***My God Forever and Ever

        Today's entrance antiphon came from Revelation 1: Do not be afraid. I am the first and the last, the one who lives. Once I was dead, but now I am alive forever and ever. What attracts me to the Lord is his forever-and-ever-ness. When he settles your problem, it is settled once and for all. When he forgives you, you are forgiven totally. When he promises you eternal life, you can always depend upon him. When you are saved, you are going to live with him in heaven forever and ever! It is the certainty and trustworthiness that draws me to him. How good it is to know that he is and will be my God forever and ever!

**Recipe for Peace

        If you live a self-centered life, that is, you always follow your own wishes, I can guarantee that you'll never have peace. Wanting to have everything your way is to shackle yourself to everything. To follow Christ is to live a God-centered life. Now you are free because you no longer need to play God who is now taking care of you. I am telling you because I've gone through all this and know what I am saying. The peace you receive is worth giving up everything in the world for. Basically, it comes down to the truth that God is worth giving up yourself for.

**Love at Any Cost*

        In meditating upon the sorrowful mysteries of the rosary today, I realized that the Lord had gone through his Passion – so much suffering! – just to make it easy for us to be saved. Love does not count the cost. I pray that we all will realize and appreciate this.

The Healing Lord

        Communion experience. I developed a big cyst on my cheek, probably caused by exposure to sunlight over the years. The doctor operated on it and prescribed an antibiotic for me to take, and healing has taken place. As I received the Holy Eucharist, I knew that Jesus entered me physically and healing was going to take place spiritually.

**Our Greatest Achievement*

        Seeking union with God is the way to know and understand God fully. We become one with the one who made us and knows everything! This has to be our greatest achievement, for we actually cease rebelling against God and let him do what he wishes. It is most satisfying because our deepest desire is also fulfilled. It is beautiful because we are helping restoring order and harmony to the world.     

***Experiencing the Holy Spirit

        In today's reading 1 from Acts 19, Paul found some disciples in Ephesus. He baptized them in the name of the Lord Jesus. When Paul laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them, and they spoke in tongues and prophesied. The Holy Spirit is to be experienced. If you do not feel anything, how can you be sure that it is the Holy Spirit, not yourself, who prompts you to do something. There has to be come kind of personal connection between the Spirit and you, for the Lord Spirit is the living God. Again, to know that it's always the Spirit motivating you, seek to attain union with God and you'll experience the presence of the indwelling Holy spirit within.

**Lazy Nonbelievers

        People do not bother to believe in Christ, not necessarily because it's hard to believe that he is our Savior, but because it's just so easy to live without any faith. These are the ones who have fallen into the trap of living from day to day, being too lazy to think seriously about life eternal. 

*One Union Benefit

        In union with God, you are always acutely aware of God's presence. Therefore, it's possible to live every moment of your life for the Lord. A great blessing.

***Know Only Jesus

        Today's Communion acclamation, 1 Corinthians 2.2: I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ, and him crucified. Jesus is truly the only one we need to know well to give our existence meaning and purpose and hope; everything else relative to him is merely peripheral. My view may be extreme, but I am being completely rational.

God Came to Us in Person!

         In today's Gospel reading from John 16, Jesus told his disciples that he came from God the Father. He had also said that he and God the Father are in each other and that to have seen him is to have seen the Father. Therefore, to know him is to know God. That's right, if you know him, you know God! It follows that to love him is to love God too.