Appreciating God

        I am happy today because I realize that we all sin and our God knows that. Should he be absent, we would spin out of control and evil would rule the world. I am also happy that the Lord is all holy, setting the example for us to follow. Otherwise, we would have no guide to show us the way. He is everything we need, our indispensable salvation!

*God My Janitor

        Today I feel that the Lord not only cleanses, but also unclutters my heart. He casts out all the litter and rubbish and puts the rest in order. An uncluttered heart is a heart that enjoys peace.

**What Love Is

        Communion experience. Love is being one with God.

Our First Duty Is . . .

to submit ourselves completely to God, especially if you consider yourself to be a Christian, or we will not have peace in the world nor in our heart. There is no following the Lord, if you do not follow him completely and unconditionally.      

**God to Be Trusted

        In today's Gospel reading from Mark 8, Jesus was moved with great pity for the great crowd that had been with him for three days and had nothing to eat. He was concerned that if he sends them away hungry to their homes, they would collapse on the way. So he took the seven loaves of bread and a few fish which his disciples had, said the blessing, multiplied them and ordered his disciples to distribute them to the crowd. I also recall that after Jesus heard that Lazarus whom he loved was ill, he still remained for two days in the place where he was before setting out for the village of Lazarus. When he arrived, Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days. And the Lord raised him from the dead so that all might see the glory of God and believe.  

         God always knows what to do and does test us constantly, while we always wish for instant results. Complete trust in the Lord is necessary. If God cannot be completed trusted, he couldn't have been God in the first place. If we were all sinless, we would be living in a perfect, predictably ordered world. Sinning throws things out of kilter so that the Lord has to deal with the chaos we have created as he sees fit without changing the goal of his overall plan. Because of this, we get confused about why things should happen this way or that way. Therefore, be holy, trust with patience, and do not question to the very end.  

*Only God Can Change Us

        We have little power to change ourselves fundamentally, that is, to change our heart. We can be determined and resolve to change, then we slip once and are back to where we were. Say there is someone who gets stressed out all the time and you advise him not to let anything bother him, even suggesting that he abandon himself in God. It's good advice, but if the person does listen, nothing will happen. I advocate seeking union with God, precisely because this is the way to let God into your heart to let him change your heart inside out. This is how you become a new work of God.

**Stunning Intimacy**

        Communion experience. In Matthew 9, the woman suffering hemorrhages for twelve years came up behind Jesus and touched the tassel on his cloak, saying to herself, "If only I can touch his cloak, I shall be cured." And she was cured. Surely, receiving the Lord in the Holy Eucharist is a thousand times more intimate than touching his cloak. Overwhelmed, I was speechless and could only exclaim in my heart "My Lord and my God!"

*Mind Takeover?

        The mind always follows the heart. But there are times when you are strongly tempted to do something that you know is sinful, and you feel as if the mind has taken control of the heart – the truth is that you've started out with a weak heart, for a strong heart could or would have prevented all these thoughts from occurring. Therefore, let the Holy Spirit keep your heart pure and strong, and leave your mind alone. 

Facing Death

        When you are young, death is a rather remote thought and that is understandable. But what about when you are already old? The common thinking is that since you do not have much time left, you'd better do all the enjoyable things, such as traveling, while you can. There is a point here, but it's still avoiding facing death squarely. Perhaps you already have faith in God and do not worry about death anymore – that's fine. But if you do not know what's going to happen to you after death and try not to think about it, that is not good. The best course of action is to always serve God first before serving yourself, no matter what age you are at, and soon you will have the most enjoyable time of your existence. 

*Whole Story of Humanity***

        God pleadingly wants us to go his way and we stubbornly want to go our way. In others words, we choose to rebel rather than obey. Let those of us who have chosen to follow the Lord do their best to help him make the ending less bitter and as sweet as possible!