For me, reading the writings of past saints and servants of God has been most inspiring and rewarding spiritually. One of the very earliest books I read was St. Therese's The Story of a Soul which affected me a great deal. Over the years, I've read more of her writings as well as many other books about her ~ I consider her to be my spiritual director. Yesterday I discovered St. Gemma Galgani whom I didn't know on www.mysticsofthechurch.com, a site maintained by Glenn Dallaire of Connecticut. I became immediately attracted to her extraordinary love for Jesus, so I am going to read up on her. (Late last night I was pleasantly surprised to be informed by a fellow parishioner that the relic at the altar of our church is St. Gemma's.)
Thursday, December 6, 2012
Wednesday, December 5, 2012
How God Responds to Us
When we look for some kind of response or sign from God, we usually look externally. The better way is to search deep within your inner heart and you'll often find messages which the Lord has already quietly placed there for you.
God Needs a Chance
Why do so many Catholics say that nothing is impossible with God, yet ruling out the possibility that they can become saints? Do they think that they are not good enough material, that is, God did not do a good enough job in making them? Or do they think that God does not wish them to become so holy? Search the heart and find the true reason. And if that reason is self-planted or unjustified, then ask the Lord to remove it so you can be on your way to becoming a saint for his great glory. All the Lord needs is to be given a chance to show you how truly he can work miracles in you.
Most Exciting Journey
At morning Mass today, the Lord made me see the following:
(1) When a soul no longer minds suffering for Christ's sake, he or she is free.
(2) Following Christ every step of the way to the summit is the most exciting and rewarding journey you can ever make.
Living in the Kingdom of God
(1) FAITH: One of the most dramatic early cures that took place at Lourdes was that of Justin Bouhort who was not yet two years old. He was on the point of death when his mother said a prayer and plunged him into the icy water at the grotto for what seemed like a terribly long time, while the shocked onlookers screamed in protest. The child recovered within days. He lived long enough to attend Bernadette's canonization in Rome on December 8, 1933. What's so beautiful was the mother's faith, so abandoned to God that it seemed even reckless. Of course, the Lord did not let her down. Such spontaneous faith, not contrived, works miracles.
(2) OBEDIENCE: This was exemplified by St. John of the Cross. When one obeys God, all else, great sufferings included, no longer matter. Pleasing God became St. John's sole wish and what heavenly joy it was!
(3) ABANDONMENT: Abandonment in God leads to total freedom of the spirit. Nothing in the world can now perturb the peace and tranquility the soul experiences in the Lord. St. Therese of Lisieux comes to my mind.
Tuesday, December 4, 2012
All God Asks of Us
I like to picture myself as an empty receptacle completely open before the Lord, ready for him to deposit whatever he wished to give me in it. Again, it illustrates a passive state of our total dependence upon him. This is all God asks of us ~ obedience and trust ~ all for our eternal happiness.
Settling Our Dwelling
Creations always have a beginning. We were all created at one time or another, but our souls will last forever because God created us in his image and out of love. Our physical lives on earth will end one day, so where the soul is going to dwell afterwards the rest of the time, which happens to be eternal, should be of pressing concern to all. But for those of us who have been baptized and become temples of the Holy Spirit, God is already dwelling in us, and this union assures that we'll continue to live with him for all eternity.
No More Mysteries!
For things to exist, there must be beginnings. In fact, since nothing can possibly pop out of nothing to exist as something, there has to be the existence of something or someone who has always existed, for whom there is no beginning ~ and that is God our creator. If God has no beginning, then there will be no end for him either ~ so he is everlasting. In John 8:58, Jesus said, "Amen, amen, I say to you, before Abraham came to be, I AM" ~ he said it all. Therefore, there are no longer any mysteries about the universe and us. Furthermore, the greatest mystery, the Lord himself, has been revealed to us through the Old Testament prophets and in particular, his own beloved Son Jesus.
