If you think you are OK with your boss or a family member or friend, you are OK. But if you think you are OK with God, then you are not OK if you are not sure about it. With God, it's no light matter. You can't "earn" salvation if you are casual about it. God means business because he and his words are totally trustworthy .
Saturday, October 17, 2015
Sweet Union
Communion experience. I have heard much beautiful music, but no music can possibly express the sweetness of union with God in the Holy Eucharist. All I could do was enjoying the Lord in deep gratitude.
Warnings From God
In today's Gospel reading from Luke 12, Jesus said to his disciples, "I tell you, everyone who acknowledges me before others the Son of Man will acknowledge before the angels of God. But whoever denies me before others will be denied before the angels of God. Everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but the one who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven." To me, these sayings could only have come from God himself. The warnings are well for us to remember. We must never, never blaspheme against the Holy Spirit, for he is God!
Abandonment in God
Total abandonment in God is entering the Lord to discover his wonders and experience true freedom, with the Holy Spirit teaching you everything. It's entering the kingdom of God to be one with love and beauty. God is all ours to enjoy, now and forever!
How to Live
The first verse of this morning's entrance antiphon from Galatians 2 at Mass: I am crucified with Christ, yet I live; no longer I, but Christ lives in me. The whole process of living can be summed up this way: Do I live or do I let Christ live in me? We have our free will. We feel the tug from God, but we turn away or resist ~ this goes on throughout our whole life. It's our choice to live triumphantly and free in God or to hide and cling to ourselves. It's just so hard to let go of oneself ~ the crux of the matter. Happy is the one who can abandons himself completely to God.
Friday, October 16, 2015
Imminent Judgment
I was driving home, passing a cluster of movie theaters, which made me think of the many immoral films that had been shown there in the past and the many people involved in producing and making those films. Then I thought of the imminent judgment from God we'd face, either right after we die or at the Second Coming of Christ. You really don't have to be a prophet to realize this. Personally, I choose to get ready for that moment now so that I may continue living in peace.
Never Homeless
In the news today: Pope Francis greets some of the homeless people the Vatican is taking care of. When sometimes my hair grows a little too long and I stop shaving for several days, others remark that I am beginning to look like a homeless person. Well, even if I become truly homeless in this world, I know I am not, because anyone belonging to the Lord already has the most beautiful home awaiting him in paradise!
God Knows!
In today's Gospel reading from Luke 12.1-7, Jesus said to his disciples, "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." Later he added that nothing escapes the notice of God and even the hairs of our head have all been counted. Indeed, the big difference between God and us is that he knows everything while we know almost nothing. This is reality whether you like it or not.
Joy of Salvation
Today's response to Psalm 32 at Mass reads: I turn to you, Lord, in time of trouble, and you fill me with the joy of salvation. This joy should characterize the Christian who has encountered the Lord and been saved. It is a joy only God can bestow and the world in general needs but does not know. This joy will reach its zenith when the saved one sees the Lord welcoming him or her home in the coming life.
Use of Contraceptives
It should be clear that God gave us sexual desires to assure that procreation will continue. To use any contraceptive solely for the purpose of enjoying sex is to thwart God's purpose and to be purely self-centered. If everyone does this at all times, humans would become extinct in a few generations. You don't have to be a theologian or scholar to see that the teaching of the Church against the use of contraceptives is right; you only need to cast aside selfcenteredness and think with a clear, cool mind. This teaching fits in perfectly with the other teachings on marriage and the sanctity of life.
Made Free
As I got up this early morning, it was still dark outside. Looking out the window from my bed, I saw the tall trees silhouetted against the dim sky. I realized that I am living in a dark world, yet have no fear because I am linked to God, free from the world and no longer bounded by its darkness. It's a great feeling, made possible by Christ the Lord.
Thursday, October 15, 2015
Be a Saint!
In Matthew 5.48, Jesus said to his disciples, "Be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect." So why don't Christians aim high? Why do we not aim for becoming saints? God deserves nothing but our best from us. I caught a little bit of a program on EWTN giving out good, helpful information to help your grow spiritually, but why do we not hear any speakers directly urging people to become saints? You don't need a saint to talk about becoming one ~ we need to know it because this is what the Lord asks of us! Aim high for God who is high and for whom everything is possible. Sainthood is the vocation call for every one of us Christians!
Existing Within God
Communion experience. I desire to be conscious of God alone, not even myself, in my existence. This would be ideal. The goal is to be completely engulfed by him in his love. All in all, an exciting process.
Christ Mighty
Today is the memorial of St. Teresa of Jesus. John 14.6 is the Gospel acclamation at Mass: I am the way and the truth and the life, says the Lord; no one comes to the Father except through me. I believe all Christians are familiar with this verse ~ what a mighty statement! In fact, all his deeds and words are mighty, culminating in his Resurrection and Ascension. There is no one else mighty and holy like him. He alone is worthy to be God and is God! Ignore him and you remain lost!
Wednesday, October 14, 2015
Grateful to God
Communion experience. I am most grateful to the Lord, for only he can take away my sins and only he can heal my soul ~ he gives me great joy! I love my Lord and my God.
