One, Holy, Catholic, Apostolic Church

        I am reading Fr. Groeschel's book, Healing the Original Wound. In Chapter 5, Fr. Groeschel tells us that Thomas Babington McCauley, the great British historian who was Protestant, pointed out that the Catholic Church was there when all the governments of the world began and when all the kings were crowned, and has continued to stand while they have all fallen. The church existed long before northern Europe was civilized. When I think about this, it is quite amazing. In the last two thousand years, dynasties, governments, powerful conquerors and rulers have come and gone. Today, the biggest industries, banks and corporations can fall or crumble before your eyes. Yet the church with her billion members of all races and nationalities from all cultures and walks of life ~ still all sinners ~ manages to hold together, despite the constant attacks and persecutions it faces throughout the ages. It is quite remarkable. Fr. Groeschel concludes that the church stays together because Jesus Christ as founder and head of the church himself holds it together. As Jesus said to Peter, "You are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it" (Matthew 16). 

Weeding the Soul

        The day is nice ~ sunny and cool. This is the perfect time to do some weeding because the ground is moist and soft and the weeds still young, most of which have not flowered or produced seed yet. With a hula hoe, you can go pretty fast. As I weeded away, I thought that for me to look clean and neat before the Lord is so much more important than for the garden to look clean and neat before me. I see God as the master gardener watering, fertilizing, and now "weeding" me.

Secret of Peace

        The world is not following God and it has no peace. Conversely, if we do God's will, we shall have peace, both interior and exterior. So the simple secret is: "Be in sync with God." 

How to Change the World

        To change the world, it is not good enough to just meet Christ outside of us ~ we must meet him from within ~ we must let him dwell in our heart and soul! Hence, seek union with him.

Oddball Living

         When God draws one close to him, the person becomes more and more detached to the world and things that are considered fun in the world are no longer of interest to him. Now he doesn't seem to fit in with the world anymore ~ he is seen as an oddball. Let's realize that the fun of our world is the product of a world that's materialistic, self-centered, and secular. So oddball living is actually a lot closer to living in heaven. I don't think up there there will be TV shows to watch, ball games to follow, pubs to visit, nor cruises to take. The many near-death experiences that have been reported and studied show that those who came back all experienced so much peace and freedom on the other side that they became different persons no longer attached to the world. So living as an "oddball" is only odd in the eyes of the world, but wise in the eyes of the Lord.  

Conscience Examined

        In today's Gospel reading from Mark 6 at Mass, we heard the story of how King Herod came to order the beheading of John the Baptist. Herod was the one who had John arrested and bound in prison on account of Herodias, the wife of his brother Philip, whom he had married. John had said to Herod that it's not lawful for him to have his brother's wife, so Herodias harbored a grudge against him and wanted to kill him.

        Herod feared John, knowing him to be a righteous and holy man, and kept him in custody, yet he liked hearing him speak. [Here we see that Herod knew righteousness and holiness, and was even attracted to John. He feared him perhaps because he realized that he was guilty.] 

     On Herod's birthday, he gave a banquet and his own daughter came in and performed a dance. The king was so delighted that he promised to grant her whatever she asks of him. She went out to her mother and asked what she should ask for and her mother said "the head of John the Baptist." The girl hurried back to the king and made her request. Herod was deeply distressed, but because of his oaths and the guests present, he did not wish to break his word to her. This was how John got beheaded. [We see that Herod had his conscience, but he overrode the good voice he heard and followed the evil one in him.]

        We all have a conscience. The good voice comes from God and the evil one from the Evil One. It's easy to ignore or smother the gentle good voice and pay attention only to the disruptive evil voice ~ just like the news: the bad news is pretty much all we get to hear. There is one antidote though ~ the Holy Spirit. As we are drawn closer to the Lord, the Holy Spirit purifies (sharpens) our conscience to the point that it works like a message filter, allowing only the good voice through and blocking the evil one.

Ready to Go in Peace

        Today's Communion Experience. The Lord is all holy and he can make anyone holy. He has saved me, entered my soul, and drawn me to union with him through the Holy Eucharist. Like St. Simeon after seeing the Infant Jesus at the Presentation, I am ready to go in peace. 

Our Calling Today

        Mark 6 provides the Gospel reading for today's Mass. We heard that Jesus sent the Twelve two by two out to preach repentance. At the beginning the Twelve were called by the Lord to be fishers of men. Even after the Resurrection, he appeared to them telling them to go into the whole world to proclaim the good news to all creation and making disciples of all the nations. This is still our calling today! If you love the Lord, let nothing get in the way of following this call. Salvation of souls must be the sole purpose of our life because that was the reason Jesus came into the world.

Looking into Life-After-Death

        In church this morning while waiting for Mass to begin, I became acutely aware of the brevity of life. We all know that we are going to die sooner or later, then why so many of us do not take the time to look into life-after-death? Of course, the very young are too busy making discoveries in and learning about the new world. The next older generation may be busy attending college, concerned about how to make a living on their own, etc., and death still seems far-off. Then there are the less fortunate folks whose main concern is how to make ends meet ~ life after death is just not a pressing concern yet. We now come to those who have succeeded in business or gotten rich or famous some other way ~ they are so absorbed in their worldly successes, enjoying their wealth and/or fame, that they no longer feel the need for God. This is the period in which they become fools in God's eyes. Success in the world is now a curse, not a blessing. Finally, in old age, almost everyone starts to look into life-after-death.  

