**The Face of Jesus**

 https://youtube.com/shorts/dr-axbs05nY?si=cTv-lmwi6pesWN_p

**To Judge Is to Play God**

        In today's Gospel reading from Matthew 7, Jesus said to his disciples, "Stop judging, that you may not be judged. For as you judge, so will you be judged, and the measure with which you measure will be measured out to you. Why do you notice the splinter in your brother’s eye, but do not perceive the wooden beam in your own eye? You hypocrite, remove the wooden beam from your eye first; then you will see clearly to remove the splinter from your brother’s eye." It is true that we see others' faults easily, but rarely our own. We should simply perfect ourselves and pray for others, leaving all judgment to the Lord.

**Soul Over Body**

        In today's Gospel reading from Matthew 10, Jesus said to the Twelve, "Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather, be afraid of the one who can destroy both soul and body in Gehenna." This should make it clear to all that the soul matters much more than the body, for it lasts forever. If you have not yet realized this, you are in greater need of God's mercy than ever.

**Trusting in Jesus' Mercy**

        Praying the Divine Mercy Chaplet is all about trusting in Jesus completely. Therefore, I put all of myself—my soul first and foremost—my loved ones, my Church, my country, and the whole world with its inhabitants into his holy, merciful hands. Now, all I need to do is to follow him in peace.

**Living a Pointless Life**

        We enjoy cooking or eating good food, listening to nice music, pursuing hobbies, watching TV shows, attending parties, traveling around the world, and so on; however, none of these activities gets us any closer to heaven. This is not being brave or fearless; it is simply being ignorant and foolish.

**Happy Father's Day to Our Heavenly Father**

        Today is Father's Day. The only father who deserves all our love, all our reverence, all our praise, and all our gratitude is our Father in heaven. As for all of us who are fathers on earth, our happiest day will be when we meet him meets him and hear him say, "Well done, my good and faithful servant. [...] Come, share your master’s joy" (Matthew 25:21). May we please our heavenly Father by remaining obedient to him.

**Dependance on God**

        In today's Gospel reading from Matthew 6, Jesus says to his disciples, "Do not worry and say, 'What are we to eat?' or 'What are we to drink?' or 'What are we to wear?' All these things the pagans seek. Your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given you besides. Do not worry about tomorrow; tomorrow will take care of itself. Sufficient for a day is its own evil." Such common-sense wisdom should make sense to us all. The challenge is whether our faith in the Lord is strong enough for us to want to follow him.

**Be Proud of Christ!**

        What Jesus said in Luke 9:26 comes to my mind: "Whoever is ashamed of me and of my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels." Matthew 5:15 follows: "Nor do they light a lamp and then put it under a bushel basket; it is set on a lampstand, where it gives light to all in the house." Since Christ is our brightest light, we are to proudly hold him up for all to see!

**"Spoiled" by Christ**

        Once you have tasted the Lord, all the pleasures of the world tastes insipid.

**Way of Receiving Power**

        When we willingly take up our cross and follow Christ, we receive great power.

**Why I Remain a Catholic**

        I started out as an agnostic, then I accepted Christ as my Lord and Savior after college and became a Presbyterian. I got curious about Catholicism and started studying it on my own for over a year, and became convinced that the Catholic Church was the original church which Jesus built upon Peter. You can read the whole conversion story which started this blog in 2009. Because he Church is the original one, it has always been the prime target of Satan. Today, evil has infiltrated the Church at various levels. But Jesus promised Peter that the gates of hell would not prevail against his Church, so the Lord's triumph over Satan in the end is certain. 

         I will never cease being a Catholic. I don't consider Catholicism to be one of the many religions, since it alone holds the whole truth. If you read the Catechism of the Catholic Church, you can learn all about it.

         Here's what think of all the other major religions, although I am not an expert on them. If you ask a Buddhist monk who God is, he won't be able to answer you. Besides, Buddhist monks don't know how to deliver anyone from a demon. Muslims do not accept Jesus as God, and some extremist groups have no qualms about killing Christians. It's the lack of love that makes Islam unacceptable to me. As for Hinduism, they believe in a plethora of gods and deities, which is totally confusing to me. I an going to stick to Christ, who is all love and has clearly shown us how we can return to God in heaven.

****When We Die****

        Here is what we shall see when we die, according to Saint Teresa of Avila.

**Good Rule to Follow**

        In today's Gospel reading from Matthew 6, Jesus teaches his disciples to do all good and righteous deeds in secret so that only the Father sees them. When you let go of your ego, I assure you that you will find great peace. And the Lord promises that the Father will reward you.

