Mary's Humility

        Those outside the Church who do not venerate Mary often point out that there's not much in Scriptures, especially the Gospels, to justify the honors bestowed upon her by the Catholic Church and the great devotion many Catholics have developed for her.  Not long ago, I read The Life of Mary as Seen by the Mystics.  The book had been compiled entirely from the visions and private revelations of St. Elizabeth of Schoenau, St. Bridget of Sweden, Venerable Mother Mary of Jesus of Agreda, and Sister Anne Catherine Emmerich.  What is interesting is that from one of the stories I found out that Mary, being humble, did not wish anyone to write about her in order to let Jesus alone be in the spotlight.  What holy humility! 

It's the Lord!

        Yesterday I read John 21, The Fishermen.  Jesus appeared (the 3rd time after his resurrection) on the shore of the Sea of Tiberias.  The disciples fished all night and caught nothing.  After daybreak, Jesus in the distance suggested to them to cast the net off to the starboard side and they made a big haul.  Then John cried to Peter, "It is the Lord!"  On hearing it, Peter threw on some clothes and jumped into the water.

        I love this excitement!  Receiving the Lord in the Holy Eucharist should give you the same feeling, because you could truly yell out "It is the Lord!" right after consecration.  Also, when you see God working every moment in your life, you can proclaim "It is the Lord!" continuously.  A great way to be aware that he is there at all times.

Why Be Lonely?

        The other day on TV, I heard the story of someone who at one time didn't feel that he fitted in with his peers in college, felt inferior to his more talented sister, got really depressed, and tried various escapes to overcome his loneliness.  This kind of feeling is pretty common among all of us, myself included in the old days.  We all want to feel liked or admired by others and be somebody ~ it's that ego in us. 

       Of course, when you do become that somebody, you may lose any old friends who really care about you and gain new ones not necessarily of the desirable kind.   The truth is that you can have a lot of friends and buddies and deep down still feel lonely.    

        But, once you get to know the Lord well, all things change (as happened later to that person I mentioned at the beginning).  When you have Jesus as your friend, the emptiness in life is gone!  Do you know that "lonely Christian" is an oxymoron?  The only time a disciple of Christ could feel "lonely" is when he or she no longer belongs to the world.  The Lord alone is more than sufficient for us.              

Saints Having Fun?

        In my early Christian years, a saint to my mind was someone rather old, who  likes solitude, prays a lot, and lives a disciplined life, thus missing all the fun in the world.  Being a saint certainly wasn't attractive to me.  Now that I have advanced more spiritually, I know that a saint forgoes the pleasures of the world  because he or she has experienced a much greater and more delightful joy, and it's God who draws him or her into deep prayer.  In fact, it's the unbeliever or weak believer who sooner or later finds emptiness in all the fun in the world, missing out on inner peace and joy.  Our mental images or impressions do not always reflect the truth. 

Treat for the Devil

        This is a humorous, true story.  Way back, when  I felt the need to pass gas while I was praying, I always felt awkward, slightly guilty, and apologetic, hoping that the Lord would understand.  Then one day I heard a Father D (I've forgotten to spell his last name correctly) of San Francisco talk exactly about this situation (I didn't bring up the subject).  He said that when that happens, all you do is stop praying momentarily, turn to the Devil, say "this is for you", do it and resume.  This has worked beautifully for me.  God does have a good solution to any of our problems, big or small.         

Ignoring the Devil

        Question: Should you pay attention to the Devil? 
        If you focus all your attention on the Lord and remain humble by acknowledging your total helplessness without him, then you may safely ignore the Devil, for the Evil One wouldn't dare touch any humble souls with a hundred-foot pole. 

Not See But Believe

        This morning while driving to Mass, I got the feeling as if I was going to meet Jesus face-to-face.  It turned out that today was the Feast of St. Thomas, who didn't believe that Jesus had risen until he saw and touched the wounds in him.  And the Lord said to Thomas, "You believe in me, Thomas, because you have seen me.  Blessed are those who have not seen, but still believe."  I did not see the Lord at Mass, but I felt blessed extra. 

Letting Go (in God)

        July 4th is only two days away.  And I am going to start off with a big bang by talking about "letting go".  If you really trust in God, then this is the way to go.

