**God Is Our Joy!

        Philippians 4.4: Rejoice in the Lord always. I shall say it again: rejoice! We are exhorted to rejoice throughout the Scriptures. To be Christian is to rejoice in God always. It's hard to imagine that one can love Christ and not smile. The thought of God alone should make our hearts bubble with joy. We are so blessed to have a God who loves us to death, who is infinitely merciful, and who has revealed to us his plan of salvation, clearing the whole way for us to enjoy eternal bliss with him in heaven. So let your heart leap for joy! God is not only the source of our joy, he is our great joy! 

*Important Consideration

        If you believe that you do have a soul, that you do not just become nothing after you die, then looking into the afterlife and the existence of heaven and hell becomes absolutely necessary if you do have a sound mind and some common sense. If you ignore it, you should at least understand what your reason is. Gambling with your money is being foolish. Gambling with you soul is far beyond being foolish.

*Humility and Holiness

        Witness Christ who was misunderstood, falsely accused, horribly maltreated, and finally crucified. He did not protest to claim that he was innocent and his enemies wrong; he even asked the Father to forgive them. This is true humility. Now look at ourselves. Anytime someone disagrees or argues with us about something, most often trivial, we so want everyone else to see that we are right and our "opponent" wrong! Where is our humility? We may be considered nice and decent by ourselves and others, but without true humility, we definitely are not holy (nor cool). 

Receiving Life Through Christ

        In the olden days, emperors of China searched for the elixir of life, hoping to gain longevity or eternal youth. Today we have anti-aging creams and pills widely available on the market. When I last received the Holy Eucharist, it dawned on me that I was receiving the Lord who was to grant me eternal life in heaven! Never mind the elixir of life or those anti-aging stuff.                                   

**An Insight*

        The fact that Jesus underwent his Passion from the Last Supper to his death on the cross willingly without protest shows his genuine love for us.

**No Better God!*

        I love my Lord because not only I can share honestly whatsoever is in my heart with him, I can also laugh with him or cry with him. There is no better God or friend; he is to be savored and cherished. What a joy and privilege to know him! 

**Do You Know?*

        You can share anything with the Lord from your heart without feeling ashamed because he understands you perfectly and will be only too happy to cleanse you and make you whole again!

A Christian Stance

        Look up to God only and never look down on anyone.

Amazing Truth

        Do you know that the God of Christ is nothing short of being able to take away all you sins and give you eternal life? If you already know, then think about it seriously.

***Most Sweet Voice

        The voice of the Lord is the sweetest of all voices, for it is not only pure, but also most intimate, speaking directly to you from within your heart!   

*Pitiful Generation

        In today's Gospel reading from Matthew 11, Jesus said to the crowds about their generation, "John (the Baptist) came neither eating nor drinking, and they said, 'He is possessed by a demon." The Son of Man came eating and drinking and they said, 'Look, he is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.'" Our generation today is no different. People judge you outright and with their mind made up criticize you no matter what you say or do. We have a firmly closed-minded generation that urgently needs God's mercy shutting God out. 

Greatest Privilege

        Communion experience. I felt completely satisfied and was elated that the Father has chosen me to belong to his family.

Following Jesus Properly

        Today is Memorial of Saint John of the Cross. Matthew 16.24 is the Communion antiphon: Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me, says the Lord. It seems that Jesus already knew that he was going to carry the cross on which he was to be hanged before his Crucifixion and he wants us to be like him. As our shepherd, he is also our model.

Another Union Advantage

        Seek union with God so that loving him not only is a duty you feel you must fulfill, but also becomes your second nature. 

Living in Joy

        God loves us so much that any expression from us showing that we care for him, no matter how minute, greatly pleases him. We all know when we make someone happy, we feel happy too. Therefore, when we go all out to love the Lord with all our heart, all our soul, all our mind, and all our strength, we are rewarded with great heavenly joy.

*Secret of Living a Blessed Life

        Make Jesus the Lord your focal point and never look beyond him. And do this in secret. Then you'll be filled with hope, lose all anxieties, and experience consolation in your heart, thus living a most blessed life.

*True Humility

        Anyone who is full of pride with a big ego does not turn to God, for he is playing God already. Therefore, those who seek union with God are the ones who truly possess humility, knowing that they are weak and helpless without him. 

**Completing the Union

        Communion thoughts. It is an elementary mathematical theorem that if A is a subset of B and B a subset of A, then A = B. So if we wish to dwell in God and we let God enter to dwell in us, then God and we become one. Every time I let the Lord in through receiving the Holy Eucharist and accept his invitation to dwell in him, our union is complete. How so cool it is! (I'm just excited.)