In today's reading 1 from Judges 13, an angel of the LORD appeared to the wife of Manoah from Zorah, who was barren, and announced to her that she would conceive and bear a son to be consecrated to God from the womb. He would begin the deliverance of Israel from the Philistines. She bore a son and named him Samson. The boy grew up and the LORD blessed him; the Spirit of the LORD stirred him. I like that last expression "the LORD stirred him." We need the Holy Spirit to stir us at all times. Without that, we become complacent; whereas like a fire, we need to be stirred by the LORD to keep burning hot for him.
Monday, December 19, 2022
**Life-changing Salvation
As Christmas approaches, I realize that our Savior has already come. In saving us, he's going to fill us with great joy and remove all worries, anxieties, and fears, for we shall be made clean and have eternal life.
Sunday, December 18, 2022
***Shocking News!
It's is headline news that Father Pavone, head of Priests for Life and a heroic leader of our pro-life movement has been stripped of his priesthood by the Vatican. This has shocked many of us. If you do a search online, on YouTube for example, you'll find plenty of people speaking up against this action. It seems that the Church hierarchy has bowed to the left to be politically correct. Please pray for Fr. Pavone (who's been addressed as Mr. Pavone now by the hierarchy) and the Church that the Lord will straighten everything out and restore the purity and glory of his Church.
I posted the above over an hour ago and have some afterthoughts. Jesus always did things out of love, not following the rigid rules of the scribes and the Pharisees. It seems today, many bishops act more like the scribes and Pharisees. When they want to get rid of some priest who speaks the truth and irritates them, they just accuse him of having violated some rule sans any compassion.
***A Love Story
We who follow Christ have all found the Lord to be attractive. So I see the progress of a spiritual journey as the evolvement of a love story. To remain stagnant is to cease falling in love with God more. The best way to move forward is to remain in his love until you finally attain spiritual union with him. Now you and the Lord are united in his divine love as one forever.
**Be Ready Now and Always
Jesus advises us to always remain vigilant and be prepared for his coming, for he shall appear at an expected hour. This is good advice, since we may die before his coming and meet him that way. So it's best that we be ready now and always. It does make sense to live each hour as our last one on earth. Prepare for the "worst" scenario is the wise way to go.
Saturday, December 17, 2022
***Perfect Pre-Christmas Prayer***
Today after morning Mass, we continued praying the Christmas Novena. The verse. 1 Thessalonians 5:23, from the first reading is particularly beautiful to me: May the God of peace himself make you perfectly holy and may you entirely, spirit, soul, and body, be preserved blameless for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. May the Lord answer this prayer for all of us before Christmas.
***Reaching the Spiritual Summit
Communion experience. Receiving the Lord in the Holy Eucharist is reaching the ultimate spiritual summit in this life. You receive exactly what the Apostles did from the Lord at the Last Supper. Receive it only if you believe that it's truly the body and blood of Christ and you are in a state of grace.
**Heart, Key to Reconciliation with God
Do you know that our heart is our first and last obstacle to our reconciliation with God? Give your heart to God to clear the way.
***God the Great Heart Specialist
If your heart is unclean, repent and God will totally take away your sins and make you clean. If your heart is heavily weighed down, tell God about it and he'll lighten your burden or lift it completely off you. If your heart is depressed, share you sorrows with him and he'll fill you with hope and joy. If your heart is badly wounded, seek help from him and he'll heal it. If your heart is broken, seek consolation from him and he'll make it whole again. Always share everything with God from your heart and it will become your great private joy.
**Dependence upon God Is Different
We are always taught to stand on our own feet and not to depend upon anyone else. This shows that you are a real man or woman. But there is an exception. When it comes to dependence upon God, it's not only good, but also most beautiful. We who are created and loved by God are already dependent upon God for all things, whether you realize it or not. But we need to acknowledge that dependence to the Lord from our hearts. This reconciles us with him and can even lead us to full spiritual union with him.
Friday, December 16, 2022
***Again, Be Prepared and Ready
A tragic car accident just took place in my little city, killing all four male occupants. The driver was a friend of a friend of ours. The car hit a tree, bounced off it, hit a second tree, and burst into flames. May they rest in peace. In these uncertain times when we are hearing so many warnings from heaven, we need to be prepared for whatever coming our way. But even in times of peace, we need to be ready, for we may die at any time. So it breaks my heart to see so many Catholics still remaining lukewarm or even straying away from the Church. For them, if any tragedy strikes, it'll come as a shock. How good it is to remain in the Lord and not have to be concerned, whatever happens to us.
***God to Go All Out For***
With such a beautiful and magnificent Lord, not to go all out to possess him is just not good enough. In Matthew 13, Jesus said to his disciples, "The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure buried in a field, which a person finds and hides again, and out of joy goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. Again, it's like a merchant searching for fine pearls. When he finds a pearl of great price, he goes and sells all that he has and buys it." This is how we should feel about the Lord. Once you find out how great and lovely he is, you will want to give up everything you have and go all out to possess and be possessed by him.
****Rejoicing in the God of Christ*
Today's first thought at morning Mass: We are so fortunate and blessed to have a God who is pure love and loves us with the greatest possible love. This is what we should rejoice about every moment! And our most appropriate response should be to let him make us holy.
Thursday, December 15, 2022
***Most Satisfying Relationship
Communion experience. It is supernatural because I experience the Lord as the most intimate person I can possibly know, an experience you can never have with anyone else in this world. The intimacy is life-changing and beautiful beyond words. He knows all about me and lets me know all about him. Christ is the only one we need to know, as he is our Savior. He truly fulfills all our desires.
***Our Pilgrimage
We all go to God anyway, so it's best to make our journey a pilgrimage to him. Seeking union with God thru the Holy Eucharist is absolutely the best and quickest way us to get there. When you receive the Lord in this holy sacrament, you already accept his invitation to be with him forever. Then when you give yourself completely to him, you attain union with him spiritually as well. You have practically reached the end of your journey.
Wednesday, December 14, 2022
**To Forgive All Others
Here's why we should not judge but forgive all others. We are all sinners, captives of the Devil to various degree. Even all the great evildoers are captives, not the Devil himself. So there is always hope for them to change, to become good, especially if we pray hard for them. Be merciful as our Lord is merciful.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)