God Wants the Best for Us

        Today's Entrance Song, 1 Samuel 2.35: "I will raise up for myself a faithful priest; he will do what is in my heart and in my mind, says the Lord."  [How beautiful to be of one heart and one mind with the Lord!]  

        Gospel Acclamation, 1 John 2.5: "Whoever keeps the word of Christ, the love of God is truly perfected in him."  [The pathway to perfection!] 

        Communion Song, John 10.10: "I came that men may have life, and have it to the full, says the Lord."  [God wants to give us life to the full ~ truly overwhelming!]

        All my comments in brackets end with an exclamation mark, because God loves us so much that he only wants to give us the very best. 

               

How Good to Be Penitent!

         Today we celebrate the Memorial of St. Charles Borromeo.  I felt particularly good when we were doing the Penitential Rite, confessing to God that "I have sinned through my own fault, in my thoughts and in my words, in what I have done, and in what I have failed to do..." ~ it just seemed so fitting for us to confess to the Lord.  He has the power and is ever ready to free us by making us pure.  It's as if we have a safety net ready to catch us at any moment.  Let us be prodigal sons or daughters returning to the Father.  We can only go wrong if we stay away from him.    

Proof of Truth

        The more you believe in Jesus, the more you find him beautiful.  To me, this is the proof of truth.

How to Live Today

        From today's Reading 1 from Romans 14 at Mass: "We shall all stand before the judgment seat of God . . . each of us shall give an account of himself to God."  Like death, this is unavoidable and is as it should be. You've heard that we should live as if today is the last day of our life ~ it's equally valid or even more immediate to say that we should live as if today is the day of our judgment before God.

Sin Has No Place

        As a Eucharistic minister, I sometimes have to get consecrated hosts from the tabernacle to visit those who are not able to attend Mass at church.  When kneeling before the open tabernacle, I really feel the presence of the Lord.  If I am sitting in the very back of the church, far away from the tabernacle, I just do not get that same intense feeling.  This morning at Mass, the Lord made me see that this was merely psychological and that it's erroneous to think that his Holy Presence is only limited to the tabernacle area or the interior of the church; in fact, he is present everywhere, transcending space.  Therefore, sin has no place anywhere.      

Clear-Cut Message

        Today is All Soul's Day.  In the Gospel reading from John 6, Jesus spoke to the crowds, "For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in him may have eternal life, and I shall raise him on the last day."  The message just can't get any more clear-cut!

An Exclusive Relationship

        When we pray to God, don't expect things to change, but expect God to change them.  Trust God alone, not people.  Do God's will only and not follow anyone else.  Praise only God.  Do everything through him, for he is our agent.

Live and die for God.  Remember that it's always between you and him.

Salvation Most Beautiful

        This is the first day of September, appropriately the Solemnity of All Saints.  The readings of the Mass were extraordinarily beautiful:

        (1) Reading 1 from Revelation 7.  

        A great multitude from every nation, race, people, and tongue stood before the throne and before the Lamb, wearing white robes and holding palm branches in their hands.  They cried out in a loud voice: "Salvation comes from our God, who is seated on the throne, and from the Lamb."  [We need salvation, yes, and God provides just that!]

        One of the elders spoke up, "These wearing white robes are the ones who have survived the time of great distress; they have washed their robes and made them white in the Blood of the Lamb."  [The precious Blood of Jesus has made our robes snow white!]

        (2) Reading 2 from 1 John 3.

        Beloved, we are God's children now; what we shall be has not yet been revealed.  We do know that when it is revealed we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.  Everyone who has this hope based on him makes himself pure, as he is pure.  [Pure souls in all white robes!]

        (3) Gospel reading from Matthew 5.

        On the mountain the Lord taught the Beatitudes.  [What beautiful teaching!  Let's live these sayings and we'll be amply blessed.]

        Last, the pastor reminded us that we are eternal!  We don't just die and become nothing.  Do we want to live afterward eternally with God or not?  This is to be settled while there's still earthly life in us. 

Two Beautiful Situations to Be In!

        (1) Praying to the Lord with all your heart and then trusting in him with all your heart.

        (2) Letting the Holy Spirit move you before you take each step.

