To find God, we must be humble first and remain open. If we expect God to speak or reveal himself to us before we would believe in him, we may have a long wait ahead of us. By an act of will or faith, we must submit ourselves to him first. It was by an act of will that I first accepted Jesus into my life. It's by an act of will that I confess my sins and ask for his forgiveness. It's by an act of will that I asked the Holy Spirit to baptize me. It's by an act of will that I surrendered myself to God. In each case, the Lord makes or made himself known after my move. Don't forget that God is so much greater than us. Let us beg from him, not the other way around.
Tuesday, August 6, 2013
Life of Jesus Examined
The life of Jesus from the human point of view seems rather unappealing. Foxes have dens and birds of the sky have nests, but he had nowhere to rest his head (Matthew 8, Luke 9); he was not honored in his native place and in his own house (Matthew 13, Mark 6); toward the end, the chief priests, the Pharisees, and the Sanhedrin constantly plotted to kill him; his own disciple betrayed him; then in the end, he went through indescribable suffering. Now let's look at the life of Jesus from God's point of view. He triumphantly succeeded in accomplishing the will of the Father. Being obedient, he never complained. Throughout his ordeal, he remained loving and forgiving, maintaining his deep inner peace. Through him, God the Father revealed his infinite love for us. The Father must feel great satisfaction that he carried out his plan of salvation for us whom he loves. The life of Christ shows that we too can have the same peace and be set free by being obedient to God the Father.
Monday, August 5, 2013
What Conversion Is
If darkness is the absence of light, then holiness is the absence of sin. Conversion is letting the love of God overcome our sins so that we may be holy.
Communion Joy
As I went up to receive Holy Communion this morning, I felt as if I was walking in a procession leading to God for his blessing. On my way back to the pew, I was in full enjoyment of being a child of God the Father.
Nourishment for the Soul
In today's Gospel reading at Mass from Matthew 14, Jesus multiplied five loaves of bread and two fish to feed crowds totaling about five thousand men, not counting women and children. They all ate and were satisfied. This reminds me of our spiritual hunger ~ the soul needs to be nourished too. And the Lord has given us the sacrament of the Holy Eucharist just to satisfy this deepest longing of ours.
Jesus' Unique Challenge
Jesus is unique among all leaders, religious or secular. He is the only one who challenges you to follow him, but leaves the decision entirely up to you. And this challenge is such that you must accept or dismiss with no middle ground possible ~ ignoring it is no different from dismissing it. And your decision will bring enormous consequences. Jesus himself proclaimed to be a cause of division: "Do not think that I have come to bring peace upon the world. I have come to bring not peace but the sword" (Matthew 10.34). This further bolsters the authenticity of his challenge.
Not Just Joy Alone
Knowing Jesus is a great joy; but at the same time, the more you know him, the more you experience his suffering and pain the world inflicts upon him, which is great. This in turn enhances your joy because you know now that you are ever closer in union with the Lord.
Sunday, August 4, 2013
We Need Jesus!
In these two last two days, the Lord hasn't given any particular thoughts. The only thing he made me see was why we need him. Without him, we are constantly being self-centered, thinking, saying, and doing things with not much genuine concern for others. I could say that we live disordered lives. With Jesus, we have a supreme model showing us how to put all things in order and one who can truly transform us into perfect beings. Love, hope, freedom, salvation are all presented to us ~ he is indeed the good news for us!
Friday, August 2, 2013
The Light of Christ
During the Liturgy of the Eucharist at today's Mass, I thought of the light of Christ. This is the light that illuminates the truth, exposes all darkness, and heals the soul. This is the light in which I am content to live and die.
Dealing with Suffering
It is undeniable that as long as we sin, there will be suffering. Therefore, accept suffering as a reality ~ it's how we deal with it that matters. This is where God can support and guide us and we can learn to be patient and to trust in him.
The Greatest Love
In John 15.13, Jesus said, "No one has greater love than this, to lay down one's life for one's friends." It must also be true that it is the greatest love to be utterly concerned about the souls of others. When we ourselves are drawn into Christ, we must do our utmost to draw others to him too. It is in loving others that we are assured of our own salvation.
Thursday, August 1, 2013
On Entering Jesus
As you go deeper and deeper into Jesus, you discover more and more of his beauty. Staying on the outside, you'll never "see" his true beauty. He is indeed the infinite God.
Mother Miriam
Rosalind Moss is now Sister Rosalind Moss, Mother Miriam of the Lamb of God. Her journey of becoming a fulfilled Jew was one of the most beautiful stories I'd ever heard. Here is a more recent short interview of her by Marcus Grodi on EWTN.
Most Beautiful Dwelling
The Responsorial Psalm response at morning Mass read: How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord, mighty God! After I received Jesus in the Holy Eucharist, instead of feeling that he had entered to dwell in me, I felt that he was drawing me into him. I could claim that there is no place more beautiful to dwell in than the interior of the Lord!
Foretold Judgment
Today is the Memorial of St. Alphonsus Liguouri. In the Gospel reading from Matthew 13, Jesus said to the disciples, "The Kingdom of heaven is like a net thrown into the sea, which collects fish of every kind. When it is full they haul it ashore and sit down to put what is good into buckets. What is bad they throw away. Thus it will be at the end of the age. The angles will go out and separate the wicked from the righteous and throw them into the fiery furnace...." Since Jesus foretold his Resurrection after death and it became true, we'd better believe that the judgment at the end of the age he foretold will come true too.
Marvelous Relationship
This morning I appreciated very much the fact that God had made himself known specifically to us in the person of Jesus, who is divine. Through Jesus the Son, we know God the Father and become his adopted children. And the Holy Spirit ensures that we are all one with God. It is marvelous indeed.
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