The Conversion Experience

        In the last post, the conversion of Paul was mentioned. Paul had been persecuting and punishing the Christians. Jesus came to him in a great light from the sky and Paul was blinded and fell to the ground. Jesus asked Paul, "Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?" Paul replied, "Who are you, sir?" And Jesus said, "I am the Nazorean whom you are persecuting." (How I wish that every one of us sinners will hear the Lord say this!) Paul then asked, "What shall I do, sir?" The conversion had already started.

        This was a powerful, life-changing experience for Paul. God touched him. It's important that we experience a conversion in our lives. You may be a cradle Catholic, but when you were born you really didn't know what's it's all about yet and you should have some kind of awakening experience later to make your belief more meaningful. I know that everybody's spiritual journey is different, but to not have experienced the power or fire of the Holy Spirit at some point in the spiritual life is not leading a satisfying one, to me anyway. 

To Be Chosen by God

        Today is the Feast of the Conversion of St. Paul. In Reading 1 from Acts 22, we learn how Paul was chosen by the Lord to be his instrument and went through a complete conversion. To be chosen is usually good news, such as being chosen to fill a position, to attend a university, to receive an honor, etc.; but to be chosen by the Lord to belong to his fold is the best of all things! It means that we belong to him, we've been adopted by the Father, we are to bear lasting fruit in this life, we are heaven bound... To be chosen by God is something to be thankful for and rejoice about every day.    

Doing Away with the Free Will

        Our free will is a gift from God. Use this gift to choose to do his will always and then give it back to God. We are not free as long as we need to choose between good and evil. Once we have decided to follow the Lord, we are liberated and free and the free will is no longer needed.  

Taking God's Point of View

        Taking the other person's point of view often helps us understand a particular situation we're in. Putting yourself in the shoes of someone who offends you can make you less judgmental. When you find it difficult to believe in the good news of Christ, try to see it from God's point of view. Imagine that you are in his place. You love mankind, your own creation, and want to save it. So you send you own son down to earth to spread the good news, even allowing him to die in order to complete the necessary work. I think you would see that it is truly amazing, but also logical, that a God of love would do this. Now I hope that you would come to appreciate the good news to the point that you will want to accept Christ as the true Savior of all.   

Praying with the Heart

        Since God looks only at our hearts, it's of paramount importance that we maintain a pure heart in the right place. In prayer, what words we use, how we say them, what posture we assume, how awake we are... all these things matter less than how sincere we are, how deep and urgent we feel, and how much we trust, as the Lord looks into the heart. He is the heart specialist.  

Lucky Us

        After receiving the Lord in the Holy Eucharist, I saw how fortunate I was to have the Lord come and enter me, whereas the three magi had to travel long distances following a star to find the newborn, child Jesus in a manger.   

Joy Is the Holy Spirit

        During Mass I sensed that the Holy Spirit is pure joy. He illuminates us to receive the light of the Lord. Everything coming from the Holy Spirit is sweet and joyful. It's a joy to surrender to Joy. If you don't like the word "surrender," then think of embracing the Holy Spirit with your open heart ~ it's the same thing. 

Beauty Is God

        Today is the Memorial of St. Francis de Sales. I still remember reading his classic work Introduction to the Devout Life many years ago. I was most impressed by the simple and sensible advices he gave for the people in the world. Anyway, on my way driving to Mass this morning, I again sensed the great beauty of God ~ everything about him and everything associated with him are beautiful. His creations reflect his magnificence and beauty. If all of us on earth are saints and do not sin, we would be living in paradise! Unfortunately, there are sinners aplenty in the world. But for those who love God, paradise still exists in the heart.   

Heart for God's Safekeeping

        I posted about giving our heart to God. The heart is the most precious part of us ~ what better place is there for its safekeeping than God? During the Eucharistic Prayer at each Mass, we're asked to life up our hearts to the Lord. This is the perfect moment to offer our heart to God. While the Lord is keeping it, it gets a thorough healing and purification as well. 

