We Can Be Perfect!

        I've been hearing the story of creation from Genesis told at morning Masses.  God's creative power is truly awesome.  This same God has created us, and he loves us as well and wants to make us perfect, then surely he can transform us beyond our highest expectations!  If we'll just cooperate with him, there is absolutely no limit as to what we can become.

How to Fight Temptation

        In the Lord's Prayer, we ask not to be led into temptation.  If we do face temptation, what shall we do?  I see temptation as a ploy of the Devil to lure us away from the Lord.  A deceiver always uses some kind of bait to distract you first.  Temptation by definition is something that's attractive; therefore, if you fight it head-on, you lose.  Remember how we learn to drive on an icy road?  When the car skids to one side, the right thing to do is to steer the car in the same direction, just opposite to how you normally would react.  The same applies here.  When you sense temptation, run away from it as if you're really scared, and you run toward the Lord who can deliver you from all evil.     

God's Most Marvelous Creation

        Attended a different church this morning for Mass and it happened that the Mass was said by the visiting priest who's giving a mission at that parish.  From his talk, I came away realizing that we human beings are the most marvelous of all that God has created.  Look at yourself ~ we can think, talk, reason, are intelligent, and possess so many other unique qualities when compared with other creatures.   We are the crown achievement in God's creation.  We should never ever degrade ourselves (or others).  Besides, we've even been made worthy to receive the Lord himself in the form of bread and wine.  All this calls for great rejoicing!  

Science Can Block Faith

        When people put their trust in science rather than God, they are in rebellion against God because they think that they know or can know everything.  Of course, even if they know a million times more than what they've discovered so far, compared to what God knows and can do, their knowledge amounts to zilch; they're only finding out what God already knew.  Also, don't forget: God creates; we just discover. 

A Great Secure Feeling

        During prayer before Mass started, I put myself totally in God's hands and felt great security ~ it's as if I were resting in the palm of a huge cupped hand holding me up and protecting me from all evil.  It's so good to be reassured this way. 

Thoughts on Super Bowl Sunday

        Today is Super Bowl Sunday, a big, exciting day for the multitude.  People plan all their activities around the game.  There are also other worldly events that captivate and thrill the masses.  But to those who have found God exciting, captivating, and thrilling, these events no longer impact them.  Having tasted God, nothing short of him can satisfy them anymore.  I do get the feeling that when one chooses not to follow God too closely, it could be that he really does not wish to lose the enjoyment of the things he's attached to.  It's most difficult to let go of them when they give him so much pleasure.  It takes determination, courage, and prayer to get detached from such shackles.

Why We Should Believe in God

        I believed in God to fill the void in my heart, in my life.  Basically, we all look for joy and peace.  Now that I am living much closer to the Lord with a strong faith, I see things a little differently.  God created us out of love ~ no question about this.  Since the human race had gone astray, God then sent his Son Jesus to us to redeem us.  So God really wants us to be back in paradise, where we should be.  Therefore, believing in him complies with his very wish, putting us in a win-win situation.       

A Most Important Question

        Tonight while listening to a rerun of a Father Corapi talk on EWTN, this question he asked struck me as a most important question for us: "Are you ready to meet your maker?"  Don't ever live as if you are never going to die!

Be the Light of the World

        I went to Vigil Mass today.  In the Gospel reading from Matthew 5, Jesus wanted his disciples to be the light of the world to shine before others for them to see.  Yesterday I was thinking about the various TV programs on Jesus I'd seen in the past.  He was mainly presented as a historical figure.  I hope that we disciples will be a lot more personal than that!  We must be proud of following the Master and never be ashamed of it.  I'll never forget the Olympic diver I saw on TV quite some years ago who took his time to make the sign of the cross before each dive.  I once talked to a building contractor who used the Lord's name in vain repeatedly in his speech.  I started responding to his each mention by saying "Blessed be the name of Jesus" to myself, just loud enough for him to hear ~ he got the message.  Of course, be the light for all to see doesn't imply that we become pushy or self-centered.  As the Lord instructed, we shine so that others may see our good deeds and glorify our heavenly Father. 

Everything Is Healing

        God shapes us and corrects us.  He refines and purifies us.  Today I see that everything he does to us is healing, the process that makes us whole and perfect.

