**Narrow Horizons

         If you do not believe that nothing is impossible with God, you limit not God, only yourself!

*****Our No. 1 Calling (Often Forgotten)***

         In today's Gospel reading from John 17, Jesus asked the Father to keep all those he had given him from the Evil One. This reminds me that the No. 1 calling for all of us in life is to remain holy in this evil world. Once we accept this calling, any specific calling as to what each of us should do will become clear. All in all, to wish to remain holy shows that we truly love God and are obedient to him. Furthermore, it reveals that we are now free.

***God Completes Our Existence*

        We don't see God, but he sees us. We may not know him, yet he knows all about us. Under such circumstances, don't you think that we'd better get to know him? I now know the Lord intimately and can say that my life is complete, for knowing him has absolutely secured our eternity.

***Go to Christ First Always*

        See your spiritual journey as a process of letting Christ become more and more your only Lord and master. I have been advocating "go to the Lord directly," "focus upon the Lord alone," "be completely open to him" . . . so I am reiterating things here. Think about how you can serve and love God is good, but great progress can only come from shifting your attention to the Lord to let him inspire you directly! Basically, know God and you'll know what to do.

**Practical Advice

        Jesus said to Thomas in John 14:6, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." So we might as well let Christ transform us to get us ready now for our return to the Father.

***Our Great Ignorance***

        If you think that your God is way up somewhere in heaven and you are way down here on earth in a totally separate world, then you've got the wrong God. The true God we have is most personal whom we can know most intimately through Jesus the Son, for the Father and the Son are alike. In fact, we can achieve spiritual union with him through receiving Christ in the Holy Eucharist. If we open ourselves up to God completely, he is all ours! It's ironic that so many of us choose to run away from him and end up lost forever. Basically, we treat ourselves who are dearest and most precious to God the Father as worthless junk. All the more we need to turn to the Lord and ask him to take away our pride and ego!

**Union Through Belonging**

        In today's Gospel reading from John17, Jesus prayed to the Father, saying "I revealed your name to those whom you gave me out of the world. They belonged to you, and you gave them to me, . . . I pray for them. I do not pray for the world but for the ones you have given me, because they are yours, and everything of mine is yours and everything of yours is mine." How good it is that God the Father completely owns us whom he has chosen and who now completely belong to him! This is union all right. 

*****A Breakthrough Secret!*****

        We ponder how we can love God more, we meditate upon God's beauty, we reflect upon our own feelings about the Lord, we try to understand our innermost feelings . . . all these things I can do on my own, but I can do so much better if I remain completely open to the Lord. For then I see all things clearly with his light shining on them. This is absolutely the key to knowing the Lord and understanding all truths! So, be wide open to God at all times to be enlightened.

***Not as Able as We Think

        When we are young and physically fit, we tend to believe that we can do anything in this world. So we're just not concerned about our spiritual wellbeing. Then finally we grow old enough to see the end of life approaching and realize that we cannot do many things anymore. Having been ingrained in the way of the world for so long, we find turning to God not always easy. Some may not fully wake up to reality until their last moments on earth. This message is to remind all that we are finite beings on our way returning to our infinite God to be judged by him. So the earlier we realize this to get ready, the better for us. 

***Taking Another Look at Jesus***

        Here's why we should believe that Jesus is our Lord, our God, and our Savior. The fact that he rose from the dead on the third day is undeniable. He taught and spoke to us with authority as God and performed numerous miracles. Today we are still seeing such wonders happening among us, not to mention the vast number of people whose lives have been transformed by his love. As sinners, we are grateful that he can cleanse us from sin and make us heaven bound. He is unique, for no one else loves us to death and challenges us to the core at the same time. Of course, many of us still have trouble believing in him. So let's try looking at the whole thing rationally. Suppose that the chance Jesus is true is just 50-50. If you don't believe in him and he turns out to be true, you are doomed. On the other hand, if you believe in him and he turns out to be false, you are not in any worse shape. So if you have any sense at all, you would choose to believe in him, as the risk of losing your soul forever is unthinkable! You have to be out of your mind not to believe in him, especially if you cannot prove beyond any doubt that he is all false.  

**Following Christ Better Aim

         Trying to be a good Christian is fine, but to be more precise and effective, follow his will at all times. 

**Eternal Gratitude**

         Communion time thought: Who am I that the Lord should favor so much as to die in my place to save me from eternal death? 

**Most Beautiful Gratifying Emotion:

love and yearning for the LORD.

***Compelling Reason We Need Christ**

            He can perfect us and grant us eternal life.

**The Ball Is in Our Court**

        Jesus is fully ready to save us. The key question for us: Are we ready to let him do that? 

**To Be Dumb by Choice*

        The Lord God wishes that we surrender ourselves to him so that we may have life eternal, but our prideful nature comes up with all kinds of reasons to say no to that. How dumb can you get?

***Only Move You Need to Make**

        If you love God, you only need to be open and totally receptive to him. This puts you in a most humble state and the Lord will come to you and reveal himself to you, leading you to trust and obey him fully.

***Just Believing in God Good Enouigh?

        If you do believe in the Lord, do you actually feel that you need him for all things at all times? This is important, for you can believe in him and still do all things without consulting him. Of course, if you are already in union with him, you'd be aware of his holy presence within you constantly. 

**Blunt Truth**

        Anytime we lose peace, we have strayed away from the Lord. This is how he has made us so that we may seek to return to him. 

***Christ (Truth) Makes All the Difference**

        When you have Christ, he guides and guards you every step of the way, leading you to eternal life in heaven for sure. When you don't have him, you try your best to find happiness on earth in vain, not knowing what awaits you after death. The difference can't be any greater!

**Pity the Evildoers*

         When you do evil, not only you don't experience a single moment of peace in this life, but you also suffer eternal punishment in the next. Evildoers are the dumbest of all fools!

