Seeking Praise

        If you seek praise from other humans, it would only feed your ego, robbing you more of your freedom. If you serve the Lord humbly and faithfully, he praises your work without your asking and you remain free. Therefore, never live for praise; live only for God.

Suicidal Sin

        Normally, a person who sins against God can always repent, but the one who sins in the name of the Lord, believing that he is actually glorifying God, cuts off his own chance to ever repent.

God's Justice

        In today's Gospel reading of the parable of the ten gold coins from Luke 19 at Mass, we again heard Jesus say, "To everyone who has, more will be given, but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away." It looks like it's either you are in or you are out, you end up with everything or you end up with nothing, you make heaven or you miss it altogether.

Key Realizations

        To be a strong Christian, (1) you must know that you are inherently finite and limited. Even if you intend to place all your trust in God, you still fall short. Therefore, you absolutely need God. (2) You need to go deep into God, for only in God can you find true beauty and perfection. Entering him is entering heaven. The Blessed Sacrament is the portal to union with the Lord. 

God Always Just

        People who suffer misfortune often ask why bad things should happen to them or even question God's existence. This is understandable. Well, our world is an imperfect, sinful place; therefore, bad things must happen. It's what happens to you at the end that will justify everything. Putting it simply, a good person will enter heaven and a bad person won't. At that time you will see the overall picture and understand everything, for God is perfectly just. There is no other good explanation.

Zeal for the Lord

        In yesterday's Gospel reading from Luke 18, we have the blind beggar persistently calling out to Jesus, "Son of David, have pity on me!" Jesus heard him, stopped, received him and made him see. Today from Luke 19, we have the wealthy tax collector Zacchaeus who ran ahead of the crowd that's with Jesus, climbed a sycamore tree in order to see him, and eagerly waited for his passing. When Jesus reached the place, he looked up and asked Zacchaeus to come down, for he's going to stay at his house. We must also desire to see, to know, and to call out to the Lord, then we will be rewarded too. We can seek union with Jesus via receiving the Holy Eucharist to accomplish all these things.   

Soul Most Important

        The most important part of us is what we do not see, the soul. We see our physical body, important while we are alive, but perishable. If we lose our soul, we are lost forever. That's why Christ is critically important to us, and he knows it. Otherwise, why should he come into the world to die for us? The greatest tragedy today is that people do not look beyond this life ~ they live for the present life only. Equally tragic are those who live for the next life, but are misguided. Living for Christ is the only sure, straight way to eternal happiness.

Discerning Truth

       I've posted this before, but this is a good time to remind everyone again. Truth is truth only if it's 100% true. If something is only 99.99% true, it's still false. Using pure water as an example, we know that it's no longer pure, once you add some impurities to it no matter how small the amount might be. This applies to religions too. A religion can have many good things about it and is attractive, but if there is some teaching you find is wrong, you should beware.  

Know What's Necessary

        Most things we can live without. Some things are necessary only for the time being. But God is absolutely necessary to us for all eternity (who can take care of the eternal soul except the eternal Father?).

Hearing God's Voice

        Satan has deceived many into believing that they hear the voice of God. How do you discern what you hear? First of all, God speaks to you from within your heart, his voice always remaining gentle and loving. He will not rob you of your inner peace, so if you become obsessed with doing something, that cannot be from the Lord. Jesus said, "My sheep hear my voice; I know them, and they follow me" (John 10.27). Therefore, be one of his sheep first and you'll know his voice. Remain in union with God and you are safe.

How to Pray?

         Today's Gospel reading from Luke 18 tells about the healing of a blind beggar. The blind man learned that Jesus was passing by and started shouting "Jesus, Son of David, have pity on me!" People rebuked him, telling him to be quiet, but he kept calling out all the more, "Son of David, have pity on me." Jesus stopped and ordered that he be brought to him; and when he came near, Jesus asked him, "What do you want me to do for you?" He replied, "Lord, please let me see." Jesus told him, "Have sight; your faith has saved you." 

       How should we pray? That has always been a question. After hearing today's Gospel, I believe that the form or format of our prayer does not matter as long as whatever we say is prompted and guided by our faith.

On Being Free

        The freest person is one who is most obedient to the will of God. God being the loving Father can never enslave us; it is we who enslave ourselves when we become self-centered ~ the ego again. Once God removes that, we are set free. Now love motivates all our thoughts, words, and actions. To love is to be free ~ we are back to God is love.

*All About Ego

        There is no spiritual freedom where ego reigns. In fact, the ego is the greatest obstacle in seeking God, so it would make a great gift for God if we offer it up to him. Ego wants you to believe that you are god, exactly what the devil wants you to believe. A big ego is a big banner raised high to get Satan's attention. It makes you want to appear great and lovable to others, while in reality others get turned off as soon as they notice the presence of ego ~ so who's the fool? Nevertheless, when the ego, being puffed up like a hot air balloon, gets punctured, you still get a shock and are hurt. A runaway ego can blind you to the point you no longer notice its presence ~ you are now in Danger Zone. An ego can never be satisfied; it can only be destroyed ~ and the best way of demolishing it is to starve it. Therefore, never feed an ego. As I have said in the past, I want to say again: "The ego's gotta go."

Be Ready for Death

        We hear tragic news daily about people dying around the world due to ungodly attacks and violence in general ~ what has just happened in Paris is an example. Any such event is always shocking, but my deepest concern are the souls of the victims ~ this is what counts. Let God get you ready for death should it happen to you, to avoid facing another much worse shock.

Boring Christian

        Christians do not see or hear Jesus well because they do not know him well. Going to church once a week is easy, but to take the Lord, his presence, and his teaching seriously is another matter. How often do you think of him or pray to him? Do you lose interest when people start to praise or speak well of him? If there is no zeal or fire in you, you are just a boring Christian. The remedy is to know the Lord intimately to get enlightened.

Sin Can Help

       The only good thing about sin is that it can awaken us to God. All saints were sinners in their past. The Lord especially notices great sinners, for he greatly pities them. When they turn to him, the liberation can be most exhilarating. If it helps, know that there will be great celebration and rejoicing in heaven too. If you are a sinner, be the cause of joy for yourself and the whole heaven!

Second Coming Certain

        In today's Gospel reading from Mark 13 at Mass, Jesus talks about end times and his Second Coming. He came to us 2,000 years ago. I intuitively know that he will come again to bring all things on earth to a close, for God's justice must reign. I cannot imagine that God will leave us hanging on our own forever. Besides, our planet earth is of limited size ~ are we to believe that it's meant to be our permanent home? Say we were placed upon a small planet only a mile in diameter, how long would we last with a growing population? The earth is a lot bigger, but it's still finite in size. So the question of Jesus' Second Coming is only a matter of when, not whether.

God Our Only Refuge

        Communion experience. France just suffered a horrific attack by ISIS. This morning's breaking news: (1) A local high school football player got shot and died. (2) A tourist bus crashed in a nearby big city and injured 20. (3) Further south, a "destructive device" was found outside a store parking lot and detonated by the local sheriff's department. These were just a few things I saw reported on TV. I realized that there is only one true refuge for us, and that is God.