God Easy to Please

        Today's Gospel reading from Luke 7 was about the Lord pardoning a sinful woman who showed great love for him. He said to all present, "Her many sins have been forgiven; she has shown great love." It seems that if we concentrate upon loving the Lord, we needn't be too concerned about our sins. You could say that love pleases God so much that he forgets your sins.

What Are You Waiting For?

        God's intention for us is to be back with him in paradise after the fall of Adam and Eve. Jesus had come, died for us, making this amply clear. Ask to return to God and we can be back where we belong. 

My Best Advice (Urgent)

        In Luke 16, Jesus told to his disciples the parable of the rich man and Lazarus. Both men died. Lazarus who used to be poor was carried away to the bosom of Abraham. As the rich man was suffering torment in the netherworld, he saw Abraham far off with Lazarus at his side. He cried out to Abraham for help, but Abraham replied, "My child, remember that you received what was good during your lifetime while Lazarus likewise received what was bad; but now he is comforted here, whereas you are tormented. Moreover, between us and you a great chasm is established to prevent anyone from crossing who might wish to go from our side to yours or from your side to ours." 

        Let's look at the message of this parable. What we receive in this life is nothing compared to what we shall receive after we die. We want to make sure that we receive the good later, not now. The separation between heaven and hell cannot possibly be greater. There is no crossing from either side to the other and the separation is for all eternity! Do not be so concerned about health insurance, life insurance, financial security, your burial plot and all that, but believe in and love the Lord Jesus to get you eternal future settled now. This is absolutely the best advice you can possibly get from anyone.

"Dissolve" Is the Word

        Today's Communion experience. The Lord lets me see that through the Holy Eucharist, he can dissolve everything negative and impure in my soul. I let him do whatever he wants to accomplish.

Accepting Inconveniences

        One of the nose pads on my pair of glasses was gone. This means I must wait until Monday, the day after tomorrow, and go to my optician to get it repaired. No big deal, but still time-consuming. Then I saw that life is a life of inconveniences ~ it's one thing after another to be taken care of. Seeing this as a reality, I no longer feel bothered. Even if I can't get the repair done, it's all right too because life is also a life of unfinished businesses. Let loving God be our primary occupation.

Criticizing or Judging

        Here is the difference between criticizing people and judging them. The test is whether you get angry or not. You can criticize others, often for their own good, and still have compassion for them. But if you get angry, then you have judged them. 

"Live Begins at Conception"

        Another news story about a child triggered these thoughts. "Life begins at conception" ~ this is a truth which should be obvious to anyone with an open mind, whether you are scientific or not. The fact that the conceived child starts growing right from the beginning is proof enough. Yet the pro-abortion people don't want to hear anything of it ~ how blind and dumb can you get! To pretend that you are blind and dumb in this case is even worse.

Signs of Secularization

        I  briefly saw a TV news clip on a "Star Wars" wedding. It seems that "Star Wars" has become a popular theme for weddings. At this particular wedding, the couple managed to get a photo showing the bridal party getting chased by three AT-AT walkers, four-legged assault vehicles used in some of the Star Wars movies. A quick search on Google shows that another newly-wed couple had actors dressed up as "Stars Wars" Storm Troopers greeting guests at the reception. While all these things may be considered cool, I can't help thinking that they are rather frivolous, reflecting the secularization of our society.

The Free Will Test

        Whether your free will can free you or not depends upon what you do with it. As long as you hold onto your free will as your own, you cannot be free. But if you offer your free will up to God to let his will alone prevail in you, then you become free! It seems that the Lord gave us the free will to test us. Give it back to him and you pass.

Fear of Surrendering to God

        Surrender to God means surrender to God completely. This is not easy because one fears that if he surrenders to God, the Lord is going to make him do all kinds of things not palatable to him (essentially, he's still holding onto his own will). But it doesn't work out like that. First of all, God would never want to instill fear in you. If he does, that would defeat his purpose of drawing you to him. Therefore, such fears are all self-imposed. Once you surrender and get to know the Lord, all fear begins to dissipate or vanish as your will begins to conform to his. And you realize how baseless your apprehension or worry has been.

In a Secure Dwelling

       The Communion antiphon from Psalm 18 reads: The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer; my God is my saving strength. This was exactly how I felt after receiving Holy Communion. Evildoers stumble and fall because they are not in the light. By contrast, with the Lord dwelling in me, I knew I was dwelling most securely in him. 

Power of the Incredible

        Seeing how incredible the love of God for you is will help you believe in him.

No Shrinking from Suffering

        To want to avoid suffering is a human instinct, but in today's godless world sins have caused so much suffering among so many. As Christians, we must look to Jesus as our example and likewise accept any suffering that comes our way. And we should even rejoice when we suffer persecution for the sake of the Lord! Remember that the crown we receive for following Jesus at any cost is the Lord himself.

Hypocritical Catholic?

      Jesus criticized repeatedly the hypocrisy of the Pharisees and the Scribes. Hypocrisy is the difference between what one appears to be and what he actually believes in or practices. Therefore, a Catholic who outwardly goes to Mass faithfully, but does not believe in or practice some of the teachings of the Church, is being hypocritical. It is just as displeasing to the Lord as being lukewarm, if not more so. 

Praying for "Equality"

        Today is the Memorial of St. Anthony of Padua. He is the saint of finding things and lost people. In my experience, I have always found things lost after I ask him to intercede. After receiving Holy Communion today, I felt so blessed and began to see the disparity or divide between those who have possessed or belong to the Lord and those who have rejected or are not interested in him. It is my fervent prayer that the latter will come to know the joy and peace of following Christ. The love of God wants to embrace all!

Satisfied with God

        Today's Communion experience. I have the most extraordinary God. He is the greatest find, surprise, revelation, fulfillment, joy, and treasure of my life. I am more than completely satisfied. 

Empty Motions

        I saw a Rick Steve travel video on PBS, showing changing of the guard at the palace in Monaco with tourists lining up on all three sides to watch the ceremony. It struck me that the guardsmen are just going through empty motions and watching empty motions is empty too. I don't mean to spoil people's fun; besides, you could argue that I was doing something empty by watching the video. What I really want to say is that we'd be so much better off if we all spend more time on storing up treasures in heaven as Jesus has taught.

Eliminating Spiritual Warfare

        I see the spiritual warfare we're engaged in as a tug-of-war between God and Satan with us choosing the side we want to be on. If you choose right, there will be two winners and one loser; and if you choose wrongly, there will be one winner and two losers. (Note that if God wins, you win, and if he loses, you lose; while if Satan wins, you lose, and if he loses, you win ~ all this showing that God is always with us and Satan, always against us.)  This contest exists only because we haven't made our choices yet ~ much like the undecided voters being sought after in an election. The smart thing to do is to choose God and stick with him at the outset, then there won't be any tug-of-war to be concerned about. When you are safe with God, as in union, you are beyond Satan's reach.