Bad Things Are Good

        If we obey God, bad things that happen to us are good because they strengthen us by drawing us close to him and may even form part or all of our purgatory. If we are disobedient to God, bad things that happen to us are good because they shake us up, forcing us to look to God for help. Either way, we get blessed.

Key Humility

       Humility is a virtue, and the key humility is our submission to God our creator, for through it we gain eternal life.

Learning from Pope Francis

        The Holy Father is heading for the Philadelphia airport right now on his way back to the Vatican. From what I've seen and heard in the media these last few days, his example has taught me to not judge, love all, and trust in God and his love alone and not in myself. When you leave all to God, you have peace.

Pray for Yourself

       Pray to God for others is easy, but don't forget to pray for yourself too. It takes humility to acknowledge that you are weak, finite, and need God's help. Imagine how happy the Father would be when you trust in him and go to him for help! If you are a parent, you would perfectly understand this. The only barrier between God and us is our sin; and we need to go to him to get our sins removed, then we'll be ready to become one with him, enjoying him fully. Love Christ and you'll be rewarded for all eternity!

Our Part Missing

        Today's Gospel reading at Mass came from Mark 9. I urge you to read verses 43-48 which teach us about dealing with sin. It tells us how important it is for us to be holy, for the consequences can indeed be grave. God is merciful, but not to stop sinning is to abuse his mercy. After receiving Communion, I saw that God has given us all, his own Son and all we need to know and do to be saved. What's left to be done is giving ourselves to him. It's now up to us.

Christian Joys

        The Christian receives many joys. Here's a partial list of possible sources: repentance; praising God; thanking God; praying to him; reading the Gospels; meditating upon the Lord himself, his Passion, his love, his mercy; hearing the word of God read during Mass; receiving the body and blood of the Lord; detaching ourselves from the world; total abandonment in him. The joy could also come unannounced at any time. A while ago, just listening to Pope Francis' homily at the Mass held in Philadelphia brought me unspeakable joy.

Joy Bursting

        Christians want to share their joy with others, not because they wish to impose their beliefs on them, but because the joy of Christ is so great that they cannot contain it anymore and this joy has made them so happy that they forget all about themselves and just want others to feel this happy too.        

Joy of Repentence

        Not long ago I mentioned to someone who did not know God that we need God because we are all sinners. His response was that how could he be a sinner since he had never killed anybody. This shows that without God, the conscience can get pretty dull. Look at the great saints ~ they humbly see themselves as the most wretched sinners. This leads me to pointing out that there is great joy in acknowledging our sins before God. When we repent and ask for God's forgiveness, he washes away our sins and we are made clean again. The feeling of relief and renewal absolutely uplifts the soul. Every sinner should experience this joy, for this is the way God has made us. 

God Revitalize Us

        Just caught on TV a glimpse of Pope Francis standing in his popemobile cruising through the streets of Philadelphia on his way to take part in a World Meeting of Families festival. After witnessing the enthusiastic crowds lining both sides of the street applauding and cheering nonstop, I felt great hope for this nation and its people.  

To Be Amazed or Shocked

        I just watched on TV Pope Francis' arrival at the seminary in Philadelphia. I was deeply moved by seeing the genuine joy on the faces of the cheering seminarians. Now imagine Jesus himself arriving at his Second Coming ~ how ecstatic his faithful chosen ones would feel, knowing that their beloved Lord will take them to live with him for all eternity! At the same time, those who will be left behind would experience the most indescribable horror and desperation. It's accepting Jesus now to be amazed later or rejecting him now to be shocked later.

Deep Satisfaction

        Today, deep, deep down I feel that Jesus has completely satisfied my needs. I know that's how God has made me. I now understand fully "The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I lack."

Setting the Sights

        Pope Francis just finished saying Mass at Madison Square Garden. I saw the 20,000 there and knew that many of them I would meet in heaven. There we'll witness the beauty of God and see it in each other too. Heaven will be the most beautiful place the soul can ever experience. Follow Jesus now to secure your place in God's family and your later admission to paradise.

The Beauty of God

        I was watching a little bit Pope Francis speaking at a packed Madison Square Garden in New York City on TV. I felt great joy that the Lord had chosen me because knowing Christ has absolutely made my life beautiful. The world does not know him because it is immersed in sin. Sin has turned the world into darkness and those in it no longer see God. Sin has made the world so disordered that the world no longer believes that there is a living, loving God. It's absolutely tragic. The beauty of God is meant to be enjoyed by all! May the Lord soften our hearts so that we may all see and hear him clearly and be made beautiful for him to behold.

On Abandoning to God

        Communion thoughts. Have you set up a wall, a fence, or just a screen around you at all to shield you from God? How much you love God is proportional to how much you abandon yourself to him. Remove any separation between you and God so that you may abandon yourself to him completely. 

Opportunities for Intimacy

        Today's entrance antiphon at Mass: I am the salvation of the people, says the Lord. Should they cry to me in any distress, I will hear them, and I will be be their Lord for ever. We get distressed many times a day and we can cry to God each time, and he hears us ~ such wonderful opportunities to get intimate with him ~ how blessed we are!

Following the Lord

        Normally, when God uses you, he does not always reveal his purpose at the start. I believe he just wants you to follow him in faith. Even after the purpose has become clear, he does not reveal right away what action you should take. Again, he wants you not to listen to your own voice but to put your trust in him. All this teaches patience and actually makes following the Lord exciting.

The One Who Won't Go Away

        God was here when we came into the world and will be around when we depart from it. Because of his great love for us, he watches over us the whole time. You can leave him alone, but he'll never desert you. We are used to feeling sorry for ourselves; shouldn't we at least feel some sorrow for God our Father who patiently waits and longs for our return to his bosom?

A Kudo to Pope Francis

        With so many religious leaders nowadays chanting death to whom they consider to be enemies or executing anyone who doesn't accept their faith, it was most refreshing to have heard the Holy Father speaking the truth to the Congress and at the UN with humility and love. I am proud of being Catholic.