Proper Prayer Focus

        People who exercise with weights are advised to put 100% of their effort in lifting the weight and not waste any energy on exhibiting any strains in their face. Piano players are also advised against exaggerating their playing gestures. There is a point here which I can apply to praying. If there is something that weighs heavily upon our heart, the intense emotion we feel while we pray to God is best channeled 100% into putting our trust in God, thereby relieving the burden on us. It is, instead of trying hard to want to lighten the load by ourselves, concentrating upon letting God do it for us.      

Ashamed of Jesus?

        In Matthew 10, we learn that Jesus said to the twelve disciples before sending them out, "Everyone who acknowledges me before others I will acknowledge before my heavenly Father. But whoever denies me before others, I will deny before my heavenly Father." Fair enough. I should think that being too embarrassed to let others know that we have faith in him is basically denying him. Timidity is a sign that we have not given the Holy Spirit free rein yet. A timid Christian is an unfit one, for he cannot bear much fruit. Since the Lord always spoke the truth, we must take his words seriously. Not paying attention to the above-quoted sayings can bring about dire consequences.

The True Born-Again Experience

        During Communion time at Mass, I want to die in Christ, so that I can live for him. 

That Independent Feeling

        At Mass this morning, I feel for the first time that I am independent of the world, which will have no influence on me, and that I can stand tall and straight on my own in God. 

Know When Satan Shows Up

        Being human, sinful thoughts do pop up in our minds. If we discard them right away, no sin is committed. But if you feel the temptation to dwell upon them, know that this is when Satan has found you and you must turn to the Lord instantly to avoid being drawn into sin. If you are in union with the Lord, you are secure in him and these occurrences are merely little annoyances you can easily disregard.  

Faith Makes Life Extraordinary

        Gospel reading at today's Mass came from Matthew 13. Jesus did not work any mighty miracles in his own native place because of the lack of faith of the people there. That is why the people who have no or little faith find their lives quite ordinary, while those who strongly believe in God experience great wonders and are always amazed at how the Lord works in their lives.

A Perfect Request

        If you truly love the Lord, then ask him to make you perfect. You do it for his sake and not at all for your own. We owe everything to God, so let's not shortchange him. Not asking for this favor is not believing that he can make you perfect. Look at all the saints he has made and you know that he can make you one too. It's the perfect way to show your faith in him and love for him.  

Why I Want to Go to Heaven

        I want to go to heaven only because I want to go home, back to my creator who loves me, and to dwell with him, my Lord and God, forever. Putting it humorously ~ without him, it's just no fun.

Knowing God Is Knowing the Future

        If one does not know God, then the future to him would be just the later years of his life. To plan for his future is merely to plan for better living as he ages. To him, this is very much long-range planning. Now, for someone who seriously believes in God, the future is the next life for which he plans now. He knows that his present life is extremely short and planning for it alone is planning for something that will soon vanish. It just shows that when you know God, he gives you vision and wisdom to keep you on the right path.

Pope Benedict & Teresa of Jesus

       A deacon friend just sent me Pope Benedict's reflection on the spirituality of St. Teresa of Avila on the occasion of the 450th anniversary of the Carmel Reform movement. I would like to quote some sayings by the Holy Father and some by the Saint the Holy Father quoted. They are beautiful and inspiring (any emphasis is added by me.)

       Pope Benedict: "Holy people are those who humbly let Christ penetrate their soul and act through them, who truly allow him to play the lead in all their actions and aspirations, inspiring every project and sustaining every silence."

     St. Teresa: "A life of prayer consists in being on terms of friendship with God, frequently conversing in secret with him who, we know, loves us."

        St. Teresa: "The friends of God should be strong, in order that they may support the weak."

        Pope Benedict: "Following in the footsteps of Teresa of Jesus allow me to say to all who have their future before them: may you too, aspire to belong totally to Jesus. Do not be afraid to say to Our Lord, as she did, 'I am yours; I was born for you, what do you want to do with me?'" 

        There is nothing I can add.

Following God Faithfully

        Life as a whole is a big opportunity for us to practice trust in God. We are often unsure about what we are supposed to do, but these are the perfect moments to remain patient and wait for the Lord to speak to or lead us. We don't question, just follow. Later, when we look back, everything will be clear to us. What we are sure of is that following God faithfully is heading toward heaven.

Ego Is Up to God

        I recognize again that ego is one of most difficult things for us to annihilate because it grows easily and can be deeply grounded in us already. Nevertheless, it has to go if we truly love God and want to become humble. Its removal would be a huge battle for us to fight alone; but with God's help, it can become relative easy. The amount of ego we have is inversely proportional to how much we submit ourselves to God.  

God in Contrast to Man (Us)

        Yesterday I saw a short 1948 British classic film clip on Classic Arts Showcase on TV. It reminded me of the old Alfred Hitchcock and many other movies. It's quite obvious that everything was staged for maximum dramatic effect. I thought of other shows in the entertainment business and the many artworks created by man ~ they all seem so contrived and artificial. The crop of contemporary classical music compositions is to me also more craft than art, cleverly written but sounding mechanical and sometimes repetitive after you listen to the musical greats, such as Beethoven and Brahms. I am not downgrading these man's creations because they are achievements, interesting and pleasing many ~ I am only stating what I feel. Then I turn to our God, who is totally natural, genuine, and pure ~ how refreshing, invigorating, and inspiring for a change.  

Most Endearing Words of Jesus

        During the Eucharist Prayer at Mass, when the priest was repeating Jesus' words: "Take this, all of you, and eat of it: for this is my body which will be given up for you." I underlined "my" because when I heard it, it was so personal that I stopped right in my track and felt that such love and sacrifice absolutely deserved my complete surrender to him. Soon later, the priest repeated again Jesus' words: "Take this, all of you, and drink from it: for this is the chalice of my blood, the blood of the new and eternal covenant, which will be poured out for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins. Do this in memory of me." These words were so endearing that my joy overflowed.

Making Love Mutual

        The Gospel reading at Mass came from Matthew 13. Jesus likened the Kingdom of heaven to a treasure or a pearl of great price. Once a person finds it, he is so joyful that he goes and sells all that he has and buys it! Do we feel it that way? Do you know that to God we are his treasures and precious pearls? God and we are really made to love each other! If this feeling is still not mutual, then we ought to work hard to redress any imbalance.

Belonging to the In Crowd

        Today is the Memorial of St. Alphonsus Liguori. The Gospel Acclamation John 15.15b reads: "I call you my friends, says the Lord, for I have made known to you all that the Father has told me." What an astounding statement! We are definitely in! Through Jesus, we know what the Father is like! This knowledge should keep us happy and deeply satisfied!

To Fathom God's Thoughts & Ways

        Isaiah 55.8, 9: "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, my thoughts higher than your thoughts." Then what we should do to learn God's thoughts and ways. Seek union with him and you will begin to know his thoughts and see his ways. This should be a journey full of exciting discoveries.

Realist Wins Out

        One who knows and has experienced the love of God cannot possibly be a pessimist. And he is not an optimist either because an optimist only expects a favorable outcome and is never certain about the future. So what is he? He is a realist, for he knows exactly what he is doing, where he is heading, and is certain about his future (with God).