What we receive in our next life depends not upon how much we succeed or fail in this world nor how hard or easy a life we lead in this world, but solely upon how much we love God in this world.
Saturday, April 27, 2013
Living the Private Life
Jesus' sheep recognize only his voice and follow him alone. Under his care they live for him and not for the world. This privacy shields them from all evil and ensures that they will not be lost. It is living the private life in God.
Friday, April 26, 2013
Jesus Exposes Darkness
The more you know Jesus, the more you see darkness in the world. Those who do not know Jesus do not see darkness in the world, for they walk in darkness and no longer know where they are going. (Read 1 John 2:11.)
God's Mercy Extends to All
Today's tragic news is the collapse of a Bangladeshi garment factory, killing at least 273 people. It's believed that neglect and lack of regulation led to the disaster. Since over 90% of the population of Bangladesh are Muslim, it's safe to assume that most of the victims did not know Jesus. So, are they saved or not? Jesus did say, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me" (John 14:6). I believe that good people can be saved through Christ without their knowing it. It'd be unthinkable that they are condemned due to no fault of their own by God whose mercy is infinite. To think otherwise is to judge others. If you still have doubts, read the first eight Beatitudes of Jesus (Matthew 5:3-10).
Jesus Is the One
Communion experience. Jesus completes me. Having him, I lack nothing. He's the one to live and die for with joy.
Being with God Forever
The Gospel reading at Mass was from John 14. At the Last Supper, Jesus said to his disciples, "In my Father's house there are many dwelling places. If there were not, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to myself, so that where I am you also may be." How good it is to hear that the Lord wants us to be where he is! By receiving him in the Holy Eucharist, we've already become inseparable from him.
Truth of Christ Confirmed
"Acts 13:26-33" was the first reading at morning Mass. I am not going to reproduce it here, but what Paul said made it absolutely clear that Jesus did come and was put to death, accomplishing all that was written about him. He then rose from the dead and appeared to many who became witnesses to the people. God had brought to fulfillment what he promised their fathers. Note that Paul used to persecute the Lord. This reading strongly confirms my faith in the truth of Christ.
Simplified Approach to God
I tend to see things in their simplified state. I am also a relatively short-winded person. Once I attended a piano workshop on preventing hand injury. As I recall, the entire set of 30+ videos on this method was available for $800. After listening to lectures with demonstration on the piano and watching many videos that weekend, I could summarize the essence of the method in three sentences. Similarly, when it comes to seeking union with God, you can take lessons, courses, or workshops that involve spiritual reading and exercises, learning how to pray, etc. ~ such formation process could take years. What if I am illiterate? What if I don't have access to all the information? Certainly, God wouldn't exclude me from seeking union with him. Again, I see how to achieve the goal the simple way. You surrender to God, put you trust in him, and let him draw you into union with him. God already knows what you desire; total abandonment in him is the only act you need to perform.
Thursday, April 25, 2013
Power and Wisdom
Today's Gospel Acclamation at Mass, 1 Corinthian 1.23a-24b, reads: "We proclaim Christ crucified; he is the power of God and the wisdom of God." God is love and mercy, but the other aspect of God is power and wisdom. Power because he can transform us; wisdom because he is the truth that can guide us to eternal life. The Lord is what we need and is all we need.
God Within Reach
This is a brief summary of what I've been posting about the last 2700+ times. God is within our reach! In fact, God wants to enter us to be in union with us. Through the Holy Eucharist, we can express our desire for union and he will draw us into him. Finally, in fulfilling his desire, we are completely fulfilled ourselves ~ this is perfect resting in God. We are now ready to enter heaven, for we'll always be Where God is.
Wednesday, April 24, 2013
Only Way with God
We are supposed to love God with all our heart, with all my soul, and with all our strength, but do we even think of him? How often do we mention him to others? Do we consult him in anything we do? Is your relationship with him personal at all? Does God live only on the periphery of your life? Is he even relevant to you? Praying to him only when you need him is not good enough, whereas we should be concerned about how we can serve him. In fact, we should become saints for his sake and the best way to get there is to seek union with him through the Holy Eucharist. Make your desire known to God and he will draw you into him and you will have all of him ~ this is the sure expedient way.
Praying for the World
For our own spiritual growth, there are many things to pray for, and I've found that by seeking union with God through the Holy Eucharist, all those prayers get answered. Similarly, there are so many ills of the world to pray for. And since their cause is godlessness, praying for the conversion of the world becomes the urgent, fundamental prayer for delivering the world from all its ills.
Tuesday, April 23, 2013
Different Ways of Living
Living as if everyday is your last day on earth shows that you are alert and ready to meet the Lord. After this last day, your eternal life begins. To those who foolishly live as if there's no life after death, their last day may indeed be the last, for they may not have life with God afterward. Then there are those who live as if they are never going to die ~ this is being equally foolish.
Sunday, April 21, 2013
Choosing Sides for Judgment Day
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.
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.
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