Clarifying Mary

       On this Feast day of the Blessed Mother, I would like to make some of our Catholic beliefs about her clear, especially to our Protestant brothers and sisters.

       (1) I don't think I need to say this, but there are still many who do not know the truth yet. The truth is that we do not worship Mary, as she declared herself in her song to God (see my last post) that she was simply a lowly servant of God.

       (2) We love her as we love all the saints and angels. We love her precisely because we love God. She never causes us to love Jesus less; in fact, she inspires us to love him even more! Many Catholics and converts have found Jesus through Mary. This humble mother Jesus gave us from the cross never wants to draw attention to herself, remaining hidden in her Son always. She is a great model for us to follow and imitate. She is such a beautiful saint that even if she's not related to the Lord, you would want to know her. She is magnificent! (Read about the woman clothed with the sun in Revelation 11, today's first reading at Mass.)        

Humble Love

        Today's is the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The Gospel reading from Luke 1 contains the Magnificat, the beautiful hymn of Mary (verses 46-55). In praising God, Mary regarded herself as his lowly servant. Our love for God should also spring from humility. Love that's not humble is not pure. Look at Jesus ~ he remained meek and humble throughout his life on earth, showing his greatest love for us. If God can be so humble, it would be unthinkable for us not to be.

Dying for Gain

        Today is the Memorial of St. Maximilian Mary Kolbe, Priest and Martyr, who died in the Nazi concentration camp at Auschwitz. After receiving the Lord in the Holy Eucharist at morning Mass, I felt that Jesus is totally worth dying for ~ through this death, I gain the whole God!

Union with God, a Brief Review

       The goal of this blog is to draw all to union with God through the Holy Eucharist. This seems to be the right time to give a little summary of what it's all about, especially for new readers of the blog. 

       In principle, we should seek union with God, as Jesus calls us to be perfect. When we are in union with him, we become Christlike and will want to do his will at all times. This then fulfills the command of Jesus that we must love God as much as we can.

        In practice, we also gain great benefits. Without union but with the good intention to become holy, we struggle with sin pretty much on our own and can find making progress hard and slow. Of course, God wants to help, but we are in our own way and in his, for we have not yet totally surrendered to God to give him a free hand. Once we go past the point of self-surrender, God then can draw us to full union with him and our struggle with sin will be no more. And freedom and peace of the heart will be awaiting us.

        The Holy Eucharist plays the role of the facilitator. When we receive this Most Holy Sacrament, we become in union with the Lord physically. In this most intimate moment we ask him to draw us to complete union with him and he will not refuse us.

On Serving God

        Serving God is answering God's call. It means that God has chosen you out of love. It is both an honor and a privilege. Serving God gives life meaning, goal, and hope on earth and at the same time generates joy in heaven. It is the path to God, our home. Those who give lifelong service to God will live forever. 

To Be Free in God!

        After receiving Communion this morning, I went limp at all levels ~ the physical, the mental, and the spiritual. It's a total letting go in God. In God We become free.  

Jesus Forever New

        Every time we learn something new from Jesus, there is something more for us to discover and learn ~ his wisdom and riches are inexhaustible. In this sense, he is forever new, hence forever refreshing.         

Soul-Searching Time

        Anytime we lose inner peace, it is the right time to go before God to do some soul-searching. Total honesty is necessary and we must leave no part of our innermost part unexposed. Then whatever the Lord reveals, we must obey at all costs, even at the expense of all our pride. This "relentless" search for the truth in our heart will bring us close to God, with us receiving great comfort and peace afterwards. 

Tracing Sins to Ego

        Soon after Mass begins, we confess to God and all brothers and sisters present: "I have sinned through my own fault, in my thoughts and in my words, in what I have done, and in what I have failed to do..." ~ we see that sin is committed at the thought, word, and deed levels. (I met once someone who believed erroneously that thoughts are not sinful as long as you do not follow through with bad deeds.) Thoughts and speech are perhaps more difficult to control than deeds. If someone criticizes you, evenly mildly and for good reason, resentment can easily arise like a conditioned response. When a group of people gossip about others, it's easy to join in. Both reactions show the presence of ego, the cause of so many sins. (As I said before, to progress spiritually, the ego's gotta go.)

The Eucharist Effect

        As I received the Body and Blood of the Lord at Mass, I felt that I was given the passport to or the password for entering heaven...more than that, I was being directly connected to heaven...no, more that that, I was already in heaven since and Jesus and I were one now. I just didn't want to sin anymore ~ I simply lost all interest in sinning. 

Jesus, Greater than the Prophets

        In today's Gospel reading from John 6, Jesus pointed out one of the prophecies he was fulfilling. Of course, he fulfilled all the numerous prophecies in the end ~ this shows that what he said would all the more be fulfilled. And here he said, "No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draw him, and I will raise him on the last day" ~ you can count on that. Then "I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever" ~ you can count on that too.

Still More on Forgiving Others

        In today's Reading 2 from Ephesians 4, Paul asked his brothers and sisters to forgive one another as God had forgiven them in Christ. To forgive is not always easy; but if we don't forgive others, we really don't have any good reason to ask God to forgive us who might have committed even worse sins. To not forgive is to not want to be like Christ, amounting to rejecting him. It is basically also being judgmental and you'll never have peace that way. Once you forgive (let go), you will feel the unburdening and experience new freedom and know that you had done the right thing. Think of forgiving others as the freeing of yourself.          

Choose Your Surroundings

        We get affected very much by our immediate surroundings. When we are in the mountains, in the forests, or on the lake, the beauty of nature relaxes and inspires us. When we watch an entertaining show, the story or display can move or dazzle us. Therefore, let us surround ourselves with the glorious Holy Trinity and all the angels and saints and be inspired, moved, dazzled, and uplifted by them. 

Prepare for Soaring to God

        When we want to soar to God, we find that we can only do it in spirit, as our body is earthbound. It is like a chick who wants to fly but its wings are not quite ready yet. So, this would be a good time for us to prepare ourselves for soaring to God without delay the instant we shed our body. (By the way, I know that I am I, never I am my body. This to me is clear that I have a soul, besides my body.)

Beware of Comfort

        When a person feels comfortable in life, he does not think of God anymore ~ he is then in a dangerous state. It's like a pig wallowing comfortably in mud, but it is most filthy. 

God, Our Source of Love

        Without God, our own love can easily become self-centered. Only by letting God love us first and experiencing his pure love at first hand can we then transmit this love to others. Love is not LOVE unless it is perfect, and God is the source of perfect love. 

God Sweetens Our Life

        I definitely don't want to sound mushy, but I must use the word "sweet" to describe the many things about the Lord. I feel this way about his teaching ~ every single word that comes out of his mouth is sweet to the ear. His mercy is absolutely most sweet to the soul. Then there is the unspeakable, sweet joy the Holy Spirit gives as he wishes. I must also include the sweet healing of the soul we receive from the Lord.  

Why We Need Jesus

        (1) We are sinners and need salvation.

        (2) We are mortal, but wish to live.

        (3) Jesus is the only one who can remove our sins and give us eternal life. 

        Out of pure love, he came into the world precisely to fulfill these needs of ours.