Joy to the Soul

        Reading 1 at Mass from Hebrews 4: The word of God is living and effective, sharper than any two-edged sword, penetrating even between soul and spirit, joints and marrow, and able to discern reflections and thoughts of the heart. No creature is concealed from him, but everything is naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must render an account. Paul uttered these words in union with God. For it is in union with the Lord that you gladly let his word (and his love) penetrate your heart to help you discern your inner thoughts and learn his ways. Such intimacy brings great joy to the soul.

God Is Hope

        At this morning's Mass, I read all these sayings from the missal that gave me so much hope in the Lord. From the Entrance: Upon a lofty throne, I saw a man seated, whom a host of angels adore, singing in unison: Behind him, the name of whose empire is eternal. The Responsory from John 6.63: Your words, Lord, are spirit and life. The Communion antiphon, Psalm 36.10: With you, O Lord, is the fountain of life, and in your light we see light. An alternate, John 10.10: I have come that they may have life, and have it abundantly. The God of Christ is our shining hope, our joy, and the cause of our optimism. Trust in him with all your heart to be uplifted by him.

Prepare Now for Eternity

        If you believe in the Second Coming of Christ upon which he will judge all the living and the dead, the time of preparation is now when you are still alive. Whether the Coming happens in your lifetime or later, know that your preparation time expires at the same time you do. 

Jesus Indispensable

        Jesus is most valuable, most desirable, in fact, indispensable to us, for only he can forgive our sins as he is God. He is the way and the truth and the life. To be more specific, only he can save us from eternal damnation and lead us to heaven. He is the one we need to go after, embrace, and follow with all our heart and our might. If you reject him, I will only respect you if you can solidly prove to me that he is false in some way, that you actually know more than he, or that your are a better person than he. My belief is that those who reject him are in reality running away from him, afraid of confronting God. How foolish it is to try to avoid something that is imminent!

Putting House in Order

        Yesterday in a post I mentioned that anyone in an emotional state may lose self-control. For example, an angry person may do harm to others or a person under stress may no longer consider the consequences of his action. We all make wrong decisions when we lose inner peace and clear thinking. Similarly, when we lose God's peace in our heart, we no longer hear him speak to us and start sinning. Union with God prevents all this. It is putting your house in order, a state for the soul to cherish and enjoy.  

Freedom That's Free

        "Freedom is not free" is a popular American idiom. We owe gratitude to our military for its sacrifices in defending our personal freedoms. By contrast, I think of the freedom God is ready to bestow upon each of us. It won't cost you anything and you won't have to fight for it either. All you need to do is to submit to God and humbly ask him to set you free.

On Practicing What You Preach

        To practice what you preach is usually harder than just preaching, for it is in practice that your theory is being tested. It is also a fact that anyone in an emotional state may lose his self-control. Therefore, if you are a spiritual person, it is all the more important not to lose your inner peace in order to practice what you preach as successfully as possible.

On Fearing God

        We should fear God so that we may not sin. After we sin, we should not fear turning to God immediately to ask for his forgiveness to remove any fear of being judged by him. 

On Not Judging Others

        Reasons for not judging others: (1) We are sinners ourselves. (2) Judging is not being kind. (3) To judge is to play God. (4) Last but not least, Jesus commanded us not to judge others. 

*On Following God's Will

        Jesus came into the world to spread the good news of God's love and our salvation, knowing well that not all would welcome or believe him. Nevertheless, he went ahead with God's plan. Similarly, we strive to be holy, knowing that we would never be perfect. Nevertheless, we should not give up and must continue on, following God's will. What we can actually achieve is up to the Lord.

In the Name Of Jesus

        We pray to God in the name of his Son Jesus. We can do everything, big or little, in the name of Jesus too. It's especially helpful when we find it hard to forgive someone who has wronged us; we can simply forgive him in the name of Jesus. In this way, we let the Lord handle the case and we are off the hook. In the name of Jesus, we can be detached to all things and become holy. For his sake, we should be willing to do anything. This is letting God be God with us out of his way.

Our God

        My God is my God, but he is our God. I treasure and cherish him as if he is mine alone, yet I gladly wish all to possess him. This is the Lord who can transform us into selfless, generous beings. This is our magnanimous, all-embracing Lord, capable of uniting all of his children as one in him. This is the exact Lord we need to complete our existence. Submit to him with all your heart and soul.

In the Light

        Today's Communion antiphon, Psalm 36.10 reads: With you, O Lord, is the fountain of life, and in your light we see light. Jesus is our light. Without him, we are in darkness. To know him is to be in his light, then we see and understand everything.

Doing the Will of the Father

        In today's Gospel reading from Mark 1 at morning Mass, Jesus cured the sick and drove demons out of those possessed. In fact, in his entire ministry he always helped those who were helpless. Yet when he was persecuted by his enemies, got sentenced and put to death . . . throughout the whole ordeal, he never tried to lessen his own suffering ~ this is the amazing part. Obviously, carrying out the will of the Father was his overriding mission. Any of us who does the will of God likewise will be with him and saved, as the Lord had promised.

*Look at the Bright Side

        If we have perfect health and live in a completely stress-free environment, we probably wouldn't think about God at all. Therefore, see your physical problems and stressful encounters as blessings. It is easy to notice the gloomy side of things and forget to look at the much brighter side of them.

Powerful Sorrows

       Today Tuesday is the day for praying the Sorrowful Mysteries of the Holy Rosary. Why should the Passion of Christ move me so much? I believe it is because deep within I know that I am a sinner and need God's salvation. Otherwise, it would be just one of the myriad sad stories of the past. 

Salvation Without Cooperation?

        Salvation is free in the sense that God alone has made it possible, but we still need to cooperate with him to be saved. Otherwise, faith becomes unnecessary, Jesus didn't even have to come to us, and we can keep on sinning. God gave us the free will precisely for us to choose to believe in or to reject him. Note: Once you have chosen to follow Christ, your are free to retire your free will. (This post is prompted by a non-Christian friend who believes that he is going to heaven anyway.)

Only Way to Freedom

        How happy and free we are in life depends upon how we handle ourselves. If you play God, you won't be happy because you are not him. Those who are happy let God be their Lord and follow his will and see all problems as his problems. Abandon yourself to God is the only way to freedom. When you taste this freedom, you'll know that you have the truth.