Making It Easy for the Lord

         In Matthew 8, a centurion appealed to Jesus to help his paralyzed servant. When the Lord was ready to go and cure him, the centurion said to Jesus, "Lord, I am not worthy to have you enter under my roof; only say the word and my servant will be healed." Now at Mass we respond the same way before receiving Holy Communion by putting ourselves in the servant's place. Today I thought I wouldn't even need the Lord to say the word – I only need him to will it and I shall be healed.

*Be True Christians

        In John 1, Jesus saw Nathanael (Bartholomew) coming toward him and said of him, "Here is a true Israelite. There is no duplicity in him." "No duplicity" – I love hearing that! In Matthew 5, Jesus said to his disciples, "Let your 'Yes' mean 'Yes,' and your 'No' mean 'No.' Anything more is from the evil one." Therefore, let us be complete honest to God and to ourselves. Be genuine. Phoniness is from the evil one. Aim to please God alone, not anyone else. Then we'll be true Christians and sleep better too.

Hanging by a Thread

        Life on earth for all of us will end one day, as physical death is imminent. It's as if we are all hanging by a thread, a thread that can break at any time. What happens to us after that thread breaks is what we should be concerned about. The good news is that if you know Christ, that thread will never break and will in fact be used by him to pull you up heavenward to him in the end.

***Failings of the Church

      I came across this video by Brian Holdsworth today and his message resonates with me. If it's true that only 1/3 of Catholics believes in the Real Presence of Christ in the Holy Eucharist, then the Church has failed miserably in teaching her members. This belief in the Real Presence is at the core of being Catholic. If a Catholic does not hold this belief, I don't think he should consider himself to be a Catholic. By the way, when all the submarine Catholics show up only at Easter and Christmas Masses, why don't the individual churches make it clear that Christ is truly present in the Holy Eucharist and that one should not receive the sacrament if he has not been attending Mass regularly?
     Brian also mentions the lack of reverence at most Masses and I agree with him too. We should worship the Lord as if we were at the Last Supper. Anything that distracts us from focusing on the Lord is out of order. I personally freak out a little bit when I receive the Holy Eucharist and see fingernails painted black or dark red holding forth the consecrated white host for me to receive. That's why I always chose to receive the Lord from the priest if possible. Also, music that sounds more like pop music is another distraction. I still remember the time a high school student was allowed to play the drum with the band and I got jumpy when I knew that a predictable big drumbeat was coming. There are many other things I can touch on. Anyway, believing in the Eucharist and showing proper reverence at Mass are of primary importance in making you a true Catholic.

***Lukewarm Catholicism

        Today's brand new video from Fr. Mark Goring. A great warning for us!

*Most Pleasing Prayer to God

        "Lord, make me holy for your sake."        

*God's Great Love

         I love the Father for loving not just me, but also everyone else equally. 

**Trusting in God with Our Burdens

        Communion experience. My heart had been weighed down spiritually by a number of heavy burdens, so I sought refuge in my Lord, as he was the only one who understood and could console me. This lead to complete abandonment in him. I see that God desires that all of us do this when we are burdened. Trusting in the Lord with all our burdens pleases him who loves us. 

***Fantastic God!

        Our God is our Lord, our creator, our master, our teacher, our counselor, our comforter, our healer, our father, our brother, our friend, our server, our confidant, and our soulmate! Whom else would you ever need?

Straight Path to Heaven

        In today's Gospel reading, Jesus also said, "Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there also will my servant be." It's obvious that following Jesus will lead you straight to heaven. Attain union with the Lord now and your destination is assured.

**Becoming Useful to God

        Today is the Feast of Saint Lawrence. In the Gospel reading from John 12, Jesus said to his disciples: "Amen, amen, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains just a grain of wheat; but if it dies, it produces much fruit." So the question is how much of my old self has died? With God, you gain maximum benefits only if you go all the way with all your heart! This is precisely what makes following Christ so exciting, for you are amazed that he can indeed transform you to make you fruitful. Now you know that you are useful to and loved by God.

*End of Our Toil

         My wife had her kidney stone surgery this morning. It's her third time having to remove a stone from the kidney. Earlier the doctor said that he might have to operate a fourth time, since the stone this time was very large. I prayed in the waiting room practically the whole time and at the end, the doctor came out, happily informing me that he succeeded in removing the entire stone. I was most grateful to God.
        While waiting in the car for my wife to come out of the hospital entrance to drive her home, I watched many other patients being discharged. One old gentleman apparently came with his own wheelchair. He had difficulty in getting into his waiting car and the driver had to fold up the chair and put it back in the car afterwards. What I saw was that most of us had to toil a lot in life, so the earth is definitely not where we want to be for long. Fortunate are those who know Christ and that they are going to settle in heaven with him for all eternity.

**Fear of Devil Examined

        Looking at how evil has infiltrated our society and how so many people exhibit ungodly behaviors, should we fear the Devil? My answer is NO, for if you remain humble and holy in the Lord, the Devil has absolutely no power to touch you. He is annoying at times, but he can easily be ignored. Those who should fear the Devil are the ones who have already been deceived and snared by him and are in danger of losing their soul. But God is always there to save them. They can be freed instantly if they would only turn to the Lord and beg for his mercy. So, to fear the Devil or not, it's your choice.

**Our Most Appropriate Response!*

        Communion experience. The Lord enters me, body and soul – this is the perfect time for me to yield to and rest in him. As a matter of fact, I can't think of another more appropriate response! 

Most Powerful Joy

        The Joy of Christ can wipe out all our sorrows!        

Two Requirements for the Disciple

        Today is the memorial of St. Dominic. In the Gospel reading from Matthew 16, Jesus confirmed to his disciples that he was the Christ, the son of the living God. And he rebuked Peter for not thinking as God does, but as human beings do. So we must not only believe that Christ is our Lord and Savior, but also think as God does. This clearly requires that we become one with him so that we might become like him.

**Precise Advice (Best Ever News)

        If you are not perfectly happy living in this world, there is an option – seek out Christ who can make you perfectly happy in heaven for all eternity!

***Dwelling in Each Other

        Communion experience. As I went up the aisle to receive the Holy Eucharist from Father B this morning, I saw the open tabernacle on the altar behind him and immediately thought of the house of the Lord. After I received the sacrament, I realized that the Lord had entered my house and that made me the house of the Lord too! We are indeed temples of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6.19). Nevertheless, house or no house, when you become one with God, you and God are in each other!