In today's 1st reading from 1 Corinthians 2, Paul wrote, "I came to you in weakness and fear and much trembling, and my message and my proclamation were not with persuasive words of wisdom, but with a demonstration of spirit and power, so that your faith might rest not on human wisdom but on the power of God." We are to be completely genuine, to be ourselves relying upon God alone, and to be filled with his spirit and power. This is how we should live so that the world will see the Lord and not us.
Monday, August 31, 2020
***Our Primary Mission in Life
In Sr. Deirdre Byrne's powerful pro-life speech which I posted yesterday, I'll always remember that she said she's not just pro-life, she's also pro-eternal-life. I'd say that if you truly love someone, you would want that person to have eternal life. Otherwise, you don't truly love that person. If you don't care about you own salvation, then you don't really love God nor yourself either. Coming down to us from heaven, Jesus' whole mission was to save all of us, and this is also the mission he gave us before he ascended into heaven. We can't claim that we are disciples of Christ if our primary mission in life is not saving souls?
**How to Really Pray*
It's not good enough just to recite some written prayers without much heart. The Lord wants to hear your own thoughts from your very own heart. We need to get down on knees or prostrate before him and cry out from our very soul, then he will hear us and grant us what we request from him. The is the power of faith, the power of trust, and the power of obedience to his will.
Sunday, August 30, 2020
*Our Best Is Yet to Come*
Because we humans are rebelling against the Lord, God's will is not being done. But this is only temporary, as there will be final judgement and all order will be restored. Then God's will will be done. It is obvious that the Lord will be totally triumphant in the end. So for Christians, the best is yet to come. All our trials and tribulations will pass; we are being tested and refined for our brightest future. So don't ever get disheartened.
**Going Through Evil Times
In these dark days with senseless violence, burning, looting, and killing going on in the streets daily in this country, evil has become totally unhinged. So what are we to do but praying to the Lord for mercy? In today's Gospel reading from Matthew 16, Jesus began to show to his disciples that he himself must go to Jerusalem and suffer greatly from the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed and on the third day be raised. Are we who follow him going through our ordeals now? Jesus then told his disciples, "Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me. For whoever wishes to save this life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it." This is what we need to know. He continued on, "The Son of Man will come with his angels in his Father's glory, and then he will repay all according to his conduct." This is the hope we need to hear. Meanwhile, let us pray with all our heart that the Lord will crush all evil and save all souls.
Saturday, August 29, 2020
***Getting Blessed to the Max
Matthew 5.10, today's Gospel acclamation: Blessed are those who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven. To me, when God blesses you, he is going to reward you. And the greatest possible reward has to be eternal life with God in heaven. So I go straight to the Lord to secure that by believing in him, keeping his word, and receiving the Holy Eucharist (my triple guarantee) and I get blessed to the max!
*Be Something or Nothing
Today is the Memorial of the Passion of St. John the Baptist. In the first reading from 1 Corinthians 1, Paul wrote, "Not many of you were wise by human standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. Rather, God chose the foolish of the world to shame the wise, and God chose the weak of the world to shame the strong, and God chose the lowly and despised of the world, those who count for nothing, to reduce to nothing those who are something, so that no human being might boast before God." So, brothers and sisters, if you want Satan to notice you, just think that you are somebody. But if you only wish God to notice you, then become nothing. We have a clear choice here.
**Feeling Sad About Others Dying
People feel sad when they hear that someone young in their 20s, 30s, or even 40s, has passed away because they feel that the deceased is going to miss the many good things of life. But this is how we see it, not how God sees it. If we are quite sure that the soul of the deceased has gone to heaven, we should indeed rejoice. But if we are not sure, knowing that God is absolutely fair and just, then there is nothing for us to be concerned about. We can always pray for the soul in case it has entered purgatory. Now, if we are quite sure that a soul has gone to hell, then we can feel sad, again more for the loss to the Lord than for the deceased. Not knowing what happens to the soul and feeling sad only reflects our own attachment to the world. With God, we become attached to him alone and see true reality.
Friday, August 28, 2020
**Responsible for Our Own Banishment
Today's Gospel reading from Matthew tells the parable of the ten virgins. The five foolish ones who were not prepared for the bridegroom's arrival didn't make it to the wedding feast on time. When they knocked on the locked door and said, "Lord, Lord, open the door for us!" he replied, "Amen, I say to you, I do not know you." So every day we put off accepting the Lord, we risk being locked out of the Kingdom of heaven. This is true whether he comes in your lifetime or after you die. You have only yourself to blame for your banishment.
***Preparing for Standing Before the Lord***
Luke 21.36, today's alleluia verse: Be vigilant at all times and pray that you may have the strength to stand before the Son of Man, says the Lord. The day to stand before the Lord will come for each of us. I cannot think of a better way to prepare for that day than achieving union with him now on earth. You become one with him every moment of this life, abandoning yourself to him completely, and are ready to accept whatever he wishes to do with you with joy. Yes, you might say you beat the Lord to it, but I have no doubt that he'd be pleased that you are being astute spiritually.
**Supreme Wisdom
Realizing that if we all follow Christ our Lord fully, we'll have peace on earth now and eternal life afterwards; and if we rebel against him, we'll reman in turmoil now and perish for all eternity later.
**The Foolish Shall Perish
Today is the Memorial of St. Augustine. In the first reading from 1 Corinthians 1, Paul wrote, "The message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God." You see, people want to see God perform miracles so that they might believe, but fail to see his great invisible power that can save them from perishment if they would believe in him. It is their self-centeredness that has blinded them, expecting God to submit to them and not the other way around. The foolish will perish, while the humble will live on.
Thursday, August 27, 2020
**How to Be Prepared
Today is the Memorial of St. Monica. In the Gospel reading from Matthew 24, Jesus said to his disciples, "Stay awake! For you do not know on which day your Lord will come. So you must be prepared, for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come." Once we realize this, the best way for us to be prepared is to focus only upon serving Christ from now on. There is no other way.
**What Causes You to Weep
I came across this over a year old Fr. Mark Goring video. I am posting it because he has a beautiful message for us.
***Making Your Faith Great
When I first accepted Christ as my Savior, he was not that real to me, for I did not experience his presence. Only once in a while, I sensed his presence for a brief moment. Others with a much greater faith impressed me. Then later after I got baptized in the Holy Spirit in the Catholic Charismatic Renewal movement, I was a changed person—Christ and the Holy Spirit became real to me. Now, finally, the Lord is more real to me than anyone else, for when he speaks to me in my heart, all doubts vanish. This is how faith comes about. Know the Lord and let him make your faith great. This is why I advocate seeking union with God through the Holy Eucharist to make all the difference to your faith.
*No Choice but to Be Humble
The Hubble telescope in space has been taking photos of the universe for 30 years. The images are truly amazing. Of course, since the universe is so immense, the images captured could be billions of years old already. Seeing these images willingly makes me want to surrender myself to the Lord who created the whole universe. I wouldn't be surprised that the universe is infinite, for God is infinite. There are numerous videos showing such images. I have chosen a fairly recent short one for you to watch.
Wednesday, August 26, 2020
***Key to Union with God
There are numerous beautiful spiritual writings, sayings, and prayers you can read, but if your heart is not involved, reading them would all be in vain. To enjoy the Lord, turn you heart directly to him, for his beauty is beyond words. Gazing at or meditating upon the Lord with all your heart is so much more satisfying and rewarding than reading someone else's beautiful words about him. Your own open heart is the key to union with God.
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