Beautiful Novena

        The prayers of this Novena to the Holy Spirit are so beautiful that I want to say them even without any specific request to make.  Please go to: http://www.catholicdoors.com/prayers/novenas/p00012.htm

God Most Enjoyable

        God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, is to be enjoyed.  A lifetime of pleasures, entertainment, and amusements of the world can not compare with one second of joy with the Holy Trinity.   

Unselfish Praying

        When we pray, we should ask for things that will glorify God only.  If we pray for good health, the reason must be such that we may serve him better.  If we pray for our enemies, it must be for their salvation for the glory of God ~ whether they will cease to be our enemies or not should not be of our concern.  Unselfish prayers that emanate purely out of love for God will go straight to the divine heart.

Rendering Our Account Now

        When we see God, we'll have to render an account of what we did in this life ~ our present deeds have eternal consequences!  The smart way is to start rendering an account as we perform each deed now, then we'll have nothing to worry about later.

The Sublime Holy Spirit

        Recently, I asked the Holy Spirit to take over my life.  While praying the Novena to the Holy Spirit for one of my intentions, I was totally bowled over by the beauty and warmth of the Holy Spirit.  If Jesus is like a brother to us, then the Holy Spirit is like a best friend, comforting, guiding, and keeping us company.  Our body is the temple of the Holy Spirit ~ he dwells deep within our heart, but will engulf and permeate us to the extent we'll let him.  He is simultaneously gentle dove and fiery fire.  What a great blessing to have the Holy Spirit purify, transform, and shape us!

Earthly Pleasures vs. Spiritual Joys

        Earthly pleasures are, well, earthbound ~ the more you enjoy them, the more you feel weighed down.  On the other hand, spiritual joys come from above ~ the more you receive them, the more you are uplifted and freed from the world.

Joy of Union

        After morning Mass, I prayed for a friend, a mother who had just delivered a premature baby.  Both needed prayer.  I knew that the Lord loves them and wanted me to pray for them, so the prayer went "comfortably" well.  It's like a perfect match: God wanted me to pray and I prayed as he wanted.  It is a great feeling when the Lord and you are on the exact same wave length, you might say.  Again, this points to total union as the ultimate joy.  

How to Treat Our Enemies

        The last post was about the provocative (desecrating) art exhibit in the Philippines.  The artist's name is Mideo Cruz.  The exhibit enraged so many people that it finally closed down.  Emotionally, I did feel like punching him in the face too; but in morning prayer before Mass, the Lord made it very clear to me that I was to feel pity on all enemies and to pray for them.  This means that we must treat all others with his mercy.  

God's Love & Mercy

        Right now, an art exhibit in the Philippines is provoking great outrage because the exhibition desecrated the sacred, all in the name of cultivating artistic expression.  Out of reverence for the Lord, I don't even want to describe one exhibit that includes a crucifix.  Another one shows a statue of Jesus with the ears of Mickey Mouse.  Of course, the Lord could instantly wipe out both the artist and his works if he so wishes, but he doesn't.  When he was on earth, he remained meek and humble, always turning the other cheek, finally offering himself to be crucified on the cross.   This art exhibit is just one example of the billions of sins committed against the Lord every day throughout the whole world.  His love and mercy are so great that he endures them all.  It's totally accurate to say that people condemn themselves, while God wants to save them.  Such a great, loving God deserves all our love and adoration.

Most Impressive Prayer

        Which of the following moves the Lord the most when we pray?  (1) We pray with beautiful words, (2) We prayer on our knees, (3) We pray vocally, (4) We pray when we are holy.  Actually, the answer is none of the above.  God is most pleased when we pray with total sincerity from the heart.

Let God Be First

        Today's Communion verses are from Matthew 19.  "I solemnly tell you: those who have left everything and followed me will be repaid a hundredfold and will gain eternal life."  This is another paradox.  To give up your own life for Jesus' sake and you will live.  To forge your own desires and follow his wishes and you will be free.  To deny yourself and you'll be accepted by him.  To be meek and humble and you'll be exalted.  These are different ways of saying more or less the same truth.  Make sure that God always comes first and you'll be right behind him.     

Faith Most Precious

        Today I am just thinking how good it is to have faith in Christ.  This faith in the true God is such a beautiful gift from him that it's more precious than my life.  It connects me to God, enabling me to receive and learn love from him.  It guides me unerringly.  By it, I am transformed.  To have this faith is to have God and all his blessings.  As for the whole world, I am letting it go.  

Listen to Jesus

        Today is the Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord.  The Gospel reading is from Matthew 17:1-9.  When Jesus was transfigured, his face shone like the sun and his clothes became white like light ~ this was even more stunning than his walking on water.  (Then everything about Jesus was extraordinary.)  Moses and Elijah appeared to converse with him.  Peters, James, and John who were with him were obviously dumbfounded and Peter blabbed that he would make three tents there, one for Jesus, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.  Really, what else can you say when you witness such a glorious sight?  Then a voice came from a bright, overhead cloud, saying: "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him."  Yes, we should pay attention to the command "listen to him,"  as it is logical, sensible, and wise for us to obey, unless you don't believe that the transfigured Jesus is the Lord. 

Learning from Past Mistakes

        During meditation after Mass, I recollected some of the mistakes I've made in the past.  The Holy Spirit showed me that I must never stop learning from him even though I have gone wrong.  I should not be so harsh on myself that I get discouraged.  Instead I must remain humble, continue learning, and be benefited by the mistakes.  The positive things about having recognized past mistakes are that it forces me to deal with them now with greater trust in God and that in the future I must search my heart harder for the will of God before venturing into anything new.   

Holy Spirit, Best Guide

        I am praying a Novena to the Holy Spirit requesting a certain favor, today being the 4th day.  After finishing the prayers, I decided to ask the Holy Spirit to take over my life completely in every area.  What better guides than the Holy Spirit are there?  None!  The Holy Spirit is all one needs to walk in the way of God in this life.

Seeking God's Will

        This morning after Mass, I sought God's will on a certain matter.  I needed him to show me exactly what I should do.  He made the following clear to me:

        Make sure that (1) you are not just seeking an easy way out, (2) you don't just want to avoid confrontation, (3) you are not being greedy or seeking personal gains, (4) you are not trying to get even with or take revenge on someone,  (5) you don't take the try-&-see-what-happens approach, and (6) you get yourself out of my way so that I may show you clearly what I want you to do.  Then do it with no concern about what others may think.        

Hunger for Spiritual Learning

        I got well enough to resume going to morning Mass.  Praise Jesus.   The sickness made me appreciate every moment of life even more ~ it is not to be squandered away, but to be consumed in serving God.  I did not receive any strong thoughts for posting today; during Mass I just had a yearning for the Holy Spirit to teach me anything ~ a hunger for spiritual learning.  Any wisdom or "revelation" received from God is so much more exciting, rewarding, and beneficial than knowledge picked up at a scholarly institution.  It affects the heart and delights the soul.

We Own Nothing

        Today is the Memorial of St. Alphonsus Liguori.  The Communion verse, John 15.16, reads: "You have not chosen me; I have chosen you.  Go and bear fruit that will last."

        It got me thinking.  Jesus was actually telling us that God initiates the calling and we merely respond.  God is the source of all graces and we are the receptacles.  We really have nothing that's ours to give.  To start out, God made the whole of each of us.  We came into this world empty-handed.  If I consider anything that's already here mine, I would be like a robber taking what really doesn't belong to him.  This awareness helps me to remain humble and be detached from all things.  We are nothing and we cannot truly own anything ~ we can only belong (to God preferably).  Our duty is to follow God always.