**That Most Secure Feeling**

         When the Lord is absolutely real to you, it can only mean that he is with you. You will also have that most secure feeling, knowing that he is present with you at all times! By contrast, anyone who lives among the billions of people in this world without Christ is basically all alone.

**Test of How Much We Love God**

        In today's Gospel reading from Matthew 5, Jesus said to his disciples: "You have heard that it was said, You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy. But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your heavenly Father." I see how our success in loving our enemies truly tests how much we love and obey the Lord. Do you fail, still work on that, or pass?

**We Hurt Only God**

        Verse 6a from today's Psalm 51 reads: "Against you only have I sinned, and done what is evil in your sight." We see that when we sin, we hurt only the Lord. The line from Mother Teresa's Do It Anyway poem comes to mind again: "In the final analysis, it is between you and God."

***The Superior Way to Live**

        Having a deep knowledge of classical music and the visual arts, I notice that many musicians and artists live solely for their craft. If you take that away, they have nothing left. The most they can achieve is a reasonably happy but brief life on earth. The same can be said for anyone living without Christ. Without him, their situation is tragic. On the other hand, when you live for Christ, you need no earthly crutches; you are set for all eternity.

**Getting the Priority Right**

        A lot of people say, "I am going to do this, and I trust in God." Fewer say, "I trust in God, and I am waiting to see if he wants me to do this." I think you can already see which group gets the priority right.

**Mary's Main Message for Us**

        Mother Mary has appeared so many times to us in the last century or so, and we might wonder why in most cases the message has been urging us to return to God. I believe it's because time is running short, as more shocking events, warnings, and potential chastisements are approaching. Now is the time for decision.

**Jesus' Sufferings and Anguish**

        On June 9, I blogged about how Jesus suffered. Usually, we tend to think of the physical sufferings he underwent. However, we must not forget the tremendous mental anguish he experienced when those he wished to save not only rejected him, but also hated him enough to put him to death! Furthermore, how deeply sorrowful he must have felt for those of his persecutors who who ultimately failed to make it into the kingdom of heaven! Let us truly know the Lord's sufferings and anguish so that we may love him even more.

**Absolute Necessity**

        Mathematically, compared to infinity, any finite number is basically zero. Even if you live to a zillion, you will still die in the end. That is why we must latch onto Christ, the infinite Lord, who can make us live happily forever! 

**Living Without Fear**

        I love the Psalm 27:1, which shows that God is completely on my side: "The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom should I fear? The LORD is my life’s refuge; of whom should I be afraid?" To be in Christ is to live without fear.

**To Be Honest and Genuine**

        In today's Gospel reading from Matthew 5, Jesus tells his disciples, "Let your 'Yes' mean 'Yes,' and your 'No' mean 'No.' Anything more is from the Evil One." Therefore, we must ensure that everything we say does come from the Lord, meaning our egos cannot play a part. Even when a situation requires us to be diplomatic or make excuses, we are not being dishonest as long as our motives remain pure. Being genuine does not mean we have to reveal everything to everyone. Ultimately, if we let love reign in our hearts, we will be fine.

***How to Know Your God Is Real**

       Some people believe that there is a God, but they don't know anything about him. Others believe they know God, but they do not have a personal relationship with him. I am especially happy because I realize that Christ is my God without a doubt, and I am deeply in love and in union with him! When your God is more real to you than you are to yourself, he is the authentic, genuine God. But if your God is impersonal and nebulous in the slightest degree, he is a fake.

**Learning from God**

        In today's Gospel reading from Matthew 11, Jesus exclaimed to the Father, "I give praise to you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, for although you have hidden these things from the wise and the learned, you have revealed them to little ones." Here is revealed the simple secret to learning from God: Be a little one.

*****Mighty Power of LOVE*****

        Today is the Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus. In the Second Reading from 1 John 4, John writes, "Beloved, if God so loved us, we also must love one another. No one has ever seen God. Yet, if we love one another, God remains in us, and his love is brought to perfection in us. [...] God is love, and whoever remains in love remains in God and God in him." By loving one another as God loves us, we become perfect and achieve union with the Lord!

***God Alone Matters**

        Here is the famous Do It Anyway poem that was tacked to the wall of Mother Teresa's children's home in Calcutta, India. It was originally written by  Dr. Kent M. Keith. I have blogged about it before, but here it is again in case you have not read it.       

