Today's Gospel reading from Mark 6 told about the death of John the Baptist. Briefly, King Herod at his own birthday banquet was so delighted by the performance of a dance by his own daughter that he swore he would grant her whatever she asks of him. She asked her mother Herodias what she should ask for. Herodias replied with "the head of John the Baptist," since she harbored a grudge against him and wanted him dead. The girl made the request and Herod was forced to keep his oath made before all the guests and ordered the beheading. It was a gruesome story. My thoughts turned to the killing and dismembering of the unborn in our abortion mills. These are equally gruesome acts, performed on a massive scale. (For a true horror story, read about Kermit Gosnell online. This former abortion-provider, having been convicted of killing infants that were born alive had been sentenced to life imprisonment. But it's the Supreme Court which legalized abortion in the first place. To rule legally that terminating the life of an infant outside the womb is wrong, but doing it inside the womb is OK, is ironic and done without any kind of conscience or even common sense.) Lord, please rescue us!
Friday, February 3, 2017
Thursday, February 2, 2017
**Freedom Is Yours!
The more you focus upon Jesus, the more you are free! This is true because Jesus was the one who took all our sins, placed them upon himself, and died for our salvation. If he could do all that, certainly he can free you from any kind of bondage. As a matter of fact, he has already freed you – you only need to realize it!
*Live-Die-Live-Die-Live*
We first came into the world to live. Then we find Christ and die in him. We are reborn and begin to live a new life in him. We die again and leave the world. Finally, we live with Christ in heaven for all eternity. Have you gone beyond the first stage?
***Union Is . . .
you and God doing the same thing to each other ~ you love him and he loves you; you trust him and he trusts you; you agree with him and he agrees with you; you listen to him and he listens to you; you serve him and he serves you; you exalt him and he exalts you . . . you dwell in him and he dwells in you.
**Living by Heart
If you can live for God by the heart alone without engaging the mind, then you have penetrated the heart of God.
*Recognizing the Fact
Today is the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord. The Response from Psalm 24: Who is this king of glory? It is the Lord!" It is pure joy to hear "It is the Lord!" We should recognize this in all things that happen to us and at all times, and God will bless us abundantly.
*Most Beautiful Disposition
If you love Jesus, the best possible disposition for you to assume is to put your trust in him and not be concerned about how he is going to guide you nor what he is going to say to your heart, just letting him love you. To trust is to have faith, and nothing pleases the Lord more than having great faith in him.
*How God Shapes Us
When we submit ourselves to God, we do not become his slaves or puppets. In fact, we get liberated from ourselves! This is what all who are not with Christ yet need to know. Each of us is a unique being created by God of individuality with a particular disposition, so the Lord leads and shapes each of us in the way that suits and would benefit us spiritually the most. The result is that we become like myriad flowers, looking all different, but equally beautiful before God.
*Index of Spiritual Needs
If you ever felt that life was empty and that you needed something to fill that void – even for a brief moment, it's God calling you, letting you know that you need him!
Wednesday, February 1, 2017
*Be Reckless and Greedy
Reckless: follow Jesus single-mindedly with no regard to what people think of you. Greedy: ask Jesus for everything you can possibly have to make you holy and perfect. And you will be rewarded.
Original Sin Realized
The BBC's series on Planet Earth narrated by Sir David Attenborough is excellent, for it presents astounding footages on the various features of the earth such as mountains, caves, deserts, jungles, etc., with their amazing wildlife. It is nature at its best. While watching one episode, I saw how "unnatural" humans were, as if they shouldn't even belong on earth. We are the creatures that have turned our world into a mess, causing vast destruction of our environment and mass suffering among fellow humans. It was clear to me that the cause of it all was our rebellion against God, and the reality of original sin dawned on me. [Good news: The series Planet Earth II has come out.]
Jesus Always With Us
When Jesus was on earth, his disciples saw him, heard him, and spoke with him. Now almost 2,000 years later, we do not see him visibly, but the relationship can be just as intimate. He is with us exactly as he was with his early disciples. We now even have the Holy Spirit and can attain union with him through the Holy Eucharist. He still speaks to our hearts and we speak to him through prayer. God will never abandon us. He is close to us until we distance ourselves from him.
Tuesday, January 31, 2017
Ultimate Trust
Communion experience. The soul is my most precious possession. Recognizing that Christ was the only one who could safeguard it, I gladly gave it to him for safekeeping.
How to Live
On this Memorial of St. John Bosco, the Communion antiphon, Matthew 24.46-47, reads: Blessed is the servant whom the Lord finds watching when he comes. Amen, I say to you, he will put that servant in charge of all his property. Attributed to Gandhi: Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Now, more to the point: Live today as if the Lord were to come tomorrow.
*Be Like a Worm
Earthworms live in tunnels in the soil. Because they become paralyzed if exposed to light for too long, they remain hidden underground. Nevertheless, this habit of the worm should inspire us to remain hidden in the Lord, not physically, but spiritually, so that we may be in his holy presence always and never seek the limelight of the world. It is concentrated, but relaxed and joyous living.
Our Main Business
In today's Gospel reading from Mark 5, we heard the healing of a woman afflicted with hemorrhages for twelve years. She came up behind Jesus in the crowd and touched his cloak, believing that she should be cured by doing so. Immediately her flow of blood dried up. Jesus was aware at once that power had gone out from him. He turned around, saw her, and said to her, "Daughter, your faith has saved you. Go in peace and be cured of your affliction."
Here we learn that the woman had faith and when she needed help, Jesus knew it immediately, and that her faith saved her. Sometimes God tests our faith, but we must always trust in him. For me, the Resurrection of the Lord alone is enough for me to cast all my care upon him. We should worship, adore, and praise God, but our main business is to trust him.
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