Why Love Jesus

        Last night on PBS radio, someone whose upper body got completely burned in an accident was being interviewed. He said that when it happened, he knew that there's nothing he could do about it and that later no medication could stop the pain he suffered. Now he's finally recovering. Right away, I thought of hellfire which you can do nothing about and causes pains that cannot be eased. What's worse ~ you will never recover from it! Even though you don't hear too many fire-and-brimstone sermons preached nowadays, it doesn't mean that there's no punishment after death anymore. What I want to tell all is that never, never end up in that place of inferno! If you are not a believer in Jesus yet, believe now and you won't have to worry about those fires anymore. Better yet, believe out of love for him, for he loves you! 

What Life Is Like

        You may know the saying "Life is just a bowl of cherries," which really doesn't mean too much. To me, it all depends upon if you know Jesus or not. If you don't know him, I'd say that life is more like a bad dream or movie with an unknown ending. Once you know Jesus, life becomes absolutely real and you know exactly how it's going to play out. I know because I have lived both.

God Grants Peace

        I caught a little bit of an EWTN program Living the Discerning Life, based upon the teaching of St. Ignatius of Loyola and presented by a Father Gallagher. The topic was Spiritual Consolation and Desolation. A line caught my attention ~ Fr. Gallagher said that when you are under tension, rest in God and it will go away. I totally concur here. For without God, the tension will go away only after the cause of your tension is removed. With God, you turn to and rest in him and he will give you peace, for he is greater than us.

God Dwelling in Us

        Today's first reading at Mass from 1 Kings 8 talked about the Lord dwelling in the cloud that filled King Solomon's temple after the ark of the covenant of the Lord had been brought into its sanctuary. This really made me think of us as temples of the Holy Spirit that the Lord dwells in us as well ~ something I knew but perhaps never quite fully realized. Every time I look up into the universe, I feel humbled. Now the creator of this universe actually dwells within me ~ I must take my time to digest this! The more I think about this, the more overwhelmed I am, and the more amazed and appreciative I become. Yes, the cup overflows! 

Why I Like My God

        There is only one God and I like him as revealed to us by Jesus, that he is all love as demonstrated by Jesus, God Incarnate, himself. Some other religions also believe in God, but he is not so personal nor conceived as Love. Still other religions teach you to be kind and loving, but they do not have any clear conception of God. That's why I choose the God of Christ, most incredible, yet most approachable. 

No Point of No Return for Us

        Look at what's happening in Syria. During this so-called Arab Spring, some leaders are wise enough to initiate reforms or step down early enough to prevent worse unrest. In Syria, it seems that President al-Assad has already gone beyond the point of no return in dealing with his own people rebelling against him.   

        Then I thought of our loving Lord. With him, as long as we are still alive, there is no point of no return for us. It's never too late to return to him. Anytime we are ready, he is ready ~ this is the beauty of his great mercy, guaranteed by his love for us. How blessed we are!       

God Our Only Hope

        There is just so much bad news you hear from all over the globe. Again, I want to remind all that God is our only bright hope. Focus on the fact that God has turned many human beings into saints. So if we all let God transform us, then we'll have a peaceful world ~ it's as simple as that. In reality, of course, not everyone will listen to this truth, but this does not invalidate the truth that God, the God of Christ, is our only hope.          

The Christian Life

        The Christian life can be said to consist of two parts. You find Christ, believe in him and ask him to come into your life ~ this is the first part. You want him to transform you until you become like him ~ this is the second part. It's in this second part that you become holy, experience freedom, and know that you are now a new creature. Without this part, you are only a Christian in name only. 

Best Discovery of My Life

        I watched a documentary on a legendary photographer who photographed what people wore (clothes) in New York City. He's good and loved what he did. I totally understand it because I used to photograph a lot myself. And it's through this medium that I discovered myself. I reached a point that I felt exactly what emotionally moved me and knew how to capture that image, and that anyone who saw my work would recognize that it's mine. In other words, the images became me. This gave me great satisfaction because those serene, calm, and somewhat enigmatic images showed clearly what kind of person I was.

        The discovery of Jesus changed everything. I see now that the discovery of myself still kept me self-centered. The light of Christ has totally revealed him to me and me to him. It's this mutual understanding that matters. Essentially, knowing that I am loved by him has freed me, making my old discovery totally forgettable.

How Important Is Jesus to You?

        Today is Super Bowl Sunday, a big special day for football fans. It's a fact that many Catholics do not attend Mass on Sunday except when it happens to be Easter or Christmas, just to ease their conscience. Now, for many football fans who normally do attend Mass, skipping it on Super Bowl Sunday for their convenience does not seem to bother them either. The question basically boils down to whether you love yourself or God more. 

        The following comes to my mind. (1) Is Jesus truly your shepherd? As you know, his sheep hear his voice and follow. (2) The first disciples dropped everything instantly to follow the Lord when he called them. Hesitation or looking back shows unfitness. (3) Matthew10.32-33: "Everyone who acknowledges me before others I will acknowledge before my heavenly Father. But whoever denies me before others, I will deny before my heavenly Father." Obviously, if Jesus is not number one in your life, you won't be treated as number one by him in your next life.