God does not wish that we believe in him for miracles alone. Nevertheless, he has been performing them from the beginning of time to the present day. The greatest miracle for me has to be the Incarnation of Christ, which is the Son of God descending from heaven to become man for us and for our salvation. His Resurrection that followed has to be the next greatest one. By the way, Christianity is distinguished from all other religions by its abundant miracles.
Friday, August 11, 2017
God Drawing
Today is the memorial of Saint Clare. At church before Mass began, I had the intense desire to know God more by having him reveal his thoughts and ways to me. Naturally, as my creator, he already knows all about me and he has infinite things to show me too. I can see that in heaven we'll have a great time getting to know the Lord thoroughly.
*Letting the World Go
Recently, someone I know bought a luxury home for over $4 million in an exclusive neighborood. Another relative of one of my relatives is on the verge of becoming very wealthy, for his IT business is becoming widely popular. So what am I going to do? First, I wish them both well and pray for their souls as I always do for all souls. Then, I will continue holding onto Christ who grants me his heavenly peace. The eternal Lord is infinitely more precious than all the perishable riches of the world put together. I totally hear Jesus when he said to his disciples in today's Gospel reading from Matthew 16, "What profit would there be for one to gain the whole world and forfeit his life?"
Thursday, August 10, 2017
Holy Presence in Your Heart
Communion thoughts. Christ is the only one who can enter, dwell in, and cleanse our hearts. After you receive the Holy Eucharist, this very Lord is now present in your heart!
*Spiritual Journey Summarized
I searched for God and he came to me. Gradually, his love made me open up more and more to him. Finally, with me completely out of his way he filled me with his love to the brim. Now we are inseparable as one.
Wednesday, August 9, 2017
Overwhelmed by God
Communion experience. I trembled, not out of fear, but because of the immensity of God I felt descending upon and entering me.
Being Tested by God
In today's Gospel reading from Matthew 15: 21-28, Jesus tested a Canaanite woman's faith; she passed and won the Lord's heart. Every difficulty, hardship we encounter in life is a test that comes from God. Instead of getting upset and complaining about it, we should put our faith in God, remain humble always, then we'll invariably pass the test and come out stronger in faith and closer in our union with God. See every test as an opportunity for us to store up treasures in heaven.
Faithful Servant
The faithful servant of Christ takes advantage of every opportunity to serve God. He does not pick or choose only what he prefers to do nor ignore the small things. He can be trusted in every respect and is willing to let the heavenly Father make him as perfect as possible. And he knows that no order is too large for God.
Tuesday, August 8, 2017
God We Need
Communion experience. God is exactly what we need, for he can give all the help we need and make us perfect. Let his powerful love do the work for us and transform us.
Making Faith Beautiful
Today is the Memorial of St. Dominic. The Gospel reading from Matthew 14 tells that the disciples of Jesus in a boat saw the Lord walking on water toward them. Peter also wanted to try, but after he got out of the boat and began to walk toward Jesus, he became frightened and began to sink. Jesus caught him and said to him, "O you of little faith, why did you doubt?" The lesson to me here is that we should never doubt the Lord. Have full confidence in God is such a beautiful thing! If God cannot be trusted fully, then life would not be worth living.
Monday, August 7, 2017
Saving Soul Beyond Body
Saving the soul of a person saves that person for all eternity. Saving the life of a person only gives him another chance to find salvation, in case he is not a believer in Christ yet. To love someone, we need to be concerned about the soul beyond this life, which is what made the Lord come into the world. Therefore, as Christians, we must make saving souls our foremost priority.
**Communion Significance
Communion experience. Receiving the Lord in the Holy Eucharist is much more than coming into physical contact with him – it is the complete dissolution of the Lord in you to be absorbed by you to become one with you!
Short Review of Christ
Today's Communion antiphon, Wisdom 16.20: You have given us, O Lord, bread from heaven, endowed with all delights and sweetness in every taste. My short review of Jesus would be "He is most delightful and sweet."
*Smart Tactic
We all enjoy being appreciated and loved by others, then why not redirect this desire to letting God appreciate and love you? God is ever ready; you only need to allow him to do it. Other people can only inflate your ego, but when God does it, he humbles and exalts you at the same time and your heart will rejoice.
Sunday, August 6, 2017
***True Humility
Humility is measured by how much you are willing to let God change you! You are humble when you are ready to let God do whatever he wants with you.
