Dangerous Living

        There are people who do not believe in or think much about God, but nevertheless appreciate the beauty of nature and enjoy the good things of life. This could be dangerous living if they live with no regard to moral principles. After all, God did give us the ten commandments to guide us in how we should live. I believe that we will be judged by them. 

Gratitude to Jesus

        Communion experience. I was grateful to Jesus for having made me realize my sinful state, taken our sins away, and opened wide the door to heaven for me. There's nothing more I could ask for myself. 

Jesus Under-Revered

        On this first Friday of the month, we had Eucharistic Adoration after morning Mass. Philippians 2.10: At the name of Jesus every knee should bend, of those in heaven and on earth and under the earth. How many of us would do this or at least feel this way?

God's Foremost Wish

        Today's Gospel reading from Mark 6 was on the beheading of John the Baptist by King Herod. Jesus, during his trial before Pilate, answered him,"My kingdom does not belong to this world. If my kingdom did belong to this world, my attendants [would] be fighting to keep me from being handled over to the Jews" (John 18.36). Earlier, when Jesus had been betrayed and was being arrested, one of those who accompanied him drew his sword to defend him. Jesus said to him, "Put your sword back into its sheath.... Do you think that I cannot call upon my Father and he will not provide me at this moment with more than twelve legions of angels? But then how would the scriptures be fulfilled which say that it must come to pass in this way?" (Matthew 26.52-53).

        The main things to notice are: (1) God's kingdom does not belong this world. (2) What God has ordained must come to pass. These explain why John the Baptist died and Jesus got arrested, suffered, and was crucified without direct intervention from God. When we pray for God's help, we must realize that God's ways are not our ways. The Lord could do exactly what we ask for, but his foremost wish is to convert our hearts so that we may convert the world. Yes, our hearts are the "weapons" of his choice.

Exhilarating Words

        Communion experience. I was being invited to this most special banquet. The Lord himself came to me to be my food ~ an invitation to be in union with him. I heard him say "I have chosen you" in my heart, the endearing words the soul needs to hear the most. 

On Rejecting the Gospel

        In today's Gospel reading from Mark 6, Jesus sent the Twelve out to preach repentance. He said to them, "Wherever you enter a house, stay there until you leave from there. Whatever place does not welcome you or listen to you, leave there and shake the dust off your feet in testimony against them." It is clear to me that the Lord knows if we welcome his gospel or not, and if not, there will be others testifying against us one day.  

Speaking for God

        God's voice is gentle and sweet and his words, tonic to the soul. If you are afraid of God, it's because you are hiding or running away from him, not because he is scary. We are good at instilling fear in ourselves. There is no one more approachable or delightful than the Lord God, our creator and Father.

Picking up Leftover Pieces

        The title describes my feeling about getting old. As we age, our bones and joints let us know. Physically, we'll just have to gradually give up doing a lot of things. When you are young, you are used to picking up the best pieces you can find, but when you are old, you just have to settle for whatever is left out there. After we pick up the last leftover piece, we are ready to meet the Lord. I am not being pessimistic, only realistic. In fact, I see the mercy of God working here ~ he is easing us out of this life. To those who know Christ well, the good life is just on the other side. Picking the pieces, good or leftover, is not anything worth setting our hearts on.

The More . . .

        In today's Gospel reading from Mark 6, Jesus in his native place was not able to perform any might deed because of the lack of faith among his own kin. So we can say that

        The more we have faith, the more we shall see God performing mighty deeds.

        It's also true that

        The more we rely upon God, the more we become strong.

        The more we surrender to God, the more we become free.

        The more we rejoice in God, the more we receive joy from him.

        The more we rest in God, the more we experience peace. 
        The more we praise God, the more he blesses us.

        The more we hate sin, the more God purifies us.

        The more we suffer for God, the more he comforts us.

        The more we forgive others, the more God forgives us.

What's Amazing

        The fact that Jesus never ceases to amaze me as our God, our brother, and our servant. I can not get over it.