Offering of the Heart

        In the beginning at Mass, we confess to God that we have sinned in our thoughts and in our words, in what we have done and in what we have failed to do. We see that thoughts, words, and deeds all originate from the heart. If we can keep our hearts pure, we shall be clean. Therefore, let Jesus rule our hearts. The heart is surely the greatest possible gift we can give to God, a gift he would appreciate and be please with.

Extra Reason for Wanting to Go to God

        As a student, I always liked to ask a lot of questions because I wanted to understand things. It can be considered one of my shortcomings that I do not embark upon any "venture" until I have thoroughly figured it out. Sometimes you get where you want to go faster by taking the plunge and whatever necessary actions along the way. Anyhow, I really would like to know how God created all things, how he makes miracles happen, how he watches over us, etc. To find out all this is my extra reason for wanting to go to him.

Crossing a Threshold

        Today is the solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ. In the first reading from Exodus 24, when Moses came to the people and related all the words and ordinances of the LORD, they all answered with one voice, "We will do everything that the LORD has told us." If the people had "everything" to include "total surrender to the Lord" in mind, they probably wouldn't have responded thus so readily. It's still the same today; it comes down to "I believe, but not all the way yet." To accept God and not be a little god yourself anymore is just plain hard, but it's in abandoning yourself entirely to God that you enter spiritual freedom. How else can you be a true child of God if you don't believe in him like a child? I can testify that the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ, the Holy Eucharist, is exactly what we need to help us overcome this difficulty to go all the way.

God Is for Letting Us Be Holy

        In today's Gospel reading from Mark 12, Jesus denounced the scribes who loved to show themselves off before others and praised the poor widow who put all she had into the treasury at the temple. Each of us is capable of acting like the scribes or the poor widow. Without God, I am sure we would all be more like the scribes. The presence of God in our lives affords us the chance, an outlet, as it were, for doing good like the widow ~ we need that. In time, we'll leave no more room for committing sins.

On Changing Yourself

        I often hear people say that they cannot change in certain ways, even though they know that they should. They would even use the excuse that God has made them this way. I believe the plain fact is that they are just not willing to change. It's true that they cannot easily change themselves, but they totally disregard the fact that God can even turn them into great saints if they'll only let him. Stubbornness shows the lack of humility.

Appreciating the Holy Eucharist

        Today being a First Friday, there was exposition of the Blessed Sacrament after morning Mass. It was a profound experience to adore the Lord displayed in the monstrance on the altar, knowing that this same Lord entered me just a short while ago. Truly, through the Holy Eucharist we are intimately linked to heaven, uniting with God both physically and spiritually. Jesus is indeed with us always until the end of the age (Matthew 28.20).

Following Common Sense

        Plain common sense tells me that it's impossible for any finite creature like me to grasp the infinite creator our God. I know he loves us and is all powerful, but I really cannot comprehend how much he loves us, how his mercy will bring justice to us all, how he sustains all lives and keeps the vast universe in motion, etc. It is this realization that humbles me to surrender to him willingly. If you always want to do the appropriate thing, don't overlook common sense.

How Faith Comes About

        When I was away, I recorded the The Journey Home program on EWTN. Today I watched Holly Ordway, author, professor, and former atheist, sharing her story. She mentioned that when she was an atheist, she thought faith in God was something believers force upon themselves. This made me review how my faith came about. After I was convinced that Jesus was God who came into the world to die to save us, I accepted him as my Lord and Savior (the Protestant approach). The decision was an intellectual one. If faith was present, I didn't feel it. I prayed for my faith to grow, but never at any time did I force myself to believe harder. I don't think that's even possible, since faith is a gift from God and only he can increase it. Over the years, faith started to grow almost imperceptibly, as I desired to know God more. The great spurt came during my involvement in the Catholic Charismatic Movement, when the Holy Spirit took over, stirring my heart. When I finally started seeking union with God, I entered a new phase in which God accomplishes all things, faith included, through me and for me.
       
        Just in case you are interested in hearing Holly's story, I am posting her video here:

Perfect Abandonment Time

        Communion experience. After I received the Lord, I went completely limp (passive). It's time for the Holy Spirit to caress you, knead you, transform you ~ letting the Lord do whatever he wants with you. 

