Thomas finally saw the resurrected Jesus and exclaimed, "My Lord and my God." This is not merely addressing him, it's more expressing his awe at seeing him. This is a most fitting prayer for us to say, complementing the Lord's Prayer.
Monday, November 2, 2015
Reality of Jesus
I see anyone postponing acknowledging Jesus as being extremely foolish because he is our creator, he loves us, and he can make us live happily ever after. If there ever is reality, he is it. To accept (reject) him is to accept (reject) ourselves also.
Mark of a Free Soul
Worldly attachments are very much like leeches, weakening you as they cling to you. If you are very much attached to the things of the world, you are not ready for leaving this world yet, and your departure may not be so peaceful or joyous. Feeling happy about dying at any time then is the true mark of a free soul.
Aiming High
If you expect to spend some time in purgatory, you are not aiming very high. Love the Lord with all your heart and aim at becoming a saint, then you might very well skip purgatory altogether.
Living Christian
For the faithful Christian, life only gets better as time passes, and reaches its absolute best at the end. For him or her, hope is ever present. Living Christian is the best way of life, irrespective of the person's social status, wealth or poverty, education level, his anything about him in the world.
Sign of Saintliness
The marked difference between saints and not-quite-holy persons. Saints, who see the continuity of life, live for the next life first and the present life second, while the latter live mostly for this life.
Challenging Proclamations
Today is All Souls' Day. The Gospel acclamation at Mass came from John 11: I am the resurrection and the life, says the Lord; whoever believes in me will never die. In the Gospel reading from John 6, Jesus said, ". . . I came down from heaven not to do my own will but the will of the one who sent me." Such bold and challenging proclamations! They either are the truth or complete fabrications ~ we must decide. Under such circumstances, to ignore these claims is no better than to reject them.
Continued Healing Needed
Last night I dreamed that I was lost, couldn't find the way to get back to where I needed to be on time. So what's going to happen now? ~ there was that panicky feeling. And I realized that I needed God to continue to heal my past, my subconscious, my heart and my soul.
Sunday, November 1, 2015
Petitioning God Calls for Surrender
In praying the Chaplet of Divine Mercy, we petition the eternal Father for mercy on us and on the whole world. It struck me today that if we're to beg God for mercy, we need to submit ourselves to him first. Therefore, praying the Chaplet offers a chance to abandon ourselves to God once more.
Saturday, October 31, 2015
Our Creativity vs God's
The 21st century technology is quite amazing ~ just examine what a smartphone can do. Then I look at a single blade of grass and realize how much more natural and amazing its creation is, making what we have achieved look contrived, elementary, and artificial. God's effortless creativity is on an entirely different level. Let us remember that he also created us, and we should be grateful to him for that and remain forever humble before him.
How to Be Free
We need to be with God 100% of the time. Let him in on and consult and ask him to bless everything we do, including what we think and say. This is not to put ourselves under his control; on the contrary, it is to strengthen our union with him and experience even greater freedom! If you think that God is going to enslave you, you'll never be free. He is in fact our greatest liberator. You are free only if you are spiritually free and only God who is the truth can make it happen.
Perfect Match
Communion time thoughts. We who are finite creatures are so feeble, frail, and prone to fail physically, mentally, and morally on our own. Therefore, what we precisely need is an all-powerful, loving God to help us in every way to save us. This we find in Christ the Lord.
Friday, October 30, 2015
*Beauty of Union With God
This was all I could think of this morning. Here are some descriptions. In union with God, you and God become one, totally inseparable. You are God are in each other and belong to each other. Wherever God is, you are. You are aware of God dwelling within your heart. You and God share the same joys and sorrows; are in perfect harmony because his will and yours are the same. You enjoy his perfection, holiness, and beauty. It's eternal love. It's reality, no fantasy. Without union, your spiritual journey will be laborious. With union, it becomes effortless because God carries you all the way. Union is possible because it's all God's doing with your consent. Union with God is the ideal and perfect state of existence for us because it is precisely what God desires.
