In today's news, opponents of gay marriage in France hold their last-ditch rally. Opinion polls have suggested that 55-60% of French people support gay marriage. Elsewhere gay marriage supporters hold a rival march. In US, pro-life and pro-abortion groups take up diametrically opposite positions. And atheists are on the rise, attacking the religious. When Jesus comes again to judge the world, he'll be separating the sheep from the goats with the sheep placed on his right and the goats on his left (Matthew 25). Whether we realize it or not, we are already choosing sides, not that the Lord needs our help.
Sunday, April 21, 2013
Indestructible Security!
This is today's entire Gospel reading at Mass from John 10:
Jesus said: "My sheep hear my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish. No one can take them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one can take them out of the Father's hand. The Father and I are one."
The recent Boston bombing has caused terrible deaths and injuries to the innocent. It just shows how fragile life can be in these days of great evil. Even though our physical life can get snuffed out, our eternal life in Christ is indestructible ~ just read the Gospel above to see how secure we can be! By seeking union with the Lord in this life, my security is being established.
Awesome Feelings
During Eucharistic Prayer at Mass, we sang the Sanctus: Holy, holy, holy Lord God of host, heaven and earth are full of your glory. Hosanna in the highest. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest. An overwhelming realization: God is holy, yet I should touch him soon in Holy Communion.
The Memorial Acclamation followed: We proclaim your death, O Lord, and profess your Resurrection until you come again. The words conveyed the sweet mystery of faith to my heart.
How God Speaks to Us
If we were robots, God would give us specific commands to follow. Since we were created with a free will and are capable of thinking and making our own choices, the Lord no longer speaks audibly to us with direct commands ~ he lets us base our thinking and decision-making upon what he lets us see, hear, and experience. Our whole life is one of discerning God's will.
The Christian Joy
Continuing the story from Acts from Acts 13, we heard that later on, the Jews incited the people, stirred up a persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and expelled them from their territory. So they shook the dust from their feet and left. The disciples were filled with joy and the Holy Spirit.
Spreading the word of God, telling others about Jesus, sharing how the Lord has transformed your personal life...these things are continually prompted by the Holy Spirit. Since joy and the Holy Spirit are inseparable, the Christian heart is continually filled with joy.
On Hearing the Word of God
First reading at Mass from Acts 13 tells that on a sabbath almost the whole city of Antioch gathered to hear the word of the Lord from Paul and Barnabas. The Jews, filled with jealousy, contradicted what Paul said with violent abuse. Then both Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly and said, "It was necessary that the word of God be spoken to you first, but since you reject it and condemn yourselves as unworthy of eternal life, we now turn to the Gentiles." Note that rejecting the word of God is condemning ourselves as unworthy of eternal life! Let's then latch onto the good news once we hear it so that we may be made worthy of eternal life.
Contrast in Living
If you live as if this life is your only life, you will feel more emptiness as time passes, I assure you. This is why the majority of the world remain unhappy. But the minority who live for the eternal life Jesus promised not only find their present life meaningful, but also experience greater joy as time moves onward.
No Place for Pride
Being finite, we often fall short of achieving the best results in serving God despite our best effort. We must humbly accept that and move on, not judging ourselves out of pride. Remember that the Apostles rejoiced when they had been found worthy to suffer dishonor for the sake of the name of Jesus.
God-Centered Living
The Christian life must be God-centered, living for God's glory alone and never for our own sake. What we gain is peace as the Lord takes away all our struggle ~ the result of resting (trusting) in him.
Ask and Trust
The Communion antiphon at yesterday's Mass based upon John 17.20-21 reads: Father, I pray for them, that they may be one in us, so that the world may believe it was you who sent me, says the Lord. Here Jesus was praying for those God had given him out of the world. This example teaches me to make my intention clear and not be concerned about how God is going to answer my prayer. "Ask and trust" is doing our best.
A Blessed State
Receiving the Holy Eucharist is more than touching God. It is letting the Lord God who seeks union with us enter us. How do we respond? If we wish to enter him too, then we shall have union. Every time we receive this most holy sacrament, we are given the opportunity to become one with God or strengthen the existing union. How blessed it is to be in God with him in us!
Friday, April 19, 2013
What Conversion Is About
This morning's first reading came from Acts 9. Saul (Paul) was breathing murderous threats against the disciples of Christ and wanted to arrest and imprison anyone he might find living according to the new way. Then Jesus called him and he began proclaiming that Jesus is the Son of God. Left to myself, I used to think that divorce is OK, abortion permissible, getting ahead of others by any aggressive means just fine, and so forth. After I got to know God, all my views changed because I realized that I had been wrong. This is what conversion is about ~ it's giving up our own ways and adopting God's ways. The world has lost its way precisely because it has been following its own ways.
Blessed Freedom
This morning I no longer felt "trapped" in this world; I am now free in Christ! I feel blessed that I came into the world after Christ, who showed us the way to salvation so clearly. We now know God the Father as revealed through God the Son and are set free by God the Holy Spirit.
Thursday, April 18, 2013
Yearning for God
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.
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."
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