Watched part of a TV program on Bible study. The thought that came to me was that studying the Scriptures can help one understand and appreciate his faith, but if all that knowledge does not make him love Christ, then it's all wasted effort. As Paul makes it clear in 1 Corinthians 13: "If I have the gift of prophecy and comprehend all mysteries and all knowledge... but don't have love, I am nothing." The bottom line is that loving the Lord must come before all else.
Monday, April 25, 2011
Feelings of Contentment
Before receiving Holy Communion, I saw that God's love alone is sufficient for us. In desiring anything beyond that, we become greedy. After receiving Holy Communion, I felt so content that my soul was free to leave my body.
Transcendental Living
No, this has nothing to do with the cult Transcendental Meditation. The thought came to me after the last post, in which I pointed out that God is transcendental. That is, he is not limited by time nor space. God is "I AM," the Alpha and Omega. He is eternal, infinite, and the same forever. With such a view, then we should not see the coming of Christ into the world 2,000 years ago as just an event in the past, for he is just as present with us today. And we can follow him just as the Apostles did and enjoy the same intimacy and joys the saint had in their lives. Our experience with the Lord can be live! So, believe and live as if Jesus is right now with you in the world, because he is! This is what I mean by transcendental living ~ it is real living. The reward is great.
The Joy of Resurrection
In today's Gospel from Matthew 28, after Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were told by an angel at the tomb that Jesus had been raised from the dead, they were overjoyed. This is the joy of Resurrection! If we love Jesus as both Marys did, we should be overjoyed too. Since Jesus transcends both time and space, so do all his gifts. We can feel today exactly how his early followers felt. What a great blessing!
Know Our Place Before God
Today's Communion verse at Mass, Romans 6.9: "We know that Christ, raised from the dead, dies no more; death no longer has power over him." The fact is that nothing, nothing ever had or can have power over God, since he is the source of all power. This means that we'd better be aware of our own place before him. Some may think that they have a lot of power in this world, but the truth is that they have only temporary, limited power over those in the lower echelons, while their own destinies lie completely in God's hands.
Do you realize that we are the only creatures in this world who have rebelled against God and gone astray? It has happened precisely because we've forgotten our proper place before God. We are the problem, not God. May this realization make us relinquish our "power" and submit ourselves to the all-powerful (but most loving) Father.
Sunday, April 24, 2011
Curing Nosiness
Why is it that people love to criticize or judge others? Why is it that they don't see any big faults of their own, yet notice the small imperfections in others? Why do they spend so much time reading or talking about other people? Why are they so interested in other people's businesses or personal affairs? Could it be because their minds are so occupied that they do not experience peace in their hearts anymore?
Be interested and get curious about God first is the remedy for this spiritual shortcoming.
Easter Brings Joy!
What a beautiful Easter day! A perfect day for us to renew ourselves spiritually. By trusting in the Risen Lord, our eternal life is assured. The sun may or may not rise tomorrow morning, but God's word is absolutely certain. When Mary of Magdala, Peter, and John first discovered the empty tomb, they were not sure what had happened before they finally understood. If you today believe without a doubt that Jesus is risen, then you should realize that it's such a big blessing and rejoice extra about that.
Hiding Humbly in Christ
It is clear that we live in a crazy, troubled world that's mostly secular, materialistic, and self-serving, with violence, misery, suffering everywhere around the globe. I dare say that sin is the biggest cause of this deplorable condition. Christians of weak faith sin much like nonbelievers. So what are true followers of Christ to do? To help fight the spiritual battle, God wants us to "hide humbly in Christ." This is because anyone who has pride becomes an easy target for the Evil One. By hiding in Christ, he gains even more humility. In this state, he is secure and the Evil One is powerless to touch him.
Saturday, April 23, 2011
On Establishing Relationships
I've seen too many cases of people who establish relationships with others, either out of loneliness or other needs, and end up unhappy. I believe that a good relationship with God must be established first, then we'll have a foundation upon which to base all other relationships. With God, there cannot be unhappy endings (and I am not even thinking of eternal life).
God's Love, Our Best Gift
It is sweet, gentle, not self-seeking but life-transforming, permanent, and ever present ~ a gift deserving our total trust and full embrace.
Friday, April 22, 2011
Easter Offers Hope
Yesterday morning I started feeling sick ~ it was like all the energy had been drained out of my body and I felt so tired. A mild fever developed later too. I had no choice but to go to bed. In this state, I became sharply aware of the fact that the physical life is totally at the mercy of our physical health. When the body goes, this life ends. But as long as my soul is secure in the Lord, this undeniable fact should not cause any major concern. Besides, I think some suffering during this Holy Week is appropriate and edifying, considering how much Christ underwent for us. I feel much better today. Easter offers new hope to all.
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
How to Respond to God?
Today's Communion verse, Matthew 20.28: "The Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many." I am thinking that if someone donates an organ for me to live, I would be most grateful. And if another actually saves my life from danger, we probably will be bonded for life. Here we have God giving his own life to rescue us, what is our response?
Christ Dispels Gloom
As I drove to Mass this morning, I could see that it's a gloomy day with grey clouds covering the entire sky. Then I thought of my heart in which Christ dwells ~ there just won't be any gloom. With his light shining, the heart won't ever get tarnished either.
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Holy Spirit, the Housecleaner
The body is the temple of the Holy Spirit. Where the Holy Spirit dwells, the Father and the Son are there too. To make sure that the Lord will reside comfortably within us, it is good to let the Holy Spirit be in charge of directing us in our thoughts, words, and deeds so as to keep the temple clean.
Abandonment Leads to Union
This is what I saw during prayer before Mass. If we abandon ourselves to God, then we do not need to struggle on our own anymore. We leave all to God. We are in his hands and he will take care of everything. We trust and do only what he calls us to do. Thus we trust the Father as Jesus did and we become like him ~ union is then attained.
Reason for Union
The reason for seeking union is not to gain peace, joy, and freedom, although these may be granted by God along the way; the reason is to serve and love the Lord to perfection as we should.
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