Thursday, October 29, 2015
One Reason for Gratitude
Communion thought. Jesus is the one who makes us holy ~ how can we not be grateful and love him?
Be Good to Enjoy God
We are capable of doing both good and evil, while God only knows how to love. If we let God's love transform us to become all good, then we and God can become one, dwelling in and enjoying each other.
Source of Joy
It is a great joy to learn from the Lord. When my heart hears his voice, I am edified and fall in love with him even more. How good it is to know him!
"Mind Control"
I want God to take charge of all of me because the mind still flashes its own inappropriate, silly or impure, thoughts at various times. Even though they are involuntary, they nevertheless disrupt my inner peace.
Wednesday, October 28, 2015
Getting Personal With God
Communion antiphon, John 14.23: Whoever loves me will keep my word, says the Lord; and my Father will love him, and we will come to him, and make our home with him. Indeed, the Lord came to me in the Holy Eucharist to make me his home! I felt so blessed to be called to his supper. Millions and millions of my brothers and sisters in Christ also get called to sup with him; but no matter, I felt my call so personal as if I was the only one invited.
Choose Love Over Sin!
Today is the Feast of Saints Simon and Jude, Apostles. The entrance antiphon: These are the holy men whom the Lord chose in his own perfect love; to them he gave eternal glory. God is love. It's love that sustains our very existence. It's love that the soul needs for healing. And it's love that will get us into heaven. Love is also the answer to all our problems. Without it, everything collapses. With it, we possess God! Love is all around us, but people do not see it because sin has blinded their hearts.
In Tune With God
To be in tune with God is to be aware of his presence, ready to communicate with him at any time, and not go off on my own to do what I want to do. Sinning easily gets us out of tune with the Lord and we no longer feel his presence nor hear his voice, and we sin even more. The Lord is ever present; so if we lose him, we are the cause. Being in union with him is the most effective way of remaining in tune with God.
Tuesday, October 27, 2015
Glorious Freedom
In today's first reading from Romans 8, Paul mentions the glorious freedom of the children of God. That caught my ear, for the children of God are no longer bound by their life on earth. As death has no power over the resurrected Lord, the children of God also has been given life for ever. They are gloriously free because they are shielded by the love of God which nothing can separate from them.
Monday, October 26, 2015
Longing for God
Communion experience. God exalted me as he made me yearn and long for him. I desired to give myself to him as much as to have him for myself.
We Have No Covers
In today's Gospel reading from Luke 13, Jesus points out the hypocrisy of the leader of the synagogue. Let's remember that no one can hide or escape from the Lord. He sees and knows everything about us ~ we are completely naked, exposed, and transparent to him. Let's keep this in mind as we live our lives. Believing otherwise is to believe that God is not all-knowing, making us look like fools.
Joy of the Lord
I felt great joy at Mass this morning. How could I not when you possess Christ, the source of joy, already? The entrance antiphon from Psalm 105 read: Let the hearts that seek the Lord rejoice; turn to the Lord and his strength; constantly seek his face. The Communion antiphon from Psalm 20 was also into joy: We will sing out our joy at your saving help and exult in the name of our God. It amazed me that I felt the same way about God as the psalmist did three millennia ago.
Sunday, October 25, 2015
Jesus Unburdens Us
Everything is hard if you do not know Jesus ~ there are just so many things to deal with, spiritually or otherwise. But if you know Jesus and let him take charge of your life, you are unburdened and everything becomes easy.
God to Be Leaned On
In the Gospel reading from Mark 10 at Mass, we learned that a blind man kept crying out, asking Jesus to have pity on him. Jesus called him, and he threw aside his cloak, sprang up, and came to Jesus. The Lord asked him, "What do you want me to do for you?" The blind man replied, "Master, I want to see." Jesus told him, "Go your way; your faith has saved you." Immediately, he received his sight.
Indeed, it's "ask and you'll receive." We must be used to asking Jesus for help, or it won't be easy for us. Yesterday I saw a woman sitting on the sidewalk, leaning against the wall of a bar restaurant. She looked very much in distress, so I got down to talk to her. She teared up quickly while telling me some of the horrible family problems. I suggested praying to Jesus for help, but I could tell that it's not something she would readily consider doing. It made me realize that it's important for us to develop the "natural habit" of turning to God for help anytime we are in trouble, for God is to be leaned on.
