We Are Nothing!

        Today during Mass I became sharply aware that I am really nothing.  God created me and put me on this earth; I had nothing to do with it.  He provides for my existence and shapes my life in this world.  Everything belongs to and came from him.  Even my love came from him because he who loved us first has given me the inspiration to love him back.  Without him, I wouldn't be able to love.  This awareness made me realize that I, the whole of me, am totally dependent upon God, and I myself belong to him alone.  It has been a humbling, exhilarating, and liberating experience.             

Prudence Needed

        In today's Gospel reading from Luke 16 at Mass, Jesus tells the parable of the dishonest steward who acted prudently and the Lord concludes by saying that the children of this world are more prudent in dealing with their own generation than the children of light.  To be prudent is to be careful in providing for the future.  The lesson here for me is that as children of light, we must stay wide-awake and manage our spiritual affairs wisely to ensure our future.

        The Alleluia verse, 1 John 2:5, provides extra guidance: "Whoever keeps the word of Christ, the love of God is truly perfected in him."

Our Unique Faith

        In the Catholic faith, the true faith, not only do we get to know God intimately, we also get to receive God into us in the Holy Eucharist!  This is unique because there's nothing like this in any non-Christian faith.

Know Your Role

        Today is the Memorial of St. Charles Borremeo.  Reading a little about him, I discovered that he and I share the same birthday.  He was a man for all seasons: a canonist, a diplomat, a reformer, an advocate for the poor, etc.  I was reminded to question what God has chosen for each of us to do, that is, what our role is as disciples.  To be holy and do his will is obviously the goal, but he may have more specific things for us to do.  Through prayer and with patience, they shall come to light as we follow him in our faith journey, a journey of discovering both God and ourselves afresh every day.   

No Freedom Without God

        If you live as if you are a god, in reality you are just a slave to yourself and you're not free.  On the other hand, if you surrender yourself to the true God, then he'll set you free and make you into a little god.  Remember: no one can free himself without God.

To Be Loving & Fearless

        After Mass I asked the Lord to break me down again.  All remnants of the old self must be cleaned out.  The goal is to live only in him and for him.  I like the combination of being loving and fearless at the same time.  If the old me can be cleaned out more, I should be able to get closer to achieving my goal.          

Discipleship Requirements

        In today's Gospel reading from Luke 14, Jesus spelled out the requirements for anyone who wants to be his disciple.  They include "hating you own family members and even your own life," "carrying your own cross," and "renouncing all your own possessions."  If these requirements were asked on a test, will you pass or fail?  

        Should you think what the Lord asks for is too harsh or demanding, then you can always find another religion much less stringent in its teaching or a Christian denomination that makes sure that members won't be offended in any way.    

        You get what you pay for.     

Joy of the Risen Christ

        As I prayed the first Glorious Mystery of the Holy Rosary, which is the Resurrection, I tried to sense the joy that the disciples must have felt when they found out that their Lord had risen.  After the crucifixion, despair must have descended upon them.  Then the Resurrection turned everything around.  It must have been a tremendous uplifting experience!  Even though we did not live in those days, the effect on us should be the same.  Feeling the joy of the Risen Christ is not to be limited to Easter time only.  Let this joy outweigh any sorrow or pain that we may experience in this life.     

More Mercy

        Today is All Souls day.  God's mercy continues when the deceased souls get another chance to become holy as they are being purified in purgatory before uniting with God fully.

Journeying Back to God

        Today is the Solemnity of All Saints.  I felt that God had brought me into this world for me to find him so that he could have me back.  I have responded to his call and found my way back through Christ.  As today's reading from Revelation reveals, the servants of God were marked with the seal on their foreheads.  We who serve the Lord belong to that group.  The Father has chosen us for Christ.  Fully realizing this, we shouldn't let anything in life upset us anymore.  All trials and tribulations are part of the package we receive for journeying back to God.  It's only a matter of time before we join all the saints in heaven.  Rejoice!    

The Force of God

        It's a perfect morning today with perfect temperature, blue skies, and birds enjoying their time among the trees.  I happened to see a perfect acorn on the grass and picked it up.  I knew it would grow into a mighty oak if planted properly in good soil.  We've all seen roots of trees cracking concrete pathways, planters, or even uplifting house foundations.  This is the force of nature.  So I started thinking that the force of God, which is the Holy Spirit, can absolutely make each one of us grow into a spiritual giant, powerful enough to crush all obstacles in the way, so long as we plant ourselves properly and firmly in God.  May this thought give us hope and inspiration.  

