Praying Inward

        I have finished reading The Secret Diary of Elisabeth Leseur and started on He and I by Gabrielle Bossis (1874-1950), also French. Their life spans overlapped 1874-1914. While Leseur wrote her own thoughts in the diary, Bossis recorded her interior conversations with Jesus in her journal. What Jesus said to Gabrielle was remarkably succinct and to the point and that suits me fine. One day when she was talking to the tabernacle on the altar in church, Jesus reminded her that he was in her heart. This morning I pray to God dwelling in my heart after Mass and experienced greater intimacy.  

Linking to God

        Communion experience. After receiving Jesus in the Holy Eucharist, I knew that God the Holy Trinity dwells in me, for the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are one. Therefore, my link to God is complete and final. 

Seeing What's Beautiful

        God is beautiful. Having faith in God is beautiful. If you see both, God has made you beautiful.

On Viewing Others Correctly

        I just talked to one contractor who came out to look at some repair work that needs to be done on my house. He was a smooth talker, trying to impress me with his knowledge and experience ~ I knew that he was prepping me for receiving a high bid. As he started to turn me off, I sensed Jesus' love for him and instantly, I felt sorry for the man. I was saved from turning him off by the Lord! As most of us meet so many people in our lives, all the more we need to practice viewing others with compassion as Jesus does until it becomes our second nature.  

Before We Die ...

        It's common that after someone has died, some family member would be remorseful that he or she hasn't cared enough about the deceased. If I were dying now, I would certainly hope that I have already straightened out all my relationships with others. Therefore, when we are still alive, it's good to go over the list of people whom we have not forgiven, have not gotten along well with, have not loved enough. Then with God's help we can set all those relationships right, so that when the time comes, we may leave this earth in peace and with freedom. All for the glory of God.    

Safeguarding Our Soul

        Our soul is the most precious part of us. To safeguard it, we must give it to God because whatever belongs to him will be safe. If you do not belong to God, you probably have already sold part, if not all, of your soul to the devil. I do not mean to sound harsh, but God and the devil are really the only ones trying to capture your soul.

Thoughts Matter

        Those who contemplate the Lord continuously are free souls while those who think about themselves only are prisoners in their own cell.

Christ Alone Suffices

        Once one has Christ fully, he no longer desires sympathy from anyone else when he's in sorrow or trouble.     

Doing What Matters

        Doing God's will should be our intention in every thing we do ~ no exceptions. Then everything we do becomes important, relevant, and meritorious. Otherwise, we simply waste our time on earth.

As God's Conduit

        In everything I do, I must get out of the way of God. In loving others, it's not me loving but God loving through me. I am merely his conduit through which everything that comes from him flows freely.        

Know Christ First

         Sad news today: A twin-suicide bombing outside a church in Peshawar in Pakistan has killed at least 75 people, in one of the worst attacks on Christians in the country. Two bombers blew themselves up as worshipers were coming out of the city's historic All Saints church after attending Sunday Mass. Militants linked to Pakistani Taliban have said they carried out the bombing in retaliation to US drone strikes in Pakistan's tribal northwest. 

       We all worship the same God. Through Christ we know that God is love and he showed that by laying down his own life for all of us. Then how can believers in the same God do the exact opposite? The true victims in this tragedy are those who do not really know Christ yet. If you don't know him, you don't know what God is truly like. Lord, have mercy on all the victims. Christ, have mercy on all the victims.

Hidden in Jesus

        One sign you are living hidden in Jesus: you share all your joys and sorrows with him alone.

Lopsided Love

        When someone offends us, we easily get upset, feel angry, become hateful and unforgiving, and even want to retaliate. Then over seven billions of us offend God every day nonstop, so how does that make him feel? It dawned on me that since he is infinite love, he does not and cannot react the way we do: even though most grievously hurt, he remains pitying and compassionate toward us. How fortunate we have such a loving and merciful Father! 

The Sin of Omission

        It's easier to be aware that I have sinned in what I have done than in what I have failed to do. I am talking about the sin of omission. For example, I do not offend my guest, but I fail to treat him as a friend. What we should do is just as important as what we should not do. If we truly want to imitate Jesus, we must not omit the sin of omission.

Spiritual Revival

        Today's Communion experience. Spiritually, Jesus totally revived me!

Made for Each Other

        Today is the Feast of St. Matthew, Apostle and evangelist. In the Gospel reading from Matthew 9, Jesus declared that he did not come to call the righteous but sinners. Since we are all sinners, he is for all of us. Therefore, we are all to respond to him. God and us are perfectly made for each other.

Guarding the Tongue

        It's so easy to say anything that comes to our mind. Often what comes out of our mouth is sensitive to how others feel. We don't mean to hurt anyone, but we end up doing just that. Of course, sometimes we get misinterpreted too. This can happen easily at home with your own family. I see this as a form of self-indulgence. What can help is to see Christ in every person. Such an awareness keeps us from saying anything that might provoke or offend others.

