Communion time thoughts. The worst thing that could happen to your soul is that you are possessed by an evil spirit. By the same token, the best thing that could happen to your soul is that you totally belong to the Holy God.
Monday, December 11, 2023
***Never Look Back***
When we follow Christ, we must not book back. Don't waste time dwelling on the past regretting you should or shouldn't have done something or lamenting that you missed some big opportunity. Let bygones be bygones. If you have sinned, confess your sins and get them absolved, and move on—they no longer follow you. And let nothing hold you back in following the Lord. Look forward only to the very best that's to come. A reluctant Christian risks losing the Lord altogether in the end.
*****How to Have Faith***
In my last post, you see how faith works wonders. But how do we acquiure faith? "Surrender" is the key. When we surrender to God, faith is born. As we experience wonders, we willingly surrender to him more and our faith grows. This is the exciting part of following Christ. When we realize that there's no limit to how far we can progress this way, it becomes even more exciting!
***LORD Eager to Forgive (Our Only God)***
In today's Gospel reading from Luke 5, Jesus healed a paralytic. Some men brought on a stretcher a man who was paralyzed, trying to see Jesus. Not finding a way to bring him in because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and lowered him on the stretcher through the tiles into the middle in front of Jesus. When Jesus saw their faith, he said, "As for you, your sins are forgiven." We see that the moment you have faith, the Lord is ready to forgive you! This is how eager he is to forgive us. Then the scribes and Pharisees began to ask themselves, "Who but God alone can forgive sins?" Jesus knew their thoughts and said in reply, "What are you thinking in your hearts? Which is easier, to say, 'Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, 'Rise and walk'? But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins"– he said to the paralytic, "I say to you, rise, pick up your stretcher, and go home." He stood up immediately, picked up what he had been lying on, and went home, glorifying God. The Lord spoke as God here. Come to think of it, there's no one else who can forgive our sins, for there's only one true God, the God of Christ.
**Christian = Fearless*
One thing we may not notice but need to know—it is that Christ Jesus can banish all our fears. You become fearless when you know that the almighty God is with you always. You are now truly free, aware that nothing can bind your spirit anymore!
Sunday, December 10, 2023
***Most Necessary for Us to Know
Nothing is impossible with God and that includes removing our sins so that we can get into heaven. This is super important for us to know and believe in.
***Connecting Properly with the Lord
How well are you connected with God? Loosely or most intimately? We must be more than lukewarm to receive any benefit. Anyway, with the Lord God, the only proper way to connect with him is to go all out and all the way; for he is most holy, most loving, and most trustworthy, and our calling is to become like him. Again, I advocate seeking to attain union with him. The Holy Eucharist is our greatest aid in helping us complete that process.
Saturday, December 9, 2023
**We Are on Our Own*
Each of us is responsible for our own actions. At judgment time, we'll be alone with the Lord. Every thought we entertain, every word we utter, and every deed we perform will help to shape our case. So in the limited time we have, it is most important that we use our time wisely and not squander any of it away. If you can be happy for all eternity, whether the world recognizes or appreciates you is just about irrelevant.
*****Most Directed Words (Power of the Eucharist)***
At the Last Supper on the day before Jesus was to suffer, he took bread, said the blessing, broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying, "Take this, all of you, and eat of it: for this is my body which will be given up for you." Then he took a cup, gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, "Drink from it, all of you, for this is my blood of the covenant, which will be poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins." These words of the Lord are like arrows aimed directly at our hearts. Let them penetrate our hearts so that we may belong to him forever!
***Our sole Concern
In today's Gospel reading from Matthew10, Jesus sent out the Twelve, instructing them thus, "Go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. As you go, make this proclamation: 'The Kingdom of heaven is at hand.' Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, drive out demons. Without cost you have received; without cost you are to give." That last statement I italicized gave me the following thoughts. We don't need to ask God for anything for ourselves. labor for him and we'll surely receive the best from him. We don't need to expect being rewarded either, for rewards shall surely come. Our sole concern is then serving the Lord without cost.
Friday, December 8, 2023
***Humbled and Exalted
Communion experience. The Lord made me see that I was nothing before him, yet he treated me as the apple of his eye. He humbled and exalted me at the same time.
****Will, Heart, and Soul*
Giving your soul to God and giving your heart to God are both proper and good, but giving your will to him takes care of everything.
*****Our Most Beautiful Dwelling*****
It's the Lord himself! The deeper you enter, the sweeter his love you taste. In him, you enjoy intimate union with him and experience absolute security of your soul. Peace, freedom, and joy abound. The Lord of Christ is all we need to fulfill all we desire for eternity!
**Being Enlightened by God
Today's reading 2 came from Ephesians 1 in which Paul writes: God has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavens, as he chose us in him, before the foundation of the world, to be holy and without blemish before him. In love he destined us for adoption to himself through Jesus Christ . . . After reading this, how can we Christians not feel elated, knowing that God has blessed us so much? Any Christian who feels unhappy has to be an unenlightened Christian.
***In Union with Heaven*
Today is the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Of course, Mother Mary is most close to our Lord Jesus. Then I see that when we receive the Holy Eucharist, we are mystically united with the Lord, the Holy Mother, and all the saints most intimately, bringing us close to the whole heaven!
***First Things First
We shouldn't ask God to have mercy on us when we are not ready to surrender ourselves fully to him yet. If we do, it would be like asking the Lord to forgive us our sins when we haven't resolved not to sin against him again. We need to get our priorities right.
Thursday, December 7, 2023
**Diffeence Christ Makes*
Another picture of our situation. We are all holding onto the edge of a cliff. Without Christ, we simply hang on by our own strength. Eventually, we get tired, weaken, and fall off. If you have Christ, he already has a rope tied around you. Even if you let yours hands go, you are still safe. This is the big difference Christ makes.
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