The world teaches us to be strong by believing in ourselves, taking control of our own destiny, and always going for it. But to be truly strong is to be weak in God. The more we acknowledge our helplessness without him, the more he reaches down to help us. Complete trust and abandonment in God results in his doing the tough part of the work for us. It is faith that moves the heart of God our Father. Recall what Jesus said in Mark 11 to the disciples, "Amen, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, 'Be lifted up and thrown into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will happen, it shall be done for him." This is our recipe for strength.
Wednesday, April 15, 2015
Tuesday, April 14, 2015
Reality of Life
Let's face it. The earth is no heaven. We have covered it with our sins, causing us to suffer and struggle with unfulfilled dreams till the day we die. It sounds sad, but it's reality. That's why I set my sight on God and heaven, which go together. This supports me through life with peace, freedom, and joy. Be detached from the passing earthly life and embrace the eternal one in God. Let Jesus be your beginning and end.
God Sets the Purpose
Today's Gospel acclamation at Mass, John 3.14-15: "The Son of Man must be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life." The Communion antiphon, based upon Luke 24.46, 26: "The Christ had to suffer and rise from the dead, and so enter his glory, alleluia." I italicized "must" and "had to" in these two statements because I realize that I must or have to go through the various experiences and trials in life so as to accomplish the purpose God has set before me. I may not understand it fully, but one thing is sure: the Lord is drawing me ever closer to him (increasing my faith).
Saturday, April 11, 2015
Why We Need God
Watched on YouTube Oscar Peterson and Oliver Jones playing together at the 2004 International Jazz Festival of Montreal. The performances were amazing ~ you see two genius pianists playing virtually as one ~ there's a deep communion between them. Then I saw that we and God could form a deep spiritual communion too. In fact, it was this beautiful union that made me see that we need God.
Most Beautiful Love
For a brief moment this morning, I sensed the infinite beauty of Christ, beautiful beyond words. Immediately, I saw that anyone who sees this beauty would realize how ugly his own life is. I also saw that an awareness of this great beauty can change many lives and bring peace to our world. Yet the world continued inflicting wounds on the Lord. I asked him why he must continue to suffer like that. His clear answer: "I am love."
To Continue Trusting or Not
There are times when we need to trust in God completely, but being weak we find it hard to let ourselves go completely ~ so what are we to do? There are just two choices ~ we either quit trusting in God or believe in him even more. It seems that the second choice has to be right. It's because we are weak that we need to trust in God even more. And he loves to help his children who are weak, for it's an opportunity for him to draw them even closer to him.
Friday, April 10, 2015
Let the Cross Draw You
The Cross of Jesus draws us to him. We can let our own smaller crosses draw us closer to him too. By bearing them patiently with great trust, we can grow stronger in faith and become more united with the Lord. The process is much like going through purgatory ~ we suffer, but emerge purified. May each cross be a blessing to you.
Heavenly Intimacy
Communion experience. When the Lord entered me through the Holy Eucharist, the feeling was that the Father just swooped me up to his bosom. This is fusion with Love.
Self-Driven or God-Driven
Imagine that you are an engine. If you run it yourself, one day you'll be worn out, out of fuel, or possibly suffer a complete breakdown, as your resource and reserve are limited. If you let God be your driver, you receive all power and guidance from an all-knowing, inexhaustible source and whatever you do is now his doing. It can be seen that you are just going along with the Lord for the ride ~ this is the smart, superior way.
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.
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