*Sharing His Sorrow

        Communion experience. The world is in horrible shape ~ war destructions, terrorist attacks, crimes committed by governments against their own people, people taking advantage of their government . . . the list goes on and on. The outlook on my own country, the US, looks dim ~ the mind-blowing national debt, ongoing abortion of babies, the continuing breakup of families, further suppression of religious freedom, the moral decline, uninformed voters who would vote for any candidates who promise to continue giving them free aids, the biased news media that distort and slant facts, the worsening polarization of the nation, etc. I saw the dark cloud overhead and felt the tremendous sorrow that Jesus feels. My sorrow increased to the point that I sought relief from the Lord. Still, I wanted to enter him even deeper to share his sorrow and seek more consolation. Without him, I knew I wouldn't be able to survive. 

Jesus' Divinity

        Today is the Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord. Peter, John, and James all witnessed the transfiguration of Jesus and heard the Father's voice coming from a bright cloud casting a shadow over them: This is my chosen Son; listen to him. It's proof to me that since the Father is divine, Jesus the Son is divine too.

Lamenting

        Today, many in this world reject Jesus and even many Christians have fallen away from their faith. Those who still remain remain with him, but not really in him. If God is not first in your life, how do you rank him? 2nd? 5th? 30th? Last? Do you pretty much live the way you want most of the time? Is the Lord only Lord in name only? Treating him lightly is treating the good news he has revealed to us, that God loves us, all his miraculous deeds, his Resurrection...lightly. Of course, to reject him is to dismiss all these wonderful things in one stroke. What have you done?

Get Personal

        Strengthen your relationship with God by sharing everything in your heart with him.

Unique Relationship

        Communion experience. Jesus is the only one with whom you can form the most beautiful, intimate personal relationship based upon selfless love with no fear whatsoever.

Only One Way

        In today's Gospel reading from Matthew 16, Jesus said to his disciples, "Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it." Again, it must be either you or God. We cannot live our life our way and call on God only when we need him. Common sense.

No Our Way

        Today's Response to reading from Deuteronomy 32: It is I who deal death and give life. True that both our birth and our death are planned by God. It would be extremely foolish for us not to let him plan everything in-between for us too.

Wasted Effort

        No matter how much pleasure you derive from the world, for sure it won't get you into heaven.

Being Truly Catholic

        A Catholic must incorporate his faith into every part of his life, living as one whether inside or outside his church. That is, the faith is not just integral to, but is his life. Being ashamed of his faith is the first thing that has to go, while attaining union with God should be his ultimate goal. 

Abandonment Time Again

        Communion experience. The bread and wine became the flesh and blood of my Savior ~ this was what gave me hope. It's now abandonment time. Physically and spiritually, I cast myself entirely upon the Lord. 

Speaking God's Thoughts

          In today's Gospel reading from Matthew 16, Jesus asked his disciples who they say that he is. Peter replied, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." Jesus said to him, "Blesses are you, Simon son of Jonah. For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father."
          Later, Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer greatly from the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed... Peter took Jesus aside and began to rebuke him, "God forbid, Lord! No such thing shall ever happen to you." He turned and said to Peter, "Get behind me, Satan! You are an obstacle to me. You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do."

        This shows very clearly that when God speaks to us, he places what he wishes to convey directly in our heart, as Peter in the first instance showed. In the second instance, Peter just conveyed his own feelings, not what God thinks. We must be connected with God most intimately so as to speak his thoughts always with us out of the way.

Time for Loving God Back

        God the Father has always loved us from the very beginning. The demonstration of his steadfast love culminated in the coming of the Son into the world to spread the gospel and undergo the Passion. God has loved us first, it's time for us to love him back.

Body Apart From Soul

        This morning I became acutely aware of my own soul, my being that I am I, and that my body is not a permanent part of me, to be shed in due time. For the time being, it is a burden I must carry with me at all times and everywhere. This awareness helps me to see what's essential and what's not, which definitely lightens my attachment to my body.

Beautiful Truth

        God is infinite and we are finite. Finiteness compared to infinity is equivalent to zero. Therefore, compared to God, we should not feel that we are important in the slightest. But God thinks that we are utterly important to him, and this is what counts, making our lives meaningful and joyful. This is the beautiful Christian truth. 

Union Sealed

        The Holy Eucharist is the sacrament that seals our union with God. Without it or not believing that it is a sacrament, you can talk about union all you want and not attain it to the last degree. In John 6, Jesus said, "Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him." Anyone who does not believe that the Lord is present in the Holy Eucharist should read and meditate upon Jesus' entire bread-of-life discourse in John 6.

Jesus at Our Service

        In today's Gospel from Matthew 15, a Canaanite woman came and called out to Jesus to have pity on her, for her daughter was tormented by a demon. After Jesus tested her and found that her faith was great, he finally said to her, "Let it be done as you wish." Her daughter was healed from that hour. Let us know that the Lord would say the same thing to us, should we wish with great faith. He always hears us and will act upon our request in due time.

Holy Spirit Most Gentle

        The Holy Spirit dwelling in us reveals to us that God is most gentle and sweet. It is God the Holy Spirit that prompts us to endear ourselves to and yearn for God. 

*Next Life Coming Right Up

        I woke up sometime after 1 a.m. this morning. It was dark and quiet. I love moments like this because I feel the presence of God. Realizing that my soul lives on forever as my soul, I saw that when I leave this world, it's not me leaving my body, but rather my body separating itself from me. Thus, I saw that my transition into the next life (which is going to or away from God) as a smooth and instant process.