In today's first reading from Ephesians 3, Paul mentions the love of God that surpasses knowledge. It's true that we cannot comprehend how great that love is, yet we can believe in it, receive it free, and enjoy it, letting it making us anew. To have faith is wonderful!
Thursday, October 22, 2020
**Two Great Transformations
The last two Luminous Mysterious of the Holy Rosary are The Transfiguration and Institution of the Eucharist. At the Transfiguration, Peter, James, and John were with Jesus. When Jesus was transfigured before them, his face shone like the sun and his clothes became white as light. Moses and Elijah appeared and conversed with him. Then from the cloud came a voice that said, "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased, listen to him." This visible and audible experience must've been absolutely spectacular and stunning to the three disciples. When Jesus instituted the Eucharist at the Last Supper, he changed the bread and wine into his body and blood in substance, but not in appearance. This is an invisible mystery. Nevertheless, it is even more amazing than the Transfiguration when it comes to making us anew in the Lord.
***Living the Most Exciting Life*
While living on earth, we have the opportunity to live the most exciting life. That is, we can deepen our relationship with God without end! With continuous submission to our dear Lord, we can attain the best possible intimate union with him in the limited time we have on earth. What a beautiful way to live!
*Chosen by God's Chosen One
In John 13.6, Jesus said, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." When the Father chooses us, he lets the Son know first. Then the Son chooses the ones the Father has given him. So we who follow the Lord were all chosen by the Chosen One of God.
***Beautiful Way of Living for God
The word of God is our spiritual food; it is most beneficial to our soul, as it's written: "One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes forth from the mouth of God." In John 14.23, Jesus said, "Whoever loves me will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our dwelling with him." Therefore, surrender yourself to the Lord to become one with him, then you'll be able to keep his word joyfully and effortlessly. To submit to the word of the Lord is to submit to the Lord. This is the most beautiful way of living for God.
**How Good and Bad Things Affect Us
Good things and bad things happen to both good and bad people for different reasons. God always blesses those who love him. Good things encourage them, making them even more grateful to him; bad things draw them close to him, making them even stronger. In fact, bad things would be a big blessing if they serve as part or the whole of their purgatory. As for the bad people who do not love God, good things happen when God rewards them for their ego. If this is all the reward they are going to get, it would absolutely be bad news. On the other hand, when bad things happen to them, they can be blessings in disguise, for God is trying to wake them up to realize that they need him.
Tuesday, October 20, 2020
***Our Big Day Coming
We all have some big days in life. I suppose that it was a big day when I got my college degree, but I would say that the day I got married was a lot bigger because it affected me emotionally a lot more. Then we'll all have a truly big day coming to us, that is the day we stand before the Lord. Today's Gospel acclamation, Luke 21.36: Be vigilant at all times and pray that you may have the strength to stand before the the Son of Man. Will you be strong enough to face Christ on that day? Will you be standing with knees shaking and a heart fast pounding? Or do you actually look forward to that moment with great expectations and joy? In the Gospel from Luke 12 that follows, we hear Jesus say to his disciples, "Blessed are those servants whom the master finds vigilant on his arrival."
*Unification and Division
In Luke 12, Jesus said to his disciples, "I have come to set the earth on fire, and how I wish it were already blazing! Do you think that I have come to establish peace on the earth? No, I tell you, but rather division." The fire he has come to set is the Holy Spirit who has united all those who believe in him into one Body in one Spirit. He has also come to cause division, for he foreknew that there would be many who would not believe in him. It's all part of the spiritual battle to this day.
*A Life-After-Death Experience
You can read the story telling what Fr. Jose Maniyangat experienced after he died in the right margin of this blog. Today I came across his story told by this video. I think it'd be worth watching if you haven't seen it yet or read the story.
**Praying the Rosary
The difficulty of praying the Rosary is that we are supposed to meditate upon each mystery while reciting the words of the prayers at the same time. It'd been a back-and-forth thing for me, so I decided to do it this way to help me become more focused. Maybe you'll find it helpful too.
Before I start, I let the Lord know what my main intention is. It could be for world peace, mercy on all the souls, and/or anything that's on my heart. Before starting a decade, I declare the mystery to which the decade is to be dedicated and that I am going to commemorate that mystery by praying the decade. After making my intent clear, I can wholly concentrate upon praying the Our Father to put me in the right place before the Lord, the Hail Mary's to ask the Holy Mother to intercede for me, and the Glory to fully praise the Holy Trinity. The Fatima prayer the Holy Mother asked us to say at the end of each decade is also important. We must constantly ask the Lord to save souls, especially those in most need of his mercy.
**God Alone Our Judge
We should not judge others because we just don't know what's truly in their hearts. Sometimes we do not even understand ourselves. Compared to God, none of us is completely trustworthy. God being our creator is the only one who knows our hearts and can judge us fairly. Also, since we are all to be judged by God as equals, we are not qualified to judge anyone.
**Thinking Beyond Death*
We all know that we are going to die, yet we think mostly about things of the world. As we get older, we may start composing a will, think about how we can avoid paying too much death tax, and possibly look into where we might like to be buried. That's about it. The most important question about where our soul will go after death for all eternity is just not taken seriously enough. This is odd, sad, and bad. As soon as we realize that God, heaven, and hell all exist, we should focus upon this issue before all other worldly considerations. Know that the Lord God wants to save us from our sins and we are sinners. Once we are sure that our soul is safe, we'll feel a lot more peace in our heart.
Monday, October 19, 2020
**Heading for Self-Destruction*
We really should be mindful of what Jesus said in today's Gospel reading from Luke 12. He first spoke against greed. To the crowd, he said, "Take care to guard against all greed, for though one may be rich, one's life does not consist of possessions." Amen. Then he told the parable of the rich fool. "A rich man planned to build larger barns to store his bountiful harvest and other goods and thought that he would have so many things stored up for many years that he could just rest, eat, drink, and be merry. But God said to him, 'You fool, this night your life will be demanded of you; and the things you have prepared, to whom will they belong?' Thus will it be for the one who stores up treasure for himself but is not rich in what matters to God." This message our material world would find most difficult to accept because it is what it needs to hear the most. Not to change the course is to head for self-destruction.
**Know Whom You Belong To
Today's response from Psalm 100: The Lord made us, we belong to him. It's such a simple statement, but it's absolutely true. I used to do a lot of wood working. Suppose I want to make a table. I would work out the design, buy the materials needed, cut each part to the right size, assemble the parts, and paint or stain the whole thing. The finished table is now mine! The Lord clearly made each of us, so we belong rightfully to him. And we should act like we were wonderfully made by God!
Sunday, October 18, 2020
**Peace and Agony
We can trust in the Lord fully and experience peace, but this does not exclude us from experiencing agony. Peace and agony can coexist with peace always underlying any other suffering. Doing the will of God promises peace, but not happiness.
Why Sermons Are Ineffective
Sermons from pulpits are weak when they are intellectually conceived without involvement of the heart. There is no inspiration from the Holy Spirit. As a result, they do not draw the listener any closer to the Lord. An effective sermon must exalt the Lord and not the speaker.
**Good to Know
No sin can escape God, but at the same time nothing you do for the glory of God will go unrewarded—just know this.
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