Sin, evil, hell are real. Jesus talked about them. Why is it that we do not hear them mentioned in homilies at Mass? We need to hear Christ speaking to us through the priest. We want to hear messages that pierce our hearts and shake our conscience; not mild, weak reflections that are instantly forgettable. The spirit needs to be fed. This makes seeking union with God for all of us all the more urgent, for the Lord can and wants to feed our spirit to the fullest!
Thursday, September 5, 2019
*Faith in Christ
This is believing that he is truly your Lord, God, and Savior. Holding this belief, you find that all his claims are true and things do work out the way he promised. Now your faith is rock solid.
*Amazing God
Today's Gospel reading was Luke 5.1-11. Two things I picked up from the reading. The first was that if you always do what Jesus wants you to do, as Peter did in the reading, you will be amazed by how things turn out from time to time. The exciting thing about following Jesus is that you think you know him well, yet you have no idea how he is going to surprise you next. God is amazing in amazing you. Secondly, when the Lord calls you, you must leave everything and follow him, as Peter, James, and John did in the reading. If you hesitate, you are not ready and fit to be his disciple yet.
God's Way All the Way
We need to do God's will, but we also need to do it his way. It must be his way all the way.
*All the Wisdom We Need
Yesterday I joined a small study group after Mass to look at the readings of the coming Sunday Mass. The first reading came from Wisdom 9, in which King Solomon asked God for wisdom. I started thinking that Christ had come and given us all the counsel we need to live a righteous life and told me exactly how we can be saved and enter heaven. So for us, we already have all the wisdom we need.
*God Has Changed Me
Last night when my wife was shopping at a food store, I went into Dimple Records next door to take a look, as this local chain is closing all their stores after 45 years. The worldwide Tower Records, which also started out in this area, went out of business in 2006. As the music industry and people's listening and shopping habits change, local stores get crushed.
I used to be "addicted" to collecting music CDs and was a loyal customer at Tower Records for many years. It's around 2010 that I finally stopped buying CDs. It was a hard decision I had to make so that I might continue to progress spiritually. Cutting this attachment gave me freedom and peace. Inside Dimple, I saw some CDs I would have grabbed right away before, but I now do have the slightest desire to own them – the allure was gone. The Lord has changed me by setting me free. I can't be happier.
Wednesday, September 4, 2019
**I Wasn't Out of Order!
After I posted "Church Priorities Out of Order" yesterday, I thought I might be rocking the boat a bit, as I was a lay nobody, criticizing the Church. Then I saw Fr. Goring's new video "What's Your Opinion?" today and knew I was all right.
***More Union with God Advantages*
Once you attain union with Christ, you'll be so fulfilled, so content, and so satisfied that you no longer wish to search, to question, or to go elsewhere anymore. The Lord is your final stop and home. You are now inseparable from him!
Making Sin Your Blessing
God can draw you closer to him through your sins. See every sin as a stepping stone to greater holiness. Each time after you commit a sin, turn to the Lord to ask him to forgive you and to draw you close to him. As you are drawn closer and closer to him, sin becomes more and more repulsive. When you reach union with the Lord, he removes even you tendency to sin. Make good use of you sins when you are weak. Then you won't need them anymore after you become strong in the Lord.
*Heaven on Earth for God
Communion experience. The Lord entered me, so I became heaven on earth for God! How awe-inspiring!
**Quick Summary of Union with God*
It is being one with God. His ways and thoughts are now yours too. You experience the same joys and sorrows as he. It is dwelling in the Lord in total freedom. You no longer struggle spiritually, for he is right in you and with you. You simply enjoy his delightful company.
Discerning Promptings
If you feel prompted to spread the good news of Christ in some specific way, should you go right ahead and do it? If the urge came from you, then hold off, for you do not want to rush ahead on your own. You will know that the prompting did come from God if you've been led to this point and feel no anxiety about it. Peace of mind is a good indicator.
**Aiming our Prayer
If we pray that we may grow closer to God, we miss the mark. If we pray that we may become holy, we still fall short. If we pray that we may open ourselves up to let the Lord make us holy, we are on target.
**Christ, Only Teacher We Need
The Apostles were all sinners. They followed the Lord and learned from him directly and became saints. Let them be our models. We can also follow Christ, learn from him directly, and become saints. Seek union with the Lord so that we may become like him. Then we'll understand everything.
Tuesday, September 3, 2019
**Sinner Responding to God
If I were perfectly holy with no sins, I would not understand why Jesus came into the world to die for me. Since his Passion truly affected me and I feel so grateful for what he has done that I can't even help falling deeply in love with him, I know that I must be a sinner. In my case, a sinner who has found the perfect remedy.
***Church Priorities Out of Order***
Global warming is a controversial subject. Even if it is a fact, it certainly is not the most urgent issue we need to deal with right now. For Christians, saving souls has to be the foremost goal. After all, that was the primary goal of Jesus when he came to us to die for us. And the souls today in this evil world need salvation more than ever! I cannot possibly imagine that Jesus would talk about something like global warming more than about our sins and our need for salvation. We truly need to be concerned about Christ's Second Coming! Yet Pope Francis repeatedly warned us about global warning as if it's the most pressing issue today. I am truly disappointed. Meanwhile, the world and Church continue entering the evil's orbit. When the Church loses credibility, fighting spirit, or focus, myriad souls are lost! If we don't shape up, there is no point in begging for God's mercy.
*Our Only Gift for God
Communion experience. I received what the Apostles received at the Last Supper. When we return fully to the Lord, everything he has is ours. Since we do not have anything except ourselves, all I could offer him was myself.
***Perfect Soulmate*
I look at my brothers and sisters in Christ at Mass, we belong to the same Lord, but somehow we do not talk about him with each other very much outside church. My wife believes in the Lord too, but she and I do not share the same spirituality, so we end up not talking about Christ with each other as much as we should. This leads me to Christ the Lord himself. We can get to know him as intimately as we wish and he understands every one of us perfectly. You can share whatever with him all you want and he listens and communicates with your heart. Here is our perfect soulmate.
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