Are We Ready?

        When Joseph and Mary took the child Jesus to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord in the temple, the righteous and devout Simeon saw the child, took him into his arms and blessed God, saying, "Now, Master, you may let your servant go in peace, for my eyes have seen your salvation..." (Luke 2). I also recall St. Augustine's well-known line before his conversion: "Please God, make me chaste, but not yet." The important question is how ready we are when God calls us for whatever purpose.

God's Mercy Pictured

        I see God's mercy as a strong cord securely attached to every single one of us to keep us from falling away from him, with us hanging from the cord in perfect balance. Every time we sin, whether we are believers or not, we cut and weaken that cord. When we repent and ask to be forgiven, the cord is healed again. Anyone who chooses to sin continuously and not repent is to sever that cord. To me, rejecting God's mercy is as serious a sin as limiting it, believing that he cannot save you, if not more so.

Start with the Heart

        I went to Sunday morning Mass. I noticed that I went through a lot of motions ~ making the sign of the cross, standing, kneeling, reciting various prayers, making other verbal responses, singing hymns, receiving Communion, etc. I asked myself if I did all those things in order to boost my faith or because my faith prompted me to do so. The worst of all is, of course, going through all the motions without faith. Anyway, the Lord made me see that the preferable way is have faith first and let it prompt you to do all the things at Mass. Therefore, give your heart to God first and let the rest follow.

All About Love

        Today is the Feast of St. John, Apostle. John was known to be the disciple whom Jesus loved. Since God is love, we must consider whether to accept this love or not. God did create us out of this love and still keeps us alive with it. This is the love that transforms us into holy beings and ultimately carries us into heaven. It alone can bring inner peace to our hearts, restoring peace in our world. Without the love of God, all is empty. With it we are filled with hope. This love Jesus came among us to proclaim. The immensity, intensity, and beauty of this love is beyond our finite comprehension ~ but our faith leads us into it. There is so much, so much for us to look forward to! 

On Commending Our Spirit

        In Reading 1 from Acts 6 today at Mass, we learned that as Stephen was being stoned to death, he called out "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit." The Response in Responsorial Psalm came from Psalms 31: Into your hands, I commend my spirit. If we acknowledge that God is our home, we must be willing to commend our spirit to him, preferably now than at the moment of our death.

God's All-Encompassing Mercy

        Today is the Feast of St. Stephen, the first martyr. I pondered upon the mercy of God at Mass. Should the mercy of God be finite, we who are sinners would or could be struck dead right now. The fact that he makes it so easy for us to be saved, giving us the opportunity that lasts a lifetime to repent and reconcile with him before final judgment arrives, shows that his mercy is boundless. Clearly, our survival in this life and the next depends entirely upon this mercy.

Good Christmas Day News

        On this Christmas day, the joyous news I read on BBC online was about Pope Francis. Here's one little, heartwarming story: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-25471257

Sad State of the Soul

        Today's Christmas Vigil Mass was an added one in anticipation of larger-than-normal attendance. Sure enough, the adjacent room had to be opened up to accommodate the overflowing crowd. Those who looked somewhat uneasy and the large number who eagerly left early before Mass ended were probably the ones who only go to Mass at Christmas and Easter time. I feel sorry for them. They tried to ease their conscience by showing up at Mass today, but you could not appease God this way for the focus must be on pleasing the Lord and not on yourself. 

The Self Comes First

        The primary goal of asking for power from the Holy Spirit should be the transformation of ourselves into perfect servants of God. 

Eternal Celebration

        I attended the Christmas Vigil Mass today. We rejoice in the birth of Jesus for having brought us the good news. The Lord also rejoices in us for loving him in return. This mutual rejoicing turns living with God into an eternal celebration.