***Letting Joy Spearhead Our Way*

        Joy in the cure for all our past pains and sufferings. In today's Gospel reading from John 16, Jesus uses the example of a woman in labor to inform his disciples that they would grieve, but their grief would become joy. He said to them, "When a woman is in labor, she is in anguish because her hour has arrived; but when she has given birth to a child, she no longer remembers the pain because of her joy that a child has been born into the world." Now we all know once we have entered heaven, all past painful memories will be forgotten, for nothing can possibly diminish the joy of eternal life! So let us start rejoicing in the Lord always to become invulnerable to whatever pains and hardships we experience, allowing the joy of the Lord to spearhead the rest of our way to heaven.

***Goal of All Christians*

        Only the God of Christ can make us holy and perfect and see things as he sees them. As long as we all have not yet yielded ourselves totally to the Lord, we still see things our way. The result is that we still hold onto our own pride to various degrees. One time I counseled someone, citing a saying by Jesus, and was accused of judging by that person. The goal for all Christians remains letting the Lord perfect us.

**Common Sense Talk

         Follow Christ and you'll have eternal life. Reject him and you'll be lost forever. If you don't believe that God exists, then you just don't know the truth, remaining ignorant. There are people who believe that there is a God, but have no idea what that God is like, they are being ignorant as well. How's your common sense? Are you wise or foolish?  

***Reminding All Christians***

         We have a Lord who loves us to death and with whom nothing is impossible! So live to show that you believe in this truth!

**God's Assurances**

        In today's Gospel reading from John 16, Jesus said to his disciples, "You will grieve, but your grief will become joy." We know that eternal joy awaits all of us who follow Jesus faithfully. Today's Communion antiphon, Matthew 28:20—Behold, I am with you always, even to the end of the age, alleluia. So Jesus is always with us! Knowing these two truths is enough to make us feel carefree our whole life!

**Unending Joy**

        The Lord God being infinite, the beauty of Christ knows no bounds. Thus we get to enjoy the Lord increasingly—this in itself is a great joy!

***Beautiful True Paradoxes*

        (1) The more we surrender ourselves to God, the more freedom we experience. (2) When we humble ourselves, we get exalted by God. (3) When we admit that we are weak before God, we become strong in him. (4) The richer we become with material things now, the poorer we'll be later on. (5) When we suffer for the Lord willingly, we are consoled by him.  

**Clear Sign the Holy Spirit Dwells in You**

        Your love for Christ fills your heart with insuppressible joy.  

**What Do You Look Forward To?*

         This coming Saturday I've been invited to an evening of music at a friend's home. It'll be a chance to hear some beautiful music played by two talented musicians, one a violinist and the other, pianist. You might say that it's something to look forward to. We all look forward to the next vacation or something fun. Then that thing comes and passes and we wait for the next one. Eventually, we ourselves pass. In our next life, we don't look forward to anything anymore, for we'll remain either happy or sad forever. It becomes clear to me that in this life, the only thing worth looking forward to is eternal life with Christ in heaven.

**Our Ultimate Prayer Goal

         It is to glorify Lord by becoming fully obedient to him. 

***Only God Knows Our Innermost***

        I believe that the God of Christ, being our creator, is the only one who can see what's hidden in our hearts and minds. When we pray to him, he just knows that we are seeking him and not any other being. Consider the Devil or any other spirit, they may be aware of what we do, but they are incapable of deciphering our true thoughts or intentions. So we may disregard them outright. Remain in Christ and we are safe forever.

***Only One True God**

        Many people believe vaguely that God exists. By definition, God is unique, so there can be only one true God, whom we Christians know to be the God of Christ. So all who believe in someone (or something) other than Christ believes in a false god and that's idolatry.

**Good Having Christ to Go To*

        It's so good that I can turn and talk to Christ whenever my peace is disturbed, for he totally understands any situation and can correct me if I were wrong. He's also the one I shall return to forever after I leave this life. 

***Instantly Accessible Savior

        There are those who travel all around the world or read all the books they can get their hands on in hope of finding a savior. But you can call upon Jesus, the only true Savior, from your heart at any time and he instantly hears you and will respond to you. This can save you a lot of time and money and deliver results besides. 

***Becoming Sin-Free (and Falling in Love)*

        It is impossible for us to stop sinning to save ourselves on our own. Only the love of God can transform and save us. Since the Lord already loved us, we only need to be open to him to experience the power of his love to become sin-free. The best thing is once you realize that his love can truly free you from sin, you can't help but fall deeply in love with him.  

**God or the World**

        We cannot love God and the world at the same time. It's either one or the other. It should be God 100 and the world 0. Even 51-49 is not good enough. If you consider yourself to be a Christian, where do you stand? The basic questions: Are you going all out for God? How much are you attached to the world?

**Natural Consequences

        The more you are in union with God, the sharper your conscience becomes and as a result the more you see clearly what the Lord's will for you is.

*****Most Special Friend*****

         We all have family members and friends we know. Some have more and others less. I do count Jesus as a real friend. I do not see him, yet I feel his holy presence at all times and am more certain of his existence than that of anyone else, myself included! And it turns out that he is the most trustworthy and delightful friend you can ever have. He takes total care of me, guides and guards me the whole time, keeps me content and worry-free, inspires and comforts me, and then some! He's really the only friend you need! This is no exaggeration, only the simple truth. These thoughts came to me last night just before I went to sleep. This morning at Mass, lo and behold, in the Gospel reading from John 15, Jesus said to his disciples, "You are my friends if you do what I command you. I no longer call you slaves, because a slave does not know what his master is doing. I have called you friends, because I have told you everything I have heard from my Father." What a great honor and joy it is to have Jesus to be your best friend.

**Living the Secret Life**

        It is to live secretly in Christ, only allowing him to know what's going on with you. This is not being selfish; in fact, it's being completely selfless, for you only wish to know him well and do his will. Then over time you become more and more like him, which is exactly what he expects from you. This is an excellent way of remaining in union with the Lord..  

***Only Way to Happiness***

        This is today's complete Gospel reading from John 15: Jesus said to his disciples: "As the Father loves me, so I also love you. Remain in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy might be in you and your joy might be complete." Our joy will be complete if we remain in Christ's love. Let me say that we'll never feel truly happy until we let the God of Christ love us fully!

