"Be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect." (Matthew 5:48)

Tuesday, July 3, 2018

**Being Imperfect Is OK

        We want to be perfect for God, but we fall short constantly. Do not let this bother you, for the very reason you wish to be perfect is because you are imperfect and you love God. And to God, intention is what matters the most. Trust in him all along and you'll definitely become less and less imperfect. 

***Beyond Believing

        Once you have believed in the Lord, you must proceed to get to know him as well as possible. This is opening yourself up to him until it becomes completely comfortable for him to dwell within your heart. Now, blessed once more are those who have believed and achieved union with the Lord.     

Most Beautiful Faith

        Today is the Feast of St. Thomas, Apostle. From John 29, we heard read that after Thomas saw the mark of the nails in Jesus hands and put his finger into the nailmarks and put his hand into his side, he believed that the Lord had indeed risen from the dead. Jesus said to him, "Have you come to believe because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed. The most beautiful faith is to believe without question like a child. This makes blessed living!

Monday, July 2, 2018

Belonging to God

        Communion experience. Jesus is the Lord of my life, the Lord of my soul, the Lord of my heart, the Lord of my whole being. I belong to him.

*To Be Truly Trustworthy

        In Luke 16, Jesus said to his disciples, "The person who is trustworthy in very small matters is also trustworthy in great ones." The converse may be false, for a person trustworthy in great matters may not care about very small matters. To be perfect, we must be trustworthy in all matters.  

**Christians' Shortcoming

        To possess the Lord, you need look for him so that you may hear his call, and then have the humility to yield to him once you've heard his voice – a two-step process. The trouble with most of the Christians today is that they have not yet completed the second step, for they still carry on their daily living as usual, not even making any eye contact with him, so to speak; whereas they should be aware of his holy loving presence at all times.

**How to Follow God Rightly*

        In today's Gospel reading from Matthew 8, a disciple of Jesus who would follow him said to him, "Lord, let me go first and bury my father." But Jesus answered him, "Follow me, and let the dead bury their dead." In Luke 9, another would-be follower said, "I will follow you, Lord, but first let me say farewell to my family at home. Jesus said to him, "No one who sets a hand to the plow and looks to what was left behind is fit for the kingdom of God." Wow, but I think you get his point. We are to be detached from everything of the world, follow him, and never look back. The Lord absolutely deserves our undivided devotion. He was revealing to us the sure way of entering his kingdom. He should be our foremost (and only) choice to follow.

Sunday, July 1, 2018

*Our Lonely Existence

        We came into this world all by ourselves and we'll leave this world by ourselves. When we face the Lord, we'll be on our own again. The only one we can truly rely upon would be God our creator, so start leaning upon him now. 

**More Than You Can Expect*

        Stop, think, and realize that heaven is absolutely within your reach. In fact, it is the ardent desire of our creator and Father that we all enter heaven to dwell in his house for all eternity. Again, to make it happen you don't need to strive hard on your own; simply follow Jesus the Christ and he'll do all the lifting. Now, turn your life into a great joy!

Having Faith in God

        Jesus said, "You cannot make a single hair white or black" (Matthew 5.36). Nor can we make our faith ten times stronger. We must let God do the work. To have faith in God is not to tell ourselves to believe in him more. It is being fully aware that the Lord already knows our needs and we only need to trust in him once and not to worry about it anymore. 

Saturday, June 30, 2018

***Be Patient With God Too

        Patience is a virtue, a sign of holiness. We are taught to be patient with each other. Then we should also be patient with God too, considering that he always waits for our acceptance and refrains from judging us with infinite patience. 

***Best Moments on Earth

        What a joy to make a heart-to-heart connection with God! I simply open myself up, pouring out everything from my heart and soul to him and he listens. And I know all barriers between him and me are gone, for he has perfectly understood me. You can't possibly feel any better!   

***Erroneous Thinking

        You love God and feel that you are not bearing much fruit for him, especially after seeing others accomplish so much more outwardly. Well, first of all, fruit is not for show. Next, do you realize that you have the power to move God's heart to accomplish great things if you trust in him? It is not us, but God who makes all things possible! We trust, pray, and obey, and we will be fruitful.

**Jesus Most Special

        Communion thought. Jesus is most special to us because he created us and is the only one who is capable of speaking to our heart and healing our soul!

*Jesus Most Personal

        You've probably heard a thousand times that Jesus came and died for our sins so that we might be saved, and it now sounds so familiar that you no longer pay any attention. Think about it again. First, we are all sinners who need salvation. Then Jesus died for us with you included! So he matters to you personally – more than anyone else in fact, for your eternal destiny is in his hands. Therefore, you must never divorce yourself from the Lord, who created you.

Friday, June 29, 2018

*Alive in Jesus

        Communion experience. When you have Jesus dwelling in you, you are as alive as can be.

*Jesus Can Be Trusted

        If you read the Gospel about Jesus with an open mind, you should at least be able to see that he is someone who can be totally trusted, rain or shine.  

God Watches over Us

        Today is Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul. Both had been freed from prison by the Lord. Peter was arrested and put in prison, secured by double chains and placed under heavy guard, by King Herod. On the night before he was to be brought to trial, the angel of the Lord appeared by Peter and the chains fell from his wrists. Then the angel lead Peter through all the guards, came to the iron gate leading out to the city, which opened for them by itself. In Paul's case, he was beaten with rods and imprisoned by the people and magistrates at Philippi. He was placed in the innermost cell with his feet secured to a stake. About midnight, there was suddenly a severe earthquake that the foundations of the jail shook, and all the doors flew open and the chains were pulled loose. Trembling with fear, the jailer surrendered.
        These two recorded happenings are solid proof that God does rescue us at the right time of his choice. It is good to know that he is always there, fully aware of our situation, and will rescue us as he sees fit.