Monday, December 3, 2012
Be Prepared Now
Advent began yesterday ~ another opportunity for us to start preparing our hearts and minds for the Lord's coming. The preparation must be full and thorough, not partial or careless, since we do not know the day or the hour of his coming. Don't be like the five foolish virgins who failed to take enough oil for their lamps to meet the bridegroom ~ they didn't get into the wedding banquet in time and the door was already shut (Matthew 25:1-13). Be prepared and live expectantly.
The Way to Live
Things in this life never always go our way, but we can still be happy about it if we live for God and see all things that happen to us as willed by him for good reasons. At Lourdes, the Blessed Mother said to Bernadette in her 3rd apparition, "I cannot promise you happiness in this world but only in the next." This is reality. Whether it's enjoying a good meal or suffering from a head cold, all experiences will be forgotten when we are with God in our next life. Therefore, live for him now.
Sunday, December 2, 2012
God's Exclusive Invitation
During Communion rite at morning Mass, the priest held up the consecrated bread and wine said, "Behold the Lamb of God, behold him who takes away the sins of the world. Blessed are those called to the supper of the Lamb." I felt this invitation to Holy Communion to be most exclusive ~ exclusive in the sense that it is special, privileged, and most intimate to the one who is invited. It is being reminded that you've been chosen to be God's child!
Triple Assurance
God the Father ~ he is the one in whom I can completely trust, for he takes me under his personal care.
God the Son ~ he is the one to whom I'll always be grateful, for he has done all the hard work for my salvation and brought peace and contentment to my heart.
God the Holy Spirit ~ he is the one who guides me, teaches me, and shields me from all evil, fulfilling the Son's promise that he is with us always, until the end of the age.
Dealing with God
In the world of technology, you constantly hear about new exciting breakthroughs and achievements. Even in piano performance, by finding out more about the composer and the composition, improving playing techniques, listening to other interpretations, and talking to other musicians, the pianist learns to play better. So I start thinking about discovering new ways of loving God more. And I realize that unlike all other areas, loving God more does not involve labor-intensive work nor superior brainpower ~ all we need to do is to surrender to and rest in him more. Dealing with the Lord is always straight and simple.
Saturday, December 1, 2012
Become Free Now!
I watched on YouTube an interview with Valerie Tryon, the British-born classical pianist who resides in Canada now. She said that she's playing the piano less and less because there are other things she wants to attend to and she does not want to play the piano in her coffin. I thought that was a wise statement which we could benefit from. If we are attached to many things in this life, it's time to start detaching them so that it'll be easier for us to go when the time inevitably arrives. There is nothing we can take with us ~ everything in the entire universe belongs to God anyway. The sooner we let go, the sooner we become free. Doing it the last minute will be nigh impossible after living a whole life in slavery.
Preconditions for Eucharist Reception
Communion time thoughts. Where God's light shines, sin cannot survive. We should not let God and our sins cohabit in us. Before we receive the Holy Eucharist, we must first be free of mortal sin and secondly, desire to be purged of all our venial sins through reception of this Most Holy Sacrament.
God's Great Mercy
Jesus is the Messiah. He came into the world not to condemn sinners, but to save them. The message was made crystal clear to all ~ anyone who confesses that Jesus is Lord and believes in his heart that God raised him from the dead will be saved (Romans 10). The gate of mercy is wide open. Therefore, anyone who does not make it through that gate has only himself to blame.
Friday, November 30, 2012
Our Perfect Act
It has been a grey, wet, windy day. The leaves on many deciduous trees got blown off their branches overnight. I went to Mass and rain water was leaking through the roof of the church. Nevertheless, I experienced warm joy in my heart. I already mentioned the joy of hearing the Lord calling, of following him, and of feeling the freedom of the heart in the last two posts. Today's Communion Song from John 1: Andrew told his brother Simon, "We have found the Messiah, the Christ," and he brought him to Jesus. Here is the joy of finding the Anointed and of bringing another to him. When we are willing to leave all to follow the Lord, it is a perfect act on our part, beautiful beyond words.
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