Choosing Your Path

        In essence there are just two paths to take in life: follow your own passion or follow the will of God. The general advice your get today is that if you feel like doing something, then go for it. This may be exciting, but your path will not be smooth because you may have veered from God's plan for you. In the end, you are not any closer to God. On the other hand, if you follow God's will, never rushing ahead on your own, you lose all anxieties of life and enjoy peace. It may seem that you are not going anywhere, but you are with God every step of the way. These two different paths are exciting in their own way, but they lead to completely different ends.  

Telling God Everything

        We all have secrets we don't want to reveal because they can shame or embarrass us. Even in confession, it's easy to tone down what truly bothers us. Perhaps one would air more to a paid psychiatrist to get his money's worth. At any rate, we should feel free to tell every hidden thing to God. In a way, this is easier than sharing it with another human being because God already knows everything about us. He specifically wants us to tell him to show that there is no barrier between him and us. In telling, God often gives us insights unbeknown to us previously. The greatest benefit is that once we see things clearly, he takes away our heart-felt trouble! Way back I declared God to be the greatest psychiatrist in the whole universe ~ he who creates us knows us best. Feeling free to share everything with God is a sign of good relationship with him ~ the beginning of union with God.             

Best Advice on Living

        In today's Gospel reading from Mark 6, Jesus began sending the Twelve out two by two. He instructed them to take nothing for the journey but a walking stick ~ no food, no sack, no money in their belts. They were, however, to wear sandals but not a second tunic. It's clear that Jesus wanted the Apostles to live simply and put all trust in him. I can't imagine that he would advise us differently today. "Travel light" definitely applies to living the spiritual life, and it's made possible by full trust in God.   

Best Selection Process

       Today there are many shows popular in the entertainment media featuring competitions in cooking, home decorating, etc. On BBC I saw the first episode on how 12 young British designers competed to win the opportunity of working alongside Philippe Starck, the celebrated French design guru, for six months at his agency in Paris. Over many weeks, Starck would whittle the twelve down to just one student. Right off the bat, two candidates failed their first challenge and got eliminated. I could see the shock and disappointment in their face. They were first selected among the hundreds of applicants, traveled all the way to Paris, full of hope, and now with their dream dashed, had to go home and face the people who congratulated and hoped for them. I sympathize with their predicament.

         I can't help thinking about how Jesus selects us for the opportunity of living in heaven with him for all eternity. First of all, he includes everyone so that there's no competition, no whittling down. Next, he does not judge and has already given us the chance of being selected. We don't get eliminated at our first failures. In fact, we can't get eliminated unless we voluntarily give up. Seize this opportunity and we'll never experience shock or disappointment and our dream will come true to boot.  

God Is Lord!

        Lying in bed this morning, I felt my heart beating in rhythm and marvel at that. The human body is like a well-built machine and no machine can run without an operator. Here we have God keeping us alive. I became aware that my breathing, pulsation of the heart, the abilities to feel and to think... all depend upon God. How can we not acknowledge that he is our Lord? 

A Look at Sin

        Sin acts like a boomerang ~ any sin committed will return to haunt you, causing regret. You can harden and choose to ignore it, but this is like sweeping things under the rug ~ you won't have your peace back. Sinning hurts God foremost, yourself, and others too. To sin to gain some momentary pleasure or satisfaction at the expense of others, risking losing your soul in the process ~ this is definitely not cool, to put it mildly. In conclusion, sin is not worth committing. Therefore, let's welcome the coming of Christ into our world, imparting the good news of saving us from sin once and for all. He is the only one who can wipe our spiritual record clean.     

Journey Nonpareil

        To know God through Christ is to reach the end of the ultimate journey. It is truly going home to our Father. Jesus has made it so clear and certain that there can not be another path as straight and direct. Blessed are those who have heard God's call and followed Christ.

The Faith Difference

        In today's Gospel reading from Mark 6, Jesus came to his native place, accompanied by his disciples. He began to teach in the synagogue and astonished many who heard him. And they took offense at him. Jesus said to them, "A prophet is not without honor except in his native place and among his own kin and in his own house." [I think we all feel that way sometimes.] So he, amazed at their lack of faith, was not able to perform any mighty deed there. My observation: without faith, we won't see God in action; with faith, we get to experience all the wonders of God.   

