Our Blind & Deaf Generation

        I exercised on a treadmill early this morning at the gym. Since it's Saturday, only two other members were present, but all ten TV's had already been turned on. By the way, four treadmills even have a small TV screen on them. This made me think that this generation is so overwhelmed with worldly things to satiate the eye and the ear that it has become completely blind and deaf to God's existence. When Jesus was on earth, he healed the blind and the deaf. How we need him now to heal the spiritually blind and the spiritually deaf! 

We Are Vulnerable!

        When we live in a solidly-built house, we normally feel pretty safe. Then every time I look down on the earth from an airplane, I see how vulnerable everyone down below is with no overhead protection whatsoever should, for example, a meteor hit the earth. Of course, we've seen how earthquakes, hurricanes, and other natural disasters easily destroy human lives. Today's satellite shots taken from space show even more clearly our bare earth floating in space alone. This leads me to thinking what God sees when he looks down upon us. He would see billions of sinful souls all around the globe in danger of being lost forever, showing how vulnerable we are to evil influences. I hope that this picturization shows how important for us it is to believe in the Lord so that he may keep our souls safe.  

Christianity Most Amazing

        Today is Friday and I prayed the sorrowful mysteries of the Holy Rosary. The Passion of Christ is well-known, but if you do not stop to think about it, it's just one sad story. Imagine the agony Christ felt in the garden when he knew what he would have to go through. There was no fear, just pure agony. Then he was whipped, beaten, mocked, insulted, with thorns pushed into his head, yet he did not complain because he was carrying out the Father's will. What's even worse followed. First, carrying the very cross he was going to be nailed to! Next, the final crucifixion on the cross ~ it would be difficult to imagine the prolonged pains he suffered. He came to show his love and those whom he loved turned against him.  Even from the cross, he prayed, "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do," showing his infinite mercy. Even then, the rulers sneered at him, the soldiers jeered at him, and those passing reviled him. What a contrast between the loving Christ and the heartless sinners! Before Jesus breathed his last, he cried out aloud, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?", fully revealing his human side. The fact that the loving Lord so willingly suffered to such an extreme so that we whom he loves may be saved is just incredible ~ I tend to ask if this can possibly be true. I believe it is true because only an infinite, loving God can think up such a plan to carry out. Christianity is just too amazing to be untrue. 

To Be embedded in God

        In today's Gospel reading from Mark 4 during Mass, Jesus used parables to talk about the kingdom of God. In one he likened it to a mustard seed that, when it is sown in the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on the earth. But once it is sown, it springs up and becomes the largest of plants and puts forth large branches, so that the birds of the sky can dwell in its shade. So I picture myself as that mustard seed embedded in the soil that is God. With him nurturing me, I can only grow spiritually and bear fruit. I remain totally content in my embedment and am not concerned about the fruit produced, whether visible or invisible. This is an ideal setup. Later, when I received the Holy Eucharist, I embedded myself in Christ.  

Jesus Came for Us

        God did not just pop into our world to force us to believe in him. In Luke 5.32, Jesus said, "I have not come to call the righteous to repentance but sinners." If you know that you are a sinner, it should be obvious that you would not be able to save your own soul on your own. This is where Jesus comes in. This is why we must listen to him. He came just for us, for you.      

On Following Jesus

        Communion antiphon was taken from John 8.12: "Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life, says the Lord." Through my experience, I know that I no longer walk in darkness. Through my simple eyes, I see that following Jesus will lead me straight to heaven. I defy anyone to show me that following Jesus is wrong, if you are not the problem. 

Healing of the Soul

        Communion experience this morning. I always remember the story of the woman afflicted with hemorrhages for twelve years came up behind Jesus, with great faith touched the tassel on his cloak, and was immediately healed (read Luke 8). As I received the Holy Eucharist, I knew that the Lord was going to immediately heal my soul too. A healed soul is a spiritually-healthy soul, even more desirable than having a healthy body.  

Longevity Not My Concern

        BBC News has an article online this morning on the science of long life. Almost everyone wishes to remain eternally young if possible. We think that a stress-free existence should prolong life, then one study done by the University of California at Riverside shows that the opposite is true. In fact, it says that a little worry is a good thing! Go figure. A Dr. Gary Small, director of the University of California Longevity Center in Los Angeles, concludes that the idea is to stay engaged, to stay involved, to enjoy your life, but when your time comes, to accept that and not be afraid of it. This seems like sensible advice, although that last part may be easier said than done if you don't have any faith in God. At any rate, I feel blessed because how long I live concerns the Lord and not me; in the meantime I live in peace, stress- and worry-free.  

Book Idea

        After posting more than 2,500 times, perhaps I should write a book summarizing what the Lord has taught me. This thought did surface in my mind, but it must get a clear go-ahead from him. If I do get going, the book could be titled How to Achieve Union with God (not creative enough), God Wants You! (remember those Uncle-Sam-Wants-You posters? ~ but it doesn't seem quite appropriate here), What God Can Do for Us, or something else. So far that last title is closest to what I want to tell. We can do a lot of things on our own, but that is not good enough. We let God fully into our lives and he starts making living a holy life easy. He finally takes away all our struggles, completing our transformation in him. Only he can draw us into full union with him, thereby obtaining his own request "So be perfect, just as your Heavenly Father is perfect." In the whole process, the Holy Eucharist plays the essential role.

