Go Deep in Christ

        Go deep in Jesus and you'll find yourself alone in the most beautiful private world of his perfection.  Once you experience that, your whole outlook on life changes and you are free from all the snares, lures, and attractions of the world. 

Don't Miss God

        If you cannot find a god that's more loving than the Christian God, then you should grab him while you still can as it's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!  You miss him once and you miss him forever.

The Business Christian

        From a "business" point of view, a Christian is like a shrewd businessman who has invested wisely for a secure future.  His assurance of it is reflected in his present living without fear nor anxiety, fulfilling what Jesus asks of us. 

God Planned It All Out

        I've been thinking about the Holy Trinity.  First, God the Father created all of us out of love.  Then Jesus, the Son of God, came into the world to show us just how much God loves us.  Finally, after Jesus left our world, God the Holy Spirit descended upon us as the Comforter, transforming us into temples of God.  We're assured now that God is always with us.   

God Forever Refreshing

        On the way home driving earlier, I turned on the radio and Wagner was playing.  The piece had plenty nice melodies ensuing one after another.  Soon the music became rather predictable and tedium set in.  Then I remembered God who stays forever the same, yet he is always refreshing and new.  

God's Love

        God defines love since he is love.  This love is noble, pure, and selfless.  No matter what much we offend him, his compassion and pity remain constant, with sorrow but never resentment.  This love touches the soul and can melt away all the impurities and dross in the heart.  This love liberated the spirit, opening the door to freedom and eternal life.  In fact, when with this love we can love him back, love all the saints and holy angels, and love all our neighbors, both good or bad in this world, then we know that God rules in our heart and we are in union with him.

Love Is Complete When...

God loves us and we love him back with the love we have received from him.

1,000 Reasons for Turning to God

        Every evil you hear about is one more reason (opportunity) for you to go to God to pray for his mercy on us and the whole world.  Today I read on BBC News is that every five hours a child dies from abuse or neglect in the US.  The latest government figures show an estimated 1,770 children killed as a result of maltreatment in 2009.  A recent congressional report concludes that the real number could be nearer 2,500.  As a result, America has the worst child abuse record in the industrialized world. 

God Is for Transforming Us

        Please note that God, Love, will never put fear, hatred, jealousy, anger, impatience, despair, or any other negative feeling in you; he only wants you to have peace and joy.  Therefore, if you have negative feelings, they must have originated from you.  Ask the Lord to take them away and transform you in the process.

The Rich & the Poor

        I don't classify myself as either a conservative or a liberal ~ I just follow the ways and teachings of Christ.  Here are some of my thoughts on the current Wall Street protest movement.

        There is nothing wrong with getting rich, but there is a lot wrong if the rich forget that what they have all came from God and that they have the obligation to aid the poor.  Why do the CEOs of large corporations earn millions in salary and bonuses, even when the company is losing money in some cases?  How much do you really need to live comfortably?  Last time General Electric made a profit around 16 billion dollars and didn't have to pay a cent in income tax.  It seems to me that they could have given away at least 1/16 of that amount to some good causes.  Even the CEO of American Boy Scouts earns over a million in salary and compensation! The president of the non-profit American Red Cross is well paid too ~ over $650,000 a year in salary ~ this fact alone probably keeps many from wanting to donate to the organization.

        As for the poor, if they are not holier than the rich, they will be just like the present rich once they become rich, and the situation is no better.  Basically, if we do not believe in God and do not let God change us, nothing will fundamentally change.  Mark my words.      

Barrier to Full Union

        Today is the Memorial of the great St. Teresa of Jesus, so the subject of self-surrender to God comes to my mind.  Since God is the Lord and Creator of all things and we are merely his creatures, just by common sense we see that our only role is to surrender ourselves to him ~ I just don't see any other logical alternative for us.  Many of us do believe in God, turn to him, pray to him, do works for his glory, and receive graces from him, but we still have not given ourselves over to him completely.  As long as there is still that last barrier between God and us, it will be an obstacle to achieving full spiritual union with him.

God Knows All About Me!

        I know that God loves me, but yesterday I felt good when I realized that God knows all about me.  He knows my thoughts before I express them; he knows my heart, seeing everything in it; he totally understands me more than I could understand myself.  With all this knowledge about me, surely he would know exactly how to guide me, and I'll never be lonely again.  

        This morning's Gospel reading from Luke 12 confirms my thoughts. Some excerpts: "There is nothing concealed that will not be revealed, nor secret that will not be known.  Therefore whatever you have said in the darkness will be heard in the light, and what you have whispered behind closed doors will be proclaimed on the housetops.  Are not five sparrows sold for two small coins?  Yet not one of them has escaped the notice of God.  Even the hairs of your head have all been counted.  Do not be afraid.  You are worth more than many sparrows."

Christ Has Come!

        During Eucharistic Prayer at Mass this morning, the memorial acclamation said was: "Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again."  Of course, Christ will come again, but what struck me was that he has already come and we must dwell on that and not be so concerned about when he will come again.  As far as I am concerned, he comes to me every time I receive Holy Communion.

Enjoy God Fully

        God is our Father.  God is love ~ he sacrificed his own Son in our place to save us.  He is all mercy and only wants to give us the very best both in this life and the next.  When we receive the Holy Eucharist, he enters us and becomes united with us ~ we're now in each other.  Therefore, enjoy God as much as possible all the days of your life. 

Stages of Spiritual Growth

        These stages can overlap somewhat:
        (1) You believe in Jesus.
        (2) You get to know Jesus.

        (3) You fall in love with Jesus.

Freeing the Free Will

        As long as you still need to exercise your free will to choose the good or the bad, you are not free.  When your will and God's will become one, then there's no need to exercise your free will anymore ~ both you and your free will are now free.    

Worse Sinful Condition

        It is bad enough that you are in sin.  What's worse is that you don't even look at your sin, treating it as if it's not there.  To ignore sin is to ignore eternal life.

Most Intimate, Personal Moment

        The Most Holy Sacrament, the Holy Eucharist, is not held in high esteem by many.  They'd rather sleep late, catch the game on TV, or go fishing than attending Sunday Mass to receive the bread of life from heaven.  How sad that they really don't know the Lord!  How foolish that they "ignore" the very God who made them out of love! 

        Know that the most intimate, personal moment you can ever have is the moment right after you receive Christ in the Holy Eucharist when you and God alone are united as one.