**Being Christian Full-Time

        Today's psalm response from Psalm 96: Proclaim God's marvelous deeds to all the nations. As Christians, we must never stop witnessing for the Lord, testifying to his greatness and kindness, and praising him. 

**Cause of Unrest**

        Ask yourself now if deep down you truly experience peace. If not, then it's basically because you haven't settled your eternal future yet. Since Christ is the only one who can settle that for you, the basic reason for your unrest is that you do not know and believe in Christ yet.

***Freedom with One Will**

        In today's Gospel reading from John 15, Jesus said to his disciples, "If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask for whatever you want and it will be done for you." This is indeed true because when we are in union with the Lord, we are free to ask for whatever we want and get it, for whatever we want is exactly whatever he wants.       

**Jesus IS Joy**

        Communion experience. The Lord filled me with joy. Jesus is indeed Joy!

***Beautiful Way to Exist

        Today's Communion antiphon, Romans 6:8: If we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall live with Christ, alleluia. To die with Christ to live with him—think about this a bit. What a beautiful way to exist!

*****GREATESTt POSSIBLE LOSS*****

         I had a nightmare early this morning. Unlike the other ones I had that usually woke me up in a hurry, this one was long and drawn-out. In the dream, my wife and I were exploring what seemed like a sparsely populated coastal area, then all of a sudden I didn't see her walking next to me anymore. I thought she might have gone somewhere for a reason, for we just went by some small buildings. After I waited quite a while and she didn't show up, I was worried and started to look for her by backtracking and moving further ahead, but to no avail. Finally, it hit me that I had lost her for whatever reason and started feeling the agony. I moaned and cry out aloud "Where are you, Maria?" In her sleep next to me, she must have heard me and responded, "I am here!" That didn't relieve me right away, for the pain I experienced was just too great. Anyway, this made me realize that people losing a loved one happens all the time, often tragically, and we must pray for any specific case we know of. Finally, I asked the Lord why he gave me such a painful dream. Here's what he wants me to realize: Although losing a loved one tragically in this life can wound us deeply and take us a long time to recover, it's nothing compared to losing him as our Savior which one day will make us suffer the greatest possible pain and sorrow for all eternity! For he is the way, the truth, and the life. Without him we'll be lost and dead forever! So rush to Christ right now and give all of yourself to him to experience true freedom and peace! In Matthew 16:25, Jesus said, "For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it." I am now spreading this most urgent and loving message tor the sake of the whole world, for it's truly of life-or-death importance.  

***Sad News***

        Jesus the Son of God has come to us in person and revealed to us that God the Father loves us to death so that whoever believes in the Son will have life eternal in heaven. If you don't think that this is good news, then no news can be good news. Yet people still ignore him. Pride can surely blind us and turn us into utter fools!

***One Great Feeling

        Communion experience. Christ is the only one I can totally entrust with my soul! It's is a most satisfying, comfortable feeling.

***Glorifying God Is Easy*

         In today's Gospel reading from John 13, at the Last Supper after Judas had left, Jesus said to the rest of the disciples, "Now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in him." We see that  whenever we obey God and do his will, we glorify him and he in turn glorifies us. How good it is that we are able to glorify the Lord continuously everyday! 

***How Not to Sin Again***

        This morning at Mass, the first thing the Lord made me see was that we must not sin against him at all. So how can we achieve that? The answer is that it all depends upon how you go about doing it. It you try to do it on your own, it would be so hard that you'll fail for sure. On the other hand, if you trust in the Lord completely to let him help you, it becomes effortless! Therefore, seek to attain union with God through the Holy Eucharist so that you may trust him in all things. 

***Bering the "Richest" Person*

        Communion experience. Christ is my Lord, my God, and all mine! I have to be the "richest" person in the whole universe!

*****BLUNT LOVING MESSAGE*****

        Life continuous on after death. It's the transition that can be smooth or jolting, for you'll experience either great joy or great sorrow. Never assume that everything is hunky-dory with you if you don't have Christ backing you yet! 

***Do You Know the Whole Truth?

         In today's Gospel reading from John 14, Jesus pretty much identified himself with the Father. I can claim confidently that since I already know Christ, I already know God and the whole truth. I challenge all of you to be able to make this same claim proudly. Remember that God loves you and will make everything possible for you if you love him.

***Rid Yourself of All Deadly Sins**

        In today's first reading from Acts 13, almost the whole city gathered to hear the word of the Lord. When the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy and with violent abuse contradicted what Paul said. What I want to talk about is jealousy, a most common sin. The other one that comes readily to my mind is greed, which you can see all around in the world. Both jealousy and greed can be cured by humility. One immediate goal of imitating Christ is to become humble like him. When we are humble, there'll a place reserved in heaven for each of us. Anyway, submit yourself to Christ to let him take away jealousy, greed, and all other deadly sins to make you heaven bound. Alleluia! 

**The Light of Christ**

        Today's entrance antiphon (based upon 1 Peter 2:9): O chosen people, proclaim the mighty works of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light, alleluia. If you're a cradle Catholic, you probably have not experienced such a call, but you should at least be aware that you are now basking in the wonderful light of Christ!

***Full Life or No Life***

        As sinners, we need Christ to straighten us out. This needs to be done before we die, for after we die, it's judgment time. Facing the Lord directly is the way to go. Right now, as he's not judging us yet, it is the time to let him prepare us for eternal life. If you don't do anything, you are burying your head in the sand and could end up with no life whatsoever!

**Triumphant Realization*

        Communion experience. I already belong to Christ! :)

****Superior Goal****

        People of the world pay exorbitant prices for admission tickets to watch some big name popular entertainer perform. They also line up early to make sure that they gain entry to some store that has pre-announced a big sale on some name brand merchandise. Now, I just want to return to my new home in heaven, and I only need to believe in Jesus ... no line to wait in, no money to pay, no struggle to go through, and no anxiety felt whatsoever. I have chosen a superior goal!

