*Playing God

      In this country, we have the left (liberals) and the right (conservatives) going against each other on so many issues. Both sides are guilty of distorting the truth and creating fake news. If the left plays God without believing in him much, the right plays God while claiming that they believe in him.

        Recently, Pope Francis had an interview with a Spanish newspaper on the day of Trump's inauguration and was asked what he thought about Trump. He said that he wanted to wait to see how he acts, what he does, before forming an opinion. Toward the end of the interview, the Holy Father added that the rise of any populist figure could be a cause for concern, citing Hitler as an example. He is making a point, but the moment I read that, I was quite certain that the right would seize upon this "undiplomatic slip" and accuse him of comparing Trump with Hitler. Sure enough, one popular Christian (non-Catholic) network on the right in a YouTube video called for all Catholics to leave their church and find Christianity elsewhere. This saddened me and almost made me laugh at the same time, for so many Protestants are ignorant of the fact that Catholics do not leave the Church just because the Pope or a bishop or their pastor is someone they don't like or is a sinner – the faithful remain with the Church because it was established and given to them by Christ to be guardian of the whole truth. Unlike Protestants, Catholics do not shop around for a church or denomination until they find one that appeals to them. Also, Protestants in general are not required to belong to any church and can even start a church of their own. By the way, I read one page of the comments on that video – the vile words and foulmouthed expressions used by the commentators were shocking in condemning the Holy Father and the Catholic Church. I just hope that they are not representative of the majority of the people of this country. What that presenter of the video did and caused was exactly what the Pope was concerned about. 

       For all Christians who wish to spread any kind of message in public, remember these two sayings. (1) When the scribes and Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery to Jesus and were ready to stone her, Jesus said, "Let the one among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her." (2) I say, "If you cause anyone to hate more and love less, that could not have been prompted by the Holy Spirit."

Going Beyond Minimalism

      Two guys, Joshua Fields Millburn and Ryan Nicodemus, known as "The Minimalists" are becoming increasingly popular. There is a documentary made about their Minimalism, which you can watch on YouTube. In it, they point out that the problem with society is compulsory consumption, which is acquiring things because that's what we are supposed to do. In their own words, they explain that Minimalism is a tool to rid yourself of life's excess in favor of focusing on what's important, so you can find happiness, fulfillment, and freedom.  

          This message is catching on with the public. I am posting it because I want to share a superior way that cures the problem at the fundamental level. Naturally, God is involved. Submit yourself to God completely and become detached to all things except the Lord himself. Then even if you are surrounded by material things, you enjoy your freedom. Besides, doing it for God's sake and not your own adds purpose and joy to your existence.

Communion Effect

        Communion experience. The Lord made me aware that after receiving him, he had made me a better person. All the Communion experiences can certainly create a cumulative effect. Praise be to God!

Eternity Is Timeless

        Time is not something you can see passing, not a clock ticking away . . . it is an abstract concept not easy to grasp. All I can say is that things happen in a certain order in time. Anyway, here is an awareness that makes me forget all about time for the time being: it is the knowledge that I'll be with God in heaven for all eternity. It must be that in eternity, time becomes obsolete.

Sign of Spiritual Progress

        We all have things we'd like very much to get done. But if you are OK with it in case you can't accomplish any or all of them in time or at all, then congratulations, for you are no longer being enslaved by them! 

*The Ideal God

        Wouldn't it be nice to have a God who is omnipotent so that nothing is impossible with him and also omniscient so that he personally knows about you and fully understands you? Wouldn't it be nice if he also loves you to death and wants to lead you to paradise to enjoy eternal life with him? To make that possible, with your consent he can and would even take away your sins. Such an extraordinary God turns out to be none other than the God of Christ, for he alone fits the bill. Now the good news – he is wide open to accepting new candidates to be heirs in his kingdom.

*Are You Bearing Fruit?

        Today's Communion antiphon based upon what Jesus said in John 15.16: It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit, fruit that will last. You bear fruit only when you do God's will. Know that the fruit you bear becomes the treasure you store up in heaven. Alas, most inhabitants of the world are fully occupied with doing only what they will to do. [I admit there are those who are intent on doing God's will, but are unfortunately misguided, for their work miss the true marks of doing his will, which are love and humility.] To not bear fruit is to waste your lifetime. If it dawns on you to repent in the last minutes of your life, you might still squeeze through the narrow gate to heaven, but taking such a chance is being foolish to the extreme. Of course, should you deliberately plan it that way, you'd be shut out for sure, for trying to fool God makes you the biggest fool of all time.

*Doing God's Will Smartly

        Think of God's will as a flowing river. Doing God's will is get in that water and float along smoothly and effortlessly with it. If you do not resist or panic, it will be easy and a joy. Again, God can make all you think is impossible possible. The secret is trust. Letting God do all the hard work for you is being truly smart (or wise if you prefer). 

Key Relationship

        Today is the Memorial of St. Francis de Sales. In the Gospel reading from Mark 3, the mother of Jesus and his brothers arrived at the house. Standing outside, they asked for him through the crowd gathered around him. He said to them, "Who are my mother and my brothers?" Looking around at those seated in the circle he said,  "Here are my mother and my brothers. For whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother." Jesus made a big point as God speaking. All of us are equal before God as his children – and it's not how we relate to each other but how we relate to God that matters.  

**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.