Serve God Now

        The best time to serve God is right now.  There is no excuse for not doing it because you think you faith is too weak or you are too busy or you don't have the talent.  God would appreciate your effort even more when you are still "little."  Your present condition is irrelevant.  Serving God is accumulating treasure in heaven, so don't pass it up. 

Follow Jesus like the Apostles

        This morning during Mass, I thought of the Apostles, who were called by the Lord and followed him all the way.  Times are different now, but it's the same Lord, the same calling.  So why not follow the Lord just like the Apostles?  This means spending time with him, listening to him, obeying him, and praying with him.  

Uncluttering the Mind

        Human beings have the tendency to get curious or even nosy about what's going on about us.  In this information age, it's so easy to be drawn into watching shows on TV, reading the news (and gossips) online, or talking to friends on the phone.  We end up with so much information in the head that we hardly turn our thoughts to God anymore.  In reality, much of what we absorb may be useless if it does not draw us closer to God.  We can unclutter the mind by simply allowing ourselves to be interested in only those things that can help us glorify God, then we'll experience much tranquility in the heart. 

    

Desire to Know Jesus

        At the Presentation of the Lord, when Simeon saw the child Jesus, he took Jesus into his arms, blessed God, and said, "Now, Master, you may let your servant go in peace, according to your word, for my eyes have seen your salvation..."  We should also desire that the Lord will not let us go in peace until we have come to know him.

God Alone Purifies Us

        From Malachi 3 at today's Mass, we read that the Lord refines and purifies his people.  There are all kinds of powers in the world, but only God has the power to cleanse the soul.  Let him do that unto us in this life to make us ready to face him in the next.   

Consecration to God

        Today is the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord.  Joseph and Mary presented baby Jesus to the Lord according to the law: "Every first-born male shall be consecrated to the Lord."  We too should present ourselves (and our children) to the Lord at some point in our lifetime.  If the opportunity for making the consecration in public does not exist, we can always do it in the privacy of our own heart.

Crucifixion for Us

        Today I prayed the Sorrowful Mysteries of the Holy Rosary.  As I got to the last one, the Crucifixion, I saw that Jesus was crucified on the cross because out of pure love he wanted to save us.  What can we do to express our gratitude?  We can crucify our old self and live anew in him to show that we love him.  Of course, we do not actually crucify ourselves physically, but we can certainly do that spiritually.  Then we'll be standing with the Lord on the same side, bonded by love.

Keeping Eyes Fixed on Jesus

        In Hebrews 12, today's first reading, Paul talks about keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus.  I had the thought on the way to Mass that if I don't keep my eyes fixed on the Lord, I would be "wandering," the word that came to my mind.  Wandering is aimless, heading in the wrong direction most of the time, and we lose precious time.  By fixing our eyes on Jesus, we are assured that we are always going in the right direction.

We Are Our Own Enemy!

        The greatest and first enemy we face in our spiritual battle are ourselves.  If we can conquer ourselves, then everything else becomes easy.  The recipe for conquering ourselves involves a surrendering ~ surrendering to God, that is.  To conquer ourselves, we need a power greater than us, otherwise it's six against half a dozen.  We are so fortunate as to have the loving God ready to join in the battle at our beck and call.  (The Christian life is definitely not dull.)

Most Joyful Advice!

        Jesus has advised us to do many things.  He wants us to deny ourselves or sell all our possessions to follow him, to love our enemies and forgive others, to not be anxious about tomorrow, and many more.  These we must follow even though they can sound "harsh" to our ears.  Today during Eucharistic Prayers, as I heard the priest quoting what Jesus said at the Last Supper: "Take this, all of you, and eat it: this is my body which will be given up for you" and a little later "Take this, all of you, and drink from it: this is the cup of my blood, the blood of the new and everlasting covenant. It will be shed for you and for all so that sins may be forgiven. Do this in memory of me," it just hit me that these two pieces of advice had got to be the most joyful advice from the Lord!  And I also realized that by taking it, all the other advices can become joyful too.  

Do All in Christ

        Live in him, rest in him, suffer in him, and die in him.

Lessons Learned from Blogging

        So far I have posted 490 times to this blog and on this last day of January, 2010, I don't think I'll hit #500; but that's OK.  In the early days I sometimes wondered what I should post next, then I learned to rely upon the Lord and not be concerned about that.  If he wants to dry me up, that's fine too; after all, I am not doing it for myself ~ it has to be his thing.  Three hours ago, I didn't know what to post today; then during Mass the Holy Spirit triggered a bunch of thoughts in my mind.  So, here I am at the computer again.

