Great Division and Distinction

          Jesus said to his disciples, "Do you think that I have come to establish peace on the earth? No, I tell you, rather division." This division is no ordinary minor division, for it could result in the eternal separation between those who follow Jesus and those who don't, with a chasm no one can cross. There is no greater distinction than that between those who have Christ and those who don't.

On Loving God

        Loving God is unique in the sense that you can never love God enough. He deserves all of our love, but being imperfect, we always fall short. Actually, loving God is best achieved by abandoning ourselves in him, so we can also say that we can never abandon ourselves to God enough. Fortunately, it is our intention that matters to the Lord.    

Letting-Go Time

        Communion experience. Now that I have Christ, I can let everything else go, including grievances against anyone. All inappropriate desires and greed end. It's abandonment time, letting-go time, time to forgive, and time to go free. Yippee!

Unseen Miracles

        Communion time thoughts. Miracles can be unseen to be miracles. Christ the Lord himself is to me the biggest miracle, yet he is unseen to me today. During the liturgy of the Eucharist, I knew that a wonderful miracle was taking place when the bread and wine changed into the body and blood of the Lord. Then I was a witness of the unseen miracle. 

Train to Be Safe

        We as finite beings are only strong and safe in God. Without him, we are in the danger zone, vulnerable to attacks that can easily take down our souls. You can certainly experience this the moment you step away from God. Therefore, the only way to shield yourself from evil is to enter even deeper into God any time you sense any kind of temptation. Let this become your second nature to keep your soul safe at all times. 

Joy Killers

        The conversion of the soul usually takes time, for it's an awakening process that involves much learning by the heart. It shows how tenaciously an individual can isolate himself in the castle he's built around himself, so to speak, attempting to ward off any penetration into his interior. Unfortunately, he also makes himself impervious to God who only wants to illuminate him and save him from the true perils to his soul. Anytime a sinner wakes up, repents, and returns to God, the whole heaven rejoices. A soul who does not repent becomes not only a lost one, but also a great joy killer.  

Praying Unceasingly?

        Should we pray to God for something we need just once, believing with great faith that he will answer us? I think not. I believe that the only time you don't need to ask him repeatedly is when you abandon yourself to him and ash him to do whatever he wishes with you. Otherwise, for other things you feel compelled to pray for, such as the conversion of a loved one, you need to pray unceasingly. It's not that you lack trust in God. On the contrary, you want to show how much you need and rely upon him. Suppose you have two children. One comes to you and asks for something s/he needs just once and the other one asks you for what s/he needs day and night nonstop, which child to whom you are more likely to give in? I think the answer is clear. Since God is our loving Father, the more we ask him, the more endearing we are to him. Again, I am thinking common sense here. As a matter of fact, I feel closer to the Lord each time I go to him with the same petition. Another reason, since the world sorely needs our prayers, praying unceasingly to God every chance we get for the world can help fulfill that need. 

We Are Alone!

        As Christmas draws near, some of my relatives and friends will be coming to my home for a brief stay. This should be a happy occasion, for get-togethers as such do not happen on any regular basis. In a few days, it'll be over. I start to think that we are basically alone in our existence. Even if you have many loved ones living with you all your life, what they can do to help is limited as far as how you stand before God is concerned. Before the Lord, you are definitely alone, alone to account for what you've done, alone to face his judgment. If we prepare ourselves well now, that should be a joyous moment. Otherwise, it could be the most terrible moment of our existence. To prepare ourselves well, again it's something only we alone can do. Yes, mind your own business is right.

Be Children to God

        Communion time thoughts. When the adults are taking care everything, the children do not have to worry about a thing. Similarly, if we let God the Father take care of everything, we wouldn't need to worry about anything either. This points to submitting ourselves completely to God to achieve inner peace. It seems so common sense. 

*No Heart, no Fire

        God wants to have our heart, not our mind. If we speak about Christ with our mind only, then everything merely sounds rational. It's only in speaking with our heart that we can set other hearts on fire too. So keep your mind and give God your heart; the mind will follow. Remember that you can only set the heart on fire, not the mind. (When the mind is on fire, it means you have a big headache.)

The Optimistic Christian

        A Christian knows that God wants to bestow eternal life upon him and also looks forward to the resurrection of the body when his lowly body will be changed to conform to the glorified body of Christ (Philippians 3.21). Hence, his faith remains lively with hope and joy. If you don't feel so optimistic as a Christian, then you probably have not looked far enough beyond this life yet. 

God Most Essential

        We all need God. Without him, we would cease to exist. Without his assistance, our hearts would instantly stop beating and our lungs stop breathing. And we are at the mercy of God, for without it, we would carry our sins to our grave with no hope of ever enjoying eternal life. God is to be appreciated and latched onto.

Reason for Your Choice

        In today's Gospel reading from Luke 7, Jesus gave his testimony to John the Baptist. All the people listened, including the tax collectors, who were baptized with the baptism of John and acknowledged the righteousness of God; but the Pharisees and scholars of the law, who were not baptized by him, rejected the plan of God for themselves. Today, we have the same situation: those who accept the plan of God for us as revealed through Christ and those who do not. Which camp do you belong to? Christians know exactly why they accept Christ. If you are a modern day Pharisee, you'd better know your reason for rejecting him for your own sake. [To dismiss Christ is to dismiss at the least what was recorded about him in the four Gospels, all the other books in the New Testament, and his 2000-year-old Church with all her great saints.] 

*Most Worthy Lord

        I worship the Lord God for the reason that he is eternal. I adore him, for he is just. I praise him, for he is holy. I thank him, for he is merciful. I admire him for his perfection. I enjoy him for his beauty. I appreciate him for teaching me wisdom. Last but not least, I love him because he loved me first.

Refreshing Transformation

        When God transforms us, he reconditions us. We still have the same heart, the same soul; he simply "overhauls" them. Now, with a clean heart and a spotless soul, we experience deep peace in the heart and great freedom of the soul. There is nothing else more refreshing.

Another Challenge

        Obey God alone and never mind what everyone else is doing, what is popular out there, the latest fads, political correctness, what people say about you . . . .

Our Beautiful Challenge

        Today is the Memorial of St. John of the Cross. In the Gospel reading from Luke 7, John the Baptist sent two of his disciples to Jesus to ask, "Are you the one who is to come, or should we look for another?" I am sure that John was aware that he was the one to prepare for the way of the coming Lord and make straight his paths (Isaiah 40.3), so I am a little surprised that at the time he was not sure that Jesus was the one yet. What I learn here is that when God assigns us to do something, we are never given the complete plan, the details, what awaits us next ... not even the reason – we are simply expected to cooperate with him. When Mary was told by the angel Gabriel that she would conceive in her womb and bear a son, she only needed to accept the assignment, not knowing what her future holds. So here's our challenge: When the Lord asks us to do something, we need to do it without questioning, knowing only that it would glorify him. I truly see the beauty in accepting such a challenge. 

*Quick Guide to Living

        To love like Christ is to be like God. Abandoning yourself in God will make you one with him. To remain humble is to let God exalt you. Be open to God and he will fill you with his grace. Trust in God and you'll have inner peace. Letting God be Lord will set you free. Be weak in God to become strong. Vanish in God and he will surely notice you. Make God the center of your life to make life meaningful. If you want to go to heaven, start following him now.