"Be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect." (Matthew 5:48)

Sunday, November 25, 2012

Yearning for God

        When you yearn for the Lord, it's not because he hasn't come to you yet. On the contrary, it's because he already dwells in you.        

God's Absolute Perfection

        Communion experience. I sense the absolute perfection of the Lord, making me want to banish even the most minute sins and imperfections. Sweet peace permeated my heart.  

Jesus the King

        Today is the Solemnity of Christ the King. Jesus Christ is the king of kings, the ruler of the universe. He is not a king to some because they expect a king to rule and conquer by might on earth; whereas Jesus rules by mercy alone and his kingdom does not belong to this world. This world will pass away, but his kingdom lasts forever. Conclusion: We are completely at his mercy ~ how fortunate we are that his mercy is infinite. 

To Remain in Darkness or Not

        Darkness is the absence of light. Since God is our light, if we do not see him, we are in darkness. Those who see him but not clearly are in semi-darkness. Those who prefer to remain in mortal sin are the ones who refuse to see the light. Since the light of God will forever be present, we are left with the choice whether we want to remain in darkness forever or not.

Saturday, November 24, 2012

Love Makes Union Possible

        Today's Communion experience. The Holy Spirit made me want to surrender to the Lord willingly. No force was ever felt ~ it's his sheer love that overcame me. I am all his! It's love that made union possible.

Most Satisfying Discovery

        When scientists, astronomers, physicists, mathematicians, archaeologists... make a discovery, they get rightly exited. When I discover the solution to any problem, I feel happy too. The last problem, seemingly strange, I had at home was that rain water would drip from the kitchen exhaust hood onto the cooktop. The builder couldn't figure out why; but later I discovered the cause, fixed the problem, and felt good. But the joy of all these discoveries is only temporary. To me, the most satisfying discovery is the realization, not just knowledge, that Jesus Christ is truly God and he loves us, has died for us and can save us. Unlike other discoveries, this realization does not require reasoning on our part ~ it is a revelation given by God to the heart. And the joy of this discovery remains with us for all eternity.

Friday, November 23, 2012

Clear Choices

        Atheism is on the rise. One can believe that God exists or does not. By "clear" I do not mean that the right choice is necessarily clear to the atheists, I only mean that it is clear that these are the only two choices possible. If one believes that God exists, then the next two clear choices are whether you should believe in him all the way or not. The compelling, meaningful choice is to go all the way. This leaves us with just two logical choices: (1) To not believe in God at all and (2) to believe in God all the way. Anything in between is not a "clear" choice.

How We Lose Inner Peace

        One reason, I believe, that people don't have peace is because when things do not turn out their way or to their liking, they are emotional upset. It gets worse when circumstances do not allow them to express how they feel and they keep all their emotions bottled up inside them. On the other hand, those who follow the Lord leave all to him. They may not like what they see, but they are able to maintain their inner peace.  

Thursday, November 22, 2012

God's Awesome Holiness

        During Communion today, I sensed the awesome Holiness of the Lord. A sinner does not see how filthy his sins are in the presence of the Lord. Should he realize this fully, I don't think he would be able to survive! On the other hand, if a sinner repents, he is willing to let God's Holiness dissolve his sins and be made clean again. 

Abortion Wrong Again

        I attended Thanksgiving Day Mass this morning and the Scripture reading was on Mary visiting Elizabeth who had conceived a son (the future John the Baptist). [The visit came after the angel Gabriel had announced to Mary that the Holy Spirit would come upon her and she would conceive in her womb and bear a son to be named Jesus.] When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the infant leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit, cried out in a loud voice and said, "Most blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And how does this happen to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For at the moment the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the infant in my womb leaped for joy." 
        The infant already knew that the Lord was near. At this point, the Lord made me see again how wrong abortion is.