Ego to Be Annihilated

        I do a certain ministry at a place where one must pass a guard at the gate. Many guards know me and they simply wave me in, but this last one who was new to me was very strict with procedure ~ I had to show my ID, sign in, etc. I felt somewhat offended, but I also realized that he's merely performing his duty, so I tried to dismiss my negative reaction. There were also times when someone unintentionally said something that seemed to put me down, again I must not let that bother me. Overall, we should remain undisturbed whether our ego gets kicked or stroked, for it should not have been present in us in the first place.   

One Family in God

        The Gospel reading at morning Mass was from Matthew 12. While Jesus was speaking to the crowds, the mother and brothers of Jesus appeared outside. Jesus, stretching out his hand toward his disciples, said, "Here are my mother and my brothers. For whoever does the will of my heavenly Father is my brother, and sister, and mother." This confirms the fact that our present families are only families on earth. In spirit and in heaven, all believers are absorbed into the one large family of God's people. This also adds meaning to the Catholic belief in the communion of saints. "Praying" to the saints is nothing more than talking to family members.

Sensing God's Love

        During morning Mass, I again felt the infinite love of God for us and thought that you have to have a heart made of stone not to be moved by it. Perhaps the mind  gets in the way? At any rate, if you don't sense God's love, pray for the necessary grace so that he may open up a whole new beautiful world for you to enter. 

Never Mind that You Are Ahead

        These thoughts follow my last posting. Since we live and die at God's mercy, we should always remain humble. It would be plain foolish to think that I have better health, more wealth...better this or more that than others. I may feel that I am ahead; but Matthew 20.16, "The last will be first, and the first will be last" may apply here too. 

Ready for Death?

        Two friends just passed away. One I only heard about yesterday. The first one was known to be a Catholic, who went through a long bout with cancer. The death of the second was totally unexpected, sending shock waves through many of his friends. I don't believe that he had any firm belief in God. The news got me thinking again that we are totally at God's mercy. I see each of us linked to God by a cord. As long as we are connected to him, we have life. When he disconnects us, we die. While living, we alone are able to choose to believe in God fully, somewhat, or not at all. The wise, ready for death, live each day as if it is their last. Live in peace now and you don't need to worry about RIP for later.    

Following God Closely

        As various problems in life constantly pop up, I feel the need to pray to God even more and harder to ensure that things are working out according to his plan. This really strengthens me. You can count on the fact that courage and peace always come to those who follow the Lord closely.    

Jesus the Greatest Sign!

        Today's Gospel reading at Mass came from Matthew 12. The scribes and Pharisees wished to see a sign from Jesus. It's the same today when people want to see a sign before they would believe. I know people who prayed to God, did not hear anything, and stopped searching or believing. Don't they see that the greatest sign is Jesus himself? Don't they read about how he healed the sick, the lame, the blind, the possessed, and even raised the dead? He changed water into wine, multiplied fish and bread, walked on water, and performed numerous other miracles. He even rose from the dead himself? What greater signs do they possibly need? What blind eyes and hardened hearts!

Say the Right Word to God

        It is the love of Jesus for us that makes him so attractive. It is because of this love that he wants to remove our sins. All we need to let it happen is to say yes to him. Why making life so complicated? 

The Soul Exists!

        During meditation before Mass started this morning, I had an awareness of Jesus within me so strong that it's impossible to think that I have just the body and no soul. The existence of the soul eternal had never been made this clear to me. Being aware of Jesus is being aware of life eternal. 

Failure in Relating to Jesus

        One contributing reason I believe why people do not come to believe in Jesus when they read the Gospels is because they feel as if they're reading a 2000-year-old story in an unfamiliar setting ~ there is a fictitious quality to it. They fail to see that the Gospels recorded the actual events reflecting the culture and customs of those days. If Jesus were to come today, the people 2000 years in the future may have the same trouble relating to him since they will see us as living in a society or world unfamiliar to them.      

God's Beautiful Silences

        Many music compositions have rests written into the score. They mark the intervals of silence. It's been said these silences between notes are just as musical as the notes. God is silent too at times and his silences are just as beautiful as when he is speaking to you. So remain patient and treasure these moments of silence, for the voice of God will be even sweeter and lovelier when you hear him next.  

Why Not Accepting Jesus?

       If you have not accepted Jesus into your life yet, why not? As I said before more than once, with Jesus you just have to decide if he is true God or false man ~ there is no third choice. If you don't believe, then it boils down to either he is right and you are wrong or he is wrong and you are right. A better question: What is your true reason for not accepting him? Be honest and your answer may change your mind.

Boring Happiness

        The Pursuit of happiness in our secular world, especially the entertainment sector, is downright much ado about nothing. Once you know Christ, anything that does not uplift the soul and spirit becomes utterly boring. This is a good test of how much you belong or not belong to the world.

Doing God's Will Right

        Doing God's will is a serious undertaking and there is to be no cutting corners about it. Whatever we do, we should see as carrying out an assignment from God, our duty and an honor. Half-heartedness has no place in serving God.

A Great Analogy

        I love Jesus calling us his sheep and himself our shepherd. Indeed, although we can still manage to survive without him, we'd be in constant danger and not knowing where we are going. With him we are safe and know exactly where we are heading. It's such a great analogy! To be his sheep or not to be his sheep, that shouldn't even become a question.

God for Our Relaxation

        Matthew 11:28-30 was read at the July 19 Mass. Jesus said, "Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest. ...my yoke is easy, and my burden light." Since we are weak and God is strong, it's logical that we should rely upon him in all things and at all times. To word things a little differently, God is for our relaxation.

Why We Sin Easily

        I've been thinking that we try not to catch the flu, a cold, or any virus. If someone is down with a contagious disease, we stay as far away as possible. Yet when it comes to sin, not only often we don't run away from it, we even embrace it despite knowing that sin is harmful and its consequence can even be deadly. Why so? Perhaps it's because we see how sickness or a disease directly affects us and we don't quite see how sin stains the soul. It should help to realize that sin directly grieves God!

Let God Do the Rest

        I am still lagging behind in posting. The Gospel reading on July 18 was Matthew 11:25-27. Jesus praised the Father for having hidden these things to the wise and the learned but revealed them to the childlike. He also said that no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son wishes to reveal him. So, it is God who does the revealing. Our priest at Mass told the story how another priest worked hard on a homily, but it still came out rather flat and he felt dejected. Then a woman told him after Mass how the sermon had deeply moved her. It seems that all we need to do is to do our best and let God do the rest.