Aging Blessing

        Aging gives us no choice but to become more and more dependent upon others. Disregard your pride and you'll see that it is a blessing. True, physically, you'll need others to help you; but spiritually, here's finally your chance to abandon yourself totally in God's hands. A great time to enjoy God to the fullest!  

God's Mercy at Work

        When we are young, we live as if we're going to live forever and God is seldom on our radar. As we age and our physical condition starts to weaken, we finally realize that death is imminent and begin to turn to God. I see this as God's mercy at work, preparing us to meet him. Would that we realize this earlier in life so that we could have lived a cleaner and more fruitful life. Anyway, happy ending is what matters now.

Approaching God Effectively

        Many who seek God take the wrong approach. They more or less challenge God to reveal himself to them. Suppose that God is real, the proper attitude would be to humble yourself and pray that he would take pity on you and let you know of his existence and/or presence. I believe this approach will get you quick results. Of course, when you start out without faith, you're likely to do the opposite. The smart approach is definitely the humble approach, for God loves to exalt those who humble themselves. 

Moment of Great Glory

        I am aware of my own existence and you are, of yours. Each one of us is a unique creature. Without God, we are all lost souls, drifting around and not knowing where we came from and where we are going. Then we find God and realized that he is our very creator, knowing every one of us through and through, loves us and awaits our return to him. Now we are no longer lost, but living with hope and purpose. We come to know who we truly are – this is the moment of great glory for us.

Mark of a Real Christian

        It is the joy of knowing Christ. A Christian without joy is one in name only, for he does not know the Lord well yet.  

God Makes Us Forgetful

        In today's first reading from Acts 14, Paul and Barnabas, to strengthen the spirits of their disciples and exhort them to persevere in the faith, reminded them that it would be necessary for them to undergo many hardships to enter the Kingdom of God. In reality, we undergo hardships in life whether we follow Christ or not. The difference is that when we do it for the sake of Christ, it becomes a source of joy. Being intent on glorifying God makes us forget all the hardships. 

God Makes Us See Truth

        There are still people today who deny that Christ ever existed and claim that Christianity is a big religious hoax made up by a bunch of people. This is not just telling others that you ran into a Big Foot in the woods, it is saying that billions of people have been duped for two thousand years. If you have any common sense at all, you would see that deception on such a massive scale is well nigh impossible. My genuine personal experience is that when I follow Christ, he removes all my intentions to sin, including that of deceiving others. It follows that the Apostles, excluding Judas the betrayer, sincerely wanted to spread the good news of salvation with no deception. Those who make absurd claims about Christianity are clueless about the transformative power of God. 

*Most Exciting Life

        At this point, I am looking at my own faith in Christ. I felt the void in life, searched for God, found Christ, decided to put my faith in him and have lived with it ever since. It's not just Christ fulfilling my spiritual needs and I am all right now; it's so much more, as I get to know him more and more. Indeed, what I have received from him far exceeds my expections. The Lord turned out to be so beautiful that you couldn't help falling in love with him. His Holy Spirit made me realize without a doubt that he is God and made me want to become one with him. And you see clearly that the way to heaven is through him. I advise all to get to know him well to receive a most exciting life that leads to eternal happiness.

"For You Are My God"

          In my charismatic renewal days, I heard and learned the song "For You Are My God" by John Foley, SJ. For me, it is one of the most beautiful soul-stirring songs. The text based upon Psalm 16 of David accurately portrays my feeling toward God. It would be the perfect joyful song to play at my funeral. Here it is.

*Unique Beautiful Relationship

        Communion experience. To submit to Jesus is to simply rest in him, and you become one with the Lord when you have fully rested yourself in him. As one, whatever one feels, the other feels too. This most beautiful relationship is only possible with God.