Heavy Responsibility

        Today when I received the Lord in Holy Communion, I felt the tremendous responsibility he placed upon me.  First of all, I am nothing and here the Lord of the universe, pure LOVE, entered me ~ how was I, unworthy as I am, to bear his holy presence in me??  I felt almost crushed and the heavy responsibility to do my utmost to please him by not sinning again.  Let's say you are carrying the Holy Eucharist in a pix on you, as Eucharistic Ministers do when they visit the homebound or imprisoned ~ I am sure that you would do your utmost to make sure that the Eucharist is well protected and reverenced.  You should feel the same after you have consumed the Eucharist within you.  With such heavy responsibility felt, I asked the Lord to carry me in his love instead rather than me having to "carry" him by myself.  

Old Testament Wisdom

        I went to Vigil Mass today, so the readings were the ones for Sunday tomorrow.  Reading 1 was taken from Wisdom ~ 11:22-12:2.  I must admit that I have never read or studied the entire Bible.  For me, the four Gospels are dearest to me, so I'd rather read them again than starting on another book.  Anyway, the reading from Wisdom basically states the following about God:

        (1) The whole universe is as a grain or a drop of morning dew before the Lord.

        (2) God has mercy on all because he can do all things.  He overlooks people's sins that they may repent. 

        (3) God loves all things and loathes nothing that he has made; for he would not have fashioned what he hated. 

        (4) Nothing could remain unless he willed it; or be preserved, had it not been called forth by him. 
        (5) He spares all things because they are his.
        (6) He is lover of souls, for his imperishable spirit is in all things!

        (7) He rebukes offenders little by little, warns them and reminds them of their sins, that they may abandon their wickedness and believe in him.
        I concur with all that's said here.  I shall read more books from the Old Testament.

God Is Humility

        Today's Gospel reading from Luke 14 at Mass contains the famous saying from Jesus: "For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted."  This is another beautiful paradox, which speaks the truth.  Jesus himself has demonstrated with his own life this truth.  On the other hand, many prideful people in the world today have demonstrated the same truth too, the way it's stated in the first half.  We who follow Christ are to imitate him.  He has always spoken the truth and will never mislead us.  The truth shall set us free, and freedom awaits us.  

        God is love.  God is also humility.       

Faith Is...

knowing that God will always provide what we need, lead us in the right direction, and get us through any situation in life, and not being concerned about how he is going to do it. 

Jesus the Sensible One

        Today's Gospel reading from Lk 14:1-6 shows that Jesus was a sensible person, not legalistic like the Pharisees.  He taught with authority, but was never domineering.  He could be demanding, yet he remained humble.  Everything he did, he did out of love.   

        Like him, let love motivate us in all that we do, then we don't ever have to worry about whether we've done the right thing or not.        

Cause of Unhappiness

        This thought popped into my mind during Mass.  People are not happy because they have not straightened out their relationship with God, whether they are aware of it or not.  St. Augustine said that God has made us for himself so that our hearts are restless until they find their rest in him.  This is what it's all about.  God has made us so that we'll never be happy until we have set the relationship between God and us straight.
        Today's Alleluia verse from John 10: " My sheep hear my voice; I know them, and they follow me."  This is the perfect relationship.

On Submission to God

        This morning during prayer before Mass began, I felt like prostrating myself before God to become totally submissive to him.  Today "submissive" is not a welcome word to many.  The mind associates it with "being subservient or weak," "lowering your self-esteem," "losing face," or even "slavery."  Now, it all depends upon whom you submit yourself to.  If you are submissive to yourself, then that's being self-centered.  If you submit yourself to another human being, it could be humiliating or you may lose your freedom.  But I am talking about submitting yourself to the loving God who can set you free!  Therefore, "submission" can be a beautiful thing.  

Eternal Life Assured

        Follow Christ in every single thought, word, and act of yours and you'll have eternal life assured.

Double Renewal

        The old must die before the new can be born.  This is clear in nature.  We cannot be renewed in Christ without letting the old self go.  Repentance is the first step.  When we repent, God breaks down the old person and you are renewed.  The next step in line is total surrender.  When you surrender, God frees you and you are renewed once more. 

Power of a Truthful Heart

        Praying half-heartedly without much sincerity wastes both God's and your own time.  On the other hand, a truthful heart moves God's heart.  Praying with such a heart means praying with total honesty, nothing hidden, and everything meant.  Such prayer directly penetrates the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus.         

