Only Freedom

        You are never free until you are free in God.

One Great Prayer

        Just say "I love you" to God the Father, the Son, or the Holy Spirit.

Prayer to Be Inclusive

        Pope Francis customarily reminds us to pray for him. We must pray for him and everyone else too, since God loves us all. To deliberately exclude someone from our prayer is to exclude ourselves from God's love.

Our Highest Accomplishment

        Attaining union with God has to be considered man's highest accomplishment, since it is all brought about by the Lord, thereby pleasing him very much.  

Freest State

        To be holy is to go deep into God. Within the infinite space of God's love, the spirit is set free. There is nothing more liberating than total abandonment in God.

The Way to Grow

        Pope Francis emphasizes the importance of the family unit, since families make up each nation and the world. The family being composed of individuals, it all comes down to personal holiness. Therefore, the best way to influence and convert the world is to concentrate upon your own spiritual growth and not be anxious about anything else.

Beautiful Faith

        Today is Feast of Saints Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael, archangels. In the Gospel reading from John 1, Nathaniel believed that Jesus is the Son of God, the King of Israel, because Jesus told him that he saw him under the fig tree before Philip called him. Like Nathaniel whom Jesus called a child of Israel with no duplicity in him, we should also believe. Today the Lord made me sense and feel the beauty of believing in him ~ it's the faith that counts, not whether we actually see or hear the Lord.

Pouring Out the Heart

        The Lord God is the greatest in all things, and he is absolutely the greatest psychiatrist we can ever have if you need one. I love to pour my heart out to him because he is the only one who understands me even better than I and knows what troubles my heart if any, often difficult for me to explain to him clearly myself. Even if your heart is at peace, carrying on heart-to-heart talks with him is beautiful way of maintaining your intimacy with the loving Father.           

God Indispensible

        Even if you can find someone in this life who truly loves you, completely understands you, and is one you can fully trust, you still need God to take away your sins.

End of Evil

        The evil rampant in the world is quite horrifying. The good people fight against evil as hard as they can and still feel overwhelmed. Then one day God will come and dispose of all evil in no time.

God's Omnipotence

        When a supermoon and a lunar eclipse occur at the same time, we have a supermoon lunar eclipse. The world just witnessed one. It hasn't happened in 33 years and won't for another 18. The regularity of the combined motion of the sun, the earth, and the moon that makes prediction of such an event possible has to be attributed to the omnipotence of our God.

Infinite Mercy and Power

        Know that even if you are the worst sinner of the entire world, God can transform you into a great saint ~ such is the mercy and power of God.

Most Desirable

        It's much more desirable and beautiful to have a pure and clean heart than to possess multiple talents of all kinds.

Justified Envy

        Envy has been considered one of the deadly sins, but there is an exception. If you long to possess the peace and freedom a Christian has received from God, such envy is perfectly OK. 

Bad Things Are Good

        If we obey God, bad things that happen to us are good because they strengthen us by drawing us close to him and may even form part or all of our purgatory. If we are disobedient to God, bad things that happen to us are good because they shake us up, forcing us to look to God for help. Either way, we get blessed.

Key Humility

       Humility is a virtue, and the key humility is our submission to God our creator, for through it we gain eternal life.

Learning from Pope Francis

        The Holy Father is heading for the Philadelphia airport right now on his way back to the Vatican. From what I've seen and heard in the media these last few days, his example has taught me to not judge, love all, and trust in God and his love alone and not in myself. When you leave all to God, you have peace.

Pray for Yourself

       Pray to God for others is easy, but don't forget to pray for yourself too. It takes humility to acknowledge that you are weak, finite, and need God's help. Imagine how happy the Father would be when you trust in him and go to him for help! If you are a parent, you would perfectly understand this. The only barrier between God and us is our sin; and we need to go to him to get our sins removed, then we'll be ready to become one with him, enjoying him fully. Love Christ and you'll be rewarded for all eternity!

Our Part Missing

        Today's Gospel reading at Mass came from Mark 9. I urge you to read verses 43-48 which teach us about dealing with sin. It tells us how important it is for us to be holy, for the consequences can indeed be grave. God is merciful, but not to stop sinning is to abuse his mercy. After receiving Communion, I saw that God has given us all, his own Son and all we need to know and do to be saved. What's left to be done is giving ourselves to him. It's now up to us.

