"Be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect." (Matthew 5:48)

Thursday, November 12, 2015

Being Challenged

        Today's Communion antiphon, Matthew 10.39: Whoever loses his life for my sake will find it in eternity. After you hear this said from Jesus, you must either follow or walk away from him ~ no other possible choice.

Believe and You'll Know

        In today's Gospel reading from Luke 17, Jesus tells us that the coming of the kingdom of God cannot be observed ~ no one can say, "Look, here it is," or, "There it is." I do not see the Lord, but I know that he dwells in me. Faith is required, then it is substantiated by God and the unknown becomes known. It's faith leading to knowledge.

Wednesday, November 11, 2015

All-Encompassing Approach

        Communion insight. Union with God takes care of loving God which takes care of how we ought to live.

God to Be Loved

        The fact that Jesus is most lovable made me see that God is most of all to be loved.

Testing Our Love

        It's easy to love God who is holy and much harder to love people who are imperfect, especially those who have done us wrong. But Jesus gave us the second greatest commandment: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. Conclusion: We don't love God enough yet, if we do not love all our neighbors. That we are to see the Lord in everyone takes on a new meaning. 

Most Beautiful Way of Living

        Today's entrance antiphon at Mass, 1 Samuel 2.35: I shall raise up a faithful priest who will act in accord with my heart and my mind, says the Lord. It struck me that there's no more beautiful way of living than doing what God has in his heart and his mind.

Reminder

        If you know that God has chosen and called you, do not forget to thank him for it.

Be Set Ablaze

        Luke 12.49: I have come to light a fire on the earth, and how I wish the blaze were already ignited! The Holy Spirit is capable of setting our hearts ablaze. For the sake of our Lord and Savior, let it be done to you without delay! This fire will cleanse your soul, free you from sin, and lift your spirits to new heights.

Importance of God

        These are the two most important things for us to realize about God. (1) He is love. (2) He is exactly what our soul needs.

*Everything or Nothing

        Jesus has said in the Gospels more than once, "To anyone who has, more will be given and he will grow rich; from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away." This is so true. For example, the deeper you enter union with the Lord, the more you feel his presence and experience his love. Putting it dramatically, One either gains eternal life or loses even his own soul.

Tuesday, November 10, 2015

Eucharistic Power

        Communion experience. I can become what the Lord wants me to be ~ this is the power of the Holy Eucharist.

Love Is Selfless

        In the Gospel reading from Luke 17 at today's Mass, celebrating the memorial of St. Leo the Great, Jesus said to the Apostles, "When you have done all you have been commanded, say, ‘We are unprofitable servants; we have done what we were obliged to do.'" This would be something difficult for today's generation to stomach. My comment is that the love of God for us is already a great honor, privilege, and reward. If you truly love God, your only goal should be to please him alone. The Lord, the most selfless one, deserves our selfless love.

Will You Believe?

        If you do not believe in Jesus now, will you believe in him if he shows up today and you see a person who is totally politically incorrect, is of the meek and humble type our society easily looks down upon, and threatens your security and freedom in this world which you think you are entitled to?

Monday, November 9, 2015

Intimate Communion

        We say the Hail Mary when we pray the Holy Rosary while meditating upon the various mysteries. These are the words: Hail Mary, full of grace. The Lord is with you. Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and the hour of our death. Amen. Although I've said this prayers countless times, today for the first time, the phrase "pray for us" touched me. I am asking the mother of Jesus to pray for me and she is going to intercede with Jesus for me. I have immediate access to the Holy Mother. This is communion of saints.  

Beautiful Love

        The love of Jesus makes us want to love everyone else. I can tell you that the Lord is so beautiful that you would want to dwell in his love forever, but you will not understand until you get to know him yourself.

A Choice for Us

        As long as we sin, we'll never feel quite right. Either we remain feeling so till death or let Jesus replace that feeling with joy and freedom.

Simple Fact

        God by his nature is completely pure. We by our nature are prone to sin, so we need to rely upon God to make us pure. Then we'll be ready to return to God our Father.

Sunday, November 8, 2015

For Simplicity

        Most written prayers are too wordy. Many novena prayers are good examples. Whoever composed them wrote with great devotion, but what you get to read are long, compound sentences stringing together too many ideas. Trying to follow them gets in the way of fully grasping what they say. My personal preference is for succinctness. Similarly, there are innumerous ways out there designed to make you holy, but all you need to do is to seek union with God ~ then all else will follow. In union, God will show you how to love. Focusing upon Christ alone is the same thing. God is simple with us. Adopting the various approaches to fostering our spiritual growth only complicates our progress.