Communion thoughts. You watch the news and see everyone talking a mile a minute, nonstop, and you realize how infinitely more beautiful and peaceful it is to remain silent in union with Christ. The world is in total unrest because it does not know him. What came to my mind was what the Lord said to Martha who was anxious and worried about many things, while her sister Mary was sitting at Jesus' feet listening to him speak: "There is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part and it will not be taken from her." (Luke 10:42.)
Tuesday, May 8, 2018
*Extraordinary State
Living in Christ is an extraordinary state, for it remains so, as everything around you passes.
*Ruining God's Plan
In today's Gospel reading from Acts 16, we heard read that at Philippi, the crowd attacked Paul and Silas, and the magistrates had them stripped and beaten with rods. Afterwards, they threw them into prison. About midnight, there was suddenly a severe earthquake; all the doors flew open and the chains of all were pulled loose. The jailer woke up and was alarmed when he saw the prison doors wide open. He rushed in, saw Paul and Silas, and trembling with fear, fell down before them. He then brought them out and asked, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?" And they replied, "Believe in the Lord Jesus and you and your household will be saved." God has truly made his plan for our salvation simple, but we often make it as complicated as possible. Instead of making his way straight, we make it crooked or set up roadblocks in our own way. A tragedy in the making!
Monday, May 7, 2018
Expecting God's Wonders
It's true that we reap what we sow. The more we trust in God, the more we see how wonderful and amazing he is. Let God become more and more wonderful and amazing to you. The sky's the limit!
*Justice Without Guidance
In the news today. A New York doctor who says he's done 40,000 abortions is accused of being negligent in saving the life of a mother who died after he performed an abortion on her. By the way, he charged $6,000 for the procedure. His lawyer says his client has not committed a crime and predicts that he'll end up with only months in jail when he is sentenced next month. In 2013, a Philadelphia doctor Kermit Gosnell was convicted of involuntary manslaughter after a patient got a fatal overdose of sedatives during an abortion. He also was convicted of murder for snipping the spines of several infants born alive during the procedures.
Our justice is warped. Killing the infant within the mother's womb is OK, but not outside of it. That life begins at conception is completely ignored. God created us out of love and loved us before we were born! Without the guidance of God, mankind further strays away from his ways. It is good that we'll all be judged by him in the end.
Sunday, May 6, 2018
*What Must Come First
Communion experience. When Jesus was offering his own Body and Blood to us during the consecration of the bread and the wine, he was declaring his greatest love for us. And I saw that loving and worshipping the Lord must come before anything else in life.
**Simplest Formula
How to succeed in loving others, attaining union with God, becoming free, receiving inner peace, losing the desire to sin, making life meaningful, getting into heaven . . . ? You only need to obey Jesus alone.
God's Love, Our Truth
In today's reading 2 from 1 John 4, the Apostle talks about God's love. God wants us to love one another, because God is love and he loves us so much that he wants us to be just like him. It is this love that makes us selfless, refrains us from judging others, and draws us to him. It is the key to freedom, inner peace, and eternal life.
*Encountering the Holy Spirit
In today's reading 1 from Acts 10, the gift of the Holy Spirit poured out on the Gentiles while Peter was still speaking to them about God's impartiality. When the Holy Spirit falls upon you, he touches your soul, making you feel your own soul too. This direct connection with God enables you to see that you were indeed made by him, a most memorable and refreshing experience.
Saturday, May 5, 2018
Foolish Living
We'll face Christ after we die or at his Second Coming if that happens before we die. Either way, it won't be long. Therefore, extremely foolish is the person who plans and lives his life as if he will never die.
Grateful to God
I am most grateful to God for having revealed so clearly his great love for us and his plan of salvation to us so that we might have eternal life in him through his Son. This has made all the difference to my existence like night and day! It has to be one of the greatest blessings.
Friday, May 4, 2018
*Jesus Most Compelling
Communion experience. Jesus entered me through the Holy Eucharist and was 100% willing and ready to be one with me. How could I possibly not be 100% willing and ready to be one with him? Such is the power of love!
Thursday, May 3, 2018
Preparing for Meeting God
Communion experience. We shall all meet God one day. Achieving union with God smoothes out our journey the rest of the way, removing all obstacles. Otherwise, we might have a rougher time ahead.
*Christians Know God!
Today is the Feast of Saints Philip and James, Apostles. In the Gospel reading from John 14, Jesus said to Thomas, "If you know me, you will also know my Father. Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me?" We all remember the time we saw a celebrity or someone special. My wife recalls spotting President Reagan in the distance once, after he had landed at the airport in Washington, D. C. I personally saw Linus Pauling, the Nobel Prize winner in chemistry and peace, also at an airport as we both lined up to board the same plane. These chance sightings we remember. Now, devout Christians know Christ well, who is no ordinary celebrity, but God himself! This is certainly something we can truly feel good and rejoice about!