• People are often unreasonable, irrational, and self-centered. Forgive them anyway.
• If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives. Be kind anyway.
• If you are successful, you will win some unfaithful friends and some genuine enemies. Succeed anyway.
• If you are honest and sincere, people may deceive you. Be honest and sincere anyway.
• What you spend years creating, others could destroy overnight. Create anyway.
• If you find serenity and happiness, some may be jealous. Be happy anyway.
• The good you do today, will often be forgotten. Do good anyway.
• Give the best you have, and it will never be enough. Give your best anyway.
• In the final analysis, it is between you and God. It was never. between you and them anyway.

        I would like to elaborate on the meaning of the last line. It is true that only what God thinks of us matters, not the opinions of anybody else. We can have many helpful friends in this world, but they are just as limited as we are. God is the only one who can lift us to the next level of existence to set us free for all eternity.

**Requisite for Pleasing God**

        In today's Gospel reading from Matthew 5, Jesus said to his disciples, "If you bring your gift to the altar, and there recall that your brother has anything against you, leave your gift there at the altar, go first and be reconciled with your brother, and then come and offer your gift." Wow, if we have not yet reconciled with our brother, trying to please the Lord without doing so just seems hypocritical. This should make us think about our relationships with everyone! If we are filled with love for all, then the Lord will be pleased to receive us.

**Avoiding Reality?**

        We Christians are kind to each other. We serve the Lord together, helping and praying for each other and the world. Yet, when we are with each other in our leisure time, Christ is rarely mentioned—that seems a little odd, to say the least. To talk about all kinds of things but him is to forget that, as our Lord and Creator, he is the truth and the most important person to our existence and eternal happiness! 

**To Be Great in the Eyes of the Lord**

        In today's Gospel Reading from Matthew 5, Jesus says to his disciples, "Whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do so will be called least in the Kingdom of heaven. But whoever obeys and teaches these commandments will be called greatest in the Kingdom of heaven." Today, we can say that if we follow Christ faithfully and teach others to do so as well, we will be the greatest in the eyes of the Lord.

**Best Thing for Our Heart**

        Today’s Psalm 4:7 reads: "You put gladness into my heart, more than when grain and wine abound." This verse truly resonates with me, as the joy of the Lord exceeds anything the world can offer.

***How Jesus Suffered***

        Today is the day to pray the Sorrowful Mysteries of the Holy Rosary. The Shroud of Turin shows that there are up to 372 distinct bodily wounds caused by scourging, and about fifty puncture wounds clustered around the head and scalp caused by the crown of thorns. The Lord carried the heavy cross on his shoulder and fell at least three times—that must have hurt his knees badly. Long, thick iron spikes were driven into his wrists and feet. Finally, the cross with Jesus on it had to be moved to and dropped into the hole, and be set upright—all that shaking and rocking must have caused him a lot more pain. It dawned on me that he suffered mentally too. He came to his own people out of love to save them, but they not only rejected him, but also crucified him! The mental anguish had to exceed even his physical agony!

***Let God Initiate the Action***

        While you can love the Lord, it is far better to let him love you; this is true abandonment. Similarly, to know him, simply open your heart so he can reveal himself to you. Let the Lord initiate the action to make things effortless. He desires to do so much with you and for you, completely for your good.

***ONLY TWO OUTCOMES***

        In today's Gospel reading from Matthew 5, Jesus delivers the Sermon on the Mount. The final Beatitude reads, "Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you and utter every kind of evil against you falsely because of me." He then concludes, "Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven." This shows us that if we remain with Jesus, no matter what happens, we will be happy for all eternity. To go off on our own is to be lost forever.

***Pleasing God**

        Did you know that living a holy life not only delights the Father's heart, but also makes us a beautiful sight for him to behold?

**On Knowing God**

        Since God is real, he is to be experienced and enjoyed. Once you know enough about him, you need to let your heart take over completely so that you may truly know him.

**Fools Can Wait**

        Since God is real, believing in him without doubt allows him to reveal his existence to you. Consequently, if you do not believe yet expect him to prove he is real, that will never happen.

**Antichrist Concern

        Most people expect to see the Antichrist appear as an individual, whereas the Apostle John regards anyone who denies Christ in any way as an antichrist. Personally, I see our secular world as the Antichrist. In any case, if you have Christ as your Lord, you need not worry about who the Antichrist is anymore. 

**Returning to God, Most Fitting**

         It is truly fitting for us to return to God like the prodigal son in the parable. All of heaven now rejoices, for you have been forgiven and saved! If you love God, he will always make sure that you remain happy for all eternity. 

