Jesus' Way of Living

        In today's Gospel reading ~ Matthew 6.1-6, 16-18 ~ at morning Mass, Jesus teaches about almsgiving, prayer, and fasting. The message is clear ~ we are to forget ourselves and remember only God. What people think of us should be of no concern to us. In other words, hide from all and live in God alone. 

The Joy of God

        I have gone through suffering, pains, both physical and mental, many times. Then God gives me joy and all is forgotten as if nothing ever happened. Such is the joy of God that penetrates the soul.         

Perfect Prayer Is...

asking God to make you perfect because that is in accordance with his wish.

Thoughts on Envy

       Envy is not as bad as jealousy, but envying someone is still a sin. If you console yourself by thinking that you already have God that is better than anything the other person has, you are not really better off. But if you think that you already have God and there's truly nothing else you want, then you are OK.
        If you are envious of someone, chances are if you switch places with that person, you would look down on that person. Envy basically stems from the lack of humility.

Whatever You Do

         Whatever you do, make a point that no one knows about it, especially if you do something good. 

       Whatever you do, make a point that God knows about it, especially if you do something bad.        

Precious Moments of Life

        They are meaningful, memorable, fulfilling, and healing. These are the moments when and after you receive the Holy Eucharist. In them, God connects directly with the soul.

True Communication with God...

goes beyond words from the mouth and is always initiated by the heart.

Most Beautiful Faith

        There is a documentary out there titled "Hellbound?" with many pastors, ministers, authors of books, even an atheist, and others considered Christians joining in the debate about the existence and nature of hell. They all have strong views with much to say. It occurred to me the most beautiful faith is accepting Jesus with your whole being, with no questions to ask, and no curiosity about anything like whether hell exists or not. This is the childlike faith the Lord asks of us, the message of Divine Mercy, and what St. Teresa meant by "God alone suffices."

Important Questions

        After Mass this morning, still sitting in the pew, I noticed a beetle crawling on the concrete floor of the church at a considerable speed. I wondered if it knew where it's going and what made it change directions so often. This brought to my mind whether we know where we're going and what determines our path in our spiritual journey. Do we know better than a beetle?

Occupied by God

        When you are in union with God, you come to experience his love and beauty so that you stop judging others and lose interest in all things attractive to the world. It's equally correct to say that in union with God, your focus is always upon him so that there's no time for doing any ungodly thing.