No Longer Bewildered
Once you know Christ, all the puzzle pieces of life fall into place, for you find the truth in him. No longer are you lost.
What God Does to Our Soul
Entrust our soul to God and he'll purify it, heal it, and protect it from all evil.
Wednesday, May 2, 2018
God's Sweet Love
Communion experience. The Lord gladdens my heart and is like sweet nectar to my soul. I simply abandon myself in his love.
Faster Than Light
"God is light" makes sense metaphorically. As far as we know, light travels at 186,282 miles per second and in theory nothing can travel faster than light. Well, God being the creator of light can. I am saying that when I pray, he instantly hears me. Basically, he is aware of anything happening exactly when it's happening without delay. This is expected from God who has dominion over everything.
*Letting God Win
Yes, Jesus is powerful, demanding, and won't be happy until he possesses all of us, for he loves each of us and wishes us to be happy forever. He advises us on how we should live and tells us what he expects of us, yet he respects our free will and never forces anything upon us. This is admirable, but we should also be able to see that basically, we are the ones who can make his wish of making us happy come true. If we are in the way, we should then repent and apologize to the Lord and accept his love. When God who loves us wins, we become winners too!
Welcoming God's Pruning
In today's Gospel reading reading from John 15, Jesus said to his disciples, "I am the true vine, you are the branches, and my Father is the vine grower. He takes away every branch in me that does not bear fruit, and everyone that does he prunes so that it bears more fruit." This is consistent with what Jesus said: "To the one who has, more will be given; from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away." If you remain in Christ, the Father will prune you so that you might bear even more fruit. This process grooms you for living a healthy and satisfying Christian life.
Tuesday, May 1, 2018
*God All for Us
Life becomes meaningful when you live for God alone. Everything becomes easy after you let him draw you close to him. Now, doing everything for his sake is a joy.
Jesus' Unique Peace
Yesterday I posted about the peace of Jesus. The same verse came up in today's Gospel reading from John 14. Jesus said to his disciples, "My peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you." I believe that the peace Christ gives is the peace you receive after you realize that your eternally destiny is all set and that your heart is no longer troubled and afraid.
Examining Your Deed
Instead of considering what you do is good or evil, it might help to see that you either please or inflict pain on God.
*More Than Showing God's Love*
Jesus came into the world to show how much God loves us, but he also showed what God is like, giving us the perfect example to follow.
***Beautiful Kinship With the King
Do you have enemies? If you do, do not see them as your enemies, but realize that if they did sin against you, they have offended God. Therefore, let the Lord handle them, whom, by the way, he loves. As a matter of fact, we should let the Lord handle all our problems. That is, we deal with them according to his will. This way, we see things as he sees them and understand things as he understands them. Union with the will of God is union with God.
Monday, April 30, 2018
**Simple Questions*
Question #1: Do you believe that nothing is impossible with God?
Question #2: Do you believe that he wants you to be holy?
Question #2: Do you believe that he wants you to be holy?
If you answer yes easily to these two questions, then answer this next question: What don't you want to become a saint?
*The Blessed Person
Today is the last day of April; time marches on relentlessly. Blessed is he or she who is ready to greet the Lord God at any moment.
God Understands Us!
Communion experience. It's so satisfying to receive Christ in the Holy Eucharist, making me realize that the Lord our creator knows and understands our nature perfectly.
God Is Peace
Today's Communion antiphon, John 14.27: Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give it to you, says the Lord. As sinners, we'll never have peace on our own, for we continue to sin. God has made us so that if we desire to have him take away our sins, he'll do so and we receive peace from him. This is almost common sense and I can testify to you that it is true.
**Through Christ in All Things
Earlier in John 14, Jesus said, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." Therefore, we should all connect ourselves to Christ first. It all comes down to that each of us is to go and respond to him, learn from him, and become channels of his love for all others. Yes, we love through him too.
***Union Promised by God
Today's Gospel reading today at Mass from John 14 more or less confirms what I said in the last post. Jesus said to his disciples, "Whoever loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and reveal myself to him. Whoever loves me will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our dwelling with him."
***Most Beautiful Coming Together
The closer we get to Christ, the more we are awed by his perfection, and the humbler we become. Then finally, we enter him (or rather we let him enter us) and we completely vanish in him, with him dwelling in us alone.
Sunday, April 29, 2018
**Most Private Moment
Communion experience. Being just with the Lord alone was a most private moment. The ego no longer existed and I was filled with peace and freedom. Where God resides, ego has no place.