**Common Sense Conclusion

        To be saved, we must at least love God more than ourselves—I believe that you'll agree with me here if you believe that God does exist. Of course, if we love God singularly, then our salvation is completely assured.

***To Follow Christ Every Moment Is . . .

to be with God every moment. ***  

***Living Wisely*

        With Christ, not matter what spiritual condition you are in, you can always start over anew. That is, you can always find hope in him as long as you are still alive on earth. After you die, you have no say anymore. Therefore, live every moment of your life wisely!

**Dealing with Prophecies

        There are so many prophets putting out warnings and predictions nowadays that it gets very confusing. Some give vague warnings, while others specific instructions as to how you should prepare yourself. Not all of them can be genuine. The role of a prophet is to get people ready for the coming of the Lord. If you are already following him faithfully, you are ready. In that case, you only need to remain holy. Personally, I'm only interested in the predictions and warnings of the various approved Marian apparitions.

*****Greatest Honor***

         It's being called by God to follow and serve him! Clearly, it's an invitation to return to him in heaven! 

***Sin Spoils Everything

        It was a beautiful spring day as I drove home after Mass. The temperature, the sky, the green fields, the flowering trees . . . everything looked almost prtfect. Then sin hit me and I saw it's grotesque ugliness. And I knew that heaven is infinitely more beautiful because it's pure sans sin. (Many who have been shown heaven by God all reported seeing most beautiful skies, trees, flowers, meadows, etc., up there. This makes me believe that the Lord God has modeled our world after heaven. Now, when we get to heaven, it wouldn't looke like a totally strange place to us.)

**Hanging over Our Head

         Is Jesus our Savior or not?

*****Glory Be to the Holy Eucharist*****

        Receiving Christ in the Holy Eucharist in the highlight of my each day and whole life. I am going to put in one quote what Jesus said to the Jews in John 6 that's relevant to this post: "I am the bread that comes down from heaven so that one may eat it and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world. Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day. For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him. Just as the living Father sent me and I have life because of the Father, so also the one who feeds on me will have life because of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven. Unlike your ancestors who ate and still died, whoever eats this bread will live forever." Now you see why I feel so upbeat about receiving the Eucharist. It is also the very mean of achieving union with God! A church without the Eucharist is like a crucifix with no Jesus on it.

**First Christians

        From today's first reading from Acts 11, we learned that Barnabas found Saul in Tarsus and brought him to Antioch. For a whole year they met with the Church and taught a large number of people, and it was in Antioch that the disciples were first called Christians. So the first Christians were all Catholics. Unfortunately, there are Protestants today who do not know Church history and consider only themselves to be Christians. They, in fact, should be called Bible Christians, for the Bible alone became their guide, some 1500 years after Jesus established his Church. By the way, the Bible was only complied and put out by the Catholic Church near the end of the 4th century.

**You Come Before the World**

        To convert the world, convert yourself first. For if everyone converts, your goal is accomplished. God wants you to be holy foremost, and that really makes sense.

***Following God with Your Heart**

        At one extreme, we have sermons preached totally from the head, and at the other extreme, sermons totally preached from the heart. As you know, intellectual debates rarely change people's minds, while personal testimonies do change people's hearts. Serving the Lord, everything should originate from the heart with the mind always following the heart. Let the Lord reign in your heart to become an efficacious Christian 

***Life-Giving Repentance**

        In today's first reading from Acts 11, I came across the term "life-giving repentance." Indeed, repentance is life-giving. If you don't ever apologize to God for having offended him, how are you going to get into heaven? Repentance is the humility we need to reconcile with God. That you can feel so good after you get all your sins removed just shows that repentance is the right thing to do!

**A Stumbling Block*

        Once you decide to follow Christ with all your heart and soul, you do not ever look back anymore. So if you still "enjoy" dwelling much on the past, you are not ready to follow the Lord fully yet. Not going all out is dragging your feet.

***The Lord to Be Enjoyed!***

         Let the Lord transform you and he becomes most enjoyable to you and vice versa. This process knows no bounds, turning submitting yourself to him into a most exhilarating adventure!

***Assured Security in God's Hand***

        In today's Gospel reading from John 10, Jesus said to the Jews, "My sheep hear my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish. No one can take them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one can take them out of the Father’s hand. The Father and I are one." It is so good to know we who belong to the Lord are absolutely secure in his hand!

***Happy Mother's Day to Mary***

        Today is Mother's Day. We must remember to say Happy Mother's Day to our most holy Mother Mary. When we please her, we please her Divine Son Jesus. When we love Jesus, we gladden her. 

**Being Honest with God Essential*

        We are inclined to lie out of fear. Remember how Peter denied knowing Jesus three times? The last time I did something like that happened in 1998. I was attending a musical event in Kansas City. One evening someone I met and I decided to go to a nearby restaurant to have dinner together. When the waiter saw me, he asked me if I was the one who ate there the previous night. I more of less ignored him, even though it was true. I reacted this way because I did not want to appear to my companion that I actually ate alone without a friend. This might not be outright lying, but was nevertheless being dishonest out of fear. And I regret I did that. To follow Christ, we must be totally honest with him always. To be dishonest with anyone is to be dishonest with the Lord who knows all truths. 

**Exactly the One to Complete My Life*

        I came into this world, wondered what life was all about, and sensed that something was missing. Then I came upon Christ and believed in him. Now, many decades later I am more sure than ever that he is exactly the one I have needed to complete my life. So I did not come into this world in vain. And there is absolutely no one else who can replace him, for there can be only one God!

**Salvation Assured*

        Christ is to be followed to the letter ... no corner-cutting, no sloppy work, no cheating .... When mutual trust between you and God exists, you salvation is assured!

**Foretasting Heaven

        Communion experience. After receiving the Lord, it's as if time has stopped, for you are now with the eternal God, foretasting a little bit what it feels like to be in heaven! 

***Express Way to Heaven*

        Communion time thoughts. In heaven, we'll be in full union with the Lord God. On earth, we can virtually attain union with God through receiving him in the Holy Eucharist. I'd go the Eucharist way to ensure that I'll skip purgatory on my way to heaven. 

