In today's Gospel reading from Mark 8, Jesus said to the crowd, "Whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and that of the Gospel will save it." Jesus had also said, "Whoever exalts himself will be humbled; but whoever humbles himself will be exalted." It seems that we need to do the exact opposite to achieve what we want. It's the same with making spiritual progress. Instead of struggling hard, we simply abandon ourselves to God. It all comes down to letting God be God.
Friday, February 21, 2020
Thursday, February 20, 2020
***Liberation in Two Parts***
Communion experience. The Lord liberated me! This is how it came about. (1) It's all up to me—I let the Lord do whatever he wanted with me. (2) It's all up to God—he liberated me. That is, I gave him the OK and he finished the job. Simple and cool!
••Lessons from Gospel Reading
In today's Gospel reading from Mark 8, Jesus asked his disciples, "Who do people say that I am?" Peter got it right, for he replied, "You are the Christ." Our duty and goal is precisely to make this truth known to all!
Right after Peter said the right thing, he blundered. Jesus told the disciples that he must suffer greatly and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed, and rise after three days. Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. At this Jesus turned around and, looking at his disciples, rebuked Peter and said, "Get behind me, Satan. You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do." We are very much like Peter, following our emotion and not discerning the will of God. So, be aware that Satan is always there, prompting us to go against the Lord. And to know God's thoughts, seek to attain union with him.
**Abandonment Time
When we come to say "Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven" in praying the Our Prayer, it is time to abandon ourselves totally to God!
Worldly Pleasure vs. Heavenly Joy
When we pursue pleasure in the world, we are being self-centered. Whereas, when we receive joy from God, both he and we are pleased.
*Learning to Love Others
Learn how to love others from the God of Christ first, then you'll know how to love everyone properly. So get to know the Lord well and you'll love all others as he loves them.
Wednesday, February 19, 2020
**Overcoming Our Weaknesses
How do we overcome temptations, our ego, our fixations or obsessions, our hang-ups, and other human weaknesses? Should we resolve to face them and fight hard by whatever means available? On the contrary, we should not even worry about them. Instead, we should go before the Lord with all the above and rest ourselves in him with great confidence. Again, we go limp in God to let him restore and transform us completely.
*****Be a Saint Please
From today's Communion antiphon from Psalm 78: They ate and had their fill, and what they craved the Lord gave them. Do you know that if you crave for spiritual food, the Lord will always give it to you without fail? Should you wish to become a saint, it is inconceivable that he would not comply! In fact, he would be so pleased that he'll readily fulfill your wish. After all, nothing is impossible with God, right? By the way, to want to be a saint has nothing to do with pride, for you realize that a saint must remain most humble. So, do not shortchange yourself. Do not miss glorifying God. Crave for the very best spiritually and God shall give it to you without fail!
Tuesday, February 18, 2020
**To Console God
We worship God, adore God, praise God, and ask for his mercy, but we forget to console him, as the world continues to offend him! Let us amend this by being extra good, obedient, and holy to the Lord.
*Why Attend Mass?
Why do I attend Mass daily? To hear a good homily? To hear some good music or singing? To be amidst my brothers and sisters in Christ? The answer to all three questions is no. My only reason for attending Mass is to receive the Lord in the Holy Eucharist so that I may remain as one with him.
**God Most Wonderful
In Nazareth, Jesus' native place, he did not perform many mighty deeds because the local people lacked faith in him. Similarly, we do not experience God's wonders if we do not expect much from him. I can tell you that if we put all our faith in the Lord, that is, he becomes totally real to us, we shall never cease to experience his wonders!
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