How to Log In to God

        I have brought up the many paradoxical truths in past postings. For example, the more we surrender ourselves to God, the freer we become. Another one: The more we acknowledge our weakness before the Lord, the stronger he makes us. In general, we decrease to let God increase. So the "secret" is, you might say, "Don't even try hard." When we remain passive (open), we show trust in the Lord and he fulfills our desire by doing the work. To be passive is to get out of the way of the Lord who eagerly wants to bring us into union with him. "Passive" then is password for logging in to God.  

Jesus Our Greatest Consolation

        Today's Gospel at Mass was read from Mark 6. Jesus came to his native place and began to teach in the synagogue. Many who heard him were astonished, but they took offense at him. Jesus said to them, "A prophet is not without honor except in his native place and among his own kin and in his own house." I think many of you readers probably would agree with me that it's not easy to tell our own family members and friends about Jesus because they know us and have seen all our faults and imperfections. (In Jesus' case, his kin probably had not seen anything extraordinary about him yet.) Anyway, I turn and see the Lord, who always appreciates us and will listen to us at any time. He is truly our greatest consolation!

One Short Step Away from Heaven

        Adam and Eve had a perfect relationship with God at the beginning. Then they committed the original sin and we now all carry it. God, out of love, has sent Jesus to us to clear the way for us to get back to him. Stained with original sin, we can still attain the highest spiritual state by letting the Lord draw us into full union with him through the Holy Eucharist. Then we are just one short step away from having our perfect relationship with God restored fully in heaven.   

A Good Question

        Today this question popped up in my mind: How dare I ever think that everything should revolve around me when the Lord is ever present?

On Former Catholics

        There is a mega nondenominational church nearby and a great many of its members are former Catholics. While I don't have the figures, I know that the number of former Catholics nationwide is huge. Is there something wrong with the Catholic Church? I think that the reason so many dropped out is because to be a true Catholic, you have to truly give yourself to the Lord. Truth is never easy to accept, otherwise Jesus wouldn't have been crucified. There are so many other Christian churches around that are easy to join or leave. The stringent requirements of being a Catholic are just not there. As a Protestant, you can shop around for a church you like. Normally, the pastor is the big attraction. So it's natural that those who want to keep more of their own freedom leave the Catholic faith and those who prefer freedom in the Lord remain behind. On the other hand, many Protestant ministers seriously seeking the whole truth have been steadily coming home to the Catholic Church.

Carefree in Christ

        John 1.3: "All things came to be through him, and without him nothing came to be." So I came into being through Jesus ~ I owe him my existence. I now belong to him; so it follows that my heart, my mind, and my soul all belong to him ~ I can't be more carefree!

Trust Begets Faith

        Today is the Memorial of St. Agatha. Gospel reading at Mass comes from Mark 5. A woman afflicted with hemorrhages for twelve years came up behind Jesus in the crowd and touched his cloak. She said, "If I but touch his clothes, I shall be cured." And she was immediately healed. 

       I start to think about faith and prayer again. I see faith as a gift from God because I cannot in any way make my faith stronger by will, but I could trust in him more. It's clear that if I don't trust in God, I have no faith. Therefore, by trusting in God, I should receive faith from him. 

       I also believe that if I trust in God, he will show me how to pray in each situation. If I pray for a miracle and no miracle happens, it doesn't necessarily mean that my faith is weak ~ it could be that I am praying against God's wish.             

      Examples and lessons. (1) This woman in the Gospel really wanted to be healed and believed that Jesus could heal her, so she was healed. Her trust generated the strong faith the Lord placed in her. (2) When I catch an ordinary cold, I pray that I get well. I trust in the Lord, but he normally does not place a desire in me to want to be healed immediately and no miracle happens. (3) I've already shared the time my son was almost dying from a virus attack ~ I prayed for his recovery by his bedside without hesitation as if I was giving a command and he got well in a matter of days. Again, God spontaneously directed me ~ it's not that all of a sudden my faith increased. (4) Most of us probably are praying for some loved ones who no longer practice their faith. I believe that if we truly care and persist in praying for them, the Lord will have no choice but to answer our prayers. Again, let him direct us in how we pray.

     In conclusion, I'll trust in God and he'll take care of my faith, and I'll pray as he directs.

Doing God's Will in the Present

        I have posted about living in the present, since the past is gone and the future is still unknown. If we live every present moment joyfully for love of God, then naturally we'll be joyful our entire life. I bring this up now because I see that if we do God's will also for every present moment and follow him moment by moment as he leads us, we'll have no anxiety but peace.   

Spiritual Vision Needed

        If you believe that life is basically fighting a spiritual battle, then you should try to envision what Jesus would see if he comes into our world today. Would he be interested in seeing New York's skyscrapers, Florida's luxurious beach resorts, Las Vegas casinos and shows...I really don't think so. What I am sure is that he would notice the poverty, suffering, inequality, corruption, hypocrisy, oppression, materialism, the evil of drugs, robbery, prostitution, murder, abortion, etc., in our society. We need to develop such a spiritual vision so that we may also see what the Lord sees.