***Condition for Conversion*

         Today's first reading from Acts 9 tells about the conversion of Saul (Paul). He was a terrible threat to all the disciples of Jesus. Then on his journey to Damascus, a light from the sky suddenly flashed around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, "Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?" He asked, "Who are you, sir?" The reply came, "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. Now get up and go into the city and you will be told what you must do." We know that he converted and became a chosen instrument to carry Jesus' name before Gentiles, kings, and children of Israel. We may think that if Jesus can convert someone like Saul, he should be able to convert anyone. The answer is yes with a condition. First, let me say that Jesus called Saul in a rather dramatic way—that was fitting because he was chosen to carry out a most important task. We are chosen to serve God in a more ordinary way, so we hear him calling us when we sense the emptiness of living a worldly life, when someone shares Jesus with us, when we are shocked by the unexpected death of a friend, etc. In Saul's case, after encountering Jesus, he believed and changed from persecuting Jesus to serving him—this is the condition for conversion to happen. If we hear God calling and remain unchanged, then we remain unconverted.

***Happy Realization*

        During Communion, after I saw how perfect and holy the Lord was, sin became absolutely ugly and abhorrent to me, and I never ever wanted to offend him again!

**To Be All for Christ!*

        Today's Communion antiphon 2 Corinthians 5:15: "Christ died for all, that those who live may live no longer for themselves, but for him who died for them and is risen, alleluia." We are to live for the one who died for us—this is totally proper, logical, and sensible.

***Becoming Free and Fearless***

        Jesus has given all of himself for us. If we can give all of ourselves for him, we become free and fearless! 

***Overwhelming Experience

        Communion experience. It's letting the Lord overwhelm you completely in the most delightful, fulfilling, and satisfying way.

**One Reason for Longing to Go to Christ

        When we follow Christ, our sins are taken care of by him. But we still need to remain vigilant as we still have the tendency to sin. This makes me long to go to him because there I'll be like him totally free of sin.

***The Unavoidable***

        In today's Gospel reading from John 6, Jesus said the following to the crowds: (1) "I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me will never hunger, and whoever believes in me will never thirst." (2) "Everything that the Father gives me will come to me, and I will not reject anyone who comes to me, because I came down from heaven not to do my own will but the will of the one who sent me. (3) "This is the will of the one who sent me, that I should not lose anything of what he gave me, but that I should raise it on the last day." Everything said here is pretty clear. Are you going to believe in Jesus or not? If not, can you prove that he's not telling the truth? We're put on the spot! To ignore him is just not the right thing to do. Facing God is unavoidable—it's best done when you are still alive now, not after you die! 

***Heavenly Experience on Earth***

        Communion experience. To be in union with Christ to be in heaven now.

***Great Mindset***

        From today's first reading from Acts 7, we read that as Stephen was being stoned to death before Saul, he called out, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit." And today's response from Psalm 31 was "Into your hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit." "This was exactly how Jesus cried out to the Father before he breathed his last on the cross. We should be ready to commend our spirit to the Lord at any time. In fact, this would be a great prayer to say each time before we do his will to show that we fully entrust ourselves to his care!

*****Tragic Ignorance***

        Attaining union with God through the Holy Eucharist is a humongous deal! It's the sinner turning a physical union with the real body and blood of the LORD into a spiritual union! It's the highest spiritual state God has made it possible for us to attain. Sadly, there are many who do not take this sacrament seriously and no genuine union takes place. It's like a fruit tree being fed the best nutrients and remaining fruitless.

***Most Perfect Union*

        Union with God is the most perfect of all unions, simply because it makes you holy to become like him. Moreover, it gets you into heaven.

***Sin No Longer Popular***

        We depend upon God for everything. In other words, we cannot survive one nanosecond without his support. Separated from him and we become nothing. Yet even Christians hardly think of or talk about him most of the time. I think it's because we're no longer aware of the consequences of sin. When was the last time you heard a sermon that condemned sins, urged us to repent, warned us about going to hell, or stressed the importance of saving souls? 

***Faith Awesome*

        In today's Gospel reading from John 21, Jesus appeared to his disciples after being raised from the dead for the third time. In the previous appearance to them when Thomas was present for the first time, he said to him, "Have you come to believe because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed." Now, many of us today have not seen and have believed—it just makes our faith so much sweeter. Regardless, to have faith in Christ Jesus is just awesome, being absolutely the right thing for us to do!

*****One Greatest Gift from God*****

        Jesus' Divine Mercy is available to all. If we ask for that, we are saved forever. Without it, we are virtually hanging off the edge of a cliff, as far as our soul is concerned. This is a most precious gift from God no one with any sense should ignore! I am posting this message on behalf of the Lord who loves all of us with the greatest possible love ever! (Pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet if you can.)

***Curing Complaining

         Complaining about things shows that you are not happy with your existence. Get to know Christ, and he'll cure you and then some.

****The Very Best to Come***

        Waiting for going to heaven is waiting for the day to return to our most loving Father, become finally perfect ourselves, and start living the eternal life in bliss! (By the way, this is what God has always wished for all of us!)

***Jesus Challenging Us***

         Today is the Feast of Saints Philip and James, Apostles. Here are the first five verses of today's Gospel reading from John 14: Jesus said to Thomas, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you know me, then you will also know my Father. From now on you do know him and have seen him." Philip said to him, "Master, show us the Father, and that will be enough for us." Jesus said to him, "Have I been with you for so long a time and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, 'Show us the Father'? Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on my own.The Father who dwells in me is doing his works." Jesus really challenges us here, revealing to us that he and the Father are one. This can't be true unless he is God himself! His question to Philip "Have I been with you for so long a time and you still do not know me?" makes us who've been with him for some time wonder if we truly know him. I know we definitely do when we attain union with him and he becomes our Lord, God, and soulmate.

***Time to Choose Sides***

           The ongoing spiritual war Satan is waging against God is fierce and we need to choose sides. Any Christian who says "I trust in God" but does not take up arms in some way is only being lukewarm. If you love the Lord with all your heart, with all soul, and with all you strength, you cannot remain complacent at such a time like this. A bona fide Christian is basically a warrior at heart. 