Living for God Best

        People live for various things in life. For example, I have friends who live intensely for playing music. There is no question that a lot of people live mainly for making more money. The drawback in all such cases is that if some misfortune such as illness or financial failure happens, they would be devastated or ruined. But if we live for God alone, no matter what happens, life is always joy-filled for he is uplifting and forever dependable.

"Faith" Reexamined

        In today's Gospel reading at Mass from Mark 5, a woman afflicted with hemorrhages for twelve years went up behind Jesus in a crowd, saying to herself, "If I but touch his clothes, I shall be healed." She touched his cloak and immediately her flow of blood dried up. Jesus, aware that power had gone out from him, turned around in the crowd and asked who touched his clothes. The woman came up in fear and trembling, fell down before Jesus and told him the truth. He said to her, "Daughter, your faith has saved you. Go in peace and be cured of your affliction."

             This passage makes me think about faith again. What is considered great faith? Obviously, faith can work wonders. What I've noticed is that the woman who suffered hemorrhages was in a rather desperate situation and had no hesitation in believing that Jesus could heal her. These two requirements need be present to demonstrate our faith. If I suffer a cold, I know God can heal me, but there's no urgency here. Ask the Lord to cure me of my cold miraculously would be to force myself to be "unreasonable," you could say. I had blogged in the past how my son was miraculously saved from death when I prayed for his recovery without hesitation ~ the situation was desperate and my request just came out spontaneously. I think we all have faith, but we don't know how strong it is until we are being tested. One thing is certain: if you seek union with God, the Lord will automatically (my favorite adverb) make your faith strong. 

The Peace of God

        Today's Communion experience. After I received the Holy Eucharist, I knew that it was the Lord himself and experienced deep peace, fulfilling the wish God has for all of us. 

The Christian Life Is...

a balancing act between total immersion in Christ and living the realistic life in a secular world. 

Seeking Love

        I yearn for Jesus because I yearn for pure love and it happens that Jesus is the only pure love around the whole universe.

On Being One with Jesus

        When Jesus and I are one, I no longer view or talk to him as a separate person. We are now in each other, inseparable. We talk and listen to each other. We glance at each other at the same time. We trust in each other. We belong to each other. One exception: I am in his love, but I can't say that he is in mine because all my love came from him. 

One More Christian Benefit

        In this morning's Gospel reading from Mark 4 at Mass, Jesus and his disciples were in a boat crossing to the other side. A violent squall came up and waves broke over the side so that the boat started filling up. Jesus was in the stern, asleep on a cushion. The disciples, fearing that they were perishing, woke the Lord up. He rebuked the wind; it ceased and there was great calm. He then asked them, "Why are you terrified? Do you not yet have faith?" It follows conversely that if we have faith, we shall not be afraid of anything. 

We Have Hope!

        On NPR this morning, I heard the sad story of Jeremiah, a 14 year old high school kid who took his own life because he couldn't take the bulling he received at his school anymore (http://www.npr.org/2014/01/31/268996343/when-jeremiah-couldnt-take-more-bullying-he-took-his-life). I've been pondering over the subject of suicide lately. If you take someone's life, you are still alive and have the chance to repent and confess to God and be forgiven. But if you take your own life, that chance is gone forever. In the case of Jeremiah, I don't believe he understood the seriousness of his act yet at his age. Besides, he might not even know Jesus. The Lord surely knew all the circumstances and could still easily forgive him.    

        How I wish I can let every single person in the world know that no one ever needs to feel hopeless, for Christ is our bright everlasting hope! This morning at Mass I saw that God is our only hope against evil. God is love, and without love we become defenseless. Sin takes over and we turn cruel against each other, heading toward eternal death. I am not being pessimistic, only truthful and realistic. Yes, even if your life is like living in hell, Jesus can change that hell into heaven as he is our only and true hope.   

Another Christian Benefit

        A Christian follows the will of God. When what God wants him to do is clear, he does it. When unclear, he does not get anxious, but prays and waits in peace. In this sense, a Christian always knows what to do. He's never feels lost ~ that's right.

Not Letting God Go

        Once we believe in God, we are safe and secure in his hands and need only rest in him and enjoy his presence. But sometimes I feel like holding onto him so tight as if I'm going to lose him. Then I realize that this is not due to any insecurity, but because I love and yearn for him so much. I call this "not letting go in God."