***Falling Short of God's Expectations

        Many love God, but few are willing to go all the way. It's as if we want God to come close to us, but not too close. There's that last barrier to keep God at a distance. Most of the prayers we hear, read, or come across reflect this. We pray for God's mercy, favors, etc., which is right and just. And we pray that we will be more forgiving, loving, etc., which is also proper. But I have never heard us openly expressing our desire to surrender ourselves completely to God to allow him to do whatever he wishes with us. This is falling short of total abandonment to God and is our great shortcoming. 

*Why Truth Causes Division

        In today's Gospel reading from John 7, some in the crowd believed that Jesus was the Prophet, while others said that he was the Christ. Still others did not believe that the Christ could have come from Galilee. So a division occurred in the crowd. Of course, the chief priests and the Pharisees did not believe in Jesus at all and were intent on arresting him. Simply put, truth always causes division because the world is in sin.

**Fighting Evil

        Today's entrance antiphon from Psalm 18: The waves of death rose about me; the pains of the netherworld surrounded me. In my anguish I called to the Lord . . . . This is how I feel now when I hear about the insane, out-of-control, crazy liberals demanding the killing of our own children (see my post of yesterday "Today's Radical Evil"). Today's response to Psalm 7 provides the answer: O Lord, my God, in you I take refuge. We seek refuge in God not to escape from evil, but to find more courage and strength to fight it. 

Reciprocal Treatment

        If we are proud of Jesus, he will be proud of us. If are are ashamed of Jesus, he will be ashamed of us.

*Today's Radical Evil*

        How should we react when we face evil? For example, we now have crazy, insane radicals who want the mother to have the right to order her child killed even after birth! It's hard to believe that evil has taken hold of so many of us today. One extreme thought is to round them up and kill them all, but we know that would make us as evil as they. So the clear action to take is go the other extreme as Christ did when he came to save sinners. Since only God has the power to turn evil into good, we must pray extra hard asking the Lord to crush evil and at the same time make us holier than ever so that we might be more effective in fighting evil.

*Glorious Final Hours

        In today's Gospel reading from John 7, some of the Jews tried to arrest Jesus, but no one laid a hand upon him because his hour had not yet come. We all have our hours for various things to happen in our lives, and only God knows them. We who follow the Lord faithfully know that we can move on with confidence without fear. When our final hours arrive, glory will be ours. 

**Saving All Souls

        In today's Gospel reading from John 5, we read that many did not believe in Jesus. It's no different nowadays. Satan has blinded the eyes, hardened the hearts, and polluted the conscience of many among us. The pro-abortionists and the extreme leftists are prime examples. They no longer listen to reason; they are like zombies or wild animals that have been trapped, not even understanding why they so behave. You can't help pitying them. Under the circumstances, we need to double our efforts to become holy and pray for those who have fallen into the clutches of Satan.

**Meet Me on the Bridge*

        After the preceding post, I think you'll enjoy watching this much happier BBC story. Here's a brief description of it: 

         

        When Kati Pohler was three days old, she was left at a market in China and was later adopted by an American family. When she was 20, Kati discovered her birth parents had left her a note, and that every year on the same day, they waited for her on a famous bridge in Hangzhou.

***Reality of Evil

        As you know, Planned Parenthood in the United States is basically an abortion mill. Here is a great testimony given by Patricia Sandoval last year in Sacramento, CA, exposing how PP operates and telling how she found salvation in Christ. It will both horrify and move you. Do not watch this video if you do not have a strong heart! The talk starts at 2:04 and ends at 38:20. (In case you missed seeing my post "Magnitude of Abortion," you can click here.)

Do Not Misunderstand God

        Today's Communion antiphon, John 3.17: God did not send his Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world may be saved through him. So, relax. Jesus came to save us! Be afraid only if you reject him.

***God Challenging Us for a Reason

        John 5:17-30 was today's Gospel reading at Mass. Jesus succeeded in incensing the Jews, for he called God his own father, making himself equal to God. Reading the 14 verses confirms that the Jews heard him right. Jesus truly challenges us here again: we must say he is either equal to God or someone who doesn't know what he's talking about. There is no way out; we are cornered and must make a choice. We can evade everything else, but not this matter pertinent to our eternal survival. This is how compelling God can be for the sake of our salvation.

Let God Make You Beautiful

        It is most beautiful to let God transform you into a new spiritual being, beautiful for him to behold. The world worships physical beauty which can be a curse, for it can inflate the ego, fostering pride. When God makes you beautiful, you are beautiful indeed. And it's only what he thinks of you that matters. 

*Being Open-minded or Not

        In today's Gospel's reading from John 5, Jesus cured a man who had been ill for 38 years. The day was a sabbath. The Jews found out about it and instead of being curious about the miraculous healing, they began to persecute Jesus for doing it unlawfully on a sabbath. People who always find some fault with Jesus are the ones who do not want to believe in him in the first place. I met one person once who said that he could not believe in Christ because he referred to himself as the Son of Man, not as Son of God. This is something you can easily explain away. Anyway, to those who want to believe, everything comes together and there are no stumbling blocks. 

**Don't Ignore God

        God is not limited by time nor distance. He lives forever and is everywhere. As long as you open your heart to him, he enters to dwell within you. You could have been one who followed Christ while he was on earth 2,000 years ago; but if you hadn't allowed him to enter your heart, he remains outside of you. On the other hand, if today you who haven't even seen the Lord open your heart to him, he is all yours. God is always there, but we pass. Therefore, grab him while we can or we'll leave this world empty-handed.

Up to Us First

        We need to leave all things up to God, but it's up to us to make it happen or not – we hold the starting gun.

**Great Partnership

        In serving God, he accomplishes his will through us and we accomplish ours through him.

**One Great Feeling!

        Being aware that the Lord actually dwells in you in complete union with you.

**To Know God's Will

        We need to be patient for God to reveal any specific will he has for us. He does not want us to be anxious about anything, including knowing his will. More often than not, the revelation evolves over time and in the end, you know what he wants you to do and you feel right and comfortable about it. This is your reward for trusting in him. God is love, joy, and also peace.