Our Mission Is...

to spread the love of Christ to everyone.  The more we give away his love, the more he fills us with his love ~ a miracle.

Why Believe in Jesus?

        Seeing the various problems in my life that I still have to deal with, I ask this question as a sort of review.

        First, since I have come to believe that Jesus is the truth, I have no choice but to believe in him.  

        Secondly, if I had believed that all my problems would go away once I believed in him, then I would've been totally mistaken.  Jesus made it clear that there would be crosses for his followers to carry.  The problems of life will always be there.  In fact, being a follower of the Lord may even bring a new set of problems.  But now, we have him to help us carry our burden, and our outlook changes and the yoke becomes easy.  In other words, we now fight battles following an invincible leader who gives us solid backing.

        Last, looking beyond our transitory life, we see eternal life with the Lord if we believe in him.  There will be no more "problems of life."  This is our "long-term" goal.

God's View

        I have taken Holy Communion countless times, so how has that changed me?  I still sometimes expected to do great works for the Lord, then he made me see that I was not to expect anything to happen from my point of view, but to be grateful for and happy about the more important interior transformation which he had brought about.

Mystic and Saint

        I read somewhere once that anyone in love with God is a mystic ~ I am not sure about that.  What I am sure is that anyone who does everything cheerfully for the love of God is a saint.  (Look at St. Therese.) 

Dying for Others

        Today is the Feast of St. Bartholomew.  One of the first things Father said at the beginning of Mass was that St. Bartholomew, who was martyred, died for us.  I always thought of Jesus dying for us and the martyrs dying for Jesus ~ it hit me that in a way it's also true that the martyrs died for us.  If we are willing to die for Jesus, then we should be willing to die for our brothers and sisters, as Jesus equates loving our neighbors with loving him ~ we should really think about this one. 

        (By the way, the Gospel reading, John 1: 45-51, on the calling of Nathanael Bartholomew is beautiful.)

Emptying the Mind

        Up until Mass time this morning, I had nothing in mind to blog.  So I decided to empty my mind totally and not be concerned about it.  Then I could see that this is really the way the Lord wants us to be like at all times.  With mind emptied, you dispel all worries and become openly receptive.  You wait for him to make the move.  It's really putting into practice our trust in Jesus, not just theorizing, talking or thinking about it.  Jesus told us not to worry about tomorrow, not to be anxious,...  Perfect advice to follow in practice.  He wants us to have peace in all circumstances.    

Be a Channel of Love

        Prayer of St. Francis the hymn starts out: "Make me a channel of your peace."  The image of us being a channel of God's love came to my mind.  Visualize his love flowing through us unobstructed, cleansing us along the way, and coming out touching and reaching all those at the other end.  We should make this the goal and mission of our life.  And we seek no reward on this earth, only wait for our reward in heaven.   

No Longer Earthbound

        Once you become a true disciple of Jesus, you are a new creature.  You are now a son or daughter of God and a brother or sister of Jesus.  You are no longer earthbound, but destined for heaven.  You don't belong to the world anymore.  You are free and death will have no power over you in the end by the grace of God.  You are elevated to a new level of existence.  You become one with God through receiving the Holy Eucharist.  You are essentially home.  I could go on more, but you get the idea.  

Accepting Ourselves

        It's easy to feel inferior in our society.  You see others better looking, more attractive, more popular; knowing how to talk, socialize, or get ahead; talented in a lot of ways, including making wealth, etc.  Well, the Lord doesn't bother with these things; he just looks at your heart.  So we shouldn't let them bother us either.  Don't try to remake what God has made; Jesus is the only one we need to imitate.  If you read about Moses, the prophets, and many others whom God had called to perform some task for him, most of them felt inadequate, unqualified, inferior, and responded typically, "Why me, Lord?"  No matter, the Lord loves to seek out the humble, help the weak, and exalt the lowly.  Therefore, accept yourself and be glad to be what you are.  (Psalm 139, 14ab: I give you thanks that I am fearfully, wonderfully made; wonderful are your works.)        

Live in the Present Moment

        A year ago, I read Mother Angelica's Little Book of Life Lessons and Everyday Spirituality.  "Wow" was my reaction because I learned so much from the book.  What I most remember was her advice on living in the Present Moment. 
        Some people can't shake off the past, especially those unpleasant memories.  There are also some who feel that their past was a lot happier time.  In either case, they are unhappy now and their thinking becomes "disordered" or "disoriented" ~ I am using Mother Angelica's words.  As for the future, no one really knows how it may turn out.  Those who worry project the worst possible outcome for it and those who dream live in an unreal world.  Again, the thinking gets disordered or disoriented.

        The past is gone forever.  (If there were lessons to be learned, remember them and let the rest go.)  The future is unknown and not here yet.  The one with true faith lives happily in the present moment, freed from the past and entrusting the future to God.  By so living, he retains clear thinking at all times.   

Jesus the Giver

        At Mass this morning, I realized that we owe our existence to Jesus and that he has given us everything, even himself on the cross, and still does it in Holy Communion.  The only thing he takes from us are our sins.  Therefore, the least we could do is to give ourselves to him.  Loving him with all our heart, soul, and mind is then simply our duty.   

We Should Be...

as enthusiastic and excited about our Catholic faith as the disciples in the early days of the Church.  Why should we let the passage of 2,000 years make a difference unless you have lost your faith?  I can't think of a single good reason.

A Contrite Heart Is...

beautiful to God.  This is in line with the blog Repentance Is Happy I posted last June.  A contrite heart is the key to entering the kingdom of God.  You needn't go through any rigmarole or figure out some secret code in advance.  

        Humankind has accomplished so much at the material and intellectual levels, yet a simple change of heart becomes a stumbling block for them.  If only they would realize that a contrite heart will bring true peace and joy to the heart that no worldly pleasure or satisfaction can ever match!!!   

Anchor Needed

        This world of ours is as dangerous and treacherous a place as the high seas.  We need a secure anchor to keep us from being swept away by strong secular forces and worldly seductions.  And this anchor is Jesus.  Once you become one of his sheep, he will watch over you and keep you safe.  Even if you inadvertently stray away, he will come looking for you.

Another Form of Judging

        Another lesson for me.  Different people react differently to the same situation.  When I see someone react in a way that's not the way I would have reacted, it's easy for me to think that the other person is doing something incorrect or inappropriate.  This is judging all right.  I should always try seeing things from the other's point of view first and not start "criticizing" outright.   

Thanks to Einstein

        According to Einstein's Theory of Relativity, nothing can go faster than the speed of light because as an object travels faster, it mass also increases and time slows down too.  So if I, an object, am able to reach the speed of light, I'll be all over the universe at the same time and cease aging since time stops for me.  Well, it looks like our God fits the role perfectly because he does fill the universe and exists forever with no beginning nor end.  Now the expression "God is light" makes even more sense.   

A Timeless Moment

        I am referring to the moment you receive the Lord in the Holy Eucharist.  Since God is timeless, when you receive him, you become one with him and time stands still for you to become timeless for a brief moment too.  

Don't Always Tell the Truth

        What?  Let me clarify.  If what you have to say is true and will glorify God or at least be harmless, then go ahead.  If what you have to say is true and saying it will simply feed your ego or unnecessarily hurt others in some way, then keep quiet.