The Coming-Home Process

        When I first accept Christ into my life, I searched for a Christian church to join.  I knew there's the Catholic Church, but since there were just so many more Protestant churches around, it seemed that the Catholic Church was an oddball among the many Christian churches. As a brand new convert, I just didn't know much ~ a Christian church is a Christian church. I even looked into Christian Science. Once I found a friendly church with a pastor that gave good sermons, I joined and became a member.  I was happy, so I just never wondered why the various Protestant churches belonged to different denominations or if there was an original church that started from the time of Christ.  Happy people are content where they are and don't search or look elsewhere. It's only after I noticed some of the questionable practices and disunity among the Protestant denominations that I began looking outside Protestantism.  I believe that's how it happens to most Protestants who have come home to the Catholic (meaning all-embracing) Church.  The oddball church, usually the last choice on the would-be convert's list, turns out to be the one and only choice.     

Responding to God

        In today's Reading 1 at Mass from Romans 11,  Paul writes: "Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God!  How inscrutable are his judgments and how unsearchable his ways!"  After I heard that, it struck me that God is truly awesome that to exalt ourselves before him would be sheer folly and the only sensible course for us to take is to remain humble and obedient, period! 

Interior Freedom Matters

        Today I saw hundreds of sea gulls circling in the sky with great ease and freedom.  The sight made me wish that I could fly too.  Ironically, it happened over a large prison facilities with all the inmates housed in massive concrete buildings with narrow windows that looked almost like slits.  I asked myself if I preferred physical freedom over imprisonment.  The answer: One choice is not necessarily better than the other if one doesn't have any interior freedom in the Lord.  In fact, there are inmates who are grateful that imprisonment has brought them back to God.  Being imprisoned with interior freedom is definitely better than being outside of prison without interior peace. 

Formula for Spiritual Success

       I am reading the Gospel from Matthew 23 for tomorrow's Sunday Mass in preparation for a service I'll be conducting.  In it Jesus says, "Whoever exalts himself  will be humbled; but whoever humbles himself will be exalted."  Here is the formula for spiritual success.  If I exalt myself, I may win some temporary admirers, but I'll never win any hearts.  I'll never be content either, for discontent is the reason for self-exaltation.  The very reason we follow and adore the Lord is because he is humble and meek and he serves others.  The Lord knows how to win hearts, so let's listen to him.  

God to Be Accepted in Toto

        It comes to my mind again today that we must accept God in toto.  Truth is truth only because it's true as a whole.  If we accept God in all, then we must likewise accept the Church he built upon Peter, our Catholic faith, and her teachings.  Thus, to accept only certain teachings and reject others is to not believe that God is the whole truth.

On the Road to Suicide?

        Patrick Buchanan's new book is entitled Suicide of a Super Power: Will America survive to 2025?  I have not read the book nor am I a follower of Buchanan ~ the title just caught my attention.  I remember that in the 50's in Ohio, most people didn't even lock their front doors when they went out.  Those who'd been divorced kept it quiet because it's not something to let everyone know about.  Look at today how bad crimes are and how people go on TV to tell all the sordid details of their lives.  We have come a long (wrong) way in a short time.  Abortion is now legal.  Couples living together is nothing to be ashamed of.  The latest news ~ Catholic University of America is being sued by one individual over having crucifixes on classroom walls considered to be "offensive" to the Muslim students.  What ridiculous charges next?  The alarming fact is that one frivolous person can now make all the rest suffer.  People are becoming gods ~ is this what freedom is all about?  We are now absolutely in a moral crisis.  You'd better believe that this nation is well on the road to suicide!  God is our last and only hope, but it's hypocritical to ask God to bless us when we really don't have any true desire to repent and return to him.  It's not too late to turn around, but the time is getting short.

The Love of Christ

        In today's first reading from Romans 8, Paul is convinced that nothing can possibly separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus.  He's very emphatic about this and I am willing to go along with him.  Knowing that someone cares for you is always a consolation.  Knowing that God loves you should bring great elation to the heart!  The gift of the Holy Eucharist instituted by the Lord affirms his love for us, and I received it this morning with a special joy and appreciation.  Would that the world were aware of the everlasting love of Christ for us!  

