**We Need God!

        Communion experience. The Most Holy Lord entered me, but I was relative to him a filthy sinner. How was union with him possible? The Lord showed me that I only needed to be open and submit myself to him, and he would take care of the rest. Again, it is our intention that counts, since we can never be perfect as he is. It is always the Lord that makes the impossible possible!

Prayer for Ending Abortion

        On the 44th anniversary of Roe vs. Wade, today is Day of Prayer for the Legal Protection of Unborn Children. Here is the call by Fr. Frank Pavone of Priests for Life (www.priestsforlife.org) to pray for an end to abortion:

      Lord God, I thank you today for the gift of my life, and for the lives of all my brothers and sisters. I know there is nothing that destroys more life than abortion, yet I rejoice that you have conquered death by the Resurrection of Your Son. I am ready to do my part in ending abortion. Today I commit myself Never to be silent, Never to be passive, Never to be forgetful of the unborn. I commit myself to be active in the pro-life movement, and never to stop defending life until all my brothers and sisters are protected, and our nation once again becomes a nation with liberty and justice not just for some, but for all, through Christ our Lord. Amen!

**How We Are Judged

        We are not judged by how good a person we think we are, but by how much we please or offend Christ. 

*Enviable Position

        If you have Christ, you would never feel that you are at a disadvantage or less fortunate or inferior to anyone anymore. This is because the possession of such a treasure as the Lord God himself is the ultimate fulfillment of life, putting you beyond the influence of the world.

*God Filling Us

        Communion experience. Once you have Jesus, your deepest desire is fulfilled and life is greatly simplified. Now desires for all other things lose their hold on you. In Buddhism, you learn to lose your greed to achieve peace. With Christ, not only you become detached to all things of the world, the void in your heart is entirely filled by the Lord God himself. It is this filling (union) that makes your life whole, enabling you to experience peace plus joy.

*Never Mind Being Out of Mind

        In today's Gospel reading from Mark, Jesus attracted the crowd around him, making it impossible for him and his disciples even to eat. His relatives heard of this and thought that he was out of his mind. Once some unbeliever saw that I truly believed in Jesus and thought that I must have lost my mind (gone overboard). In fact, when I first read about Mother Teresa going to Calcutta to live a life of serving the poor and the dying, I thought she must be somewhat out of her mind. Today, if you are extra devout, you may be regarded as being too serious, over-religious, or one who lives in his own world. Of course, we must never set any limit to how much we devote our lives to Christ nor care about what others think of us. Let's live exactly accordingly to how the Lord draws us so that we may remain in his freedom.  

*Levels of Learning

        I watched the inauguration of Donald Trump as the 46th president of the United States on TV today. Many speeches were given by various politicians. Stories about historical figures were told to inspire the audience. My personal feeling and experience is that while learning from other human beings can be beneficial, it can never fundamentally transform us with power, for we need someone greater than us above the human level to effect the change. And that someone is our God! Once he starts teaching you directly, you'll feel your heart burning and find that even the teachings of saints pale in comparison.

*Securing Our Life for Eternity

        My thoughts turn to the human life today. As I see so many of my friends fall ill or pass away unexpectedly, I become acutely aware of how fragile our life is. Physically, we are only made of soft flesh and brittle bones. As regards our health, catching a few germs can send us straight to the emergency room. By comparison, life forms such as trees and wild animals are much tougher. Then there are accidents that can take our life by surprise. So the brief human life is both precarious and vulnerable. Under the circumstances, I see that the best we could do, which is also the least we should do, is to secure our eternal life. This is accomplished by letting Christ into our lives to be our anchor. Once we have settled our eternal destination, the fragility of our life on earth will no longer be an issue.

To Great Height

        Communion experience. Every reception of the Lord in Holy Communion is a milestone in one's spiritual journey. I much prefer remaining lowly and letting the Lord uplift me to his level than climbing to the peak of Mt. Everest and feeling good about myself. 

*Humble Formula

        To remain humble, never compare yourself with your brothers, sisters, or neighbors, but see yourself in the presence of the Lord God always.

Opportunity for Perfection

        Communion experience. It was an opportunity to taste the perfect Lord for me to become a little bit more perfect.

Benefit of Union

        Being acutely aware that a sin is a sin.

*Sin and Inner Peace

        God does not worry, get anxious, fuss . . . he may rightly be displeased or get angry with us for offending him, but he still loves us and would suffer any pain we cause him patiently. Nevertheless, deep in his heart, he has perfect peace. Therefore, if we lose our inner peace, we should realize that it's because we are not perfect and have sinned – this would be the perfect time to turn to the Lord to repent and ask for his forgiveness to restore our peace.

God's Powerful Love

        The love of God is real. God has shown his greatest love for us by giving us his own Son so that we might have eternal life. Without God, we may still feel love for others, but it'll never be compelling and selfless. It's only by knowing Christ that we can love others as he loved us. And this love of ours is completely motivated by his love working through us who have been transformed by his love. Furthermore, the love of God binds him and us together as one, with the soul experiencing the sweetest intoxicating joy.

Puzzling Fact

        We all know 100% that we are going to die one day and no one can be sure that the soul does not exist, yet so many people don't think much about life after death. Are they all burying their head in the sand?

*What Life Is All About

        If we are totally obedient to God, the will of God flows through us unhindered and we will have peace in both our hearts and the world. Because so many of us rebel against God, blocking the flow of his will through us, we have created disorder and chaos in both our hearts and the world. In this universe, we are the only creature capable of disrupting the will of God. Simply put, our life is all about choosing to be with God or not. [Note: I am speaking about the God as revealed through Jesus Christ, who is love.]

*Difficulty in Changing Oneself

        Only God can fundamentally change a person, but there is a catch – you must give him the go-ahead first. Since you are still the boss, the transfer of power must be initiated by you to take effect. While God can do his part effortlessly, relinquishing your power is not always easy. This is the sticky part of the process. 

Most Private Moment

        Communion experience. I had my most private moment: I was one with God; I completely belonged to Christ; I settled in him; I existed in him alone!