We feel happy about many things. Old people feel happy that they are still alive. Then we have evildoers happy that they have succeeded in destroying other people' lives. At any rate, if you do not know Christ and feel happy about a lot of things, you can still lose your soul. But if you truly feel happy (joyful) that you know Christ, then you can be sure that you are not in any danger zone.
Tuesday, July 28, 2020
*To See Death Properly
Sometimes when the Lord chastises his people, the good and the bad both perish. We humans see someone very old dying peacefully as being fortunate and feel sorry for anyone young dying unexpectedly or tragically. But God sees things his way. When and how we die does not matter. It's where we go after death that matters. We are always shortsighted and show our own wishes.
**Suffering Is Necessary
Suffering is unavoidable and necessary for sinners to enter heaven. If you suffer for the sake of the Lord, that is, you offer up your sufferings to him, you become stronger each time. So suffering is a blessing. As the sun comes out after the rain stops, making everything look even more beautiful, God comes to you after your suffering is over, making your life sweeter than ever. In John 16.16, Jesus said to this disciples, "A little while and you will no longer see me, and again a little while later and you will see me." For us, it'll be "for a little while, we'll be suffering, and a little while later, we'll be in paradise forever."
**Unlimited Growth for Us
As we age, our physical condition deteriorates and there's not much we can do about it. Our mental capacity remains pretty much constant, then weakens too over time. But the potential to grow spiritually for us is practically limitless, for we can submit to God to let him make us as holy as we wish. ln fact, this is what we should concentrate upon primarily, besides going to the gym and exercising our minds. The everlasting soul is infinitely more important than the passing body. In giving it the best attention, we are getting ourselves ready for eternity!
Monday, July 27, 2020
***Warning About the Warnings***
Today's message from Fr. Goring is one to which everyone in the world should listen and pay attention. It is especially appropriate for the Catholics. If we do not let others know that the Lord is calling and warning us, then we are not totally with him yet.
***Exception to "Too Good to Be True"*
In the world, if anything sounds too good to be true, you can be sure that it is false. If you receive an email informing you that you have inherited millions of dollars, you can be sure that it is a scam. Since God is always truthful, if something coming from him sounds too good to be true, you can bet that it is true! He tells you that he loves you even if you are the worst sinner in the whole world; it is true. He tells you that he will forgive you and make you all clean if you repent, even if you have committed ten million heinous sins; it is true. He tells you to just follow him and you'll have eternal life in heaven; it's absolutely true! The Lord God, being Truth himself, is totally trustworthy and is the only guide we need for our existence!
***True Haves and Have-Nots
Here is a true case of "To anyone who has, more will be given; from anyone who has not, even what he has will be taken away" (Matthew 13.12). The more you listen to God, the more you learn from him and grow spiritually until you attain complete union with him. On the other hand, the more you ignore God and immersed yourself in the world, the more you cut yourself off from him until you lose even your own soul.
**Cause and Effect
Last night I went to bed later than usual, working on a book project. This morning I got up much later than usual. Even though I had slept more, I did not feel so good. Deviating from the normal has produced its effect. It comes down to "you reap what you sow." This made me see that everything we do affects us. If we continue sinning, the cumulative effect on our soul can be devastating. How good it is to do everything for the sake of God and not have to be concerned about their effect anymore!
Sunday, July 26, 2020
**Realizing God Knows Best*
When the Lord calls us to go to him, it's our time to go. I start thinking. I don't mind going, but what about the people I've tried to convert who have not converted yet? What about the events I've been praying for, but still have not taken place yet? Shouldn't I remain a little longer on earth? Then I realize the following. Of course, God knows best about everything, including the best time for me to go. And in heaven, I am certain that I can be even more effective in accomplishing his will on earth. Shouldn't I put all my trust in him? I see the light. No more questions.
**Predictable Results
Reading 2 contains the well-known verse 28 from Romans 8: All things work for good for those who love God, who are called to his purpose. Of course, God has a perfect plan for each of us, and if we love him, we follow his plan and everything works for our good, that is, we get to heaven. On the other hand, I don't need to elaborate. If you don't love God, your life will end up a mess.
Why We Worship and Praise God
We do it because deep down we know that we are finite and imperfect and that we need God who is infinite and perfect, and that he is our creator too. It's simply following our instinct.
*What Would You Ask of God?
In today's reading 1 from 1 Kings 3, The Lord said to Solomon, "Ask something of me and I will give it to you." God was pleased that Solomon asked for understanding to know what is right instead of a long life for himself or riches or the life of his enemies. It'll be interesting to see how we would answer such a question. Normally, we pray for others more than for ourselves. Of course, we have to be truthful in what we say. I think each answer would reveal much about the person who was asked the question.
***Sign You're Not a Serious Catholic
If you do not look forward to confessing your sins, you are not a serious Catholic. It is a great joy to go to confession before God and be made clean again! Humility is the key to entering the kingdom for heaven.
**A Human Defect
We humans are imperfect. No matter how good all our intentions are, we still have involuntary, undesirable thoughts going through our minds, not something we can prevent, but something God understands. I see this as a basic defect of being human. I believe that once we are in heaven, we'll be completely made anew so that we can worship, praise, and enjoy the Lord in perfect peace and joy.
***Key to Entering God***
Going back many decades, I remember I accepted Christ into my life because I felt the emptiness of life and was pretty much convinced intellectually that he was the Savior. I acted alone and felt relieved afterwards, nothing more. A couple of decades later, I experienced the Holy Spirit strongly after I got involved with the Catholic Charismatic Movement. I did not know much about being baptized in the Spirit, but I was open and desired it. So here's the key. You can know something and believe in it and nothing special happens. But even if you don't know much about something, but trust in God and desire it, he grants your wish. It is in desiring (not knowing) something that the Lord opens the door for you. So, desire to know the Lord to discover and experience his wonders!
***Unique Joy in God
The joy you experience in God is unique. It is a joy the world does not know and cannot give you. This is the joy you receive from God after you let him satisfy all your spiritual hunger and thirst and know that your eternity is all settled! Only God can deliver all that.
***About the Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit is like the wind—you cannot see that he is here or he is there, but you can feel it. If your heart is on fire yearning for God, then he is in you. It is this Spirit that enabled Mary to conceive Jesus and Jesus to rise from the dead. Nothing is impossible for God the Holy Spirit. With him in you, you'll never feel alone again. And the purity of the Spirit will intoxicate you with heavenly joy!
***Only Hope We Need
I am drawn to focus upon the Lord himself, the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. First I see the Resurrection of Christ the Son as a unique event. He is the only one who has demonstrated that death has no power over him, proving that he has to be our creator! The Resurrection alone gives us all the hope we need, that we can also live forever like the Lord himself! I rejoice from the bottom of my heart. Lighten up and shout for joy!
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