Faith and Hope

        I have two joint injuries that have not healed for many months, but I do not feel down nor sorry for myself. I realize it's because I belief that God can still heal me. Whether he is going to heal me or not is another matter; it is keeping that hope alive that has sustained me. To have faith is to have hope. We often console or encourage others in unfortunate circumstances by telling them to keep up the faith or not to give up. These are not exactly empty remarks, because faith and hope in God do give us the strength and courage we need.

Sweet State of Union

        Psalm 27.4 of David ~ One thing I ask of the LORD; only this I seek: to dwell in the LORD's house all the days of my life. For me today, this is like asking to remain in union with Christ at all times. Indeed, to remain in such union is "home, sweet home" to those who belong to the Lord, for they would feel painfully uncomfortable the moment they "step outside the house." Only dwelling in heaven could be sweeter.

Who Is Jesus to You?

        In today's Gospel reading from Luke 9, Jesus asked the disciples, "Who do the crowds say that I am?" They gave various answers. Then he asked them, "But who do you say that I am?" Peter replied, "The Christ of God." He told them, "The Son of Man must suffer greatly and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed and on the third day be raised." The he said to all, "If anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever wishes to save his life lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it." Peter first recognized that Jesus was the Messiah from God, then Jesus spoke authentically as only God could. 

Sign of True God

        In today's second reading from Galatians 3 at Mass, Paul wrote: Through faith you are all children of God in Christ Jesus. For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free person, there is not male and female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. I do not see another God-centered religion other than Christianity in which all members are treated equally as heirs of God ~ another sign that the God of Christ is the true God.

One Great Joy

        I love my God because every time after I have done something imperfectly or plain wrong, I can go back to him to have him show me how to get it right the next time. Such soul-searching and continuous learning is one great joy of knowing God for me.  

Our Business

        If someone makes another billion dollars, it's not our business. If someone becomes so popular that crowds madly follow him or her everywhere, it's not our business. If someone brings millions of people to Christ, it's not our business. Our business is to follow the will of God in everything we do. This should be something we can easily remember.

Happiness Criterion

        If we are happy in Christ, even though we no longer belong to the world, we still remain happy in the world. If we do not have Christ or are not happy in him, then we won't ever find happiness in the world, for he is our God and Savior. 

Utimate Rest

        Communion experience. My soul experienced the most peaceful rest in Christ. This is the rest you experience when you are completely at peace with God. In this spiritual state, both your mental and physical conditions remain unperturbed, God alone occupying the soul.    

Begging God

        Today's Entrance verse from Psalm 27: O Lord, hear my voice, for I have called to you; be my help. Do not abandon or forsake me. O God, my Savior! Here is David, crying out to and begging God, exhibiting an emotion we can all identify with. Of course, God only knows the human soul too well, plus that he will never abandon or forsake us. As a matter of fact, our Father receives great joy when his children ask for his help, telling him they need him, for he gets another chance to exercise his love.

More on Forgiving Others

        Communion experience. Here's the merciful Lord ready to forgive all my sins, how could I possibly not forgive anyone who had trespassed against me? Jesus only wants to give us peace. But when we disobey him, we lose our peace. Without peace, we do not hear him speak. Forgiving others, being a hard counsel to follow, makes a great start to regain our peace in God.

All About Forgiving Others

        In today's Gospel reading from Matthew 6, Jesus taught his disciples to pray the Our Father, in which we are to ask the Father to forgive our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. The Lord further added, "If you forgive others their transgressions, your heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you do not forgive others, neither will your Father forgive your transgressions." The promise and warning can't be any clearer. We know that to forgive our enemies or those we plain do not like is hard, but forgive we must. It helps to know that forgiving them doesn't mean that you are to become fast friends with them or even like them, although that would be nice. To forgive is to wish that God will also save them. If he comes to you and asks you if he should save them, your ready answer should be a resounding yes, since you want to always please him. If God equates whatever we do for one of our least brothers to doing it for him, then surely holding a grudge against anyone would be the same as holding one against him. I've learned that to be at odds with God ever so slightly can deprive us of inner peace ~ thank God for having made us this way. Only complete obedience to God will ensure our own salvation.

Praying for the Impossible

       I pray that every single soul in the world will be saved. Is this praying for the impossible? Not really. To easily see if something is right or wrong, just look at what would happen if everyone does it. In the same way, if everyone would pray for the salvation of all souls, the prayer is clearly answered. So it's not impossible, only improbable. Nevertheless, the faithful should not hesitate to pray for what's not likely to happen, as nothing is impossible (not improbable) for God. 

Pure Satisfaction

        Communion experience. I received and consumed what I love the most!

Greatest Vocation

        As you will to serve God, he prepares you by teaching you, while revealing how he wants you to serve him in due time. He will always lead you to glorify him, fulfilling your purpose of life. It is in serving God faithfully that we can become great in heaven.  

*Important Announcement

        The fact that God gave his only Son to save us so that we might return to him in heaven shows that he desires union with him from us more than anything else, yet we hardly talk about it. In fact, we are neglecting the most important thing God wants to hear about. Know that union with God is within everyone's reach because in seeking union it's God, not you anymore, doing the work! Banish the erroneous thought that union is reserved for the saints only. The wonderful thing is that we all can become saints if we seek union with the Lord. It is not only the fast track to holiness; it also promises to turn living the Catholic life into a most exciting journey.

Between You and God Secretly

        In today's Gospel reading from Matthew 6, Jesus teaches all of us not to perform good deeds, pray, or fast for others to see nor to win their praise. Essentially, we are to live secretly in the Father, proclaiming openly only the gospel. Note that the Father always repays us in secret too. You just cannot glorify both God and yourself!

*Seeing What Matters

        Another wisdom we gain as we age is understanding that only what matters to God matters to us. Once you see it, you start to abandon yourself to God. It is giving in to God, a process of giving yourself up. This should be a joyful prelude to returning to your heavenly Father.

Ultimate Backup

        We instinctively do our best to support our families, maintain our health, etc. But when all our efforts fail, especially as we age, it is such a consolation to know that we always have the Lord God as our backup. In fact, this is the only backup that counts and we truly need. When we are young, we don't think about it. But when we get old, it becomes increasingly clear. Blessed are those who realize this when they are still young.