Heeding God's Call

        In the Gospel today from Matthew 9, Jesus saw Matthew sitting at the custom post.  He said to him "Follow me."  And he got up and followed him.

        First of all, how good it is to hear the voice of the Lord calling us!  He calls because he loves us and needs us.  

        Secondly, he still calls us today.  We may not actually hear him audibly, but he does speak to our hearts.  

        Any call from the Lord is to be welcomed, embraced, and treasured, for it's the highest of all calls, intended for his glory and our spiritual good.  "If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts."

The Lord for Oneness

        Today is the Feast of St. Matthew.  In Reading 1 from Ephesians 4, Paul points out the bond of peace: one Body and one Spirit; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.  It's clear to me that the Lord wants one Church, not myriad denominations.  Most of all, he wants one union with him, not setting ourselves up separately as individual, little gods.

On Following the Lord

        In today's Gospel reading from Luke 8, Jesus temporarily ignored his mother and brothers and told the crowd, "My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and act on it."  This is consistent with what he proclaimed later, "If anyone comes to me without hating his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple."  He made it so clear that following him wholeheartedly is required of us.  Again, this is consistent with the fact that he is Lord!    

Going Straight Back to God

        Before Mass started this morning, I became aware that I was on my journey home to my God.  Before Jesus came on the scene, John the Baptist first appeared to proclaim to all to make straight the way of the Lord.  So I asked Jesus to make my journey back to him also straight by keeping me on my path, always following his will.  The Holy Eucharist would be my guide and protector.  Today's Responsorial line "Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord" echoed my sentiment.

Lineage Doesn't Matter

        As I was receiving Holy Communion today, I had the following thoughts.  People are interested in genealogy and they get excited when they discover that one of their ancestors was someone illustrious.  I don't care if I am a descendant of a king or even a saint, I am now directly entering union with the Almighty God ~ you can't possibly beat that connection (if you can consider union a connection)!

Be Pure and Beautiful First

        Today's Gospel reading is from Luke 8.  Jesus wants us to display his light for all to see.  Let this wonderful light shine upon us first to dispel all darkness so that we become pure and beautiful before God, and we'll experience the most wonderful feeling only God can bestow.  (Life is definitely worth living!)   

Be Ready for the Lord

        Before Mass started this morning, I thought that I must always be ready for the Lord to participate in Mass, to pray to him, or to serve him in whatever way.  In today's Entrance, we read, "I am the Savior of all people, say the Lord.  Whatever their troubles, I will answer their cry, and I will always be their Lord."  So the Lord is always ready for us.  It behooves us to be ready for him for things to happen.  (Note: To be ready is to be willing to approach the Lord.) 

Joy of Growing Old

        I don't think that most people are happy as they age.  They are not sure where they are headed ~ perhaps they are uneasy about death.  One common desire is to enjoy life as much as possible while there's still time.  This seems like a form of escape.  For believers of Christ, growing old should be cause for joy.  For sure, you'll be leaving behind all the miseries of the world, but this shouldn't be any consolation because the miseries still remain after your departure.  The prime joy of growing old is knowing that you'll soon be seeing the loving Lord face to face, who is good at wiping away every tear from your eyes.

Our Own Gates

        Jesus said (John 10.9): "I am the gate. Whoever enters through me will be saved, and will come in and go out and find pasture."  In a way we are a bunch of gates too.  Through our gate God can enter to save us, or we can choose to close our gate to keep God out and remain in the desert. 

God's Power

        I went to vigil Mass earlier today.  During the homily, I was overcome by the tremendous power of God.  I realized that his power was so overwhelming because it is love, which is the Lord himself.  Love is indeed the most powerful force in the entire universe.  If everyone will just accept it, the world can be transformed in an instant.  Believe me, God is that powerful force.  May he be praised forever!         

Start Detaching Yourself

        There are many mail-order catalogs as well as TV commercials selling  clever, useful products that you normally don't really need.  I had bought some in the past and they always got tucked away in the end and I never missed them.  Our worldly attachments are somewhat like those products, so start detaching yourself from them.  A recent example for me was the termination of one magazine subscription.  Reading the publication did provide enjoyment, but the information was definitely not something needed for me to live on.  One more detachment and life gets uncluttered a bit more.  Our goal should be to drop all things that can possibly encroach upon our intimacy with God.   

God Depends upon Us!

        This thought should wake us up. 

      In our world today, most people do not know God, do not want to believe in him, or even reject him.  So, it's up to us to show the world that God is alive and God is love!      

Holy Eucharist Most Intimate

        As St. Augustine pointed out, our hearts are restless until they find their rest in God.  It's also true that we are not content until we achieve full union with God.  As I receive the Lord in the Holy Eucharist this morning at Mass,  it was a most intimate moment, giving me a foretaste of full union.

Choosing How to Suffer

        Life is all about fighting a spiritual battle.  As in any battle, casualties and sufferings are unavoidable.  How you want to suffer depends upon which side you're on.  If you're on the side of the enemy of God, your suffering may not be great, but you risk eternal separation from God after this life.  If you are on the side of God fighting for his glory, you may suffer a lot, but all sufferings will be short-lived and your joy will be great in heaven.  Make your choice.           

All Need God's Mercy!

        We usually just pray for ourselves, our nation and government, our soldiers, our families and friends, our own church, etc.  But let's not "limit God's mercy"!  The Lord made it clear that we should always forgive others and love our enemies, so let's also pray for everyone else in the world: the hungry, the starving, the poor, and also the terrorists, the suicide bombers, all enemies fighting against us, those who have committed horrendous crimes, not just their innocent victims.  Note that the ones we normally neglect to pray for are those who need God's mercy the most.  So pray for all the souls indiscriminately, both living and deceased.  Then ask all the angels and saints to intercede for us too.  We need to storm heaven to convert the whole world for Christ!

On Suffering for God

        Today is the Memorial of Our Lady of Sorrows.  We know how Mary must have suffered when she witnessed the Passion of her own Son.  As Simeon predicted, she should be pierced by a sword (Luke 2:35).  This was indeed her martyrdom. 

        For those of us who do not know the love of God yet, intense sufferings can be crushing, bringing on despair ~ this is sad.  But for those who gladly offer up their sufferings to God for his glory, there is always a sweetness to it.  The joy of Christ's Resurrection fills us with hope, capable of overriding all our sorrows.

Obedience to Death

        In today's second reading from Philippians 2, Paul talks about how Jesus humbled himself, becoming obedient to death.  This is a model for us.  Obeying the Lord for us should be nonnegotiable.  Whether we succeed or not due to human frailty, obedience to death nevertheless should be our aim.

Exaltation of the Holy Cross

        Today is the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross.  A dead person hanging from a cross is normally a scary, macabre sight.  The priest mentioned this morning at Mass that he and a Jewish friend attended a Catholic wedding and it's the first time for his friend to be inside a Catholic church.  When the friend saw the big crucifix hung over the altar, he became quite uncomfortable.  Of course, we Catholics see the crucifix as something beautiful to behold, for it reminds us of God's love for us.  The Holy Cross is to be exalted because through it God manifested his glory.