Christian Joys

        The Christian receives many joys. Here's a partial list of possible sources: repentance; praising God; thanking God; praying to him; reading the Gospels; meditating upon the Lord himself, his Passion, his love, his mercy; hearing the word of God read during Mass; receiving the body and blood of the Lord; detaching ourselves from the world; total abandonment in him. The joy could also come unannounced at any time. A while ago, just listening to Pope Francis' homily at the Mass held in Philadelphia brought me unspeakable joy.

Joy Bursting

        Christians want to share their joy with others, not because they wish to impose their beliefs on them, but because the joy of Christ is so great that they cannot contain it anymore and this joy has made them so happy that they forget all about themselves and just want others to feel this happy too.        

Joy of Repentence

        Not long ago I mentioned to someone who did not know God that we need God because we are all sinners. His response was that how could he be a sinner since he had never killed anybody. This shows that without God, the conscience can get pretty dull. Look at the great saints ~ they humbly see themselves as the most wretched sinners. This leads me to pointing out that there is great joy in acknowledging our sins before God. When we repent and ask for God's forgiveness, he washes away our sins and we are made clean again. The feeling of relief and renewal absolutely uplifts the soul. Every sinner should experience this joy, for this is the way God has made us. 

God Revitalize Us

        Just caught on TV a glimpse of Pope Francis standing in his popemobile cruising through the streets of Philadelphia on his way to take part in a World Meeting of Families festival. After witnessing the enthusiastic crowds lining both sides of the street applauding and cheering nonstop, I felt great hope for this nation and its people.  

To Be Amazed or Shocked

        I just watched on TV Pope Francis' arrival at the seminary in Philadelphia. I was deeply moved by seeing the genuine joy on the faces of the cheering seminarians. Now imagine Jesus himself arriving at his Second Coming ~ how ecstatic his faithful chosen ones would feel, knowing that their beloved Lord will take them to live with him for all eternity! At the same time, those who will be left behind would experience the most indescribable horror and desperation. It's accepting Jesus now to be amazed later or rejecting him now to be shocked later.

Deep Satisfaction

        Today, deep, deep down I feel that Jesus has completely satisfied my needs. I know that's how God has made me. I now understand fully "The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I lack."

Setting the Sights

        Pope Francis just finished saying Mass at Madison Square Garden. I saw the 20,000 there and knew that many of them I would meet in heaven. There we'll witness the beauty of God and see it in each other too. Heaven will be the most beautiful place the soul can ever experience. Follow Jesus now to secure your place in God's family and your later admission to paradise.

The Beauty of God

        I was watching a little bit Pope Francis speaking at a packed Madison Square Garden in New York City on TV. I felt great joy that the Lord had chosen me because knowing Christ has absolutely made my life beautiful. The world does not know him because it is immersed in sin. Sin has turned the world into darkness and those in it no longer see God. Sin has made the world so disordered that the world no longer believes that there is a living, loving God. It's absolutely tragic. The beauty of God is meant to be enjoyed by all! May the Lord soften our hearts so that we may all see and hear him clearly and be made beautiful for him to behold.

On Abandoning to God

        Communion thoughts. Have you set up a wall, a fence, or just a screen around you at all to shield you from God? How much you love God is proportional to how much you abandon yourself to him. Remove any separation between you and God so that you may abandon yourself to him completely. 

Opportunities for Intimacy

        Today's entrance antiphon at Mass: I am the salvation of the people, says the Lord. Should they cry to me in any distress, I will hear them, and I will be be their Lord for ever. We get distressed many times a day and we can cry to God each time, and he hears us ~ such wonderful opportunities to get intimate with him ~ how blessed we are!

Following the Lord

        Normally, when God uses you, he does not always reveal his purpose at the start. I believe he just wants you to follow him in faith. Even after the purpose has become clear, he does not reveal right away what action you should take. Again, he wants you not to listen to your own voice but to put your trust in him. All this teaches patience and actually makes following the Lord exciting.

