Be Liberated

        All things belong to God.  Think about it: what can be considered yours alone?  Even yourself belong to God, for no one comes into the world on his own, knowing where and when he was to be born.  Everything you have now was already here or made from things already existing.  Not a thing has your name stamped on it that says it's yours forever.  We'll all be gone soon and not be able to hold onto any material things.  Even non-material things such as love, appreciation of natural beauty, etc., belong to God, for he made us in his image in the first place.  When you are aware of this truth, you become immediately liberated!!!  There's no need to be attached to things that are transient, to fight for things that cannot truly be yours anyway, or to get uptight about not being able to get something you want.  You will always have God's love and that is more than sufficient.

        A footnote: All things include the people you know.        

Spreading the Good News

        St. Matthew, whose feast is today, after preaching the gospel to Jewish communities in Judea for 15 years, traveled to Gentile nations and spread the gospel to the Ethiopians, Macedonians, Persians, and Parthians.  He died as a martyr in Ethiopia.  This made me think that we who follow Christ should regard evangelizing as our full-time job, whether at home, at work, or traveling somewhere. 
        Normally, I am happy not to leave home, but last time I went on a cruise, which is usually boring, after I found out that there's daily Mass on-board and saw the trip as an opportunity to evangelize, as some of the friends going along were non-believers.  It turned out that the priest's room was right across the aisle from mine and I got to assist him at Mass.  Then one couple was very receptive to Catholicism when the chance came up to spread the good news of Jesus with them.  This alone made the trip worthwhile.                

Do You Need Jesus?

        Today is the Feast of St. Matthew.  From Matthew 9: Jesus spoke in Matthew's home for the Pharisees to hear, "People who are in good health do not need a doctor; sick people do... I have come to call, not the self-righteous, but sinners."  So if you believe that you are not spiritually sick and is not a sinner, then you don't need Jesus. 

Eucharistic Power

        The Holy Eucharist is the bread of life, the bread from heaven, and the body of the Lord.  It is the source of all graces, the source of power to transform us into new creatures like Christ himself.  Never take this holy sacrament without expecting that the Holy Spirit is going to lead you to new spiritual heights.

Be Humble and Proud

        You can mix humility and pride as long as the latter is of the justifiable kind that doesn't stem from the feeling of self-importance.

        St. John the Baptist didn't feel fit to stoop and untie the sandal straps of Jesus.  We are not worthy to receive the Lord in the Holy Eucharist.  But since he did institute this sacrament specifically for our reception to remember him, we are to override our feeling of unworthiness to receive him.  God's wishes should always come first.  In fact, only his wishes, not ours, should prevail.

        Jesus wants us to be shining lights in the world.  Therefore, we must proudly "show off" our light by example for all to see, never to be ashamed of the Lord and what he has done for us.  This is holy pride.           

Be Empty to Be Filled

        Thoughts before Mass this morning.  If we don't empty ourselves first, how can the Lord enter?  Therefore, empty yourself to let the Holy Spirit occupy every cubic inch of you to refresh and renew you so that Jesus may enter and dwell within you with complete freedom to do what he wishes.  You'd feel good knowing that the Lord is happy to be united with you.       

Clinging to Jesus

        Today I feel that I am clinging to Jesus for dear life, even though I am not facing any danger or crisis.  This makes me feel that the Lord is going to carry me through anything coming my way.  I know that he is totally dependable ~ clinging to him through thick and thin is absolutely what he wants us all to do, as the Gospel messages make it clear.  Therefore, cling to him first before facing the world.

Appearing "Right" Before the Lord

        Today during prayer before morning Mass, the Lord made me see the importance of appearing "right" before him ~ "right" in the sense of being appropriate and presentable. 

        The Gospel reading is Parable of the Sower from Luke 8.  So I saw that to be right, I must first of all keep and cherish the word of God after I hear it.  I must be in a state of grace, at peace with myself, and content in this world.  Again, the key to achieving such a state is to let go in God, to trust and relax in his love, in contrast to forging ahead headstrong on our own without getting a nod from the Lord first or even looking in his direction.  We must always follow the Lord to let him do his work through us. 

Let All Bring God to Mind

        I just couldn't fall sleep this early morning; felt a tremendous longing for the Lord.  What is he up to?  The idea for this post came to my mind: 

        When you see a beautiful day, think of God.       

        When you see genuine love in action, praise God.

        When you hear beautiful music, thank God for the inspiration he gave to the composer and the talents he gave to the musicians.  (Enjoy the music, but don't get attached to it.)

        When you get to drive a nice car, appreciate the engineering, the design, the technology and all that went into making it ~ they all came from God.  (Again, enjoy the drive, but don't get carried away.)

        When you see people get sick, realize how much we need God to pray to.

        When you see horrible things people do to each other everywhere, see how horrible it is to be godless and love God even more.

