Today's Communion experience. I realize that what I am about to receive is not just a symbol, but the living Lord who can make me holy. He is going to penetrate my heart with his love and heal my soul by his grace.
Friday, May 10, 2013
Spiritual Warfare Summarized
Since the human body is transitory and only our soul is eternal, spiritual warfare is all about winning souls. And God is the only one who can save souls. If you do not let God help you, Satan will win (and you lose). But if you seek God's help, then the victory will be his and yours. God and Satan fight over you for different reasons ~ God wants to win because he loves you, while Satan because he hates God and therefore you too.
On Having Faith
If you know all about God, you don't need faith anymore. Having faith in God is believing in him before you know all the answers to your questions. It is being passive so that he may enter your life to transform you. Believe me; he shall reveal all you want to know once you put your faith in him.
Getting Maximum Help from God
We get maximum help from God when we have complete trust in him. Any worrying or uneasiness on our part won't make things the slightest better. We pray and trust and let God "worry about" the outcome. It is getting out of the way to let the Lord be in full charge. This is doing his will!
Thursday, May 9, 2013
Aim for Living
Communion experience. I came to see that we are not to live for bread, for fame, wealth, or any other success in this world for our own sake ~ we are to live for Jesus alone. Then God and man are reconciled, together, united ~ our eternal destiny sealed.
Jesus the Source of Our Joy
In today's Gospel reading from John 16, Jesus told his disciples that a little while and they would no longer see him, and again a little while later and they would see him, hinting at his coming death and Resurrection, but he promised them that their initial grief would turn to joy. To me, the J in "Jesus" stands for "joy." He is love, but he's also the source of our joy. I watched Journey Home on EWTN this past Monday. The featured guest was David Currie, who wrote the popular book Born Fundamentalist, Born Again Catholic. (You can watch the entire May 6, 2013, interview on YouTube.) One of the two reasons he gave for coming into the Church was the Holy Eucharist. After studying John 6 and the history of the early Church, he came to believe that the Holy Eucharist is truly the body and blood of Christ. He mentioned this belief twice. Each time I heard it, the Holy Spirit filled my heart and soul with such "crushing" joy as to confirm that I had just heard the truth.
Our Will Counts
There are times when we are physically or mentally incapable of performing certain tasks, but it is our will (intention, desire) that counts before God. You can have the best health and the highest IQ, but if you have no will to serve God, what you have is worth nothing. On the other hand, you can be wheelchair-bound and illiterate, but if you will to serve God, you shall be blessed.
What to Do with Sin
We must reject sin by all means because it is our ticket to eternal death. The only one who can rescue us is Christ. In our lifetime, we have the option to remain in sin and head toward eternal death or let Jesus keep us away from sin and lead us to eternal life. It's that simple.
Wednesday, May 8, 2013
Knowing God's Love
When there is nothing more to post about, there's always the love of God. I have always believed that God loves us, but it "wasn't real" until I started seeking him. Therefore, if we do not desire to know him, we remain intellectually convinced only. Seeking union with him definitely opened up the flood gate. Now I don't just believe, I know God loves me, for he has overwhelmed me with his presence.
Becoming One with God
Jesus the Son and God the Father are in each other, so they are one. This is the model for us to follow when we seek union with God. Through the Holy Eucharist, Jesus enters us so we may enter him. Then we become one.
Life Is Precarious
Jesus has taught us to stay awake, for we do not know the day on which the Lord will come. We also do not know when we shall meet the Lord. I serve on the team of visiting the elderly at their homes or care facilities in our parish. One person I visited for the first time a week ago unexpectedly passed away yesterday. Life fleets! Everyone, especially the young in busily pursuing their worldly careers, need to be awakened to this fact. And we must help all by bringing the good news of Christ to them. Life is slippery and precarious until we have settled safely in the hands of the loving God.
Tuesday, May 7, 2013
How Can You?
At fraction of the Bread at Mass, before receiving Communion, we asked Jesus to have mercy on us and grant us peace. God is the source of inexhaustible mercy. We sin a thousand times and he forgives a thousand times if we repent. He does not condemn us; only wants to save us. How blessed we are to have such a merciful God! He wishes peace to be with us. This peace is ours if we believe in him and ask for it. How fortunate we are to be so favored! Salvation is ours for the taking. If you are aware that you're a sinner, how can you not embrace the love of God? How can you?
Mary's Love for Her Son
On April 18, I posted about Rachmaninov's Prelude in D, Op. 23, No. 4. Now, here's the one in E flat, Op. 23, No. 6. This beautiful piece expresses for me the love our Blessed Mother has for her Son and for all of us. Sergio Fiorentino plays faster than most other pianists, but his playing "sings" the sweet melody best.
Monday, May 6, 2013
Key to Union
Today's Communion experience. Jesus made me see that total surrender to him is the only way to completely enter him, to fully belong to him, to become one with him.
Prayer Should Include All
There are other religions whose followers wish to wipe out the Christians, but we must not be like that. Jesus wants us to love our enemies and pray for those who have most need of his mercy. I am disappointed that during Prayer of the Faithful at Mass, petitions on behalf of our enemies and those who suffer the most in the world are not heard. For example, shouldn't we pray for all those contemplating suicide bombing, the innocent victims of all bombing attacks, and even the recent surviving Boston bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev? Praying for them is not being unpatriotic; on the contrary, not praying for them is ignoring the compassion of our God for all.
Hell Not to Be Ignored
In Matthew 16:26, Jesus asked his disciples, "What profit would there be for one to gain the whole world and forfeit his life?" St. Faustina was led by an Angel to the chasms of hell. She saw these kinds of tortures: (1) loss of God, (2) perpetual remorse of conscience, (3) constancy's of one's condition, (4) terrible suffering caused by a spiritual fire penetrating the soul without destroying it, (5) continual darkness and a terrible suffocating smell, (6) the constant company of Satan, (7) horrible despair and hatred of God. There are other more special tortures too. (For a complete description, read her Diary, 741.) To me, the worst part is suffering not for a finite period of time, but for all eternity! Those who believe in God need not worry about hell, for they will end up in his company; but those who don' believe that hell exists had better be concerned about God, for they could easily end up in hell.
Start Loving God Now!
The need for loving God is urgent because everything is passing! Every living moment provides opportunities for us to serve the Lord; do not let time pass by without showing his love for us to others. Save as many souls as possible by seeking union with God or whatever means he provides you. Do not delay loving him, for time is fleeting! God will ultimately ask each one of us how good and faithful a servant we have been. Live a life to glorify God and he will glorify you later ~ this is his promise you can count on.
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