At Mass this morning, I saw in the pew in front of me a daughter sitting between her two parents. The girl seemed to be 10 or 11 years old. The mother was constantly holding her close to her side, caressing her at times. The love there was obvious. We parents pretty much all went through that stage. Then a point was reached at which the daughter or son just grew independent of you and left home and often the Church too. I've seen this happen to many families. So what went wrong? Well, I see the cause to be a relatively weak Church going against overwhelmingly powerful secular forces. To be strong, we need both parents to be fully dedicated to the Lord. Being lukewarm just won't cut it. I have not seen Catholics make the sign of the cross and say grace before a meal in a public restaurant. Many don't even do that at home. And there are many other signs of weakness. At a time like this, the Church and all of us need to be on fire to go on the offensive! We need to be as shrewd as serpents (Matthew 10:16). We cannot afford to remain complacent when the glory of the Lord is at stake.
Sunday, August 20, 2023
**Learning Becomes Easy and a Joy!*
Yesterday I posted about childlike faith most valuable. Today I see an advantage (benefit) of being childlike. You see, when you are like a kindergarten kid to the Lord, he reveals everything to you at your level, and that makes learning easy and a great joy!
Saturday, August 19, 2023
***Forever with God***
Communion experience. The bond we form with God is forever. His love for us is forever. This is precisely why he can truly satisfy us and make us happy forever. This is the Lord whom we can trust and rest in forever. If you are still looking for the truth that can set you free, check out Jesus Christ first to save time.
**Looking Ahead to Second Coming
Christ will come again to judge all of us, the living and the dead. Seek union with him thru the Holy Eucharist is the best way to prepare ourselves, for in union the Lord has already entered you and his final coming will simply be an awaited confirmation. It'll only be a shock to those who have not prepared themselves.
**Preparing for Our Journey Home
Everything we have belongs to God, even ourselves! Realizing this can set us free from all our unapt worldly attachments. With no baggage, we can be sure that our journey back to our home in heaven will be a smooth one without a hitch.
***Childlike Faith Most Valuable*
This is today's short Gospel reading from Matthew 19: Children were brought to Jesus that he might lay his hands on them and pray. The disciples rebuked them, but Jesus said, "Let the children come to me, and do not prevent them; for the Kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these." As God's children, we need to be childlike in believing in the Father. You may be the most intelligent, knowledgeable person in the whole world, but if you don't have a childlike faith in God, you are not one step closer to entering the kingdom of heaven.
Friday, August 18, 2023
***The View That Matters
How do you view a city or a country? Do you look at its history and culture? Its architecture? The number of modern skyscrapers and shopping malls you see? How affluent or poor its people are? How beautiful the sceneries are? All such things we notice. But the Lord God looks only at the hearts of the people which we cannot discern. This is the true, realistic view that will determine the eternal destinies of those at that locale.
*****Most Intimate Experience on Earth*****
Communion experience. God and I coming together to dwell in each other—it's the most intimate experience one can possibly experience in this life!
**How We Live Our Lives Matters*
Each of us has a life to live. It is how we live it that matters! I can't come more to the point. If you are too busy or not aware of this, you need to stop right now and look at how you've been living your life. Everything we do has consequences. What we do now determines what kind of lives we'll live in our next life. Do we live for God or ourselves? If however we live doesn't matter, then there's no right or wrong and no God, making living totally meaningless.
**Let Christ Refresh You
Jesus is forever refreshing, for he can refresh you spiritually at all times, especially when you are in union with him. You can always start anew with him, up to the last minute of your life on earth. But why take a chance, for you may suffer dementia or die suddenly without warning?
***Joy of Going Home (What Makes Life Worth Living) *
The first thing I felt today was the joy of going home to my Father, also the Father of Christ our Savior. It's only a matter of time. I don't desire that it come sooner nor later; I am just looking forward to it. This is what makes life worth living, no matter what kind of life you have now.
Thursday, August 17, 2023
***Power of the Holy Eucharist***
Communion experience. Believe in the Holy Eucharist and you'll experience the greatest and most beautiful transformation of yourself!
*****Demanding Commandment
In today's Gospel reading from Matthew 18, Peter approached Jesus and asked him, "Lord, if my brother sins against me, how often must I forgive him? As many as seven times?" Jesus answered, "I say to you, not seven times but seventy-seven times." (Some translations say seventy times seven times.) In other words, the Lord wants us to always forgive others. So if we do not forgive anyone, we go directly against the Lord—something we must not do if we don't ever want to impair our soul!
***Ultimate Objective
We usually pray to God asking for something. But even if we don't ask for anything, communicating with God from our hearts always endear us to him, bringing him closer to us. Our objective should be to attain complete spiritual union with the Lord. Be one with him so that we may become like him.
Wednesday, August 16, 2023
***Faith Being Tested**
The world is in a horrible state. Looking at my own country, I see so many lies being propagated daily, so much hatred among people . . . godlessness and lawlessness in general. Good news is always followed by a lot more bad news. Will things reach a lowest point and turn around? At times like these, our faith is being challenged to the core. For those who follow the Lord, they are experiencing a form of martyrdom, even though they know that the Lord will triumph in the end. It's like us watching Christ undergoing his Passion, knowing that he'll rise from the dead and ascend into heaven afterwards. Meanwhile, they must offer their own passion up to the Lord, never deviating from the truth. Mercifully, life on earth doesn't last that long.
***Dealing with Suffering*
As sinners living in this sinful world, it's impossible to avoid suffering. The right attitude is to accept it, believe in Christ who went thru so much suffering for our sake and is still suffering horribly today due to our unbelief, and offer all our sufferings up to him for his sake. This way we earn merits and will be rewarded greatly in heaven.