I've met so many people whose lives are "messed up" with personal problems, bad relationships with others ~ not always their fault, etc. They definitely need help. I am thinking of the Lord God awaiting, eager to lend help, only if they would turn to him and cry out for his help. It comes down to "God is ready, but are you willing?" By the way, God's help is always permanent, never a temporary patch-up.
Friday, November 18, 2016
Thursday, November 17, 2016
Greatest Common Tragedy
We become so immersed in living our earthly life that we forget all about God.
Most Appropriate 1st Prayer
God wants us to remain humble like himself. Therefore, before we worship him by praising and thanking him, the most appropriate prayer would be to ask for his mercy on all of us.
Wednesday, November 16, 2016
*Faith Transformation
I still remember when I first believed in Christ a long time ago, I was somewhat intellectually convinced that he is God. Once in a long while for a very brief moment, I did sense God's presence. But now he is as real to me as my own existence! The sun may not rise tomorrow, but Christ will be there. How did I get to this stage? Ask God, for all I know is that he knows.
Difference in Seeing
When we see others, we only see their outward appearance and if they move away from us, we lose sight of them eventually altogether. Besides, we can never know everything about those we see. But God sees us no matter where we are and he knows us inside out.
Haves and Have-Nots
In today's Gospel reading from Luke 19, Jesus told the parable of the ten gold coins. His message was that to everyone who has, more will be given, but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. This sounds like a law. It's true in the case that the one who has faith will continue to grow stronger in faith and the one who has little faith will lose it altogether. Seek union with God to continually receive more and more from him.
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?
Tuesday, November 15, 2016
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.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)