Thursday, April 9, 2015
Journey to Union with God
It's all up to you. Then you make the key decision to surrender yourself to God. From this point on, it's all up to God.
Union with God Reexamined
If God is holy and pure, and we are sinful and soiled, how can we possibly become one with him? Well, God is light and we are in darkness if we reject him. Do not see union as the blending of the pure and the impure; rather, see it as light wiping out darkness. Our sins cannot stain God, but in the presence of his light, darkness can no longer exist. Therefore, let the light of Jesus take away all your sins, including the sin of not surrendering to him, and you are in union with him.
The Full Truth
Some people say that all religions are the same. This at best is a vague statement, appealing only to those who do not seek the full truth. If it means that all religions can lead you to God, then it's false, for many religions have different conceptions of God or even worship many gods. What I can agree to is that most religions have something good about them. One thing I am sure of: there is only one truth, for God would not give us many different belief systems to confuse us. For me personally, the full truth resides in Catholicism in which Jesus is uniquely not only our teacher, but also my creator and redeemer.
Settling Our Future Abode
The best place to be: heaven. The worst: hell. Love Jesus as much as you can and only heaven will be there for you.
Be Honest with Yourself
In my last post, I mentioned that Jesus' messages could make a lot of people feel uneasy, for they are challenging. If that's the case with you, turning away from him would be a big mistake. Instead you should face the challenge and look inward to find out why you felt that way ~ this is being honest with yourself. If you hide yourself, you'll never be free! Knowing yourself is the key to personal freedom, for it can lead to letting God transform you into a new being.
Wednesday, April 8, 2015
Why Jesus Not Accepted Readily
Story #1. Let's assume that you don't know anything about astronomy and I tell you that the earth we live on is a round sphere and the sun is also a sphere but so much bigger that 960,000 balls each of the size of an earth can fit inside the sun, and that there are other planets even larger than the earth all orbiting around the sun, and that the solar system is just a tiny part of a galaxy containing billions of stars, and that there are billions of galaxies out there . . . this would be so mind-boggling that you probably wouldn't believe in anything I've said.
Story #2. I tell you about a man named Jesus who came to us about 2,000 years ago. He cured the sick, performed many other miracles, and was crucified so that we might be saved from condemnation. Then he was raised from the dead by God and ascended into heaven. You probably would believe in this story more readily than in the first.
Of course, the reverse is true today. What has happened? I think people believe in the first story now because that see the stars and have learned about the many scientific discoveries, while Jesus they do not visually see and his story is an old one. To the intelligent person, this shouldn't make any difference. But the main reason people do not readily accept Jesus, I believe, is that his challenging messages touch a nerve in all sinners, causing discomfort in them ~ not a good reason, but real.
Standard for Living
You've heard the saying that we should live each day as if it's our last. To be more precise: we should live to be ready for God's judgment at any time.
The Time Is Now
The Gospel reading from Luke 24 at Mass was about the appearance of Jesus after his Resurrection on the road to Emmaus. The two disciples of Jesus' felt their hearts burning within them while the Lord spoke to them on their way to the village. Ask the Holy Spirit to set your heart on fire too right now. The time to follow Jesus is now. The time to choose to inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world (Matthew 25.34) is now. Start journeying toward heaven right now.
Diametric Ways of Drawing
This morning after Mass ended at church, an elderly parishioner on her way out, stopped momentarily by me to ask me how my Easter was. That's just a small, kind gesture, but it contrasted sharply with all the evil deeds committed against humanity worldwide. Both God and Satan are drawing people, but their ways are diametrically different. God inspires and uplifts us, while Satan lures and tempts us. God wants to free us, while Satan, to enslave us. God aims to make us selfless, while Satan wants us to be self-centered. God makes us feel clean, while Satan robs us of inner peace. To let God draw us, we remain open and passive; to let Satan draw us, we focus upon fulfilling our own desires. Know clearly who's drawing you and react accordingly. In both Matthew 16 and Luke 9, Jesus has summarized for us: "Whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it."
Tuesday, April 7, 2015
Going Home Happily
This morning's Gospel reading at Mass came from John 20. Mary Magdalene was weeping at the empty tomb, thinking that someone had taken the Lord away. Then Jesus appeared, and said to her, "Stop holding on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go to my brothers and tell them, 'I am going to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.'" Jesus is only Son of God, yet we have the same Father and the same God! Knowing this should make us eagerly look forward to going home to our Father and our God.
Monday, April 6, 2015
Enlightened Living
Once you see the hand of God in all things, that he is guiding and molding you every step of the way, you do not mind whatever you are going through anymore.
Stupid Sinners
In today's Gospel reading from Matthew 28, the guards assigned to watch at the tomb of Jesus were shaken with fear when they saw him raised from the dead. Some of them went and told the chief priests all that had happened. The chief priests gave a large sum of money to the soldiers and told them to say that Jesus' disciples had come and stolen the body at night. The soldiers took the money and did as they were instructed. It seems that lying to cover up the truth is such a stupid act. As a matter of fact, committing any sin is being stupid because you think you can fool God.
Sunday, April 5, 2015
Let Joy Be Our Lord!
With the Resurrection of Jesus giving us so much joy, how can we possibly even think of sinning? Let this joy pervade all areas of our life so that we may remain holy!
Union, a Two-Way Thing
On this Easter Sunday, I want to enter the infinite space of the Lord entirely to dwell in him, then he lets me see that I must let him enter to occupy me fully by receiving him in the Holy Sacrament of the Eucharist.
Saturday, April 4, 2015
Easter Hope
Tomorrow is Easter, but my anticipated joy is preceded by sorrow when I watch the world news today. The Mideast has been embroiled in turmoil involving various government troops, rebels, militias, warlords, religious extremists, foreign volunteers, Sunni and Shia Muslims ~ too numerous to mention. Civilians continue to suffer ~ they get slaughtered, kidnapped, raped, robbed, and displaced. I believe this has to be one of the greatest humanitarian crises in history with no end in sight. One headline today: "Iraq Tikrit: looting and lawlessness follow recapture." The picture that accompanies the story shows Iraqi Shia militia, who helped recapture Tikrit from Islamic State, jubilantly displaying the V sign with raised arms. I just wonder what's really there to be happy about. Do all people think this way? Don't people ever feel sorry anymore? I suppose no one expects us to be remorseful nowadays. What is the world coming to? Has it painted itself into a corner? I hope not. The tragedy is that those who do not believe that Christ is the Savior are the ones who need him the most! This is the time to heed the Lord's warning in Mark 4.25: "To the one who has, more will be given; from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away." My fervent hope is that the world will see that hope for all of us is ever present, since Christ is ever present.
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