Self-Serving or God-Serving

        After seeing my grandkids working so hard at school and participating in so many extracurricular activities, and many adults who were not only involved in various church ministries, but also busily making wines at home, build woodworking shops, etc.; I wondered why we keep ourselves so busy. Are we self-serving or God-serving? It turned out this was also the message from the pulpit this morning at Mass.

        Accomplishing a lot make us feel good, but doesn't that build up our ego too? Let's say I am talented at playing the piano, so I do it all day long. It's easy to justify my action by saying that I am obligated to use this talent God has given me so that people get to enjoy listening to the music I play. This may be stretching quite a bit, as deep down I really want to enjoy myself, become famous, and not be concerned about the rest of the world. There is no humility here. So what appears to be is not what it really is. In general, ambitious people serve themselves first. Common goals are to feel good, to look well to others, to get rich or famous, to get ahead in society.... Without aiming for God's glory, we'll always have that hypocrite part in us. If you want to be a superman or superwoman, then be one for God.

Balanced Prayer

        When enemies attack us, we pray for God's protection from their evil as well as his mercy on them.  

About Trust

        Today's realization is that God is in control of everything. I do my best to do what is necessary in each situation, but leave the outcome to him. This is what trust is all about. It's obeying the Lord in all things and leaving where I'll end up in his hands.

Tragedy in the Making

        I saw people concentrating so much on shaping and conditioning their bodies that some didn't even stop training after their had caught a cold or virus. This made me think that if we focus too much on anything in the world, we are likely to miss the boat at the end. God exists forever, but if you don't even look in his direction, you will miss him for sure. And this would be the greatest tragedy of your life. 

The Salutaris

        On this first Friday, there was adoration of the Blessed Sacrament after Mass. At the beginning of the Exposition, we sang the Salutaris by Thomas Aquinas. It's very beautiful, so here are the verses.

         O saving Victim, op'ning wide                         

         The gate of heav'n to all below, 

         Our foes press on from ev'ry side; 

         Thine aid supply, thy strength bestow. 

         All praise and thanks to thee ascend

         Forevermore, blest One in Three;

         O Grant us life that shall end   

         In our true native land with thee. Amen.

Power of the Holy Eucharist

        Communion experience. I felt Jesus thoroughly cleaning up my interior. 

Great Father We Have

        I pray to Jesus a lot and to the Holy Spirit too. At Mass today, I felt called to pray to the Father just as much. I thanked him for having created me so that I might enjoy him in this life and forever in the next. It is unbelievable that we have such a loving Father.

On Forgiving Your Enemy

        Forgiving others can be the most difficult thing for many of us. Let's look at the matter this way. Here's someone you dislike or even hate, and get angry about. Now think of hell, such a horrible place, where one is cut off from God and suffers for all eternity ~ would you honestly wish that your "enemy" be condemned to hell? If you do have a heart that hard, which I don't believe you do, then perhaps you should reconsider whether you deserve to go to heaven for God loves your enemy as much as he loves you. If your answer to the question is no, then simply forgive your enemy. 

How God Leads

        In leading us, God does not show us every little thing we need to do; he usually brings us to the point where we finally realize on our own what he wants us to do. This is good learning because it teaches us to remain patient and trust in him always. 

The Only Sin

        I thought of Adam and Eve who committed the original sin and got banished from Eden. And that sin was disobedience to God. To this day, this has been the same sin that alienates mankind from the Lord. Start obeying God now is the only but sure way of returning to the state of grace.  

God's Way of Love

        St. John of the Cross spoke of dark night of the soul. We all have or had our own dark nights. Mother Teresa had hers that lasted for decades! Whether it's the feeling that God is totally absent, sickness, or any other form of suffering, I see all of them as proof of God's existence or his love. It's because God exists so that we notice his absence. It's because God loves us that he sends us trials and suffering to purify us, readying us for joining him in heaven. We must welcome whatever the Lord sends our way.

Saints Can Help

        I just finished reading Colleen Carroll Campbell's My Sisters the Saints. She is a gifted writer and I enjoyed reading this spiritual memoir of hers. Even though I am already familiar with the saints she grew to love, it's good to read about them again, knowing that we are in communion with all the saints and they can definitely inspire and help us in our spiritual journeys.

Our Only Business

        Common things out of order: (1) Casting stones at others when we have plenty of our own sins. (2) Judging others when we don't see our own faults. (3) Asking for God's blessing when we don't even fully obey him. (4) Asking God to protect us from external evil when we neglect to ask for deliverance from our internal evil. Our only business should be to become saints before God. 

God's Great Promise

        In today's Gospel reading from Mark 10, Jesus tells his disciples that anyone who has given up everything for his sake will receive a hundred times more in the present age, with persecutions, and eternal life in the age to come. It's clear that giving up all to follow Jesus does not mean that all our problems will be gone. It only ensures that we'll get through this life safely to eternal happiness. This is plenty good enough for me.

God Does It All

        This morning's Entrance Antiphon, based upon Psalm 18.19-20: The Lord became my protector. He brought me out to a place of freedom; he saved me because he delighted in me. How good to read these verses! God protects me; he freed me; he saved me and loves me ~ everything is true. All he expects from us is to love him back.

The "In God" Difference

        Nonbelievers get their strength and courage in themselves, whereas believers get the same in God. Nonbelievers with troubled hearts find their escape in alcohol and other distractions of the world, whereas believers take their trouble to God and "escape" in him for solace and guidance.

Love Is Being Considerate

        If you love someone and that person does not pay any attention to what you say to him or her, you feel hurt. Therefore, listen to others who have good intentions, even though what they say might be inappropriate or difficult to accept.

Great Consolation

        Communion experience. The Lord gave me the consolation I needed. After I received him in the Holy Eucharist, I heard him whisper, "You already have me; I am yours." I felt great joy.