Existing for God

        In the dark and quiet of the night when I am awake with nothing to distract or disturb me, I particularly sense the presence of the Lord.  I can easily contemplate him, pray to him, tell him what's in my heart, or just ask him questions. 

        Now, in darkness imagine that all that is around you is gone ~ the bed, the whole house, the earth, and all the stars.  What's left is just you in the empty space, which is nothing.  In the absence of gravitational pulls, you become weightless.  There are absolutely zero reference points around you, so the question whether you're stationary or moving is pointless.  The only thing you're aware of is that you exist, as a point in nothingness.  Since God transcends both time and space, it's also pointless to ask where he is at any time.  He is the alpha and omega.  He simply exists, so he is present everywhere at all times.  Without God we are truly lost in space and exist for nothing.  On the other hand, with God we can celebrate our existence, for we have God to exist for ~ our best reason for living.                       

A Better Traveling Picture

        These thoughts are a continuation of my post yesterday, Just Passing Through.  I see the Father in heaven as the goal of my journey, my destination.  The Holy Spirit is my GPS as I travel forward.  The Mass I attend is a stop for rest along the way.  At each stop, Jesus refuels and invigorates me.  As long as I don't look back, it should be smooth sailing all the way. 

Just Passing Through

        Today I was standing in my home living room and realized that one day I wouldn't be seen in this room (or the entire house for that matter) anymore.  I clearly saw that I was just passing through and I resolved to travel light, not to let any baggage weigh me down on my journey.  I recalled that when Jesus sent out the seventy-two on their mission, he told them to carry no money bag, no sack, no sandals (Luke 10).

God Frees Us

        In Reading 1 from Romans 8 at Mass today, Paul talks quite a bit about living according to the flesh and living according to the spirit.  I went through all that myself, going from darkness to light.  Now that I am so joyful living in the light of Christ, I have trouble believing that I was actually that "stupid" to be a slave of sin for so long.  I was stupid all right, but it's through God's mercy that I was brought out of slavery into freedom.  Just let God take over and your day will just keep getting better and brighter forever (because heaven awaits at the end).

The Beauty & Perfection of Jesus

        This morning during pre-Mass prayer, I sensed the great beauty of Jesus radiating from his perfection.  This beauty due to perfection is too profound for words.  I just knew that he's all one could desire.  The soul enjoys a moment like this more than reading through volumes of spiritual classics.  

Humility Still Most Pleasing

        After receiving Communion this morning, this picture formed in my mind. Earlier at Mass, I saw that the Lord was my refuge.  Now I see that he is a solid, protective wall encircling me with me safe and secure at the center of the circle.  Any praises, compliments, flatteries... coming my way simply bounce off the wall and disappear.  God loves us already.  What pleases him the most is still our humility before him.

God, My Rock and Refuge

        The solid feeling I had during prayer before Mass started this morning was that God is absolutely my rock and refuge.  I am free to go to him to unload a thousand concerns in my heart and he would gladly listen to them all.  Should I slip or stumble and fall, he'll be there to catch me.  I lean on him as much as I want and the support will always be there.

A Lesson in Humility

        Muammar Gaddafi was killed today and his demise was wildly celebrated by many Libyans shouting "God is great!"  I started to wonder ~ if God loves everyone, would it be OK to rejoice when someone is killed and praise God at the same time?  At any rate, the lesson here for us as followers of Christ is that we must learn to read the signs and have the humility to accept God's will, no matter how contrary it may be to our own.          

Nothing Besides God

        If God cannot satisfy you, nothing will and you remain unhappy forever.

Jesus Is Our Test

        In today's Gospel from Luke 12, Jesus told his disciples that he had come to establish division rather than peace on earth.  The division is cause by the fact that not everyone will choose good over evil or put his or her faith in Jesus.  This is proof that evil exists and Jesus came as a test to challenge us.  Faith in the Lord is then made meaningful. 

Jesus Is the Bridge

        We are sinners, and when God gave us his Divine Son Jesus, he laid down a bridge made of love, linking us to him for us to walk toward him.  Those who seek union with God will want to walk all the way to the other end to touch him.

Let Jesus Rule

        This morning before Mass began, I felt that Jesus was sitting on a throne ruling from my heart.  The weight of his presence gave me a great stability.  His ruling will be my guide from now on. 

