*Face of Jesus*

Selfless Act

        Serving God is different from any other act. When you serve God, you don't count the cost.

**Choosing the Right Fire*

        Let the fire of the Holy Spirit set your heart ablaze when you are still alive to avoid ever getting burned by the fire of hell after you die. (Never die with sins unforgiven!)

Weeping Time

        Today is Palm Sunday of the Lord's Passion. Reading 2 came from Philippians 2. Paul writes: Christ Jesus, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God something to be grasped. Rather, he emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, coming in human likeness; and found human in appearance, he humbled himself, becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. It is pitiful that the world remains as if in a coma, oblivious to what God had undergone for the sake of saving us! Even as Christians, many if us live more or less a self-centered life. The Lenten season is a good time to weep for the whole world, preparing ourselves to be awakened and rejuvenated by the joy of Christ's Resurrection on Easter Sunday. 

**Learning From Abraham

        In Genesis 22, God tested Abraham by asking him to offer up his only son Issac as a burnt offering. Abraham obeyed. He built an altar, put wood on it, and bound Issac and put him on top of the wood on the altar. After Abraham reached out for his knife and was about to slaughter Issac, the Lord stopped him for not withholding his son from him. Now, many of us have children who have abandoned their faith in God and we parents are praying hard for them. Abraham's example should teach us to offer up our children to God also and trust that the Lord will save all of them in the end.   

***Getting to the Soul

        Today's Communion experience. We physically and mentally feel things in this world. When I receive Christ, he affects me both physically and mentally. Then John 4.24: God is Spirit, and those who worship him must worship in Spirit and truth. Therefore, the Lord affects our soul on the spiritual level, working in the background, as it were. When I believe and submit myself to the Lord, he heals my soul and draws me into union with him, and this is revealed to the heart first. Through physical and mental means, let the Lord get to your soul to make it whole and perfect.

The Enthusiastic Christian

        Communion thoughts. God wants to give us all the blessings we need for our spiritual growth. As receivers, we should be the like the receiver in a football game, grab the ball, hold onto it, and head straight for the goal to score. This is how enthusiastic we should be about God's gifts. 

Hardened-Heart Danger

        In today's Gospel reading from John 10, the Jews tried to stone Jesus for blasphemy, for their hearts were so hardened that even all the good miraculous works they witnessed meant nothing to them. A hardened heart is a foolish one, while an open heart, a wise one. Being open-hearted does not risk losing your heart; it simply lets you discern right from wrong. If what you observe is truly false, you can always reject it. On the other hand, a hardened heart is a closed, judgmental heart, already set to dismiss what might be the truth. It becomes a danger to one's own soul.  

*God's Love Revealed to All

        Reading the Psalms, I realize that the psalmists truly loved the Lord, for they knew that he loved and was merciful to them. I now see that the coming of Christ into the world revealed to us that God not only loved the Jews, but also all the non-Jews as well.

**Christ Our Ever-Shining Light

        Everything of the world fades away. Citing one example, the vast number of PhD theses written by past brilliant scholars are now all stored away practically forgotten in college libraries. Well-known historical figures no longer seem so prominent as they were once. Christ is the only light that shall shine forever brightly before us, being the light that can dispel all darkness and transform us also into beings of light.  

Self-Giving Time

        Communion experience. Today's Communion antiphon, Romans 8.32: God did not spare his own Son, but handed him over for us all, how will he not also give us everything else along with him? Yes, God has given us all things. Communion time is the perfect time to once again give ourselves to God with thanksgiving.

**Two Ways of Approaching God*

        (1) Believer A prays hard and persistently; he asks but never abandons himself much to God. (2) By contrast, believer B yields and opens up his heart completely to God, not asking for much of anything. Which believer do you think will receive the most benefit? (Hint: The Lord seeks your abandonment and trust more than anything else.)

**Insuppressible Joy!*

        Once you have tasted Christ the Lord himself, you will want to shout as loud as you can to let the whole world know what a great joy he is! The Spirit of the Lord may be gentle, but let him kindle your heart and he will fill your heart with joy that's insuppressible! And the soul goes on a continuous joyride (not recklessly though).

**Day of Greatest Joy

        Today's entrance antiphon, Hebrews 9.15: Christ is mediator of a new covenant so that by means of his death, those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance. When we inherit something, it's not because we have earned it; we receive it because of our special relationship with the benefactor. When you respond to the call the heavenly Father, you become an adopted son or daughter of his, an heir! Thus, one day you will inherit all he has to give you. That will be a day of your greatest joy. Just thinking about it should expunge all the blues from your heart.

**Playing Chess With God

       I see everyone of us playing chess with God. God has already made his move and is waiting you to move against him. But in this game, after you move God simply retreats, for he has already decided to let you capture him to win. So make your move now before the time set runs out.

Personal Private Universe

        Communion experience. Let the Lord dwell within you and he creates a personal universe for you to live in, enjoying your union with him in great intimacy. 

*One True Freedom

        In today's Gospel reading from John 8, Jesus said to those Jews who believed in him, "If you remain in my word, you will truly be my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." "Freedom" sounds like a beautiful word, but not all freedoms are good. For example, freedom of speech invariably leads to disorder and freedom to chose abortion is purely evil. All these freedoms enslave us, for they allow us to sin. Therefore, the only freedom that truly sets us free is freedom from sin. Let Jesus take our sins away and we are free. Remain as one with him and we continue to remain free.

Overview of the Spiritual Warfare

        Some thoughts following the last post on the life-or-death situation we are in. The spiritual war goes on between God and Satan, but we are really engaged in a war with ourselves. One part of us tells us to follow God and the other part, to follow ourselves – this is the fundamental struggle that goes on within us. Although God will overcome the evil one in the end, the outcome of our personal battle directly affects God's success. To not help the Lord who is on our side is to help his enemy who is also our enemy.