In a Sorry Spiritual State

        This is a materialistic world. Children born into it learn to be materialistic fast. On this Black Friday after Thanksgiving, people got up early and headed excitedly for shopping malls to hunt for bargains. God is at a disadvantage. It can be considered a miracle that one would think of God before him- or herself. I watched a short BBC video titled "What do people say before they die?" Interestingly, most of the interviewed did not talk about death, not knowing what would happen afterwards. Instead they looked back and wished they had done certain things or asked for some little thing to be done to fulfill their last wish. Again, God was hardly mentioned. Even though God had come into the world and proclaimed loud and clear the good news of salvation, and we should be full of hope and look forward to returning to him with joy, he has rarely been placed in the forefront of our mind. What we can count on is that the Lord knows that we are weak and that he is infinitely merciful.

Genuine Thanksgiving

        In today's Gospel reading from Luke 17 on this Thanksgiving Day, ten lepers met Jesus. They stood at a distance from him and raised their voices, saying, "Jesus, Master! Have pity on us!" Jesus saw them and said, "Go show yourselves to the priests." As they were going they were cleansed. And one of them, realizing he had been healed, returned to Jesus, fell at his feet and thanked him. What a beautiful gesture! Jesus then said to him, "Stand up and go; your faith has saved you." That was his reward for thanking God in humility! In Luke 18, we find the Pharisee in the parable speaking to God, "O God, I thank you that I am not like the rest of humanity – greedy, dishonest, adulterous. I fast twice a week, and I pay tithes ...." Jesus made it clear that this Pharisees went home unjustified, for he had exalted himself. Again, humility makes you genuine and win the heart of God.

One Great Feeling

        After taking a shower, you feel good because your whole body is clean. After you repent and have God take away all your sins, you feel great because now your whole soul is clean. This has to be one of the best feelings you can possibly have, since it comes from the Lord, removing all barriers between you and him.

What We Must Mind

        We must mind our business by not judging others, comparing ourselves with others, mentally censoring their behavior, or gossiping about them. The thing we must mind is their salvation.

Critical to Defend

        In our violence-prone society, many people take self-defense lessons to protect themselves. This is all good. But my thoughts are that in our sin-ridden societies, learning how to defend our souls is even more urgent, as our body will perish one day, but the soul lives on forever.

**Faith at Work

        The tactics for fighting temptation I just posted is consistent with how we should approach God. It goes back to always placing our trust in him to let him shield us and do the work on the front line for us. If faith can save our soul, surely it can get us out of any jam. The Lord loves to help the weak. Acknowledge truly that you are helpless without him and he will help you with all his might. It's plain faith-at-work. 

Fighting Temptation

        Know that the evil one wants you to believe that you are strong enough to fight temptation head-on so that he may lure you even deeper into it. Your soul is at stake! So the smart winning tactics is to run away from temptation straight into your Father's arms without delay, the moment you sense it. We ask the Lord not to lead us into temptation in the prayer he taught us. Now we can switch to asking him to protect us from temptation.  

*Zeroing in on Christ

        The title points to the way to eternal happiness. Since Christ is our God and Savior, it is logical and evident that he is whom we need to focus upon the most and love the most. If we obey and live for him alone, we shall experience freedom and peace now and everlasting joy later. This is my testimony to you. Of course, this presents a test to see if we would choose ourselves over him or not. Face it, we cannot escape the Lord in any way and whatever happens to us hinges entirely upon his mercy! Seek union with him now to smooth your way to eternity.

*Silly of Us

        We tightly hold onto things that pass or pass away, yet we forget that we ourselves also last only a brief time on this earth. Putting it mildly, how silly can we be?

At the Soul Level

        Communion thought. Jesus our Lord is not just to be consumed physically by us; he is to be absorbed by us into our very soul! 

God More Than Enough

        Never mind that people ignore you, hurt you, sin against you. Feel good that God always watches over you, cares for you, and seeks union with you. (No way you should reject such a friend.)

Behaving Before God

        If every move and word of yours are being videotaped, you probably want to make sure that you look good and do everything right. Now, if you realize that God sees better than any of the recorders, for he also perceives what's in your heart and mind, shouldn't you at least try to be holy at all times for him? 

If You Feel Depressed ...

        To those who are suffering depression, know that there is always hope in the God of Christ. You see, God has made us so that nothing can make us truly happy until we find and possess him! He wants to and can be all yours if you desire him. Then you'll know him by his love as he wipes away all your fears and tears. To despair when Christ the way and the truth and the life is present and had specifically come into the world to give you joy is both tragic and making you look foolish. When you get depressed, the Lord your Father, gets depressed even more, for his love for you is great beyond our comprehension. Why not cheer up to put a smile on his face, eh? 

**Small Step, Giant Celebration**

        If you wish to worship the Lord, praise him, enjoy him, rest in him, be in union with him . . . you can make all these happen by surrendering yourself to him, for he already knows all your wishes and only needs you to open the door to let him into your heart. This one simple step taken by you will have the whole heaven rejoicing for you and praising God! (You are never alone.)

Beyond Enjoying the Lord

        Communion experience. Before I go to him in person, the Lord and I are already in each other. Another wow!

**Sure Way to Heaven

        We always follow our hearts. So while you are still here on earth, start giving your heart to Christ and your'll end up one day in heaven.

*One Will Better Than Two

        It's so easy to do what we feel like doing, but there is no merit in that. The wise seek union with God first so that God's will and theirs may become one. Then in union, doing what God wants them to do becomes just as easy. 

Amazing Faith and Healing

        In today's Gospel reading from Luke 18, when a blind beggar heard that Jesus was going to pass by soon, he started shouting repeatedly, "Jesus, Son of David, have pity on me!" When Jesus saw him, he asked him, "What do you want me to do for you?" He replied, "Lord, please let me see." Jesus told him, "Have sight; your faith has saved you." He immediately received his sight. My reaction to this incident was "Wow!" Let's all turn to the Lord to ask him to heal us and make us anew.