Sin Deafens the Heart
God speaks to our heart constantly and it's beautiful to hear his sweet, gentle voice ~ but your heart must be pure and undefiled to hear him clearly, for sin makes it lose its hearing.
On Judging
At Mass this morning, a visiting priest made the distinction between judging someone's action and judging the person's intention. It is all right to judge someone's action to be wrong and correct him, but the intention is left for God to deal with. Jesus asks us not to judge ~ here "judge" implies "criticizing without love." It all goes to the saying: "Hate the sin, but love the sinner."
What Totally Matters
Where you go after you die matters. Whether you go to heaven or not absolutely matters. Therefore, believing in Jesus or not totally matters!
Works Matter
Today's response to Psalm 62 reads: Lord, you give back to everyone according to his works. God knows everything we do and everything we do matters to him and to us ~ this is the point. Happy is the one who always does God's will.
Being Alive Forever
I am alive now because God sustains all life. But if I let him dwell in me now (as in union), I shall be alive for ever!
Conserving Energy
One exercise book recommends that when you exercise with weights, do not show any strain on your face, but direct all your energy to lifting the weight. This makes sense in petitioning God too. It's natural for us to pray hard, wasting much energy on wondering if God has heard us or when and how he is going to respond to us. The superior and right way is to put all your energy into trusting in God and not any on feeling anxious and unsettled. In other words, pray from the heart, trust, and let it go.
Monday, October 12, 2015
Bittersweet Christian Life
As I prayed the Joyful Mysteries of the Rosary today, I realized that they are all about what the Holy Mother experienced and that hardship accompanied her joy each time. (1) Annunciation ~ with the joy of learning that she had been chosen to bear the Savior came the great responsibility of nurturing and rearing him. (2) Visitation ~ visiting her cousin Elizabeth involved arduous long-distance traveling. (3) Nativity ~ with no room at the inn, Mother Mary had to give birth to Jesus in a manger. (4) Presentation ~ Simon foretold that a sword would pierce her soul. (5) Finding Jesus in Temple ~ the temporary missing child must have caused distress in the mother's heart.
After reflecting upon the above mysteries, I saw that the our Christian life is basically bittersweet. The bitterness are the hardships that are either necessary or brought about by sin, and the sweetness, the ever presence of Christ in our lives.
Connecting with God
It is not always possible to get someone to listen to you, yet you can easily penetrate the heart of God our Father with what comes from the depths of your heart. Be sincere and trusting and the Father hears you. Communication at such a deep level generates great delight in the heart.
Key to Freedom
There is only one who deserves all our love, and it is Christ the Lord. Recognizing this is the key to reconciliation with God, our inner peace, and our eternal happiness.
Blind Generations
In today's Gospel reading from Luke 11, Jesus said to the people gathered in the crowd, "This generation is an evil generation; it seeks a sign, but no sign will be given it, except the sign of Jonah." What our generation, like all previous generations, has failed to recognize is that the biggest sign before us is Christ the Lord himself, the wonder of wonders!
Dealing With Reality
The bottom reality we face but do not always see in this world is the unceasing, ongoing battle between good and evil. In John 18.36, Jesus said, "My kingdom does not belong to this world." If we want to be with Jesus, we must not belong to this world either. So it is imperative that we overcome evil by being holy in this world so as to join Christ in his kingdom.
Joy of Holiness
In today's first reading from Romans 1, Paul reminded the Romans that they were called to belong to Jesus Christ, called to be holy. No doubt holiness pleases God, but anyone who is holy feels good himself too, being free and knowing that he pleases God. Anyone who does not feel any joy in the Lord cannot possibly be holy.
Sunday, October 11, 2015
Purpose of This Blog
The common means of fostering spiritual growth are reading good books, listening to inspiring speakers, attending various conferences . . . to name a few. I advocate that you go directly to the Lord to learn from him, that is, seeking union with him. Union with God has been sadly and mistakenly thought of as for the saints only. The fact is that it is for all of us and is what God desires the most from us! Seeking union is indeed the superior fast track to knowing and learning to be like God. The Lord made this clear to me six years ago and it is the central message he wants me to spread via this blog.
Parable of Love
Perhaps the best known and most beautiful parable Jesus ever told is that of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15,11-32). We know that God loves us because he had given his only Son, but when Jesus told this parable, he had not been crucified yet. It struck me then that no one could have come up such a parable except the one who intimately knows God or God himself.
Great Feeling
Communion experience. It is one of the greatest feelings to know that you have reconciled yourself to God and is ready to do his will. You get that home-sweet-home feeling.
Shakiness of Life
Life is on shaky ground, for anything can happen to us at any time and we are gone. Wise is he who realizes this, prepares for it, and is ready. For him the shakiness of life is a nonissue when he is assured of having a rock-steady future for ever.
