Beautiful Journey

        Always follow Jesus, asking him to take you everywhere he goes and hanging onto every word he speaks, then your life journey will be beautiful, as you are following the embodiment of beauty.

Helpful Awareness

        Jesus taught us not to judge. Being aware that we are naturally all imperfect creatures can help us not to judge others so quickly.

Truly Our Savior

        Only the God of Christ can take away our sins; only his love can "tame" our rebellious nature; and only he can free us from the grip of death. Wow is all I can say, followed by rejoicing.

Receiving and Giving

        In today's Gospel reading from Matthew 9, Jesus sent out his Twelve disciples to proclaim the Kingdom of heaven at hand, cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, drive out demons. His last instruction was "Without cost you have received; without cost you are to give." It is true that everything we have received have come from God; we are just empty channels through which to pass on whatever we have received. Getting ourselves attached to anything along the way will surely bog down the giving part of the process. We are only free when we do not hold onto anything that passes through us.

Serious Humor

        Whenever there is a chance to spread the good news of salvation, I tell my non-Christian friends about Christ. Most of them are younger than I now, so I am in a good position to tell them at parting time again to believe and that I'll be waiting for them to show up in heaven. This is said with humor, but at the same time I am dead serious. 

The Reality of God

        If you ask me how I know that God who is Christ is real, all I can say is that the Lord God himself lets me feel his unquestionable presence in my heart (the Holy Eucharist effect?). I know that this kind of answer will not satisfy anyone who has not experienced it him- or herself, but that's the best I can do. God cannot be explained; he is to be trusted and enjoyed. By the way, the Lord did not brainwash me.     

Secularization

        President Obama lit the Christmas tree at the White House and wished everyone Happy Holidays. If you want to be politically correct, you do not say Merry Christmas anymore. Don't people see that it's the celebration of Christmas that first brought forth the holidays? At least a Christmas tree is still called a Christmas tree.

Union Simplifies Asking

        I mentioned the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit in a recent post, which are wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety, and holy fear. When you are in union with God, you rarely need to ask for any specific gift because the Holy Spirit freely gives you everything you need to remain in union with him. Whatever you desire for God's glory, it's yours.

To Not Trust in God Is ...

to starve ourselves spiritually.

Freedom of Offering Prayers

        As you know, Southern California just had a mass shooting with 14 dead and 21 injured. Some Republican politicians offered prayers for the victims and their families, then the more liberal Democrats "shamed" them by criticizing the appropriateness of offering prayers and suggested that the "thoughts" should be about taking steps to stop such massacre. This is getting ridiculous. The critics do not see that it's because we have left God out that such tragedies occur. Exclude God and we are doomed. 

Entering Union With God

        Here's the quick way to attain union with God. Be completely open to God so that he doesn't even have to knock to enter you. Let him dwell in your heart and do as he pleases. You listen and do what he tells you. You have entered the most beautiful state of your existence.

Last Barrier

        Sometimes I misconceive someone based upon what I already knew about the person. Then I meet the person, get to know him or her more and realize that I had been wrong because the person's just fine. I believe that many people are not attracted to Jesus because they have also misconceived him. Objectively, I see all the goodness in Jesus and absolutely nothing about him that could harm anyone. Then why are there those who know all about him but still stay away? It's clear that there is still that last barrier ~ they prefer to play the role of god, not second fiddle to God. Touche?

Ungrateful Generation

        After Jesus was nailed to the cross, he prayed, "Father, forgive them, they know not what they do." The people today still need that prayer. Jesus only wants to save us, for he loves us. He'd be pleased even if we just glance at him, but instead we "crucify" him again and again. How can we be so myopic, hardheaded, and hardhearted? Without Christ the Savior, what is there to live for? Remain a fool now and you'll be one for all eternity! To be saved, you only need to crack open the hard shell you have built around yourself, step forward, and prostrate humbly before the Lord to let him take a good look at you. Your total submission will remove all barriers between you and his mercy, and you are on your way to gaining eternal life. This is all good and true.       

Our Future Life Experience

        Communion time thoughts. We experience fear, anger, stress, anxieties, uneasiness, guilt . . .  ~ all these things we feel both mentally and physically in this life. And they are all caused by our selfcenteredness. After we die, shed our physical body, and are with God, such negative emotions would be gone entirely. Then we'll be only sharing the sweet joys and sorrows of our loving Father.

On Terrorist Attacks

        Our top government leaders believe that by showing serious concern about climate change (global warming), we also show ISIS that we are not intimated by them. I admit that I have to think hard to make some kind of a connection. It might do some good if ISIS gets the message, but they are probably laughing hard at us right now. Recently, a mad person has killed three and wounded nine in a shooting rampage at the Colorado Planned Parenthood clinic that performs abortions, and the government is quick to compare the attack to the recent Paris terrorist attack. Of course, all such attacks are to be condemned, yet our government fails to see that the most gruesome terrorist attack of all is the killing of over a million innocent, defenseless, unborn children each year! It's this total disregard of the sanctity of human life that's at the the root of all violence. 

*Glorifying the Holy Spirit

        I have started praying a novena to the Holy Spirit and come to appreciate him, the third person of the Blessed Trinity, even more. He really touched my heart this morning. He made me see that he is the active working agent of God, our guide, inspiration, and comforter. His seven gifts of wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety, and holy fear are all ours for the asking. He's the one who sets our hearts on fire and fills them with heavenly joy. Cry to him and he will comfort you. Here's the Lord you can completely trust. Pray that he will infiltrate your heart completely so that you may experience the love and peace of God. Pray to him as often a possible. To be a "slave" of the Holy Spirit is infinitely better than being the lord of the whole world. Glory be to the Holy Spirit!     

Yearning for the Lord

        Today is Feast of St. Andrew, Apostle.  After receiving Holy Communion, I felt like calling "Jesus" at the top of my lungs; but of course, I was in a church, not in a wilderness. So I settled for calling him from my heart. He would understand.

Appreciating Hard Times

        There are times when we need help and there is no one to turn to except God. They are certainly difficult times, but personally I treasure the chance to let faith take over and shine. The close bonding with the Lord that results is worth whatever trouble you may have to go through.