Jesus Is the Savior

        At Mass this morning, I felt that "Jesus is the only one I need to attach to.  Everything else in the world I can let go.  He's more than sufficient for me.  With him, my life is fulfilled." 

        On the way home over the radio, I heard more bad news as usual.  One story told how a government contractor hired Fiji women by telling them that they're going to Dubai to earn high wages, but in reality shipped them to Iraq to provide service for the military.  Over there they were abused, mistreated, and prevented from leaving.  The story that followed was about how many veterans that have come home are still suffering terribly from their war traumas.  Surely whoever started the war(s) must bear the most responsibility.  What saddened me are the greed, the utter disregard of human dignity and human life, and the lack of compassion for others.  Jesus is still being crucified.  But he is our savior!  People may not love him yet, but how foolish it is to not even worry about eternal damnation! 

        I want to shout to the whole world that we have a savior, who is our only bright hope in the dark world and who's all we need for eternal life.

Jesus to Be Taken Seriously

        I have just finished reading Chapter 6 of the Gospel of St. John and received these thoughts.  With Jesus, you must take him seriously.  You should examine and weigh his sayings and check him out thoroughly.  If you don't, it'd be very easy to walk away from him and go back to your former way of life.  Of course, if he's just an ordinary man, then no harm will come to you.  But what if he's really God?  That's why you must take him seriously before walking away.

Love, a Two-Way Thing

        Between God and us, mercy, justice, forgiveness... flow from God to us only and never in the reverse direction; while faith, hope, obedience, praise, adoration... emanate from us toward God, not the other way around.  Then there is one two-way thing between God and us: love.   

Achieving Peace of Mind

        How to have peace of mind?  It obviously has to do with the mind.  As long as you have a lot of thoughts, good or bad, going through your mind, you will not experience peace.  "No thought" is the answer.  What I really mean is allow only necessary thoughts and not clutter the mind with any useless thoughts.  Naturally, the most necessary thought is the Lord.  Think of him first always before all other necessary thoughts and you'll have peace. 
        1 Corinthians 2.2: "I resolved that while I was with you I would think of nothing but Jesus Christ, and him crucified."              

Start with Union with God

        In today's first reading from Romans, Paul advises his listeners to do this, to do that, not to do this, not to do that ~ altogether twenty separate pieces of advice.  And there are so many other counsels we must remember as Christians.  Then I realize that the more we achieve union with the Lord, the more following these counsels becomes automatic.  When we achieve total union, doing all these things will be our second nature.  Aim for union with God and all will work out fine. 

        In case you haven't read my previous posts, union with God is achieved by asking the Lord to transform you, making you Christlike, through receiving the Holy Eucharist. 

Mind God's Business Alone

        As members of God's family, we must mind his business alone.  Our life must revolve around pleasing him.  Doing his will must be our sole goal.  The rewards are living a life with purpose; knowing that our eternal destiny is all set; freedom of the heart; and inner peace as promised by Christ.   

Learning from the Holy Spirit

        This morning before Mass started, I was filled with the desire to learn from the Holy Spirit.  I remember that in one period of my life, I discovered the beauty of mathematics and started taking correspondence study courses from two universities.  I finished seven courses in two years in my spare time ~ I was that hungry for math.  Now I don't need that kind of knowledge anymore ~ what I thirst for is the wisdom for me to live right and have life in the Lord, which the Holy Spirit provides.  Perhaps studying pure math was my way of getting close to God.  Now that I've known him intimately, what better and more satisfying way is there than going directly to the source for enlightenment?

Jesus Is Joy

        Jesus is the cause of our joy.  He is with us and fills us with hope.  He is delightful.  He loves us and awaits us when life in this world ends.  Jesus is joy. 

Death Is a Nonissue

        Tomorrow is Memorial Day, a holiday to commemorate all U.S. soldiers who died in wars.  For true Christians, death is no longer an issue.  By the promise of Christ, we shall live forever with him in heaven after death and by the power of Christ, we shall be resurrected one day.  If death is about the death of the old person, then we have already died and begun living a new life in Christ.  No matter how you look at it, death has been overcome and needs no longer be an issue.    

We Are Truly Special

        We are the only creature (1) that was created in the image of God, (2) who can conceive God in our mind, (3) made to feel restless until we find God, (4) whose form God chose to let his Son take, (5) for whom the Son dies out of love, and (6) who is capable of understanding that God is love.

        Before God, we are nothing; yet we are also everything.  We are special!