In the Gospel reading from John 10, Jesus said: "I give my sheep eternal life, and they shall never perish. No one can take them out of my hand." This shows that those who belong to the Lord are already being separated from those outside the fold. If the latter does not become his sheep, that separation will become a chasm impossible to cross forever – a thought too horrible to contemplate.
Tuesday, May 14, 2019
**Making the Right Choice
In the first reading from Acts 13 last Sunday at Mass, we heard that the Gentiles who were destined for eternal life came to accept the word of God. Are you destined for eternal life? Accept the word of God and you can be so destined too. Rejecting it is to condemn yourselves as unworthy of eternal life (verse 46). God offers us choices. Are we being smart or stupid? Know that if things do not work out, God is not the one to blame. We cannot avoid being imperfect, but we can definitely avoid being stupid.
**Most Beautiful Process
Peter denied Jesus 3 times, but he loved Jesus, and the Lord forgave him. This is a most beautiful process that can happen to us: we sin, we love the Lord, and we are forgiven.
Love and Trust, Inseparable
You cannot love a God in whom you have no trust, and you cannot trust in a God for whom you have no love. Therefore, to love God and to trust in him are the same.
To Live Gloriously or Miserably
(1) We do good, believe in the God of Christ, and are heaven bound – this is living the glorious life!
(2) We do evil with no faith in the God of Christ and find the pleasures of the world never truly satisfying, not realizing that they are the only reward we are going to receive – this is leading a most miserable existence.
*Simple Fact and Formula
We do not deserve anything good. It is the love of God that saves us. We submit ourselves to him and he makes us holy.
Fountainhead of Love
All love starts with God who is love. It is because we love God that we love all others, saints or sinners, friends or enemies.
**My Agony*
Jesus' great agony was realizing that he would have to go through the Passion for the sake of saving all of us. My relatively small agony is seeing that so many of us today still do not even believe in him.
***Good Rule to Remember
Do not do anything in thoughts, words, or deeds you would not want Jesus to catch you doing when he comes next.
To Conform or Not to Conform
If I choose to conform to the ways and practices of the world, I'd have to compromise some of my principles and not feel free or happy anymore. But if I choose to be individualistic and submit myself to God entirely, I become the freest and happiest person.
**To Be Aware of God's Presence
Even though we profess to be Christians, we may not be aware that Christ is with us. When the need arises, we might ask for his guidance or help; but if things go well, we hardly turn to him. To remedy this common failure, seek union with the Lord. When you attain union with him, you become aware of his holy presence within you at any time. A life-changing blessing!
Saturday, May 4, 2019
Our Great Blessing
Luke 24.35 was the Communion antiphon: The disciples recognized the Lord Jesus in the breaking of the bread. We are so blessed now that we get to receive the Lord in the Holy Eucharist everyday to become one with him! [Dear readers, I won't be able to blog for the next 9 days, so I'll see you after May 13. You can always go straight to the Lord. Once you know him well, you'll only need and want to go to him.]
How Much We Love Jesus
In today's Gospel reading from John 21, Jesus asked Peter "Simon, son of John, do you love me?" Peter's answer was "Yes, Lord, you know that I love you." The third time Jesus asked the same question, Peter was distressed and he responded, "Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you." This prompts me to ask ourselves: "Can we also say that Jesus knows that we love him?"
How God Has Made Us
I attended Vigil Mass today. I already know that God has made us so that our life is empty until we find him. After hearing the second reading from Revelation 5, I became aware that God has also created us to worship, honor, and glorify him.
**Giving God All Your Problems
If you trust Jesus, give all your problems to him. Ask and trust him to take care of all your loved ones as well. His mercy can never reject you. When all your problems become his, he will surely take care of them. With God, never hold back; always go all the way. Throw yourself in his path the way the people spread their cloaks and leafy branches on the road as they welcomed Jesus entering triumphantly into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday. It's submitting yourself with complete trust in God to be out of his way.
***Living in the Light!
This morning's entrance antiphon, 1 Peter 2.9: O chosen people, proclaim the mighty works of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Yes, Jesus is the light of the world. This is the light that makes us see all our sins, that we need to remove them to get into heaven. This is the light that shows clearly that God is our Father who truly loves us and to whom we can return to be with forever. This is the light that reveals the reality and meaning of our existence, how we should live and can become holy. In this light, there is absolutely no darkness; we see the truth that guides us all the way. To want to live any other way is to go right back into darkness.
Friday, May 3, 2019
*Only God Can Empower Us
Communion experience. I felt my human limitations and saw that the only way to make more spiritual progress is to cease struggling on my own even more, for only God my creator can overcome my limitations to lift me to new heights.
A Way to Preserve Peace
God who loves me will never hurt me. Others in the world do intend to hurt me, but if I haven't done anything wrong, they cannot hurt me, for I only care about what God thinks of me.
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