Salvation Requisite

       To be saved, we must humble ourselves and submit ourselves to God. This is absolutely requisite, no matter how inadequate our attempt might be. So why are we so hesitant or reluctant to make the commitment?

Truth or Baloney

        Today is the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. The entrance antiphon, Galatians 6.14, reads: We Should glory in the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, in whom is our salvation, life and resurrection, through whom we are save and delivered. In the second reading from Philippians 2, Paul writes:  At the name of Jesus every knee should bend, of those in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. In the Gospel reading from John 3, Jesus says, "No one has gone up to heaven except the one who has come down from heaven, the Son of Man. And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life" and John says: 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. We must decide if Paul, Jesus, and John are speaking the truth or a bunch of baloney.

Dancing for Joy

        Communion experience. I felt so much joy that I felt like getting up to dance. Of course, I couldn't very well do that at Mass (although it did happen at charismatic Masses), so I just let my heart dance.

Make Life Beautiful

        I can testify that when you believe in everything Jesus says, life truly becomes beautiful.

Talking About the Heart

        I've been mentioning the heart these last two days, so I started to think about the heart. We all have a physical heart that beats throughout our life. But when God looks at the heart, he is really looking into our innermost conscience. For lack of a better word and the fact that a beating heart keeps us alive and is affected by our emotions, we use the word "heart" to mean that innermost part of us. This is the "heart" that wields our free will, stores good and/or bad thoughts, rejects or accepts God, yearns for God, and hears and sees him. Perhaps "soul" might be a better word.

Start With the Heart

        In today's Gospel reading from Luke 6, Jesus said to his disciples, "A good person out of the store of goodness in his heart produces good, but an evil person out of a store of evil produces evil; for from the fullness of the heart the mouth speaks." Therefore, if you wish to be full of goodness, ask God to fix your heart.

Through the Heart

        God is someone you can get to know most intimately without being seen or aurally heard. That's because he knows your heart.

Most Secure Feeling

        A lost soul does not know where he came from nor where he is going. In today's Gospel acclamation, John 14.23, Jesus said, "Whoever loves me will keep my word, and my Father will love him and we will come to him and make our dwelling with him." Hence, anyone who loves Christ not only understands his existence and knows his destiny, but also are aware that God the Father backs him up all the way in all things while he is living on earth, providing the most secure feeling.

*Best Empty Feeling

        This is appearing before the Lord as an empty vessel, wipe open with zero resistance and no attachment to the world, eager to let him fill you with his pure self. This has to be the most free feeling you can possibly experience on earth.       

Hollow Advice

        I heard again this morning on a TV show the advice "Reach for the stars" given to encourage someone to realize the American Dream. I couldn't help feeling that next to the advice "Reach for God" it sounded rather hollow.

*Clensing the Heart

        The secret of getting rid of what should not be in your heart is to ask God to reveal it to you. If your intention is sincere, the Lord will remove it for you as well ~ that's killing two birds with one stone.  Never try to do it on your own. We are to rejoice in the fact that God knows our heart so well!

Love Melts Heart

        Communion experience. I let God completely melt my heart with his love.

Using the Heart

        Let God cleanse and purify your heart. Then live, learn, study, understand, hear, see, and love with your heart. Only the heart can get to know God.

Inner Peace from Christ

        Today is 9/11. Fourteen years ago today, it was a most horrific day for this country. Ever since, the world hasn't been the same. Our world is now chaotic and completely out of order. What man needs is inner peace, for there can be no external peace without inner peace. And Christ can provide just that if only you desire it from him. If you don't believe me and have inner peace, I have nothing to say. Otherwise, you need to take me seriously.

Jesus Forever Relevant

        In today's first reading from 1 Timothy 1, Paul admits that he was once a blasphemer, a persecutor, and an arrogant man. In the Gospel reading from Luke 6, Jesus called anyone who notices the splinter in his brother's eye, but does not perceive the wooden beam in his own, hypocrite. Today's world is still full of people fitting Paul's and Jesus' description. Just watch those in the news as well as the commentators ~ you can easily spot them. Jesus' message is as relevant today as it was then.

Missing the Boat

        Communion thought. Not knowing Jesus is missing the boat that happens to be paradise.

For God Alone

        In today's reading from Luke 6 at Mass, Jesus taught about love of enemies and not judging others. I realized how far and removed our world is from his teaching. What should we do? I believe that the faithful ones should always respond to God alone, to live for him only. Following him and we will know how to respond to the world.

God Is a "Gentleman"

        I had wished that God would convert everyone the way he converted Paul (Acts 9.1-9). I thought that if God applied force, people would buckle. People somehow got the idea that the Lord knocked Paul off his horse. Rereading Act 9 shows that Jesus asked Paul "Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?" almost pleadingly. It shows me that God is always gentle with us because he loves us. He treats us truly like we are his children.