**Imperfections Revealed

        Communion experience. The Lord is like a mirror that shows all my imperfections! I am very happy about this because it shows that he really cares about my spiritual wellbeing. 

*Whom to follow?*

        The Devil and the world lord it over us through deception and intimidation, while the holy Lord simply shows his love and the truth, letting us make up our own minds. I hope this difference will help you see clearly the one you should follow.

**A Great Honor**

        In today's reading 1 from Acts 5, the Sanhedrin had the Apostles flogged, ordered them to stop speaking in the name of Jesus, and dismissed them. So they left the Sanhedrin, rejoicing that they had been found worthy to suffer dishonor for the sake of the name. There is nothing wrong with their mental attitude, for I can totally understand rejoicing in suffering for the sake of Jesus. It's indeed a great honor to suffer dishonor for the Lord who loves us with the greatest love.

**Better Praying

        The Lord loves to hear prayers from our own hearts. There are some beautiful prayers out there we should definitely know, but there are also many prayers that are too wordy and hard to follow. I was handed a Prayer to St. Joseph the Worker this morning at church to be recited by all at the end of Mass. It consisted of just three sentences, one long one followed by two short ones, and the main long sentence exceeded one hundred words! To be honest, I really can't say what I specifically prayed for afterwards. I'd much prefer praying to St. Joseph using my own words. So pray to God in your own spontaneous way as often as you can and that would mean more to him and yourself.

***Only Trustworthy One***

        Sometimes we pray hard for something such as the conversion of someone we love and it seems that the Lord just doesn't respond. There's no doubt he hears all prayers said from our hearts, but he also tests our faith at times. We should see each time as an opportunity for us to trust in him even more! After all, the LORD is our only hope, for he is our creator, our loving Father, and our Savior. 

***Source of Joy*

        Seeking to do God'll is most satisfying, most rewarding, and a great joy—this is how God has made us! It gives your life meaning and purpose. Try it and you'll be overjoyed! 

*****Make This Monumental Move*****

        We struggle on our own our whole life. But if we give up and surrender ourselves to God completely instead, peace and freedom would immediately inundate us! This move is as monumental as the prodigal son making his return to his father. Experience this breakthrough on earth so that you'll be ready for returning to your heavenly Father when your time comes..

***Rejecting the Greatest Truth***

        John 3:16-17 from today's Gospel reading: "God so loved the world that he gave his only-begotten Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him." If you don't believe this declaration, you reject the greatest truth—you reject God!

****Big Contrast (Serious Reminder)***

        Those who believe in Christ know positively that being holy will make them heaven bound, while whose who reject Christ are not even aware that remaining sinful will land them in hell. When it comes to salvation of the soul, we need to be fully alert and astute!

**Only Man Who Came from Heaven*

        Today is the Memorial of Saint Catherine of Siena, Virgin and Doctor of the Church. In the Gospel reading from John 3, Jesus said to Nicodemus, "No one has gone up to heaven except the one who has come down from heaven, the Son of Man." It is true that we were all created by God the Father and born into this world, and Jesus the Son is the only one who came down to us from heaven to become one of us so that we might get to know him and return to the Father in heaven. This alone is good enough for us to believe that he is indeed our Savior.

*Who's Crazy?

        You can read all about Christ in the New Testament. Like no one else, he truly challenges us. If he is all false, he has to be the craziest person that ever lived. But if he is all true and you don't believe in him, then you are the craziest one. What I've found out is that you believe that he is your Lord and Savior and you know the whole truth.

***Liberated by Love***

        Communion experience. It's most exciting to be able to love Jesus who is pure love and love him without limit. This is liberation indeed!

**First Step to Salvation

        In today's Gospel reading from John 3, Jess said to Nicodemus, "Amen, amen, I say to you, unless one is born of water and Spirit he cannot enter the Kingdom of God." This shows that believing in Jesus is only the very first step to salvation.

***Reality of Our Existence II***

        If you stay with the God of Christ, he blesses you constantly. If you are not with him, then the Evil One has you and he's only interested in destroying your soul.

***Happiest Thing in Life***

        It's knowing Jesus Christ.

***Reality of Our Existence***

        You can have someone really close to you in this life, but if one of you believes in Christ and the other doesn't, a great separation actually exists between you two. On the other hand, take someone you do not even know but is in union with Christ as you are, a union also exists between you two. So if you are already in union with Christ, you are in union with all the saints and holy angles in heaven. If you do not believe in Christ, then you are basically alone the whole time no matter how many friends you may have now.

****Most Satisfying Belief****

        In today's Gospel reading from John 20, the Apostle told how on the evening of that first day of the week, Jesus came and stood in the midst of the disciples. He showed them his hands and his side, and they rejoiced. Thomas, one of the Twelve, was not with them. When they told him that they had seen the Lord, he would not believe. A week later Jesus came again in their midst when Thomas was with them. He said to Thomas, "Put your finger here and see my hands, and bring your hand and put it into my side, and do not be unbelieving, but believe.” Thomas answered and said to him, “My Lord and my God!" Jesus said to him, "Have you come to believe because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed." Then John wrote that Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples that were not written in his book. But these were written that we might come to believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that through this belief we might have life in his name. I have come to see that believing that Jesus is the Christ is the most beautiful satisfying belief we can possibly have, for it completely secures our eternity, fulfilling all we desire and bringing us that most profound peace!

**Danger in following God's Will**

        It dawned on me that to live the Christian life, we need to surrender to the Lord totally or attain union with him first. Then we'll know his will clearly and be able to follow him right. It seems that people can interpret what Christ has said and end up following their own interpretations. When their interpretations are off, their action can be confusing to others. To avoid such mistake happening, know Christ well first to know what he wills, not what you think he wills.

**Getting into Heaven*

        This can be hard or easy. Reject Christ and you are doomed. Be totally obedient to him and even though you don't reach perfection, you are definitely heaven bound. If you fall between these two extremes, you could go either way. There might be good people who do not know Christ and are saved thru his mercy, but to be assured that you have a good chance, believing in him is the way to get started.

