God's Holiness Should Rule

        Today is the First Sunday of Advent. At the beginning of Mass, I trembled because I sensed the awesome holiness of God. I am sure that Peter, James, and John felt it on Mt. Tabor when they witnessed the transfiguration of Jesus. So, how do we dare to do anything without God's approval?

First Concern of Life

        Jesus' love for each of us is the same. The only variable is how each of us responds to his love. If we truly love Jesus, our foremost concern of life should be how we can love him more.

Unique Love

        God is unique, different from any creatures and created things, and he alone is to be worshiped and adored by us. Because of this, our love for him is also unique and not the same as our love for other creatures and things. This unique love we enjoy is to be prized.

Responding to God's Call

        Today is the Feast of St. Andrew, Apostle. The Gospel from Matthew 4 read tells that Jesus, walking by the Sea of Galilee, saw the two brothers Simon and Andrew casting a net into the sea and said to them, "Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men." At once they left their nets and followed him. Today's Communion antiphon, John 1.41-42 ~ Andrew told his brother Simon: We have found the Messiah, the Christ. Then he brought him to Jesus.

        If we hear the Lord calling us personally, we must realize that it's going to be the beginning of a most intimate relationship, a most blessed journey. With God, there's no place for casual relationships.

God Satisfies

        Yesterday I felt completely satisfied because God had shown me the way to salvation, that he had prepared a place for me in heaven, and that I'd already been chosen to be one of his children. So I am all set for eternity. All this is not fictional as Jesus is not. If you think life is not worth living, banish such thought and turn to Jesus immediately to ask him to illuminate you.  

Our Greatest Gift Ever

        On this Thanksgiving Day, what do we Christians have to thank for? This is easy to answer. The greatest gift we have received from God is the Lord himself, as he gave himself on the Cross to save us. Again, he instituted the Holy Eucharist as a sacrament so that he might enter us in person to dwell within us! We can and should take full advantage of this divine gift by letting him transform us into new, holy creatures.

Wake-Up Moments

        Every time we are happy on earth, we should think of heaven where we can be infinitely happier. Every time we suffer some hardship on earth, we should think of hell where we can suffer infinitely worse.

On Converting Others

        Jesus conquers us with love. He is Lord, but serves us at the same time. We must do likewise in converting others.

We Are the Fools

        Today is the Solemnity of Christ the King. The Gospel reading from Luke 23 shows how great the mercy of God is. Two criminals were crucified alongside Jesus. Now one of them reviled Jesus, saying, "Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us." The other, however, rebuking him said in reply, "Have you no fear of God, for you are subject to the same condemnation? And indeed, we have been condemned justly, for the sentence we received corresponds to our crimes, but this man has done nothing criminal." Then he said, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom." He replied to him, "Amen, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise."

        I can't help being greatly impressed by the Lord's mercy. Here a criminal expressed his fear of God, acknowledged that he's justly condemned, and asked Jesus to remember him in the last minute of his life, and Jesus saved him without the slightest hesitation. We are the ones, not God, making it hard for ourselves to be saved.

Being Fair to God

        Asking for God's mercy requires our surrendering to God. Think about it.

Bold Humility

        True humility is accompanied by boldness, made possible by God's love. Witness Jesus in action. Without boldness, we have only timidity.  

Levels of Achievement

        I met a billionaire who started out as a dishwasher. He is indeed a business genius greatly admired many in the world, but such achievement does not lift him above the world. On the other hand, union with God is an "achievement" on a higher level, so much higher that one is lifted to the level of the Divine. 

In God's Hands

        If you believe that it is God who is keeping your heart beating and alive, then you know that he is completely holding you in his hands. 

Levels of Humility

        Humility calls for hiding even facts. Suppose there are things that can make me look good. If I have ego, I will want to tell them. Without ego, I probably don't have the urge to bring them up. But if I have humility, I would want to make sure that I do not reveal them.

To Be Pure...

we need to keep all our thoughts and motives pure. This is only possible when God makes it possible. Hence we need to seek union with God.

Most Precious Moments

        The most precious moments of life are those moments when you are aware that you and God are one. You will treasure your life when every moment of your life is precious. 

Life's Purpose

        Life must have its purpose. For life to be meaningful, it has to be loving God. Loving God prepares us for returning to him in heaven, completing our journey. The greatest tragedy is to not complete our journey, leading to eternal separation from God. All the saints saw this clearly. Nothing new is said here, only the same thing said a little differently. 

True Charity

        To want to make more money so that you can give more money away sounds good, but the thinking is wrong. What matters is not how much you can give, but how willing you are to give whether you make any money or not.