Looking at Ego Again

        Happy New Year to all and peace to people of good will on earth. A good prayer to start the year off would be to ask God to cut out (or at least down) our ego. To me, the ego wants to exalt myself before others. A gym trainer recently remarked to me that the major cause of injury for those who exercise is ego. I thought about that and realized that he was right. Most men, anyway, in their desire to impress themselves tend to use weights heavier than they should handle, thus resulting in injury. You can be the only one in the world and still be hurt by your own ego. So, ego concerns just you and God. It is for him that we want to annihilate it before it hurts or destroys us.    

Last Lesson of the Year

        Looking back on all that had happened to me this year, I see God's hand in everything. How he shaped things might be imperceptible at the time, but became clear afterwards. Lesson: Trust in him and he'll always be there for you.  

Complete Satisfaction

        Communion experience. The Gospel Acclamation was based upon John 1: The Word of God became flesh and dwelt among us. To those who accepted him he gave power to become the children of God. I felt completely satisfied in Christ because I was now a child of God who would take care of me for all eternity!

Our Greatest Revelation

        The Gospel John 1:1-18 was read at this morning's Mass. On this last day of the year, it is appropriate and good to hear this greatest revelation. If you believe that John spoke the truth, then this is all you need to know to joyfully accept and love Jesus with your whole heart and soul.

Our Last Days

        Reading 1 at Mass today came from 1 John 2. The Apostle began, "Children, it is the last hour..." That was written almost 2,000 years ago, but I realized that ever since Jesus ascended into heaven, our last days, the last leg of our journey for mankind as a whole, had begun, before the Lord's Second Coming. When he will come again becomes irrelevant ~ we remain in our last days. 

Stripped Down to the Heart

        I just watched a 6-minute BBC video online on "Global notable deaths of 2013." The deceased were Hollywood stars, influential writers, world statesmen, and so forth, names most of us would recognize. My thoughts are that when they (and later us) all appear before the holy, mighty, immortal God, all past fame, wealth, and power no longer count except what dwelled in their hearts. All become little, powerless creatures completely at the mercy of our creator, each receiving exactly what he or she deserves.

Jesus' Overpowering Presence

        Communion Experience. Jesus makes me forget everything else. It's like when you are in the presence of a most bright light, you no longer notice the presence of everything else.          

Are We Ready?

        When Joseph and Mary took the child Jesus to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord in the temple, the righteous and devout Simeon saw the child, took him into his arms and blessed God, saying, "Now, Master, you may let your servant go in peace, for my eyes have seen your salvation..." (Luke 2). I also recall St. Augustine's well-known line before his conversion: "Please God, make me chaste, but not yet." The important question is how ready we are when God calls us for whatever purpose.

God's Mercy Pictured

        I see God's mercy as a strong cord securely attached to every single one of us to keep us from falling away from him, with us hanging from the cord in perfect balance. Every time we sin, whether we are believers or not, we cut and weaken that cord. When we repent and ask to be forgiven, the cord is healed again. Anyone who chooses to sin continuously and not repent is to sever that cord. To me, rejecting God's mercy is as serious a sin as limiting it, believing that he cannot save you, if not more so.

Start with the Heart

        I went to Sunday morning Mass. I noticed that I went through a lot of motions ~ making the sign of the cross, standing, kneeling, reciting various prayers, making other verbal responses, singing hymns, receiving Communion, etc. I asked myself if I did all those things in order to boost my faith or because my faith prompted me to do so. The worst of all is, of course, going through all the motions without faith. Anyway, the Lord made me see that the preferable way is have faith first and let it prompt you to do all the things at Mass. Therefore, give your heart to God first and let the rest follow.

All About Love

        Today is the Feast of St. John, Apostle. John was known to be the disciple whom Jesus loved. Since God is love, we must consider whether to accept this love or not. God did create us out of this love and still keeps us alive with it. This is the love that transforms us into holy beings and ultimately carries us into heaven. It alone can bring inner peace to our hearts, restoring peace in our world. Without the love of God, all is empty. With it we are filled with hope. This love Jesus came among us to proclaim. The immensity, intensity, and beauty of this love is beyond our finite comprehension ~ but our faith leads us into it. There is so much, so much for us to look forward to! 

On Commending Our Spirit

        In Reading 1 from Acts 6 today at Mass, we learned that as Stephen was being stoned to death, he called out "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit." The Response in Responsorial Psalm came from Psalms 31: Into your hands, I commend my spirit. If we acknowledge that God is our home, we must be willing to commend our spirit to him, preferably now than at the moment of our death.

God's All-Encompassing Mercy

        Today is the Feast of St. Stephen, the first martyr. I pondered upon the mercy of God at Mass. Should the mercy of God be finite, we who are sinners would or could be struck dead right now. The fact that he makes it so easy for us to be saved, giving us the opportunity that lasts a lifetime to repent and reconcile with him before final judgment arrives, shows that his mercy is boundless. Clearly, our survival in this life and the next depends entirely upon this mercy.

Good Christmas Day News

        On this Christmas day, the joyous news I read on BBC online was about Pope Francis. Here's one little, heartwarming story: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-25471257

Sad State of the Soul

        Today's Christmas Vigil Mass was an added one in anticipation of larger-than-normal attendance. Sure enough, the adjacent room had to be opened up to accommodate the overflowing crowd. Those who looked somewhat uneasy and the large number who eagerly left early before Mass ended were probably the ones who only go to Mass at Christmas and Easter time. I feel sorry for them. They tried to ease their conscience by showing up at Mass today, but you could not appease God this way for the focus must be on pleasing the Lord and not on yourself. 

The Self Comes First

        The primary goal of asking for power from the Holy Spirit should be the transformation of ourselves into perfect servants of God. 

Eternal Celebration

        I attended the Christmas Vigil Mass today. We rejoice in the birth of Jesus for having brought us the good news. The Lord also rejoices in us for loving him in return. This mutual rejoicing turns living with God into an eternal celebration.

Anticipating Christmas

        Today's Communion antiphon (Revelation 3.20) at Mass: Behold, I stand at the door and knock: if anyone hears my voice and opens the door to me, I will enter his house and dine with him, and he with me. Christmas is less than two days away. How tender and sweet Christ is, enabling the receptive soul to willingly live and die for him ~ O come, Emanuel!