Today's Gospel Acclamation at Mass, 1 Corinthian 1.23a-24b, reads: "We proclaim Christ crucified; he is the power of God and the wisdom of God." God is love and mercy, but the other aspect of God is power and wisdom. Power because he can transform us; wisdom because he is the truth that can guide us to eternal life. The Lord is what we need and is all we need.
Thursday, April 25, 2013
God Within Reach
This is a brief summary of what I've been posting about the last 2700+ times. God is within our reach! In fact, God wants to enter us to be in union with us. Through the Holy Eucharist, we can express our desire for union and he will draw us into him. Finally, in fulfilling his desire, we are completely fulfilled ourselves ~ this is perfect resting in God. We are now ready to enter heaven, for we'll always be Where God is.
Wednesday, April 24, 2013
Only Way with God
We are supposed to love God with all our heart, with all my soul, and with all our strength, but do we even think of him? How often do we mention him to others? Do we consult him in anything we do? Is your relationship with him personal at all? Does God live only on the periphery of your life? Is he even relevant to you? Praying to him only when you need him is not good enough, whereas we should be concerned about how we can serve him. In fact, we should become saints for his sake and the best way to get there is to seek union with him through the Holy Eucharist. Make your desire known to God and he will draw you into him and you will have all of him ~ this is the sure expedient way.
Praying for the World
For our own spiritual growth, there are many things to pray for, and I've found that by seeking union with God through the Holy Eucharist, all those prayers get answered. Similarly, there are so many ills of the world to pray for. And since their cause is godlessness, praying for the conversion of the world becomes the urgent, fundamental prayer for delivering the world from all its ills.
Tuesday, April 23, 2013
Different Ways of Living
Living as if everyday is your last day on earth shows that you are alert and ready to meet the Lord. After this last day, your eternal life begins. To those who foolishly live as if there's no life after death, their last day may indeed be the last, for they may not have life with God afterward. Then there are those who live as if they are never going to die ~ this is being equally foolish.
Sunday, April 21, 2013
Choosing Sides for Judgment Day
In today's news, opponents of gay marriage in France hold their last-ditch rally. Opinion polls have suggested that 55-60% of French people support gay marriage. Elsewhere gay marriage supporters hold a rival march. In US, pro-life and pro-abortion groups take up diametrically opposite positions. And atheists are on the rise, attacking the religious. When Jesus comes again to judge the world, he'll be separating the sheep from the goats with the sheep placed on his right and the goats on his left (Matthew 25). Whether we realize it or not, we are already choosing sides, not that the Lord needs our help.
Indestructible Security!
This is today's entire Gospel reading at Mass from John 10:
Jesus said: "My sheep hear my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish. No one can take them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one can take them out of the Father's hand. The Father and I are one."
The recent Boston bombing has caused terrible deaths and injuries to the innocent. It just shows how fragile life can be in these days of great evil. Even though our physical life can get snuffed out, our eternal life in Christ is indestructible ~ just read the Gospel above to see how secure we can be! By seeking union with the Lord in this life, my security is being established.
Awesome Feelings
During Eucharistic Prayer at Mass, we sang the Sanctus: Holy, holy, holy Lord God of host, heaven and earth are full of your glory. Hosanna in the highest. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest. An overwhelming realization: God is holy, yet I should touch him soon in Holy Communion.
The Memorial Acclamation followed: We proclaim your death, O Lord, and profess your Resurrection until you come again. The words conveyed the sweet mystery of faith to my heart.
How God Speaks to Us
If we were robots, God would give us specific commands to follow. Since we were created with a free will and are capable of thinking and making our own choices, the Lord no longer speaks audibly to us with direct commands ~ he lets us base our thinking and decision-making upon what he lets us see, hear, and experience. Our whole life is one of discerning God's will.
The Christian Joy
Continuing the story from Acts from Acts 13, we heard that later on, the Jews incited the people, stirred up a persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and expelled them from their territory. So they shook the dust from their feet and left. The disciples were filled with joy and the Holy Spirit.
Spreading the word of God, telling others about Jesus, sharing how the Lord has transformed your personal life...these things are continually prompted by the Holy Spirit. Since joy and the Holy Spirit are inseparable, the Christian heart is continually filled with joy.
On Hearing the Word of God
First reading at Mass from Acts 13 tells that on a sabbath almost the whole city of Antioch gathered to hear the word of the Lord from Paul and Barnabas. The Jews, filled with jealousy, contradicted what Paul said with violent abuse. Then both Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly and said, "It was necessary that the word of God be spoken to you first, but since you reject it and condemn yourselves as unworthy of eternal life, we now turn to the Gentiles." Note that rejecting the word of God is condemning ourselves as unworthy of eternal life! Let's then latch onto the good news once we hear it so that we may be made worthy of eternal life.
Contrast in Living
If you live as if this life is your only life, you will feel more emptiness as time passes, I assure you. This is why the majority of the world remain unhappy. But the minority who live for the eternal life Jesus promised not only find their present life meaningful, but also experience greater joy as time moves onward.
No Place for Pride
Being finite, we often fall short of achieving the best results in serving God despite our best effort. We must humbly accept that and move on, not judging ourselves out of pride. Remember that the Apostles rejoiced when they had been found worthy to suffer dishonor for the sake of the name of Jesus.
God-Centered Living
The Christian life must be God-centered, living for God's glory alone and never for our own sake. What we gain is peace as the Lord takes away all our struggle ~ the result of resting (trusting) in him.
Ask and Trust
The Communion antiphon at yesterday's Mass based upon John 17.20-21 reads: Father, I pray for them, that they may be one in us, so that the world may believe it was you who sent me, says the Lord. Here Jesus was praying for those God had given him out of the world. This example teaches me to make my intention clear and not be concerned about how God is going to answer my prayer. "Ask and trust" is doing our best.
A Blessed State
Receiving the Holy Eucharist is more than touching God. It is letting the Lord God who seeks union with us enter us. How do we respond? If we wish to enter him too, then we shall have union. Every time we receive this most holy sacrament, we are given the opportunity to become one with God or strengthen the existing union. How blessed it is to be in God with him in us!
Friday, April 19, 2013
What Conversion Is About
This morning's first reading came from Acts 9. Saul (Paul) was breathing murderous threats against the disciples of Christ and wanted to arrest and imprison anyone he might find living according to the new way. Then Jesus called him and he began proclaiming that Jesus is the Son of God. Left to myself, I used to think that divorce is OK, abortion permissible, getting ahead of others by any aggressive means just fine, and so forth. After I got to know God, all my views changed because I realized that I had been wrong. This is what conversion is about ~ it's giving up our own ways and adopting God's ways. The world has lost its way precisely because it has been following its own ways.
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