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

Monday, May 2, 2022

**Get Along with God First

        It seems that the majority of the troubles we have are troubles with other people. You always hear someone talking about someone else. Well, that's because we still have our own trouble with God. If you have a perfect relationship with the Lord, then you won't see others as giving you trouble anymore.

*****What We Must Never Abandon*****

        God is everything to us. If you abandon God, you abandon everything and you'll have nothing left. I can also say that if you abandon eternal life, you'll have nothing left anymore. God never abandons us, so never abandon him and you'll have everything! 

**Beginning of Spiritual Death*

        An unrepentant, hardened heart. 

**Not Knowing What We Do (Another Tragedy)

        Seeing how tragically human lives and properties are being destroyed in the ongoing Ukraine war, I lament the fact that even though we humans know that we are going to die, we keep on doing stupid things. If we don't submit ourselves to God, there'll be no more help available to us. Wake up and wise up!

***Huge Human Tragedy

         Here I go again. Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, is so close, so accessible, so loving and easy to please, and is ever ready to lead us to heaven, yet people just don't care. How devastatingly tragic!

**Every Breath a Blessing*

        That's because every breath we take reminds us that we are living and God is sustaining us every moment right now. We exist because he loves us.

**Incredible Experience Always

        Communion experience. The Lord gave up his own Body and poured out his own blood for us and for the forgiveness of sins—it's still incredible that he should love us this much.

***How the Holy Spirit Acts

         The Holy Spirit acts like the electricity. You don't see the electrons flow, but when they do, you can see the lamp all lit up. Similarly, we don't see how the Holy Spirit acts, but when he does, you are transformed or set afire spiritually.

Sunday, May 1, 2022

****Why God Needs Our Prayers

         God can do all things by himself. He can vanquish evil instantly if he so wishes. It is for our sake that he needs our prayers. You see, we are totally involved in the war Satan is waging against the Lord, battling for our souls. So we must choose sides. To get the needed strength to fight for God, we need to yield ourselves to him thru prayer. In this way, he also earns our trust.

*****Our Greatest Joy*****

        In yesterday's Gospel reading at Mass, the Lord said to his disciples, "It is I. Do not be afraid." (See my post Christ Makes Us Fearless.) In today's Gospel reading from John 21, when the risen Jesus revealed himself to his disciples for the third time, this time at the Sea of Tiberias, John first recognized Jesus and said to Peter, "It is the Lord." It is exiting to hear the Lord say "It is I" to us and equally exciting for us to recognize him and say "It is the Lord." Knowing Christ is pure joy! It is a joy you can't let go and can't get enough of it. The love of Christ is our greatest love, and so is his joy our greatest joy.

***Handling Unpleasantries

        When people tell me things that are boring, trivial, or inconsequential, especially when I am trying to focus my mind upon the Lord, it can be rather annoying. The Lord showed me this morning that I should treat it as a form of suffering, accept it, and offer it up to him. I am grateful that he made me see it this way so that I may always have my peace. This is how I should handle anything that's unpleasant from now on. 

**Prayer Our Survival Tool

        Prayer is a great weapon. Use it wisely and we can shield ourselves from all evil. Thru prayer we can receive God's mercy, gain entrance into heaven, and save the world. It's our direct personal link to God, and nothing can stop us from receiving God's power thru it.