: "Come, you blessed of my Father; receive the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world, alleluia." As I read that, my heart leapt for joy. The Response to the Psalm (#105) echoed my feeling later: "Rejoice, O hearts that seek the Lord."

Keeping the Lord

        As St. Paul points out in Romans 8, neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor present things, nor future things, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. To reject this love is indeed to be foolish to the extreme. On the other hand, if we do accept this love, then neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor present things, nor future things, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature will be able to take our Lord away from us.

Being Cut to the Heart

        Today's Reading 1 comes from Acts 2. On the day of Pentecost, Peter said to the Jewish people, "Let the whole house of Israel know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified." Now when they heard this, there were cut to the heart. I think that every Christian should feel at least once in his lifetime cut to the heart. Let the Holy Spirit do the cutting, causing a sweet pain most beneficial to the soul.   

Jesus' Promise Confirmed

        Jesus told his disciples that he is with them always, until the end of the age. As I received the Lord in the Holy Eucharist today, once again his promise was confirmed.

Honesty Is Best

        Today's Gospel reading comes from Matthew 28. To cover up the fact that Jesus had risen, the chief priests gave a large sum of money to the soldiers guarding the tomb to spread the rumor that the disciples came and stole the body while they were asleep. This was to satisfy the governor in case he hears about the news and to keep themselves out of trouble. And the false story was circulated among the Jews. So there were a cover-up, bribery, deceitfulness, self-preservation above all else, and the misleading of others ~ hypocrisy all around. By contrast, when Jesus saw Nathanael (Bartholomew), the soon-to-be Apostle, coming toward him, he said, "Here is a true Israelite. There is no duplicity in him." How blessed it is to be as honest and straightforward as Nathanael was to the Lord!

Prayer for Loving God

        To answer my own question posed in the preceding post, I propose that at the start of performing anything, we pray humbly to the Father: "All for you; all in your hands."

Easter Joy

        When Jesus rose from the dead and ascended into heaven, God made the definitive statement that we have hope in him and that hope is Christ. So, Lord, filled with Easter joy how can we love you even more?