***Prayer for the Holy Church

         We are supposed to love the sinner and hate only the sin. Jesus forgave the woman who committed adultery and asked her not to sin anymore. Unfortunately, in the name of love, the Church today no longer condemns many sins outright. This has caused great confusion among the faithful. Pray that the Lord will root out all evil influences within the Church so that she may truly become a shining beacon in this dark world.

**Opposite Effect

        Communion experience. The more we feel unworthy to receive the Lord, the more welcome we are to him. 

***Watered-Down Preaching*

        Jesus came to show how much God loves us and how we can all be saved from sin. He spoke the truth and never tried to please, amuse, appease, nor make sure not to offend his listeners. Now look at the messages we hear today from most preachers—they do just the opposite.

***Our Only Mission**

        In today's first reading from Acts 4, the leaders, elders, and scribes ordered Peter and John not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. Peter and John, however, said to them in reply, “Whether it is right in the sight of God for us to obey you rather than God, you be the judges. It is impossible for us not to speak about what we have seen and heard.” Yes, it is impossible for us whom Jesus has called to follow him not to speak about him! God has commissioned us to spread the good news to the whole world so that all may be saved. This basically is our sole mission. It is in carrying out this mission that we are fulfilled!

***Transformative Love*

        Communion experience. If you truly believe that Jesus is pure love and receive him with reverence and all your heart, you'll never be the same old sinner again.

**Jesus Speaking as God*

        In today's Gospel reading from John 21, the resurrected Lord standing on the shore of the Sea of Tiberias saw Peter, John, Thomas, Nathanael, and some other disciples in their fishing boat and called out to them, "Children, have you caught anything to eat?" All the disciples were probably not that much younger than Jesus, yet he called them children. At the wedding of Cana, Jesus addressed his mother as "woman." I see that Jess was clearly speaking as Lord and God!

***Connecting with God*

        When we pray to God, we are most effective when we really mean what we say from the heart. In other words, we need to be completely open and receptive to the Lord. Then the Holy Spirit can come and touch your heart and you'll know it! I've found that a good time is when I am awake in the middle of the night or early in the morning when everything is still quiet and you could feel the Lord's presence. It's the perfect time to pour your heart out to him to make that most personal connection.

**Great Consolation**

        In today's Gospel reading from Luke 24, Jesus, before he ascended into heaven, startled his disciples by suddenly appearing in their midst to show them that he was a real person with flesh and bones and was the Christ to fulfill everything written about him in the law of Moses and in the prophets and psalms. I just intuitively know that we have a Lord who knows everything about anything as well as what is going on in all our hearts. It is a great consolation to place ourselves under his care and know that we won't ever be lost again.

***Jesus the Author of Life!***

        In today's first reading from Acts 11 is this verse: The author of life you put to death, but God raised him from the dead. Jesus is the life, so is he the author of life. Without him, there would no life of any kind. As the author of life, it is impossible for him to ever die—this explains his resurrection. He lives forever, and best of all for us, he can make us live forever too!

***POWER OF LOVE***

        Today's first reading at Mass was about the cure of a crippled beggar from Acts 3. Peter and John were going up to the temple area. A man crippled from birth was carried and placed at the gate of the temple to beg for alms from the people who entered the temple. When he saw Peter and John about to go into the temple, he asked for alms. But Peter looked intently at him, as did John, and said, "I have neither silver nor gold, but what I do have I give you: in the name of Jesus Christ the Nazorean, rise and walk." Then Peter took him by the right hand and raised him up, and immediately his feet and ankles grew strong. He leaped up, stood, and walked around, and went into the temple with them, walking and jumping and praising God. What Peter said above moved me to tears, for in the name of Jesus Christ, we can make the impossible possible! 

**Right and Wrong Attitudes**

        If you think you are a pretty good person and don't try to be better, you may have troubling getting into heaven for not wanting to become perfect. On the other hand, if you always see yourself as falling short of loving God enough and "strive" to grow holier, you have an excellent chance of getting into heaven. Pride and humility make all the difference.      

**Do You Know What Your Are Doing?*

        People love to say "I know what I am doing." Then something unexpected happens and they are no longer in control. The right attitude is to trust in God and say to him, "Lord, I place myself totally in your hands, so guide me and protect me from all evil." 

***Pride Our Worst Enemy

        Jesus being God is forever present. To live as if he doesn't even exist is being absolutely absurd and stupid!  Pride can surely ruin our conscience now and our soul later. 

***To Know the Lord Without Seeing***

        In today's Gospel reading from John 20, Jesus appeared to Mary of Magdala and she believed that he had indeed risen. She went and announced to the disciples, "I have seen the Lord." Now we already know that he is risen. To know him, we only need to be open to him and he'll come and reveal himself to us. Then we can  proclaim "I now know the Lord." 

****One We Must Know*

        If we could be made aware of our sinful state and the fact that if we do not repent and change our ways, we'd be heading straight toward hell, then we'd realize our dire need of Jesus our Savior. We can pretty much ignore everything else, but not him, for only he can save us from sin and show us the way to live right and gain eternal life!

**Peace Completed

        Communion experience. The Lord completes my peace.

**To Please ≠ to Love**

        To please someone is not the same as to love someone. If you try to please someone without love, then you motive is not pure. But if you love someone with no concern about whether that person will be pleased or not, your love is pure. Usually, you want to please God because you love him. Wishing to please God alone and not yourself is a noteworthy virtue! The trouble with today's world is that too many people are so eager to please others with ulterior motives that they forget all about pleasing God.

***Smart Move to Make Now***

        Pope Francis has just died after his bout with pneumonia. May he rest in peace! It just shows that you can be the most powerful, the most wealthy, the most famous, the most admired, or the most popular person in the whole world and still die, face the Lord God, and end up doing whatever he wants you to do. So the smart thing to do is to do God's will always now so that after you die, you'll not have to do anything that goes against your will.