Go Deep in Christ

        Go deep in Jesus and you'll find yourself alone in the most beautiful private world of his perfection.  Once you experience that, your whole outlook on life changes and you are free from all the snares, lures, and attractions of the world. 

Don't Miss God

        If you cannot find a god that's more loving than the Christian God, then you should grab him while you still can as it's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!  You miss him once and you miss him forever.

The Business Christian

        From a "business" point of view, a Christian is like a shrewd businessman who has invested wisely for a secure future.  His assurance of it is reflected in his present living without fear nor anxiety, fulfilling what Jesus asks of us. 

God Planned It All Out

        I've been thinking about the Holy Trinity.  First, God the Father created all of us out of love.  Then Jesus, the Son of God, came into the world to show us just how much God loves us.  Finally, after Jesus left our world, God the Holy Spirit descended upon us as the Comforter, transforming us into temples of God.  We're assured now that God is always with us.   

God Forever Refreshing

        On the way home driving earlier, I turned on the radio and Wagner was playing.  The piece had plenty nice melodies ensuing one after another.  Soon the music became rather predictable and tedium set in.  Then I remembered God who stays forever the same, yet he is always refreshing and new.  

God's Love

        God defines love since he is love.  This love is noble, pure, and selfless.  No matter what much we offend him, his compassion and pity remain constant, with sorrow but never resentment.  This love touches the soul and can melt away all the impurities and dross in the heart.  This love liberated the spirit, opening the door to freedom and eternal life.  In fact, when with this love we can love him back, love all the saints and holy angels, and love all our neighbors, both good or bad in this world, then we know that God rules in our heart and we are in union with him.

Love Is Complete When...

God loves us and we love him back with the love we have received from him.

1,000 Reasons for Turning to God

        Every evil you hear about is one more reason (opportunity) for you to go to God to pray for his mercy on us and the whole world.  Today I read on BBC News is that every five hours a child dies from abuse or neglect in the US.  The latest government figures show an estimated 1,770 children killed as a result of maltreatment in 2009.  A recent congressional report concludes that the real number could be nearer 2,500.  As a result, America has the worst child abuse record in the industrialized world. 

God Is for Transforming Us

        Please note that God, Love, will never put fear, hatred, jealousy, anger, impatience, despair, or any other negative feeling in you; he only wants you to have peace and joy.  Therefore, if you have negative feelings, they must have originated from you.  Ask the Lord to take them away and transform you in the process.

The Rich & the Poor

        I don't classify myself as either a conservative or a liberal ~ I just follow the ways and teachings of Christ.  Here are some of my thoughts on the current Wall Street protest movement.

        There is nothing wrong with getting rich, but there is a lot wrong if the rich forget that what they have all came from God and that they have the obligation to aid the poor.  Why do the CEOs of large corporations earn millions in salary and bonuses, even when the company is losing money in some cases?  How much do you really need to live comfortably?  Last time General Electric made a profit around 16 billion dollars and didn't have to pay a cent in income tax.  It seems to me that they could have given away at least 1/16 of that amount to some good causes.  Even the CEO of American Boy Scouts earns over a million in salary and compensation! The president of the non-profit American Red Cross is well paid too ~ over $650,000 a year in salary ~ this fact alone probably keeps many from wanting to donate to the organization.

        As for the poor, if they are not holier than the rich, they will be just like the present rich once they become rich, and the situation is no better.  Basically, if we do not believe in God and do not let God change us, nothing will fundamentally change.  Mark my words.      

Barrier to Full Union

        Today is the Memorial of the great St. Teresa of Jesus, so the subject of self-surrender to God comes to my mind.  Since God is the Lord and Creator of all things and we are merely his creatures, just by common sense we see that our only role is to surrender ourselves to him ~ I just don't see any other logical alternative for us.  Many of us do believe in God, turn to him, pray to him, do works for his glory, and receive graces from him, but we still have not given ourselves over to him completely.  As long as there is still that last barrier between God and us, it will be an obstacle to achieving full spiritual union with him.

God Knows All About Me!

