Preparing for The Lord's Entry

        The opening song at morning Mass today consisted of only the line: "Prepare ye the way of the Lord." To me, this is preparing our hearts for the Lord to enter, which is something we should have done and always do before we receive Holy Communion each time. The Lord has come, is here, and wants to enter, so it's up to us to get our hearts ready. We rejoice that Christmas is approaching and that the opportunity offered by the Lord for us to be united with him is ever present as long as we are still alive on this earth.  

The Ego Exposed

        The best hiding place for us is God, but our ego knows how to hide itself! The ego makes us focus upon ourselves and lose our focus on God. If we did something good, we love to go over it in our mind. If we said something clever, we love to guess how others might have received it. The ego fools us into thinking that self-importance is OK and that we are quite good already. Don't fall for it! We need to hide ourselves completely in the Lord in order to expose the ugly ego. God and ego do not mix.

To Be at God's Disposal

        Some nervous people are again preparing for doomsday, this time December 21 based upon Mayan prophecy, less than six days away. Jesus wants us to be alert for his second coming, but no one except the Father knows the time and day. Actually, we only need to be alert to what the Lord wants us to do at any moment by putting ourselves completely at his disposal, then we'll be ready. To be at God's disposal ~ what an awesome, ideal post for us! 

Occupation by Jesus

        When one is fully occupied with Jesus, there is neither time left for him to think about sinning nor any space left in his mind for sinful thoughts to occupy anymore. Besides, sins are already repulsive and nauseating to him. Let the Lord occupy you fully and you become holy.  

Our Presentation to God

        Jesus said, "Where your treasure is, there also will your heart be." Then what better way is there to be with God than to give your heart to him? This thought came to me today when I was meditating on the 4th Joyful Mystery of the Rosary, the Presentation of the Child Jesus in the Temple. Giving our heart to God seems to be an ideal way of making our "presentation" to God.

Perfect Balance

        As we grow older, our exterior appearance becomes less attractive to others, but we can balance it with an interior that's more beautiful for God to behold.

The Big Message

        Being in Advent, today's Gospel Acclamation at Mass, Luke 3.4,6 reads: "Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths. All flesh shall see the salvation of God." It struck me that "the salvation of God" is the big message that we really should pay attention to. We can be so busy doing shopping, decorating the house, planning the Christmas dinner...and the salvation of God couldn't be further from our mind. But this message is BIG! It is big because it is beautiful, relevant, special and of critical importance to us. We should think about it and thank God for it every day. 

How Good Are We?

        We seem to know how good we are as a person; after all, we should know ourselves. But should we, especially if we have a big ego? Often, others do not see us as the person we think we are. Of course, it could be their problem. At any rate, what we need to be concerned about is how God sees us ~ we need to see ourselves through the eyes of the Lord. To cut to the chase: how is God going to judge us on the last day? My good suggestion: Concentrate on loving God and don't even think about how good you are.      

Where Is God in You?

        Today's horrible news: Killing in a Connecticut school leaves 27 dead, 20 of whom were children. God is always present, so the question is: where is God in you? Without God in our hearts, we are doomed! Think of the continuous silent killing of over one million unborn babies each year in this country ~ is it less horrible? Mark my words, as long as we have that abortion-is-OK mentality, other killings will continue. Lord, have mercy on all those who offend you and all those they victimized. 

Acknowledging Our Need for God

        If we acknowledge that we absolutely need God for us to do anything, then we will become totally dependent upon him, we will not rush ahead doing anything on our own, we will know that we are following his will, and we will be courageous and have peace. This wonderful acknowledgement works wonders.

Holy Eucharist Essential to Union

        At the beginning, receiving the Holy Eucharist means mostly a physical union with the Lord. Gradually, as we let the Lord draw us deeper into him, it becomes more a spiritual union. Then one is in full union with God and receiving the Holy Eucharist reinforces that union. 

My Shortlist of Saints

         (1) St. Mary ~ If you love Jesus, how can you not love his mother? She is the greatest saint and our mother in heaven. I love her especially for her obedience to God.

            (2) St. John the Apostle ~ I love him because he knew that Jesus loved him.

            (3) St. Therese of Lisieux ~ I love her because of her total abandonment in God.

            (4) St. Gemma Galgani ~ I love her for her willingness to suffer for God.            

Patience Needed

        We must never rush into action. Let the Holy Spirit initiate all things. Therefore, patience is a virtue to acquire. When someone tells me a story, I have the fault of prematurely assuming that it's not worth listening to, before I had a chance to hear the rest. Impatience is insufficient love. This quote from St. Teresa of Avila is good: "Let nothing disturb you, let nothing dismay you. All things pass; God never changes. Patience attains all that it strives for. He who has God lacks nothing: God alone suffices."

Fount of Our Joy

        The "J" in the name of Jesus has to be associated with joy. The following is a partial list of joys that accompany the Lord.

           (1) Hearing his word, his voice

           (2) Talking and writing about him               

           (3) Following him closely

           (4) Calling upon his holy name

           (5) Waiting for him to speak

           (6) Asking for his forgiveness

           (7) Enjoying him in silence

           (8) Receiving him in Holy Communion!        

           (9) Suffering for him
           (10) Dying for him

The World and Us

        The entrance antiphon at Mass, Galatians 6.14, reads: "May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world." Here Paul showed his complete detachment from the world ~ a total severing between the two. This is understandable because after seeing the glory of Christ, the world would be about as attractive as a heap of dung. We face the same choice: the cross of Christ or the world.

This Numb Generation

        In today's Gospel reading at Mass from Matthew 11, Jesus let the crowd know that their generation was unresponding and "hard to please." He said, "John (the Baptist) came neither eating nor drinking, and they said, 'He is possessed by a demon.' The Son of Man came eating and drinking and they said, 'Look, he is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.'" Their generation sounds just like ours ~ we look but don't see and hear but do not understand. Alas, our total immersion in this world has both blinded and deafened us, making us numb to the gospel truth.

God Alone Is Trustworthy

        Today is the Memorial of St. John of the Cross, priest and Doctor of the Church. He was also a great Spanish mystic and Carmelite friar. As a reformer of the Carmelite Order, for a period he was imprisoned and harshly treated by other Carmelite friars who opposed the reform ~ it was Christians against Christians. All the more we see that God alone is worthy to be trusted because he alone is holy.

Persist in Your Race

        A lot of things not really pleasant came up which I must attend to. It just shows that life never remains the same. St. Paul likened living for Christ to running a race. You're in it to finish and win an imperishable crown. Joy comes from the Lord, but tests too. Many saints (St. Teresa, St. John of the cross, St. Gemma, Blessed Mother Teresa, and others) all went through dark nights. What the Lord showed me is that we must absolutely persist even to the point of serving him mechanically if we do not feel his presence. "Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me" (Psalm 23). Before you know, life will be over. And if you haven't run a good race, you are likely to look back with sadness.