The True Good News

        The news we hear daily is 99% bad news, which only seems to get worse each day. But for us who believe in Christ, we have the Good News with us. Bad news comes and goes, but the gospel remains forever. The joy and hope of this good news is powerful enough to displace all the sadness and despair caused by the bad news. Today's Gospel Acclamation at Mass, 2 Timothy 1.10: "Our Savior Jesus Christ has destroyed death and has brought life to light through the Gospel." Jesus wants to fill our hearts with joy! 

Blessings in Disguise

        We all go through trials and tribulations in life. One thing of which I am absolutely sure: For those who love God, trials and tribulations are blessings in disguise because God put you through them to draw you closer to him. You emerge spiritually stronger and more fit. Recently, a friend passed away after much suffering, despite the many prayers said for his healing. I saw his suffering offered up to God as part (or all) of his purgatory. All trials and tribulations suffered in God's behalf give him glory and benefit souls. How can anything you do for God be wasteful?  

Our Father Desires Intimacy

        During Mass, the Lord made me see that having the desire to pray to him alone pleases him. Imagine how much he looks forward to hearing what we have to say. So let's share everything in our hearts with him. Let him be the first one we turn to when we face a problem. Our Father loves to have our trust and our desire for intimacy. 

Seek Only God's Acceptance

        Today is the Memorial of St. Agnes. In the Gospel reading from Mark 3, the relatives of Jesus thought that he was out of his mind when he let the disciples and the crowd come into his house. Jesus was also rejected in Nazareth, his hometown, prompting to him to say that "a prophet is not without honor except in his native place and among his own kin and in his own house." This is still true in today's world. Then I realize that we only need to seek God's understanding and acceptance of us. Jesus cared only about pleasing the Father. If Christians had wanted to be accepted by their own folks or any other fellow humans, there would not have been saints and martyrs.         

Be the Best Christian

        Jesus wants us to love God with all our heart, with all our being, with all our strength, and with all our mind. In this presidential election year, politicians are doing their utmost to stay in front with the hope of winning the presidency. Many musicians and athletes sacrifice just about everything to train for competitions. St. Paul likened living the Christian life to running a race ~ you are in it to win the prize. As Christians, let us also be the best by loving God as Jesus had asked. 

Lack of Inner Peace

        Here's a simple observation. The lack of inner peace can be traced to self-centeredness because we believe that we are most important and how things turn out matters a great deal. By letting go in God, peace is restored and we are free again.

Being One with God

        Jesus the Son is in God the Father and the Father is in the Son, so they are one. In mathematics, if A is in B and B in A, then it's a certainty that A and B are one. Union makes us one with God. When we surrender to God, we are in him; but how can God, so much greater than us, be in us? I am assured by the fact that Jesus gladly and willingly descended to earth to become one of us in order to save us. To be just like us, he asked John the Baptist to baptize him. He even washed the feet of his disciples to show his humility. In John 14, after promising that he would send the Holy Spirit to us, he said, "On that day you will realize that I am in my Father and you are in me and I in you." And that's how we become temples of the Holy Spirit. By instituting the Holy Eucharist, the Lord made it absolutely clear that he can dwell within us. So, believe, surrender, and receive the Eucharist, and we are one with God!    

God Can Help

        After Mass, I was thinking about why we need God. Left on my own, the best I could do would be to keep myself alive by working at a job, to try to stay healthy by exercising and eating right, and to get some fun out of this life if possible. Then after some years, I would just pass away, the body starting to rot and the soul floating somewhere. It's not a happy picture, but it's all true.

        On the other hand, with faith in the Lord, he will lift our souls to heaven after death and raise our bodies one day, not to mention all the extra benefits we get to receive in this life. Let's face it ~ we are just helpless on our own. We need God if we want to get anywhere. And his mercy is ever ready for us.   

God and the Devil

        Today is the Memorial of St. Anthony, Abbott. The first words I read from the Entrance Antiphon are "The just..." ~ right away I thought of "the unjust." Then I saw the existence of opposites in our world: the good, the bad; the pure, the impure; the beautiful, the ugly; the loving, the hateful; the kind, the cruel; the joyful, the angry...  Yin and Yang are real! Intuitively, I also saw the existence of God and the Devil.