***Spiritual Journey With the Surprise***
Achieving union with God is our greatest challenge, precisely because it make us saints. Actually, the hard part consists of just one sticky point: surrendering yourself to God. Here is how a fruitful spiritual journey progresses. You struggle along and eventually reach that sticky point. You stop, but you brave yourself and decide to go beyond it. Now God picks you up and carries you all the rest of the way! This is the big surprise.
Importance of Remaining in God
In today's Gospel reading from John 15, Jesus talks about the vine and the branches. He said to his disciples, "I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever remains in me and I in him bear much fruit, because without me you can do nothing. Anyone who does not remain in me will be thrown out like a branch and wither; people will gather them and throw them into a fire and they will be burned." Matthew 12.21 comes to my mind, in which Jesus says "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven." Those who do not remain firmly in the Lord can easily be targeted by Satan. I have seen this happening time and again. My personal recommendation is to achieve union with God so that you and the Lord might remain in each other firmly.
Evangelizing Ourselves First
We must evangelize ourselves first before evangelizing others. It's always between God and us, never between others and us. And only God can convert our hearts. Our sole responsibility should be to evangelize ourselves, then we'll automatically be effective in attracting others to the Lord. Peace on earth starts with the evangelization of ourselves.
Saturday, April 28, 2018
Indebted to God
Communion experience. This is the Lord, my Savior, to whom I owe my existence and without whom I would not have life, let alone eternal life.
*Awakening Time
God has made his intention and how we can have eternal life absolutely clear to us. Are we willing to listen to him? Do we still pretend that we do not hear him?
**God Does It Better
When I thought that if I must give my own life so that the souls of those I love might be saved, I would do so. Then I realized that the Lord surely love them so much more than I, and I felt instantly relieved, knowing that he would take care of their souls. God always does better than we can in anything.
***Let God Do It All!
We fall short of loving God as much as we should, but focusing upon our sinfulness and asking ourselves how we can do better is not the way to go. To progress, we need to focus upon God's love, mercy, holiness, and greater power to inspire us to seek union with him. We can never become saints on our own. We become saints only when we let God do it all for us!
***Jesus and the Father Are One
Today's Gospel reading came from John 14. At the Last Supper, Jesus said to his disciples, "From now on you do know my Father and have seen him. Whoever has seen me has seen he Father. Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me." You ask, "Where is God?" Find Jesus and you find him. Know Jesus and you know him. How you feel about Jesus is exactly how you feel about God the Father. God is completely within your grasp. In fact, attain union with him and he is all yours!
In the Light of Christ
Today's entrance antiphon, 1 Peter 2.9: O chosen people, proclaim the mighty works of him who called us out of darkness into his wonderful light. Indeed, once you've been called to know Christ, in his light everything becomes crystal clear (no more questions) and you are fully content.
Friday, April 27, 2018
Walking With the Holy Spirit
In following the Holy Spirit, I have learned not to rush ahead of him. Today I see that lagging behind the Holy Spirit can even be worse. Seek union with God so you may always walk in lockstep with the Holy Spirit.
Nothing to Say, Just Believe
In today's Gospel reading from John 14: Jesus said to his disciples, "In my Father's house there are many dwelling places. If there were not, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back again and take you to myself, so that where I am you also may be. I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."
All I can say is that Jesus knew exactly what he's talking about. We'd better believe.
**What Preaching Needs
Once I met someone promoting a certain product, telling how wonderful and useful it was. I asked him if he owned and used one himself. He admitted that he did not, but knew about the product well. Right there and then, he lost much of his credibility. This makes me realize that if we only tell others how great God is, but not mention how he has changed our lives in any way, we can't be very convincing. Giving personal testimonies is an effective way of backing up what you preach. To spread what God has done to and for you is to glorify God, something to boast about. Catholics can learn much from their Protestant brothers and sisters.
Thursday, April 26, 2018
**In the Light of Christ
Communion experience. I feel I am basking in the light of Christ. In this light, I know that he knows all about me, and that he loves me, watches over me, and takes care of me. In this light, I feel good because I am completely content and comfortable with him. Basking in the light of your most beloved and enjoying him, there's nothing more I can ask for.
***Union With God, the Breakthrough*
The Church is a living church, but it needs to be on fire, especially in these dark days now. When the Catholic Charismatic Renewal originated in 1967, a flame started. Sadly, it never received the solid guidance and sustained support it needed from the Church, and after some decades it eventually died down. I see seeking union with God taking the Church to the next level, setting it aflame, God willing. It's in union with God that one comes to meet and know the Resurrected Lord, find out that he is alive, hear him speak directly to the heart, and fall deeply in love with him. May the Holy Spirit soften the hearts of all faithful to permit him to enkindle them.
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