A Look at Sin

        Sin acts like a boomerang ~ any sin committed will return to haunt you, causing regret. You can harden and choose to ignore it, but this is like sweeping things under the rug ~ you won't have your peace back. Sinning hurts God foremost, yourself, and others too. To sin to gain some momentary pleasure or satisfaction at the expense of others, risking losing your soul in the process ~ this is definitely not cool, to put it mildly. In conclusion, sin is not worth committing. Therefore, let's welcome the coming of Christ into our world, imparting the good news of saving us from sin once and for all. He is the only one who can wipe our spiritual record clean.     

Journey Nonpareil

        To know God through Christ is to reach the end of the ultimate journey. It is truly going home to our Father. Jesus has made it so clear and certain that there can not be another path as straight and direct. Blessed are those who have heard God's call and followed Christ.

The Faith Difference

        In today's Gospel reading from Mark 6, Jesus came to his native place, accompanied by his disciples. He began to teach in the synagogue and astonished many who heard him. And they took offense at him. Jesus said to them, "A prophet is not without honor except in his native place and among his own kin and in his own house." [I think we all feel that way sometimes.] So he, amazed at their lack of faith, was not able to perform any mighty deed there. My observation: without faith, we won't see God in action; with faith, we get to experience all the wonders of God.   

Living for God Best

        People live for various things in life. For example, I have friends who live intensely for playing music. There is no question that a lot of people live mainly for making more money. The drawback in all such cases is that if some misfortune such as illness or financial failure happens, they would be devastated or ruined. But if we live for God alone, no matter what happens, life is always joy-filled for he is uplifting and forever dependable.

"Faith" Reexamined

        In today's Gospel reading at Mass from Mark 5, a woman afflicted with hemorrhages for twelve years went up behind Jesus in a crowd, saying to herself, "If I but touch his clothes, I shall be healed." She touched his cloak and immediately her flow of blood dried up. Jesus, aware that power had gone out from him, turned around in the crowd and asked who touched his clothes. The woman came up in fear and trembling, fell down before Jesus and told him the truth. He said to her, "Daughter, your faith has saved you. Go in peace and be cured of your affliction."

             This passage makes me think about faith again. What is considered great faith? Obviously, faith can work wonders. What I've noticed is that the woman who suffered hemorrhages was in a rather desperate situation and had no hesitation in believing that Jesus could heal her. These two requirements need be present to demonstrate our faith. If I suffer a cold, I know God can heal me, but there's no urgency here. Ask the Lord to cure me of my cold miraculously would be to force myself to be "unreasonable," you could say. I had blogged in the past how my son was miraculously saved from death when I prayed for his recovery without hesitation ~ the situation was desperate and my request just came out spontaneously. I think we all have faith, but we don't know how strong it is until we are being tested. One thing is certain: if you seek union with God, the Lord will automatically (my favorite adverb) make your faith strong. 

The Peace of God

        Today's Communion experience. After I received the Holy Eucharist, I knew that it was the Lord himself and experienced deep peace, fulfilling the wish God has for all of us. 

The Christian Life Is...

a balancing act between total immersion in Christ and living the realistic life in a secular world. 

Seeking Love

        I yearn for Jesus because I yearn for pure love and it happens that Jesus is the only pure love around the whole universe.

On Being One with Jesus

        When Jesus and I are one, I no longer view or talk to him as a separate person. We are now in each other, inseparable. We talk and listen to each other. We glance at each other at the same time. We trust in each other. We belong to each other. One exception: I am in his love, but I can't say that he is in mine because all my love came from him. 

One More Christian Benefit

        In this morning's Gospel reading from Mark 4 at Mass, Jesus and his disciples were in a boat crossing to the other side. A violent squall came up and waves broke over the side so that the boat started filling up. Jesus was in the stern, asleep on a cushion. The disciples, fearing that they were perishing, woke the Lord up. He rebuked the wind; it ceased and there was great calm. He then asked them, "Why are you terrified? Do you not yet have faith?" It follows conversely that if we have faith, we shall not be afraid of anything.