This is the world that does not see the light of Christ, thus not realizing that it's drowning in sin and heading toward condemnation. When you do not know Christ, you are in darkness and thereby do not see the severity of your sinful state. It's in the light of Christ that your true spiritual condition is revealed.
Wednesday, April 22, 2015
Unique Christian Joy
Today's Gospel acclamation at Mass, John 6.40, reads: Everyone who believes in the Son has eternal life, and I shall raise him on the last day, says the Lord. This is enough to make the Christian feel joyful. Many Christians don't realize that God wants to give us his joy! He wants us to be happy! If we live for Christ, this joy becomes our strength, overcoming all our sorrows. This gift from God is pure; it frees us, wipes out all self-pity and self-centeredness, and makes us compassionate toward others. After all, the Lord himself is our greatest joy. Enjoy him and we'll be joyful.
Tuesday, April 21, 2015
The Die-and-Live Sequence
Today's Communion antiphon, Romans 6.8, reads: If we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Christ. First, Christ died for our sins, then he rose from the dead and lived again. Next, in response to his love, we died with him and lived in him. Later, we shall die and live with him forever. In sum, Jesus died once so that we may live forever!
Unique Christianity
The unique revelation of Christianity has to be what the Apostle John wrote in John 3.16: "For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life." Essentially, a doomed sinner can believe in Christ and end up being adopted by God as a son or daughter. Furthermore, through receiving the body and blood of Christ, one can even attain union with God in this life. Such is God's amazing transforming power.
Monday, April 20, 2015
Hastening the Lord's Coming
Jesus is Lord! Do we live up to what we proclaim? If everyone is meek, humble, willing to serve, and full of compassion like the Lord, no question we'll have instant peace on earth. And there would be no point for him to delay his Second Coming anymore. Let's start making him truly our Lord in our life to hasten his coming.
Receiving Is Giving
Is it always better to give than to receive? Today the Lord made me see that the best way for us to give to him is to remain open and passive so that we may receive all that he has to give us. What he has for us are his word, teachings, graces, and a desire to be one with him ~ all for making us holy and perfect. It is lopsided love!
Simple Reasoning & Solution
The Resurrection of Jesus shows that there has to be life after death for us. It follows that there have to be heaven and hell for the soul to go to. And it only makes sense if heaven and hell are for all eternity. Then how can we have eternal life with God? Today's Gospel reading from John 6 at morning Mass provided an answer: Jesus told the crowd to work for the food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man would give them, by believing in him, the one God sent.
Sunday, April 19, 2015
God's Plan Unfolding
In today's Gospel reading from Luke 24 at Mass, the resurrected Lord appeared to his disciples and told them that everything written about him in the law of Moses and in the prophets and psalms must be fulfilled. And he said to them, "Thus it is written that the Christ would suffer and rise from the dead on the third day." Jesus came and fulfilled the numerous prophecies concerning the promised Messiah. It is clear that God's plan can take millennia to unfold. But we can be certain that the unfolding is continuing and Jesus' Second Coming will be here in time.
Handling Sorrows
A Christian shares the same joys and the same sorrows with Christ. The sorrows all have to do with sin ~ he is sorry that both he and the world offend Christ. If someone offends him out of malice, he sees that person basically offending Christ. United with the Lord in his suffering, he offers all his sorrows up to him.
Hope Ever Present
Since a Christian can always have his sins forgiven when he repents to Christ, hope is ever present for him.
Ultimate Rest
Yesterday's Communion experience. I savored my ultimate rest in Jesus, my refuge, from whom I hold back nothing and to whom I let go of everything. How I wish that everyone would experience this rest.
Reason Christ Not Accepted
Jesus has redeemed us by his blood so that we might be delivered from sin and have eternal life. I don't recall hearing people directly objecting to this message, because I believe that they basically know that they are sinners. If they haven't accepted the message yet, it's because they are not ready to give up their sins yet.
Friday, April 17, 2015
Know Your Blessings
Everything that draws you closer to God, no matter how painful or distasteful, is a blessing from God. Cherish it.
God's Time
Everything is God's. So is time. Every second you spend is his time. Therefore, don't waste any of it and spend it for his glory, and your life will be beautiful in his sight.
Be Bold in God
We need to be bold in God and with God. After all, he is our loving Father. If you need help, ask him with all your heart. If you love him, don't hesitate to shout it out. Pussyfooting around him is just as bad as hiding from him.
Crying to Mary
The prayer Hail Holy Queen we say in concluding the Rosary contains these two lines: "To thee do we cry, poor banished children of Eve. To thee do we send up our sighs, mourning and weeping in this valley of tears!" The other day after reading all the tragic news happening around the world, I finally felt those two lines as I cried to my Mother from my heart.
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