Obedience to the Word of God

        If we believe that the word of God is truth, then we have no choice but to obey ~ just simple logic.  And this obedience makes the soul beautiful.

A Big Wake-up Call

        In a post the day before yesterday, I mentioned that when Paul expected his followers to be good in so many ways, it was like a wake-up call.  In today's Gospel reading from Luke 13, we really get the big wake-up call from the Lord himself.  In verses 22-30, he answered the question "Lord, will only a few people be saved?" asked by someone.  He surely instilled some fear in those who heard him.  Those words are exactly what the world of today needs to hear.  Do you think that the Lord was just kidding?            
       

Jesus Our Life

        In the hymn we sang at morning Mass, one of the lines is "Jesus is our life."  This is fitting because life, whether physical or spiritual, is dearest to us and should mean everything to us.  When we are alive, the physical life is precious.  After we die, the spiritual life is even more important.  If you love Jesus, let him be your life.     

Give God Free Access

        During prayer before morning Mass, I tried to let go in the Lord.  We have our body and our soul.  I have learned to relax my body before by letting every part of it go limp to help me fall asleep.  We feel greatly relaxed when we are getting a body massage or soaking in hot spring water.  So I thought I must relax my soul and spirit in the Lord too by letting everything go in him.  As I mentioned in my last post, taking care of the soul is far more important than taking care of the body.  Letting go in God then is the perfect way to relax the soul and bolster our trust in the Lord.
        I had the experience of being slain in the Spirit several times in the past.  I personally prefer to use the word "kissed" in place of the word "slain."  The first time it happened, it was at a local cathedral where a visiting priest was blessing everyone going up to him with a piece of wood reportedly to be from the cross on which Christ was crucified.  People just all fell to the floor.  I neither sought the experience nor disbelieve in it ~ I just left it up to God and I did fall too.  It felt like the Holy Spirit had just kissed you.  If there had been no need to get up to allow room for others to fall, I definitely would have lain on the floor much longer because what I experienced were pure sweetness and peace.  By leaving all up to God, you give him free access to your soul.  How can he possibly give you anything but the very best??

Concern for the Soul

        I did not receive too many thoughts from the Holy Spirit today.  During morning Mass, I was deeply moved when I heard the priest pronouncing: "This is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world..." before giving out Communion.  Yes, taking away my sins so that my soul will be safe in God's keeping.  Many in the world take great care of their material possesions and neglect their own health.  Many do take good care of their health but forget all about the soul.  All material things will become scraps in time and our health, inevitably deteriorate or vanish as we age or die.  But the soul lives on forever ~ shouldn't then the condition of the soul be of our prime concern??

Live to Love

        Do we live to eat or eat to live?  A fun question to answer.  All we need to know is that God wants us to live to love.  He is love and wants us to be like him.  It's an invitation that we should accept wholeheartedly. 

How to Achieve Freedom

        Hold onto Jesus and let everything else go ~ that's it! 

        A footnote.  For every situation and problem, consult the Holy Spirit for there is an answer to be received or a solution to be worked out.  Submit yourself to God with great faith and you'll be rewarded.         

Jesus Our Model & Guide

        Today's First Reading is from Ephesians 4.  Paul continues to urge his followers to be kind to each other, compassionate, forgiving one another...  Altogether, he gave quite a number of exhortations.  This is like a wake-up call.  I am just happy that we have Jesus among us as our example, standard, and a reference point.  He is perfect for us to imitate.  We look to him to see where we stand and how we should change or grow.  He alone is the model and guide for us.  May the whole world hear his wake-up call.   

The Born-Again Process

        Protestants emphasize the born-again experience.  Once you accept Jesus as you Lord and Savior, you are saved forever.  It's that moment of acceptance that counts.  But for the Catholics, the born-again experience is an ongoing process.  Scripture makes it clear that a disciple of the Lord is to shed his old self and be transformed into a new creature that's Christ-like.  Since we'll never be able to reach the perfection of Christ, this renewal process must continue for our entire lifetime.  One just doesn't become holy overnight.        

      

The Meaning of Love

        God's love, agape, is the ultimate love.  He laid down his life for us.  Since he has first loved us, it's our turn to love him back.  When you say "I love you" to God, it should mean "I am willing to lay down my life for you."

