Getting Close to God

        Communion experience. The only way to get close to God when we are still on earth is to remain open to him ~ we cannot do more than that. The rest has to come from God alone. 

Life-Changing Acknowledgment

        When one acknowledges that he is loved by God, his life is complete. 

To Enter the Kingdom of God

        In today's Gospel reading from Mark 10, Jesus made it clear that to inherit eternal life, one must go beyond observing the commandments: You shall not kill, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not bear false witness, you shall not defraud, honor your father and your mother, and be detached from his material possessions also. For one cannot love God freely if he is not willing to part with his wealth on earth. This is precisely why one becomes free after surrendering himself to God. 

Signs of Ignorance

        Any time you complain about God, worry for him, give up on him, want to test him, or doubt his omnipotence, you only show your ignorance of the Lord.

Find Your True Worth

        Standing next to a taller or shorter person, we get some idea about how tall we are. I recall that when I was a small child, I lived in a very large house with high ceilings. Many years later when I revisited the same house as a grown man, it appeared much smaller than I had remembered. Looking down at the earth from an airplane can definitely change our view of our planet and ourselves. When I look up into a star-filled night sky, I realize how immense the universe is and how minuscule I am, and I am humbled. By the same token, when we go before God, get to know him, and find out how much he loves us, we find our truth worth. (This is definitely worth doing because what you find will amaze you.)

Smart Seeing

         I look first at the black and white, not the many gray shades, in anything. If I see only the grays, then my vision is limited. Seeing the black and white gives me a clear overall picture. Therefore, I notice good and evil, the existence of God and the Devil, and the reality of heaven and hell. This seeing keeps me on my path, heading into eternity.    

Contrasting Attitudes

        (1) Go to Mass on Sunday. Receive Holy Communion to fulfill your obligation. Then back to your old self for another week.

        (2) Prepare for attending Mass. Receive Holy Communion and meditate upon it. Realize that God has entered you. Determined to surrender to him even more.

Huge Difference Between...

being in Christ, who is the truth and can lead you to eternal life, and being external to him, which is being lost and not knowing where you'll end up.  

Only Two Ways

        (1) We play God. We determine what we want to do, how to live, and follow our own "dreams." In the end, we don't find happiness and feel the emptiness of life. Then if our demise is not sudden or unexpected, we have time to finally turn to God.

        (2) We let God be God. We follow him, seek his will, consult him in all things. We place our trust completely in him. We are free in God, no longer enslaved by the world. Glorifying God brings us joy and peace. We look forward to returning to the bosom of the Father. Earthly life passes and everlasting life with Christ begins.

Mankind's Critical Choice

        Communion experience. God is love. Only this love can transform our hearts, heal our spirits, make us pure, brings us peace, and lead us straight to heaven. Without this love, the world is doomed. Therefore, rejecting it amounts to self-condemnation. This love is our only hope and salvation. In John 14.6, Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life." The fate of mankind hangs on whether we hang on these words of the Lord or not.

Glorious Oneness

        In today's Gospel reading from Mark 10, Jesus taught the permanence of marriage. Here are his words: From the beginning of creation, God made them male and female. For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh. So they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, no human being must separate. But as imperfect beings, how are a man and a woman become truly one flesh? The answer is that if both of them attain union with God, they will have all their differences bridged and become one in God, mirroring the most glorious oneness of the triune God.

No Swearing Allowed

        In today's first reading from James 5, the Apostle essentially repeated what Jesus taught about oaths in Matthew 5 ~ that is, we are not to swear, but let our "Yes" mean "Yes" and our "No" mean "No." In other words, we must be even-tempered, never letting our emotions go out of control. We are to remain cool. This is accomplished by abandoning ourselves in God, a most cool idea.

Call to Holiness

          Today's Gospel reading at Mass came from Mark 9. I urge you to read verses 42-48. Jesus' command for us to be holy is urgent. Know that if your conduct also causes others to sin, your sin is a lot more serious. In the wake of the news of the disappearing EgyptAir plane and other tragedies, the call to be holy is more urgent than ever. Never think that you are already good enough for God, when Jesus told his disciples to be perfect as our heavenly Father is perfect.

Christ the Light

        Communion thoughts. Christ is the light that illuminates my spiritual path, making me see clearly what should and should not remain in my heart. (I am not saying this to sound good; I am saying it because the light makes everything crystal clear to me.)

Moved to Tears

        At church before Mass began this morning, I felt like crying for these two reasons. (1) The world does not know that God loves every single one of us and continues offending him. (2) I realized how much I need and depended upon God!

Forever and Done

        With God, it's forever. Jesus came to reveal that God is love, and this love is for ever. Once he has forgiven our sins, those sins are forgiven forever, and it's done. When we receive the Lord in Holy Communion in total surrender, we belong to him forever and it's done. This is why God is to be trusted, for he is completely dependable and forever the truth.

Why I Believe in Christ

        I went through a drawer in my study and found a list of 16 reasons I shared with my two sons in January, 2009, as to why I believe in the God of Christ. I am going to post them here. Of course, those of you who have been chosen by the Lord already will not need any more reasons. But for those who still have some doubts, a list like this can help.

1. In Christianity, God entered the world as one of us so that we might relate to him. This unique feature distinguishes Christianity from all other religions.
2. Jesus came and sacrificed himself in our place so that the gap between us sinners and the holy God was bridged – amazing!
3. Jesus showed that God is pure love, not what we humans would have expected.
4. God is omnipotent, yet he is meek and humble – an amazing combination of characteristics.
5. It follows that Jesus is not just our Lord and God, but also our brother and servant.
6. Jesus came and performed numerous miracles – healing the sick, the crippled, the blind ... even raising the dead. He multiplied loaves and fish, walked on water, calmed the storm ... all incredible feats.
7. His transfiguration when his face shined like the sun and his clothes turned dazzlingly white was awesome.
8. He forgave sins as only God can.
9. He loves us to the extreme, teaching us to love even our enemies and never stop forgiving others who have offended us – so radical that it seemed almost foolish.
10. He forgave those who crucified him with absolutely no hatred.
11. Of course, there was his Resurrection, which alone is sufficient for me to accept him as God.
12. He challenges us to love him above everything else, including even our own families. This makes sense only if he is truly God.
13. If Jesus is good enough for all the great saints and martyrs, he should be good enough for me.
14. My personal experience as a believer firmly confirms that I am believing in the true God. No one else can possibly grant me the peace, freedom, and joy I experience.
15. There have been so many amazing miracles occurring worldwide, witnessing to how God loves us.
16. Last but not least, Jesus was the one who fulfilled the hundreds of prophecies found in the Old Testament!

Conclusion: We have an incredible, extraordinary God, deserving all of our love and trust.

The Holy Spirit

        On this Pentecost Sunday. Pope Francis said that the Holy Spirit brings Jesus' timeless teachings to life and helps us to both understand and live it throughout our lives. "The Holy Spirit grafts his teaching into our hearts, helps us to interiorize it, making it become part of us," the Pope said. He concluded that the Spirit is a Consoler, Advocate and Intercessor who assists us, defends us, and is by our side on the path of life and in the fight for good and against evil. To me personally, God the Holy Spirit is the God in action, stirring our hearts to seek union with and to love him. Let the Spirit enkindle our hearts with the fire of his love.