        I know that God loves me, but yesterday I felt good when I realized that God knows all about me.  He knows my thoughts before I express them; he knows my heart, seeing everything in it; he totally understands me more than I could understand myself.  With all this knowledge about me, surely he would know exactly how to guide me, and I'll never be lonely again.  

        This morning's Gospel reading from Luke 12 confirms my thoughts. Some excerpts: "There is nothing concealed that will not be revealed, nor secret that will not be known.  Therefore whatever you have said in the darkness will be heard in the light, and what you have whispered behind closed doors will be proclaimed on the housetops.  Are not five sparrows sold for two small coins?  Yet not one of them has escaped the notice of God.  Even the hairs of your head have all been counted.  Do not be afraid.  You are worth more than many sparrows."

Christ Has Come!

        During Eucharistic Prayer at Mass this morning, the memorial acclamation said was: "Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again."  Of course, Christ will come again, but what struck me was that he has already come and we must dwell on that and not be so concerned about when he will come again.  As far as I am concerned, he comes to me every time I receive Holy Communion.

Enjoy God Fully

        God is our Father.  God is love ~ he sacrificed his own Son in our place to save us.  He is all mercy and only wants to give us the very best both in this life and the next.  When we receive the Holy Eucharist, he enters us and becomes united with us ~ we're now in each other.  Therefore, enjoy God as much as possible all the days of your life. 

Stages of Spiritual Growth

        These stages can overlap somewhat:
        (1) You believe in Jesus.
        (2) You get to know Jesus.

        (3) You fall in love with Jesus.

Freeing the Free Will

        As long as you still need to exercise your free will to choose the good or the bad, you are not free.  When your will and God's will become one, then there's no need to exercise your free will anymore ~ both you and your free will are now free.    

Worse Sinful Condition

        It is bad enough that you are in sin.  What's worse is that you don't even look at your sin, treating it as if it's not there.  To ignore sin is to ignore eternal life.

Most Intimate, Personal Moment

        The Most Holy Sacrament, the Holy Eucharist, is not held in high esteem by many.  They'd rather sleep late, catch the game on TV, or go fishing than attending Sunday Mass to receive the bread of life from heaven.  How sad that they really don't know the Lord!  How foolish that they "ignore" the very God who made them out of love! 

        Know that the most intimate, personal moment you can ever have is the moment right after you receive Christ in the Holy Eucharist when you and God alone are united as one.

How Near Is Peace?

        The news happening around the world is getting worse each day.  What saddens me the most today is that child sacrifice is still a business in Uganda and the perpetrators are not even placed under police arrest.  Elsewhere we hear assassinations, murders, protests, mutual accusations and threats among the nations...  Back home, ambitious, egoistic, insincere, and unethical politicians place their own interests ahead those of the nation.       

        As long as we leave God out of the picture and do not repent and become humble, there will be no peace for us.  All peace starts with peace in our heart ~ it's that simple.

Truth of Jesus Realized

        After receiving Holy Communion at Mass today, in a instant I realized that the Lord is totally true.

Action Makes the Difference

        Jesus stresses the importance of hearing his word and acting on it so that we may bear fruit. After you hear the word preached in the homily at Sunday Mass, do you act upon it at all? Or your conscience tells you that you should do something and you only go as far as agreeing with it? The Protestants claim that we are justified by faith alone, while we Catholics believe that works are necessary too. In reality, if you truly believe in God, good works automatically follow ~ you can't help it. At any rate, whether you act or not after hearing the word of God makes the big difference. It results in the difference between being a nominal Christian and being a true disciple of Christ.

Our Best Assignment

        Athletes hoping to win an Olympic medal train long hours every day for years.  I know musicians who live for music; if you take away their music, they'd rather die.  Then there are high school students who set their minds on entering Harvard or Stanford, and business persons determined to make a fortune before they are 30 or 40.  Such single-mindedness, such determination, such dedication!  But to whom will the Olympic medal be awarded?  When life is over, will your music still be around?  Will Harvard or Stanford and making a fortune make you truly happy?  If you want to do all these things without involving God, then I'd say that you are basically self-centered.

        Jesus wants us to love our God with all our heart, with all our soul, with all our mind, and with all our strength ~ here is the best assignment for us!  Replace all your worldly goals with loving God and you'll never regret the outcome.