Changed Existence

        Today's wonderful Communion experience. I no longer exist on my own; I am now free in Christ.

More Good News (Time to Face God)

        Many left the Church because they got themselves into some jam and don't know how to get back. The good news is that no matter how difficult a situation they might be in, God through the Church has a solution for them. The Lord is here to lift our burdens off us. For him, there are no cases hopeless and nothing too far gone. God's love is unchanging; we're the ones making life hard for ourselves. If you can't face yourself anymore, it's time to face God. 

Wonderful News

        We are the only creatures in the universe that were made in the image of God and given the possibility of attaining union with him in this life!

Exceptional Prayer

        God does not always answer our prayer exactly as we had expected, but there's one exception ~ that is when we pray to become a saint.

Viewing Jesus Correctly

        Some people have difficulty believing in Jesus because they view him as a man. Seeing him being so different from the usual men, they are puzzled. Of course, he was a man, but also God. If you can see that, then everything clicks into place. Looking beyond the man, you see clearly God at work.

Letting God Do His Job

        At the beginning of Mass this morning, I desired the Lord to break me into a million pieces, sift out what should not be present in me, and put me together again. I do realize that this has to be continuous desiring on my part so long as I am still a human on this earth. 

How Enemies Are Treated

        Those who are evil take delight in trampling upon their enemies, while those who love God enjoy peace in forgiving and praying for their enemies.

Love Your Enemies!

        In today's Gospel reading from Matthew 5, Jesus teaches his disciples to love their enemies. This strikes me as a revelation, for the teaching goes against our grain ~ so he must be revealing how he views us. It follows that we must think as he does. 

On Finding God

        After watching a short clip of the Bill Maher show on YouTube, these thoughts came to me. In searching for God, questioning at the beginning is fine as long as it's done with an open, unbiased mind. But questioning must cease at some point and let faith take over ~ this is a normal, logical process. It's clear that those who never stop questioning will never find God, since they are not aware of their finite (or rather, infinite) limitations. Back to "only the humble will find God." 

A Suggestion

        Since nothing is impossible for God, aim for what seems to be impossible for you now, such as becoming a saint.

On Poor Conscience

        A poor or muddy conscience is worse than no conscience. The possessor of such a conscience mainly uses it to soothe himself, but the guilt remains, and he remains being a fool. 

The Ultimate "Ask"

        Today's Gospel reading came from Matthew 7, and the Communion Antiphon was the 8th verse: Everyone who asks, receives; and the one who seeks, finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. It just shows that God hears us and cares for us. Here's one "ask" to cover all other asks: "Lord, draw me into full union with you."

Why Receive the Holy Eucharist?

        Worst reason first: because everyone else at Mass receives it (not even considering if you are in a state of grace or not).

              Best reason: because you love Jesus and want to be one with him.

Perfect Contentment

        Today's Communion experience. The union was the melting of the Lord and I into each other, resulting in my feeling perfectly content.

Highest Calling

        We must go beyond following Jesus to become like him so that we may walk abreast with the Lord.

Sin Will End

        I participated in the 40 Days for Life Prayer Vigil today. As I prayed outside the abortion clinic after noon with others from three churches of our area, I noticed the beautiful blue skies above and the colorful flowers in the planter areas below; but ugly things were happening inside the building. A Stericycle truck in the parking lot was picking up medical waste, most likely containing parts of aborted fetuses. One drive-by woman shouted at us that abortion saved her life ~ obviously forgetting to mention the termination of another life. We were also "honored" by another person who stuck out her middle finger at us as she drove off. One clinic escort kept taking our pictures, even though we were only praying. The Lord made me see that all the ugly things would end one day. My prayer was that it would end before the day of judgment.   

God's Tenderness

        This morning's Communion experience. I sensed the incredible tenderness of the Lord, characterizing his great love.

On Our Way to Union!

        In today's Gospel, Jesus taught the disciples to pray what we know today as The Lord's Prayer or the Our Father. After hearing the Gospel read, it became clear to me that when we say this prayer with all our heart, we are truly asking for union with God! Then we receive the Lord in the Holy Eucharist and we are on our way.