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

Sunday, April 3, 2022

***Best Advice for Us*

        In today's Gospel reading from John 8, Jesus saved a woman caught in adultery from being stoned by the scribes and the Pharisees. He finally asked her, "Woman, has no one condemned you?" She replied, "No one, sir." Then Jesus said, "Neither do I condemn you. Go, and from now on do not sin any more." Gentle, but powerful advice. God's mercy is great. To avoid being condemned, just do not sin anymore. Such a simple formula! With the Lord's help, following it becomes super easy. Nothing is impossible with God if we submit ourselves to him to let him lead us.

****Understanding God's Calling

        When God calls you to follow him, he doesn't call you to be just a mediocre, lukewarm disciple. In fact, he wants you to excel and be perfect as the heavenly Father is perfect (Matthew 5:49). Otherwise, you are still a burden to him. Now, this may sound strange, but true. The more you trust and rely upon the Lord, the less you are a burden to him. This is because he doesn't have to "worry" about you anymore. So let him make you holy, pure, and blameless.

**Reflecting on Ourselves and Christ

        We are finite creatures who live a short time on earth. We don't really understand ourselves. We do know that we have a conscience helping us to know good from evil. Then we have the good news coming thru Christ that we can be freed from sin and saved for all eternity. So are we to accept this God or not? It looks like there is no better other way. The God of Christ seems to be the sensible truth. When you yield yourself to him and believe in him, you finally realize that he is the truth. 

Saturday, April 2, 2022

**Communion Response

        All I could do for the Lord loving me was to say I love you and ask him to have mercy on me.

**Why I Like God*

        What I like about the Lord God is you can totally trust in him. His yes means yes and his no, no. When he grants you eternal life, you get it with absolute certainty. God is the very opposite of Satan, who is all deception through and through.

***A Test of the Ego

        On this First April Saturday morning, the Church was quite packed and the line for confession afterwards was extra long—all good signs. Here's one thought on confession. If after I confessed, I still think about how I did and wonder if I impressed the priest, then I still have an ego and that's a sin in itself. To forget yourself is to forget all your ego too. 

*Fascinating Sign*

         A fascinating sign at Fatima on the day of Papal Consecration of Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

Friday, April 1, 2022

***Ultimate Fulfillment

        Communion experience: man ultimately fulfilled by God.

**Do You Know that . . .

if you already believe in Christ, God has chosen (handpicked) you to inherit his kingdom? Therefore, rejoice! 

**Formula for Living in Peace

        In today's Gospel reading from John 7, some of the Jews tried to arrest Jesus, but no one laid a hand upon him, because his hour had not yet come. For us too, God has an hour for everything. We are to trust in God and wait for whatever he sends our way. This is how we can live in peace.