First thoughts at mass. As long as I follow Jesus through the teachings of the one and only Church built on Peter by Christ and not pay any attention to any other teachings given by another human being who heads his own church or denomination or sect, I am safe in following the Lord as the Apostles were.
Monday, April 2, 2012
Sunday, April 1, 2012
Only God Is Forever
My wife is temporarily away for a few days, so my life feels somewhat different. I know that one day either I'll be gone first or she'll be the one, then life will be different again. This teaches me to never hold onto anything in this world. The best, proper, and healthiest thing for us to do is to hold onto God alone so that we'll have him with us forever. This is basically the gospel Christ brought to us.
God Delivers Through Union
Just got back from the retreat. In small groups sharing, I learned that many had personal imperfections they wanted to overcome in order to love Jesus more. That was admirable, but they found it hard to succeed in practice. Since the goal of this blog is to lead all to union with Christ through the Holy Eucharist, here's my chance to give it another plug. The most effective way to overcome sins, imperfections, and hang-ups is to go straight to the Lord to seek union with him first through receiving him in the Holy Eucharist. Once he's united with you, he will transform you effortlessly and you needn't struggle hard on your own anymore. Ask and he delivers.
Saturday, March 31, 2012
Christ Alone Satisfies
I am attending an end-of-the-month retreat at a local retreat center. I wasn't getting much out the presentations until Mass this morning at which I was overwhelmed by receiving the Lord in the Eucharist. It's as if nothing can satisfy me anymore except the Lord himself. I expect a lot more to come from him!
We Need the Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit is double-edged. He is a gentle breeze, soothing and refreshing your spirit; but he is also a passionate flame, burning away all your impurities and kindling in your heart the fire of his love.
Friday, March 30, 2012
How to Show Love
If you love God, don't try to remember specifically what you should or should not do; instead, let your love for him be your sole guide. You should feel perfectly natural in wanting to reflect God's love in all your actions.
God's Just Mercy
God's mercy is so great that he wants to save us in any way he can. He checks us thoroughly to see if there is any redeeming good in us, no matter how small. He wants to make absolutely sure that if anyone gets condemned in the end, it'll be entirely due to that person's own fault.
The Ultimate Relationship
I am impressed by the most personal relationship between God and us. Psalm 18 is the Responsorial Psalm for today's Mass. In it the Lord was addressed by the psalmist as his rock of refuge, his fortress, his deliverer, his shield, the horn of his salvation, and his stronghold. Then Christ came to us and further strengthened this relationship, as the Entrance Song, 1 Peter 2.24, states: "He himself bore our sins in his body upon the cross, so that, free from sin, we might live for righteousness. By his wounds we have been healed." Each of us is now the Father's favorite child. In receiving the body and blood of Jesus in the Holy Eucharist, we attain union with the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Our God is not far away! On the contrary, he died for us and is now in us who believe. It's impossible to get more intimate than that.
Joy in the Holy Eucharist
Going to morning Mass to receive Jesus in the Holy Eucharist felt like attending a banquet held in heaven. If this feast does not make you happy, then nothing in the world will.
Thursday, March 29, 2012
The Imperishable Soul
In today's Gospel reading from John 8, Jesus said to the Jews, "Whoever keeps my word will never see death." Obviously, Jesus was not referring to the death of the physical body ~ he was talking about what happens to the eternal soul. Since the soul is imperishable, it's what we should pay attention to.
Heaven Is Different
You hear the advice "make the most of your life or the situation you're in or what you've got." This makes sense because we live in a world in which everything passes and you want to use every opportunity to your greatest advantage while you're around. Then it struck me that in heaven, this advice is no longer relevant, for there you'll have the best to the full and have it for all eternity to boot.
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
See What God Can Do with You
Since nothing is impossible with God, whether you are shy or outgoing, awkward or adroit, physically weak or strong, clumsy in speech or eloquent, unlearned or well educated...these things do not matter. In fact, it's often the poor, the weak, and the wretched that the Lord delights in choosing to be his servants, hands, or instruments to do the work for his glory. Many great saints are such examples. Therefore, always try to see yourself as what God can do with you. If you like it, then he will fulfill your desire.
God's Mercy One-Sided
As I received the Holy Eucharist, I just felt my unworthiness and that God is being too good to me. His mercy is all one-sided!
The Divine Beauty
Prior to receiving Holy Communion at Mass today, I sensed the blinding, dazzling beauty of the Lord. Such beauty compels one to seek union with him.
Counterweight to Sorrow
Learning about the horrific sins committed against God throughout the world nonstop surely brings tears to anyone who loves Christ. But we do have a counterweight ~ the joy and hope we have in Christ restore our trust and peace in him, and our tears stop flowing.
Sweet Freedom
Today's Gospel reading came again from John 8. I was thirsty for it like parched land. A couple of Jesus' sayings are: "If you remain in my word...you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." "Amen, amen, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is a slave of sin."
How simply true these statements are! To sin is to become a slave ~ that's why a sinner has no peace because he is not free. (You might say that he's like one who lives in a fish tank.) But Jesus frees us because he is the truth! I place freedom ahead of peace and joy, not because it's more important, but because peace and joy cannot come unless you are freed first.
God Is Holy!
As I posted before, the Holy Spirit sharpens our conscience. Not only that, it purifies the heart to the point that sinful thoughts can no longer originate from it, let alone take root in it. This is a great gift from God. It makes you acutely aware that the Lord is holy! He truly deserves all the glory.
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