        Anyway, let all you see and experience bring God to your mind to help you think of him all the time.  He will bless you.

         

Complain to Jesus Only

        James in his Epistle talks about Restraining the Tongue.  He's absolutely right.  The tongue is to be restrained and tamed.  I have no doubt that what comes out of the mouth has started world wars in the past, broken up our families, and is still causing unhappiness every moment to this day.  Sometimes we just express our feelings and what comes out is misconstrued as our intention to hurt someone.  Sometimes we just make one comment and someone takes it personally and starts venting his or her own feelings.  Often what's said is easily considered as a "complaint" by others.  I suppose anything said that's not very positive is fair game for any listener.  I almost feel that when I express myself, I am navigating through a mine field.

        I believe that what we should do is to say less and speak only if we have something loving and positive in mind.  If there are negative feelings, go to Jesus and tell him all about them.  I found very few people will truly listen to you objectively and try to see things from your point of view, but thank God that we have our Lord who loves us warts and all, understand us perfectly, and is always sympathetic.  Even his scolding is sweeter than praises from other humans, because when he chides us, it's for our own good.          

For Love of Christ

        Today is the Memorial of Saints Cornelius and Cyprian.  Many saints have shed their blood for love of Christ.  We may not be called to exactly shed blood, but we must be willing to shed whatever is necessary for love of Christ.  

        The Gospel reading is from Luke 7 about The Penitent Woman.  She, known to be a sinner, washed the feet of Jesus with her tears, wiped them with her hair, kissed them and anointed them with perfumed oil.  She never said a word and Jesus forgave her many sins because of her great love and faith.  So the Lord knows perfectly our hearts.  Let us maintain a clean, pure, and loving heart in us for love of Christ.      

The Beauty of Christ

        How beautiful is Jesus?  I am sure that if he looks at me, my heart is going to melt under his loving gaze.

        His inner beauty is what captures my heart.  He is the embodiment of pure love, a love that's gentle but intense and more beautiful than anything else in the universe.  This is a living love, always inflamed, ready to transform us into smaller flames burning with the same love, if only we are willing to embrace it.  His immense beauty is beyond our comprehension, but can be sensed by the heart.  Once you sense it, you are drawn to it.

        If you ask me why I follow Jesus, in the early days I would have said "because I've found the truth," but today I would simply answer "because he is so beautiful."               

Willingness to Suffer

        Today is the Memorial of Our Lady of Sorrows. 

        How much we are willing to suffer is proportional to how closely we are united to the suffering Christ.

Thoughts on the Cross

        Today is the Feast of Exaltation of the Holy Cross.  

        (1) The Cross exhibits the great Love of God.  Through the Cross, life was made meaningful and purposeful.

        (2) Pray that the Cross will displace all our worldly pleasures so that we may experience the true joy of Christ.

        (3) What's good for the Lord is good for us too.       

A Reminder from the Lord

        Still a continuation of the last two posts.  I was reminded by the Lord that journeying toward union with him is fine, but we must never neglect doing good works along the way or even after we have achieved union.  Don't miss any opportunity to show God's love.  Love is the whole point for making this journey. 

Journeying Toward Union

        This post continues the train of thought from the last one.  As I have stated on this site, the goal of my blog is to bring all, myself included, to union with God.  Then I must remember that the ultimate goal is to please God, not to feel good ourselves.  I have just started reading The Ascent of Mount Carmel by St. John of the Cross and it doesn't seem that the ascent to union, according to him, is a quick, simple process.  But I do believe that a simple trusting faith I talked about in the last post and a great love and appreciation for the Holy Eucharist can help us go a long, long way.  These two things are within the reach of everyone if we'll just ask the Lord to grant them to us.     

Let's Amaze the Lord

        This morning the Cure of the Centurion's Servant from Luke 7 was read.  When the centurion expressed his unworthiness to have Jesus enter his house and asked Jesus to just give the order for the curing of the servant, our Lord was amazed at his faith.  This got me thinking that we could still amaze the Lord by absolutely trusting in him ~ another lesson for me.  A trusting faith is beautiful.  It shows our obedience and our love for him, and it brings miracles to us.  Furthermore, it sets us free. 

Glad to Be Saved

        Today's Gospel reading is from Luke 15, Parable of Divine Mercy, which show that Jesus came to save his lost sheep, and The Prodigal Son, such a beautiful story showing the Father's boundless love.  I feel extremely grateful that the Lord has called me.  You hear faith spoken of as a gift from God.  This could give the impression that this gift is selectively given, but I believe that God wants to give this gift to everyone, especially those who most need it.  To receive this gift, we must be receptive or at least be curious about it.  Being objective, putting aside any preconceived notions, is also necessary, for God loves a humble attitude.  So far in my faith journey, everything experienced confirms that I have made the right choice and am proceeding on the right path.  This is not any sort of proof, but when you are dealing with faith, this is as good as proof.