Today is All Souls Day. In the Gospel reading from John 6, Jesus said, "This is the will of the one who sent me, that I should not lose anything of what he gave me, but that I should raise it on the last day. For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in him may have eternal life, and I shall raise him on the last day." For those who follow Christ faithfully, it's good is to know that their salvation and resurrection are assured, as the Lord can only speak the truth.
Friday, November 2, 2018
Fear of God
The fear of God can be good or bad. It is bad if you know that you have sinned and you try to hide from God, while your sins remain. It is good if you know that you have sinned, but are aware that God knows all your sins and decide to confess them to get them removed by him. Turn your bad fear into good fear and you'll be filled with joy.
Thursday, November 1, 2018
God Giving Himself Up for Me
Communion experience. When the bread and wine were transformed into the body and blood of The Lord during consecration, he was giving himself up for me once again. And I praise and thank him for that.
***God's Amazing Power
If you find something unique in the world that you can greatly treasure, you'll want to keep it for yourself entirely for your own enjoyment. Christ is the only object that is different. After you find him to be your greatest treasure and satisfaction of your life, you'll want to share him with everyone else, for the joy is that great! It just shows that he has the profound power to free you and transform you into a selfless being – this is how amazing our God is! Pity the one who does not know him to have such life-changing power.
***Features of Christ
The Lord is thorough with us – he wants to save our souls for all eternity! He never gives up on us and will always remain faithful to us, for he loves us. All we need to do to let him be my Lord and everything is accomplished for him and for us! Don't you see?
**Guide to Living as Christians
Today's Gospel reading from Matthew 5 was Jesus' Sermon on the Mount, giving us the Beatitudes. The 6th, 7th, and 8th Beatitudes also made up the Communion antiphon. Here they are.
Blessed are the clean of heart, for they will see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.
Blesses are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness,
for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.
Just these three declarations of blessedness alone show how we are to live and what our rewards will be. We must be solely concerned about living for the sake of God and not about whether we go against the world or not.
*The Best Is Yet to Come
1 John 3.2 from Reading 2: We are God's children now; what we shall be has not yet been revealed. We do know that when it is revealed we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. My thought was that for the Christian, it just gets better and better with the very best coming at the very end.
Rest From the Lord
On this All Saints day, the Gospel acclamation came from Matthew 11.28: Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest, says the Lord. I know all about this rest. It is not physical and goes beyond temporary mental relief – it is enjoying permanent spiritual peace, knowing that the Lord has settled your eternal destiny. How can you not rest in joy when the Lord has now removed your most urgent concern about your existence?
Wednesday, October 31, 2018
Only Way to Deal With God
How do you deal with God, the God of Christ? You either submit yourself to him or you don't. If you think clearly, you'll see clearly that submitting yourself to him is the logical choice. You try it and experience peace, freedom, and joy, confirming that you've made the right choice. (Should you choose not to submit yourself to God, your will never receive any such positive confirmation.)
*What We Know and Must Do
In today's Gospel reading from Luke 13, someone asked Jesus, "Lord, will only a few people be saved?" Jesus did not answer the question directly, but made it clear that the gate through which we must enter to be saved is narrow and that many would not be strong enough to enter through it. He said that the evildoers would one day find the door locked and hear the Lord say to them, "I do not know you. Depart from me." When they found themselves cast out of the kingdom of God, there would be wailing and grinding of teeth.
We do not know who will or will not be saved for sure, but this much we know: Hell exists and will not be empty. Therefore, know God as intimately as possible now to avoid being cast out later. It's such a serious matter that we must absolutely pay serious attention.
Tuesday, October 30, 2018
***Possessing the Kingdom of God
This is today's Gospel reading from Luke 13: Jesus said, "What is the kingdom of God like? To what can I compare it? It is like a mustard seed that a man took and planted in the garden. When it was fully grown, it became a large bush and the birds of the sky dwelt in its branches." Again he said, "To what shall I compare the kingdom of God? It is like yeast that a woman took and mixed in with three measures of wheat flour until the whole batch of dough was leavened."
This tells me that the kingdom of God is to let God completely fill us so that we bear fruit to the max. This is to be in union with him. When we let God do whatever he wishes with us, we are free! And the kingdom of God now belongs to us.
Monday, October 29, 2018
Most Treasurable Moment
Communion experience. Receiving my Lord in the Holy Eucharist is the most treasurable moment of my day, for it's the moment he heals my soul again.
***Wise Advice!
Do not let your trials and tribulations bother you, for they will all pass. But be on guard for the safety of your soul, for it lives on forever.
To Be Like God
Today's Response to reading from Psalm 1: Behave like God as his very dear children. This is a lovely verse. If we obey God in every way, then we become his dear children and become like him. To get there, seek union with God.
**How to Know God
Since God is greater than us, for he is our creator, we are incapable of proving that he exists; only he can prove to us that he is real by revealing himself to us. This is exactly what happens when we surrender and open ourselves up to him. As a corollary, I can say that our eternal destiny is also totally dependent upon how each of us responds to his love and mercy. In the final analysis, it's always between you and God. (Read Mother Teresa's "Do It Anyway" poem.)
The Never-Quit Spirit
Many prominent world leaders and figures attribute their success to never quitting on what they wish to accomplish. This dominant spirit is laudable, for it does increase anyone's chances of success. My thought is that if you never quit believing in Christ with all your heart, you will be 100%-sure rewarded with eternal life, for the Lord is 100% trustworthy.
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