**The Lord Consoles Those Who Miss Him**

        Today is the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ. Since I am still recovering from my fall six weeks ago, I had to miss Mass. But the Lord consoles me by giving me an abundance of thoughts, overfilling me with joy. Today I especially feel the goodness of the Lord, my "perfect" connection to him, and the beauty of the Holy Trinity. Praise God!

***Our Greatest Joy on Earth***

        Christ came to save sinners. We all need him, but the more sinful you are, the greater your need for him. I hope you realize this. The good news is that no matter how sinful you are, if you turn to him, he will make you clean. Indeed, there is no greater joy than letting Christ save you!

***Perfect All Around***

        God is perfect on his own and perfect for us. As imperfect people, we are the perfect candidates for him to perfect—allowing him to be our perfect Father. Now, we have arrived at a perfect end.

***Simple Truth**

        You are not secure until your soul is secure.

*****BE AWARE OF YOUR SINS*****

        Be aware that every time you sin against the Lord, you hurt him and make him feel sorry for you. Saying one unkind or bad word is like giving the Lord a quick prick with a needle. If you don't watch your language, you could end up pricking him hundreds of thousands of times in your whole lifetime!

***Sign We Have Gone Against God***

        Anytime we lose inner peace, we have gone against God in thought, word, or deed. It sounds strict, but it is true. In perfect union with the Lord, we would have peace at all times.

***Good Question for Us**

        Our God is infinite in every way: in his mercy, his joy, his knowledge, and his creative power... Look at how he loved us to death (pun intended), and how vast our universe is! Realizing how finite we are in every way, how can we possibly not let him be our Lord?

**True Food to Live By**

        Food is a massive trend nowadays, with foodies everywhere and many chefs achieving celebrity status. People love collecting recipes and dining at famous restaurants. In today's First Reading from Deuteronomy 8, Moses reminds the people that man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD. While enjoying good food is a wonderful pleasure, it won't bring you closer to God. Ultimately, it is living by his word that leads to eternal happiness.

***Secret to Receiving What We Pray For***

        In today's Gospel Reading from Mark 12, we read: "Early in the morning, as Jesus and his disciples were walking along, they saw the fig tree withered to its roots. Peter remembered and said to him, 'Rabbi, look. The fig tree that you cursed has withered.' Jesus said to them in reply, 'Have faith in God. Amen, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, "Be lifted up and thrown into the sea," and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will happen, it shall be done for him. Therefore I tell you, all that you ask for in prayer, believe that you will receive it and it shall be yours.'" The last statement here reveals what the Lord wants us to know. The dramatic example of commanding a mountain to be lifted up and thrown into the sea was simply used to make his point. What we ask for must be reasonable, and above all, conform to God's will. The withering of the fig tree serves the same purpose. By the way, Matthew 21 reported the same incident. There we learn that Jesus was hungry upon seeing the fig tree. When he found no fruit on it, he cursed it. Perhaps the lesson there is that if we do not bear fruit, we will wither.

****Making God Come to You*****

        John 14:23, today's Gospel Acclamation, reads: "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." What beautiful and endearing words! Now you know exactly how to invite God into your life.

***Big Wakeu-Up Call to Unbelievers***

        God has given his own Son so that we may have eternal life. Can you think of anything you want even more than eternal life? If that cannot make you happy, you really don't deserve it. Are you so blind that, knowing that you can never find true happiness in this life and will only be on earth for a short while, you still don't want to let the true God of Christ be your God? Wake up now before your last moment arrives! 

**Hell Exists**

        In today's first reading from 2 Timothy 3, Paul writes, "In fact, all who want to live religiously in Christ Jesus will be persecuted. But wicked people and charlatans will go from bad to worse, deceivers and deceived." Watch the news, and you will see that corruption and fraud are out of control in this country, resulting in the loss of hundreds of billions of taxpayer dollars every year, the rise of political riots funded by those who want to destroy our democracy, stolen elections, and a lot more. Do you think that there will be no consequences for all the evildoers? Common sense alone tells me that hell exists, notwithstanding the evidence offered by Scripture, many saints, mystics, and those who have died and returned. If hell is real, then heaven is real and God exists. Pity the evildoers who are now only digging their own graves, so to speak.  

***The Apostles I Can Relate To**

        Among the twelve Apostles of Jesus, Peter and John are probably the best known. When Christ asked Peter if he loved him, Peter replied, "Lord, you know that I love you." In his Gospel, John referred to himself simply as "the disciple whom Jesus loved." Because the Lord knows that I love him—even though I fall short time and again—and I know without a doubt that he loves me, I feel that I can relate to Peter and John the most.

