Love Letters to Lukewarm Souls

This was an Advent talk I gave last year, December 2019, in a Christian Charismatic Community that I am a part of, e dited for the purpose of this blog. May it help you prepare your heart to Jesus this Christmas.  I was asked to share perhaps a personal reflection or insight as we approach this season of Advent. Well, before anything else, I must confess the past few months I've been feeling, as the saying goes, "down on my luck" lately. Work has been kind of slow, and discouraging. And it distressingly affects me emotionally and makes me lose interest in doing things. And so, as I pray on what the Holy Spirit wanted me to share to you as we prepare ourselves for the season of Advent given my said despondent disposition, I was reminded about the gift God had shown me during my 1st deeper conversion of faith back in high school many eons ago, that helps recollect my spirit in times such as these. And it's a timely reminder for me because it's also something we are ...

Last Tuesday, we had our Cell Group meeting. Our point of discussion was about Sacrifice. We were sharing what are the sacrifices we can offer so that it may enrich the lives of others, in our family, our work and the community we are in. I felt it was a productive and fruitful discussion as it drives us away from ourselves for once and focus on living sacrificially for others more instead. In a similar sense, whenever we have a community gathering such as today, as I approach worship time, I like to put into heart what St. Paul wrote to the Romans in the very 1 st verse of Chapter 12: “I urge you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God, your spiritual worship.” Worship entails we sacrifice something. Without sacrifice, we are merely venerating or adoring somebody like we do the saints or our Blessed Mother Mary. If you are in a bad day of coming here today (where your heart and your body are in two...

On abuse and sex scandals in the Catholic Church For 2,000 years, the fact that bad priests or popes, scandals and corruptions had NOT been able to destroy the Catholic church is proof that the church was founded by Jesus Christ. Holding on to His promise in Matthew 16:18 that "You are Peter, and on this rock I will build my Church. And the gates of the underworld can never overpower it."  © EWTN 2018-3-1 Get paid to share your links!

© 2003 Excerpt from "I Can Serve": A Community Journal written on 2003, 7th of June For us trying to lovingly draw our dear friends deeper to God, we may hear these responses: “I’d rather rest than spend time in church or join a Christian community.” “I know people from a Christian community who are not good examples. They don’t practice what they preach. They still live in sin. They get angry, they speak bad words, they hurt people. Why should I join?” “I’m also a member already of a sorority (or a fraternity or a club). They’re all the same as yours. We help the poor, we conduct self-development programs, etc. sometimes even more extensive and financially-organized than Christian communities.” “I’m ok and happy with my life. Why should I complicate it further by spending on spiritual affairs inconvenient and a waste of my time and schedules. I help out my friends in need better than they do.” Many of our friends and relatives right now, as I speak...