As times goes on, many things continue happening and we don't even realize it until some time later. I used to live in a different city and heard that the neighbor across the street just had a new baby boy. I saw him once in a while in the following years when he played outside his house. Then one day the mother told me that her son was getting ready to go to college—I couldn't believe it! How could time have gone by so fast? Things have a way of sneaking up on us. I've mentioned that Christ is more real to me than any other living person I know and see. Apparently, I've been aware of his holy presence at all times for quite a while, so this feeling isn't new. Today, it dawned on me that before 2009, the year I started this blog, I never exactly felt this way. I now know that God's blessings can also sneak up on us without our being aware of it. When we live a secret life in the Lord, we receive his blessings in secret too.
Sunday, April 25, 2021
***Only One Savior
In today's reading from Acts 4, Peter declared to the leaders of the people and elders that other than Jesus Christ, there is no salvation through anyone else, nor is there any other name under heaven given to the human race by which we are to be saved. We know that only God can save us, so Christ must be God. And there can be only one God, so Christ has to be our only Savior. Seeking salvation through anyone else is doomed to failure.
***All or Nothing with God
We pray to God for many things, why not pray to him about everything? Would the Lord who loves you so much be happy if you are not with him completely? I don't think so. He has given all of himself to you so that you might live, shouldn't you give all of yourself to him too? As I've said, with God it has to be all or nothing! We won't feel totally satisfied until we possess all of him. He has made us so that only complete abandonment to him can make us completely happy and content.
*Cost of Rejecting the Best
Again, I look at extreme cases to make me see things clearly. Suppose God has made salvation extremely difficult for us. Say we must go through many loops and meet all kinds of stringent requirements. Then even if we don't make it, the consequence understandably probably wouldn't be so bad. Now that the Lord has made salvation so simple and direct for us: basically, all we need to do is believe, I intuitively see that the consequence of not appreciating his great offer would be a lot more severe too.
*Jesus Tests Our Heart
Jesus came to die for us so that we might have eternal life. Our proper response should be gratitude and joy, yet many ignore or outright reject him. I see that our hearts are being tested by the Lord. To a good extent, how we respond to him reveals how hard our heart is.
Saturday, April 24, 2021
***The Sad and the Beautiful
Two things from today's first reading from Acts 9 stirred my heart. First, verse 31: "The Church throughout all Judea, Galilee, and Samaria was at peace. She was being built up and walked in the fear of the Lord, and with the consolation of the Holy Spirit she grew in numbers." The Church today is in trouble precisely because so many of her hierarchy no longer walk in the fear of the Lord. They spew heresies and their own opinions, no longer following the teachings of the Lord, and as a result, have lost the consolation of the Holy Spirit.
Next, verses 36-41 tell the raising of Tabitha to life by Peter. Tabitha had fallen ill and died. After Peter got to her bedside, he sent everyone out and knelt down and prayed. Then he turned to her body and said, "Tabitha, rise up." She opened her eyes, saw Peter, and sat up. There's something very beautiful here. Peter knew that he could raise her by the power of the Lord, but he still turned to him and prayed first. I see the oneness of Peter and the Lord. Being in union with the Lord and turning to him—this was the beauty I saw.
***Demons Exist
On most days I walk outside the house, the weather has been quite nice since spring began. When the sky is blue and clear, you see fresh leaves sprouting from all the branches and hear the birds singing all around you, and the temperature is perfect, you can't help feeling good and happy. But this morning was different. The sky was cloudy and grey, the wind rather chilly, and I heard strange sounds made by various animals. Since I am not a wildlife expert, I can't tell you what I heard. One sounded like an owl, but do owls show up in the morning? Anyway, I realized that things around us in life could change unexpectedly. I recalled how people lost their lives when a natural disaster suddenly struck. Worst yet, evil had caused many to lose their soul. Demons do exist! You may enjoy eating, drinking, partying, and doing all the fun things in life, but if you are not aware that evil, demons, and hell also exist, you are living in great danger, for things can change quickly and unexpectedly. There is only one in whom you can find security for all eternity and that's Christ our Lord and our God. [I posted the above 4 days ago and had found out that one strange sound I heard was actually the cooing of wild doves communicating with each other.]
**Way to Know God
The fact I seem to know God well had made someone think that I must have worked hard at wanting to know him. True or false? It is true that when we want to find out about something, we often need to do a lot of searching and digging. To know about Jesus is the same; you need to do a lot reading or asking others about him. But to know Jesus is different. No searching, digging, or any labor-intensive work is required: you simply remain open to him to let him draw you to or into him. It couldn't be simpler. This also shows that learning by the heart is a lot more efficient than learning by the mind.
Friday, April 23, 2021
**Know the Truths
Just saw Fr. Corapi's short video uploaded today. It's a joy to listen to him because he doesn't waste words and goes directly to the point. You can't possibly not know what's he's trying to tell you. This is refreshing. Let me give you the direct link to this video on YouTube so that you can see the four sites he lists under the video that can help you stay faithful to the teachings of Jesus Christ and his Holy Catholic Church: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zCrU7WLf7O4
***Be Masters of the World
Many things such as our upbringing, the neighborhood we live in, the kind of family we were born into, economic conditions, government policies, social norms—in fact, all our life experiences—influence and shape us. My point is we must let the God of Christ alone influence and shape us so that we may in turn influence and shape everything around us. We must be masters of and not slaves to the world! Start with Christ, ground yourselves deep in him, and do his will always to be free of the influences of the world. Let the Lord be your master first, then you'll become masters of the world.