Following Jesus Properly

        Today is Memorial of Saint John of the Cross. Matthew 16.24 is the Communion antiphon: Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me, says the Lord. It seems that Jesus already knew that he was going to carry the cross on which he was to be hanged before his Crucifixion and he wants us to be like him. As our shepherd, he is also our model.

Another Union Advantage

        Seek union with God so that loving him not only is a duty you feel you must fulfill, but also becomes your second nature. 

Living in Joy

        God loves us so much that any expression from us showing that we care for him, no matter how minute, greatly pleases him. We all know when we make someone happy, we feel happy too. Therefore, when we go all out to love the Lord with all our heart, all our soul, all our mind, and all our strength, we are rewarded with great heavenly joy.

*Secret of Living a Blessed Life

        Make Jesus the Lord your focal point and never look beyond him. And do this in secret. Then you'll be filled with hope, lose all anxieties, and experience consolation in your heart, thus living a most blessed life.

*True Humility

        Anyone who is full of pride with a big ego does not turn to God, for he is playing God already. Therefore, those who seek union with God are the ones who truly possess humility, knowing that they are weak and helpless without him. 

**Completing the Union

        Communion thoughts. It is an elementary mathematical theorem that if A is a subset of B and B a subset of A, then A = B. So if we wish to dwell in God and we let God enter to dwell in us, then God and we become one. Every time I let the Lord in through receiving the Holy Eucharist and accept his invitation to dwell in him, our union is complete. How so cool it is! (I'm just excited.)

**The Family We Need

        Today's is Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe. In case you are not familiar with that story that changed Mexico forever, it is a beautiful one. I have visited the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City and saw the miraculous image that appeared on St. Juan Diego's tilma there more than once. Many of us never had a mother's love. Make Mary your mother and she will keep you close to her Son always. And Jesus becomes your bother. If you never had a father's love, we have the best Father in heaven who can heal your soul and fill all the voids of your life. Then the Holy Spirit becomes your protector and teacher. Have the God of Christ and you shall lack nothing for all eternity! God has so made us that our life is incomplete until we find and settle in him.

*Just Us and God

        We do not live in the world alone, for God is ever present. All other fellow humans will pass away, but God is always there. So it is our relationship with him, our Father, that matters the most to us. The secret of getting along with him is to remain absolutely humble before him and then ask for anything we need for a safe trip back to him in heaven. Quite simple.       

*Never Get Sidetracked

        Communion thoughts. I was looking forward to receiving the Lord into me. Then I thought if I were now offered to attend the greatest Christmas party in the world or take the most fantastic vacation there is, all expenses paid, or get a ticket free for the chance of winning a billion dollars, would I skip Holy Communion? The temptation to say yes is great, but I still would choose to receive Christ, for we must keep our journey back to God on track. [Afterthought. What if I were given a billion dollars outright? In that case, I would skip Communion this time, take the money, and plan on giving it away for good causes and resuming receiving Holy Communion tomorrow.]

*Faith Works Miracles

        In today's Gospel reading from Luke 5, as Jesus was teaching, some men brought on a stretcher a man who was paralyzed to him. Not finding a way to bring him in because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and lowered him on the stretcher through the tiles into the middle in front of Jesus. When Jesus saw their faith, he not only forgave his sins, but also healed him. It just shows how faith can produce miracles. If we believe that nothing is impossible with God, we must practice what we believe. That is, we take God's word seriously, abandon ourselves totally in him, and let our faith reap its rewards.