***Most Amazing Love of Jesus***

        Jesus is all mine, yet I want everyone to have him. I wish to be the one able to love him the most, yet I would rejoice if everyone else can love him more than I. It just shows that the amazing love of Christ for us can make us completely selfless. We cannot live without water or air, but we'll surely perish forever without his love!

**Most Soothing Feeling

        Communion experience. There is no feeling more soothing than the Lord entering your heart to set it ablaze, letting you know that he loves you.

**How to Love God*

        Know Jesus first and you will know how to love him, for you cannot love someone unknown to you. So "preach" Jesus only and let the Lord do the work.

Malice v. Honesty

        In today's Gospel reading from Matthew 22, the Pharisees plotted how they might entrap Jesus in speech. They sent their disciples to him, asking, "Teacher, we know that you are a truthful man and that you teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. And you are not concerned with anyone's opinion, for you do not regard a person' status. Tell us, then, what is your opinion: Is it lawful to pay the census tax to Caesar or not?" This is still the same trick used by government officials or common people today to test others. But the disciples of Pharisees at least got it right in their first two sentences: Jesus being always truthful and not concerned with whatever others think about him. May we have the same courage.

Only One True God

        Today's first reading came from Isaiah 45. The LORD let it be known that "I am the LORD and there is no other, there is no God besides me." This is unique about Christianity in which God directly communicates with his people since the beginning of Israel to this day. In Exodus 3, God said to Moses, "I am I AM." There is only one true God and he is the God of Christ.

World Lost

        We make sure that our house is good condition, our body is healthy, and our worldly knowledge of what affects us is kept up-to-date, but maintaining all these things will have been wasted if we do not make sure that we are also spiritually clean. The world is so deeply immersed in itself that it's got its priorities all wrong.

God Most Sensible

        In both Matthew and Luke, we read that as Jesus was going through a field of grain on the sabbath, his disciples were hungry and began to pick the heads of grain and eat them. To the Pharisees, they were doing something unlawful on the sabbath, but the Lord totally understood them and lectured the Pharisees instead. This morning I forgot to bring a pen and a sheet of paper with me to Mass for jotting down any thoughts coming from the Lord, so I used a pen and a copy of some church announcement that's blank on the back I found in the foyer of the church. I had no intention of stealing anything and knew that the Lord would understand. We often accuse others by what we see but do not necessarily understand. Only God can read our hearts, so he is the only one qualified to judge us. Without such ability, we are prone to become insensible. Again, we should rejoice that we have a most understanding and sensible God. 

Living a Fearless Life

        Whom should we be afraid of? No one! God loves us and wants us to live forever with him, so there is nothing to fear unless you rebel against him. Once you are with the Lord 100%, you may totally ignore Satan. In union with God, Satan cannot touch you without God's permission. In God, we live without fear.

God's Hallmark

        Today's Entrance antiphon from Psalm 130: If you, O Lord, should mark iniquities, Lord, who could stand? But with you is found forgiveness, O God of Israel. Forgiveness is the hallmark of our Lord and God, our Father, giving us the hope, just what we sinners need. Praise God and rejoice! 

Finding Life the Easy Way

        Matthew 10.32: "Everyone who acknowledges me before others I will acknowledge before my heavenly Father." Take advantage of this wonderful mercy! I can argue that entering heaven is super easy if you pay attention to what Jesus says.

*Most Urgent Concern

        It's definitely not what new car you should get or even how you can bring peace to the world. It should be how you're going to face God when the time comes.        

Sign of Spiritual Growth

       Becoming more humble.

Serious Consequences (for Not Being Serious)

        In Luke 17 (and Matthew 24), Jesus talked about his coming. He said to his disciples, "As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be in the days of the Son of Man; they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage up to the day they entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all. Similarly, as it was in the days of Lot: they were eating, drinking, buying, selling, planting, building; on the day when Lot left Sodom, fire and brimstone rained from the sky to destroy them all. So it will on the day the Son of Man is revealed." Today's world is no different since the times of Noah and Lot. People are now eating, drinking, marrying, buying, selling, planting, building – not believing in Jesus and what he had said the slightest. Accepting Christ becomes impossible when they all play his role. Human intelligence has made them lose common sense. There will be absolutely seriously consequences for those who have so much pride that they do not take Jesus seriously. Those who reject God will be rejected by him in the end – common sense. I can only pray for them as hard as I can. 

To Get Close to God

        This morning as I was going to Mass, I realized that it's another day to do some of the many necessary things on a list I have prepared. Then every day is also a day for us to get close or closer to God. In fact, this should be our prime goal daily. And we can accomplish this by performing all things for the sake of the Lord. 

*How to Be Truly Cool

        People can hate you, even if you have not wronged them. Let it go and pray for them, for God loves them too. What you should be concerned about is whether you wrong God or not. He always loves you despite your sinfulness. Take this seriously and pray for his help and forgiveness. In other words, care only about what God thinks about you and never let anyone else rob your of peace. In my book, this is being truly cool.

Christ My Heaven

        Communion experience. Christ has settled my eternal destiny. In him I have begun and shall end. Now I remain in him, completely safe. He is my heaven!

Fantastic News

        Today is the feast of St. Luke. Entrance antiphon from Isaiah 52.7: How Beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings glad tidings of peace, bearing good news, announcing salvation! In plain language, God has cleared the way so that if we believe in Christ, we shall live forever with God in heaven.

***Conquering God (Not a Fairy Tale)

        God is like Mount Everest. To conquer him, we must climb the mount. Surrendering to God is like receiving a speedy aerial tram from him. Getting on it and you are pulled to the top fast. Then God is all yours. He and you now live as one happily ever after.