Joy of Worshipping God

        In today's first reading from Revelation 4, John saw that day and night the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to the Lord our God who sits on the throne. To an ordinary human, it might seem boring to do such a thing, but do you know that it is the great joy they experience that makes them worship God?

Path to Order

        There will be harmony and order in our universe when we subject ourselves completely to the Lord God of Christ.

*True Sorrow, True Joy*

        Weep only for your sins (Luke 23.28) and rejoice only that your names are written in heaven (Luke 10.20). 

Prayer Key

        Today one of the Communion antiphon was based upon Mark 11.24, in which Jesus said to his disciples, "I tell you, all that you ask for in prayer, believe that you will receive it and it shall be yours." This is the key to having your prayer answered. Of course, what you ask for must be something you truly need or what your heart desires and not unreasonable or offensive to God. For example, I would not ask God to heal me instantly if I accidentally cut my finger a little bit. He handles cases that are too tough for us! Also, God may not answer you right away. If I pray for a loved one to return to the Catholic faith, it may not happen in my lifetime, but happen it shall.

No Loving Deed Goes Unrewarded

        In today's Gospel reading from Luke 19, Zacchaeus the tax collector sought to see Jesus, but he could not see him because he was short in stature among the crowd. So he ran ahead and climbed a tree to see Jesus, who was about to pass that way. When Jesus reached the place, he looked up and said, "Zacchaeus, come down quickly, for today I must stay at your house." And he came down quickly and received him with joy. The lesson for me here is this: The Lord knows everything we perform out of love for him and he will reward us for it. 

*Reason to Believe

        It's easy not to pay much attention to all the sayings of Jesus you read in the Gospels ~ after all, they are 2,000 years old. But it would be most difficult ~ impossible, I'd say ~ to say that they are all false. If you agree with me, then you have no choice but to believe in Christ. 

Root of All Evil

        We are all familiar with the saying: "Money is the root of all evil." To be more accurate, we must read 1 Timothy 6.10 in which Paul wrote "The Love of money is the root of all evils." Of course, the love of money is greed, a cardinal sin; so it comes down to "Sin is the root of all evil."

God's Will Must Prevail

        When Jesus began to show his disciples that he must suffer greatly, be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed, and rise on the third day, Peter rebuked him, "God forbid, Lord! No such thing shall ever happen to you." Jesus 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 that we must absolutely get out of God's way and follow his will, no matter what we think might happen under all circumstances.

*What Truly Matters

        In the final analysis, it's not what happens to you in this life that matters, but how you follow and obey God under all circumstances.

Obedience Pays

        If you want to go wherever God wants you to go, you'll end up where you want to be. If you don't want to go where God wants you to go, you'll end up where you don't want to be.

*Beyond Repentance

        Letting go in God is to trust God in all things. That means you no longer attach yourself to anything but God. That means you keep the word of Christ to the letter. That means you are no longer influenced by what others think of you. Letting go goes beyond repentance, made possible by God.

Obedience Makes Perfect

        Communion thought at Vigil Mass. The only appropriate response to God for us is to obey him in all things, making us his perfect children. 

Even Better Feeling

        It's a good feeling to know that you and God are getting along, but it's a terrific feeling when you are in union with God, knowing his will and obeying him always.

*How God Teaches Us

        The way the Holy Spirit teaches us is unique. It's not an intellectual illumination because it doesn't require any harding thinking or reasoning on our part. It is a spiritual illumination, as God speaks directly to the heart, bypassing the brain. Truly original and most refreshing. 

Exploring God's Space

        Communion experience. The deeper I enter the Lord, the more beauty I see, and the more I want to go even deeper. This is exploring the Lord's infinite space. It's excitingly peaceful!

No Way Around Jesus

        Today's Communion antiphon is based upon Jesus saying in Matthew 10.39: Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. It is clear that whether we lose or find our life involves Jesus explicitly, which brings to mind Jesus' proclamation in John 14.6: I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. Therefore, Jesus is in our way, but the good thing is that he is our way.

Effective Praying

        In today's Gospel reading from Luke 18, Jesus, via a parable, teaches his disciples the necessity for them to pray always without becoming weary. Foremost, prayer needs to come from the depth of the heart. Sometimes God tests your persistence, so do not stop communicating with him if you love him.

No Secret Way

        When people find out that I am truly happy in the Lord, they congratulate me and are happy that I have found happiness. What I want to make it known to all is that what I have found is not something by luck I happen to stumble upon and happen to work for me. No, this is God's familiar, universal call to every one of his beloved children. There is no secret, and only your response matters.