A Most Private Moment

        Today's Communion experience. After receiving Christ in the Holy Eucharist, I felt that I was having the most private moment of my life. If I were all by myself, that would only be a most lonely moment, not a private one. But being totally with the Lord alone ~ that is private.

Impure Motivation & False Humility

        I've been advocating letting God enter us to take away our struggle in making spiritual progress. Of course, this does not mean that we don't do anything besides opening ourselves up to God. A couple of things I've recently sensed and would like to share: (1) Pure motivation is something we have to work on. It's easy to respond and say to others the way we normally do, but they are times I still detect that my response is motivated by some self-centeredness. (2) False humility is sometimes more difficult to discern. If God has a message for us to share, we should do it for his glory. If we are concerned that we might draw attention to ourselves, that could be false humility. Basically, we do what the Lord wants us to do and not be concerned about whether people are going to praise or criticize us.   

Thinking About Jesus Alone

        People think about the past, not because they enjoy doing it, but because unhappy events and experiences haunt them, keeping them unhappy. People also think about the future with worry or hope. Since the future is never certain, always an unknown, they feel unsettled. So what should we think about? Jesus, of course, for the Lord is an eternal joy! Dwell on or in him and we'll have interior peace.

Living for God Alone

        People do not know us as God knows us. If we are concerned about what people think of us, we can't help being dishonest or hypocritical at times. Therefore, we should be concerned about what God thinks of us only, he who knows everything about us already. By living for him alone, we remain honest and genuine at all times. 

Rejoicing in Being Called

        Today's Gospel reading from Matthew 9 records how Jesus called Matthew to follow him. Of course, Matthew didn't know what's really in store for him yet, but we now know that when God calls us, it's because he loves us, the Father has chosen us, and he is ready to bestow upon us the greatest honor of our life. It is a time appropriate for great rejoicing ~ jumping up and down and shouting for joy are not out of place.

God Can Make Us Holy

        Continuing reading St. Teresa's Life has convinced me further that when God grants us a favor, it's impossible for us to resist. Without his help, we'd be struggling all our lives trying to be holy; but when God lends a hand, it's done for us! In today's first reading at Mass from Ephesians, Paul urged all to be humble and gentle with patience, to bear with one another through love, and to strive to preserve the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. His advice is good, but to be able to follow it is another matter. Of course, there has to be the faith in Christ to start out with. Then help from the Lord is absolutely necessary to guarantee success. Again, seeking union with God will satisfy all requirements.

Yearning for God

        Today is the Feast of St. Matthew, Apostle. Before Mass started, I felt that the Lord was asking me, "What do you want of me?" (I felt like asking him the exact, same question?) What I want of God is all of him to satisfy my yearning for him. A little bit of him is just not enough because he is just too beautiful! If you call that greed, then it is a holy greed, a good greed. God is someone you can never get tired of having more and more of. 

Serving God Big

        Most of us don't get the opportunity to do anything big for the Lord ~ that's OK. What we can do is to do every little thing perfectly with humility and joy for the love of God, then he would be greatly pleased. This is a sure way of building up our treasure in heaven. In fact, this is a sure way to sainthood for anyone (read about the little way of St. Therese, the Little Flower).  

Peter, the First Pope

        Paul referred to Peter as Cephas (see last post). Cephas is the name given to Peter by Jesus (John 1:42) ~ it is a Syriac name meaning "rock." Later, Jesus said to Peter, "I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church." To me, it is clear that Peter was made the head of the Church by Jesus. 

Evidence for Resurrection

        Today's first reading at Mass came from 1 Corinthians 15. Paul told that Jesus, after he was raised, appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve, and then to more than five hundred at once, most of whom still living at the time Paul wrote his letter. Next, Jesus appeared to James, then to all the Apostles again. Last, he appeared to Paul. All these appearances point irrefutably to the Resurrection of the Lord. 

God amid the Self-Destructive World

        Yesterday, I saw that judging or not forgiving others is destructive. We not only hurt our own health, but also go against the will of God. Today I see that the whole world is heading for self-destruction. Without knowing the love of Christ, it has gone mad or insane beyond mere foolishness. Scanning the news any day and you'll see how sad the state we are in. One bright item today on BBC News is worth a look because these astronomy photographs show how small we are and how stunning and great God is. They also tell us that our earth cannot last forever. Here is the link ~ http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-19637073. 

Enjoying the Lord

        Today's Communion experience: I simply let my heart, spirit, and soul enjoy their union with the Lord through the Holy Eucharist.

Letting Jesus Raise Us

         In today's Gospel reading from Luke 7, outside the gate of the city Nain Jesus saw that a man who had died was being carried out, the only son of his mother, a widow. The Lord was moved with pity for her and said to her, "Do not weep." He then stepped forward and touched the coffin; at this the bearers halted, and he said, "Young man, I tell you, arise!" The dead man sat up and began to speak, and Jesus gave him to his mother.  

       If Jesus can raise the dead like that, then we can also "play dead" by setting our own will aside and letting him raise us to a new life. In John 11:25-26, Jesus aid, "I am the resurrection and the life; whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die." So, to believe is to be raised, and we shall live.

Our Rightful Position Before God

        This morning before Mass, I knelt before the Lord and begged for his mercy on my soul. I felt so comfortable because I sensed that this was the most natural, rightful position for me as a creature to be in before my creator ~ we were just made that way! The most comfortable zone for us is to be submissive and obedient to God ~ in perfect harmony with his will.  

Jesus Is the Draw

        People do not want to go to hell after they realize what a horrible place it is. On the other hand, they will want to go to heaven if they realize what a blissful place it is. After receiving Holy Communion this morning, I experienced the beauty and loveliness of Jesus so much that it would be impossible for me to not want to be with him forever. I know that everyone else would feel the same when he or she gets to know him. There is absolutely no point in looking elsewhere.     

A Simple Relationship

        Before Mass started this morning, I realized that I cannot do anything without God. Even though the world is in a horrible mess, all he requires of me is to serve him faithfully, nothing more. So I'll do just that and ask for nothing more from him either. I do my little part and he takes care of the rest, including the world. What I love about God is how he keeps everything simple for us to understand and to perform. This simple relationship with him is based upon our trust, our obedience,  and his love, no more. The Lord is the easiest person to deal with.

Much Ado About Nothing

        I am using the title of Shakespeare's comedy to describe what the people of the world are doing much of the time. I caught a snippet of a TV documentary film on a past famous opera singer. Either her father or someone was remembered to have been painted as a character in a painting by a famous artist. Another person was remembered because his tomb was designed by another famous artist. My question is: what good is it to be remembered this way? Most people, especially those in more affluent societies, waste so much of their time doing things of no benefit to them spiritually whatsoever. Doing these things keeps them even further away from God. It is certainly a tragedy that people are not aware of their own spiritual status, resulting in much ado about nothing or worse. 

Union with God Necessary

        Today's Gospel reading came from Mark 8. Jesus began to teach his disciples that he must suffer greatly and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed... Then Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. At this he turned around and, looking at his disciples, rebuked Peter and said, "Get behind me, Satan. You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do." So, how can we think as God does? The only way is to get to know him fully, and union with him provides the exact answer.

       Later Jesus summoned the crowd with his disciples and said to them, "Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me." To deny oneself is one of the hardest thing to do, yet it is the way to freedom, to save one's own life. God cannot enter us if we are still in our way. Again, union with God provides the solution.