How to Love Others

        Let yourself be loved by God first.  (This has got to be my shortest post.)

We Are Prodigal Too

        I venture to say that we all know the Parable of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15: 11-32).  We may not be as bad as he was, but we are all prodigal to some degree and the Father's great love applies to us as well.  God always loves us.  Now, rejoice.   

My Pleasure!

        I once checked into a hotel and one desk clerk was extra helpful.  Every time I asked her to do something, she always responded enthusiastically, "My pleasure!"  That really made me feel good.  I got to thinking that we should respond to the Lord the same way.  "My pleasure," "At your service," "At your disposal" ~ they all sound pretty good.  In other words, be glad to do his will always.     

Mutual Giving

        During the Liturgy of the Eucharist at morning Mass today, the priest consecrated the bread and wine and the Lord was ready to offer himself to us again as our bread of life and spiritual drink. I was wondering what I could give to him for exchange.  His answer was that I should give him my heart.

Are You Ready to Die?

        At this morning's Mass, the pastor asked us if we're ready to die right now.  Simeon was ready after seeing the child Jesus with his own eyes, but we have in a way already seen so much more than Simeon.  We have the Gospels, the testimonies from the saints, the teachings of the Church, and much more. 

        If your answer is "no," then is it because the faith is not there yet? there is still too much attachment to the world?  What is holding you back?  This question needs to be urgently addressed while we still have life (time).   

Let God's Plan Unfold

        Today's Gospel reading was from Luke 2 on the Presentation of the child Jesus in the temple.  You are probably familiar with the story of how the man Simeon was ready to die after seeing Jesus because the Holy Spirit had revealed to him that he should not see death before he had seen the Christ of the Lord.  What struck me was that this wasn't anything earthshaking.  It just seemed to be something that came along at the proper time in God's plan.  The entire life of Jesus on earth also seemed to proceed naturally, one event at a time.  He remained humble and meek, going about doing the Father's will quietly with dignity.  Our own life should be lived like that too with no intention to make our own waves or call attention to ourselves, but to seek and do God's will quietly in his time.

Are You in the Light?

        Today's first reading at Mass was from 1 John 2.  Verses 9 & 10 read: "Whoever says he is in the light, yet hates his brother, is still in the darkness.  Whoever loves his brother remains in the light, and there is nothing in him to cause a fall."  It's clear that if there is still someone you cannot forgive, then you are not in the light yet.  When you truly see Christ in everyone, then you are securely in the light.  A good test for us to take. 

God's Awesomeness

        Today I approached the Lord before Mass with great trepidation.  I didn't mean it in a bad way; I just felt God's awesomeness and my unworthiness.  Nevertheless, his love and mercy came through just the same, removing all fears and apprehension and drawing me ever closer to him. 

In Complete Union with God

        At today's Mass, the Feast of the Holy Innocents, Reading 1 is from 1 John.  The Apostle speaks of God as light.  The following beautiful picture came to my mind: 

        By virtue of God's light shining upon us, we are transformed into light, and the two lights merge together in complete union so that they are no longer distinguishable from each other.      

The Compassion of God

        In my last post, I pointed out how common, daily occurrences can affect us.  We get disturbed, upset or emotional, lose peace, and turn negative in thoughts, words, and/or deeds.  Then I thought of God.  When we sin against him, he does not react the way we do ~ he becomes even more compassionate and looks upon us with even greater pity, for his love and mercy knows of no bounds.   

Be Weighed Down or Lifted Up

        I've been observing others and examining my own past to see why we lack inner peace.  A lot of things out there in the world go wrong and they do bother some of us, the more conscientious ones; but overall, things that happen close to us generally affect us more.  

        Here are some examples showing how we can lose peace.  Someone is given a much better Christmas present than what you've received.  Someone who joined the company later than you gets promoted first.  someone puts some kind of extra burden on you either knowingly or not.  You suffer a financial loss in some way.  Someone who owes you a debt delays repaying you.  Your rich friend buys a lot of things you cannot afford.  Someone's behavior or speech annoys you.  You are misunderstood by others.  Someone cuts you off on a freeway.  Such examples are many and common.  The emotions involved are anger, envy, jealousy, self-pity, fear, frustration, distress, etc.  The causes are a big ego, selfishness, being judgmental, impatience, lack of humility, lack of trust in God, etc.  As a result, you get weighed down with a heavey heart.   

