To tell others about Christ, tell what he has done for you and can do for them. That is, the focus is to be on Christ with the goal of glorifying him.
Saturday, April 22, 2017
**Sign You Have Encountered God*
In today's first reading from Acts 4, when the leaders, elders, and scribes ordered Peter and John not to speak or teach in the name of Jesus, Peter and John replied, "Whether it is right in the sight of God for us to obey you rather than God, you be the judges. It is impossible for us not to speak about what we have seen and heard." If you also feel impossible not to speak about the Lord to others, you have also encountered him.
Constant Renewal
Every time we turn to God, we get a chance to abandon ourselves to him, to be cleansed by him, and to start anew again.
Friday, April 21, 2017
Abandonment Time
Communion experience. A time to abandon myself to God, a time for union and obedience. How soothing it was to the soul!
On an Eternal Journey
We reap what we sow. To come right to the point, what we do now can help us get into heaven, not do anything in particular, or head us away from heaven. And we have only limited time to build up treasures in heaven for ourselves. The eternal journey starts now. Another awareness we must mind.
Jesus Is Power
This world is in chaos because it has largely rejected Christ. And the Church is weak because Catholics have not focused upon Christ as strongly as they could. It is through Christ our God that we receive power to live right and become blameless. Again, this is an awareness what the world needs.
*Critical Awakening Needed
A virus invasion on my computer yesterday prevented me from posting. Today I am resuming via a browser that was not infected, but I shall post yesterday's thoughts by yesterday's date, April 21.
In today's Gospel reading from John 21, the Resurrected Lord appeared to seven of his disciples who went fishing at the Sea of Tiberias all night and caught nothing. Jesus showed up about a hundred yards away on the shore and asked them to cast the net over the right side of the boat for a catch. They cast it and caught so many fish that they were not able to pull it in. Then, they realized it was the Lord. It is such a beautiful moment to realize "It is the Lord"! I lament that the world is largely not even aware of the existence of our awesome, loving God. Such an awakening is critically important for all of us, believers included, to come alive to live a godly life. There is on other way to salvation!
Thursday, April 20, 2017
*How Christians Invest
Business-minded people invest in good companies and stocks to profit themselves. Great artists invest in their own talents to earn fame and money. What about the Christians? Well, they invest in doing every will of the Lord, known only the him, to accumulate treasures in heaven. The investment is relatively longer-term, but the reward will be out of this world (pun intended)!
Security in Christ
Jesus will come again to judge us at the Second Coming, but if you attain union with him now, you become inseparable from him and will remain secure from now on.
*Get to Know God First
We can learn about Christ, hear about him and talk about him, but if we do not know him, we do not receive power from him and remain the same old person. Many who have decided not to accept Christ never did attempt to get to know him. This is like looking for a mate to marry and not trying to get to know the candidate first. God deserves a better chance, if you believe that he exists at all. Again, humility is the key to finding and knowing God.
God Can Change Us!
Today's entrance antiphon from Wisdom 10: They praised in unison your conquering hand, O Lord, for wisdom opened mouths that were mute and gave eloquence to the tongues of infants, alleluia. Look at the wonderful miracles Jesus performed on earth and most of all, his own Resurrection. Yes, God can change us if we give him the OK.
Wednesday, April 19, 2017
**Freedom in Serving God
If I succeed in drawing someone closer to Christ, it is not me doing the conversion but the Holy Spirit, for all power comes from God. As a servant of the Lord, I experience tremendous freedom in knowing that I am merely an instrument he uses to accomplish his will and that I have nothing to do with what he is doing. Hurrah!
Becoming One With God
Communion thoughts. Receiving the Holy Eucharist is more than being touched or embraced by God. The Lord actually enters me to unite mystically with my soul. I become all his!
*God Full of Surprises
Today's entrance antiphon, Matthews 25.34: Come, you who are blessed by my Father. Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. So we did not just happen to appear on earth to remain lost; God had actually prepared for our return to him from way, way back. God surely is full of surprises. At the same time, it'd be more surprising if our loving God had not done anything like that.
**Enjoying God to the Fullest
If God is to be first in your life, turning to him should never be your last resort. In fact, through receiving him in the Holy Eucharist, you can attain union with him. In such great intimacy, no words are needed to share everything with him. How good it is that he sees and cares about all your desires and wishes. This is enjoying the Lord to the fullest.
Tuesday, April 18, 2017
Determining Our Destiny
We determine our own destiny first, for God can not force us to do what he wants us to do. But if we do decide to follow him, then he gets to determine our destiny. Needless to say, he will always lead us to the right happy place.
*Bold Preaching Needed
The preachings you hear nowadays in general are on the mild side, lacking fire nor zeal. It seems that the concern is that if you preach the message too strongly or to the point, you might turn the people off, for they are not ready yet. Is there ever a time when we can say that we are ready to hear the good news? I don't think so. The need to hear the Lord is ever present, whether you are ready or not. I can't possibly believe that Jesus ever had this concern when he preached. Truth is to be proclaimed freely without getting watered down or held back. How the people react to you is how they would react to God – not the preacher's concern. The Holy Spirit is gentle, but bold and fearless. To evangelize effectively, we must respond to the Holy Spirit alone and cast aside all our own concerns.
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