I've mentioned that I like piano music, and consider Rachmaninov a great composer. His two sets of preludes are beautiful enough to stir the human soul. One of my favorite preludes is the one in D major, Op. 23, No. 4. It's not an easy piece to play, requiring big right hand stretching at places, and making the melody sing is another challenge. I like Boris Berman's interpretation. He plays warmly with tenderness. I don't know what Rachmaninov had in mind when he composed this prelude, but it expresses my yearning for God very well.
Thursday, April 18, 2013
Ultimate Fulfillment
After I received Jesus in the Holy Eucharist this morning at Mass, I felt the Lord asking what I would want from him. Feeling like a small child who greatly admires his father, I spontaneously came out with "I just want to be like you." Then he made me see that this is the ultimate fulfillment for all of us: to be like God.
Learning from God
Last night I realized that if I pray to obey God always, then I shall have peace always. This seems obvious ~ I am posting it because the realization came to me when I was half-asleep. Learning from the Lord is always a delight whether you are awake or asleep.
Father and Son Are One!
I've been reading John 5. Here's Jesus speaking to the Jews in verse 20: "For the Father loves the Son and everything the Father does he shows him." I stopped, thinking that if the Father loves the Son, then how could he sacrifice him to save us? Does he love us more than he loves the Son? I realized that this is possible only if the Father and the Son are one. So we have the Lord God sacrificing himself for us, and it all made sense.
Wednesday, April 17, 2013
Crime or Wisdom
The Philadelphia doctor Kermit Gosnell who performed thousands of late-term abortions and murdered newborns after inducing labor is finally being tried in court. If killing the newborn is considered a crime, then how come our law allows killing the unborn? You figure that out. Life begins at conception ~ this is certain. Our "Supreme" Court had the wisdom to amend one of God's Commandments to read "You shall not kill except in the case your target is an innocent, defenseless unborn child."
Who Can Save Us?
Certainly not another ordinary human being. Certainly not some god who doesn't care for us. It has to be a loving god who wants to save us, and that leaves only God the Father whom Jesus the Son has revealed to us. Conclusion: Nothing but the love of God can save a soul. Think about it.
Tuesday, April 16, 2013
Spiritual Overhaul
Communion request. When receiving the Holy Eucharist, I asked the Lord to dismantle me, clean and restore each part, and put me together again ~ time for a thorough spiritual overhaul.
The Way to Truth
Today at Mass, the first reading came from Acts 7. The people, the elders, and the scribes did not have the humility to listen to Stephen proclaiming the truth; instead, they threw him out of the city and stoned him to death. The proud are always so occupied with themselves that they turn blind and deaf to any truth. Only the humble can hear the Lord and get to know the truth.
Beauty of God Ever Present
I have an outdoor deck on the east side of my house. On a moist morning like today hundreds of water-drops hung from the white metal rails of the deck railing. As the sun light hit the drops, they turned glisteningly red, green, yellow, or white. When I moved my head from side to side, all the colors continually changed ~ the sight was beautiful! This exquisite natural phenomenon reflected the ever-present beauty of God.
Monday, April 15, 2013
Persecutions of Christians
Christians are being persecuted in many countries around the world. In my opinion, our government should not give money away so freely to aid those countries if they do not promise to provide fair protection of Christians, who have human rights too! Pray that all governments will defend the rights of all their citizens.
Food to Work For
In this morning's Gospel reading from John 6, the day after Jesus multiplied the loaves to feed the five thousand, the crowd went looking for him. When they found him, he said to them, "Amen, amen, I say to you, you are looking for me...because you ate the loaves and were filled. Do not work for food that perishes, but for food that endures for eternal life." In today's BBC News online, one story exemplifies working for food that perishes and the other for food that endures.
"King of Bling" headlines the first story. A man in India spent $250,000 on a shirt made with 7 pounds of gold. He says wearing it makes him feel good. For him it is the ultimate manifestation of achievement and gives him a status he has craved since he was young. With all the gold he has accumulated, he says he feels financially secure. Ironically, he still has a security guard with him whenever he travels wearing the shirt.
"Pedal Empowered" is the title of the second story. US teen Thomas Hircock of Philadelphia initiated the project of sending bikes to some of the poorest children in India. When he was 12 years old, he traveled with his father to India and was shocked by the poverty he saw. Some of the pupils at one school told them they needed bikes to get to classes from homes up to 20 miles away. Back in Philadelphia, Thomas and his family started a fundraising campaign at his own school. So far, the charity has shipped 400 bikes to schools in India.
To each his own, I guess, but you also reap what you sow.
Sunday, April 14, 2013
Reconciling All Around
When you want to reconcile yourself to God, don't forget to ask him to help you reconcile with others and with yourself so that he may dwell comfortably in you.
Communion Joy
After receiving Jesus in the Holy Eucharist, my soul wanted to fly to him right then and there, but the realization that I hadn't loved him enough yet caused hesitation.
Proving Our Love for God
In today's Gospel reading, Jesus also asked Peter three times if he loved him. Each time after Peter answered yes, the Lord asked him to do something ~ they are "Feed my lambs," "Tend my sheep," and "Feed my sheep." It shows that the Lord wants us to assure him that we love him and to prove it by performing works.
"It Is the Lord!"
The Gospel reading at Mass came from John 21:1-19. Jesus revealed himself again to his disciples at the sea of Tiberias. While fishing from their boat, the disciples did not at first recognize Jesus standing on the shore. Finally, after he told them where to cast to net and they caught a large number of fish, the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, "It is the Lord."
It is such a joy to recognize the presence of the one you love! Jesus is not physically with us today, but we can still realize his presence everywhere, in others, and especially in our own hearts. Such realizations should constantly fill us with joy.
Being "Foolish" for God
Acts 5 continued to be read at Mass. The Sanhedrin ordered Peter and the apostles to stop speaking in the name of Jesus and dismissed them, but they left rejoicing that they had been found worthy to suffer dishonor for the sake of the name. Did the apostles have a warped mind? No, they were elated because they already knew and belonged to God. Once we have the Lord, only what he thinks of us matters ~ this is how we were made.
On Entering God or Not
With God, either you are in or you are out. When you are in, you enjoy peace, freedom, security, knowing that you are heaven-bound...all the good things I've mentioned numerous times on this blog. These are not things I've cooked up ~ they are actual knowledge. When God lays something in your heart, you just know that it's true. If you are still outside God, can you give one good reason if it's not fear of facing the truth? Outside God, there is nothing. Seek union to enter God to gain everything.
On Securing Life
Suddenly, I see how vulnerable life is. I am still breathing, typing away this moment, but life can leave me at any time as it has happened to so many of my friends. We are powerless in securing our life in this world, but we can secure our life in the next. Happy are those who have already "arranged" with God for a dwelling place in heaven! Now, they can truly sit back and rejoice.
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