Letting God In!

        Today's Communion antiphon, John 15.16: It was not you who chose me but I who chose you and appointed you to gather fruit, fruit that will last. When Jesus chooses us, he call us. If we are to hear him, we must remain open to him. How can you let the sunshine and fresh air in if you do not draw the curtains and open the window? Putting it bluntly, to shut the Lord out is to commit spiritual suicide.

*Serious Choices Awaiting

        From Jesus' explanation of the parable of the weeds to his disciples in today's Gospel reading from Matthew 13, it was clear that hell exists and would not be empty. That was somewhat chilling, but it's a good wakeup call for all. Good seed and weeds, children of the Kingdom and children of the Evil One, evildoers and the righteous, being thrown into the fiery furnace or shining like the sun in the Kingdom of the Father . . . these were all mentioned, helping us to make the right choices while we still have time. 

God Always Good to Us

        Even good friends can be unkind sometimes, for they are not perfect. But God is alway good to us – he watches over us, listens to us, wants to speak to our hearts, forgive our sins, inspire, uplift and refresh us, and last but not least, to make us happy forever in heaven. What could possibly be your reason for not embracing and loving him? 

Measured by God

        It became clear to me that whether we know God or not, every thought, word, and deed of ours will be judged by whether it is in conformity with his will or not, no exceptions. Our time on earth must not to be wasted on ignoring or going against God. 

**Compelling Beauty

        Communion experience. Today is the Memorial of St. Ignatius of Loyola. The Lord revealed his great beauty to me and made me see that I should not ever offend him even by one iota. Then, with relief and gratitude, I saw right away that he alone could make me holy and perfect. 

Why I Hate Sin

        Of course, sin offends God. More personally, sin robs me of inner peace.        

Only One Worth Holding Onto

        My oldest granddaughter is about to go far away to attend a college in a few weeks. My feelings are mixed: I am happy that she is about ready to live by herself, but will miss her presence around here. When a baby bird is ready to fly away from the nest, its parents just have let it go and perhaps never see it again. In life, we do not want to hold onto anything, for everything passes. But I feel greatly blessed that I can hold onto God who is always there as a loving Father with me and upon whom I can depend for all eternity. This absolutely makes all the difference! 

Transforming Our Life

        Think about life: there are just so many things to take care of, problems to solve, and challenges to meet. Not only we need to earn our own livelihood, we may also have a family to support, and "enemies" to deal with. Then there's the burden of sin, which, unfortunately, gets too easily ignored. Once we realize the serious consequences of sin, we turn to God. Now we need to get our sins forgiven, to remain pure, and to love others actively. It seems that the only way for us to come out on top in all these things would be to abandon ourselves totally to God so that he can help us make all things easy. Now, life is no longer a burden, but a stepping stone to great freedom. 

Why Sin Hurts

        Sin makes me miserable because I hurt God and lose my intimacy with him.

Realization Before Seeking God

        The earth is not our permanent home, not where we can find true happiness. Even if we can stay healthy and never die, I don't think you would want to dwell on earth forever, for it's a tumultuous and sinful place. Only if we can acknowledge this are we ready to turn to God to seek true peace in him.  

Abandonment in God Is . . .

total relaxation of the spirit in God.

*In Sync With God

        Today is the memorial of St. Martha. In the Gospel reading from John 11, Jesus told Martha, "I am the resurrection and the life; whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live, and anyone who lives and believes in me will never die." She said to him, "Lord, I have come to believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, the one who is coming into the world." Jesus made a definitive statement and Martha gave the perfect response. Something truly beautiful happens when we and God become of one mind and one heart. If that happens to every single one of us on earth, I wouldn't be surprised that Christ would come right away to take us all into heaven.

**Best Possible News!*

        We all need someone to go to. When we were young, our parents were the natural ones to go to for solace and help. As adults, God becomes the best and logical choice by all means, for he is GOD, our Father and loving creator. The Christian reality is that through the sacrifice of Christ the Son, God has cleared the way for us to return home to him in heaven forever. It is rejoicing all the way through eternity!

**It All Depends on You*

        Following Jesus is difficult if you do not surrender to him totally, but becomes super easy if you do. Not encountering any resistance in you, the Lord is able to do all the work in freedom for you. So it all depends on you to depend on God or not.

*Never Shut God Out

        With God we should never draw any line. For example, it is inappropriate to tell God that you believe in him, but you just can't and won't forgive a certain person you dislike. The proper respectable attitude is to admit that God is right, you are weak and need his help. Never close the door on God, but always keep your heart open to receive the help you need from him.

Wishful Longing

        I long to see my beloved Lord. Therefore, personally I wish that he would come now or soon, but not to judge us ~ only to give everyone another chance to turn to him for salvation. Nevertheless, I must always submit my wish to his.

The Way It Should be

        God does not bow down to anyone, and we bow down only to God. 

*Justifying What We Do

        Sometimes we justify what we want to do by stretching things a bit. To make up an example, I can say that I watch TV a lot every day to entertain myself, and when I am happy, I do a better job of everything else I should do and make others happy too. Other common examples of justifying what you do: saying "God has made me this way" and "I must use my God-given talent." 

        There is only one justification for what we do: Do we bring ourselves or others closer to God?