We Are Special

        As I was taking an early morning walk, I saw how small I was in this immense, perhaps even infinite, universe, yet God loves me and wants me to spend eternity with him after this brief life ~ how special we must be to him! It's impossible not to feel elated when you realize this truth.     

Jesus Our Key

        Today I see Jesus as the key. We have all become my own slaves, trapped in the prison we've built for ourselves. Jesus, being true God, is the only one who can enter my hearts and unlock the door of our prison to free us. There is not another guru, master, teacher, or prophet who can possibly do this!

No Place for Self-Importance

        http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-24131917 ~ go to this link to see some of the best astronomy images of the past year, then wonder why we think we are the center of the universe and why we still don't get along with each other. 

Alone in God

        This is a most beautiful, sweet state for the soul. I can't find an exact word for it, but it's the very opposite of loneliness or isolation. Let the Lord enter you in that state and you have union!

To Be an Annoyance

        If you feel annoyed by something, what comes out of you will annoy others and you become an annoyance yourself.  

How to Approach Unbelievers

      Continuing reading Elisabeth Leseur's diary lead me to review how I should approach others who do not believe in God or whose faith is still weak. Here's what God had made me see.

         Never assume a holier-than-thou attitude. Love and a desire to understand must always prevail. Approach all with humility (Mother Teresa of Calcutta comes to mind). You are dealing with God's other children, so trust in him to change their hearts. 

Jesus "Spoils" Us

        After receiving Holy Communion this morning at Mass, I felt that he's all I needed. Having encountered and tasted him, nothing short of God can ever satisfy or console me anymore! I must have him or none.

Bad Sign of All Times

        In today's Gospel reading at Mass from Luke 7, Jesus pointed out to the crowds that when John the Baptist came neither eating food nor drinking wine and they said that he was possessed by a demon; then the Son of Man came eating and drinking and they said that he was a glutton and a drunkard. It just shows that people were quick to criticize others ~ still true to this day. I am dismayed to read so many negative comments on many websites that are self-righteous, unkind, derisive, even cruel or vicious. Freedom of speech doesn't mean we are to disregard decency, courtesy, civility, and freely say things to hurt others. This lack of self-control among present-day politicians, the news media, and people in general exposes the big ego problem we have, for speaking out makes us feel important. St. James calls the tongue a restless evil full of deadly poison that needs to be tamed. We need to listen to God more and not to criticize so readily.  

No Beauty Without God

        Everything about God is beautiful, most of all his love. He makes us all beautiful. He has so made us that we appreciate beauty. We sense the beauty of our faith in him. We discover greater beauty as we enter deeper into him. There can be no beauty without God! 

Best Unions

        The union of two souls in harmony is a beautiful thing, but there are just no perfect soul mates on earth as no two people are identical. Union with God is not only beautiful, but also perfect because one can surrender to God and there will be only one will, effecting perfect harmony. Next best would be the union of two souls both already in union with God, such as exists between two saints.

Are You a Christian?

        Continually reading the diary of Elisabeth Leseur, I am further impressed by her special love for those who needs God's love the most. She also writes that he who has ceased to love is not a Christian, is not a disciple of Christ, and that there is no exception to this rule. A strong statement, but she's right. If I do not serve the Lord with any zeal, I am not really a true Christian. We need to love the Lord with all our heart, mind, soul, and strength. Then we'll die happy and ready to receive our reward in heaven.         

Seeing the Real Lord

        We normally read what Jesus says in the Gospels as something said by someone in a remote land some two thousand years ago. But if you picture yourself at the scene, watching him and hearing his every word, you'll get the impact as his disciples did then. Now you easily see that he is speaking as our Lord and Savior. 

God Our Enjoyment

        Went to morning Mass. I started with complete emptiness because I wanted Jesus to fill all of me. When I received him in the Holy Eucharist, I was so filled and fulfilled that I had this "holy" feeling, a feeling the world cannot give and to which all other good feelings pale into insignificance in comparison. God is truly our enjoyment!

Number One Consideration

        I have started reading The Diary of Elisabeth Leseur, subtitled The Woman Whose Goodness Changed Her Husband from Atheist to Priest. Elisabeth (1861-1914), a holy, French woman, used her husband Felix's efforts to destroy her faith as means to grow in love for him and for God. When she died prematurely, Felix was still an unbeliever. Then he found her diary and was transformed after reading it. In 1915, he reconciled to the Catholic faith and became, later, a priest. I expect to be inspired by reading her beautiful writing myself. So far I've been impressed by her special love for those whose birth or religion or ideas separate them from her. We Christians must let love reign over all other considerations because God is love.

Perfect Contentment

        Communion experience. Again, Jesus made me forget all other things ~ perfect contentment in him alone.

