We Are Special!

        Before Mass started this morning, I was thinking that the Israelites were special because they were chosen by God to believe in him from the very beginning.  Then we are special too for being chosen by God to know the Son, Jesus the Savior, and inherit eternal life.

Warfare Continued

        Jesus came to engage the Enemy.  He lost his life, but he won the war.  For us to fight the spiritual war, we must likewise counter hatred with love and pride with humility.  This is God's way and must be our way too.  Utter dependence upon the Lord is called for.      

How to Fight the Enemy

        I personally feel that God and his Church are facing vicious and violent attacks today.  I think many of you will agree.  Just look at the news every day.  People just do what they want to do and say what they want to say.  The closest description would be to say that they all act as if they were god (not God because they are in reality anti-God).  So what are we the believers to do?

        Realizing that the objective of Satan is to alienate us from God, we must all the more cling to the Lord.  We must be ready for martyrdom if necessary.  After all, this is warfare!  Stick with the Lord through thick and thin all the way to eternity and nothing can harm our soul.  We know who our leader is, but our poor enemies don't even know that they are being lead astray ~ they need our prayer.         

Attending Daily Mass

        I have been attending Mass daily for over three year now.  Way back in the past, I did attempt to do the same.  Some of my friends attended daily Mass (this was at a different parish), so I thought it should do me good too.  But it didn't last long ~ I didn't feel I was getting enough out of it and besides, getting up early in those days was hard for me.  I already loved the Lord, but my thinking was more or less self-centered. 

        I am recalling all this because this morning as I drove to Mass, I felt that I had an important appointment with the Lord and was eagerly going there to meet him.  This time, definitely the Lord was drawing me.  What I pray is that even if I don't feel the draw, I will continue to go to him, for he always bless you extra for making the effort to please him and not yourself.           

On Obeying the Lord

        The strong in faith obey the Lord out of love, while the weak in faith obey him out of fear.

Jesus Gives Living Water

        In today's Gospel reading from John 4, Jesus told the the woman of Samaria by the well "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.”  This statement really resonates with me because like the spring water Jesus does refresh my soul, especially when I receive him in the Holy Eucharist, and I do feel the constant surge or welling of the Holy Spirit within me.  As the Lord said, the water he gives indeed quenches the thirst of the soul, but it also intensifies the soul's yearning for him.  This is only natural, as once you have tasted something good, you desire even more of it.

Jesus Is Ours!

        Today's Gospel reading at Mass was the well-known Prodigal Son parable from Luke 15.  It's such a beautiful story depicting God's love for us.  Books have been written based upon this story.  It richly provides so much we could reflect upon.  What struck me this time was what the father said to the older son near the end: "My son, you are here with me always; everything I have is yours."  To those of us who already belong to the Father, even if nothing special happens to us, we know that God's love is ever present and most of all, Jesus is ours.   

Surrender Leads to Union

        "Surrender" is the last thing people want to do.  To surrender is to yield or submit to another person, or to give oneself up.  But surrendering to God actually turns out to be the way to freedom.  God now takes over and starts removing all your worries, fears, and other negative feelings; for he is merciful, gentle, patient, understanding and full of compassion.  He does not boss you around; he even gave you a free will!  If you think otherwise, then you have not known him yet.  The whole goal or wish of God is to free us.  To surrender to him is to surrender to Love.  It's what every human being should do ~ to acknowledge that he is the Lord and to recognize and accept ourselves as his beloved children.  Therefore, surrender leads to union.  What else could you possibly wish for?

        A footnote.  God never forces us to love him, because there cannot be love if it's not genuine.  In the same way, there is no genuine faith if we are forced to believe.

Be Truthful

        To maintain the most intimate relationship with God, I see the absolute necessity of being truthful to him.  By that I mean laying yourself open before him, hiding nothing but revealing everything.  You want the Lord to see everything in your heart, your mind, and your soul to let him help you understand and see so that he may guide and heal you.  If you are closed to him, then he cannot help you.  So, be truthful to God and you'll be truthful to yourself too. 

A Conjecture

        Today's Gospel reading is from Luke 16 ~ the well known story about the poor man Lazarus who died and went to heaven, while the rich man died and landed in the netherworld.  Some people have asked why others seem to have everything in this life while they live a hard life.  Here is a conjecture.  No one is 100% good or 100% bad.  Let's say someone is only 10% good, then he's probably reaping his reward for the good part in this life already.  Someone 10% bad is probably just being "punished" for the bad in this life.  Obviously, the choice to suffer in this life and be rewarded in the next is preferable.