Saturday, August 5, 2017
**Some Signs of Ego Presence
1. We get unhappy when things don't go the way we want.
2. We notice only what we do not have, but don't appreciate what we already have.
3. We go over in our mind what we have said or done before others, concerned about our own image.
Only by immersing ourselves in God can we let go of our ego. Therefore, be wide open to God to let him enter to displace your ego.
Friday, August 4, 2017
*Foregone Conclusions
If you fight God by rebelling against him, you will lose everything, you soul included, at the end. On the other hand, if you love him as your Father by obeying his every will, you shall inherit his kingdom in heaven.
Something to Beware
We do not know the day of our departure from earth, but it is marked on God's calendar. Beware of this so that we may live our life right and please the Lord.
**Jesus Most Personal!
The Lord who has died for us to redeem us knows all about us and we are to face him alone to account for how we have lived our life on earth and he is to determine our fate for all eternity.
**Most Beautiful Win-Win Deal
You let God into your life and he's happy to let you have all the spiritual support you need, freedom, peace, joy, and eternal life to boot.
Thursday, August 3, 2017
Most Appropriate Short Prayer
Communion experience. I felt that the shortest, most appropriate general prayer to God for us was "Lord, have mercy." It shows that we acknowledge that we are completely at his mercy and are willing to submit ourselves to him.
To Be Heaven-Ready
If we love God, we'll get to heaven. Another way of looking at it: we love God to get heaven-ready. Many people today do not feel good because they do not know that they can be heaven-ready. I am letting all know here and now that all you need to do is to love and follow Christ to get heaven-ready and feel good.
On Judging Others
God does not judge us until we have lived our life fully; that is, the door to our salvation is always open as long as we are alive on earth. If we are highly critical of anyone still living without mercy, we sin against God who has commanded us not to judge others. [Note. Judging involves forming an opinion, but forming an opinion may not be judging. It becomes judging only when we form our opinion without love or pity.]
Wednesday, August 2, 2017
**No Self-Concern In God
Communion experience. When you are in God, you are invisible to Satan, for the Lord completely envelops you with humility. When you are in him, you also have no concern about his judgment, for you are one with him.
Exploring God
God is infinite love. It is the infiniteness and boundlessness of God in every way that makes him exciting to explore, if you are at all adventurous.
Turning Around With Jesus
Is life worth living? If your answer is no, you do not know Christ yet. Once you know him well, the answer would be a resounding yes. Just as the Resurrection of Christ brought new hope to his followers and new life to the church, knowing Christ rejuvenates his believers and makes their life meaningful and worth living.
*Getting to Know God Important
Most people believe that God exists, but they do not know who he is. Christians believe that Jesus is God, but they may not know him well. To be sure, it's how well you know the Lord that matters. In today's Gospel reading from Matthew 13, Jesus likened the Kingdom of heaven to a treasure buried in a field or a pearl of great price. Once you find it, you would want to sell all that you have and buy that field or pearl. If you truly believe in Christ, you would want to go all out to get to know him. There will always be things you don't get to do or complete in life, but do be sure that you get to know Christ as intimately as possible before you die.
Tuesday, August 1, 2017
**Going All Out for God
Once you find the most precious treasure, you want to have it all. Therefore, once you find God, you want to go all out for him, leading you to seek union with him. This is what makes living for God most exciting!
Letting God In!
Today's Communion antiphon, John 15.16: It was not you who chose me but I who chose you and appointed you to gather fruit, fruit that will last. When Jesus chooses us, he call us. If we are to hear him, we must remain open to him. How can you let the sunshine and fresh air in if you do not draw the curtains and open the window? Putting it bluntly, to shut the Lord out is to commit spiritual suicide.
*Serious Choices Awaiting
From Jesus' explanation of the parable of the weeds to his disciples in today's Gospel reading from Matthew 13, it was clear that hell exists and would not be empty. That was somewhat chilling, but it's a good wakeup call for all. Good seed and weeds, children of the Kingdom and children of the Evil One, evildoers and the righteous, being thrown into the fiery furnace or shining like the sun in the Kingdom of the Father . . . these were all mentioned, helping us to make the right choices while we still have time.
God Always Good to Us
Even good friends can be unkind sometimes, for they are not perfect. But God is alway good to us – he watches over us, listens to us, wants to speak to our hearts, forgive our sins, inspire, uplift and refresh us, and last but not least, to make us happy forever in heaven. What could possibly be your reason for not embracing and loving him?
