Secret of Salvation

        Jesus gave us the commandment: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. Today the Lord made me see that he had given us here both a measuring stick for and a test of our love for him. It also reveals the secret of our salvation.  

To Be Childlike Again

        Communion thoughts. When a child is brought up by good parents, the child does not have to worry about its own survival. The child just plays without a care in the world, knowing that the parents are taking care of him or her. Now that we are adults, we should be childlike again, this time trusting God in taking complete care of us.

Becoming Burden-Free

        Our heart feels all kinds of burdens because we treat them as burdens. We do not trust in God because we don't let ourselves do it. In other words, we are our only burden. Therefore, if we can give ourselves to God completely, we become burden-free. That is, live for God and we are free. Pure logical reasoning has revealed this simple truth. And it sounds right too.

Perfect Moment for Union

        Communion thought. What a perfect time to offer ourselves completely to God to achieve union with him right then and there when he was still dissolving in our mouth! 

World in Darkness

        It's still Christmas season. Neighborhood houses and yards are still decked with holiday lights. New York Christmas windows on 5th Avenue must still be all lit up. I read in the news the other day that in the small Croatian town of Cazma, one man adorned his house and estate with an incredible million and a half lights! But, alas, all these lights do not brighten up a dark world. The world is in darkness because all government leaders act like spoiled little kids, threatening and fighting each other to get their ways, caring only about their own reputation and survival. The world is in darkness also because most of its population are selfish, heartless, and revolting against God. The horrendous daily news we read and hear from around the world is evidence. The light the Lord God yearns to see are souls that are holy, pure, and carry Christ in their hearts. Let each of us be that light to dispel as much darkness in our world as we can. 

On Loving God

        We may and can forget God, but God will always remember us, for he created us, knows us intimately, and loves us more than we can ever comprehend. Therefore, be holy in every thought, word, and act, and God will reward you a hundredfold or more in this life and the next. No good deed ever goes unnoticed by God. Loving God uplifts us, putting us in union with him. There is no experience in this life more exhilarating, liberating, and rewarding than loving God.

To Be Transformed from Within

        Communion time thoughts. I want Christ to go deep into my heart, for there can be no transformation without transformation that comes from within. I have heard good messages preached to me perhaps thousands of times, but only those preached from the heart affected me somewhat. I have read perhaps hundreds of spiritual books, but only works of those who knew Christ intimately influenced me. Since my goal is to be transformed by God, there is absolutely no more effective and expedient way than asking the Lord directly to enter my heart to make it happen!  

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.