Self-Gratification Forfeits the Soul

        In the news today, a celebrity finally admitted in court that he did give women sedatives in order to have sex with them. If you seek only pleasures in this world to satisfy your desire, you are sure to lose your soul. Jesus asked, "What profit is there for one to gain the whole world and forfeit his life?" Indeed! Every pleasure you derive from sin will weigh you down heavily at the time your soul leaves your body, unless you have already repented and been forgiven by the Lord. 

The Great Deception

        The Holy Father Pope Francis is visiting Ecuador right now. I heard on NPR a reporter interviewing a Ecuadorian woman who is pushing to make abortion legal in her country. She was asked by the reporter if she considered herself still a Catholic. She said yes because she saw no problem in promoting what she believed in and still remaining in the Church. I know there are many, many more Catholics like her, the so-called cafeteria Catholics. I see Satan sowing the seed of confusion among the faithful. He wants them to believe that they can be right and the Church wrong. This has deceived those who have not yet surrendered to the Lord completely. Let's realize that the Church was built by Christ with the promise that the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it. Therefore, like the Lord himself, its teachings are to be obeyed. God's one will is for us to be one with him through his one holy church.   

Acknowledging Our Need

        Communion time thoughts. The finite needs the infinite; the imperfect, the perfect; the helpless, the mighty. Let's face it, we all need to be uplifted. Since we are incapable of doing it ourselves, we need to ask our creator to transform us. The Holy Spirit is always ready if you are willing.  

Let God Perfect You

        Jesus said to his disciples, "Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away." Whatever he had said and promised, we can absolutely depend upon. If we do not have that kind of faith, it's entirely due to our own weaknesses. Seek union with God to remove all our deficiencies. 

To Be Avoided at Any Cost

        Communion experience. The holiness of God and his love for us made me see that sinning against him is so horrible that we must avoid it at any cost. Offending the Lord is crucifying him again and "condemning" ourselves in the process.

Partnering with God

        Today's Communion experience. The point of the Lord entering me was to call me to be like him. He would do all the work, with me putting all my trust in him ~ the typical arrangement in any joint venture we undertake with God.

Communicating With God

        I personally find thoughts, which are really silent words, more expressive than spoken words when communicating with God. Reading prayers others have written doesn't work well for me because I feel I am just following someone else's thoughts. Communicating with God really doesn't require spoken words, for God reads the heart. Even if you have difficulty with silent thoughts, the Lord knows what you want to express already. Nevertheless, whether you pray silently, whisper your words to God, cry aloud to him, or do all of the above, let the Holy Spirit be your heart's guide. Communicating with the Lord should always be natural, intimate, and lined with love.  

To Remain in Peace

        If we do something for ourselves or someone else, we lose peace if we do not succeed. If we do it all for Jesus leaving the outcome up to him, we remain in peace. Do God's will always to remain in peace.

*What Not to Fear

        Realizing that I was a sinner and God is holy, I thought that if I touched the Lord, he would be contaminated by me. This morning at Mass, when Jesus was ready to enter me in the Holy Eucharist, I came to see that I had been wrong. You see, God is light and a sinner is one in darkness. Darkness is simply the absence of light and has no power whatsoever over light. My sin offends God, but cannot contaminate him, for he remains holy forever! The presence of darkness precisely shows our need for light. Therefore, have no fear to let the light of God shine upon you. Fear only if you do not want to approach him.   

Are You With God Yet?

        If you still keep doing what you want to do without consulting the Lord, then you are not with him yet. And you won't be until you want to do everything that pleases him. Note that if this is truly your goal, whatever you do to please God will definitely please you too. 

Only Known Among Unknowns

        For me, God is a known. Without God, we wouldn't be existing. Besides, Christ had come and made everything clear to us about the Father. If you do not believe in God, then you wonder about how the universe came to be, where you came from, where you are going, how you came to understand good and evil, etc. ~ you really have nothing to believe in or just have to believe in the unknown.         

Abominable Crimes

        If people knew God, they would see that he loves every single one of us, for God the Son has died for us so that we might have life. So it's extremely sad and horrifying to see that people, innocent or guilty, are being brutally killed and slaughtered, randomly in the worst cases, all around the world every day, not to mention the termination of the unborn that's been carried on routinely, particularly in this country. Look, we are destroying what God treasures and loves! The killers, especially, should realize that God loves them too. May we all wake up, repent, and beg for God's mercy. 

Belonging to Christ

        Today's Communion experience. I feel that the Lord is with me, hears me, and will always look after me. I am all his. 

The Way to Union

        Not being able to surrender yourself completely to God shows that the world still has got a grip on you. To let God set you free, you must give him the go-ahead. This can get emotional, since in essence, you are repenting a sin ~ the sin of holding yourself back from him. Once the Lord has gotten the clearance from you, you are on your way to becoming one with him.

Let God Love You!

        On this last day of the month. I feel called to post this message for all who are unhappy or feel even miserable in life, but have not turn to Christ yet. It may be some painful experience someone had inflicted upon you in the past or you own sinfulness that has kept you away from him. No matter, whatever caused your unhappiness, Jesus is patiently waiting to help you. He is the only one who can make you clean and whole. He is exactly what we need and is calling you. The Father wants to take you back as his beloved sons and daughters. Do not set up any barriers; run to him as fast as you could and he'll be overjoyed. He does not want to punish you, only wants to love you! If you are a lapsed Catholic, go to confession first. Jesus is our Savior because he can set us free. 

Small Matters Matter

        In Luke 16.10, Jesus said, "The person who is trustworthy in small matters is also trustworthy in great ones." How faithful we are in small matters measures our overall faithfulness. Serving the Lord faithfully could be as small as reciprocating a smile from someone. This is what the Little Way of St. Therese is about ~ following her way can transform anyone into a saint. When Jesus wants us to be perfect as the heavenly Father is perfect, we are not to neglect small matters. I am old enough to recall the popular hit song of the 50s "Little Things Mean a Lot" ~ perhaps adding "to God" at the end of the title would make it more memorable and more meaningful.

Abandoning Our Own Will

        As I drove the two-and-a-half mile distance home after Mass this morning, I saw the familiar scenery ~ the same houses, the same trees, the same road, etc. I knew that one day I wouldn't see them anymore. This made me think that whatever we do on earth following our own will, will all vanish, and only what we do according to God's will stores up permanent treasures in heaven seen by God.

Abandonment to Death

        Communion thoughts. Today is the Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul. The entrance antiphon reads: These are the ones who, living in the flesh, planted the church with their blood; they drink the chalice of the Lord and became the friends of God. Both Apostles were martyred. To follow Christ, we must also die in one form or another. We die after surrendering to the Lord and are born again as friends of God ~ a joyful new birth following a most peaceful death.