Sheep Test 2

        If you know that you've been chosen by God to follow Christ, then you are his sheep.       

Live to Live

        In today's Gospel reading from John 12, Jesus cried out and said, "If anyone hears my words and does not observe them, I do not condemn him, for I did not come to condemn the world but to save the world. Whoever rejects me and does not accept my words has something to judge him: the word that I spoke, it will condemn him on the last day." We see that even though we commit many sins, the Lord does not judge us until after we die. So, it's either observing the words of Jesus now while we are still living or waiting to be condemned.

Making Life Beautiful

        Back on June 18, 2015, I posted about the genius of Oscar Peterson which made me think of the infinite genius of our Lord. Today I thought of the great jazz pianist again, whose playing was so free and natural that he and the music became essentially one. It strikes me that expressing our love for God should also be completely free and natural. And we can achieve that when we become one with the Lord, making our life most beautiful. In case you missed Peterson's video the first time, I am posting it again.

Ceasing the Struggle

        It is either we let God be God or we play God. This is the fundamental struggle that goes on within us. If the former, then we abandon ourselves to God, the struggle ceases, and we have peace. If the latter, the struggle simply continues on. I choose to have peace, therefore I choose to submit myself to God (the God of Christ). 

Only Relevant Question

        Here are a number questions regarding sinning. (1) How did you sin? (2) What lead you to sin? (3) How often have you sinned? (4) How serious is your sin? (5) Do you sin?

        Only the last question is relevant.

Another Hurdle

        It's not difficult to refrain from speaking ill of anyone whom I do not know well, but it's another thing not to criticize someone in my own family whom I know well. In the family setting, when there is a disagreement, it's just so easy to assert that I am right and my "opponent" wrong, hoping that all others within earshot will support me. This again shows the presence of ego and that more dying with Christ is needed.

Unhazy Dream

        I had a vivid dream last night. I was in a town amidst all the traffic and pedestrians heading every which way. There was a small stadium filled with naked people occupying all the tiers of seats. I looked around and saw some of them clearly, others more difficult to make out, and still others rather hazy and looking tired and sad. Then I understood it was about how God sees us. Since we can hide nothing from God, we are naked to him. We appear clearly to him if we have nothing to hide from him. But if we are sinful, the haziness indicates that we are trying to hide ourselves from him.     

True Satisfaction

        When you are in union with Jesus, you have already tasted the very best and nothing other than the Lord himself can satisfy you anymore. That's why any message not centered upon the Lord 100% can no longer set the heart afire.  

The Sheep Test

        I attended Vigil Mass today. In the Gospel reading from John 10, Jesus said, "My sheep hear my voice." How certain you hear him speak to you in your heart tells you if you truly belong to him or are still on the periphery. 

Free Will for God

        In today's Reading 1 at Mass from Acts 9, God gave Peter the power to instantly heal Aeneas, a paralytic who had been confined to bed for eight years. God can do anything, but our free will almost always gets in the way. We must will to remain open to God in order to receive whatever gift he wants to give us in serving him. That is, as channels of God's love, we must clear ourselves of all obstructions.

God's Plan for Us

        In today's Reading 1 from Acts 9 at Mass, Jesus made it clear that he had chosen Saul to be his instrument to carry his name before Gentiles, kings, and children of Israel. God's plan for us may not be that specific, but it is equally clear that he wants each of us to serve him as holy disciples wherever we are now and always.

Our Most Ardent Desire

        That we become like Christ.

Support We Need

        I had a bad dream early this morning, in which I had to escape from someone coming after me; I realized that I needed God's help. After I woke up, I saw that the dream confirmed that we absolutely need God. I know that nonbelievers would love to tell me that I invented God to have a crutch to lean on. Well, I wouldn't call God a crutch, but if you must, then he is the best possible crutch you can ever have, exactly the right kind of support we need, for without it we would certainly perish one day. 

How to Impress God

        In all my years of attending Mass, I have heard innumerable homilies preached from the pulpit. They range from the instantly forgettable to those that set your heart afire for God. In between, you have memorable ones, but the focus upon God is often diluted by the speaker's desire to be entertaining. Obviously, to impress God, all focus should be on him alone. To achieve this, we need to let God impress us first. It again comes down to letting God do all the work for us.

Living for God Alone

        Two people could do exactly the same thing, yet because their motives are different, one is storing up treasures in heaven while the other one, not. Life invisible to us is all visible to God. Therefore, live for God alone, not for any other fellow humans to see.

Triumphant Moment

        Communion experience. Receiving the Holy Eucharist is to reach the high point of life once again. It's with the Lord, possessing all one needs! There's the feeling of triumph without pride.

Most Stunning Event

        The most stunning, remarkable, incredible, earthshaking, and memorable event of all time has to be that God died for us on the cross so that we might be saved. To ignore its significance is to risk being the biggest fool of all time!

Our Vocation

        We who profess to follow Christ must make every effort to be fishers of men, as this is his command and wish. It is not how many people you can catch, but how diligently you attempt the task that counts. Let this lovingly motivate every thought, word, and deed of yours.