**Perfect Rest for Eternity

        Today is the Epiphany of the Lord, commemorating the manifestation of Christ to the gentiles when the Magi paid homage to the infant Jesus. Epiphany means "a showing forth." My personal epiphany today is realizing that in Christ we have our perfect rest. When we rest in him, our sins are removed, our heart purified, our soul healed, our spirit freed, our eternity settled, all our burden lifted, and our peace restored. We fulfill both God's desire and our own secret wish. We are now completed by him.

Tragedy and Loss

        It can be considered a tragedy if you let the time of your life pass without seeking to achieve union with God. And I also consider it a big loss if one never gets the chance to receive the Lord present in the Holy Eucharist.

Never Enough Time on Earth

        Just got back from attending a funeral Mass for a close friend of my wife's. Her death came unexpectedly. This teaches us never to think that we'll have enough time on earth to do all the things we want to do. With limited time, we must consider what we should take care of first. We spend time either serving God or money, building up treasures in heaven or not, getting our eternal destination settled or not. It's never too early to deal with what's critical to our eternal wellbeing. This is being both truly farsighted and realistic. 

Being With Jesus

        Communion experience. Great joy. I focused upon Christ alone, shutting out my past and not looking ahead either, knowing that as long as I am with him every moment, I do not have to worry about a thing. He remains trustworthy forever. 

*God's Promise!

         Today's Communion antiphon, Matthew 19.29: Everyone who has given up houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands for the sake of my name will receive a hundred times more, and will inherit eternal life, says the Lord. Here is Jesus' promise. If you realize that sometimes your own family is even more important than yourself, why not give up yourself first? Then everything else will follow. The Lord has placed eternal life completely within our reach!

*Great Journey With Jesus

        In today's Gospel reading from John 1, Jesus called Nathanael. Philip first found Nathanael and told him, "We have found the one about whom Moses wrote in the law, and also the prophets, Jesus, son of Joseph, from Nazareth." But Nathanael said to him, "Can anything good come from Nazareth?" Nevertheless, he went with Philip to see Jesus. Jesus said to him, "Before Philip called you, I saw you under the fig tree." Nathanael was bowled over and answered, "Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel." Jesus said to him, "Do you believe because I told you that I saw you under the fig tree? You will see greater things than this." 

        We can all see great things if we follow the Lord faithfully. This is precisely what makes seeking union with God so exciting. The great thing here is seeing that God can actually transform us, and experiencing it is what makes our discipleship exciting. Never a dull moment, that's for sure!  

**Secret of Possessing God*

        If you try to hold onto God, let go of him to let him take hold of you. In life, you should always get out of the way so that God may be free to do what he wants with you!

**Sober Thought and Advice

        Last night I did not fall asleep right away. As I stayed awake in darkness, I suddenly saw that human souls are continuously departing from this world. With the world population over 7 billion, I have no idea how many souls are leaving every minute or second, but the number should be high enough that the movement would appear to be continuous. Of course, in no time we'll be joining that line ourselves. My thought is that we should definitely plan well now so that when we cross over to the other side and face the Lord, we will be directed to proceed toward heaven.

***Completing Union With God

        Today's Communion antiphon, John 6.51: I am the living bread that came down from heaven, says the Lord. Whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread I shall give is my flesh for the life of the world. Again, at the Last Supper, he took bread, said the blessing, broke it, and giving it to his disciples said, "Take and eat; this is my body." I underlined "is" for emphasis, for nowhere in scriptures did Jesus ever use the word "symbolizes" in place of "is." Those who do not believe that the consecrated bread and wine are truly the body and blood of the Lord miss something really big. To me, just as I am assured that my sins are forgiven after receiving the sacrament of confession, I am assured that my union with the Lord is complete after I receive him in the sacrament of the Holy Eucharist. 

Perfect Communion Prayer

        Communion thoughts. Before Jesus breathed his last on the cross, he cried out in a loud voice, "Father, into your hands, I commend my spirit!" This makes a perfect prayer for us to say during reception of the Holy Communion, for it expresses our willingness to entrust ourselves to the Lord. 

Living Without Anxieties

        I've advocated living for God alone and not caring about what people think of you. This is abandoning yourself in God. In that case, you ask the Lord for favors and are no longer concerned about when and how he is going to answer you. Thus, you banish all anxieties. 

Our Last Words

        Have you ever thought about what your last words will be before you die? Some like to reveal their personal wishes and others, to confess their personal secrets, to others. It dawned on me today that I really should reserve my last words for Christ, whom I was soon to meet. I know what I shall say already, but that's going to remain personal. 

*Beware of False Prophets

        In today's Gospel reading from John 1, John the Baptist testifies that Jesus is the Son of God. He has personally come and revealed to us all we need to know to be saved. He also foretold that false prophets would arise after him. Therefore, if any self-proclaimed prophet today add or subtract something to, or change what the Holy Church holds Jesus to be, dismiss him or her instantly. First of all, you can be sure that anyone who claims that Jesus is not divine serves the evil one.    

*God Praised

        God the Father is great, for he is holy. God the Son is great, for he is meek and humble. God the Holy Spirit is great, for he is gentle and patient. The Triune God is great, for he is Agape.

**The Beautiful Soul*

        We all have a soul. When I look at the portrait of someone or the person directly for the first time, I can to a small extent sense what kind of person I am looking at. Of course, the more I get to know the person, the more I become sure about him or her. Nevertheless, I shall never know what's truly in his or her heart. But, the Lord, being our creator, knows everything about us – he sees the heart inside and out and even our soul, which is dearer to us than the heart. Even though I cannot read anyone as the Lord, I can picture a person with a pure heart and a spotless soul, constituting a most beautiful sight for the Lord to behold. And we know that any of us can be that soul, if only we'd let God do whatever he pleases with us.     

**Either for or Against Christ

        Today's first reading at Mass came from 1 John 2. The apostle writes: "Who is the liar? Whoever denies that Jesus is the Christ. Whoever denies the Father and the Son, this is the antichrist." Many of us still have not fully accepted the Father and the Son. According to St. John, they are still not out of the antichrist camp yet. Let's realize that with God, it must be all or nothing. We either belong or not belong to him. On the day of judgment, we'll be either chosen as sheep or rejected as goats.    

**Supernatural Communication*

        It is through the senses that we experience pleasure, revulsion, or other feelings; but when the Lord bypasses our senses and reaches directly for or touches our heart and soul, it is the greatest consolation and most satisfying feeling this side of heaven.

**Best New Year's Resolution

        Happy 2018 to all! If you have not made any resolutions yet, how about resolving to go all out to love the Lord our God? Give him what he deserves, for he has already given us his only Son to us! Give God all you've got and all of yourself, and you'll live the most satisfying and rewarding life. I tell you, this is how God has made us. Give in, listen to him and follow him, and he is all yours. Make union with God your goal this year.