The One Who Won't Go Away

        God was here when we came into the world and will be around when we depart from it. Because of his great love for us, he watches over us the whole time. You can leave him alone, but he'll never desert you. We are used to feeling sorry for ourselves; shouldn't we at least feel some sorrow for God our Father who patiently waits and longs for our return to his bosom?

A Kudo to Pope Francis

        With so many religious leaders nowadays chanting death to whom they consider to be enemies or executing anyone who doesn't accept their faith, it was most refreshing to have heard the Holy Father speaking the truth to the Congress and at the UN with humility and love. I am proud of being Catholic.

Living Up to High Standards

        Some people will wear only name-brand clothes; drive expansive, luxurious cars; associate themselves only with others in their class or higher . . . they try to live up to what they regard as high standards. It's a pity that they do not know that only living up to what God expects of them is truly living up to high standards. 

True Security

        Infinity, eternity . . . these words are meaningful only if we associated them with God. Now, he loves us with an infinite love, and hears us and becomes our Father for all eternity after we surrender ourselves to him ~ it strikes us that this is true security.

Banishing Fear

        We experience fear only because we are concerned about ourselves. And we become fearless when we live for God alone.

Lack of Humility

        Pope Francis the Holy Father is visiting America right now. Instead of listening to him, there are always those who want to hear only what they wish to hear ~ where is humility? How can one follow Christ and not listening to his vicar?

Not to Forget

        If you are a disciple of Christ the Lord, know that you have been chosen by the Father. Rejoice!

Pure, Clean Feeling

        Communion experience. The best pure, clean feeling is when your soul is pure and clean. For this I am most grateful to God.

Good Selfcenteredness

        If we are to see our own fault first before criticizing our brother or sister, then also we are to get our own souls healed before helping those with broken souls. In other words, God wants us to concentrate upon our own holiness first. Selfcenteredness is bad only if we do not aim to glorify God.

Jesus Simplifies Life

        On our own, we make life complicated because we tend to hold onto things. Once we embrace, hold onto, listen to, obey and follow, want to please, and live and die for him alone, life is delightfully simplified. For this I am most grateful.

Jesus Changes Life

        Communion experience. Life is basically bitter and Jesus has made it sweet.

Instant Intimacy

        In today's Gospel reading from Luke 8, Jesus said, "My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and act on it." Here's the secret of being brought instantly close to God.

Easy but Risky Living

        Randomly pick someone you see, chances are if that person is in fairly good health, making financial gains would be foremost on his mind, with death the last thing he would think about. There's nothing easier than living a myopic, self-centered life. I say myopic because the person doesn't look beyond this life or at God. The occasional thought of God may turn out to be his saving grace.

Government Hypocrisy

        We legalize abortion in this country, terminating the lives of millions and millions of children over decades, yet our government accuse many other countries of violation of human rights. It's almost laughable. Back to Jesus calling anyone who notices the splinter in his brother's eye, but does not perceive the wooden beam in his own eye a hypocrite (Matthew 7, Luke 6).

Warped Justice

        Anyone who prays outside an abortion clinic risks being arrested if he or she walks one step too close to the building. Here we have Planned Parenthood selling aborted baby parts for maximum profit and our government remains silent as if nothing wrong has been done. Where is justice?

Essential Christian Belief

        We must believe in the power of Christ to change us inside out. That is saying that each of us has absolutely the potential of being transformed into a holy saint fit to be adopted by the Father to be his son or daughter. If you don't believe that you can be changed, your close the door in God's face.

The Savior We Need

        On NPR this morning I heard the singer Steven Clark being interviewed. His song "Lonely Roller" must be very well known to his fans. Steven admitted that what he expressed in his song were his true feelings. He was honest in saying that he was attracted to the dark side and suffered from that. Singing it out openly must be therapeutic for him. I can't help thinking that many who are mired in sin choose to remain in sin because they still derive pleasure from it, despite the loss of inner peace. I want to openly declare that Jesus is exactly the one we need to deliver us from all evil and into the loving arms of our Father.

Sweet Sorrow

        Once you live for Jesus, every sorrow becomes sweet because it's in sorrow that you are brought closer to him.