        Here's how all can change.  Let Christ take over your life and all the above-mentioned causes can be removed.  There is no other way to free yourself!  God does not weigh us down; instead, he lifts us up as high as we wish to go.  He is God and he is love.  So, there are many, many things in life that constantly weigh us down; but only one God who can lift us out of the pits and make us live in him in peace and freedom.  (This is absolutely true as the saints and many others have experienced it.)     

St. John the Apostle

        Today is the Feast of St. John, the beloved Apostle of Jesus.  At the last supper, he's the one who reclined close to Jesus.  He was an eye witness of the Lord all along.  With Peter he found out that the Lord had resurrected and later witnessed his ascension into heaven.  I do believe that John's proclamations and testimony as read at Mass from 1 John 1 are trustworthy and that I can accept his Lord as mine without reservations.  Now, my joy is also complete as John's was.      

How Much Is Jesus Worth to You?

        You go to Mass every Sunday.  You even serve in the many ministries of your church.  You enjoy putting up Christmas decorations at your home, giving a lot of presents to others, and enjoy listening to Handel's Messiah.  But the more important questions are as follows.
        How often do you think of Jesus?  How much do you pray to God?  Do you even remember to say grace before meals?  Do you go to him first when you are troubled?  Do you truly trust in him instead of worrying, fretting, or panicking on your own?  Are you aware of or at least seeking God's presence?  Are you thankful for all the things, good or bad, that happen to you?  Do you see Jesus in everyone?  Do you let others know that God is working in your life or prefer not to bring him up at all?  Are you ashamed of spreading his name among people?  In other words, how much is he worth to you???

Great Counsel to Follow

        Today we celebrated The Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph at Mass.  The reading that struck me personally the most was Colossians 3.17: "...whatever you do, in word or in deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him."  The counsel leads you directly to holiness.  A great one to keep in mind to follow.

A Christmas Prayer

        Attended Christmas Mass this morning.  The Lord made me see clearly after Communion that with him, every disorder can be squared away, every issue settled, and every problem solved in my life if I trust in him, consult him, and sincerely ask for his help.  This is true also with whole families, the nations, and the entire world. If God is not our answer, life is not worth living.  He is not free to solve our problems because we don't let him into our lives ~ we are our own obstacles.  May the light of the world open our ears, eyes, and hearts so that all may see this truth beginning this Christmas.        

Happy Birthday, Jesus!

        The Lord has everything, you should think, so what can we give him??  Relatively, we (his followers) have even more than he for we have him! ~ surely there can't be anything fuller or more fulfilling than that.  Meanwhile, he still lacks the love from many, so many, too many.  My suggestion for wishing him Happy Birthday is to do all we can to bring other souls into his fold.  His great love deserves to be realized, accepted, and appreciated by all.  To not know him is to not know love.  

On Selfish Gift-Giving

        Gift-giving sounds unselfish enough, but it could be otherwise.  I remember that once many years ago, I bought a number of unusual, not-to-cheap toys for a youngster just to impress him and his parents.  That was the wrong motive.  Any giving with the desire to want others to notice your generosity, wealth, or taste so that you may feel good is basically selfish.  Giving should have foremost the receiver's happiness and needs and, last not least, the Lord in mind.  Remember how Jesus advised all to always give in secret, keeping ourselves totally out of the picture?       

On Spiritual Greed

        Greed is bad in any form.  There are times you receive a particular favor from the Lord, such as a special feeling of joy or an inspired thought, and wish to have more of the same.  This to me is spiritual greed.  The danger is that you seek these favors rather than the Lord himself.  If you receive them, be grateful but don't get elated.  And if you don't receive anything special from the Lord, be equally content for you already have the Lord himself.