In the Gospel reading from Mark 1, a leper came to Jesus and asked Jesus to make him clean. The Lord, moved with pity, touched him and said, "I'll do it. Be made clean." The leprosy left him immediately. To us that was obviously a miracle. Then I saw that every time we repent and Jesus forgives us and removes our sins, that's a miracle too! In a way, it's even more wonderful than physical healing and we should take full advantage of this power of God at our beck and call.
Sunday, February 12, 2012
We Are of Christ
In Reading 2 at Mass from 1 Corinthians 11 was Paul's plea: "Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ." It struck me that if we are faithful Christians like Paul, each one of us should be able to declare "I am of Christ" openly with great joy, pride, and satisfaction.
We Cannot Beat God
Today's Response to Psalm reads: "I turn to you, Lord, in time of trouble, and you fill me with the joy of salvation." The Lord is always ready for us, so the question is whether we are ready to turn to him to receive his joy. Suppose we view this as a contest to see who can maintain his stance longer ~ you or God. Of course, God will always be looking at you. If you don't turn to him, you ultimately lose. But if you give up and turn to him, then both you and he win. In other words, in this game you must lose to win. The truth is that we can never beat God in any game we play ~ submission is our only sensible choice.
Saturday, February 11, 2012
Christian Life a Crescendo
At this morning's mini-retreat, I heard the word "crescendo" and I thought of the Christian life as being a crescendo. As you discover Jesus and move closer to him toward union, you experience more and more love, freedom, joy, and peace and see that the Lord will be all yours at the end.
Becoming Fearless
A Christian lives for God alone and not for himself. Because he has no more concern for himself and there is no need to fear for God, he becomes fearless.
"Porta fidei"
At a mini-retreat, I heard part of this letter by Pope Benedict XVI on the "Year of Faith" read. It is very beautiful and well worth reading if you have some time. The letter was made public on Oct. 17, 2011 and the "Year of Faith" is to begin on Oct. 11, 2012, so you will probably hear more about it as we approach October. On the following site, you can read extracts of this long letter in PDF form: http://www.smcim.org/files/portal/news/attach1_307.pdf
Are You Harvesting?
Almost two thousand years ago, Jesus said to his disciples, "The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few." Today, the laborers are still few, so where are you?
Should You Be a Saint?
Look at St. Peter and St. Francis ~ they both gave up everything to follow Jesus. Can we do it too?
- Did God make them humanly superior to us?
- Is God limited in his power to transform us into saints?
- Should we love God less than Peter and Francis?
God Is Personal
In today's Gospel read from Mark 8, Jesus multiplied seven loaves of bread and a few fish to feed a hungry crowd of about 4,000 because his heart was moved with great pity for them. This was a great miracle, but his mercy was even greater. I love Jesus because he became one of us and identified himself with us! He is not untouchable or high and mighty. On the contrary, he is both personal and humble, ready to become one with us! Through Jesus, we're able to see clearly what God is truly like. For this, I am eternally grateful.
From Submission to Peace
Total submission to God leads to perfect harmony with God's will which leads to complete peace of the heart. Pure, simple logic.
The Apostle Advantage
When you feel the Lord's presence at all times, you feel as if you are one of the Apostles, seeing and following Jesus at all times.
Friday, February 10, 2012
All About Love
At morning Mass today, I realized that I was back again. Why did I want to receive the Lord again in the Holy Eucharist? I've received him countless times already and he has poured grace upon grace on me, and I am now completely open to him. The answer that came up in my heart was that I wished to receive him simply because he is love and it's this love that has made me love him.
Thursday, February 9, 2012
To Experience the Greatest Freedom
I've been weeding outdoors for a few hours. The weather is perfect, and even if spring is not here yet, new weeds have come up. Rather than bending down each time to pull the weeds, I like to sit on the ground and move sideways. I enjoy the solitude alone with God.
Today he made me see that if we make him number one in our lives, that is, if we are willing to give up everything for his sake, then we shall experience the greatest freedom. Now, this could strike fear in us. I must hasten to add that it does not follow that once we have expressed our willingness, God is actually going to take everything away from us. No, not at all! The Lord only likes to test us, for he loves us so much that he wants us to be his completely. If we pass the test, for sure more blessings will come our way and great freedom is just that first blessing.
[Recall the story in Genesis 22 about Abraham following God's order to offer his son Isaac up as a burnt offering? When Abraham was ready to slaughter his son, an angel appeared and stopped him. Because Abraham passed the test, God promised to bless him and his descendants.]
Transfiguration & the Eucharist
As I was meditating on the Transfiguration of Jesus, the fourth Luminous Mystery of the Rosary, I thought of the changing of the elements of the bread and wine, when they are consecrated in the Eucharist, into the body and blood of Christ. Looking at the consecrated bread and wine is much like looking at the untransfigured Jesus ~ you see an ordinary human being, yet he is divine.
Let's Do Great Works
Jesus promised us that whoever believes in him will do great works (John 14:12). How good it is to let God accomplish great things through us! And this includes the transformation of us.
Do All with Your Heart
This morning I got up before six and it's still quite dark outside. Figuratively speaking, I could say that this is what God sees when he looks down upon the earth and sees the hearts of the billions of sinners. Then I saw the bright beacon of light that is Christ, shining among us; but the people who see it do not understand because they do not see it with their heart. To see the truth, we must involve the heart. When we believe, we must believe with our heart. When we love, we must love with our heart. In sum, do all with our heart for God, then we shall shine in the darkness too.
Life of Wonderment
As I said in my last post, I felt very content in Christ. But at night when I am supposed to fall asleep, I often stay awake, still amazed and overwhelmed by the love of Christ ~ who am I that he should care for so much? The Christian life is a life filled with great wonderment.
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