True Soul Food

        Communion experience. I received the Lord in the Holy Eucharist and he purified and healed my soul, readying it for heaven.         

Why Love Your Neighbor?

        Today's Gospel reading came from Matthew 22. Jesus gave the second great commandment: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. Why? Simply because God loves your neighbor as much as he loves you. Also, since we are all sinners, no one has the right to think that some of us deserve to be loved more and others less.

*Power of the Heart

        God does not care about how we look, how we dress, how we speak or even how we pray. He looks at our heart only to see how it receives him. Whoever has a heart that loves and yearns for him will find favor with him.    

Showing Your Love for God

        Communion experience. Submitting ourselves to God (letting him be our God) is one way of showing our greatest love for him.

No Duplicity for God

        When Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him, he said of him, "Here is a true child of Israel. There is no duplicity in him." Of course, the Lord knows each one of us thoroughly and is pleased with those who have no duplicity. To have no duplicity is to be genuine and honest always – no longer presenting ourselves differently to different people in order to gain recognition, earn approval, or to benefit ourselves in some other way. What people see is what we are. A synonym for "duplicity" is "hypocrisy." Know that duplicity invariably robs us of our inner peace. 

Know When You Are Chosen

        Today is the Feast of St. Bartholomew, Apostle. The Gospel was read from John 1. Philip already knew that Jesus was the one about whom Moses and the prophets wrote. He took Nathaniel to see Jesus and Nathaniel too recognized that Jesus is the Son of God, the King of Israel. If you also realize that Jesus is the Son of God and our Savior, know that God has chosen you! Therefore, rejoice.

Enlivening Our Spiritual Life

        God always hears us, but if our faith is weak, he cannot perform miracles for us. If we put all our trust in him, then we hear him also and wonderful things start to happen. For our spiritual life to come alive, mutual trust must be present and it's up to us to supply the missing part.

**Christ Most Trustworthy

        As I was praying the Sorrowful Mysteries of the Holy Rosary today, I meditated upon the Passion of Christ. He suffered agony in the garden, was scourged at the pillar, crowed with thorns, forced to carry his own cross, and got crucified. He even prayed for those who did all these things to him. It dawned on me that here was a complete demonstration of what he taught: "Offer no resistance to one who is evil. When someone strikes you on your right cheek, turn the other one to him as well," "Love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you" (Matthew 5.39, 44), and more. Yes, the Lord truly meant everything he said to us. Another reason he can be trusted.

On the Frontline

        As I age, I become more aware that my days on earth are numbered. Hence, I abandon myself even more in the Lord. Come what may and I'll be ready. It's of such comfort to know that my Father will take care of me for all eternity. There's no shirking back, only looking forward to meeting my beloved Savior.

*God's Humility

        Communion experience. When the consecrated bread and wine became the flesh and blood of the Lord for us to consume, it was humility at its best. Unlike anything else, I sensed the great beauty and the transformative power of this humility.

*Never "Judge" God

        In today's Gospel reading from Matthew 20, Jesus told the parable of the workers in the vineyard to his disciples. A landowner hired laborers to work in his vineyard at various times of the day and gave all of them the same pay in the evening. Those who had worked longer hours were not happy. The owner replied to one of them, "My friend, I am not cheating you. Did you not agree with me for the usual daily wage? Take what is yours and go. What if I wish to give this last one the same as you? Or am I not free to do as I wish with my money? Are you envious because I am generous?" Jesus again made the point that many "who are first will be last, and the last will be first."  

          Here are my thoughts. God is ready to give all of us eternal life at the end. Are we to grumble that he is not being fair? Once you are in heaven, are you still going to complain to God that some others you see up there had not worked as hard as you did in serving him on earth? There is no place in heaven for anyone who still harbors envy. So, be content with whatever you receive from the Lord and mind your own business. If God cannot please you, you won't ever be happy anywhere.

**With Christ

        Communion experience. With Christ, all else is forgotten and all is forgiven. With him, heaven is brought down to us. Later, it simply gets lifted back with us in it.

***Our Dream Existence

        God can do so many things for us. He can forgive our sins. He can save us and lead us to heaven. He can guide us and teach us. And he can ultimately become our most intimate friend and one with us. All these things we can desire and they are ours. In the parable of the lost son, the father said to the son who was always with him, "Everything I have is yours." Let us wake up to the reality that we are so blessed and in such a dream position to gain everything from God our most loving Father.

When Being Self-Centered Is OK

        The only time we are not considered self-centered is when we are concerned about our own soul, for our soul is God's biggest concern.

More Awesome Than Eclipse

        Today has been a big day for many Americans, for they got to see a total eclipse. I have seen an eclipse at least twice before, so I am not that excited. Besides, where I live, we only got to see a partial one. Now that we know astronomy, eclipse is a totally natural phenomenon. I am more amazed by the fact that we alway see the same side of the moon and that after so many years (millions and millions?) the moon still goes around our earth and our earth around the sun regularly. It seems that this would be impossible if the universe did start out with a big bang with its parts flying violently in all directions. Also, how did all those parts get to be so round? (I am going to ask God when I see him later.) Anyway, to see a supernatural miracle of the sun, read about the one that appeared at Fatima where Mary appeared to three children. It was truly awesome and showed the mighty power of God. 

No Escape for the Christian

        People go to a bar to drink, take a luxury cruise, seek any kind of fun, or just sleep or walk aimlessly to forget their problems, but such escapes from reality are only temporary. The advantage the Christian has is that because he already knows the reality of God, he doesn't need to escape from anything anymore. He is a secure person, knowing exactly where he is heading. With faith, he takes facing all his problems in stride. Wouldn't you rather be a Christian too?    

*Soul's Glorious Moment

        Communion experience. Partaking of the most holy Body and Blood of the Lord was a monumental moment for the human soul. I was at a loss for words when I realized how incredibly glorious it was for God and the soul to merge and become one.

Obstacle to Perfection

        In today's Gospel reading from Matthew 19, from the advice Jesus gave to a rich young man, we see that observing all the commandments may make you holy, but if you wish to be perfect, Jesus advised the young man to sell what he had and give to the poor, and then go follow him. The young man went away sad, for he had many possessions. Attachment to material goods is the greatest, common obstacle that blocks us from following Christ with all our heart. We are not free as long as we cannot let them go. It may not be practical to get rid of all your material stuff, but at least if you are called by God to do so, you should be willing to comply.