Receiving More than We Think

        St. Teresa also told that when she approached to receive Communion, the Lord let her behold the extraordinary majesty present in the Blessed Sacrament and her hair stood on end, the whole experience seeming to annihilate her. She marveled at God's wonderful wisdom to conceal such great majesty in something so small as the host. If he did not hide such grandeur, no one would have the courage and strength to approach this union. So let's realize that when we receive the Lord in the Holy Eucharist, we receive all of him, a lot, lot more than we think! 

Heaven Is Worth Awaiting

        St. Teresa in her Life described that the glory, delight, and consolation God gave her in a vision or rapture was go great that it seemed impossible that there could be anything more to desire here below. Imagine how we would feel in heaven! I have no doubt that anyone who can feel what heaven is like for just 5 seconds or less would want to be with God forever. So let's keep up the faith. Believe in Christ and you won't be disappointed ~ this is putting it very mildly.

Clear-Cut Choices

       (1) Do you believe that Jesus actually lived in this world once or that he is just a fictitious character?

        (2) If he actually did live among us in the past, then do you believe that he is divine, the Son of God, our Savior as he claimed he was or that he was totally crazy or false, lying or trying to trick people (in other words, the Gospel stories were mostly likely all made up)?

       (3) If he is indeed our Savior, then do you think that we should totally, partially, or not at all believe in him?  
        It's clear that with God, it must be all or nothing.

Jesus Forever Beautiful

        I did not make Mass yesterday, so today I was most happy going back to receive the Lord. I felt that Christ was truly my refuge. After Communion, I was overwhelmed by his beauty and wanted to give him my heart once more. 

Banishing Anxiety

        Anxiety is always caused by our own will. Once we follow God's will in all things, anxiety vanishes. It is that simple.

Take God Seriously, Please

        Yesterday, I experienced some dizziness while driving; I pulled my car to the roadside, parked, and waited until I recovered. In just those few moments, I saw how life can easily slip away from us. This was a good experience for me ~ it's the kind of wake-up call we all need. Various saints and mystics have been shown hell by God and they are never the same again after that. On this blog, you can check out the account by Fr. Steven Scheier in the video A Judgment Experience. People are dying right and left everyday. For Catholics, please go to confession regularly and often. The first order of business is to take care of your soul. Take God's love and justice seriously!

Common Downfalls

        (1) Our health fails. (2) Our mind fails and we become forgetful, demential, or even insane. (3) Last, the most detrimental of all ~ we sin and stain our soul.
        The precariousness of life calls for the saving power of God.   

Jesus Our Greatest Consolation

        We are always happy when we meet someone who shares the same interests or holds the same views as ours. With the right people, communication is a joy. On the other hand, two people who have suffered the same illness or gone through similar painful experiences find consolation when they find out that they are not alone. Kindred spirits, soul mates, whatever you want to call it, bond easily with each other. Well, Jesus can be all that to us! When we love him, he becomes our best friend and most intimate, constant companion. Our wills coincide and we see eye to eye on all things. In union with us, he becomes our greatest consolation and joy.

Holding Up & Basking in God's Light

         In today's Gospel reading from Luke 6 for Mass, Jesus said to the crowd, "No one who lights a lamp conceals it with a vessel or set it under a bed; rather, he places it on a lampstand so that those who enter may see the light." The whole purpose of the light is for all to be able to see. Jesus is our bright light and our role is to show him so that all may see him through us. Therefore, let every move be as the Lord wants us to make.

      Jesus continued, "For there is nothing that will not become visible, and nothing secret that will not be known and come to light." This is true because he knows everything about us already. Face this truth and lay ourselves completely open before him so that he may enter to transform us into the most desirable creature to him.  

Muddy Thinking Is Dangerous

        The German Catholic Church is in the news. Catholics make up about  30% of the population, but the number of congregants leaving the church rose to over 180,000 in 2010, with the increase blamed on revelations of sexual abuse by German priests. The question Jesus asked the Twelve after all his other disciples were shocked by his bread of life discourse and left him comes to my mind: "Do you also want to leave?" (John 6.67). To leave the Church because of the imperfections of her members is muddy thinking ~ mixing the perfect Lord up with all the sinners. If imperfection is that important to one, then shouldn't he look at his own imperfections first? For one who has true faith in Jesus, that faith will not be shaken the slightest bit, in fact, will even increase, even if every other Catholic in the world, including the Pope, becomes evil! The Church is the Body of Christ. Leaving her is cutting your own lifeline to Christ! Seek union with Christ so that you may always have clear thinking.