Isaiah 55.8: For my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are my ways your ways ~ oracle of the Lord. In Matthew 16, when Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer and be killed and on the third day be raised, Peter rebuked him, "God forbid, Lord! No such thing shall ever happen to you." Jesus turned to Peter and said, "Get behind me, Satan! You are an obstacle to me. You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do." Of course, it's easy to think as we do and follow our own ways, but we are prone to be self-centered and sin. Remedy: Seek and attain union with God and both our thoughts and ways will be his.
Wednesday, July 15, 2015
Deep Intimacy
Communion experience. Jesus is my soul in the sense that he is as intimate to me as my own soul.
Be Little to Hear From God
Today is the memorial of St. Bonaventure. In the Gospel acclamation, Matthew 11.25, Jesus exclaimed: "Blesses are you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, you have revealed to little ones the mysteries of the Kingdom." Again, to hear God, we need to be childlike, passive, and waiting. People do not find God because they want God to show himself to them. God being so much greater than us, we need to be little before him to stand a better chance of hearing from him.
Our Best Preparation
Doomsday Preppers is a reality TV series that airs on the National Geographic Channel. The program features various survivalists preparing for the end of civilization that might be caused by economic collapse, societal collapse, or whatever. The preppers usually stock ups food, various other supplies, firearms, etc., and fortify their homes. For Christians, I see holiness to be our best, needed defense against evil. It is our weapon as well as shield. Any preparation made without enlisting the Lord's help is already doomed.
Tuesday, July 14, 2015
God's Huge Deals
Today is the memorial of St. Kateri Tekakwitha. The entrance antiphon read: Let us rejoice and exult for joy, for the Lord of all has shown his love for a holy and glorious virgin. It hit me that God showing his love for one of us is a huge deal!
In the Gospel reading from Matthew 11, Jesus reproached the towns whose people had not repented, "Woe to you, Chorzin! Woe to you, Bethsaida!" It hit me that having Jesus say "Woe to you" is a huge deal too.
Last, today's Communion antiphon, Matthew 25.4, 6, read: The five wise virgins brought flasks of oil with their lamps. Then at midnight, the cry went up: Behold, the Bridegroom is coming; come out to meet Christ the Lord." It hit me that meeting the Lord is also a huge deal. As a matter of fact, every encounter with God is a huge deal. Let him impact you to make a huge difference in your life.
Poignant Question
As I was about to park my car outside the church, I saw the familiar daily Mass attendees, my faithful brothers and sisters, already walking toward the entrance. I saw that these were the ones who would walk through the gate of heaven one day and their journeys had already begun. Will there be many others joining them?
Most Beautiful Thing to Do
It was a somewhat cloudy morning as I drove to church for Mass, but parts of the sky unblocked by the clouds still exhibited a beautiful blue. I thought of the beauty of God, of Jesus, of the Blessed Mother and all the other saints ~ they are beautiful because of they are holy. By contrast, the world is ugly because it's filthy with sinners. It should be clear that the most beautiful thing we can do is to be holy so that we may appear beautiful before God, our Father.
Monday, July 13, 2015
Faith-Strengthening Lesson
I had been facing a spiritual crisis which began two and a half months ago, caused by someone with evil intentions. Naturally I turned to my God, asking him for deliverance. Even though I was confident that he had heard me, being human I kept praying hard as if I might not come through unscathed. Yesterday, a last minute development indicated that indeed things could get worse. This morning everything got resolved and I was completely delivered from evil. The lesson learned ~ keep on trusting in the Lord, especially through the worst moments. The popular proverb "When the going gets tough, the tough get going" applies here. Just let the Lord make you tough.
Welcome Challenges from God
In today's Gospel reading from Matthew 10, Jesus said to his Apostles, "Do not think that I have come to bring peace upon the earth. I have come to bring not peace but the sword." He was referring to what would happen after people hears what he had to say next: "Whoever loves father or mother than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and whoever does not take up his cross and follow after me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it." These challenges make up the sword that will separate us. The fact that God challenges us shows that he cares for us ~ he wants us to become worthy of him and be rewarded. By the way, if all of us meet these challenges, there will be peace.
Sunday, July 12, 2015
Grateful to God
Today I realize that it is the Lord who has gotten me through so many difficult situations. Without him, I would have lost my cool and messed up things for sure. For this, I am eternally grateful.
Letting God In
If we have one gate that opens to God and another that opens to Satan, we only need to be concerned about the first gate. For keeping the gate to God closed would automatically open the one to Satan, but keeping it open seals the other one for good. In other words, let God in and Satan will be shut out.
No Losers for God
If you truly love someone who seems to be heading toward hell, then you should do your very best to make sure that he goes to heaven. If you truly love someone who is heading toward heaven, then you should make sure that you'll end up there too so that you can be together forever. Our duty is to make sure that everyone is a winner before God.
Need for Union with God
Do you feel perfectly comfortable with God? If not, you have not reconciled completely with God yet and you need to seek union with him.
Perfect Ego Replacement
Ego makes you feel both good and bad. When it gets puffed up, you feel good and you are happy with yourself. Then when it gets punctured, you are hurt and come to hate yourself. This shows that ego is basically destructive. God is the perfect replacement of your ego, for he makes you see how precious you are to him, enabling you to love not only him, but also yourself. (Everyone is now happy.)
Keeping Everything Secret
If you are talented in some way, you could show it off before others and feel good when people praise and admire you. But the deep joy comes from knowing that God has given you this talent and you are grateful and enjoy using this talent to glorify him. Pleasing God is so much more satisfying than pleasing others who merely puff up your ego. The same goes for loving God. Love the Lord in secret and enjoy the secret joy he gives you.
Urgent Warning Signs
Currently, Mexico's Colima volcano triggers evacuations amid fears of a major eruption, and a super-typhoon just hit Eastern China, forcing a million plus people to move away from their homes and leaving thousands stranded. Then just earlier, the record-breaking heat wave in Pakistan claimed 1250 lives. Such natural events have been happening unexpectedly and with increasing vehemence or intensity all around the world. To me, they are clear warning signs from God to this unbelieving generation that has gone astray. In both Matthew 8 and Mark 4, we read about the calming of the sea by Jesus. The disciples were awed that even the winds and the sea obeyed him. We must realize that all natural events are under God's total control. As far as we know, our earth is the only planet on which we can survive. Climate and/or geological changes can easily wipe out entire humanity. Acknowledging that we are at the mercy of God is necessarily the first step in getting back to God.
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