Life an Endurance Test
In the Gospel reading from Mark 10 today, Jesus also said to Peter, "Amen, I say to you, there is no one who has given up house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands for my sake and for the sake of the gospel who will not receive a hundred times more now in this present age: houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and eternal life in the age to come." I see life as an endurance test. To receive eternal life, we are to given up everything, accept all persecutions, and live for Christ. The antithesis is to hold onto everything, reject sufferings and hardships, and live selfcenteredly, with no promise of eternal life.
God is Hope
In today's Gospel reading from Mark 10, Jesus said to his disciples, "All things are possible for God." This is saying to us that there is always hope in God.
God Knows and Cares
I'd like to quote the last verse of today's second reading from Hebrews 4 at Mass: No creature is concealed from him [God], but everything is naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must render an account. God knows and sees everything about us because we must render an account to him after we depart from this world. If he doesn't care about us, there would be no reason for him to know anything about us.
Saturday, October 10, 2015
God Calling
Whether you believe in the God of Christ or not, he is calling you in everything that happens to you, good or bad from your point of view. To the believer, what happens to him is always a lesson to be learned and an opportunity to be drawn closer to God. Therefore, he continues to grow spiritually and enjoys peace and freedom. The unbeliever won't hear God calling until he is humble enough to turn to him for help.
Observing the Word of the Lord
Today's Gospel reading from Luke 11 at Mass consists of just verses 27-28. When a woman from the crowd called out and said to Jesus while he was speaking, "Blessed is the womb that carried you and the breasts at which you nursed,” he replied, “Rather, blessed are those who hear the word of God and observe it." Indeed, the Lord makes everything simple for us ~ we only need to observe his word. When Mary understood from the angel that she was going to conceive in her womb and bear the the Son of the Most High, she said, "Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done according to your word." When Jesus called the twelve Apostles to-be, they dropped everything and followed him. The path of observing the word of the Lord may not always be smooth, but you'll be absolutely secure. Why do we make it so complicated? Good question.
Unselfish Love
God loves us unselfishly. I realize that when we fall in love with God, our love is equally unselfish. We just love him, period ~ no other motive. Sure, heaven might be in the very back of our mind, but loving him is only what matters. This is the Lord drawing you, so you love him with the love he has planted in you. This is the love that unites us to our creator and Father.
Friday, October 9, 2015
Holy Eucharist to Union
If I have killed someone and feel sorry about it, I could repent directly to God, but it would be difficult for me to know for sure that he has heard and forgiven me. God knows our human nature only too well. The Resurrected Lord appeared to his disciples, breathed on them and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained." (John 20.29.) Now we repent to the Lord before a priest. When the priest absolves us of our sin(s), we know we are being forgiven. The Holy Eucharist is to union with God as the sacrament of penance is to being forgiven by God. After receiving the Holy Eucharist, you know that the Lord is healing your soul to become one with you.
Mind for God Alone
As we usually are influenced by the company we keep, we are affected by what we hear too. All the mundane or even gossipy things we hear can easily disturb our inner peace. It is best to let the mind receive inspiration from God, for only he can uplift our spirit. Avoid or let pass all that is uninspiring or clutters the mind to reserve our space for the Lord alone.
Thursday, October 8, 2015
Communion Thoughts
Three thoughts after receiving the Lord in the Holy Eucharist: (1) My life is now complete, (2) God has filled me to the full, (3) I am ready to go to him.
What Life Is Like
You hear said "Life is like a dream," but I think it's more like a movie. A dream is rather ethereal, whereas a movie is a succession of scenes which you can direct and edit to achieve the desired ending. Watch this Catholics Come Home "Movie of Your Life" commercial to see what I mean.
How God Answers Us
"In today's Gospel reading from Luke 11, Jesus said to his disciples, "And I tell you, ask and you will receive; seek and you will find . . . ." The Lord is saying that when we ask, he hears and will definitely respond. He does not promise that we will receive exactly what we ask for, but whatever we receive will be good, as he later added: "What father among you would hand his son a snake when he asks for a fish? Or hand him a scorpion when he asks for an egg?" Trust in God always to receive what's best for us.
Condition for Peace
Today's entrance antiphon, Esther 4.17: Within your will, O Lord, all things are established and there is none that can resist your will. For you have made all things, the heaven and the earth, and all that is held within the circle of heaven; you are the Lord of all. Indeed, there will be no peace within or without us until we (1) acknowledge that the Lord has created all things, including us, and (2) submit ourselves to him unconditionally.
Wednesday, October 7, 2015
We Affect God
Communion time thoughts. God hates sin, only because he loves the sinner. If we choose to remain in sin, he would feel great sorrow. On the other hand, if we want him to take away our sins, he would be overjoyed. It's our choice!
Highest Honor
You may be honored by receiving honorary doctorates or the Nobel Prize, but no honor is higher than being called by God to serve him.
Most Moving Acts
(1) Jesus laid down his own life for us.
(2) Jesus gives his own flesh and blood for us to consume.
Our Advantage
The disciples of Jesus in his days actually saw him, heard him, and touched him. We who follow him today do not see him, hear him, or get to touch him, but we do have an advantage: Jesus had said to Thomas who was not present when the Risen Lord first appeared to the other disciples, "Have you come to believe because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed." (John 20.29.)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)