As I was growing up, I heard all those popular songs singing about love and saw how people fall in love in all those Hollywood movies. Then Jesus came along and I finally understood the true meaning of love. Learn from Christ to understand all things correctly, and you'll experience freedom and joy.
Wednesday, August 21, 2019
**Afraid of Looking at Ourselves?
It's always easy to criticize others, but not ourselves. It's easy to expect others to be perfect, but not so easy to look at our own imperfections. It's also easy to help others, not realizing that we need help too. Praying for others is commonly heard, but we neglect to pray for ourselves. Perhaps we are afraid of looking at ourselves. The fact is that we should pray for ourselves first, for if we all become holy, we'll have peace and heaven on earth. So take care of ourselves before trying to take care of the world. Going the other way is going the wrong way!
Tuesday, August 20, 2019
Following Yourself or God
You try to climb Mt. Everest, jump across a canyon on your motorcycle, or attempt some other feat to feel good about yourself and may lose your life in the process. Following yourself and anything bad can happen. You can also humbly surrender yourself to God and gain eternal life for sure. Begin and remain in God and you'll always end well.
*All in God's Power!
If God can make us temporarily blind as when he called St. Paul or dumb as when he called Zechariah, the father of John the Baptist, he can certainly heighten all our senses to make us see clearly all the truths or hear him speak to our hearts.
*Reminder
Since Jesus is God and personally came to us to redeem us from our sins in order that we might be saved, salvation can only come from him.
**Most beautiful, Simple, Pure Act
Communion experience. The perfect time to make the act of surrendering yourself to the Lord, placing yourself at his disposal, at his service.
**The Way to Happiness
God loves us so much that he wants to possess all of us. And he has made us so that we can only truly be happy when we possess all of him. When you let God possess you, he is all yours too. Imagine how happy both God and you will be when you offer yourself to him!
God's Surprise Response
I posted recently that my wife underwent kidney stone surgery. She had a stent placed in her ureter to prevent any blockage of the urine flow. Five days later, she lost urinary control completely and developed a high fever accompanied by shaking chills. I rushed her to emergency at the hospital. Her temperature was high and blood pressure low, signs of an internal infection. She went through various tests and was treated with antibiotics. The stent was to remain in her for another 10-14 days. On the 4th day she was ready to be released to come home. A nurse's aid, while preparing her for leaving the hospital, discovered the string that's attached to the stent. Ignorant of what it was, she started pulling on it and the stent came more than halfway out. Of course, it was a mistake and could possibly cause further complications. My wife, I, and the hospital staff were all concerned. But the doctors had no choice but to remove the stent entirely. The surprise was that after it's all pulled out, my wife's urinary control became normal again. Her temperature was now almost all gone. The next day on August 18, we quietly celebrated our 57th wedding anniversary at home. It seemed that the Lord allowed this mistake to happen and turned it into a blessing. It sure was a pleasant surprise.
Monday, August 19, 2019
*****Wakeup Call to the Whole Church*****
Recently, on August 12, I posted "Failings of the Church," lamenting the fact that the majority of Catholics who attend Mass do not believe in the Real Presence of Christ in the Holy Eucharist. (For details of this finding, read this report.) I feel a tremendous burden on my heart, for it is worse for Catholics not to believe in this teaching than it is for non-Catholics not to believe in Catholicism. The general lack of reverence seen at Mass and the fact that parishioners who don't go to confession continue to receive this holy sacrament indicate the lack of this central belief. The Church should start educating her flock on the double now before trying to evangelizing the world. If your belief is seriously in error, how can you possibly go convert others? Correcting this problem is fundamentally even more important than exposing all the scandals within the Church. Never forget what Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 11.27: Whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord unworthily will have to answer for the body and blood of the Lord. Most serious warning! [I know I may be rocking the boat, but I cannot stifle the voice of the Lord.]
**Do the Impossible in God
Communion experience. It was the perfect time to abandon myself to the Lord after receiving him. I did it and now I can say I've done it! In God, all things become easy!
***How to Be Perfect
In today's Gospel reading from Matthew 19, Jesus told a rich young man that to gain eternal life, he needed to keep the commandments. But to be perfect, he should go sell what he had, give to the poor, and follow him. Although we may not be able sell all our possessions, we should at least be able to detach ourselves from them totally. Again, seeking to attain union with God will take care of this. In perfect union, you become detached from not only your things, but also your family and yourself! You are now attached to God alone and are free!
**God's Continues Calling Us
In ancient Israel, God spoke to his people through the prophets, but many did not remain faithful. Then Jesus the Son of God came himself to proclaim salvation for all nations, but still many hardened their hearts and rejected him. More recently, the Mother of our Lord has appeared many times calling us to return to God, but the big division between those who believer and those who don't has remained. I personally belief that God, being most merciful, will show us great signs to draw us to him once more yet at the appropriate time, and this could be the last call to wake us up before the final judgment. But don't take any chances.
Sunday, August 18, 2019
*Greatest Spiritual Gift
Communion experience. The Eucharist is our greatest spiritual gift and treasure, for it's the Lord himself. I experienced great fulfillment and contentment. Truly, he is with us always, until the end of the age (Matthew 28.20).
***Transform Your Spiritual Life***
In today's second reading from Hebrews 12, Paul urges all to rid themselves of every burden and sin that clung to them and persevere in running the race that lay before them. We are always being encouraged to love the Lord more, become holier, accept suffering, etc., and never give up. This is hard work if you try to do it on your own and you can easily get discouraged. But you may still make heaven, for God sees your good intentions. Now that you are going to heaven, why not make your journey on earth also joyful and enjoyable? This is my principal message, the message the Lord God wants me to spread for the world to know. I am reiterating it timely again here.
Struggling to love God on your own will alway be a struggle, as we are all finite beings. The secret of success is to let God do it for you! You can choose to climb the mountain all by yourself or ask God to lift you straight up to him. As always, I advise that you submit yourself to the Lord completely to let him take you where you want to go and accomplish whatever you want to accomplish for his glory. Then he will remove all your struggles and turn all your sufferings into joy. Why live a tedious, laborious spiritual life, whereas you can soar to him effortlessly in joy and with excitement? Why?
**Connecting with the Flock
I wish that the Church hierarchy will always use plain language in teaching her flock. This calls for a degree of humility. A PhD talking at his level will surely not connect with a group of elementary school students. Many official messages and letters are written for the learned, the well educated, not always easy for the laity to comprehend. Jesus always spoke plainly and direct to his people. Personally, I enjoy reading Pope Benedict very much. I've found his writings beautiful and profound, but still within my grasp.
Saturday, August 17, 2019
***Call to Arms*
At an evil time like ours today, we need to heed Paul's advice given in Ephesians 6 all the more: put on the armor of God to hold your ground; stand fast with your loins girded in truth, clothed with righteousness as a breastplate, and your feet shod in readiness for the gospel of peace; in all circumstances, hold faith as a shield to quench all the flaming arrows of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit. This sounds like warfare to me. But today, the leadership within the Church is relatively weak or timid, and the messages preached in many churches rather mild or unfocused. Missing are the fire, the zeal, the spirit, for there is no going after the Lord! The soul needs to be pierced, prodded, stirred up, fed, nurtured, and the focus must always be intensely on Christ, our Lord and Savior.
*The Perfection of Man
God's thoughts are not our thoughts, nor are his ways our ways (Isaiah 55.8). Without God's guidance, we would be wandering farther and farther away from him. Therefore, seek to attain union with him to become like him.
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