Freedom Choice

        We have the freedom to choose to be free on our own or to be captured by God. The big surprise is that there is no freedom on our own and true freedom only in being a captive of God! (It's dead end vs. infinite open space.)

Know Our Lord

        Today's Entrance Antiphon at Mass: I am the salvation of the people, says the Lord. Should they cry to me in any distress, I will hear them, and I will be their Lord for ever. When God becomes our Lord, it does not mean that he is going to control or manipulate us and we don't have any say anymore. When he becomes our Lord, he becomes the one to watch over us, shield us from evil, guide our way, and help us in distress. And he even lets us, although this would hurt him greatly, leave him anytime we wish. This is our kind of Lord.  

Surrender, a Must

        If we, as Christians, do not surrender to God, then we are not going all out, not getting the most out of our discipleship. Basically, we drag our feet in following God, making it impossible for us to love him with all our heart, all our mind, all our strength, and all our soul. And union with him becomes out of reach too. Know that every time you receive Holy Communion, it's the Lord inviting you to surrender to become one with him.

On Being Truthful

       In parts of Psalm 119 read at Mass this morning, the psalmist asks the Lord to remove from him the way of falsehood. It brought to my mind the importance of being truthful to ourselves, to others, and the Lord. Do we always mean what we say? Do we try to give others the wrong impression of us out of pride? Does our ego prompt us to put on false acts? Do we try not to face God? Do we look deep in our own heart to see if we are hypocritical in any way? Start out by being truthful to yourself, then you'll be truthful to God and others too.

The Born-Again State

        In 2 Corinthian 5, Paul writes: Whoever is in Christ is a new creation: the old things have passed away.... In Galatians 2, Paul writes: I have been crucified with Christ; yet I live, no longer I, but Christ lives in me.... This is the born-again state in which the old creation has completely died in Christ ~ it is union with God. 

How God Changes Us

        I am old enough to look back to see the many things, not all pleasant, that have happened in my life. If I had been shown them at the beginning before they happened, I am not sure that I would have wanted to live my life. Once I know God, the past does not matter anymore because all that has happened has lead me to the happiest time of my life. In the same way, joy in heaven would make us forget our life on earth. With God, it's getting better and better.

Aspire to Be like God

        We are never God, but if he inspires you, you can certainly want to be like him, and seeking union with him will help you reach your goal. 

What to Pray for First

        The Lord made me see that if we pray in his will, it will be done for us. Therefore, pray to know his will first.  

The Central Message

        To summarize the central message of these last four years of blogging, I can say that we came into the world and were lost souls. Then there was Christ, the light of the world with his message of love and salvation. Those who have found him are no longer lost; their lives become meaningful and they know where they are going now. Jesus makes all the difference simply because he is God. You will also know this truth if you seek him. And the best path to knowing him is seeking union with him through receiving the Holy Eucharist in the Holy Catholic Church which he has built upon St. Peter and the other Apostles almost 2,000 years ago.  

Clean and Free

        When you are saintly, you get that "clean" feeling. You become detached from the world because the world, being unclean, no longer attracts you. You are now clean and free.