Abandonment of the Spirit

        Today is the Feast of St. Stephen, First Martyr. The response to David's Psalm 31 read was taken from verse 6: Into your hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit. In Luke 23, before Jesus breathed his last on the cross, he cried out in a loud voice, "Father, into your hands I commend my spirit." Today's Communion antiphon Act 7.59 read: As they were stoning Stephen, he called out, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit." Such cries from the heart are what we need to be able to make before we go to the Lord. This is ultimate abandonment of our spirit ~ the goal of union with God.

Good Questions

        All God wants to do is to love us, to save us from sin, and to get us to heaven to be with him for all eternity, yet so many of us ignore him, do not take him seriously, or even hate him. Why? Many self-professed Christians follow sport events more fervently than they follow Christ, treat their human friends better than they treat Christ, or love their animal pets or cars more than they love Christ. How come?    

Union with God Is for Everyone!

        There are many well-known Catholic speakers available to speak on a great variety of topics. Interestingly, a quick scan online of their topics shows that no one has chosen to talk about union with God. Is it because it's a subject beyond their knowledge? Is it because they think the subject is beyond the reach of most people? Is it because erroneously they think that union is for saints only? Don't they realize that seeking union with God is the quickest, most effective way to holiness? Don't they know that union with God is what the Lord yearns for from all of us? Don't they see that when you are in union with God, you are able to love God with your whole being? Enough questions. 

Christmas Joy

        Today is the last day of Advent before Christmas. Christmas brings great joy because God has come into the world to declare his great love for all. This good news has to be the best ever because we now know how to conquer sin and enter the kingdom of God. I see the most beautiful scenario: God loves us with all his heart, we embrace his love with all our heart, and both heaven and earth celebrate with great joy.

Going Beyond Union

        Communion experience. Even receiving the Holy Eucharist did not quite quench my thirst for the Lord ~ I desired to go beyond union with God on earth! It seemed that God had made us so that we would not have complete satisfaction until we are in heaven. Such is his drawing power!

Our Role in Life

        The Gospel reading from Luke 1 at Mass tells of the birth of John the Baptist. The angel Gabriel first announced to Zechariah, John's father, that his wife Elizabeth would bear him a son in her old age. Obviously, John had a specific role to play in God's plan. His beheading at the hands of Herod was probably not expected by those who knew him. There is no question that God has a specific role for each of us too. There is no point in wanting to know how specific it might be. Our basic role is to do God's will each step of the way to the very end, and that's specific enough.  

Fooled by Freedom

       Freedom sounds good, but is not always good for us because it gets abused easily. Here is an example. In the news, Sony Pictures was cyber-threatened by some group for planning to release the film "The Interview," a political comedy involving a plot to assassinate the current North Korea leader Kim Jong-un. Sony decided not release the film after many theaters canceled the showing for fear of possible terror attacks directed at this country by North Korea. Many in the entertainment industry objected to the suppression of the film. The latest is that Sony has allowed some theaters to screen the film on Christmas day, with President Obama encouraging all to go see it. This is a case of putting the nation at risk in the name of freedom of artistic expression. In that same name, the entertainment industry has contributed greatly to the erosion of morality and the secularization of this country and the world. Many who believe in free speech think that they can get away with anything they say, even if it might cause others pain or distress. The freedom to abort the unborn has put to death millions of human lives! Our guaranteed religious freedom has enabled a few atheists to curb the rights of the Christian majority.
        All in all, the freedoms we believe in and have given to ourselves have allowed us to be more self-centered and more judgmental. The bottom line is that with God excluded, any freedom we have devised for our sake is false or gets abused. True freedom exists only in God.    

Purpose for Life

       I came into the world, was lost because I did not know what life was all about. Then Jesus called me and showed me the way to go home to my creator, the Father. Somewhat like Simeon who told God that he was ready to go after seeing the infant Jesus, the salvation God had prepared for all, at his presentation in the temple, I too felt that my life had been fulfilled. Knowing where we came from and where we are going is what makes life meaningful. We all need a purpose in life, and returning to God the source of all life has to be primary among all the purposes.  

Good News

    Check out the inspiring, beautiful story of this happy Christian family:  http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-30386348. 

All I Need to Know

        There are infinite things I don't know. Even if God tells me everything there is to know, my finite mind won't be able to absorb all that. This is not a problem for me because I don't need to know all things; what I know is all I need to know to completely satisfy me. Here it is. (1) God loves us. (2) Jesus, the Son of God and God, came and died in our place to redeem us. (3) Whoever believes in Jesus can have eternal life (John 3.16). (4) Jesus established his church on Peter and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it (Matthew 16.18). (5) Jesus gave us the Blessed Sacrament, the Holy Eucharist, at the Last Supper. (6) We are sinners and need to repent to be reconciled to God. (7) God wants us to be one with him through receiving the Holy Eucharist.

True Christmas Celebration

        Christmas is just four days away. People have started celebrating Christmas by having parties, putting up decorations, shopping for gifts, etc. But true celebration is rejoicing in knowing that the Lord, our Savior, has come and will come again to collect his sheep to dwell with him forever in his kingdom. In reality, this celebration is already going on daily in the hearts of all those who have united themselves with the Lord, for they have reached the ultimate goal in their life ~ the union of God and man, a great joy for both. 

Up with God

        If we hold onto things other than God, we get weighed down. Since God always wants to lift us up, if we drop all things and abandon ourselves to God, we can only go up. 

On Latter-Day Prophets

        The prophets before Jesus' time prophesied that the Messiah would come and Jesus, the Son of God, came. When he was in the world, he warned that many false messiahs and prophets would arise to mislead or deceive us (Matthew 24, Mark 11). After he ascended into heaven, numerous so-called prophets have popped up outside the Church claiming to have received new revelations from God that not only conflict with the teachings of the Church, but also among themselves. The proper thing to do is to stick to the Son of God and the Church he had established upon Peter and ignore all the so-called prophets of God that came after the Son. 

Exciting Infinite Space

        How free we are in God depends upon how much we let ourselves go in God. We can become completely free if we can completely abandon ourselves to God. This is the exciting part for us finite creatures ~ that there is no limit as to how far we can advance in God, for he is infinite. 

Dependent Living

        Communion experience. After I receive the Lord, I feel that I am not worthy to do anything for him. It is he who lifts me up always. I now depend totally upon him . . . no more independent living! 

God for All

        God is for all. He loves all of us. He wants to save all of us. Jesus, the Son of God, came down from heaven to die for all. The good news of salvation is for all. Christ gave his own mother to all of us. The Holy Spirit is for all to receive. All are invited to accept and believe in Christ. God wants all to live with him in heaven for all eternity. Do you not want to be one of the all?

The Holy Spirit Stirs

        The first reading from Judges 13 at morning Mass tells the birth of Samson. The reading ends with these verses: "The woman bore a son and named him Samson. The boy grew up and the LORD blessed him; the Spirit of the LORD stirred him." To me, the Spirit of God stirring someone is such a beautiful thing that the one stirred must feel wonderful. The Holy Spirit stirs us in various ways. He may set our heart on fire; keep us alert; make us feel the presence of the Lord, eager to hear his word, or yearn for him; console us in our sorrow or make us cry with joy; stir us to praise God or pray fervently; make us compassionate for others; teach us; humble us; embolden us; help us accept suffering cheerfully . . . it is the Spirit that motivates us to do all these goods things to glorify God. Seek union with the Holy Spirit and he will absolutely transform you without fail!   

Motivation Matters

        The motivation behind your work determines how meritorious it is in front of God.