God and the World in Contrast

        Communion experience. Receiving the Lord in the Holy Eucharist is such a great honor that no honor of the world can compare with it. It means that I have been specifically chosen by God. I can receive what is deemed by the whole world to be the greatest possible honor and it will only serve to boost my own ego. But receiving Christ in the Most Holy Sacrament makes me forget all about myself and appreciate only his love. Again, the contrast between what the Lord gives and what the world gives makes the right choice crystal clear.

Forgetful Lovers

        First reading at Mass came from Hebrews 10. Paul quoted from Jeremiah what the Lord said in making the new covenant with the house of Israel: "Their sins and their evildoing I will remember no more." When we are in love with God, the journey of following him becomes extremely beautiful because in the presence of our beloved, we forget all our troubles, problems, and even our sins. It is true that lovers in love with each other become mutually forgetful of everything else.

God and Satan in Contrast

        When Jesus draws us, we feel his love and his peace. We experience complete freedom because he is always gentle with us, never holding us against our will. On the other hand, when Satan lures us and succeeds in trapping us, we will experience great emotional turmoil and feel chained and shackled. If it's a deep sin we fall into, it would be virtually impossible to free ourselves without asking for God's help. Both God and Satan can be attractive, but their intentions couldn't be further apart from each other. Stick with God always, for he loves you always.

About Doing God's Will

        Today's readings at Mass were all about doing God's will. In the Gospel reading from Mark 3, Jesus told the crowd, "Whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister..." I believe that people do not like to hear about doing God's will because they have many misconceptions such as "doing God's will is for saints only," "doing God's will is not fun," "doing God's will must be boring," "doing God's will restricts my freedom." The fact is that doing God's will is a beautiful feeling; it brings you peace and freedom of the heart; it brings you close to God; and now you know, you become brother or sister to Jesus.  

Cause of All Evil

        Two weeks ago, French opponents of gay marriage and adoption staged one of the biggest demonstrations the country had seen in years. Some 340,000 people, according to police, marched through central Paris to oppose a government bill that's going to go before the National Assembly. The spokeswoman of this broad-based "citizens" movement states that her arguments are not directed at gay people, but at the proposed law, as framed. She says, "If what was on offer were a law that further enshrined rights for gay couples, that enriched their unions, and got rid of the discrimination and injustices that undoubtedly still exist ~ then I would support it." However, the opponents of gay marriage are aware that their chances of blocking France's law are small at best. Both "Catholic" countries Spain and Portugal have recently adopted gay marriage.

        If we do believe that marriage is the exclusive union between a man and a woman and that it is instituted by God, then how do we fare as a nation? In the last half century or so, thanks much to the celebrities, living together as an unmarried couple has become so common and widespread that it's now an accepted lifestyle ~ marriage is already mocked! Most people look upon marriage as an experiment that has nothing to do with God. As for married couples, the statement "50% of all marriages in America end in divorce" is roughly correct. (In reality, the divorce rates all across the globe have been rising rapidly.) If morally we are in such bad shape, how effective can we be in telling others that same-sex marriage is wrong?

      This brings me to the fundamental point. All disorderliness and moral chaos are caused by godlessness. God is our creator and if we get into trouble because we fall away from him, then he is the one who can restore order and peace if we go to him asking for help. Again, the same conclusion I drew in my post "How to Convert the World" of two days ago applies: "Our only hope is to live a holy life by seeking union with God and be completely obedient to his will, whatever it may be."

To Be Free of the World

         I have started reading the Gospel of John again. Chapter 1, verses 2-4: "The Word was in the beginning with God. All things came to be through him, and without him nothing came to be. What came to be through him was life, and this life was the light of the human race."         

       I am living in this world because my physical body dwells in this physical world. Spiritually, I am living in Jesus. My physical body will die one day, but I shall live on forever in the Lord. While in him, he "insulates" me from the world, shielding me from all evil. In him, I conquer the world, since he has conquered it. This is being free in the world and not of it.

March for Life

        We just had our national March for Life. Today on EWTN, I watched some of the recorded events held in Washington, D.C. I felt great sorrow when I realized that when an unborn child is aborted, you squash all its hope of ever breathing the fresh air, seeing the natural beauties, learning new knowledge, enjoying family life and friends, contributing to making this world a better one... Jesus said clearly that "whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me." Certainly the unborn quality to be the least brothers of the Lord!

        But I experienced joy too in watching the March. I was moved to tears when I heard the message from the Holy Father read publicly. Then I noticed how young the average marcher in the crowd looked ~ the hope is bright for the future. Nothing is impossible with God. 

Jesus More than We Need

        In today's Gospel reading from Luke 1, Jesus, in a synagogue in Nazareth on the sabbath day, stood up to read and was handed a scroll of the prophet Isaiah. He unrolled the scroll and found the passage where it was written:

        The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring glad tidings to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, and to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord.

        Rolling up the scroll, he handed it back to the attendant and sat down, and the eyes of all in the synagogue looked intently at him. He said to them, "Today his Scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing." The whole scene was so live to me that after I received the Holy Eucharist, I knew that Jesus is the Messiah, the living true God and he is all I need. He is not just God...he's a most personal God at that. In him I have complete security, eternal life...whatever my heart desires. He is the one in whom I can totally let myself go.

On Doing God's Will

        You know that you are doing God's will if you feel that doing it is right and natural. If you lose peace, then you have promoted your own will before the Lord.