Great Consolation

        During prayer before Mass began, the Lord let me see that he's capable of squaring away everything and ironing out every problem in my interior life.

Surrender to Freedom

        We enslave ourselves any time we do not follow God. Therefore, we become free when we surrender ourselves to God. It's because we are no longer in the way and have become one with God.

One Big Family

        At Mass this morning, I felt extra close to the Holy Mother. I know that she watches over me and prays for me, to make sure I would follow her Son faithfully. What I love being a Catholic is the sense of belonging. I have God, my Father; Mary my mother; Jesus my Lord and my God, but also my brother; and all the saints as my intimate friends, among whom is St Therese, to me my sister and spiritual guide. We are all one big family, including all the faithful who are still living, bonded as one in the Holy Spirit.

One Thing Never to Lose

        Chile just got hit by a powerful 8.3-magnitude earthquake. One man I watched on TV says that he has lost everything. Here in California, hundreds and hundreds of families have lost their homes to wildfires. I feel great sorrow for all the victims. Then I thought of the one thing we must never lose and can't afford to lose, and that's our soul.

Living in God

        Living in God does not make your life more peaceful; it only makes you peaceful in your heart. Life remains the same, but you have changed. You see life as what the Lord wants you to go through for your good, and your wish and goal is to follow and obey him knowing that he is with you always and will lead you to eternal happiness. This is how you receive strength and remain at peace.     

Reaching God From Within

        If you long to reach God, let Jesus into your heart to lift you up to him.            

Not Leaving God Alone

        God is not only real and existent, he is alive and active! Therefore, relate to him, link up with him, and best of all, become one with him.

On Loving God

        Today's Gospel reading from Luke 7 tells that a woman came to Jesus weeping and began to bathe his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them, and anointed them with the ointment she had brought in a alabaster flask. Because she showed her great love, Jesus forgave her sins. The way she expressed her love might seem excessive or over the top to some, but if you truly worship the Lord, you can never show enough love. It's OK to be crazy about showing your love for the Lord, even if it makes you look like a fanatic, a slave, or a fool, for loving God is a great honor and privilege.

Fear of Death Dissolved

        We all die, and we avoid thinking about it when death is not yet on our horizon. But when death is imminent, it could strike fear in anyone who is unprepared for it. On the other hand, if you are already in union with God, you are sure of the Lord's existence in you as much as you are of your own and you've been longing for him all along. As a result, you see death as your triumphant return to your loving Father. Union with God has dissolved all fear of death.              

*Imperfection Accepted

        Communion experience. Jesus revealed to me that he accepts our imperfections as long as our intention remains pure, for as humans we are naturally imperfect.

On Doing God's Will

        Some Christians tend to go ahead do what they want to do, reasoning that if it goes against the will of God, they will know when they do not succeed. The more faithful Christians will remain patient and not rush into action, for they have learned that not awaiting God to direct them always results in wasting more time and energy in the end.

Disobedient Catholics

        As Pope Francis is coming to visit the United States, people start talking about the many American Catholics who buck the teachings of the Church on contraception, woman priesthood, etc. Catholics who believe that they are right and the Church wrong in its teachings are playing god, for the Holy Spirit will never initiate in us any action that tends to fracture the Church. Disobedience is most displeasing to God.

Only One Good Reason

        There is only one "good" reason for rejecting Christ, which is that you can prove that he is not truly God.

Spiritual Progress

        I have prayed to Jesus to heal my badly sprained left wrist, but nothing miraculous seems to have happened after two months. Years back, I would have felt disappointed, wondering why something so easy for the Lord he wouldn't perform. Today, not only am I more certain than ever that he heard me, but I feel completely at peace. So I have grown spiritually, and I am very happy about that. 

Living for God Alone

        Learn from Matthew 6.1-8. We are to do all the things for the Father for him alone, never for our own ego or others to know. A blessed life is one that's lived secretly in God for God. Our best treasures are those stored up in heaven, invisible to all but God. What's meaningful to him is what matters, not  what others know or think about us. Live without ego for the Father for a short time now and you'll end up living forever in heaven! 

