"Pray for Me"

        When I made the penitential act at morning Mass, acknowledging having greatly sinned and asking all the angles and saints and my brothers and sisters to pray for me, I sensed that the request "Pray for me" is a beautiful one. Praying to God, if you truly believe in him, is already a beautiful expression of your faith. When you say "Pray for me," it shows your need for the Lord's mercy and the prayer is now made even more personal and beautiful.

Holding onto Yourself or God

        Here's another mental picture. Imagine that you are a pole. If you have not surrendered to God yet, you naturally hold onto that pole, which is yourself. But there is no true security ~ when you sink, you sink. Once you have surrendered to God, he is now the pole you hold onto and you become absolutely secure, for he is the pillar that never sinks. You actually experience this when you made the switch.

How We Should Love

        Since Jesus loves all of us, we are to love all equally too, regardless of whether the person is attractive or not, interesting or boring, rich or poor, young or old, healthy or handicapped, friend or foe... In other words, we are to love unconditionally like Jesus. This is a tall order, but nothing is impossible with God.    

Dual Aspect of God

        God as revealed through Jesus the Son is not only to be worshiped, adored, and praised, but is amazingly also our friend, brother, and servant. This dual aspect is possible only because our God is truly love. 

Christ Cannot Be Ignored

        Jesus said that he himself would be a cause of division on earth. See how John the Baptist got beheaded, followed by so many Christians being martyred to this day. To me, the existence of division, which even sets members of the same household against each other as Jesus had foretold, only proves that he cannot be ignored, that there is good vs. evil. And the fact that he cannot be ignored only proves that he is the true God. Ignoring Christ is being as ignorant as believing that you do not exist.

Our Present Mission

        Today is the Solemnity of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist. The Gospel Acclamation, Luke 1:76, quotes what John's father Zachariah prophesied: "You, child, will be called prophet of the Most High, for you will go before the Lord to prepare his way." It was of John that the prophet Isaiah had also spoken when he said: "A voice of one crying out in the desert, 'Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths.'" I see that we are now the prophets to prepare the way for the Lord's Second Coming by making straight his paths. Our specific mission will be to make this world as pleasing to Christ as possible before he comes again by becoming as holy as possible ourselves and bringing as many others to him as possible.

Recipe for Life

        Today's Gospel reading from Luke 9 concluded with these two verses: "If anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it." 

          Listen up! Here's Jesus speaking as the true God, giving us the recipe for life.

Who Is Jesus to You?

        In today's Gospel reading from Luke 9 at Mass, Jesus asked his disciples, "Who do the crowds say that I am?" After he got some answers, he asked the disciples this time, "Who do you say that I am?" It matters who you say that he is! Obviously, my reply would be "God" since I know a lot more about Jesus than the disciples at the time when Jesus had not yet gone through his Passion and Resurrection. May I add that my less specific but more descriptive answer would be "The one who satisfies all my needs."

Thirst for Learning

        Coupled with the yearning for Christ the Lord is the thirst for learning from him. I want the Lord to teach me, teach me, and teach me. I want to know all about him, to get inside of him, to become part of him. I believe he had given me these desires because I heard him say to his disciples at the Last Supper: "Remain in me, as I remain in you.... I am the vine, you are the branches...without me you can do nothing" (John 15).

What I Seek

       As I was watching Rick Steve's travel video Croatia: Adriatic Delights on PBS, showing the mountains, the forests, the sea, and other scenic sights, I got this new feeling that this finite earth was not big enough for me. The earth's gravitational pull on me was another restraint. I know now that I seek not only what lasts forever, but also what is infinite and can make me feel free. The Lord is then my answer. Maybe it's because I have tasted him that I feel this way. 

More on Our Spiritual State

        Here's another observation. We came into the world, grew up learning how to survive and get ahead. We were encouraged to go for whatever we want to do. We became convinced that if we don't give up, we shall succeed. The end result is that we take charge and follow our own wishes, good or bad. Especially in a country like the United States here where there is freedom of speech, no one likes to be told what to do. Humility can easily be perceived as being weak. All these things make it difficult for us to surrender to God and obey him, and we remain rebels. 

The Current Spiritual State

        In general, people living in our disordered secular world know deep down that they need God. Finding it hard to face God, they enter the escape mode by ignoring him, despite their continuing lack of inner peace. I am speaking of true inner peace, not merely feeling OK. We need to wake up to the reality of God, who alone can bring order to the world, peace to our hearts, and save us. 

Best Investment!

        Storing up treasures in heaven was what Jesus taught in today's Gospel reading from Matthew 6. I see this as the best investment we can possibly make in this life, for it is absolutely safe and the return is truly out of this world (pun intended) ~ gaining entry into heaven. Begin investing by seeking union with God.

Conversion by God

        Today's Reading 1 at Mass came from 1 Corinthians 11. As you know, Paul used to be one of the terrible persecutors of the followers of Jesus and was converted by the Lord himself. In this epistle, he "boasts" of his great labors; imprisonments; beatings; being stoned; numerous brushes with death; getting shipwrecked; facing dangers from rivers, robbers, Jews, gentiles; going through sleepless nights, hunger and thirst, cold and exposure ~ all for the sake of preaching the gospel of God. We must also let God bring about a fundamental change in us, for we cannot do it by ourselves but for the grace of God.  

On Killing Others

        It's sad that you hear about suicide bombing happening almost every day in various parts of the world. To sacrifice oneself for some cause may be regarded by some as worthy or even noble, but if it involves killing other innocent people, even children, then it has to be misguided and wrong. God has clearly commanded us not to kill, so carrying out such attacks has to be a selfish act. (Abortion is in the same category.) By the way, if you terminate someone's life before that person has had a chance to repent before God, then you are also responsible for the possible loss of that soul! 

Best Spiritual Journey

        It should be obvious to all that once you are in paradise, with the Father wiping away every tear in your eyes, you will no longer remember your past. Therefore, the best spiritual journey would be one in which you never look back on the past, but focus only upon living for the Lord, making every present moment the beginning of your journey. Remember our journey can make us look good or bad before the Father, so travel the best one.

Most Incredible Father

        God loves all of us. He sacrificed his own Son so that we may return to him to dwell with him in heaven forever. I knew all that, but this morning I particularly saw this love as being very special, that I was so favored by him, and that I belong exclusively to him. This is how he can make all of us feel. It's time to proclaim that we have a most incredible heavenly Father, worthy for us to worship, adore, praise, love, and obey! 

Letting Go in Christ

        Today's Communion experience. I wanted to abandon myself in the light of Christ ~ a totally letting go. He is to be trusted.