*Which Life to Take Care of 1st?

        We have two lives to live, our life on earth and our life after death. Which one should we take care of first? Those who concentrate upon taking care of their life on earth will never get to taking care of the other one, for it becomes a lifelong task. But those who take care of their life after death first (and quickly) take care of their present life as well.  

*Something Very Odd**

        Christ is our Lord and God, yet among Christians, it is rare that we talk about or even mention him in our daily lives. Are we just nominal Christians? 

Keeping Christ's 2nd Commandment

        There is a great gap between the haves and the have-nots in today's world and our societies. Therefore, in starting a business or doing whatever else, it is important that we do not exacerbate this situation anymore. We must never aim for profiting ourselves alone by taking advantage of others. Ultimately, it comes down to loving all our neighbors as ourselves.   

Motivation Matters

        I know that Christian martyrs are glorified by God, but what about those who died for, say Communism? Lately, I learned that during the Chinese civil war in the late 1940s, many on the Communist side got slaughtered by the Kuomintang and were officially recognized by the Chinese Government as martyrs. This got me thinking that one could be misguided, but if his action is truly motivated by a desire to help others, God, out of his great love and mercy, would understand that, for he alone knows the heart. Therefore, motivation, rather than action, matters.

To Do No Wrong

        Within the will of God, there are an infinite number of things for us to do. Without the will of God, there are also an infinite number of things we could do. To be sure that whatever we do is good and meritorious, follow God's will always. 

***Most Delightful Living!

        First, you give your heart to God by sharing everything within it with him. He now enters your heart and transform you to his liking. This way you and God come to know each other most intimately, with you as his delight. Now we have two persons in deep love with one living in total freedom and without fear in the other.

**Perfect One for Love!

        We all need to be loved by someone, and also need someone to love – this is how God has made us. And the perfect one to love us and for us to love is the Lord himself, our Father! When we have him to ourselves, we are complete and fulfilled.

Fire of the Holy Spirit

        Communion experience. I wished the Holy Spirit to set my heart ablaze to burn away all the impurities and soothe my soul. [Please note that I shall have to take a hiatus from blogging for a month or so, as I'll be somewhere unable to attend daily Mass nor blog. Check back on October 18 or 19 for new postings. While reading any spiritual writings can be beneficial, the superior way is to meditate upon the Gospels and go to the Lord directly – communicating with him one-on-one with an open heart. Think of the Apostles – they just followed him and learned firsthand from him. Be his Apostle today too. God bless you all!]

Passing on God's Mercy

        Today's Gospel reading came from Matthew 18 on the Parable of the Unforgiving Servant. Jesus wants us to forgive our brothers and sisters always. If God forgives us, we must forgive others, treating them as the Father treats us, or face severe consequences. By the way, when you forgive others, you gain freedom for yourself and find peace in your heart!

Sweet Consolation

        Today at Mass, I felt the sweet consolation from God, wiping away all my sorrows.

Mankind's Lows

        Here are three examples: (1) Coyotes smuggle poor Latin American immigrants into US for a hefty fee (often borrowed money or their entire savings) and abandon them across the border. (2) Recently, thieves looted evacuated homes and stores in Florida during Hurricane Irma. (3) Now, Whole Woman's Health, a reproductive health care organization is offering free abortions to women affected by Hurricane Harvey. Is this compassion? Don't they realize that abortion can affect a women more catastrophically than a hurricane? Abortion also destroys a new life, period. Does it ever occur to these callous people that a hurricane could be God's warning for being anti-life? (In case you missed my post Abortion Horrendous of November 28 last year, you may read it here.) 

Standing by Christ

        In today's Communion antiphon, Luke 22.28-30: Jesus said to his disciples, "It is you who have stood by me in my trials; and I confer a kingdom on you that you may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom." To stand by Christ in his trials is to know what causes him to suffer and do our best to alleviate his sufferings. This is following the Lord, requiring us to deny ourselves and take up our cross. To stand by him is the duty of and appointed task for all his followers.

True Kindness

        We are kind to others, then they don't care and we get upset. Here is the right and enlightened way. Be kind to others for the sake of Christ only, so you no longer care about if they appreciate you or not. Now you are being truly kind.

All Up to Us

        God always loves us. If we reject him, it's because we choose to do so. God takes us seriously (he even died for us). If we don't take him seriously, it's because we choose to do so. The ball is always in our court.

Two Extreme Cases

        (1) We keep ignoring Christ, time passes quickly and our life is over, over for good. 

       (2) We know that Christ will reward us for everything we do for his glory, no matter how minute. We remain faithful and keep building up our treasures in heaven. When life is over, we'll be where our treasures are.

**Freedom, Peace, and Joy*

        These are the three great gifts (rewards) of union with God. I list freedom first because it is a distinctive feature. It is God, the Truth, setting you free. All other so-called freedoms are man-made, not God-given. Freedom in God is absolute freedom, the freedom to do whatever you want in God's infinite space, resulting from being attached to God alone. Peace follows freedom. This is a deep-seated peace grounded in deep faith with the knowledge that your soul is safe in him. Joy is the joy that surpasses all understanding. It comes and goes as the Lord pleases. When it comes, it is powerful and intoxicating, affecting the soul. To paint a picture of these three gifts, I see peace as a calm lake with hardly any ripples on the surface, freedom as the refreshing air and cool breezes that circulate freely around the lake, and joy as an occasional dazzling light that appears over the lake, brightening the entire landscape.    

*Christian Sorrow

        Today is the Memorial of Our Lady of Sorrows. At the presentation of the child Jesus at the temple, Simeon, a righteous and devout man awaiting the consolation of Israel, in the Holy Spirit prophesied to Mary that the child was destined for the ruin and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign of contradiction, and that a sword would piece Mary's own soul (Luke 2.35). Of course, later Mary did eyewitness the sufferings her own son underwent, all the way through his crucifixion. The great sorrow she experienced was a holy sorrow. I used the adjective "holy" to distinguish it from the sorrow of anyone who does not know God and has lost a loved one. In this case, the sorrow is not pure, for the person also feels sorry for himself, lamenting over his own loss. The Christian focuses upon the will of God and the departed. If the soul is heaven bound, sorrow would be lined with joy. If there is any uncertainty, he would share the sorrow with the Lord. Yes, every Christian sorrow no matter how great has a silver lining, provided by the joy of the Resurrection of Christ.

Empowered by God

        Communion experience. The Lord entered me not only to purify and heal my heart but also to give me the power to live a triumphant life in serving him. At the end of Mass, Fr. S. blessed each of us with a relic of the Holy Cross and I felt greatly fortified.