Monday, July 31, 2017
Measured by God
It became clear to me that whether we know God or not, every thought, word, and deed of ours will be judged by whether it is in conformity with his will or not, no exceptions. Our time on earth must not to be wasted on ignoring or going against God.
**Compelling Beauty
Communion experience. Today is the Memorial of St. Ignatius of Loyola. The Lord revealed his great beauty to me and made me see that I should not ever offend him even by one iota. Then, with relief and gratitude, I saw right away that he alone could make me holy and perfect.
Only One Worth Holding Onto
My oldest granddaughter is about to go far away to attend a college in a few weeks. My feelings are mixed: I am happy that she is about ready to live by herself, but will miss her presence around here. When a baby bird is ready to fly away from the nest, its parents just have let it go and perhaps never see it again. In life, we do not want to hold onto anything, for everything passes. But I feel greatly blessed that I can hold onto God who is always there as a loving Father with me and upon whom I can depend for all eternity. This absolutely makes all the difference!
Sunday, July 30, 2017
Transforming Our Life
Think about life: there are just so many things to take care of, problems to solve, and challenges to meet. Not only we need to earn our own livelihood, we may also have a family to support, and "enemies" to deal with. Then there's the burden of sin, which, unfortunately, gets too easily ignored. Once we realize the serious consequences of sin, we turn to God. Now we need to get our sins forgiven, to remain pure, and to love others actively. It seems that the only way for us to come out on top in all these things would be to abandon ourselves totally to God so that he can help us make all things easy. Now, life is no longer a burden, but a stepping stone to great freedom.
Realization Before Seeking God
The earth is not our permanent home, not where we can find true happiness. Even if we can stay healthy and never die, I don't think you would want to dwell on earth forever, for it's a tumultuous and sinful place. Only if we can acknowledge this are we ready to turn to God to seek true peace in him.
Saturday, July 29, 2017
*In Sync With God
Today is the memorial of St. Martha. In the Gospel reading from John 11, Jesus told Martha, "I am the resurrection and the life; whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live, and anyone who lives and believes in me will never die." She said to him, "Lord, I have come to believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, the one who is coming into the world." Jesus made a definitive statement and Martha gave the perfect response. Something truly beautiful happens when we and God become of one mind and one heart. If that happens to every single one of us on earth, I wouldn't be surprised that Christ would come right away to take us all into heaven.
**Best Possible News!*
We all need someone to go to. When we were young, our parents were the natural ones to go to for solace and help. As adults, God becomes the best and logical choice by all means, for he is GOD, our Father and loving creator. The Christian reality is that through the sacrifice of Christ the Son, God has cleared the way for us to return home to him in heaven forever. It is rejoicing all the way through eternity!
Friday, July 28, 2017
**It All Depends on You*
Following Jesus is difficult if you do not surrender to him totally, but becomes super easy if you do. Not encountering any resistance in you, the Lord is able to do all the work in freedom for you. So it all depends on you to depend on God or not.
*Never Shut God Out
With God we should never draw any line. For example, it is inappropriate to tell God that you believe in him, but you just can't and won't forgive a certain person you dislike. The proper respectable attitude is to admit that God is right, you are weak and need his help. Never close the door on God, but always keep your heart open to receive the help you need from him.
Wishful Longing
I long to see my beloved Lord. Therefore, personally I wish that he would come now or soon, but not to judge us ~ only to give everyone another chance to turn to him for salvation. Nevertheless, I must always submit my wish to his.
Thursday, July 27, 2017
*Justifying What We Do
Sometimes we justify what we want to do by stretching things a bit. To make up an example, I can say that I watch TV a lot every day to entertain myself, and when I am happy, I do a better job of everything else I should do and make others happy too. Other common examples of justifying what you do: saying "God has made me this way" and "I must use my God-given talent."
There is only one justification for what we do: Do we bring ourselves or others closer to God?
*Final Arrival
Life is always in progress; we keep learning and changing. Today you are not quite the same person as you were yesterday, and tomorrow you'll be different again. And as we go through the various phases of life, we seem never to come to some appropriate end. But, with Christ, you believe in him and it's done for you. Once you've settled your eternal destiny, everything else matters little. Life is now complete; you've entered its final, perfect phase.
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