        From blogging, I have learned to cast myself aside, trust in God only, and live one day at a time.  Praised be to him!      

We Can Be Transcendent Too

        God is transcendent because he is not limited by time nor space.  We can also be transcendent is the sense that we can live in Christ and not be bound by things of this world.  To live in Christ is the beginning of living the eternal life.  It is the transcendent way of living.

On Confession

        Confession is the Sacrament of Reconciliation.  The risen Christ gave it to us when he conferred on his apostles his own divine power to forgive sins: "Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained" (John 20: 22-23).  The priest present at confession then becomes the instrument God uses to forgive our sins.  Of course, if our sins are venial, we can go directly to the Lord, repent, and ask for forgiveness.  What if the sin committed is most serious and you ask for forgiveness from God?  How can you be sure that you're forgiven?  Well, the Lord totally understands human nature.  After you hear the priest absolve you from your sin, you are now certain that you have been forgiven by God because he had given us his word.

To Be Holy Is to Be Happy

        I got the following message from the presiding priest at Mass this morning:  To be holy is to be happy, content, and fulfilled.  This should definitely expel the image in the minds of many who think that a holy person is glum, self-suppressing, and unfree.  In fact, anyone who is not happy, content, or fulfilled cannot possibly be holy.  To be holy is to live in God, who can only give joy, peace, and fulfillment of the human heart.  

On Humility

        I was thinking about humility this morning.  If we want to imitate Christ, this is the virtue that can help us go a long way toward holiness.  In fact, I see humility as being the foremost requisite for becoming Christlike.  

        This morning's readings at Mass reinforced my thoughts.  In Reading 1 from Zephaniah 2, we are urged to seek humility.  Reading 2 from 1 Corinthians 1 tells us how God chose the lowly and despised in the world to reduce to nothing those who are something.  Finally, the Gospel from Matthew 5 gives us the Beatitudes.  In one of them, Jesus declares "Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the land."  

Jesus Is Always with Us

        In the last post, we learned that Jesus quieted the wind and stilled the sea.  This was done from a boat when his disciples with him thought that they were going to perish during the violent squall.  Father Matthew in today's homily likened our life to being in a boat.  When we face the storms of life, we can be shaken; but Jesus is always there in the boat with us.  Whenever we are in danger and need his help, he's going to quiet the wind and still the sea for us.  A great analogy that gives great consolation.

Jesus, the Lord of All

        In today's Gospel reading from Mark 4, Jesus rebuked the wind and quieted the sea during a squall and the wind ceased and there was a great calm.  His disciples were greatly awed by the fact that even wind and sea obey him.  What they learned was that Jesus is the Lord of all.  Subtly and sadly, today all weather conditions are attributed to Nature; our nation no longer believes that God speaks to us through hurricanes, earthquakes, tsunamis, etc.  Alas, we are no longer in awe of God. 

Beware of Ulterior Motives

        The Holy Spirit speaks in a gentle voice, but the Devil is also adept at whispering to your heart.  One trick he employs is using your ulterior motives to prompt you to action. These motives may be hard to detect because they often lie beneath or are embedded among your good intentions.  Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal these motives to you and remove them from your heart. 

Please God Always

        The Saturday morning Mass I attend starts half an hour later than the weekday morning Masses.  This morning I somehow miscalculated; I thought I had time for breadfast before Mass and took a bite of a well-ripened banana before realizing that I would be taking Communion in less than an hour.  Since the present rule is to fast for at least an hour before receiving Communion, I skipped Communion at Mass.  It was a sacrifice as I longed to receive the Lord; then I realized that by offering it up to God, he'd be equally pleased.  I now see that whether we get what we want or not is not necessarily more important than how we deal with the situation.  We can please God under any circumstances.

On Praying for Spiritual Growth

        We normally ask for the many spiritual qualities, such as faith, perseverance, patience, etc., we think we need.  This approach is relatively self-centered ~ we focus upon what we think we lack ~ and involves more of a struggle on our part.

        I believe that a superior approach is to rest in God with abandonment. We lie open before him, letting him see what we need and fill us.  The focus is mainly on him and not us.  Again, save our energy and tap God's power, for he is infinitely greater and wiser.    