Power of the Heart

        This posting could be considered a sequel to Heart of the Matter posted a week ago.  The heart in concert with the mind wields tremendous power.  For example, take someone who has committed serious mortal sins.  If the heart repents in a split second, the soul is saved.  If that's not done, the soul could be doomed.  This is why it's ever important to be prepared at all times. 

Beauty Everywhere

        When you are aware of God's presence, you see beauty everywhere.  I am thinking more of the beauty that you sense spiritually.  Naturally, the beauty of our Lord is ever present no matter what situation you happen to be in.  You see the beauty of each human soul because you see Christ in it.  There is beauty in the fidelity of a married couple and in every human act done for love.  This morning's Mass was particularly beautiful with a group of seminarians and some sisters joining the rest in singing.  The faith shone through.  The priest's homily and the devoutness with which he conducted the Mass made it even more beautiful.  To follow God is to follow beauty.     

The Joy of Letting Go

        There is joy in being able or allowed to go all out to do something.  For example, you get the chance to do all the enjoyable things over a weekend or play a sport with all your heart and strength.  Or it could be that you have the opportunity to express yourself fully in some way or even eat your favorite foods to your heart's content.  In the same way, if you can let go entirely in God, you will feel great joy in your soul.  This joy comes from feeling free and knowing that you have pleased God and made spiritual progress yourself.        

Trust Removes Guilt

        Sometimes I make a mistake despite my good intentions and start feeling that I have hurt the Lord.  Then I realize that he knows that we are imperfect and to be too harsh on ourselves is not trusting in his mercy.  This again becomes a chance to learn how to let go and deepen our trust in him.

Jesus the Shortcut

        In today's first reading from Ephesians 4, Paul asks us to be humble, gentle, patient, ... Elsewhere throughout the New Testament, we are called upon to be good in so many other ways.  I had mentioned before that to seek salvation, Jesus is the shortcut, in the sense that you don't need to search all over the world anymore ~ you just go to him to find it ~ simple and direct.  Now, to do all those things as a Christian is expected to, Jesus again becomes the shortcut.  We Catholics are so fortunate to have the Holy Eucharist available to us, the bread of heaven, to nourish us and unite us to the Lord.  It is through this union that we become holy and automatically, we'll be living right; there's no need to keep a check list to see if we're good in the various ways.   



God Is Infinite

        Today's First Reading at Mass from Ephesians 3 talks about the immensity of God's love, a love that surpasses knowledge.  Can you ever imagine that God is limited in some ways?  If there is a single thing that's not possible with him, then he cannot be God and I don't want to worship such a "God" either.

        If he is not finite, then he must be infinite.  Thus, his love is infinite; his mercy, boundless; his knowledge, unlimited... ~ I could go on and on, but the list is infinite too.  We creatures cannot comprehend infinity, but we are not supposed to ~ we are called upon only to believe and trust.        

How Important Is Jesus to You?

        Here is perhaps a way to find out how important Jesus is to you.  Imagine that Jesus is taken away from you, so you are absolutely cut off from him.  He's now totally out of your life and there is no hope of ever getting in touch with him again.  How would you feel?  Would you feel merely sad or devastated?  Would you feel that you could still live on or life has lost its meaning?  If you feel devastated, is there any point in not wanting to live anymore if Jesus is out of the picture?  There are many other questions you can think of. 

        Cheer up, because he will always be here with you. 

How to Live Right

        To abandon yourself to God is the only way to live right.  If God wants you to go to him right this moment, you response should be an instant "yes," with no reservation whatsoever.  If he wants you to live another hundred years, you respond exactly the same way.  In the meantime, we keep praying to God to show us the way in everything so that we may discern and do his will. 

How to Be Bold & Fearless

        If you put your full trust in God and since he is all love and all-knowing, you should never need to worry, be anxious, or afraid anymore.  This is the theory that sounds totally logical and I can't find any flaw in it either.  Therefore, put it into practice and become confident, bold, and fearless.

        A footnote.  This is not to say that you'll no longer experience any agony or have sufferings or crosses to bear.  The difference is that now you will have the strength and inner peace to deal with anything that comes your way.