The Greatest Relationship

        Today's Gospel reading, Luke 7.1-10, tells the story of the healing of the centurion's slave. Based upon what the centurion essentially said to Jesus, we now say at Mass before receiving Holy Communion, "Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof, but only say the word and my soul shall be healed." I see the greatest and perfect relationship to be the ideal relationship between God and man: we no longer question God, and feeling unworthy, we trust in God and he takes care of us. 

Touching Jesus Needed

        In both Matthew 9 and Mark 5, a woman suffering hemorrhages for twelve years came up behind Jesus, saying to herself, "If only I can touch his cloak, I shall be cured." She touched the tassel on his cloak and was immediately cured. We need to be open and desire to touch the Lord. Once that contact is made, we are on our way to healing and freedom. 

On Asking Favors from God

        Each time you ask the Lord for a favor, ask him also to make you holier. This shows that you are sincere in your request and he'll be more pleased to grant you what you ask for.  

Only Logical Goal

        If you love God and yearn for him, union with him becomes your only choice.

God Uplifts Us

         Communion experience. God always uplifts us. He exalts us to the level where we get to meet him in person.

What Jesus Is About

        During the liturgy of the Eucharist, how appropriate it is to refer to the consecrated bread as the Bread of life and the consecrated wine as the Chalice of salvation! "Life" and "salvation" ~ that's what Jesus is all about.  

How to Be Exalted

        Today is the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. The second reading came from Philippians 2. Excerpts: "Christ Jesus, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God .... Rather, he emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, coming in human likeness ... he humbled himself, becoming obedient to death, even death on a cross. Because of this, God greatly exalted him and bestowed on him the name, that at the name of Jesus, every knee should bend, of those in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord ...." You see how God loves humility. We now know how to be exalted by God.

Everything Can Wait

        Serving God should be our number one priority ~ everything else can wait. We only have so much time on earth for storing up treasures in heaven, while other things will always be around whether we accomplish them or not.        

Reason Jesus Not Accepted

        Anyone who does not know God knows of only one god, himself. The reason people do not easily accept or surrender to Jesus after learning about him is not that he is false, but that he is or could very well turn out to be the true God, thereby posing a threat to anyone who has all along considered himself to be the only god. 

Going Beyond Prayer

        The "danger" of prayer is that we are tempted to take it as an easy way out, thinking that we've done our part. Jesus, to show that he has the authority to forgive the sins of the paralytic lying on a stretcher, healed the man by ordering him to rise, pick up the stretcher, and go home. To show that we mean what we pray for, we also need to back up our intention with action if possible. If I pray for the sick around me and have the time, but do not make an effort to visit any of them, then I am a hypocrite. If I say I am pro-life but do not try to participate in any activities, then again, I am being hypocritical. In Matthew 5.41, Jesus taught, "Should anyone press you into service for one mile, go with him for two miles." We need to go that extra mile beyond our prayer.   

We Are Special

        We are the only creatures who are capable of conceiving God, visualizing his beauty, admiring his perfection, sensing his holiness, feeling his love, and being in awe of him. We are special in God's creation because we were made in his image to be loved by him.  

How to Follow Jesus

        Today's Gospel reading at Mass came from Luke 6. Jesus said to his disciples, "Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. To the person who strikes you on one cheek, offer the other one as well, and from the person who takes your cloak, do not withhold even your tunic. Give to everyone who asks of you, and from the one who takes what is yours do not demand it back. Do to others as you would have them do to you." 

          All this is not easy for us to follow. Then it struck me that the Lord would not teach us what he is not ~ so he really was telling us about himself. Therefore, to follow him is to imitate him.

The Ideal God

        God could be just a powerful being, creating the universe and all sorts of inanimate things. Then he also created things that have life, plants and animals ~ this shows that he has another aspect. Since we were created in the image of God, we were able to relate to God to some extent until Jesus came and made it clear that God is pure love. Now we have the ideal God, a God who has unlimited power of creation and an infinite love for us, his creature. What a blessing! 

What Makes God Beautiful?

        Love makes God perfect. Because he is perfect, he is beautiful.

Aiding God

        Since we have all inherited original sin, we are the only creatures in the universe creating chaos for God, but everything will be settled and restored by God at the end. We can facilitate the process by following and obeying him in this life.

Do Everything with Love

        Whatever we do for God, it will not be in vain. It will have its effect, be noticed in heaven, and come up again on Judgment Day. Therefore, do everything for the Lord with great love.

God Alone Important

        Communion time thought. Everything exists because of God. Our own existence or nonexistence depends totally upon God. Therefore, God alone is important to us and we should always feel grateful to him for having created us.

A Matter of Time

        I still care about this life and I am not a dreamer, but I can't help looking heavenward from time to time with great joy, knowing that the Father awaits me. For all of us, it's just a matter of time.