**How to Initiate Knowing God*

        The best approach is to go directly to him and talk to him humbly from your heart that's completely open to him. Otherwise, your pride can easily get in the way to impede any progress. 

***Learning to Abandon Ourselves to God***

        We always have those we love and pray hard for, yet they remain hardhearted and unbelieving. Perhaps we should become more detached from them and trust in God even more. When God tested Abraham's faith and obedience by asking him to offer his son Isaac as a burnt offering, he actually started carrying it out without hesitation—that was absolutely amazing and inspiring! I think his example can help us abandon ourselves totally to God, knowing that he tests those who love him and will always come through.

***What Not to Put Off

        You can put off doing many things and it's not going to matter much, but you should never put off doing God's will. So get to know him well so that you my know and follow his will. True living is all about learning to let God be your Lord, thus setting you free from yourself. 

***Knowing Christ vs. Not Knowning Him***

        I have not seen Christ the Lord, yet he came to me and made me know him as if I had seen him. For this I am overjoyed and most grateful. I truly pity those who do not believe in him and are unaware of what they are missing and will happen to them in the end should they not wake up.

***Greatest Joy and Greatest Sorrow***

        Our greatest joy is knowing that God loves us, and our greatest sorrow is knowing that many do not love him to their own detriment.

***There's Only One God***

        If all those who believe in Christ gain eternal life, then certainly all those who reject him won't receive that—he's the dividing factor here. On judgment day, we'll be either taken or left behind. Many believe that there is a God and Christ is it!  

***Easter Message to All***

         The Lord God bas already extended his mercy to us to the max—he has given his own Son so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life. So cast your pride aside, soften you heart, and welcome this terrific news. God is all for us; let him win and we win big!

***Trimphant Entry and Scourging***

*****Jesus Is Pivotal*

        Today's second reading came from Hebrews 4 & 5. From 5:9, we read that Jesus became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him. This sums up beautifully about Jesus. Obey him and you are saved, all we need to know. It's so simple, yet absolutely pivotal!

***Jesus Our Genuine Savior***

        Today is Good Friday of the Lord's Passion. Jesus is believed to have fulfilled over 300 Old Testament prophecies. I do now know them all. But after just reading Isaiah 52:13-53:12, today's first reading, there was no doubt that Jesus had to be the coming Messiah Isaiah prophesied 700 years before his birth. This is absolutely amazing!

****Sad Reality**

         In John 3:16, Jesus said, "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." And in Matthew 5:48, he said, "Be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect." Once we believe in Jesus, we don't become perfect right away. So to make heaven, believing in him is required and becoming perfect should be our goal. The Christian life now looks like this: We continue to sin and then repent and ask for God's forgiveness each time, in hope that we'll sin less and less. Sadly, many seeming good people are not even interested in taking that first step of believing in Christ.

*****Jesus the One to Imitate*****

        The Gospel reading on this Holy Thursday came from John 13. Before the feast of Passover, Jesus rose from supper and began to wash the disciples' feet. After he had washed them, he said to them, "Do you realize what I have done for you? You call me 'teacher' and 'master,'  and rightly so, for indeed I am. If I, therefore, the master and teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash one another's feet. I have given you a model to follow, so that as I have done for you, you should also do." That last statement is what we need to remember, meaning "We should do as he has done for us." And he has died to save us!

***God Forever Exciting***

        Normally, we find new things a lot more exciting than old things. For example, it's always exciting to visit places we've never been to before. I often like jumping to learn a new piece of music on the piano, even though I may not enjoy playing it as much as the one I am still working on. And almost everyone looks forward to the beginning of a New Year. On the contrary, the more we know Christ, the more we find him to be exciting. I believe these are the reasons. (1) Christ being infinite, there are always new things we can learn from him. So he remains forever new, you could say. (2) Things of the world get tiresome because they provide only momentary pleasures, while God refreshes and uplifts us at the soul level. (3) God continually renews those who follow him, making them feel new.

***A Puzzle?***

        If I enter a race I really want to win and someone else wins, I'd be disappointed. Now I'd really like to love Christ more than anyone else. If it turns out that everyone else in the whole world actually loves him a lot more than I do, instead of feeling disappointed, I'd be overjoyed to the hilt! You figure that out.

**Helpful Realization*

        To be saved, we first need to realize that we are sinners. It also helps to realize that the Lord God is most holy and try to perceive that! Let him set you free from sin and inspire you to become holy so that you may experience freedom, peace, and joy all at once. Or you'd rather remain a miserable sinner for all eternity?

*****To Be Taken Seriously (Important Message)*****

        This is going to be a long "special" message which I feel compelled to post. I may not make everyone feel comfortable, but I cannot keep it unsaid, for truth must be faced squared when it affects our eternal life! First, let me post from Mathew 25 what Jesus has said about the judgment of the nations.

        “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit upon his glorious throne, and all the nations will be assembled before him. And he will separate them one from another, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will place the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. Then the king will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father. Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me, naked and you clothed me, ill and you cared for me, in prison and you visited me.’ Then the righteous will answer him and say, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? When did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? When did we see you ill or in prison, and visit you?’ And the king will say to them in reply, ‘Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.’ Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you accursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, a stranger and you gave me no welcome, naked and you gave me no clothing, ill and in prison, and you did not care for me.’ Then they will answer and say, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or ill or in prison, and not minister to your needs?’ He will answer them, ‘Amen, I say to you, what you did not do for one of these least ones, you did not do for me.’ And these will go off to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”

        The message is crystal clear: To inherit the kingdom of God, we must love all, especially the least ones. I look at the world, at least America here, and see that most people live a self-centered life: They want make the most money, buy the best things, eat the best foods, live in the best possible house, etc. They do help others in need at times, but it's not top priority. Sadly, many of them do not end up with much savings in their old age. My thoughts are that I can be a nice person, well liked by everyone, never trying to be mean to anyone, believing that I am OK with God, and still get shut out of heaven for having essentially lived a self-centered life and not loved others enough. So we need to take Christ most seriously and believe in and follow him to avoid encountering any future shocks. After all, he is the Judge of all judges through whom we'll all have to go.