Awareness of God's Presence

        Being aware of God's presence is a great gift from the Lord. In the early days when I first accepted Christ into my life, I did not in any way sense his presence ~ I was only intellectually convinced and emotionally ready. Later I did sense his presence, but those moments were brief as a flash of light. When I got involved in the Charismatic Renewal movement within the Church, the Holy Spirit made his powerful presence known to me for years. After I phased out of the movement, I no longer acutely sensed God's presence, but always knew that he was with me. Even through dark periods, I knew that God was just being silent, not absent. Now I happily enjoy the Lord's presence within and around me at all times, as certain as anything I see or touch.    

Mutual Guarding

        When your are aware that Jesus the Lord dwells within you, you remain holy to guard him in the sense that you do not want him to get offended in any way. You could also view this as the Lord guarding you against committing any sin. 

Our Big Sin of Omission

        The world is full of sinners. After I came into the world, I was greatly influenced by my family members, classmates throughout my school years, other friends, and later work associates. Of course, the news reports, secular magazines, movies and other forms of entertainment . . . had all affected me. In the end, I was as sinful as the average person. Sinning seems to be the norm now. But sin is to be abhorred if we ever want to honor God and be free. Nor waking up to let all know that sinning is OK is continuing committing this sin of omission.     

Going Straight to God

        Communion time thought. Since God is the sole creator of all things, we should go straight to him with all our problems and desires. He is to be our most intimate and trusted companion. Following him thus ensures rapid spiritual growth.

Another Look at God and Us

        We should realize that all things come from God ~ our life, physical body, intelligence, reasoning power, aesthetic sense, humor, free will . . . and a conscience. Without God, we would be nonexistent! Therefore, we are to be grateful, reverential, and most of all, obedient to him ~ any other way would be wrong. If we do stray away from God, his gifts of conscience and freewill properly used will guide us back to him.

God Is Real!

        Atheists claim that God was invented by believers to satisfy their needs. I know I did not invent Jesus Christ. Saying that he was invented by a bunch of people is like saying all the news I read today online were made up by a bunch of reporters. God, being spirit, cannot be proved scientifically, only my personal experience leaves me with no doubt that Christ is the Lord God. The fact that he can transform a sinner into a saint has to be sufficient evidence! Who else but God can take away all your ego?

Ego As a Cage

        Ego seems to be my "favorite" subject that I must have mentioned over a hundred times in this blog. Today I see ego as a cage that imprisons us. As long as you remain in your ego, you are not free. To remove this cage, you'll absolutely need God's help. Once it is removed, you no longer are concerned about yourself and you are free.

What's Wrong with Us?

        Man and God can fit together perfectly: we need God for survival now and living forever later, and God loves us and wants to renew us now in preparation for our imminent return to him ~ yet we still hold back, remaining stubborn and not giving in. Are we being hubristic or just plain stupid?

A Plan for Peace

        I attended a funeral earlier today. I suppose it's a worldwide custom to eulogize the deceased at his or her funeral. If we all speak well of each other while we are still alive, the world would be a much more peaceful place.

Loneliest Creatures

        Today there was no thought to post; all the more I realized that the Holy Spirit had been the provider of all my thoughts. When he dries me up, it will be time to stop blogging. Only one quick thought came to me that made me want to do this post. It was that without God, we would be the loneliest creatures in the universe, no matter how busily we keep ourselves occupied in this life. 

Source of All Sins

        Not believing that God is love or rejecting his love for you.

Solving the Riddle of Life

        Life is all about reconciliation with God. If you play your own god, your life will be chaotic. If you surrender to God, everything settles down in peace. It's either you or God ~ your choice.

Fear Ourselves, Not God

        In today's Gospel reading from Mark 2 at morning Mass, Jesus forgave the sins of a paralytic for the faith he saw in him, and healed him too. In yesterday's reading from Mark 1, a leper begged Jesus to make him clean and Jesus, moved with pity, healed him. Here's our Lord who always listens to our requests and is always gentle and ever ready to forgive when we believe in him. There is really no need to fear the Lord but ourselves. For if we do not believe in him, we cut ourselves off from him.   

Eucharistic Power

        Today's Communion experience. The Holy Eucharist entered me, healing my soul by purifying him.

Formula for Peace

        Jesus teaches us not to judge others. He wants us to examine ourselves first before criticizing anyone. Chances are once we see our own faults and sins, we'll be kinder to others. Some saints say only good things about others, never the bad. In sum, God wants us to mind our own business by becoming holy and blameless, and never attack others in any way. This is truly the formula for peace in the world for us.

On Entering the Next Life

      If you know Jesus intimately in this life, he will be expecting you when you enter your next one and the transition will be joyful and smooth ~ of this I am certain. If you've been misguided in this world but are a good person, I believe that the Lord will still clear up your confusion upon your entrance and save you. But if you choose to remain lost in this life, you risk being lost forever.

No Fear in Love

        Today's Reading 1 at Mass came from 1 John 4. The last two and a half verses are beautifully true: 

       God is love, and whoever remains in love remains in God and God in him. In this is love brought to perfection among us, that we have confidence on the day of judgment because as he is, so are we in this world. There is no fear in love, but perfect love drives out fear because fear has to do with punishment, and so one who fears is not perfect in love. 

        

         Attain union with God and experience everything St. John has said here.

Know God and...

you will know yourself and everything else as well.