Today is Memorial Day, a national holiday, and we sang America the Beautiful to conclude the Mass. I felt proud of being patriotic, but I also realized instantly that what ultimately matters the most to us individually or as a nation is our trust in God. It is this faith that can make or break each one of us or the whole nation.
Monday, May 27, 2019
**Testifying for God
We must testify, proclaiming the glory of God. It is the Spirit of God who sets our heart afire to want the whole world to know that God is love and that he wishes to save us. As Jesus said to the Pharisees, "If his disciples keep silent, the stones will cry out!" (Luke 19.40), and we are certainly more sensitive than stones. We must never stifle the Holy Spirit, but respond to his every prompting.
*No Love, No Peace
World peace must start with inner peace within each one of us. And we shall not have inner peace until we have surrendered ourselves to the God of Christ, the God who is love. It is love that begets peace.
Sunday, May 26, 2019
What Christians Must Be Aware of
If loving God is our top priority, its flip side, fighting evil, becomes equally important. They are not the same, but they are the same in the sense that you cannot love God if you don't fight evil and vice versa. A Christian must be acutely aware that he is engaged in fighting an enraged war against evil if he loves God. There is no time to waste in fighting for all the souls.
**Perfect Match
Becoming one with God absolutely makes our life beautiful, for God has made us for himself. When one sinner repents, the whole heaven rejoices. When we follow God, his joy is complete (John 15.11) and our life fulfilled.
***Knowing God the Expedient Way*
When we join a pilgrimage, attend a conferences, go on a retreat, or participate in any other spiritual activity, our goal is to know Christ. Of course, these experiences can all be helpful, but I have never heard anyone say that the best way to know the Lord is to go directly to him, for he is instantly accessible to all of us. You can talk to him all you want and he knows all your problems and desires. In no time, you can develop a most intimate relationship. It seems almost common sense, yet people attempt to know him through others who are doing exactly what they are doing. Thus, any progress made is slow. It must be that it's not easy to abandon oneself to God. If you can let yourself go, you can let everything else go too. Then you are free.
What Christians Lack
The willingness to let Christ change them. Could the reason be what Jesus said in Matthew 26.41: "The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak"?
***Our Most Beloved Teacher
In today's Gospel reading from John 14, Jesus said to his disciples, "The Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything." I can testify to you that the Holy Spirit will indeed teach us God's ways, his wisdom, and how to live and keep his word. You do hear firsthand from the Lord when you are in union with him.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)