Is the death of Jesus a tragedy? No, because the love of God triumphed. Of course, I feel sorry for the suffering Christ underwent, then I am even moved more by God's love for me. So it's great sorrow lined with greater joy.
Sunday, January 8, 2017
Saturday, January 7, 2017
*A Plea to Turn to God*
What hurts me the most is to see so many of us continue to ignore God and go their own way, sinning as if there would be no consequences. To them I address the following questions and remarks.
Don't you know that you are hurting the very Lord, your creator and Father, deeply? What has he done to deserve all this? All he wants to do is to love you and give you eternal life! He has already died for you on the cross, so why do you continue to wound him mercilessly and unceasingly? Don't you realize that you are returning love with ingratitude, thus cutting off the only hope of your life? How cold and hard can your heart possibly get? Instead of offering it to the Father as you should, you have killed it. He is weeping for you, while you should be weeping for yourself. His mercy is infinite, but it's useless if you reject it all. Know that if you choose not to turn to him, you choose to be lost forever. Creating a tragedy with yourself being its protagonist is tragic indeed!
*Have Jesus, Have Your Way
Communion thoughts. Once you have Jesus, what you want is always what he wants, and you'll have all you want.
Need to Involve God
There are many human teachings out there advising you on how to think positively, to fulfill your personal goals, to live without stress, to make friends, etc., but without the involvement of God, they are basically self-centered and all efforts must still come from you alone – think of trying to pull yourself up by your bootstraps. Only by doing whatever with God's help and for his sake will you have the best chance to succeed and have joy too.
Friday, January 6, 2017
Blessed During Consecration
During the consecration of the bread and wine when the Lord transformed them into his own body and blood at Mass today, I felt blessed to be present at this great miraculous happening.
*What to Associate with Jesus
This morning at Mass when I heard announced that the opening hymn would be #110 in the song book, Beethoven's great Op. 110 piano sonata popped into my mind, as it was one of my favorite piano compositions. So I wondered what we would quickly associated with the name "Jesus" when we hear it. I dare guess that many would say "love" or "forgiveness of sins." But there is one more perhaps less abstract thing we should always remember to associate with Jesus, and that is "eternal life." Jesus came into the world precisely so that everyone who believes in him might not perish and have eternal life! (John 3.16.)
*Exciting Spiritual Life
Is the spiritual life a tranquil life? An exciting life? I would say both. Tranquil, because you enjoy the peace of God. Exciting, because God speaks to your heart, teaching and guiding you. What spices up the spiritual life are the surprises the Lord springs upon you at various times, showing that he is with you and capable of doing wondrous deeds. This adds extra joy to the spiritual life.
Changed Outlook on Life
As we age and our physical health deteriorates, we can see that life overall is not as happy a thing as we thought it could be when we were young. But those who have Christ would see that he is the bright light in their lives and knowing him far outweighs all the other sad parts of life. In addition, they know that their yearning for the Lord will soon be fulfilled ~ a joy that no sadness on earth can touch.
God's Forgiving Mercy
There is no question that only God can take away our sins. It follows that only God can make us totally forgive someone we find it most difficult to forgive on our own. Since God's mercy knows no bounds, let that mercy infiltrate our hearts first so that we may be merciful to all others, friends and enemies.
Thursday, January 5, 2017
*Let God Transform Us
I remember in my youth, I rode with a friend in his British racing green MGB sports car. What impressed me more than the car was the manner in which he drove it. I had expected any sports car driver to push the vehicle hard, test its road-hugging capability, and enjoy the swift rush through the open air. But somehow my friend went the opposite way: he was polite at every turn, never revved the engine for speed, and made my ride silky smooth. He actually became a perfect English gentleman! This effect of the car on him has remained with me to this day. It gets me thinking that if we are clothed with Christ, we should also let the Lord transform us into his perfect disciples, showing love, humility, and more. If we are willing, certainly the power of the Lord can be greater than that of any car.
The Saving Eucharist
Communion thoughts. Receiving the Holy Eucharist is more than being in God's presence ~ we have God actually entering us for union. Whoever receives this sacrament with great reverence will be saved!
God Speaking
Matthew 19.29 is today's Communion antiphon: Everyone who has given up houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands for the sake of my name will receive a hundred times more, and will inherit eternal life, says the Lord. This saying would've been astounding if it had come from a human. But as it had been uttered by God, it completely makes sense.
Love We Must
In this morning's first reading at Mass from 1 John, St. John the Apostle urges us to always love and never hate others. Jesus laid down his life for us, so we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters. These are strong words. God has shown us the power of love and that only love can save us and the world. Saying all this sounds hackneyed, but it is the truth. Here we have the secret of peace and our salvation – there is no other way out. Since God is love, we must let love rule our hearts.
On Getting Up in the Morning
When you wake up every morning, what is your mood? Are you grumpy? Do you have anything to look forward to or would you rather go back to sleep some more? During one past period of my life, I did not look forward much to waking up each morning to face the day, for I hadn't let God completely take over my life yet. But now I am always joyful in getting up as early as possible with only doing what the Lord wants me to do, while leaving everything in his hands, on my agenda. I am acutely aware that for our happiness, we were created to love God alone. This has expelled all anxieties from and brought great peace to my heart – I thank the Lord for that.
*Being Self-Centered?
How important are your various desires to you? Even if all your desires are fulfilled, what do you really gain? Anyway, if your desires are more important than God's will, you are still living a self-centered life.
*Remaining Free
Do not let yourself be enslaved by anything on earth so that you may freely embrace your Father in heaven for all eternity!
Know Where We Are Headed
We should live with a clear vision of the overall scheme of things – how we got here, what our existence means, what life is all about, where we'll go after death ... – never live from one little thing to another, not knowing where we are headed.
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