Jesus Always Right

        Today's Gospel came from Luke 14. The main lesson from the parable Jesus told is "every one who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted." You may find his teaching and counsels throughout the Gospels hard to accept and follow, but if everyone obeys them, we'll have peace in the world! This is how we know that he is right.

How to Possess God

        Just surrender completely to God and he is yours!

The Shroud of Turin

This short Smithsonian video gives clues that link the Shroud of Turin directly to the time of Christ.

True Humility

        I had a dream early this morning. What I learned from the dream was that we should not be concerned about if we are appreciated by other fellow humans or not, but remain perfectly content with God's everlasting love for us. 

What's Said Is Done

        During the Eucharistic Prayer at morning Mass, the priest consecrated the bread, repeating what Jesus said at the Last Supper: Take it, all of you, and eat of it, for this is my body which will be given up for you. Right then, I knew that whatever the Lord says, it's done. If the bread is his body, then it is. We must take every word he says to heart, for they are realities.

So Good to Have God...

because he is the only person in whom I can completely trust and to whom I can cry to when I am in trouble and beg for mercy after I have sinned. He is the Father!

Jesus the Coolest

        We humans typically behave like creatures that are finite, facing the vast unknown, and are constantly amazed, surprised, or shocked by what's happening. We learn about some scientific discovery and think that we can conquered the world. Hit by a tragedy and our life falls apart. Hurt by someone and we are upset and become unforgiving. In other words, we are pitiful! Now, read about Jesus in the Gospels. You'll see what he says and how he behaves fit perfectly one who is (1) all-knowing, not surprised or shocked by anything and knowing exactly what's coming to him, (2) the creator of all things, making miracles happen so naturally, his own Resurrection included, and (3) infinitely merciful, forgiving his enemies even from the Cross. As a human being, he has to be the coolest dude (no disrespect intended) there ever has been or will be. 

Transformation to Effect Transformation

        Communion time thought. Jesus transformed the host into his own body so that we may receive him and be transformed by him.

Ego, the Conscience Killer

        We all have a conscience, but to keep it clear we must leave it alone. The common trouble is that we let the ego dictate our conscience. As a result, the conscience gets muddied or even entirely ignored as the heart hardens. Pope Francis came on scene as a breath of fresh air the world had sorely needed. 

Herod, Typical Sinner

        Today is the Memorial of the Passion of St. John the Baptist. The Gospel reading from Mark 6 tells us that Herod the king married Herodias, the wife of his brother Philip, and John said to him that "it is not lawful for you to have your brother's wife." Herodias harbored a grudge against John and wanted to kill him. On the other hand, Herod feared John, knowing him to be a righteous and holy man, so he just had him arrested and bound in prison. When Herod heard John speak, he was very much perplexed, yet he liked to listen to him. [Here Herod knew that he had done something wrong, so he feared the righteous and holy John. He's perplexed about John, because it's difficult for a sinner to understand why someone wants to be holy. He still liked to listen to him because his conscience needed to be soothed.]

         Then at Herod's birthday banquet he gave, Herodias' daughter performed a dance that so delighted Herod and his guests that the king swore he would grant the girl whatever she asked of him. Herodias had her asking for the head of John the Baptist. The king was distressed, but not wishing to break his word before the guests, he gave in to the request. [Here, looking good before others overrode Herod's conscience.]

        Herod might be an evil person, but all the above comments bracketed could have described any average sinner.