Our "Resurrection"

        The Entrance verse today at Mass, Colossians 2.12: "You were buried with Christ in baptism, in which you were also raised again with him through faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead." So you could say that we who have died in Christ and become new creatures in him have already gone through a resurrection. Indeed, the Lord raised us from the dead.

Real Presence Felt

        I just realize that my constant awareness of the presence of the Lord dwelling within me is due to the fact that he is truly present in the Most Blessed Sacrament, the Holy Eucharist, which I receive at each Mass.

What's Important to Gain?

        We go to a gymnasium to exercise, work out hard, and eventually achieve a better-looking and stronger physique. We attend a higher-learning institution, study hard, read extensively, and become a well-educated and -informed intellectual. But we neglect to pray and nurture our faith in God so that we may evolve into a holier person. Isn't gaining eternal life so much more important than acquiring temporarily a well-proportioned body or a headful of knowledge?

What to Ask from the Father

        In today's Gospel, John 15, Jesus called his disciples his friends and he told them that he had chosen them and appointed them to go out and bear fruit, so that whatever they ask from the Father in his name, the Father may give them. Obviously, "whatever" doesn't include anything going against God's will. Therefore, you can be confident that if you ask God to make you holier, to draw you to union with him, he will readily comply.  

Seek Union First

        In today's Mass Reading 1 from Acts 15, the Apostles and presbyters, in agreement with the whole Church, sent representatives to Antioch to correct the problem of some who went out without any mandate from the Church, upsetting others with their teachings. The unity of the faith must be maintained (Church of Ireland, take note.) If we oppose the teaching of the Church, we can not possibly be in union with Jesus. Seek union with the Lord first, then we'll have the wisdom and humility to know what's right and what's wrong.

To Sink or to Soar

        The rich are attached to their wealth and the poor want to become rich. In general, people are attached to what they already have and want to acquire even more things of the world. How to cure this problem? 

        Imagine that you are in your dying hour right now, luckily still with a clear mind. What are your thoughts? Are you looking forward to meeting God or still thinking or even worrying about what's going to happen to all your material possessions? Jesus has made it clear that we cannot serve both God and money. A soul heavily weighed down by material things is like a sinking ship, while one that chooses God first is more like a helium-filled balloon, eager to soar to God.

Burdensomeness Is Relative

        Today is the Memorial (optional) of St. Damien of Moloka'i, the Belgium priest who ministered to the lepers in their colony on the Hawaiian Island Moloka'i. He eventually contracted leprosy and died of the disease. I am thinking that if one of us is asked to work among the lepers, he or she probably would feel the assignment to be a great burden. So what's not burdensome to one may be burdensome to another. Mother Teresa is another case in point. To those who always seek to do God's will, burdens no longer exist, for they see performing each task as fulfilling their duty to serve the lord they love. Free of burden, they are joyful. 

God to Watch My Thoughts

        What I felt this morning as Mass started was that the Lord was going to oversee all my thoughts. This gave me no fear but joy. He sees all my thoughts anyway, so for him to supervise them to make sure that they meet his approval is indeed a great blessing I welcome with all my heart. The Lord can help us in all things.   

The Positive Approach to God

        One reason why I love St. Therese so much is because her faith in Jesus' love for her was predominant in her spiritual life. Personally, I also prefer to focus upon the positive. By letting the love, mercy, beauty, and glory of God draw you to him, all the negative aspects such as your sins and all other personal problems are then automatically taken away or overcome in due time. To me this is the joyful, effective way of approaching God. That's why I promote union with God above all. 

Church in Disarray

        The big news on BBC yesterday was that the Association of Catholic Priests, an organization which represents more than 850 priests in Ireland, had been meeting to discuss the future direction of the Church. The Vatican had criticized leading members of ACP for expressing views which contradict Church teaching. I watched the video: one priest spoke up against clerical celibacy and for ordination of women; another said that the educated people have the right to have a voice to be heard and if that voice leads to decisions to challenge the present institution, then that's progress. 

        I was saddened to hear these views expressed. Are the measures suggested by the first priest going to turn the Church in Ireland around and bring disillusioned parishioners back? I doubt it. The second priest spoke just like a present-day unbeliever ~ I just wonder where he got his education. For sure any voice attempting to break up the Church, which is the Body of Christ, could not have come from the Holy Spirit! What all these priests, including the bishops and the cardinals, should do is to get together to repent for all the sins (including the cover-up of child abuses) committed collectively by the clergy and ask the Lord to show the new direction for the Church.

Ultimate Freedom

        I used the phrase "free in God" in my last post. I thought about it and really like it. To be free in God is to feel free in the presence of God; that is, you feel free thinking, speaking, and doing things in his presence. This is like how a good child feels in the presence of its loving parents who are totally pleased with and approves of him or her. This is ultimate freedom!   

True Free Spirit

        One who does God's will is not concerned about what others, the world, think of him while he is alive or after he dies, because his aim is to please God alone. To him, personal accomplishment, reputation, and standing in the world do not exist. He is a true free spirit, free of ego and free in God. (He imitates Jesus.)  

How to Find Peace

        Today's Communion Song, John 14.27: "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you, not as the world gives do I give it to you, says the Lord, alleluia." What the Lord had made me see earlier during Mass was how beautiful it is to follow God and do his will. When you see that the two wills become one and the same, peace and joy pervade your whole being. Again, this is the way the Lord has made us! Only doing his will counts for eternity. Seek and you shall find, so seek his holy will always and you'll find peace. 

Levels of Thought

        This is somewhat related to the previous post. We are what we think, and we think on different levels. If we harbor sinful thoughts, we'll never experience inner peace. Most of the time many of us are occupied with mundane matters, which could also lead to stress and worry. Then we can always uplift our thoughts to God to let the Holy Spirit unconditionally guide our thinking, leading us to experience the greatest possible inner peace.

Jesus Liberates Us!

        In Acts 5 we learn how the angel of the Lord led the imprisoned apostles out of the public jail. In Acts 12, we read that when the angel of the Lord appeared to Peter in prison, the chains just fell from his wrists. He then followed the angel out, passing all the guards and went through the gate which opened for them by itself out to the city. Today when I see so many people carrying the burden of stress, worry, and excessive concern about themselves, they are virtually living in a prison. I want to testify to all that Jesus, our Lord, can completely free us as the angels miraculously led the apostles to freedom. The Lord died for us in order to set us free! He is our last resort, so make it your first. 

Enemies Within the Church

        Disunity and disobedience within the Church tear apart the Body of Christ, pleasing Satan only. We've seen Catholic politicians publicly going against the teachings of the Church. The University of Notre Dame had President Obama speak at its commencement despite outcries from many other Catholics. Now "pro-choice" Kathleen Sebelious, Secretary of the Department of Human Health and Services, has been invited by Georgetown University, this nation's oldest Catholic and Jesuit University, to speak at one of its commencement ceremonies. It's sad that the true sheep of Christ have to fight enemies within as well as without. If you share my viewpoint, consider signing the petition on GeorgetownScandal.com.  

Join God Now

        If you do believe that God exists and we have imperishable souls, then it must be clear to you that there is an ongoing spiritual war waged by Satan against God, fighting for our very souls. Being a given that God cannot be defeated and will be victorious at the end, I am wise enough to side with the Lord right now. If you don't join him in the fight, you only prolong the war and may end up on the loser's side.

God's Love

        The truth "God loves us" is most simple, yet most profound. To us, it's un-imaginable, yet completely logical. We have a rare case of "what seems too good to be true is true."