"Be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect." (Matthew 5:48)

Wednesday, January 17, 2018

Intention, Not Words

        Jesus healed so many who were sick and disabled. None of them who asked to be healed used too many words; they just said, "Have pity on me," "I want to see," or something like that. It shows me that intention and faith count, not how many words we use. It's so good that the Lords knows our intention right away (all along). 

Tuesday, January 16, 2018

**Who Is Jesus?*

        Our church is running the Alpha program. It consists of 11 sessions. Each session starts with a video presentation, followed by discussion in small groups. Today's second video presentation "Who Is Jesus?" is quite powerful. In fact, one participant commented afterwards that it hit him like a ton of bricks! If you are still not convinced about Jesus, watch this video to be challenged intellectually. 

  

Our Return to God on Earth

         Communion thought. Receiving the Holy Eucharist and attaining union with God is reaching an endpoint in life. It ends our return to God on earth.

Our Heart's Concerns

        In today's reading 1 from 1 Samuel 16, God sent Samuel to Jesse of Bethlehem to find the future king among his sons. The Lord told Samuel that while man judges from the appearance or lofty stature, he looks into the heart. While Samuel was impressed by the appearance of some of the seven sons present, the Lord did not chose any of them. Then Samuel had Jesse send for the youngest son, David, who was tending sheep. When he was brought to them, the Lord said to Samuel, "There – anoint him, for this is he!" Observations. First, God already knew whom to pick for what role. Secondly, God looked into the heart. Therefore, we must (1) trust in God's role for us and (2) make sure that our heart is presentable to him.

Monday, January 15, 2018

*What's Most Beautiful

        There are many beautiful sights to see and beautiful sounds to hear, but what's most beautiful is the love of God which can touch our innermost soul. 

***The God You Must Know***

       The love of God is crushing yet most sweet. And when you yield yourself totally to him, you experience the greatest possible freedom! This amazing God, the God of Christ, you must seek out, get to know, fall in love with, and hold onto forever!

No Room for Sins

      Communion experience. In receiving the Holy Eucharist, the Lord filled my soul to the full, dispelling all my sins. 

Good Enough to Know

        We do not understand many things well, the Lord God himself included, but it is good enough for us to know that the Lord God understands us and loves us.

God's Tireless Arms

        Here is another mental picture I see. God full of love has his arms tirelessly outstretched, waiting patiently for us to go to him to be embraced by him. Many of us couldn't care less and don't even glance his way. Again, it is us who resist or ignore God, the God of Christ. Do not blame Satan. For Satan is an opportunist and sees you as a target only when you make yourself noticeable to him. Let God embrace you and you become invisible to Satan. My advice: Run to God while you still can!

No Melancholy Christian

        In today's Gospel reading from Mark 2, people came to Jesus and asked, "Why do the disciples of John and the disciples of the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not?" Jesus answered them, "Can the wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them? As long as they have the bridegroom with them they cannot fast. But the days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast on that day." We now know that Christ is with us always until the end of the age (read the last verse of Matthew), and we realize this especially when we receive him in the Holy Eucharist. Therefore, as disciples of the Lord, we experience constant joy. Anyone who is melancholy cannot be possibly be a genuine disciple.