In today's first reading of Hebrews 11:1-7, Paul writes about faith. We can have faith in many things, but faith in God is unique and all that matters. We can never believe in other people fully, for they can change; nor can we believe in things, for they all pass away in time. God alone remains the same forever. Believing in the invisible God makes our faith even more meaningful and precious. It is a sign of humility that's most pleasing to him. It is this personal faith that forms the basis of our prayer life. It changes not only our present life, but also our afterlife for all eternity. (A necessary note. Once you believe in this invisible God, the God of Christ, because he truly is God, he becomes more real to you than all the visible people and things— absolutely rewarding!)
Saturday, February 18, 2023
Friday, February 17, 2023
***Christ Makes All the Difference
Communion experience. I know that by receiving this bread, I will live forever (John 6:51). It's going to make all the difference in the world to my soul!
**To Get Best Treatment from God
In today's Gospel reading from Mark 8, Jesus made three key statements to the crowd: (1) Whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and that of the Gospel will save it. (2) What profit is there for one to gain the whole world and forfeit his life? (3) Whoever is ashamed of me and of my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of when he comes in his Father's glory with the holy angel. So we must choose living for ourselves or for Christ. The answer to the question should be a no-brainer. We can't gain the world and have eternal life too. The third statement is good for us to know—the Lord will treat us the same way we treat him, so now we know how to get the best treatment from him.
**Wrong Is Wrong
In Matthew 5:37, Jesus said to his disciples, "Let your 'Yes' mean 'Yes,' and your 'No' mean 'No.' Anything more is from the evil one." So if you are wrong, know and admit that you are wrong. The Lord will be most pleased that you show no pride and remain with you.
Thursday, February 16, 2023
**Knowing God by Our Heart
We all have eyes to see and ears to hear, but our heart also has its eyes and ears. Keep using your heart to see and hear from the LORD until you know him totally by heart.
Wednesday, February 15, 2023
**Big Folly!*
This is to think that we don't need God or that we know more than God when we don't even know how we came into being.
****Getting into Heaven Relatively Easy**
Before morning Mass began, I was thinking that heaven seemed to be so far away somewhere you don't know where. Then I realized that I'd be there with no sweat because I know Jesus Christ. I used to do a lot of photography and found out that to succeed as an artist, you'd need three ingredients: talent, luck, and connections. I now know that to get into heaven, you'd only need one thing: faith in Christ. And it turns out that Christ's most ardent desire for you is that you get into heaven!
Tuesday, February 14, 2023
*****Why We Stay Away from God
If we know that God is infinite, almighty, our creator, and that he loves us, we have no choice but to trust in, obey, and love him. It's a no-brainer. Yet so many of us don't see it. It must be that they don't really believe that God exists or they simply put off facing him because of their sinfulness. Of these two reasons, I believe that that the first one is less likely and the second one prevalent, for if we have no sin, we would embrace the holy Lord wholeheartedly.
**God Incredibly Kind!***
Today's Communion experience. I receive the Lord and know that he has already taken care of my eternity. More than feeling relieved, I still can't quite get over the fact that the Lord should be so incredibly kind to me.
***Blessed Lightning
Just a few days ago, the Brazilian photographer Fernando Braga shared his image of Christ the Redeemer statue being struck by lightning on Instagram, and it has gone viral. As you know, this is the 98-foot-tall colossal statue that sits atop Mount Corcovado in Rio de Janeiro. It's considered to be one of the seven wonders of the modern world. Could this event be some kind of an omen? Ten years ago also in February, lightning struck the Vatican and a little over two weeks later, Pope Benedict announced his resignation. Anyway, here's the video posted by Braga on Instagram. (Watch it full-screen best.)
Monday, February 13, 2023
**False Joy
The world is full of it. Just look at the ads, the TV commercials, and the entertainment industry. Leave out the word "joy" and look for falsehood, and you'll find it in the news media, the big corporations, many politicians, many government agencies, and even the churches. The world has lost genuineness and cannot be trusted any more. Only the God of Christ stands alone as our Savior. He's the one who will resolve all our issues and lead all genuine souls to victory in the end.
*****Spicing up Your Spiritual Life*****
Do you know that God can make you as perfect as you want him to? It all depends upon how much you get out of his way. The fact is that there's no limit to how holy you can become. Realizing this can make following Christ truly exciting! By the way, becoming perfect as much as possible before you leave this earth will also provide you with a most smooth transition to life in heaven.
**Restless Wanderers
Today's first reading from Genesis 4 tells us that Eve bore first a son named Cain and then a second one named Abel. Later, Cain killed his brother Abel out of jealousy and resentment. The LORD then punished Cain and told him that he should become a restless wanderer of the earth. This is a good term to describe all evildoers. They wander because they don't know the way and are lost. They are restless because they don't know God and so have no peace. They are the very opposite of the Christians who know where they are going and have inner peace in their hearts.
*Loving God over Repenting Sins*
We need to love God and repent our sins. Of the two, loving God takes priority over repenting our sins, for if you love God, you will automatically want to repent your sins. Conversely, repenting your sins may not mean that you truly love God. Besides, focusing on loving God will also lead you to doing many good deeds.
Sunday, February 12, 2023
***Bonding with God***
When God calls us to follow him, it's our highest calling and a great honor to us. When we submit ourselves willingly to God to do his will from our very heart, it's the most beautiful response we can possibly give that he'll remember forever.
*****To Be Perfect Should Be Easy*****
In today's Gospel reading from Matthew 5:17-37, Jesus gave his disciples many teachings. He said he came to fulfill the law and even "went beyond" the many commandments. They are hard to any average listener, but listen we must, for they come from the LORD. Essentially, he wants us to be perfect in following him. Since he did ask, it must be possible. And if we comply with his will, success is assured. So trust in the LORD, follow his will, and let him make it effortless for you!