        Yesterday my car got dented.  A car is basically an inanimate object made for my convenience.  There is no point in getting attached to it.  Enjoy using it while you have it, but let it go if it you can't use it anymore for whatever reason.  Sadly, there are people today who "worship" cars more than they care about God.  They spend so much of their time babying their cars.  Wouldn't it be infinitely more profitable to spend some of those hours in prayer?   

        If you lose money, maybe a lot of it, let it go.  All things belong to God and you are only his temporary steward on earth.  Our duty is to use his money wisely for his glory.  If the loss is due to your own negligence or self-centeredness, learn the lesson and move on.  

        What if you lose a loved one?  This could be hard on you emotionally, but think of all of us as belonging to God alone.  (In heaven, we'll all be God's children and our earthly relationships will no longer exist.)  If you're sure that the loved one has gone to the Lord, then you should rejoice instead.  If you're not sure, just pray for the soul and take comfort in that God is always just.  Don't let the joy of knowing that Christ has risen ever be superseded by your sorrow.  In all things, we should just pray our very best and leave the outcome entirely to God.
        The same applies to praying for members of our own family who have strayed away from the faith.  Again, they belong to God and not to us.  Be detached to them so you could be attached to the Lord even more.  He knows exactly what to do.  See this as an opportunity to deepen your own faith.  Pray the Novena to St. Monica for extra help.  

        What if someone wrongs you?  Get things straightened out if you can.  If you can't, then let it go.  After all, it's only God's understanding that counts in the end.  Don't forget that here is a great chance to pray for the wrongdoer.

        Should you forgive someone who has hurt you?  If you've read the Gospels, you would already know the answer from Jesus.  Know that the Lord loves the other person as much as he loves you.  To want to revenge or get even is to go against God's will, let alone the fact it's going to affect your own health, leading to another sin.  To make another person feel bad so that you can feel good ~ what's the point?  Isn't this basically being selfish?  Is this really what "feeling good" is all about?  It would appear even more foolish later if the person upon whom you have inflicted injury doesn't seem to care. Therefore, let go and pray for the person and the situation, giving God a chance to turn things around or work a miracle.

        If something happens and crushes you ego, then rejoice, for God can now occupy more of your heart.  Thank the Lord for teaching you to be more humble.  What others think of you doesn't count one iota in the end.  Your faith should be such that even if everyone else in the whole world ignores you, you still rejoice in the fact that God has died for you.  What can be more uplifting than that?  

        When you are ill, use the opportunity to turn to God even more.  Letting go here means not dwelling on your own illness, not feeling any self-pity, believing that you are in good hands, and focusing your mind on the Lord.  Sometimes you can be so ill that saying prayers is no longer easy.  Just praying the Holy Name "Jesus" or expressing your love for him with your heart is good enough to please him.  When we fall ill, we realize that life is temporary and fragile, and God is our true home and father to return to.

        In any case, let go in God under all circumstances and you'll experience freedom and peace.  We are so limited in every way that not to let go in order to rely upon God is indeed being foolish and sinful too.  Since we have God's love, we can afford to let everything else go.  

        Happy Independence Day!  May this country appreciate God's blessings.

Dealing with Car Accident

        This morning my parked car was accidentally hit by another car, creating a big dent.  The years-ago I would have felt distressed because of my attachment to a car that had been preserved in good shape for almost 14 years.  But today the initial distress felt came from thinking that I now must deal with filing an insurance claim, finding a repair shop, facing the inconvenience of not having the car, etc. ~ not exactly fun.  I have learned to offer up all my sufferings to God and realize that what I now have to go through is really a form of suffering.  And of course, there are no accidents ~ everything that God allows to happen has a purpose behind it.  Yes, I am repeating again that everything is a grace as St. Therese said.  The distress is all gone and I feel grateful that the Lord always lovingly shows the way.

        Speaking of offering up my sufferings, if they are caused by things totally out of my control, I don't find it hard to perform the act ~ I guess I just become resigned to the inevitable outcome.  Then once I caused suffering to myself entirely due to my own fault, I found it hard to let go.  I think it's because I blamed myself and thought that I deserved to suffer.  In the end, God showed me clearly that it doesn't matter who or what caused the suffering ~ any suffering offered up to him is meritorious and pleasing to him.              

Blessed Mary

        If the Catholic Church is the most misunderstood church in the world, then Mary the Mother of Jesus must be the most misunderstood women in the world. 