Dealing With Sin and Sinners

        God hates the sin but loves the sinner. We must also make this distinction. Unfortunately, we tackle sin by judging and punishing the sinner. If we see as God sees, we would try to remove the cause of sin first. All this brings us back to that we should become holy. And seeking union with God is the perfect solution.

Attaining Life's Goal

        Communion experience. It is abandonment time. I welcome the Lord entering me and rejoice in letting myself go in him. You do not know freedom until you reach this union. The goal of life is now attained.

Salvation Requisite

       To be saved, we must humble ourselves and submit ourselves to God. This is absolutely requisite, no matter how inadequate our attempt might be. So why are we so hesitant or reluctant to make the commitment?

Truth or Baloney

        Today is the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. The entrance antiphon, Galatians 6.14, reads: We Should glory in the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, in whom is our salvation, life and resurrection, through whom we are save and delivered. In the second reading from Philippians 2, Paul writes:  At the name of Jesus every knee should bend, of those in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. In the Gospel reading from John 3, Jesus says, "No one has gone up to heaven except the one who has come down from heaven, the Son of Man. And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life" and John says: For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life. We must decide if Paul, Jesus, and John are speaking the truth or a bunch of baloney.

Dancing for Joy

        Communion experience. I felt so much joy that I felt like getting up to dance. Of course, I couldn't very well do that at Mass (although it did happen at charismatic Masses), so I just let my heart dance.

Make Life Beautiful

        I can testify that when you believe in everything Jesus says, life truly becomes beautiful.

Talking About the Heart

        I've been mentioning the heart these last two days, so I started to think about the heart. We all have a physical heart that beats throughout our life. But when God looks at the heart, he is really looking into our innermost conscience. For lack of a better word and the fact that a beating heart keeps us alive and is affected by our emotions, we use the word "heart" to mean that innermost part of us. This is the "heart" that wields our free will, stores good and/or bad thoughts, rejects or accepts God, yearns for God, and hears and sees him. Perhaps "soul" might be a better word.

Start With the Heart

        In today's Gospel reading from Luke 6, Jesus said to his disciples, "A good person out of the store of goodness in his heart produces good, but an evil person out of a store of evil produces evil; for from the fullness of the heart the mouth speaks." Therefore, if you wish to be full of goodness, ask God to fix your heart.

Through the Heart

        God is someone you can get to know most intimately without being seen or aurally heard. That's because he knows your heart.

Most Secure Feeling

        A lost soul does not know where he came from nor where he is going. In today's Gospel acclamation, John 14.23, Jesus said, "Whoever loves me will keep my word, and my Father will love him and we will come to him and make our dwelling with him." Hence, anyone who loves Christ not only understands his existence and knows his destiny, but also are aware that God the Father backs him up all the way in all things while he is living on earth, providing the most secure feeling.

*Best Empty Feeling

        This is appearing before the Lord as an empty vessel, wipe open with zero resistance and no attachment to the world, eager to let him fill you with his pure self. This has to be the most free feeling you can possibly experience on earth.       

Hollow Advice

        I heard again this morning on a TV show the advice "Reach for the stars" given to encourage someone to realize the American Dream. I couldn't help feeling that next to the advice "Reach for God" it sounded rather hollow.

*Clensing the Heart

        The secret of getting rid of what should not be in your heart is to ask God to reveal it to you. If your intention is sincere, the Lord will remove it for you as well ~ that's killing two birds with one stone.  Never try to do it on your own. We are to rejoice in the fact that God knows our heart so well!

Love Melts Heart

        Communion experience. I let God completely melt my heart with his love.

Using the Heart

        Let God cleanse and purify your heart. Then live, learn, study, understand, hear, see, and love with your heart. Only the heart can get to know God.

Inner Peace from Christ

        Today is 9/11. Fourteen years ago today, it was a most horrific day for this country. Ever since, the world hasn't been the same. Our world is now chaotic and completely out of order. What man needs is inner peace, for there can be no external peace without inner peace. And Christ can provide just that if only you desire it from him. If you don't believe me and have inner peace, I have nothing to say. Otherwise, you need to take me seriously.

