In today's Gospel reading from Matthew 6, Jesus taught the people about almsgiving, prayer, and fasting. Essentially, we are to give alms, pray, and fast in secret, without any intention to make others notice you. It comes down to that we should do everything for God and not for our own ego. Recognize also the reality that each of us is on his or her own in this universe. When we face the Lord at judgment time, we shall be there alone and all issues will be resolved between us and God. It should be clear that only what we do for God will matter. Therefore, start living for God in secret. By the way, such selfless living will definitely bring you joy and peace.
Wednesday, June 19, 2019
Tuesday, June 18, 2019
**How Good Is Your Life?
There are people who lament that they do not have a good life. They feel sorry for themselves or complain that life is not fair. Here are my thoughts. If you know that you are returning to God, then you should feel good about your life, for it is your very path to heaven. If you are heading towards hell, then no matter how good you think you life is, it has to be horrible living.
*Most Personal Bonding
Communion experience. I actually received the body of my God. Talk about bonding!
***To Have Life Forever!
To be alive for a limited time definitely cannot be considered as having life. To me, to have truly life is to exist in happiness and contentment forever. Is this even possible? I can answer yes with great joy, for Christ has come to us two thousand years ago to tell us that he is the life and whoever believes in him shall have eternal life! The best part of this is that we'll be happy not just for a century or even a million years, but forever without end, as the God of Christ lives forever without end. Obviously, becoming one with him will without doubt make you live forever.
Monday, June 17, 2019
Joy of Hearing from God
When God speaks to your heart, it is such a heavenly joy, for you are assured that he is with you, you are with him, he cares for you, and you belong to him.
To Live Without Anxiety
Jesus spoke to his disciples and crowds, taught them many things, performed great miracles before them, etc., and he never ever showed anxiety. He suffered greatly, but always remained in peace. He advised all not to be anxious about anything. By trusting in him and becoming one with him, we can also live without anxiety.
God's Peace and Joy
The peace and joy we receive from God are beyond human understanding, for they are deposited in our hearts directly by the Lord.
***Secret of Spiritual Attainment
When we abandon ourselves totally in God, God totally accomplishes all things through us. Again, it comes down to us letting God be our God, with us staying completely out of his way. This is the secret of attaining rapid spiritual growth.
**Desiring What God Desires
John 17.20-21: I pray not only for them, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, so that they may all be one, as you, Father, are in me and I in you, that they also may be in us. Here, Jesus prays that we may be one with him and the Father. So if we desire union with God, coinciding with his desire, you can bet that wonderful things shall happen to us within our hearts.
**Key to Preserving Inner Peace
Anytime we play God, it is certain that we will lose our inner peace. For example, we judge someone and we get upset, forgetting that God is the only one who is qualified to judge us. If we truly love God, we will surrender ourselves to him to let him truly be our Lord. Then nothing will be able to rob us of our inner peace anymore.
***How God Makes Us Anew
Today's first thoughts before Mass began. We should think right, speak right, and do our deeds right, then we shall have inner peace. But how do we get there? The Lord showed me that the heart, the brain, and the mouth, apart from the soul, are the operating parts. To start, we must let our soul be healed and made whole – precisely what we ask for before receiving the Lord in the Holy Eucharist and what he grants when we receive this Most Blessed Sacrament. Once the soul is made whole, God can start purifying the heart to take care of our thoughts, words, and deeds. Very cool to see this. You are now made anew from the inside out. During the process, you get to know the Lord most intimately. Such a great joy to let him transform us!
Sunday, June 16, 2019
**Glory to Our God!
Today is the Solemnity 0f the Most Holy Trinity. We have God the Father who created us and loves us to death. We have God the Son who is our brother, our friend, and our Savior. And we have God the Holy Spirit who teaches us, guides us, and shields us from all evil. We have the perfect Triune God. Hallelujah!
**Recognizing Our Predicament
While I was exercising on a tread mill at local gym early this morning, around a dozen or so TV sets were turned on throughout the extensive space. Today being Sunday, there was a preacher preaching to a group of people on one screen, but you must be careful nowadays, for many preachers present their own views, often in disagreement with other preachers. Anyway, all the other secular shows, including commercials on screen, served to draw our attention away from God. Today the academia are mostly secular too. Then Hollywood and the entertainment industries couldn't be further away from God. As for the many politicians today, they are plain anti-God. This world is filled with those in cahoots with Satan, placing all souls, their own included, in great jeopardy. Of course, there is always hope – all it takes is to believe in and follow Jesus, our Savior. But with us full of pride, we become our own stumbling block. I hope that recognizing our predicament can help us overcome ourselves to get on the path of salvation.
Saturday, June 15, 2019
***Is Everything God Has Ours?
In the Parable of the Prodigal Son, the father consoles the unhappy older son, saying to him, "Everything I have is yours." Is everything our heavenly Father has ours too? Well, we and Jesus share the same Father and the same mother. Then we seek and attain union with God and become one with him. If we possess him, then, of course, we also possess everything he has. Can you imagine that the Lord God who died for us will not let us enjoy freely everything he has after we get to heaven? I can't.
Be Genuine Before God
In today's Gospel reading from Matthews 5, Jesus said to his disciples, "Let your 'Yes' mean 'Yes," and your 'No" mean 'No.' Anything more is from the Evil One." It is clear that we must always mean what we say. God does not like hypocrites and phonies. And you'll sleep better too being genuine.
State of Mankind
Here's a mental image that came to me during Mass this morning. I see billions of people in God's presence. A relatively small number of people choose to remain with the Lord, not going anywhere. Another larger group are sticking around, but they stay some distance away. A much larger group sit on the borderline, for they still do not know which way to go yet, while idling away their time. Perhaps forming the largest group are those who are walking away from God, not aware that they are heading toward a precipice. Pray hard so that all will turn back to God.
Friday, June 14, 2019
**Caution, if Your Talk Too Much
When I talk to others freely, I'd like to share what's edifying, good, and interesting. Nevertheless, there were times I sensed ever so slightly that what came out of my mouth was prompted by the ego. This happened when I tried to talk too much. The lesson learned: Do not talk too much. Always listen to the Holy Spirit. When you try to talk too much, it's usually your ego prompting you to draw more attention to yourself.
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