Easy Living in God

        Today's Gospel reading from Matthew 11 ~ Jesus said to the crowds: "Come to me, all you who labor and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for yourselves. For my yoke is easy, and my burden light."  

        I can vouch for the truth of the Lord's saying. "Easy" living is moving forward in life, relying upon and being powered by God alone. Living outside God is like putting on a mask and costume and going through the motion of living, not knowing where you'll end up.

To Be Like the Father

        In today's Gospel reading from Matthew 18, Jesus said to his disciples, "If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them goes astray, will he not leave the ninety-nine in the hills and go in search of the stray? And if he finds it, amen, I say to you, he rejoices more over it than over the ninety-nine that did not stray." Here Jesus was trying to tell us that it's not the will of the heavenly Father that any of us be lost. Then I notice that we behave very much like the Father ~ we too would quit whatever we're doing and go look for something valuable that's lost. After all, we were created in his image! This should inspire us to want to be just like our Father.  

Steps to Union

        To be one with God ~ lofty goal, but simple to reach. Here are the steps to take: (1) Believe in the transforming power of the Holy Eucharist you receive, (2) let God know of your sincere, ardent desire for union, (3) remain passive and submissive to the Lord (no striving on your own), (4) wait with trust.     

My Duty

        Communion thoughts. I am still journeying toward God, but receiving the Holy Eucharist is connecting me to heaven. In fact, the Lord God actually enters me to dwell in me. My duty is then to do my utmost to keep him happy and comfortable in his residency.

Following God's Plan

        Today is the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary. In Reading 1 from Genesis 3, how Adam and Eve committed the original sin was recounted. Then, of course, God chose his only Son to come to us through Mary with the good news of salvation. Sin alone sometimes makes us search for God for help, but seeing the overall, complete picture makes us realize that we are meant to return to God in our journey.

Change through Union

        I see people being drawn by the Lord and starting to change, but they still are not seeing things his way yet. One reason we need to seek union with God is that once we get to know him intimately, we will see how off our ways are. Only then shall we learn to see all things through the eyes of the Lord, bringing about a complete change. I could also describe this process as self-understanding leading to freedom.   

God as Our Backer

        Today's Gospel reading came from Matthew 3. As John the Baptist was baptizing people from all regions in the Jordan River, many Pharisees and Sadducees came to his baptism. John chided them, "You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? Produce good fruit as evidence of you repentance. And do not presume to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our father.' For I tell you, God can raise up children to Abraham from these stones."

        Indeed, before God, even if I can trace my lineage to an illustrious king, it would not make any good. It is what we are that's relevant. Where we came from belongs to the past and where we are heading determines our ultimate destination. We only need God to back us!

On Overcoming Evil

        How do we love others for the sake of Christ? We won't have any problem with those who are already holy, so it comes down to dealing with the unholy in the world. Overcoming evil with love ~ this is the challenge we face. We must accept this approach because it's God's way. Since it may cost us personally, total dependence upon God is called for. 

More Dying

        Communion thoughts. Every time I receive Christ in the Holy Eucharist, it's a chance for (the old) me to die some more in him.

Perfect Antidote

        Today's Gospel reading came from Matthew 9 & 10. Jesus went around to the towns and villages, teaching and proclaiming the Gospel of the Kingdom. At the sight of the crowds, his heart was moved with pity for them because they were troubled and abandoned, like sheep without a shepherd. This is still true today when you see people lost and lonely all around. And it is still true that Christ is the perfect antidote for the troubled and abandoned. 

Superior Learning

        Today is the Memorial of St. Ambrose, Bishop and Doctor of the Church, whose sermons were known to have greatly helped the conversion of St. Augustine. When we seek and get to know God, he fills us with wisdom and understanding far superior than anything we could possibly learn from the world, for he reveals the absolute truth to us as he has done to all the great saints. 

Stepping into Freedom

        Today is a first Friday and we had adoration of the Blesses Sacrament after Mass. I saw that if in his holy presence, we are bold enough to ask God to do whatever he wishes with us, then we'll have stepped into the realm of freedom. This is showing our trust in the Father, abandoning ourselves in him, and inviting him to be one with you. The Lord is now surely free to take care of all our things. 

Cup Always Full

        Some people see a half-filled glass as half empty. These are the ones who're usually not happy about their own lot and see others as being more fortunate than they are. Then we have others who see the same glass as half full ~ they are happier, appreciative of what they have and optimistic about the future. Finally, the fulfilled Christians know that their cup is always full to overflowing, as they receive grace upon grace from the Lord. 

We Are at Fault

        If everyone in this world is as holy as Jesus, we'll have a peaceful world filled with joy ~ no question about it. Even should tragedy befall us, we'd still be strong, filled with faith and hope, and praise the Father. As I have said before, it is our sin that messes up our own lives and the world, causing continuous, great miseries. We are at fault ~ this is important to realize so that we may look to God for mercy and salvation.

Direct Learning from God

        There must be tens of thousands of books out there giving spiritual advice. But the best, expedient way to learn is to surrender to God, letting him enter your heart to teach you directly.

A Free Relationship

        Our relationship with God is also a free one in the sense that God freely gives us his love with no strings attached and we are free to respond to him any way we choose. Amid God's free giving and our free responding, faith is born. 

A Jealous and Generous Relationship

        Before Mass began in church this morning, I saw my relationship with God to be a jealous and generous one. Jealous, because I enjoy the Lord so much that I want to possess him totally and not let anyone take him away from me. Generous, because I enjoy the Lord so much that I want everyone to possess him and experience the same joy.

Healing the Soul

        In today's Gospel reading from Matthew 15, we read that great crowds came to Jesus, having with them the lame, the blind, the deformed, the mute, and many others. They placed them at his feet and he cured them all. Today, such miracles are no longer so common, except for the healing of the soul. When we repent of our sin and ask for healing of the soul, the Lord instantly complies. We have his great mercy on our side.