My Joy Completed

        Communion experience. Jesus is the Perfect One. He is exactly the one I need to complete my joy.

The Greatest Honor Is...

to be God's lowliest servant.

Power of God's Love

        If you love God, open yourself wide to let his love completely fill your heart to overflowing. This sweet love will heal and delight your soul such that besides the Lord, every problem in your life will seem insignificant to the point of being forgettable. This is one reward you can reap in this life.      

"Love" Defined

        I start to think about the love of God for us. This love is so pure and selfless that in theory, it's not possible for us to love to that degree. Therefore, it is unique with God and strictly speaking, "love" should mean the love of God or God and nothing else.

Hope Ever Present

         To anyone who is aware that he is in a sinful state he should not be in:

        Know that we live in a pretty much secular, hedonistic society populated mostly by other like sinners. Without proper guidance, the rampant, materialistic and immoral influences around us start to shape us the moment we are born. Now imagine that you enter a world of saints filled with love for God, chances are you'll grow up to be a holy person too. But despite the condition of the society or the world, the hope is ever present. Jesus can take away our sins and make us holy if we let him. Just repent and believe that he is your Savior and you are on your way. This is how accessible and amazing our God is ~ always loving us!

Leave the Judging to God

        At church before Mass began this morning, I came to see that it's so easy for us to form opinions of others whether we know them well or not. The danger here is that what we have perceived or observed may not be the truth, especially after the story has been transmitted through others. God is the only one who knows what's in the heart of a person. His command for us not to judge anyone is most wise because we can turn out to be wrong. Let's leave the judging to God and see all others as his loved ones who may turn out to be good. 

Anchored in God

        I have asked the Lord to change me, shape me, mold me ~ and I do not feel any difference until a test comes along. What would normally get me excited, alarmed, or distressed now finds me remaining cool and calm, and I know that he has worked on me. Basically, when I am anchored in God, nothing can upset my equilibrium anymore.

The God Factor in Life

          Without God, you try to manage your own life and you get bogged down by earthly affairs, never feeling free or at peace.

      With God, you place all your trust in him and are extricated from all worldly concerns, knowing now fully what you are doing and where you are heading. Freedom and peace are no longer strangers in your life.        

Power of God's Love

        Communion experience. It was the love of Christ that I felt ~ so powerful, so beautiful, keeping all life going, and giving eternal life to those who respond to his call.

God Does Not Forget

        Do you know that for every sorrow you suffer for the Lord, he will console you a hundredfold or more? And for every thing you do for his glory, he will reward you a hundredfold or more?

God Calling Us

         In today's Gospel from Mark 1 at Mass, we heard that Jesus, passing by the Sea of Galilee, saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting their nets into the sea; they were fisherman. Jesus said to them, "Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men." They left their nets and followed him. He walked along a little farther and saw James, the son of Zebedee, and his brother John. They too were in a boat mending their nets. Then he called them. So they left their father Zebedee in the boat.

       Although we cannot hear the physical voice of the Lord today; nevertheless, you can be sure that he still calls us through other means. It's the same voice that speaks directly to the heart. Anytime the Lord calls us, he is calling us to live with him for all eternity! Our only right response is to follow him without reservation. 

Best Feeling There Is

        You know that (1) you and God are best friends and you have no sins to worry about, or (2) you are deeply in love with God who loves you, or (3) you're in union with God. [By the same token, the worst possible feeling is knowing that you are in a sinful state and you are afraid to face God ~ this is being extremely unrealistic.]        

To Be with God Always

        When I see or hear something beautiful, I think of God because he is beautiful. When I see or hear something sad, I think of God because he suffered for me. When I feel happy, I think of God because he is the source of all my joy. When I feel sorrowful, I turn to God because he will console me. When I am not occupied with anything, I feel his very presence within me.  

Start Being Ageless

        When people ask a friend of mine how old he is, he always answered, "I am ageless." He is not kidding ~ he is serious and speaks the truth as he loves Jesus. The Lord promised that whoever believed in him would never die. This is saying that if I remain with him, then I'll be with him forever since he lives forever.

Our Sin of Omission

       Fr. Benedict Groeschel, whom I love and respect, unwisely made some controversial comments last year related to the sexual abuse of children by priests and a lot of people out there used the opportunity to degrade him and the Church. A gay, former Catholic priest criticized him on Huffington Post. From most of the comments on his article I read, I could tell that there were lots of people who disliked or even hated the Church. Again, I believe that they never knew the Church and/or Jesus. Judging others without looking at yourself is always the easiest thing to do. If Christ were here today, they would most likely be turned off by what he tells them too.

         The Christians have themselves to blame for not taking stands when morality started eroding. If you go back half a century or so, very few unmarried couples practiced living together. Then abortion got legalized. Over the years various Christian churches have softened their stands on many moral issues, causing further disunity (Satan must love it!) Even though the majority of this country still claims to believe that God exists, they live just as nonbelievers. Today hedonism is the dominant way of our life and atheism continues to rise. We reap what we sow.

Spiritual Burden

        I feel a lot of pain today because I know that God is feeling it too. The BBC News earlier reported that hundreds of thousands of protesters rallied against gay marriage in Paris despite one newspaper poll showing that 56% of the people supported gay marriage. In Italy four topless female activists staged a protest in St. Peter's Square in favor of gay rights. The Church is against the sin and not the sinner. Even in the case of suicide bombers killing innocent people, God's love for the perpetrators never diminishes. The mission of the Church is to save souls, yet she is perceived as being nonprogressive and suppressive. This misunderstanding is causing the present sharp division.      

Getting Along with God

        God loves us as we love others. God forgives us as we forgive others. God becomes ours as we become his.

Ultimate Fulfillment

        Our yearning for God is proof that God is the ultimate fulfillment. To want to possess all of God, all we need to do is to let him possess all of us. Union with God on earth and in heaven then should be our goal.