God Our Last Resort

        Today's entrance antiphon from Psalm 105: Let the hearts that seek the Lord rejoice; turn to the Lord and his strength; constantly seek his face. These verses were timely for me to read, for I had a burden that only the Lord could remove from my heart. This is the God with whom nothing is impossible. It is good that when I feel hopeless in solving a problem, I can turn to the Father who can and will take care of it one way or another. I truly felt today that was what God was for. Praise him!

Special Love for God

        Communion experience. I felt a great love for the Lord for being able to change me and making me holier. 

**Challenging Message

        Today is All Souls Day. From the Gospel reading from John 6: Jesus said to the crowds, "This is the will of my Father, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in him may have eternal life, and I shall raise him on the last day." The message is plain and clear. If you have no proof that he is lying to you, then you have no choice but to believe in him with all your heart. 

God Perfecting Us

        Communion experience. This was receiving the Lord who can make you perfect! He'd make you to be like him to see things his way! It should be most exciting!

Our Ultimate Concern

        The latest shocking news is the terror attack that took place in New York City in which a suspect drove a truck through people, killing 8 and injuring 11. It's easy not to expect something like that to happen to you, since you are in an entirely different location. But all these things happen unexpectedly. The victims this time didn't expect that they would be struck either. May I mention that the coming of Christ will also happen at an unexpected time. The best policy and wise plan is to be prepared always: when you are ready to meet God, you may ease your mind over all other concerns.

Living With God

        See everything, large or small, difficult or easy, unpleasant or pleasant, that happens to us as giving us an opportunity to grow holier, learn from the Lord, and trust in him even more. After all, he is our God, Father, teacher, guide, and friend who loves us greatly. Besides, with him we get to respond properly in all situations. Let him live with you and he'll protect and guide you always. 

To Be Like God!

        In the second reading from 1 John, the Apostle wrote: "Beloved, we are God's children now; what we shall be has not yet been revealed. We do know that when it is revealed we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is." We shall not only see the Lord, but shall be like him! Rejoicing is in order. Better yet, start to be like him by seeking union with him now.

***Christ Can Save Us!

        Today is Solemnity of All Saints. In he first reading from Revelation 7, in a vision the writer saw a great multitude from every nation, race, people, and tongue. They stood before the throne and the Lamb, wearing white robes and holding palm branches in their hands. They cried out in a loud voice: "Salvation comes from our God, who is seated on the throne, and from the Lamb." I want to cry out aloud in unison with the multitude to proclaim that Christ, the Lamb, can save us! Later in the vision, an elder revealed to the writer that those wearing white robes were the ones who had survived the time of great distress, washed their robes and made them white in the Blood of the Lamb. Again, I want to cry out to let all know that Christ can make us clean! Don't you know all this good news yet?

Peace and Strength from God

        Communion experience. I experienced profound peace in the Lord and received courage to deal with the various problems of life. The strength comes from becoming detached from the problems.

*Most Tragic Misunderstanding

        Believing that Christ who only wants to love you and lead you to heaven wants to take away your freedom and force you to obey him in all things.

Grab Jesus While You Can

        The world in deeply divided into those who follow the God of Christ, those who neither follow nor reject him, and those who outright reject him. Since we will all be judged by Christ, it comes down to whether you believe in him or not. He is our center and reference point. There will never be another one coming who is God and loves you so much that he would save you from sin by sacrificing himself. 

Dazzling Glory and Amazing Love

        Communion experience. When the transfiguration of the Lord took place on Mount Tabor, we witnessed the dazzling glory of God. When we took the consecrated bread and wine that had change into the body and blood of the Lord through transubstantiation, we experienced the amazing love of God.

Most Essential Knowledge

        There are so many interesting things in this world for us to explore, discover, pursue, and learn, and most of us are doing just that. This is fine, but all this knowledge is only useful to us in our time on earth. Our priority should be as Jesus has advised his disciples to seek the kingdom of God and his righteousness first. The Lord asked his disciples, "What profit is there for one to gain the whole world and forfeit his life?" Here we may ask: "What profit is there for one to gain all the knowledge of the world and not know God at all?"

***Thoughts on Salvation

        If anyone should knowingly reject God, salvation for him would be difficult; but again, nothing is impossible with God. Most people who believe but not seriously might be unknowingly teetering on the brink of becoming lost forever. An any rate, we must pray for everyone. Keenly aware of the horror of being separated from God forever, I must cast aside all personal feelings and wish everyone to enter heaven. Of course, the Lord is infinitely more merciful than I, so it's logical to believe that he would want everyone saved even more! This is what all of us should realize, that God so wants us to return to him to be free and happy. If you still turn away from him, then you truly become a helpless soul.  

***Worthy to Be Loved*

        The almost infinite number of prayers we say are based upon this one prayer: Thy will be done. Therefore, perfect obedience to the Father makes you worthy to be loved by him. 

***Simple Secret to Happiness

        We are unhappy because we want things turn out the way we want. So if we let things turn out the way God wants, we are off the hook and become free. Then however things turn out, we are Ok with it. In other words, the secret to freedom and peace is to let God be God, nothing more. Yes, it does go against your human nature, but your human nature tends to sin, so let God change it!

*Astute Observation

        Since God lives forever, we'll live forever too if we hold onto him tight or attain union with him. 

***To Love God Properly

        In today's Gospel reading from Matthew 22, Jesus gave the greatest commandment: "You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind." How can we possibly do so? Well, since his love is the greatest, we can ask him to let us use his love. But how are we to receive it? Answer: we be wide open to let him love us. Then his love will pour in and fill our hearts. Now we are ready to love him back.