Our Primary Concern

        I see people with everything and people with nothing in this world. Life can be so different for different people on this earth. Then I realize that all this in such a short span of time really doesn't matter much, for everyone will enter eternity either to be with God forever or to be separated from him forever. It is the forever part that we need to be primarily concerned about.  

It Will Have to Happen!

      Today we celebrated The Ascension of the Lord in my parish. Now that we know Christ is God our creator, we see that his Resurrection and Ascension just had to happen. And I have no doubt that his coming again to judge us all will have to take place also in time.

**On Carrying Your Own Cross

       Jesus said to his disciples, "Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me." Today the Lord made me see a couple of new things. First, taking up the cross is clearly carrying a burden, but the Lord wants us to do it willingly, even lovingly, and full of hope! Look at Jesus carrying his own cross on the way to Golgotha, he suffered great agony, but he never complained or became depressed. Secondly, some of the crosses we can actually ask the Lord to take away for his glory. For example, a loved one has not opened up to Christ and you feel the heavy burden. Naturally, you pray hard for him for the glory of God; but indirectly, you are asking him to take away that cross. I now see Jesus both as a cross-bearer and a cross-remover.

*Bread From Heaven

        Communion experience. If you believe that receiving the Lord is receiving pure love, then after absorbing and assimilating it you will become more like him.

**Union Privileges

        In today's Gospel reading from John 16, Jesus, with his impending death and resurrection in mind, said to his disciples: "You will weep and mourn, while the world rejoices; you will grieve, but your grief will become joy. I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy away from you. On that day you will not question me about anything." I'd like to testify that once you attain union with the Lord, the joy of his Resurrection overcomes all your sorrows and you experience such contentment that you no longer question him about anything anymore.

Our New Movement

        I don't consider myself a political person. But I now sense a movement that has begun among the black Americans which can potentially turn into a tidal wave, even influencing the world globally. As you know, some 95% of black American today support the Democrats, although they were all Republicans the early part of last century. (To learn about what happened, it's worth listening to some of Dinesh D'Souza's talks on YouTube.) The bright young star of this movement is Candace Owens whom you can also watch on YouTube. The goal of the movement is to make the black Americans see that they should not blindly follow what the politicians on the left (who care only about getting their votes) and the liberal media tell them – which is that they are the victims and the government will always help them. The plain fact under the rule of Democrats has been that more black families break up, go on food stamps, become unemployed, abort more babies, and die from gang violence. They are now beginning to wake up, realizing that they needn't choose to be victims, that they should not always do what they're told, and that they can think for themselves and form their own opinions. This is just the beginning, but the trend is already clear.

         As Christians, we should likewise cut off listening to the world and place our entire focus upon following Jesus Christ. Let this be our new movement.

Whom Can We Trust?

        Really, outside God, whom can we truly rely upon? Our president? Friends? Ourselves? Another human being? I think not. Go through the process of elimination and you can't help ending up with God alone.

In a Celebratory Mood

        Communion experience. My soul experiences freedom, peace, and joy, proving that the Lord dwells deep within me. This puts me in a celebratory mood. 

**Most Fulfilling Experience*

        Falling in love with someone is great. Falling in love with one who is your soulmate is even better, but chances of finding a perfect soulmate on earth is nigh impossible. Now, when you seek union with God, the Lord lovingly transforms you into his perfect soulmate and you fall in love with him in the process. Therefore, union with God becomes the most fulfilling and satisfying experience you can ever have, on earth or in heaven! 

*Joy of My Soul

        Communion experience. I wanted to cry because my soul sensed the beauty of my Lord.

*Peace of Christ

        The peace of Christ comes from knowing that he has taken away all you sins and you are now heaven bound. More fundamentally, it comes from discovering that his love, beauty, perfection, and sanctify are exactly what the soul seeks. 

Best Possible Move

        God has created us to have him to be our center, and to obey him. Otherwise, we only create disorder and chaos in ourselves and for others. Broadly speaking, we are the ones who can mess up the whole universe. If you see this, then you should run toward him, your Father, without delay, and everything for you will turn out fine and then some. That would certainly be the best possible move of your existence. 

Improving Our Health

        People are so concerned about their health that they read and talk about what they should eat, how they should exercise, or even the kind of cookware safest to use. But they often forget that the most serious threat to our health are the stresses we face in life, and overconcern about our health only creates more stress. Christians overlook the fact that by abandoning themselves to God, they can actually become stress-free, thus benefiting their health greatly. God can take care of us in all things – we only need to put our faith in him.  

Sweet Sorrow

        Christians, being human, feel sorrow like anyone else, but their sorrow is always lined with joy. Once the soul has experienced the joy of knowing Christ, no sorrow can ever crush his or her spirit anymore. Sorrow normally burdens the soul, but to the Christian, all sorrows experienced for the sake of Christ are essentially sweet, for they always draw him or her closer to the Lord.

Securing Our Soul

        What is most important to us is our soul. If you can entrust your soul to God, then you indeed have faith in him and your soul will be secure in his care forever!

The Best Part

        Communion thoughts. You watch the news and see everyone talking a mile a minute, nonstop, and you realize how infinitely more beautiful and peaceful it is to remain silent in union with Christ. The world is in total unrest because it does not know him. What came to my mind was what the Lord said to Martha who was anxious and worried about many things, while her sister Mary was sitting at Jesus' feet listening to him speak: "There is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part and it will not be taken from her." (Luke 10:42.)

*Extraordinary State

          Living in Christ is an extraordinary state, for it remains so, as everything around you passes.         

*Ruining God's Plan

       In today's Gospel reading from Acts 16, we heard read that at Philippi, the crowd attacked Paul and Silas, and the magistrates had them stripped and beaten with rods. Afterwards, they threw them into prison. About midnight, there was suddenly a severe earthquake; all the doors flew open and the chains of all were pulled loose. The jailer woke up and was alarmed when he saw the prison doors wide open. He rushed in, saw Paul and Silas, and trembling with fear, fell down before them. He then brought them out and asked, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?" And they replied, "Believe in the Lord Jesus and you and your household will be saved." God has truly made his plan for our salvation simple, but we often make it as complicated as possible. Instead of making his way straight, we make it crooked or set up roadblocks in our own way. A tragedy in the making!