Our Arranger
Trust in Jesus to let him arrange everything, big and little, present or future, including our death, for us.
Our Edifier
God changes things for us, but he often changes us instead so that we might be able to deal with what we face. Nevertheless, all will be for our good and edification.
Our Deliverer
I was away for a couple of days, so here are some thoughts I had I am now posting late. Last Friday I just knew that Jesus can absolutely deliver anyone from any spiritual quagmire they might be in if only they will submit themselves to him for help.
Thursday, October 22, 2015
Perfect Guide
Going back to my early days, I see the times when I was not sure what I should do. I tried this, tried that, wasting years as a result. Many of today's youths also lack guidance. In college, they don't know what they should major in and often get into all kinds of trouble. We all need good guidance, and that perfect guide is Christ, I can testify. From him, you learn to know right from wrong. By following him with trust, you always have peace, no more confusion, anxiety, or wasted time. He guides your heart directly and you know that he's leading you toward eternal bliss.
Perfect Saint
Today is the optional Memorial of St. John Paul II. Many of us have our favorite saints and John Paul II is one of mine. Then I thought of Christ, the greatest saint of saints and the only perfect saint. It becomes clear that he's the only one we need to imitate.
Beautiful With Christ
Today's Gospel acclamation, Philippians 3.8-9: I consider all things so much rubbish that I may gain Christ and be found in him. I think it so beautiful "to be found in Christ," and equally beautiful "to find Christ in us."
Continuity of Scriptures
Today's entrance antiphon from Psalm 17 at Mass reads: To you I call; for you will surely heed me. O God; turn you ear to me; hear my words. Guard me as the apple of your eye; in the shadow of your wings protect me. Here is the God of Christ, the Father he prayed to. I absolutely feel comfortable praying to this same God as a Christian. The New Testament has now joined the Old, completing the Scriptures. Then I realize that to the unfulfilled Jews who do not know the New Testament, their Scripture comes to an abrupt halt and they still remain unfulfilled.
Direct Learning from God
When you learn from spiritual writers or speakers, you are learning from what they have learned from other spiritual writers and/or speakers. Learning from the great saints who have learned directly from God is superior. Better yet, be in union with God and learn directly from the Lord yourself. Then what he places in your heart will be all you need to know to become holy. The direct route is the fast track.
Wednesday, October 21, 2015
God Our Only Deliverer
Communion experience. The Lord let me know that Freedom comes only from abandoning ourselves to him, not to any other prophet, another teacher, or any other human.
Choosing Final Destination
There can be no greater contrast between two places than that between
Heaven and hell. In heaven you enjoy eternal bliss, and in hell you
suffer eternal torment. We shall all end up in one or the other place. (There is no reincarnation. Turning into another person, an ant, or whatever in our next life is pure wishful fantasy.) Our life
on earth is extremely brief, so choosing your eternal destination becomes top priority. Don't be enslaved by material possessions, for we are just passing through. Steer firmly toward heaven to ensure that it'll be "home, sweet home" for you.
Tuesday, October 20, 2015
*Power of Sin
Sin has no power over God; it has only power over us! When sin destroys our soul, we are destroyed forever. To continue to sin is heading straight toward a place where the suffering of the souls makes me shudder. Jesus has changed everything. Acknowledge that he is our savior and we are saved. With him, sin loses all its power over us. We can respond to God or remain an eternal fool.
Discerning God's Calling
All Christians want to know God's calling or vocation for them. Know that his ultimate calling is for us to be one with him because when we attain union with him, we will know his will. This is the fast track to discerning what God's specific callings for us are.
Standing Before the Lord
Today's Gospel acclamation, Luke 21.36: Be vigilant at all times and pray that you may have the strength to stand before the Son of Man ~ Jesus said this. That we shall stand before him one day is inevitable. Sins weaken us, so to be vigilant is to be sure that they are taken away by the Lord as soon as possible. Of course, if you are pure enough to receive Holy Communion, you should have the strength to stand before him. Nevertheless, the best preparation is made by seeking union with God. When you attain it, you'd want to go to him in earnest so as to meet your most beloved.