Jesus Forever Relevant

        In today's first reading from 1 Timothy 1, Paul admits that he was once a blasphemer, a persecutor, and an arrogant man. In the Gospel reading from Luke 6, Jesus called anyone who notices the splinter in his brother's eye, but does not perceive the wooden beam in his own, hypocrite. Today's world is still full of people fitting Paul's and Jesus' description. Just watch those in the news as well as the commentators ~ you can easily spot them. Jesus' message is as relevant today as it was then.

Missing the Boat

        Communion thought. Not knowing Jesus is missing the boat that happens to be paradise.

For God Alone

        In today's reading from Luke 6 at Mass, Jesus taught about love of enemies and not judging others. I realized how far and removed our world is from his teaching. What should we do? I believe that the faithful ones should always respond to God alone, to live for him only. Following him and we will know how to respond to the world.

God Is a "Gentleman"

        I had wished that God would convert everyone the way he converted Paul (Acts 9.1-9). I thought that if God applied force, people would buckle. People somehow got the idea that the Lord knocked Paul off his horse. Rereading Act 9 shows that Jesus asked Paul "Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?" almost pleadingly. It shows me that God is always gentle with us because he loves us. He treats us truly like we are his children.

Most Pressing Question

        Do you know where your soul will go after you die? Once you can answer yes, you don't need to be concerned about having no answer for any other questions.

Strongest Bond

        Nothing whatsoever can possibly separate us from God's love for us. I rejoice that because of this, the strongest bond is formed between all those who love God. Not only I belong to God, I also belong in the company of the Holy Mother, all the saints, and all my brothers and sisters who love the Lord on earth. I am overjoyed.

In-Heaven Feeling

        Communion experience. On earth, when a man and a woman fall deeply in love with each other, they feel heavenly. Today after receiving Christ in the Holy Eucharist, I literally felt that I was in heaven.

Brokenheartedness Healed

        In Luke 4.18, today's entrance antiphon at Mass, Jesus read from Isaiah, "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, for he has anointed me and sent me to preach the good news to the poor, to heal the brokenhearted." The word "brokenhearted" hit me because Jesus has already healed my heart so that it cannot be broken anymore. Of course, I still can feel sorrow or disappointment, but I will never feel despondent or dispirited, for deep down in my heart, the peace of Christ has settled.

Opposing Tendencies in Us

        In each of us, there is the tendency to sin and the tendency to do good. In one who does not know God, the tendency to sin usually dominates the tendency to be good. For one who has attained perfect union with God, not only the reverse is true, the tendency to sin is also completely purged. 

Truth of What Jesus Said

        In John 4.13-14, Jesus said, "Whoever drinks the water I shall give will never thirst; the water I shall give will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life." The Lord has completely quenched my thirst, filling me to the brim. The intoxicating joy I receive from the Holy Spirit does feel like a spring welling up within me. In John 8.12, Jesus said, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." Yes, Jesus makes me see everything clearly, the way to be washed clean by his blood and the way to return to the Father in heaven. In John 14.6, Jesus said, "I am the way and the truth and the life." The way, yes ~ it is through him that we go to God. The truth, again yes, because he is God. The life ~ he is eternal life, the source of life, and through him we gain access to eternal life! The Lord spoke only truth.

The Cause of Unhappiness

        It is sin, our sin. Think about it.       

Loving Without Limits

      Today is the Feast of the Nativity of the Blesses Virgin Mary. Communion time thoughts. It is amazing how much you can fall in love with God! How so? It must be because God is love. This love is pure love, upon which love is defined, not the kind the world knows. This love enables us to love others and makes the human soul beautiful. Infinite love deserves our falling in love with God without limits.        

The Happy One

        Quite often I learned something about a person that I never would have expected. I suppose many have a dark side to them. Happy is the one who always dwells in the light of Christ, having absolutely nothing to hide, and keeps his inner peace.

How to Expect Life

        If you expect life to be rosy at all times, you will certainly be disappointed numerous times. To be realistic, expect life to be full of ups and downs and face them one at a time, placing all your trust in God. Then there will be less disappointments and a lot more pleasant surprises. Again, this is getting out of God's way.

