Everlasting Honors

        I happened to see an old black-and-white film clip on an educational TV station. It showed athletes winning Olympic medals and glamorous movie stars receiving Oscars, etc., back in the 1960s ~ all big news. What flashed across my mind was that they received honors that fade quickly as time passes and from people who were also passing themselves. All those honors seem rather forgettable. I'd prefer receiving anything from the Lord God who lives forever. Receiving even the tiniest gift from him is a great honor that lasts forever.

On Finding God

        Reading 1 at Mass came from Acts 19. For three months, Paul debated boldly with persuasive arguments about the Kingdom of God in the synagogue at Ephesus ~ so it wasn't always easy to convert others then. It's no different today. To come to God, one must first desire to seek him. In today's life, enticements and miseries easily get our first attention. Even if the desire is felt, to find God one must remain completely open and objective, and this is not easy for many who are so opinionated, judgmental, and full of pride. The password here is "humility." Once you log on, God is right there. 

Most Important Activity

        I saw online a picture of a conductor conducting an orchestra and thought of the many things we do ~ necessary housework, driving to work, shopping, watching TV, plain resting, etc. Then I saw prayer as an activity too. In fact, it is the most important activity of our life because it is communicating with our creator, our Father, the one without whom we cannot exist. Prayer brings blessings on us, produces fruit for God, can change our present life and decide our eternal destination. Prayer should come before all other activities in life.    

Exaltation by God

        Communion experience. It's not just physical union, but also spiritual union. God elevates us to a higher state, in fact, the highest possible state, of existence!

Jesus to Be Our Focus

        Today is the Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord. For me, the music at Mass wasn't quite uplifting, then I realized that we must focus upon Jesus who alone is holy and perfect and never let any experience at Mass or, for that matter, any imperfection in anything or anyone throw us off. Look for Jesus beyond what we encounter, keep our eyes on him, and we'll be secure and have peace.  

On Dying in Sins

        In John 8.21, Jesus warned the unbelievers, "I am going away. You will look for me but you will die in your sins." It struck horror in me to hear the part "you will die in your sins." It means dying with sins still unforgiven ~ a state I never want to be caught in! Jesus is here to forgive our sins ~ not taking advantage of this is to commit suicide (pardon my language, but it's the truth). Repentance easily takes care of our sins, unless you think you are just too almighty to bow to the Lord.   

Praying Right

        When someone causes a problem for us, it's easy to pray about it without including the "enemy" in our prayer, but that person's "welfare" is essential to the resolution of the problem. The highest form of prayer is to leave everything in God's hands, letting him do whatever he pleases. 

Problems Are Tests

        We all face problems of life. Sometimes they appear right out of the blue. I believe that God gives us problems to test us. How we deal with them forms a permanent record he will look at when he judges us. Pray for divine help, be patient and trust in him fully, and offer all our burdens up to him ~ this is the way to go.   

In Absence of God

         (1) To hold onto power, politicians would lie to cover up any scandal. They are so slick that they can answer any questions put to them, appearing as if they can do no wrong.

      (2) People would vote for the same politicians as long as they keep receiving benefits from the same government, regardless of all other issues.

        (3) In a criminal case, millions of taxpayer money could be spent prosecuting and defending one suspect and you still end up not sure about the truth. People, ignoring the all-knowing God, have become experts at concealing evil deeds.
         Such a sad state we're in!

Taming Our Wildness

        By ignoring God, we can easily become like wild predatory animals, seeking to devour others to satisfy our own selfish desires. And we may end up losing our own lives in the process. We need Jesus to tame us by letting him into my lives to transform us into good sheep. Then we'll be safe and content. It's all up to us.

The Living Lord in Holy Eucharist

        Today's Communion experience. I realize that what I am about to receive is not just a symbol, but the living Lord who can make me holy. He is going to penetrate my heart with his love and heal my soul by his grace.

Spiritual Warfare Summarized

        Since the human body is transitory and only our soul is eternal, spiritual warfare is all about winning souls. And God is the only one who can save souls. If you do not let God help you, Satan will win (and you lose). But if you seek God's help, then the victory will be his and yours. God and Satan fight over you for different reasons ~ God wants to win because he loves you, while Satan because he hates God and therefore you too. 

On Having Faith

        If you know all about God, you don't need faith anymore. Having faith in God is believing in him before you know all the answers to your questions. It is being passive so that he may enter your life to transform you. Believe me; he shall reveal all you want to know once you put your faith in him.

Getting Maximum Help from God

        We get maximum help from God when we have complete trust in him. Any worrying or uneasiness on our part won't make things the slightest better. We pray and trust and let God "worry about" the outcome. It is getting out of the way to let the Lord be in full charge. This is doing his will! 

Aim for Living

        Communion experience. I came to see that we are not to live for bread, for fame, wealth, or any other success in this world for our own sake ~ we are to live for Jesus alone. Then God and man are reconciled, together, united ~ our eternal destiny sealed.

Jesus the Source of Our Joy

        In today's Gospel reading from John 16, Jesus told his disciples that a little while and they would no longer see him, and again a little while later and they would see him, hinting at his coming death and Resurrection, but he promised them that their initial grief would turn to joy. To me, the J in "Jesus" stands for "joy." He is love, but he's also the source of our joy. I watched Journey Home on EWTN this past Monday. The featured guest was David Currie, who wrote the popular book Born Fundamentalist, Born Again Catholic. (You can watch the entire May 6, 2013, interview on YouTube.) One of the two reasons he gave for coming into the Church was the Holy Eucharist. After studying John 6 and the history of the early Church, he came to believe that the Holy Eucharist is truly the body and blood of Christ. He mentioned this belief twice. Each time I heard it, the Holy Spirit filled my heart and soul with such "crushing" joy as to confirm that I had just heard the truth.

Our Will Counts

        There are times when we are physically or mentally incapable of performing certain tasks, but it is our will (intention, desire) that counts before God. You can have the best health and the highest IQ, but if you have no will to serve God, what you have is worth nothing. On the other hand, you can be wheelchair-bound and illiterate, but if you will to serve God, you shall be blessed. 

What to Do with Sin

        We must reject sin by all means because it is our ticket to eternal death. The only one who can rescue us is Christ. In our lifetime, we have the option to remain in sin and head toward eternal death or let Jesus keep us away from sin and lead us to eternal life. It's that simple.