Learning from the Lord

        Last night I had a dream.  In it I noticed that a big wall-mounted light fixture was missing from the house (I say "the house" because it's supposed to be my house, but in the dream it didn't look like my home at all) ~ someone must have removed it without my knowledge or permission.  I was upset, so much so that I woke up.  And the Lord was right there and I heard him (in my mind) asking me if this had happened in real life, how I should react.  I knew right away what he wanted to hear, which is "I should not let anything like this upset me."  It's good to learn from the Lord at any moment he chooses to teach us.     

A Reminder

        If you wish to transform the world, start with transforming yourself first.

Most Tolerant Father

        In Ecclesiastes 3, we read "There is an appointed time for everything, and a time for every affair under the heavens."  I think of this verse because there are times when I feel a great urgency in praying to God and other times when I know that he has heard me and I do not need to ask anymore.  I let the Holy Spirit be my guide.  I could twist God's arm, cry, and beg from him, or just smile at him and whisper my wish and let go at that.  That's why I love the Father ~ as long as you love him, he is most tolerant with your behavior.   

God's Generous Giving

        Today's Gospel reading from Mark 4 contains the well known verse "To the one who has, more will be given; from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.”  At first reading, you might think that God has favorites and is being unfair.  Then I saw that the one who has was the one who loved God and asked for good things from him, while the one who has not did not bother with God in the first place.  We must first want to receive from the God whose generosity in giving is limitless.   

A Plethora of God's Gifts

        If you believe, love, and trust in God with all your heart, you will receive at least the following ten gifts from him:  (1) joy, (2) peace, (3) freedom of the heart, (4) patience, (5) courage, (6) humility, (7) compassion for others, (8) discernment of God's will, (9) detachment from the world, and (10) purity of heart.

        In The Fulfillment of All Desire, Ralph Martin, the fruits of union with God include (1) freedom from self-concern and fear of what others will think, (2) a pure heart, (3) an immense fortitude in the service of love, (4) continual prayer, (5) finding joy in everything, (5) rediscovery of the creation in God ~ seeing it as it truly is, (6) heightened sense of seeing good and evil, (7) deep, solid, interior calm, (8) constant peace and joy, (9) the experience of the almost continual presence of God, (10) being dead to every selfish impulse, (11) enjoying habitual sweetness and tranquility, (12) inebriation in the Holy Spirit. 

        All the above and more can be yours, if you so desire.

       

A Great Feeling

        Knowing that God is using you to serve him in some manner.

Are You Really Following God?

        It's easy not to follow God when you are intent on serving him.  Here are just a few examples.

        (1) You start on a project without praying about it.

        (2) You want to be in control of the project.

        (3) You try to do the work all by yourself.

        (4) You feel good when others see or notice what you are doing.

        (5) You are excited about an idea and want to get started right away.

        (6) You are so anxious to serve God that you neglect your family duties.       

Jesus Is the One

        Today is the Feast of the Conversion of St. Paul.  I looked back in my last post.  If I look back even further to my conversion, I saw how I came upon Jesus, found him attractive, and accepted him as Lord and Saviour.  Over the many years, it was I who was reluctant to go all out to follow him.  He remains forever the same; so, basically, we ourselves determine how much benefit we receive from following him.  (We reap what we sow.)  

        Now that I have willed to go all the way and started tasting the sweet fruit of the spiritual life, I can tell you without a doubt that Jesus is exactly what he claimed to be ~ you needn't look for another.  He warned us that after him there would come many false prophets.  He had already revealed to us all the truths we need to know.  To look for any other who claims to have received new revelations from God amounts to rejecting God.           

Looking Back

        This is sort of a landmark post as I look back.  Before I started this blog, I already felt that I must let the Holy Eucharist occupy a prominent spot in my life.  I should not receive Holy Communion because I am a Catholic and go to Mass, instead I should go to Mass because I want to receive Christ in Holy Communion. I also came across and read The Fulfillment of All Desire by Ralph Martin, a book I mentioned in an earlier post.  Union with God is the end of the journey to God; and if you read about it in that book, you'll want to reach that state of peace and joy.  Gradually, as I received the Lord at daily Mass, I knew that the Holy Eucharist has the power to bring one to full union with God.
        After I started my blog, I wasn't sure where I was going; I just let the Holy Spirit lead.  Now I see that the objective of this blog is to lead as many as possible to union with God through the Holy Eucharist.  What happens from here?  I don't know and am not concerned about it.  Like the Apostles we must get off our duff and follow the Master the moment he calls.  We may have questions, but we do not ask.  The missions of the Apostles were not made clear until after the Resurrection of the Lord.  It doesn't matter what comes next because we follow a most trustworthy guide.  

