The Same Forever!

         It is easy to ignore or at least take less seriously events that happened a long time ago. But that would be a big mistake when considering Jesus. As the Son of God, he is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13.8); therefore, passing time does not invalidate or affect in the least his authenticity and truth – he is present today just as he was in the days of the Apostles.  

Why Union With God

        Union is what God desires the most from us, for he loves us so much. When we attain union with God, we come to understand his ways and thoughts. Nothing can make us feel more secure and consoling than knowing that we now belong to him. And it's in intimate union with God that we become totally free. What Jesus said in today's Gospel reading from John 10 at morning Mass describes the beautiful state of belonging to God: "My sheep hear my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish. No one can take them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one can take them out of the Father's hand. The Father and I are one." 

Beware of What Creeps Up

        Old age creeps up on you. You may still feel fit in your 60's, but when you get to the 70's, you can definitely feel it in your bones, joints, and movement. After that, the decline accelerates. The other thing far more dangerous that creeps up on you is sin. With the advance of science and technology, people falsely believe that mankind can do anything. The convenience and ease science and technology have brought to life make it easy for us to forget about God. Self-glorification results in godlessness. I have lived long enough to see the rapid decline of morality and indulgence in self-gratification. What creeps up unnoticed can surely sink us. 

*Safe in God

        Communion experience. It became so clear that evil is real; but in Christ, I knew I was completely safe. How good it is to have him!

**Joy of the Holy Spirit

        The spiritual joy one receives from the Holy Spirit is unlike any of the joys that the world gives. In fact, I would consider the latter to be only temporary happy feelings, for they do not touch the soul, while the joy of the Holy Spirit can be overwhelming in transforming it. In my charismatic renewal days 4 decades ago, all who prayed to be baptized in the Holy Spirit experienced amazing spiritual renewal and joy – we were on cloud 9! To repeat my own experiences, all unexpected, I received the gift of tears (pure joy), the yearning to know Christ which made the Gospels come alive, the urge to pray constantly, and an exuberant bubbling feeling throughout my upper body that lasted nonstop for several months. Overall, the spiritual progress was rapid as the Holy Spirit took over and made it easy. Finally, ever though I did not see the Holy Spirit, I knew (and know now) that he is God and he is real. Praise be to him forever!

*The Way to Eternal Life

        We and God are meant to come together. The Father loves us and have so much to give us. (How can one possibly turn down the offer of eternal life?) He is ever ready, waiting for our move. There will be no coming together without us. Our present life provides the great opportunity for us to stop playing God ourselves, turn to Christ, claim his promises, and start living unselfishly and wisely for him. Then after this brief life is over, we'll enjoy living in heaven for all eternity. 

*How to Know God

        God already knows everything about you. If you want to know him, allow him to know you first.

*Following Christ Made Easy*

        In today's Gospel reading from John 6, many of the disciples of Jesus thought that his saying was too hard and left him. Is following Christ hard? It all depends upon your approach. On your own, you'll definitely find it hard or even impossible. But if you believe that nothing is impossible with God and let him do the work for you, it becomes super easy. Therefore, submit yourself to him, let him know of your desire, and it shall be done.

Key to World Peace

        If only everyone realizes that we are all sinners before God, we would get along with each other a lot better. We would see that all sins offend God and that we are equally unclean before him. Acknowledging and repenting our sins is not only the key to salvation, but also to peace in the world.

Reason to Believe

        Today being the first Friday of May, we had perhaps 60 people attending morning Mass at church. After Mass, we had Eucharistic adoration. I saw that God looked down upon us and knew every single heart there intimately. For me, that was reason enough for me to believe in him.

Our Position and Role

          As finite beings, we can never fully comprehend the greatness of our infinite God. It is a given that no creature can be greater than its creator. God's beauty and perfection are all beyond our comprehension. Our only role is to believe, trust, and obey our creator who has already revealed to us that he is love.

*Heavenly Experience on Earth

        Communion experience. Receiving Christ in the Holy Eucharist is becoming one with your most beloved who happens to be God. No experience on earth can possibly top that!

*Second Coming Inevitable*

        Jesus said, "Whoever exalts himself will be humbled; but whoever humbles himself will be exalted." In our world, the opposites happen. Christ, the most humble of all men, got crucified, and today's pop stars with humongous egos are worshipped by the general public. It just shows that the world hasn't changed much fundamentally. Jesus came because mankind needs salvation. He foresaw that not all would listen to him, "forcing" God to schedule a second coming of his Son to judge all of us.      

Most Challenging Prayer

        Among all the prayers, I've found praying for the loved ones who are close to you most challenging, for you know them well and must make sure that your private emotions do not get in the way you place your trust in the Lord. Persistence in prayer is needed as your faith gets tested. As in all things we do, we must remember that God must come first. In fact, pleasing him alone matters.

Our Power Source

        Any appliance or machine will not work if it is not connected to a power source. For us, Christ is our power source and he is ready for us to be connected to him. Living without Christ is living with no true life in us. To get started, we must believe in him first. Then we shall receive life from him and be truly living.

**To Be Made by God

        Before God, let us be empty vessels, blank canvases, and pliable clay for him to fill us, transform us, or make something out of us to his heart's content, and we shall be contented.

Union Experience

        As you seek union with God, personal holiness is never on one's mind; you simply experience greater and greater freedom.

Extraordinary Power

        Communion experience. The Holy Eucharist lifts the sinner out of his miserable state to union with the Almighty!