***Know God's Mercy***

        Watch this video to know God's mercy. Obviously, it would be wise to settle the matter before your moment of death. The lesson: Never despair, for there is always hope in God.

 

**How to Convert Others**

        I recall one particular person whose example led me to Christianity. His name was Harry Burke, and though he is most likely no longer with us, his impact remains. He was a member of the Inter-Varsity team at the University of California, Berkeley, during my graduate school years. Like most graduate students, I was under immense stress and began questioning the deeper meaning of life. That was when I noticed Harry. He dressed simply and didn’t even own a watch, yet he always appeared genuinely cheerful and kind to everyone. At social gatherings, he naturally shared his faith. After about two years of observing his life, I finally accepted Christ as my Lord and Savior. My experience taught me that the best way to win others to Christ is to first focus on your own transformation. When you live a life filled with Christlike love, you stand out. People notice, and they remember. In short: Embody Christ, and leave the results to the Lord.

***The Story of Jesus**

        It has to be the greatest true love story in history. We have a God, our heavenly Father, who loved us so much that he sacrificed his own Divine Son so that we might not die from sin, but have eternal life. No writer could have come up with such an incredible story! Since it did occur like a miracle, it must be  true and worthy of belief.

**Joyful Realization**

        Although I was not feeling too well physically this morning, I felt great joy when I realized that because I now belong to Christ the Lord, no evil can ever touch me anymore!

****This You Should Know*****

        In this earthly life, any pleasure we experience is never truly pure, though those who know the Lord intimately do taste heavenly joy at times. Once we are with him in heaven, our joy will be completely pure—described more accurately as ecstasy or bliss. This is exactly what our Lord wants all of us to experience for eternity!

**Three Markers of Faith**

        In today's first reading from 2 Timothy 1, Paul writes, "I remind you to stir into flame the gift of God that you have through the imposition of my hands. For God did not give us a spirit of cowardice but rather of power and love and self-control." These are what we need to possess: a spirit of power, love, and self-control—they go together. We must measure ourselves against these three gifts.

**Only One Judge for Us**

        Since God is the only perfect, holy One, and we are all imperfect sinners, he alone should be our judge.

***Praying Slowly**

        I have found that when saying any fixed prayer—such as the Lord's Prayer, the Hail Mary, the Rosary, or the Divine Mercy Chaplet—slowly, I get a lot more out of it. When you rush through a prayer, your heart is not really in it. Dwell on each word a little bit, and you feel that the Lord is truly listening to you. My last post was about patience being a sign of holiness, and it applies here too. By the way, when I learn a new piece on my piano, I do much better when I play slowly and pay attention to all the notes. It is easy to play fast after a while, learning it by rote. Then, when muscle memory fails, you are stuck. Playing slowly enables you to remember all the notes in your mind as well. 

**Patience: A Sign of Holiness**

        God is most wise for he is infinitely patient with all our faults, forever waiting for us to turn to and put our trust in him. Nowadays, people often get upset when things do not go their way. When that happens, they can no longer think clearly, and things get even worse. Impatience is caused by a lack of trust in God, turning people into fools. 

*****Why We Must Trust in Christ*****

        Life flows seamlessly into death; there are no barriers to cross or overcome. It happens when our time is up. Therefore, we must trust in Christ, putting ourselves totally in God's loving hands!

**No Fruitless Toil and Drifting Away**

        This verse from today's reading from Psalm 90 strikes me: "Seventy is the sum of our years, or eighty, if we are strong. And most of them are fruitless toil, for they pass quickly and we drift away." This holds true for those who do not follow Christ. When we know him, we will bear fruit and walk the path to paradise.

**Ultimate Freedom**

       e.Without faith in God, life can feel absolutely meaningless. Believing in him brings hope. And when you believe that Jesus is truly our Savior, everything in the Gospels falls perfectly into place, ultimately the truth setting you free.

**Be Like God, but Don't Play Him**

        When we say someone "plays God," we really mean that the person thinks he or she is God. Of course, that is impossible, for God is infinite and utterly humble, while we are the very opposite. So, to play God basically is to be like the Devil.

**Pathetic Belief**

        In today's Gospel reading from Mark 12, as in many other Gospel passages, we read that the chief priests, scribes, and elders sought to arrest Jesus, but they were afraid of the crowd. It is ironic and sad that they feared the people, but not the true God.