Into Jesus!

        Before Mass began this morning at church, I experienced a tremendous yearning for Jesus. I just wanted to be totally absorbed into him, to be "lost" in him, to be an integral part of him.... You don't just want to be drawn to him ~ you want to be drawn into him! What happened? The answer is that the powerful, sweet love of Jesus leaves an indelible imprint on your soul and you are transformed forever. He then sends you on an enthralling journey heading straight for heaven where your name is written. Do you think that you can wait?

Be Single-Minded in Serving God

        We are to give ourselves entirely to God and not be concerned about how much of himself he is going to give us. Our duty is to love and serve him irrespective of how much we are going to gain for ourselves. God will never shortchange us in the end. Jesus said to Thomas, "Have you come to believe because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed" (John 20.29). I could also hear the Lord saying: "Blessed are those who have not received any consolation from me and have believed."

We Need God!

        This evening I sense just how much we need God. If there is no God and we are strictly left to ourselves, how can we possibly lift ourselves up any higher? We would be "buried" in our world all our life. We wouldn't know which way to turn for sure and where we are going to end up ~ in other words, we'd be groping in the dark, as it were. Then I think of God. Jesus has made the way absolutely clear. By his power and grace, he lifts me up high and one day I'll be as high as where he is and that day is coming fast, since life is so brief. It's as if the train is passing through and if you don't get on board, you are going to be left behind for ever. What a difference Christ can make ~ we do need him!  

After Entering Jesus

        In John 10.9, Jesus said, "I am the gate. Whoever enters through me will be saved...." I did mention earlier how I discovered the inner spaciousness of the Lord, so the saying "I am the gate" now takes on a new meaning for me. Figuratively speaking, once I enter him, I see all kinds of treasures in this infinite space and I get very excited, eager to explore the immense riches there is. Complete freedom has been granted me to learn, absorb, and enjoy ~ this is truly dwelling in the house of the Lord!

Another Look at Abortion

        Today the first Sunday of October has been designated Respect Life Sunday by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. So it is the right time to take another look at abortion. 

         A person may choose to abort the unborn child, but please do not consider it to be your right. Does saying you have the right to terminate (I am not using the word "kill") another human life sound good to you? You can say pro-choice instead of anti-life, call it a fetus instead of an unborn child, argue that the unborn is not a person yet (even though the dictionary defines a person as a human being)...there is no getting around the fact that abortion ends another life ~ in this case, a totally innocent, defenseless life of your own child, a life whom God has created! The total number of victims that had been terminated by the Nazis during the Holocaust is estimated to be between 11 million and 17 million; the number of legalized abortions performed in the U.S. alone since 1973 has exceeded 50 million! If abortion is truly OK, then I suppose I could also say that there is no such thing as evil anymore.    

Helpless Before God

        Today's Communion experience. Because there's no Mass scheduled at the nearby seminary this morning, I went to a church almost seven miles away. I was impressed by the large turnout on a Saturday. 

        Before receiving the Holy Eucharist I asked the Lord to fully remove all my sins because I desired the closest possible union with him. After receiving the Holy Eucharist, he gave me more joy than usual, so much so that I could hardly contain it as it penetrated my soul. I became totally helpless before the Lord. When God wants to do you a favor, there's no use turning away or fighting it ~ he just accomplishes what he wishes to accomplish. See how he changed St. Paul from a persecutor of Christians to a faithful disciple! We can take advantage of this facet of the Lord. If we fail to change ourselves on our own, surrender to him and let him do the work, then it'll be done without our help. 

Jesus Challenges Us Again

        In today's Gospel reading at Mass from Luke 10, Jesus said to the seventy-two disciples who had just returned, "All things have been handed over to me by my Father. No one knows who the Son is except the Father, and who the Father is except the Son and anyone to whom the Son wishes to reveal him." These are truly earthshaking statements that we must take seriously ~ either they are completely true or completely false. I can vouch for their truthfulness because through Christ I now know the Father.