A Matter of Occupancy

        One good way to picture our relationship with God goes like this. Imagine that God gives each of us one of his rooms to live in. Now he wants to move in to stay with us. Here are the various possible reactions. (1) Ignore him; close the windows and lock the door to keep him outside. (2) Look through the windows to peek at him once in a while. (3) Wave to him at the window or maybe even open the door enough to talk to him. (4) Permit him to move in, but change your mind afterwards. (5) Actually let him move in, but you are still in control. (6) He is in with you, but you still fight him over many things. (7) You begin to like him after getting to know him more. (8) You are pretty happy that he's staying with you. (9) You begin to get attached to and love him. (10) You come to love him with all my heart and finally surrender to him. He is now truly your Lord and can do whatever he pleases with you or the room.

        It's a matter of your decreasing to nothing and God increasing to occupy all of you.

Wise Up Now

        Today's Gospel reading is from Luke 12 about being prepared for the master's return. How much time do we have? The answer for each one of us is clearly at most the time each of us has left to live, unless Jesus comes again in our lifetime. Since no one knows how long he's going to live and when Jesus will come, the question "how much time do we have?" becomes irrelevant. The wise ones would wise up right now.

Hard to Please

        Please do not try to impress me with your meetings with celebrities; the cars you drive; the brand name of your watch; the designers clothes you wear; the vintage of the wine you serve; your exquisite collection of art or other rare objects; your vast knowledge of world affairs, science, or economics; and all your other successes and accomplishments in this world.  

        The only thing that will engage my interest is the fruit you bear out of love for God.

Guess Whom I Know

       People in general enjoy telling others whom they saw, talked to, or know, especially if it involves someone famous or well-known. It could be that they sighted some celebrity eating at the same restaurant, standing in the same line at the airport, or even got to talk to one at some show. These were considered special occasions and people love to let others know about them because they feel somewhat special about themselves.

        Please don't be disappointed if I tell you that the person I know, most intimately, is the greatest of them all ~ in fact, he is the creator of the universe and all of us: he is Jesus, the Savior. I shall tell you about him only out of love, and I do feel special about myself, but in a different way.

All Things Lead to Jesus

        When I see the beautiful blue sky and smell the fresh air, I think of Jesus.  In the middle of a dark night, I feel him even closer.  In every person, I see the Lord.  Great music leads me to the source, which is Jesus who made it all possible.  The music doesn't even have to be sacred or a hymn; it there is something there that stirs up some beautiful emotion, I thank him too.  Whenever I catch some bad news on TV, I see the need for the world to know Jesus.  Even when I watch some pretty bad, worldly shows ~ not that I enjoy watching them ~ I find out how awful it is to speak and behave without knowing Jesus.  A few days ago, I posted about the desecrators ~ what they did really hurts, but it also directed me right away to Jesus to pray for mercy on their souls.  As the Psalms make it clear, the Lord is everywhere you look.

Infectious Joy in Jesus (video)

Sr. Mary Samuele

        I came across this website 

http://www.salvationisfromthejews.com/samuele.html  about Sister Mary Samuele.  After it was discovered that she had cancer spreading through her body, she was hospitalized.  Her novice directress writes, "The last four months of Sr. M. Samuele's life were nothing more than the breaking loose, in all its tenderness and fury, of God's love for her..."  Sister herself said, "He has broken me down completely. He can do whatever he wants with me."

        It's so beautiful to have God break loose his love to break someone down.  It would be the experience of a lifetime, the new birth of a soul, the ultimate fulfillment of one's desire, the lifting up to the bosom of the Father, the union of the Almighty and a poor sinner, and the end of one's arduous journey. 

        Sr. Mary Samuele, pray for us.

Face the Truth

        I believe that people don't believe in God, not because they don't believe that God exists, but because they are not ready to believe yet.  God is a threat to them at this point and they are not ready to give themselves up.  The truth is that God is love and the threat they feel is not caused by God, but by their own selfishness and blindness.  My sincere advice to them is: "Don't put off facing the truth that will always be present while there is still time."   

Focus on God's Mercy

        Today I committed a venial sin and lost my peace.  Naturally, I turned to the Lord to repent and pray for forgiveness.  But peace did not return to my heart.  After more praying, I finally realized that my pride was still in play ~ basically, I was bothered by my own spiritual failure.  You see, I was focusing on myself instead of God's infinite mercy.  There's no question that I'll be sinning again and again, but the Lord will set me free again and again.  Finally, I was set free this time.

Heart of the Matter

        The condition of the heart determines our eternal destination.  You could say that if the soul is a ship, then the heart is the pilot.  To keep us heading in the right direction, the heart must always be in the right place, that is, be pure, loving, and trusting in God.  The problems of our world can all be traced to the deplorable condition of the human heart.