The Holy Spirit Restores Us

        Today is glorious Pentecost Sunday. The same Holy Spirit whom the disciples received from Jesus when he breathed on them at Pentecost dwells in us who follow the Lord today. The Spirit renews us, but I see it also as a restoration. Man first fell from God's grace, then Jesus came to redeem us, clearing the way for our return to God. The Holy Spirit then makes us holy, restoring us to a status fit for us to enter heaven. 

No Minding Others

        I went to morning Mass and saw the cars of those who had already arrived in the parking lot. By now, I pretty much know the owners by their car. No soon had the images of some of the owners floated into my mind than minor facts associated with them surfaced too. For example, one person appeared overweight; another didn't seem to be too friendly, etc. Then I realized that basically, I mind these things, even if slightly, and the danger is that all these opinions and feelings can bring me closer to judging people. 

        At Mass, the Gospel confirmed my thoughts. The reading came from John 21. After Jesus signified to Peter the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God, Peter asked Jesus what would happen to John, the disciple whom Jesus loved. Jesus answered, "What if I want him to remain until I come? What concern is it of yours? You follow me." Indeed, our job is to follow the Lord and let all our thoughts, words, and deeds flow from that. Certainly, minding the trivial facts about others should not be of our concern. When we see someone, we see only the Lord in that person ~ here is a great aid to preserving inner peace.

Love Most Powerful

        Today is the Memorial of St. Philip Neri. The Entrance verse at Mass, Romans 5.5, reads: "The love of God has been poured into our hearts through the Spirit of God dwelling within us, alleluia." I say amen to that and rejoice in it. Words can not express the joy of having the Holy Spirit dwelling within us and how good it feels to have the love of God pouring into our hearts! Of course, I am seeing things as an insider, who has already believed. All I can say is that if you are still on the outside or not quite in yet, you'll totally understand my feelings once you cross over. Everything the love of God touches turns joyful. 

Love's Demand

        Today's Gospel from John 21: Jesus asked Peter three times if he loved him and Peter answered the Lord each time that he loved him. Upon hearing each answer, the Lord asked Peter to do something ~ the requests were "Feed my lambs," "Tend my sheep," and "Feed my sheep" in that order. It just makes me think that if we genuinely love Jesus, we must continuously do something for him to show that we love him. The proof of love is in the doing of the deed.  

Praying to God Within

        Before morning Mass started today, I prayed and felt that the Lord was sitting on a throne in my heart, so I prayed to him within. I loved it because I felt that we shared the same conscience and I did pray his will. 

Man's Secular Enjoyment

        Today's early morning wasn't so clear as yesterday, but the sky with clouds in various hues still looked beautiful ~ indeed, God has given us much natural beauty for enjoyment. Now, man has concocted its own potion for enjoyment. Unfortunately, much of it does not inspire; the creations are here only to provide material comfort and fun or entertainment on the secular level. I can't help feeling sorry that any baby born into this world will have to fight an uphill spiritual battle all the way.  

Death Made Perfectly Clear

        There is an award-winning documentary examining death and how anxiety about dying drives human behavior out there. I am so happy that Jesus has shown us that there is eternal life, that death is no longer an unknown, and that death has no power over us who follow Jesus. If I have any anxiety about dying, it's my anxiety to meet the Lord. 

Knowing You're Loved

        I am loved by God. I am also loved by all the angles and saints in heaven. On earth I am loved by every single brother and sister truly in Christ. I wouldn't be surprised that the total number exceeds one hundred million. In reality, every person is loved by God. It's knowing Christ that has made me aware that I am loved by God and all the others. 

God's Chosen Gift

        In today's Gospel reading from John 17 at morning Mass, Jesus prayed earnestly to the Father that all believers may be one in him and the Father. He made it clear that we believers are the Father's gift to him. Regarding us as a gift to him, Jesus must be so pleased with and appreciative of us. Knowing that we have been chosen by the Father to be worthy as a gift to the Son, we should be pleased with ourselves and appreciative of the Father's love for us. It's love and appreciation all around.        

Road to God Is Clear

        The early morning sky was beautifully clear with not a cloud in sight. And the Lord made me see that the road to him for us is also clear without his placing any obstacle in the way. He is eagerly waiting for us at his end. If we accept and believe in Christ, we are saved, for he said, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." The only thing that prevents us from reaching God is our own unwillingness to get going.     

Jesus Our Intercessor

        In today's Gospel reading at Mass from John 17, we learn that Jesus interceded for all those whom the Father had given him. He prayed that they might be one, protected and guarded them so that no one was lost. I just feel good that I am totally secure under his wing and am grateful that he cares for us so much. He makes my day every day. 

Thoughts Affecting Inner Peace

        Since God knows all our thoughts and he is the source of our peace, any impure, sinful, or inappropriate thought we have directly affects our inner peace ~ we are just made that way. When our thoughts are all pure, we are at peace, and we and God are one. At the other extreme, there are those who do not hear the gospel  or do not want to know Christ ~ they have succumbed to the world and their thoughts can't be further away from God. Happy and blessed are those who are pure in their thoughts and have peace in their hearts.

Transforming Power

        At Mass today, when the priest was consecrating of the bread and the wine in the Eucharist, I saw that the changing of the elements of the bread and wine into the body and blood of Christ is indeed a miracle and that through receiving the Holy Eucharist, we receive power to transform ourselves. This awareness gave me tremendous support. 

State of the Union

        Here "Union" refers to union with God. In that state, God fills all of us and we become so happy and content that we no longer seek anything else for ourselves. God is all one needs.

Holy Spirit, Abode of Peace

        With Pentecost coming up next Sunday, my thoughts turn to the Holy Spirit. The Father wants us to stop all inner struggling on our own and rest in the Holy Spirit so that we may enjoy perfect peace. Let's fulfill Jesus' wish for us to have peace. 

On Wishful Thinking

        Wishful thinking is basically ego-prompted ~ you imagine things turning out well to feed your ego. One the other hand, when you imagine things going bad, you start to worry because you realize that things may go against your wish. In any case, one free of ego does not imagine things in one way or another. The entire focus is on following the Lord single-mindedly. Jesus is our perfect example. When he was on earth, he did not imagine nor worry about things ~ he was the most realistic person. Wishful thinking indicates the presence of ego and the lack of inner peace.  

God's Gentle Love

        At today's Mass, Reading 1 from Acts 20 tells us that Paul laid his hands on twelve men in Ephesus and they received the Holy Spirit. We who have been baptized in Christ already have the Holy Spirit dwelling within us. The Holy Spirit has mighty power, yet he is most gentle. To receive power from him, we must first surrender ourselves to him and pray sincerely. Surrendering to the Holy Spirit is surrendering to God. The fear or uneasiness people feel in surrendering to God all comes from within, for the Holy Spirit could not have given it to them. Knowing how gentle the Holy Spirit is should put our mind at ease when we surrender to God.

Union Most Intimate

        Today we celebrate the Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord. During Communion, I felt the sweet intimacy of union with the Lord. The closest possible union between two human beings is for them to be soul mates with both in union with the Lord, but another human being can never touch or penetrate my inner soul as God can. Union with God with the aid of the Holy Eucharist is to become God's soul mate and unite with him at the most fundamental level, returning to our creator who loves us.