Love Indicator

        In today's Gospel reading from Mark 12, Jesus gave the two greatest commandments: "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength" and "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." Clearly, how much we love our neighbor indicates how much we love God. When we find out how difficult it is to love our neighbor as ourselves, we get an inkling of how great God's love for us is.

Grand Statement

        Today's Gospel acclamation (based upon 2 Timothy 1,10): Our Savior Jesus Christ has destroyed death and brought life to light through the Gospel. Here's a statement that pretty much says how much God loves us.

No Longer Alone

         Since I got back home very late the day before yesterday, it wouldn't be wise for me to get up early to attend morning Mass yesterday. Today I was happily back in my own church. I believe people, including some from other parishes, love to come to our church for daily Mass for the following reasons. The church is just a few years old with a simple, bright, nicely designed interior. The tabernacle is beautiful and the seating are rows of movable, comfortable chairs linked together. As the church is not that large and everyone sees each other clearly, you get some of that intimacy of being together in one spacious living room. The priests always give well thought-out homilies too.

         The entrance antiphon came from Psalm 25: Turn to me and have mercy on me, O Lord, for I am alone and poor. See my lowliness and suffering and take away all my sins, my God. Indeed, we can't deny that are not alone, poor, lowly, and afflicted. I am just going to talk about feeling alone. We all look for companionship, sympathy, understanding, and love. Although I have so far refrained from telling any friend about my nasty fall two weeks ago when I was away, the urge is there. How can we eradicate feeling alone? Would having millions of friends or followers on a social networking website do it? How about having worldwide fans who adore you for whatever reason? I don't think you'd be happy with either. Even if you have real close friends who truly love you, they are still fallible beings like you who are just here for the time being. Basically, you are alone. 

           As St Augustine points out, feeling alone is really a blessing from God because he made it so when he created us that we might search for him. That is, we feel alone when we have not found God yet. Well, do I who have already found Jesus still feel alone? No. But to be honest, I must admit that I do feel lonely whenever I face a disconnect between me and those who are still very much of the world, which is nothing compared the oneness I feel with the Lord. 

Home Sweet Home

        I finally got home last night very late ~ it's "home sweet home." Then I realized that my true home is with the Father in heaven. When I get there, I'll definitely have the best home-sweet-home feeling ever! And life on earth would seem very much like a short dream I had once. 

Doing Your Best for the Lord

        Suppose you are a good shoemaker and Jesus orders a pair of new sandals from you ~ wouldn't you do your utmost to make the best possible pair of sandals you can for him? Then why not do your utmost best in everything for him? In so doing, your life will be filled with great joy. 

Adopting God's View

        Our views are so myopic that we are only concerned about our immediate interests and physical survival. The reality is that we are simply passing through this world with our soul continuing on to live forever in the next. Therefore, whatever we do now should be based upon this unlimited view as God sees us for the sake of our eternal happiness.

We Are Responsible for Souls

        We shall be judged by how much we love God. More specifically, he will measure how much we draw others to Christ or turn them away from him. This is a critical point, since it's easy to do what we want to do and not consider any effect our action might have on others. A good deed you do that affects others is so much more meritorious than one that just benefits you alone. And a sin that makes others also sin is indeed much graver than a sin that affects only you in private. For rapid spiritual advance, avoid all sins and concentrate upon bringing as many individuals closer to Christ as possible by your holy example and work. 

Teachings Severe & Demanding

        It does seem that the teachings of the Lord can be severe and demanding. For example, we are to love him over all other things and love even our enemies, and he warns that "whoever causes one of the little children who believe in me to stumble, it would be better for him to have a heavy millstone hung around his neck and be cast into the sea." I believe that Jesus always tells it like it is for our good and we should appreciate that. He reveals to us what we need to know. Without his teachings, we'd easily be lost souls. The truth may not always be pleasing to the ear, but once it penetrates the heart, we are set free. 

How Easy to Enter Heaven?

        If you believe that you are a great sinner and utterly need God's mercy to be saved, you will find entering heaven easier than you think, for nothing is impossible with God. On the other hand, if you believe that as a fairly decent person you pretty much deserve heaven, you may be shocked at finding entering heaven harder than you think, for whoever exalts himself will be humbled. Thus, being meek and humble before the Lord is essential for entering heaven.