Jesus Is Everything to Me

        Today I feel that Jesus is the one who sustains me every moment; keeps me alive and will give me life after my death; is my bright hope, refuge, guide, inspiration, and much, much more; grants me freedom of the spirit, peace, and the sweetest joy; is all I need; and makes me want to live with zeal and die for him happily. You can totally destroy me by taking him away from me. But that is not going to happen because nothing in the world can possibly separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus the Lord (Romans 8.38-39). Therefore, I keep rejoicing.

Learning More from St. Teresa

       After finishing reading her Life, I am continuing with her The Way of Perfection which she wrote for her nuns under her charge. Here is a couple of important points that is good to know. 

        (1) Love:  The love we have for others is to be perfect. It must not be affected by how attractive or unattractive the person we love is, how much affection we have for the person, or whether he or she is going to appreciate us or love us back. In other words, the love must be the pure, unconditional love of God. In this way, we remain free. (By the way, the more St. Teresa was persecuted by others, the stronger her love for her persecutors grew.)

        (2) Detachment:  Not only are we to be detached from all things of the world, we are to do so from ourselves. Humility and detachment always go together. This way, we become fearless of anyone.

Let God's Will Prevail

         Today is the Memorial of St. Francis of Assisi, who actually lived the gospel. After receiving Holy Communion, I saw in my mind the following. 

        To be transformed by God is to be drawn into Christ. Once we have completely entered the Lord, transformation takes place "automatically" ~ we can't help it because the consuming love of God simply melts our heart and we are completely his. Let God's will prevail and miracles happen.

Awesome Holiness of God

        God's holiness is awesome, the most awesome spiritual state I can think of! Relative this holiness, every other single spiritual state is to be evaluated. The extreme opposite to God's holiness, wickedness or impurity, is exposed as the ugliest state. Without God, there would be no absolute concept of holiness. The fact that we can conceive both holiness and wickedness proves that God must exist.

Eternity Matters

        Today's Communion experience. Before receiving the Lord, I saw his goodness and great mercy. After receiving him, I saw that this heavenly bread was preparing me for eternity. I then realized that everything God does has to do with eternity. He just does not solve our problem for a day ~ he plans everything for eternity, since he himself lives forever. Jesus did everything with the goal of saving us for eternity. If we do everything with eternity in mind, we shall be with our infinite God for all eternity.    

Head over Heart This Time

        The heart matters the most to the Lord. Today I see that the head can be helpful too. Once we are convinced that God exists and loves us, we can tuck that information away in our head. Then if we experience dark nights of the soul, encounter strong temptations, or when our faith is being severely tested, we can retrieve that information, hold onto it, knowing that it is certain and that feelings and emotions are not to trusted, and ride through the trying times.  

Going All Out After God

        In today's Gospel reading from Luke 9 at Mass, Jesus said to some would-be followers, "No one who sets a hand to the plow and looks to what was left behind is fit for the Kingdom of God." For us, it means that we must go all out in following God. This is as it should be. It's very much like competing in a race. One should run as fast as he can without looking back if he wants to be rewarded with eternal happiness in heaven at the end.        

How to Gain More Humility

        A saintly person regards all others to be holier than him or her. In reality, this cannot be true, but it's a great way to practice humility. You could say that going overboard provides the cushion you need. It's like an arched bridge or one of those long truck beds ~ the slight upward curve provides a lot extra strength for carrying the load, hence a greater safety factor. Similarly, being "over-humble" is a good way to become more humble. 

An Ideal Relationship

        When you are in deep love with God (a common occurrence in Christianity), you are aware of your loved one's presence at all times. So your receive strength, courage, consolation...whatever you need to accomplish his will, right then and there. It's an ideal relationship!

Praying without Effort

        After Mass ended, I tried to pray without saying any words nor thinking any thoughts since the Lord already knew what's in both my heart and mind. So I just rested in him and enjoyed his presence. Sometimes trying hard is achieving less. I don't need words or thoughts to reach the Lord ~ he and I are already in each other!  

Jesus to "Detoxify" Us

        The sad reality today is that as we grow up in our secular, materialistic, egocentric world, our thoughts, speech, actions...all become rather unholy, if not downright evil. Younger people are looking up to the wrong persons as role models. Our only hope of becoming pleasing to God is to let Jesus "detoxify" us by ridding us of the effects of all the "poisonous" influences of the world. Fight evil with God's love and we can become holy and wholesome again.