Crime or Wisdom

        The Philadelphia doctor Kermit Gosnell who performed thousands of late-term abortions and murdered newborns after inducing labor is finally being tried in court. If killing the newborn is considered a crime, then how come our law allows killing the unborn? You figure that out. Life begins at conception ~ this is certain. Our "Supreme" Court had the wisdom to amend one of God's Commandments to read "You shall not kill except in the case your target is an innocent, defenseless unborn child." 

Who Can Save Us?

        Certainly not another ordinary human being. Certainly not some god who doesn't care for us. It has to be a loving god who wants to save us, and that leaves only God the Father whom Jesus the Son has revealed to us. Conclusion: Nothing but the love of God can save a soul. Think about it.         

Spiritual Overhaul

        Communion request. When receiving the Holy Eucharist, I asked the Lord to dismantle me, clean and restore each part, and put me together again ~ time for a thorough spiritual overhaul.  

The Way to Truth

        Today at Mass, the first reading came from Acts 7. The people, the elders, and the scribes did not have the humility to listen to Stephen proclaiming the truth; instead, they threw him out of the city and stoned him to death. The proud are always so occupied with themselves that they turn blind and deaf to any truth. Only the humble can hear the Lord and get to know the truth.

Beauty of God Ever Present

        I have an outdoor deck on the east side of my house. On a moist morning like today hundreds of water-drops hung from the white metal rails of the deck railing. As the sun light hit the drops, they turned glisteningly red, green, yellow, or white. When I moved my head from side to side, all the colors continually changed ~ the sight was beautiful! This exquisite natural phenomenon reflected the ever-present beauty of God.          

Persecutions of Christians

        Christians are being persecuted in many countries around the world. In my opinion, our government should not give money away so freely to aid those countries if they do not promise to provide fair protection of Christians, who have human rights too! Pray that all governments will defend the rights of all their citizens. 

Food to Work For

        In this morning's Gospel reading from John 6, the day after Jesus multiplied the loaves to feed the five thousand, the crowd went looking for him. When they found him, he said to them, "Amen, amen, I say to you, you are looking for me...because you ate the loaves and were filled. Do not work for food that perishes, but for food that endures for eternal life." In today's BBC News online, one story exemplifies working for food that perishes and the other for food that endures. 

        "King of Bling" headlines the first story. A man in India spent $250,000 on a shirt made with 7 pounds of gold. He says wearing it makes him feel good. For him it is the ultimate manifestation of achievement and gives him a status he has craved since he was young. With all the gold he has accumulated, he says he feels financially secure. Ironically, he still has a security guard with him whenever he travels wearing the shirt.

        "Pedal Empowered" is the title of the second story. US teen Thomas Hircock of Philadelphia initiated the project of sending bikes to some of the poorest children in India. When he was 12 years old, he traveled with his father to India and was shocked by the poverty he saw. Some of the pupils at one school told them they needed bikes to get to classes from homes up to 20 miles away. Back in Philadelphia, Thomas and his family started a fundraising campaign at his own school. So far, the charity has shipped 400 bikes to schools in India.

           To each his own, I guess, but you also reap what you sow.

Reconciling All Around

        When you want to reconcile yourself to God, don't forget to ask him to help you reconcile with others and with yourself so that he may dwell comfortably in you. 

Communion Joy

        After receiving Jesus in the Holy Eucharist, my soul wanted to fly to him right then and there, but the realization that I hadn't loved him enough yet caused hesitation.

Proving Our Love for God

        In today's Gospel reading, Jesus also asked Peter three times if he loved him. Each time after Peter answered yes, the Lord asked him to do something ~ they are "Feed my lambs," "Tend my sheep," and "Feed my sheep." It shows that the Lord wants us to assure him that we love him and to prove it by performing works.