Serve Only God

        Obviously, no one can serve two masters, as Jesus has said. This is especially true when one of the masters is our Lord God. And don't forget that the other master could be yourself too. So we have "No one can serve himself and God." Just remember that there can be only one commander in chief.  Note: You don't have the problem when you are in union with God. 

God, Our Rock & Fortress

        In today's Responsorial Psalm, No. 71, the psalmist regards God as his rock and fortress. Now recall the line from Psalm 23: "Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me." Take a walk sometime in the dark at night and recite this verse while walking, you'll sense its power. Indeed, God should be the rock and refuge for every one of us, for he is the only trustworthy one in the whole universe! By extension, we can trust Jesus in everything he has ever asked of us. And this he has said: "Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me." Now, our cross may not even figuratively be as bad as walking through the valley of the shadow of death. At any rate, with the Lord being our rock and fortress, we should be able to take up whatever cross we have cheerfully and follow him. 

God Has All the Credentials

        In today's Gospel reading from Luke 1, the angle Gabriel made it clear to Virgin Mary that nothing is impossible for God. Plus the fact that God loves us and is faithful forever, how can we not trust in him totally?  

A Little Bit More Waiting

        God will always be there, but we won't always be here. By making the right choices now, we can be with God later on for all eternity. We only need to wait a little bit longer. It's not a complicated thing.

Channel of Grace

        The Lord made me see this morning that the Holy Eucharist is the channel through which we receive supernatural graces from the Lord to make us holy, provided that we receive it with faith, reverence, and the desire to be holy. 

On Doing God's Will

        This morning I had the choice of going to morning Mass or attending a training session for volunteers at an institution. To me, going to Mass to receive the Lord in the Holy Eucharist is a feast, a treat, and always the highlight of the day; but attending the training session to ensure that I can continue serving the Lord is necessary too. The session, lasting almost four hours, turned out to be most instructive. On the way home, The Lord made me see that doing his will should be the foremost priority mission of our life. To do one little thing to please God is more important than winning a billion dollars or getting to preserve my own life. Doing God's will assures us of a place in heaven.    

God's "Silent" Way

       Sometimes we pray and do not seem to get a clear answer from God ~ not a sign nor a word ~ but we remain faithful. Then things slowly shape up and we begin to see a clearer picture emerging ~ God is finally responding. God wants us to be patient and trust in him (the Divine Mercy message), for he answer us in his time.       

The Christian Fairytale

        Once when I was young, I read some fairytales so enchanting that I was transported into a dream world. Now I'd say that following Christ is like living in a dream world. How so? Here's so. 

        Following the Lord faithfully in this world is not easy ~ we have to overcome evils and face hardships; we toil and suffer. Along the way we may witness some miracles and catch glimpses of God's wonders. Basically, we fight a battle all the way. When we persevere to the end, God then transports us to a truly "magical" world, namely, heaven, where we get to see Jesus, our leader and King, face to face.  And we continue to dwell with him in heaven blissfully ever after.

         

Jesus to Be Loved

        Once you know Jesus, you'll find that he is nothing but love. And his amazing and wonderful love is directed at us! Jesus is our Lord and our God ~ he should be our Beloved as well.

God's Presence Made Aware

        I have not specifically asked for this grace, but just by desiring union with God, I've been made aware of his holy presence both in and around me 24/7. This is most beneficial because it definitely helps me not to offend the Lord in any way, thus preserving my interior peace. If you specifically ask for this grace, God might even grant it to you sooner.

Abandonment Necessary

        Today I realize that if the transformation I have asked God to bring about in me has not happened as quickly or smoothly as I have anticipated, I am the one at fault, not the Lord. To let him have the full freedom to change me, I must abandon myself totally to him first. This applies also when it comes to surrendering to God, repenting my sins, and asking for favors from him. In each case, we must go all out, letting our guard down before God. It's all part of loving the Lord with all our heart, soul, and mind.

Communion Excitement

        Just before receiving Holy Communion, I sensed that the finite was going to merge with the infinite and that the imperfect, to join the perfect ~ no trepidation, just excitement.      

Going with God Advised

        Jesus is God Incarnate ~ why did God want to become man? Left to ourselves, we could never have imagined that he would show his love for us in such an amazing way! It just shows that God's ways are not our ways. All the reason for us to follow him and not go off on our own. 

The Infinite God

        St. Augustine is known for his saying "Our hearts are restless until they rest in God" ~ that's how God had made us. This morning as I was driving to Mass, I marveled at the infinitude of God, who has always existed and is eternal. He is Alpha and Omega. He is what he said he is, "I am." I then realized that he had made us finite so that we might marvel at his infiniteness. Mathematically speaking, any finite quantity, no matter how huge, compared to infinity is no different from comparing zero to infinity. Realizing this should keep us humble. Anyone who thinks that he is a god in any way before the true God is out of his mind.      

Proofs

        Jesus is the proof that God the Father loves us and the Holy Spirit, the proof that Jesus is with us. The martyrs prove that God is worth dying for and the saints prove that God can transform us. And all sinners prove that we need God's mercy.

We Need God

        I thought of "authority" today. The word itself is neutral, neither good nor bad, only necessary. Imagine a family in which the parents have no say over the children or a government with no control over its people. If the Church didn't have the Holy See, she would certainly have disintegrated into many fragments. Therefore, I am so happy that we have the Heavenly Father as our authority. Without him, we'd all be lost and in chaos. We absolutely need God.  

Letting God Reign

        Thoughts received during Mass. (1) Only what God thinks of you matters. (2) Let God do whatever he wants with me. (These thoughts were inspired by the desire to seek complete union with the perfect Lord.)

Mind Your Thoughts

        Thoughts occupy our minds most of the time. We even think in my dreams. If you add up all the hours you're awake for an average lifetime, you get way over 300 thousand hours! So what kinds of thoughts occupy your mind? Do they offend God? Do they draw you closer to him? Are these thoughts angry, impatient, or prideful? Are they self-centered or humble? Are they loving or resentful? I am sure no one wants to waste all the waking hours thinking negative thoughts.

        In the past, I mentioned that the Lord can simplify our lives. To be more specific today, I want to say that he can declutter our soul. Once you let him take charge, he will clean out all the recesses of your heart and mind and fill you with his holy thoughts. Then your lose interest in all the things that can lead you to sin, keep you away from him, or simply waste your valuable time by thinking about them. Such is the power of God. It is the desire of the Lord that we each should keep our soul uncluttered and pure, beautiful for him to behold.