Today's Gospel acclamation at Mass, based upon Hebrews 4.12: The word of God is living and effective, able to discern reflections and thoughts of the the heart. It is a big mistake to overlook the Gospel, thinking that it's outdated news. On the contrary, the Gospel remains new and fresh since God remains so forever.
Tuesday, August 25, 2015
Monday, August 24, 2015
Avoiding Light
Communion thought. Jesus is all joy, yet many avoid him because, still in darkness, they are afraid to be seen in light.
Unbelieving Generations
In the Old Testament, prophets came before Jesus and many did not believe in them and even killed some of them. Then Jesus, the Son of God, himself came and was not treated any better. What's going to happen to all these unbelieving generations, ours included? The answer, not pleasant, can be found in some of the parables Jesus told.
Sunday, August 23, 2015
The Heart Hears
When you know the Lord, you hear him speak in your heart ~ more expedient and reliable than email.
Communion Intimacy
Communion experience. Communion is truly union with God on earth; the intimacy with God can only be topped by what we'll experience in heaven. It's straight entering God's bosom. I heard him say, "You are mine and will be with me one day." I knew then that whatever I said he heard me.
Communion Goal
Before Communion, the Lord made me see that to receive him is to be willing to do his will.
Time to Stop Hiding
In today's Gospel reading from John 6 at Mass, the Twelve were with Jesus and Peter said to his master, "We have come to believe and are convinced that you are the Holy One of God." If you are not so convinced yet because you've been avoiding facing the Lord, then I recommend that you take a good, long look at yourself in a mirror because hiding from God is basically hiding from yourself.
Testing Your Love
If you really love someone, you would gladly do whatever to please the person. Now, if that person were God, why should it be any different?
Saturday, August 22, 2015
To Be Born Again
Today is the Memorial of the Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Sitting in front of me at Mass was a family with many children. I saw the littles ones especially beautiful because they were still quite pure and whatever sins they had committed must most likely be spontaneous and not premeditated ones. The fact is that most children who grow up in our societies gradually become selfish, hypocritical, and even evil individuals. If sins are poisons, then all adults need to be detoxified. Seeking union with God is the exact process of restoring the genuine human soul. We need to be reborn in Christ again so that we can be like the pure littles ones we once were.
Friday, August 21, 2015
Spiritual Truth
On its own, man will surely lose its destiny; but in God, man will have life forever.
Most Special Relationship
Communion time thoughts. Since we are so very special to God (see my last post), it's only right that we relate to him in the most special way. We become his sons and daughters. We call on him anytime for help and guidance, and trust in him with all our heart. We partake of his body and blood at Holy Communion. Then we surrender to him and become one with him ~ how more special can you possibly get? Now, rejoice that we possess our most special Lord!
How Special We Are
We may not think about this much, but we were created in the image of God and he came down from heaven to become one of us through the Incarnation of Jesus, his Son, to die and redeem us. All this shows how special, important, and valuable we are to him. Rejoice, all you who are favored and loved by our God the Father!
Thursday, August 20, 2015
Smart Christian
A good Christian is a very smart person, for he is not disturbed by all the chaos around him; maintains his inner peace, for he knows that God is with him; forgives everyone; can let all material things go; feels light and free; and a lot more. A good Christian is a good person to envy.
Be Chosen by God
Today is the Memorial of St. Bernard. In the Gospel reading from Matthew 22, Jesus told the parable of the Wedding Feast. A king invited many to a wedding feast he's giving for his son. He caught one guest there not dressed in a wedding garment, was displeased, and ordered his attendants to cast him into the darkness outside. The parable illustrated Jesus' point that "many are invited, but few are chosen." To attend Mass to receive the Holy Eucharist is truly attending a heavenly banquet to sup with the Lord. If you receive the Lord not in a state of grace, you risk being cast out. To attend Mass out of obligation with no intention of worshipping God, you risk being cast out. Never try to fool God so that you may be chosen.
Showing True Love
To love someone, you must love the soul of that person. Your concern must go beyond just concern for his or her wellbeing on earth. Hell is such a terrible place that if you love God, you would not want anyone to end up there. Avoiding going to hell is infinitely more important than avoiding a head-on collision when you are driving. Jesus loves us and came down from heaven to save our souls ~ we should intend likewise.
Wednesday, August 19, 2015
Zeroing In on God's Love
"God loves you" sounds trite but true, and knowing its truth can change your life. How much you accept, like, or respect yourself measures how much you know this truth. If you know it well, you would feel so good that whether anyone else loves you or not becomes unimportant and would want to love God back by loving all others. To discover this powerful love, get to know Jesus, the embodiment of love.
God Is Fair
In today's Gospel reading from Matthew 20, Jesus told his disciples the parable of The Workers in the Vineyard. From it, I learned the following. (1) When God calls us, he is hiring us to work for him and we become his employees. If we work hard, we'll be paid (rewarded) by him at the end. (2) After finishing telling the parable, Jesus said, "Thus, the last will be first, and the first will be last." This is telling us how God rewards us is none of our business, what matters is that we work faithfully and receive our just rewards at the end, and jealousy has no place in our hearts. For example, I accepted Christ as my Savior decades ago and now someone comes along and gets saved just before he dies, should I be jealous of him and claim that God is unfair? Of course not! I should instead rejoice that God is glorified by one more person. Never compare ourselves with others is a good rule to follow.
Tuesday, August 18, 2015
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