Why No Quick Healing?

        If we pray to God for a physical healing and nothing happens, what are the possible reasons? We certainly can rule out that God did not hear us, God is unable to heal us, and God does not care. I also do not believe that God meant to punish us. Teaching us, yes. The possible reason could be that our faith is weak, not that we are sinners. The most likely reason is that it's not the right time for our healing, for he wants to build us up spiritually.

First Step to Holiness

        Let God find fault with us, since knowing our faults is the first step to becoming holy.

On Listening to God

        As I have said, when we speak to God, he is all ears; he listens to us alone. Therefore, when he speaks to our heart, we should also listen to him attentively. It's to be heart-to-heart always. Otherwise, we are not yet his sheep, as Jesus said, "My sheep hear my voice; I know them, and they follow me" (John 10.27).

A Double-Barreled Approach

        When I ask God to shield me from all evil, I want him to use a double-barreled approach ~ protect me from evil and keep me from doing evil myself.

Finally, Some Happy News

        Thousands and thousands migrants were trying to reach Austria and Germany which were willing to take them, but Hungary blocked them from traveling by train; so they started walking the 100 miles from Budapest to the Austrian border. Now a convoy of private cars have crossed from Austria to Hungary to help collecting stranded migrants. The happy news today is that hundreds of migrants, mostly from Syria, have arrived at Munich train station to applause after boarding trains in Austria. There were cheers from a large group of Germans who had come to welcome them, with many handing out sweets and water. Watching the video on BBC News, I was quite overwhelmed to see the happy, smiling faces on these newly arrived refugees. It's the truth that if you make someone happy, you'll be happy too.

Shame on Our Government . . .

(1) for not treating our veterans right ~ they lay their lives on the line to defend our freedom and can't even get decent medical treatment after they get home and (2) for not doing anything to help the Christians in Iraq who are being persecuted and facing genocide.

Conversion

        Communion experience. I saw myself on my own as a most imperfect creature, weak, timid, often confused, and most of all, prone to sin. Then Jesus came along, opened my eyes, ears, and most of all, my heart, and healed all my infirmities. I was made anew in him by him. It's been a most exhilarating experience!

Playing God

        In today's Gospel reading from Luke 6, Jesus made it clear that the sabbath was made for man, not man for the sabbath. It's equally true that any law should be meant for the wicked and not for the righteous (1 Timothy 1.9). Unfortunately, our Supreme Court has legalized both abortion and gay marriage. Obviously, not all of the nine justices on the court know God. A glaring case of playing God themselves.

Planning for Eternity

        As long as things exist, eternity exists because a thing just does not appear from nothing and vanish into nothing. Even nothing is something missing ~ if everything in the universe disappears, the space left behind still exists. When I came into the world, the world was already here. When I leave, it continues to exist. Things come and go, but eternity is a reality. It follows that God must be a reality too. In fact, he is the only logical explanation for all that exists. Had absolutely nothing existed, I wouldn't be here now to talk about it. The only alternative would be that we have God existing for all eternity. The wise one is the one who makes sure that he will have life for all eternity as the soul is eternal.        

What Life Is All About

        We are to be holy so that we can save as many souls as possible for the glory of God.

Making God Number One

        Never avoid God in any way and he will be number one in your life.

When You're With God

        Communion experience. I was alone in God, with God ~ an exclusive, private, and most treasurable moment. When you are with God, he is all yours and you are his only audience!

Get Close First

        When you see Jesus, you admire him from a distance. He inspires you and you resolve to be a better person. But this won't do you any good unless you get close to him first. To progress, run to him instead and try to get inside of him so that you may get to know him. Just like watching a flying plane in the sky won't get you on that plane, you must go buy a ticket and make a reservation first. 

Again, Jesus Is Joy

        Luke 5.33-39 was today's reading at Mass. The intent of the parable in the second half of the reading wasn't that clear to me, but I learned from the first half that with Jesus, it's all joy, for he is always new! We should celebrate and rejoice when he is with us. To be in union with him is to ensure that he is with you. 

