Jesus Perfect for Us

        Communion experience. Jesus is a true treasure because he is the one who can make us perfect!

Reading the Gospel Anew

        I've started reading the Gospel of John in bed every night before I go to sleep. This time I do not read it as a bystander; I see myself at the scene, in the story, and even imagine seeing things from Jesus' point of view. What comes across is amazing because everything becomes real and makes sense now. You see what actually happened and how Jesus spoke and acted as the all-knowing Lord.   

Pray As We Write

        I started reading a couple of excellent books on how to write better. Both authors recommend writing with brevity and clarity ~ no wordiness. Every word should express simply what we want to say. This suggests to me the proper way of praying to God. Sometimes we can be so brief and to the point that no words are needed, and the Lord hears us perfectly. 

Jesus Our Transformer

        At Communion time, I saw the Lord as our transformer. As I had pointed out in the past, we are the only rebellious creatures against God in this universe. If we cease rebelling and start obeying, he will then transform us into the most beautiful creatures existing in this universe ~ that is, one small change of mind resulting in a great transformation! (Neil Armstrong's famous first words, after becoming the first person to set foot on the moon in 1969, come to my mind: "That's one small step for [a] man, one giant leap for mankind.") 

Spreading the Good News

         At morning Mass, Reading 1 was taken from Acts 5. We learned that the high priest and his companions laid hands on the Apostles and put them in jail. Then during the night, the angel of the Lord opened the doors of the prison and let them out, and they went to the temple area in the morning to teach the people again. 

        The voice of the Lord cannot be silenced. We must spread the good news by whatever means at our disposal. A timid Christian is one who still cares more about himself than about God.

Reverse Tactics Works

        At Mass this morning, I desired to possess all of Jesus, and I realized that I didn't need to do anything to achieve my goal ~ I only needed to remain still and let him take possession of me first. In the same way, to gain freedom, I surrender; to live in Christ, I die in him; to be exalted by him, I remain humble; to be courageous, I lean upon him; to be invigorated by him, I rest in him; to be filled with God, I empty myself. God is easy to deal with!       

God's Clear Intention

        At today's Mass, the Gospel acclamation came directly from the Gospel reading from John 3 that followed: "The Son of Man must be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life." God's intention is crystal clear. If we hear it, understand it, but still ignore it, then why?

We Are Sinners!

        If we are not sinners, then hearing the good news of salvation would absolutely mean nothing to us. We would wonder why Jesus even came and died for us. What's he talking about, really? The fact that there are enough of us who were deeply moved by what he had undergone and what he had revealed to us ~ to the point of even willing to die for him ~ proves that we are indeed sinners and need salvation. 

The Constancy of God

        Today is the Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord. Coming home after Mass, I enjoyed looking at the blue skies above and the blossoming trees along the roadsides. Then I remembered that yesterday was a different day ~ cloudy and gloomy. It's clear that everything in our universe changes except God. For security and stability, we need the constancy of the Lord. That's one reason union with him makes us feel good.

Smoothing the Path to Union

        We are our biggest obstacle in our way to union with God because we are our own biggest burden. The cure is complete detachment from the self so that we may become attached to God alone. 

Best Friend for Listening to Us

        When our heart is troubled, it always feels good to pour out all our troubles to a friend willing to listen, then we don't feel so helpless anymore. But let's not forget our most caring and understanding friend, the Lord. After I confess all my troubles to him, he not only removes the load, but also forgives and heals me. He even helps us in identifying and understanding our problems during the process.

The Lord's Interior Beauty

        Today's Communion experience. Even though I received the Lord in the Holy Eucharist yesterday, I already missed him. I felt extra joy because we got to drink the cup also. After receiving Communion, I immersed myself in Jesus and experienced the heavenly beauty of his interior where no evil exists. How wonderful the world would be without evil! I was in heaven for a brief moment. 

Sent by God

        Today is Sunday of Divine Mercy. A Gospel reading from John 20 was read at Mass. After his Resurrection, Jesus came and stood among his disciples behind locked doors. He showed them his hands and his side. The disciples rejoiced and Jesus said to them, "Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you." At his point, I realized that we who follow the Lord had been sent by him too. We are on an important mission, a mission to save the world for God's glory. What a privilege and honor to be so chosen! 

Bliss Is...

surrendering to the Father, surrendering to the Son, and surrendering to the Holy Spirit.  

God Speaks to All Who Listen

        At the beginning of Mass this morning, I yearned to hear whatever the Lord wished me to know; I was ready. Reading 1 came from Acts 4. After observing the boldness of Peter and John, the leaders, elders, and scribes ordered them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John relied, "Whether it is right in the sight of God for us to obey you rather than God, you be the judges. It is impossible for us not to speak about what we have seen and heard." Father M in his homily commented that Peter and John were uneducated, ordinary men, but when they had the good news, they had to proclaim it without fear.

       Well, the Lord spoke to me, for I'd been scheduled to give a talk before a group next Saturday on how God wants to draw all to union with him through the Holy Eucharist, the central message of this blog. Thanks be to God.   

Another Look at God's Mercy

        It is difficult for people to know God, to find God, nowadays, because they were born into a world that had strayed far from God. Then the Prodigal Son parable should give us great hope and courage. In reality, no matter how much we've forgotten about God, we can still get back to him instantly if our hearts so incline ~ this is the beauty of the mercy of our heavenly Father. This good news we should let all know that God never closes the door on us, but we must at least get partway inside that door.

No More Questions

        It is time for us to trust in God and not ask him any more questions. There will always be things we do not understand even if we live a million years on earth. Therefore, be content with the knowledge of salvation from God and follow Christ faithfully through this short life, for one day we'll have the answers to all our questions.

The Ever-Present, All-Knowing Lord

        In today's Gospel reading at Mass from John 21, we heard how the resurrected Lord revealed himself to his disciples at the Sea of Tiberias. The disciples went fishing, but all night caught nothing. At dawn Jesus was standing on the shore, but they did not recognize him. Then Jesus asked them to cast the net over the right side of the boat; they cast it and could not pull the net in because of the number of fish. So they realized that it was the Lord.

        Two lessons I learned from this reading: (1) Jesus knows everything, so we can trust in him. He will always lead us in the right direction if we listen to him. (2) Even though we do not see or recognize him, he is present.