Again, God Is Real
Throughout history to the present, there have been many who yearned for God, experienced a calling, believed in him and followed him joyfully even to death (for example, the Christian martyrs). If we just happened to be on earth by some kind of accident with God nonexisting, I don't believe what I described above could ever have occurred. Intuitively, I again know that God exists and has made it possible for us to know him.
God Ever-Present
When I got up around six this morning, I did not turn on any light and saw that it was still quite dark outside. In this quiet darkness, it was easy to sense your loneness. Yet immediately I knew that Jesus was present, more certain than I knew that the sun would soon rise.
Monday, October 19, 2015
Jesus, Savior and Sanctifier
Communion reflections. When Jesus went on the cross, he carried all our sins upon himself. We surrender to him and we become clean. When we receive Jesus in Holy Communion, all his love enters us. We surrender to him and we become holy.
Spiritual IQ
In today's Gospel reading from Luke 12, Jesus told the crowd the parable of the rich fool. The fool is the rich man who stores up treasure for himself but is not rich in what matters to God. He says to himself, "Now as for you, you have so many good things stored up for many years, rest, eat, drink, be merry!," not knowing that his life will be demanded of him that night. Here's someone who probably has a lot of business acumen, but a low spiritual IQ. Obviously, a high intellectual IQ can get you into a university, but you would need a high spiritual IQ to get into heaven.
Journey of Faith
I still remember when I first became a Christian, there were instants at which I sensed the existence (not presence) of God to keep me going in my journey of faith. As I persisted, my faith grew, but I was still amazed by others of stronger faith. When I asked the Holy Spirit to baptize me during my involvement in the Catholic Charismatic Renewal movement, things started to happen. I actually experienced the presence of God and his power of transforming us. When you let the Holy Spirit take over, your spiritual growth soars without effort on your part. Those were the memorable four and a half years of my life. Finally, the Lord withdrew and the time had arrived for me to surrender to him so that his graces might pour freely into me. Now I do not have to make myself believe anymore ~ the faith is automatically in place as I enjoy his presence within me and about me. Throughout the entire process, God remained gentle, patient, and loving. He truly respected my free will in order to make my faith meaningful to me. What a great Lord!
Sunday, October 18, 2015
Ever Present Urgency
Today I particularly feel the urgency for the world to turn to the Lord before it's too late. Since Jesus can come at any time and we can die at any time, that urgency remains ever present. Every moment we have is precious, an opportunity for us to glorify God and not to be squandered in sinning against God. Both good and bad things happen. It is only when bad things happen that we wish they have not happened.
No Fair Again
Communion experience. I felt great joy in receiving the Lord, so beautiful, loving, and holy; yet so many ignore, reject, or even blaspheme him. Where is fairness? Know that when we hurt the Lord, we end up ultimately hurting ourselves the most. When we love him, we love ourselves too and become happy.
Unfair to God
When we wish to speak to God, he is all ears and jubilant. Then when he wishes us to hear him, we harden our hearts or play deaf. How unfair!
God Is Real!
I have posted on this blog over 5,000 times for the sole purpose of letting all know that God is real, that he loves us and is longing for our love, and that he is to be experienced and enjoyed. I am not forcing myself in any way to say all these things for his sake ~ it just comes forth from my heart naturally as the Holy Spirit directs and inspires me. And it's a great honor and joy to serve the Lord, our Father, our brother, and our teacher. I'd like to emphasize that God wants to be one with you all; he wants you to experience his love, his power, and his holiness. There is nothing more exciting than letting him transform you into a new creature, good enough to enter heaven. As the father said to the elder brother of the prodigal son in the parable, "Everything I have is yours." This is the kind of relationship God desires to have with you. We are so privileged and blessed that we can get to know our God so intimately through Christ. Let him break you down and build you up again, and you'll know that I am speaking what I know to be the truth.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)