Sequel to Last Post

        In view of the understanding of our part in God's scheme, to know that we were created in God's image makes even more sense.  Like him, God made us know what love means.  Since God is love, we should be able to understand him.  Hopefully, we will all fall in love with him as is his will.

Why God Created Us

        Last night I was thinking about God's love, then the Holy Spirit made me see something new (and big for me). 

        If God had not created us, then nothing else he had created ~ animals, plants, rocks, stars... ~ would ever know about his love.  Therefore, God created us so that he could be made known to be love.  This means that we are so very special, being indispensable partners to him in his intention.  With this overwhelming realization, we should never see ourselves quite the same again.  The Church is absolutely right in teaching that God created us to know and love him.

Rejoice If God Calls You

        In today's Gospel from Matthew 4, Jesus called Simon, Andrew, James, and John to follow him to become fishers of men and they immediately obeyed.  If you know that God has called you too, then you have a great cause for rejoicing.  What a special gift it is that he has picked you out among the multitude and called you by your name to follow him personally!!!

God Knows Our Heart

        I got called away this morning, so I wasn't able to go to Mass and there didn't seem to be any thoughts to share.  Then I caught part of the EWTN program Reasons for Our Hope, hosted by Rosalind Moss.  If you haven't read about Rosalind, you must find her conversion story and read it, as she is so full of love for Christ and inspiring.  She was a Jew, found Christ, became a evangelical first, and then finally a Catholic.  It must be extra sweet for her to realize that Christ, one of her own, was actually the Messiah her people had been waiting for.  So she became a fulfilled Jew, not a convert like the Gentiles. 

        On this show I caught her saying "God knows our heart" (when she's talking about how the angel Gabriel appeared to Zechariah to tell him that his wife Elizabeth would bear him a son and Zechariah disbelieved).   That is an extra sweet statement to me.  We all like to be understood.  Here the Lord, almighty and loving, knows everything that's going on in our heart, mind, and soul ~ how good and comforting it is!  One more thing to rejoice about. 

Let the Holy Eucharist Seal...

your love for, trust in, obedience to, and inseparableness from God.

On Living Secretly

        The last post dealt with two opposites, one bad and one good.  Here are two more:

        (1) You live secretly in yourself, not letting God or anyone else know about it.

        (2) You live secretly in God, not letting yourself or anyone else know about it. 

On Escaping from God

        This morning the word "escape" came into my mind after I got up.  I saw that so many of us in this world try to escape from God by ignoring his presence or pretending that he's not there.  At Mass today, the Memorial of St. Agnes, the Entrance we read was "Here is a wise and faithful virgin who went with lighted lamp to meet her Lord."  This is just the opposite of escaping from God.  The antonym of "wise" is, of course, "foolish."  Those who live as if God does not exist are indeed fools.     

On Martyrdom

      Today St. Fabian and St. Sebastian share the same Memorial (optional) day; both suffered martyrdom.  We may not suffer physical death because of our faith, but we can be martyrs too in many other ways.  St. Therese of Lisieux is a perfect example.  Her "little way" calls for doing everything faithfully for the glory of God.  To put your own will to death is then a form of martyrdom, not less valued by God.  Anyway, the important thing is to do God's will and not be concerned about what form martyrdom takes.  

"Touch and Be Healed"

        In today's Gospel reading from Mark 3, those from the crowd who had diseases pressed upon Jesus to touch him, since he had cured many.  "Touch (with faith) and be healed" is what I hear.  Receiving the Blessed Sacrament is more than just touching him, so don't pass up this golden opportunity to ask the Lord to heal whatever needs to be healed in you.   

Avoid Being Self-Centered

        The other day I had a chance to share some of my spiritual thoughts with a group of people and it went over fine.  Then I thought of more thoughts and shared them too.  You see, that was the moment I took my eyes off the Lord and became self-centered.  The result was that overall it looked like I was wandering from one topic to another.  To be blunt about it, I messed up.  

        The lesson is that as long as we stay with the Lord, we should do fine; but if we decide to do our own thing, self-centeredness takes over.  It's that simple.  I might add that the difference is between glorifying God and serving ourselves.  Learn to distinguish the two from each other.