Our Proper Focus

        Today being Friday, I prayed the Sorrowful Mysteries of the Rosary this morning and thought of the agony Jesus experienced, the physical and mental sufferings he underwent, the insults and jeers he received, and the excruciating pain he felt on the cross ~ such sorrows were quite unbearable to meditate upon. Then the Lord made me see that all these things he willingly undertook out of love for us and this love perfectly balanced his sufferings. The work of our salvation is now accomplished and it's time for us to focus upon God's love to make his work fruitful.  

Tragic Time

        The tragic story of today are the millions of migrants fleeing from the wars raging in the Mideast. These people are migrating to various foreign countries to seek refuge. Along the way, thousands and thousands have perished. May God have mercy on their souls. I do believe God can right everything now if we all believe in and follow him. If we don't, then he'll have no choice but to right everything at the end, which will be a lot worse for many of us. Repent and return to God is always our calling, never more urgent than today. Our not hearing this calling is as tragic as the migrant story, or even more so.

Jesus as Light

        Communion experience. I saw Jesus as the light, expunging all darkness in me and illuminating my mind.

How the Lord Affects Us

        Today is the Memorial of St. Gregory the Great. In the Gospel reading from Luke 5, Simon and his partners in their boats had worked hard all night and caught nothing, but Jesus with them asked Simon to go lower their nets in deep water and they caught such a  great number of fish that their nets were tearing. Astonishment seized all and Simon fell at the knees of Jesus and said, "Depart from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man." After seeing the wonder of Jesus, he was awed and became humble. This is how the Lord affects us. Today the wonder I experienced was again how Jesus instituted the Eucharist. Even though I did not see anything like fish being pulled out of water, I knew from the Lord's words that the bread and wine offered became his body and blood, and whoever receives them will have eternal life. I was equally awed and humbled.

Qualified to Judge

        Only he who knows the heart is qualified to judge.

Going All the Way

        Looking back on your life, you'll see a continuous series of the things you did and things that befell you. This is saying that anyone's life is a series of happenings and events. We all shall die one day, so the important question is whether we move closer to God spiritually through life. To increase our chances of being saved, we must at least make sure that we do not remain stagnant spiritually. Then why not just seek union with God now to secure your eternal life and moot the question how we should live our lives? I say, if you want to go all the way, you might as well do it the fast way. 

Serving the Wrong Master

        Today's societies are money-centered. The goal of almost everyone is to become rich, so they make money off each other and love is forgotten. In an ideal God-centered society, love would be our only motive. If we would just let love override our money-making decisions, we would have a much more peaceful world to live in. Jesus said, "No one can serve two masters. He will either hate one and love the other, or be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon." Let's listen to him. 

Going After Jesus

        In today's Gospel reading from Luke 4 at Mass, we heard that Jesus healed Simon's mother-in-law who was afflicted with a severe fever and cured all those brought to him who were sick with various diseases. At daybreak the next day, the crowds went looking for him, and when they came to him, they tried to prevent him from leaving them. This is the Lord I also want to follow and to be with, forever. In my case, I am aware that it's his drawing that makes me want to go after him.

Awesome Holiness

        I don't dare look at God the Father, not because he is severe and might punish me, but because I am totally awed by his holiness. Nevertheless, I know that one day he will pick me up and press me against him and I'll be only aware of his love.

Endearing Love

        The Father watches over us; the Son befriends us as our way, our truth, and our life; and the Holy Spirit prepares and guides us along our journey home ~ this is how God endears himself to us.

Undiscriminating Love

        As I was praying the 3rd decade of the Holy Rosary on the Descent of the Holy Spirit, I realized that God loves us all with no discrimination and the Holy Spirit will descend upon anyone who is receptive and yearns for him. The Holy Spirit cleanses and purifies us, preparing us for dwelling in the Lord, and anything in accordance with his will becomes possible with us.

On Patience

        Earlier today I thought of the many things to be done, some more important than others, but nothing was that important. What if I die today, right? Anyhow, I thought to myself: how nice it would be to get them all done. Then immediately I realized that I was trying to play god again by wanting it my way. The right thing to do is to let go and do each thing one at a time at the appropriate time without any anxiety. Yes, patience is a virtue and a sign of holiness.