        As I mentioned in a previous post, I am basically a simple and even naive person. To me, if I love Jesus, how can I not love his mother?  On the cross, the Lord gave her to St. John to be his mother before he expired. If she's good enough for St. John, she's certainly good enough for me. The death of her Son had made her suffer more than anyone else (as prophesied by Simeon at the Presentation of Jesus).  At the wedding in Cana, Mary told others to do whatever Jesus tells them. She always wants all to do God's will, leading them to her Son. Invite her to be your partner in doing God's will and you cannot go wrong.
        A loud and clear note: We Catholics do not worship Mary because she is also a creature like us, albeit a very special one favored by the Lord.  A lot of us simply love her very much.    

First Thing First

        How can you deal with all the problems of life?  How can you be less self-centered?  How can you not let others upset you?  How can you find peace?  It feels like there are so many things to resolve, to settle, to square away.

        "First thing first" means seeking the union with Christ first before all else, then everything will automatically fall into place over time.  The closer you are united with Christ, the more you think and view the world like him.  Then you will learn not to worry or be anxious about anything (remember his counsels in the Gospels?).  You will have great courage in facing all the problems in life.  You can actually become fearless.  Achieving the greatest possible union with the Lord in this life should be your foremost goal in life.        
        A footnote.  Ralph Martin's book The Fulfillment of All Desire describes the various stages of union with God.

Being Lost

        In general, no one likes to be lost.  If you're lost in the wilderness, you would worry or even panic.  Sometimes when you don't know what to do in a situation, you are lost too.  But if you are lost in Christ, then that's totally different.  In fact, it's the best thing that could ever happen to you.  To be lost in Christ is to be found by him.  To be found by him is to be lost in his love.  And this love will beget freedom, peace, and joy.  So don't be a lost soul, but be a "lost" believer instead.     

Offer of Unconditional Love

        God's love for us is unconditional.  It's offered to us independent upon how good or bad a person we are.  Jesus has demonstrated how great this love is and it's ours for the asking.  Unconditional love is equivalent to unlimited mercy.  If you do not embrace this love yet, then what is your "good" reason?  Remember that the offer is valid only in our lifetime.  

One Sin of Omission

        This morning at Mass, the Lord made me see that if we don't ask him to make us holier and to love him more after receiving him in Holy Communion, then we shall have received him in vain.

A Simple Faith

        Compared to most people, I am a relatively naive person.  It follows that my faith is rather simple too.  I just believe in God's love and that this love is sufficient to sustain, nurture, and more than satisfy me.  I much prefer reading authors who write with their heart than with their intellect or brain.  Books like Carretto's Letters from the Desert just suits me fine.  Anything theological or that which gets into deep analysis or just wordy doesn't generate much interest in me.  Maybe this gets me close to believing like a child as Jesus likes.  I am lucky that when I look into my heart, I do not find any tangled mess, knots, or cobwebs ~ the Lord must have taken all that away.  This is why St. Therese of Lisieux appeal to me so much and I had asked her to be my spiritual director.  I hope that you will find your own personal way of believing that suits you.         

Ecstasy Defined

        Practically speaking, ecstasy is rapturous delight, bliss, great delight.  In theory, ecstasy is simply doing God's will.  What could be happier than knowing that you are making God happy?? 

Judging Others

        Jesus wants us to notice the plank in our own eye before seeing the speck in our brother's eye.  And he asked whomever without sin to cast the first stone  at the adulterous women caught in the act.  St. Therese learned to never speak ill of anyone and only say the good things about a "bad" person.  All these examples teach us not to judge others.  Those who love to criticize others are unhappy people, because they fail to see that God loves everyone, including the critic.

Life Beyond

        Sometimes at home you happen to see or find something that's a gift given to you a long time ago by someone and the giver is no longer here in this world.  Of course, you wish that he or she has found peace in the Lord.  Yes, where we end up after this life is over is of extreme importance, unless you just don't believe that there is life after death.  I think most people do believe that the soul lives on, yet they don't do much to make sure that they go to the right place after death.  Why?
        In the context of eternity, we are only here in one blink of the eye, yet we plan and live as if we are going to live forever.  It seems that this world is a trap, in which we're easily made to forget to  consider this most important question of life.  I remember the saying: "Everyone wants to get to heaven, but no one wants to die to get there."  The wise with true vision will want to look into the life beyond as early in their life as possible.  Happy are those who have already found Christ to be the way, the truth, and the life!