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

Wednesday, August 2, 2017

Turning Around With Jesus

         Is life worth living? If your answer is no, you do not know Christ yet. Once you know him well, the answer would be a resounding yes. Just as the Resurrection of Christ brought new hope to his followers and new life to the church, knowing Christ rejuvenates his believers and makes their life meaningful and worth living.

*Getting to Know God Important

        Most people believe that God exists, but they do not know who he is. Christians believe that Jesus is God, but they may not know him well. To be sure, it's how well you know the Lord that matters. In today's Gospel reading from Matthew 13, Jesus likened the Kingdom of heaven to a treasure buried in a field or a pearl of great price. Once you find it, you would want to sell all that you have and buy that field or pearl. If you truly believe in Christ, you would want to go all out to get to know him. There will always be things you don't get to do or complete in life, but do be sure that you get to know Christ as intimately as possible before you die. 

Tuesday, August 1, 2017

**Going All Out for God

        Once you find the most precious treasure, you want to have it all. Therefore, once you find God, you want to go all out for him, leading you to seek union with him. This is what makes living for God most exciting!

Letting God In!

        Today's Communion antiphon, John 15.16: It was not you who chose me but I who chose you and appointed you to gather fruit, fruit that will last. When Jesus chooses us, he call us. If we are to hear him, we must remain open to him. How can you let the sunshine and fresh air in if you do not draw the curtains and open the window? Putting it bluntly, to shut the Lord out is to commit spiritual suicide.

*Serious Choices Awaiting

        From Jesus' explanation of the parable of the weeds to his disciples in today's Gospel reading from Matthew 13, it was clear that hell exists and would not be empty. That was somewhat chilling, but it's a good wakeup call for all. Good seed and weeds, children of the Kingdom and children of the Evil One, evildoers and the righteous, being thrown into the fiery furnace or shining like the sun in the Kingdom of the Father . . . these were all mentioned, helping us to make the right choices while we still have time. 

God Always Good to Us

        Even good friends can be unkind sometimes, for they are not perfect. But God is alway good to us – he watches over us, listens to us, wants to speak to our hearts, forgive our sins, inspire, uplift and refresh us, and last but not least, to make us happy forever in heaven. What could possibly be your reason for not embracing and loving him? 

Monday, July 31, 2017

Measured by God

        It became clear to me that whether we know God or not, every thought, word, and deed of ours will be judged by whether it is in conformity with his will or not, no exceptions. Our time on earth must not to be wasted on ignoring or going against God. 

**Compelling Beauty

        Communion experience. Today is the Memorial of St. Ignatius of Loyola. The Lord revealed his great beauty to me and made me see that I should not ever offend him even by one iota. Then, with relief and gratitude, I saw right away that he alone could make me holy and perfect. 

Why I Hate Sin

        Of course, sin offends God. More personally, sin robs me of inner peace.        

Only One Worth Holding Onto

        My oldest granddaughter is about to go far away to attend a college in a few weeks. My feelings are mixed: I am happy that she is about ready to live by herself, but will miss her presence around here. When a baby bird is ready to fly away from the nest, its parents just have let it go and perhaps never see it again. In life, we do not want to hold onto anything, for everything passes. But I feel greatly blessed that I can hold onto God who is always there as a loving Father with me and upon whom I can depend for all eternity. This absolutely makes all the difference!