"Be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect." (Matthew 5:48)

Tuesday, August 28, 2018

***Essence of Union With God

        In the Our Father, when you pray "Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven," you really will to let God do whatever he wants with you. If you truly mean it, you'll experience inner peace and freedom. For you are no longer concerned about this life, the coming judgment, and eternity. As a matter of fact, you don't care about anything anymore – you simply let God do what he wants with you, which is letting him love you freely, which is being in union with him.  

**Yes or No to Union With God

        How do you respond to God's call to union with him? That would involve total commitment on your part, which many are not ready to make yet. So promoting union with God can create a disconnect with others. This blog in 8 years has garnered not quite 140,000 pageviews. Many viewers are simply one-time viewers, but judging from the stats, I can see that I have loyal readers in various countries. Recently, besides the United States, the audience have mostly come from Russia, Ukraine, Romania, Germany, France, and Portugal. Interestingly, Catholic countries such as Ireland, Spain, and the Philippines do not show up much. By the way, this blog, being associated with Google, is officially blocked in China, but I do notice a single individual reading it consistently. 
        Union with the Lord is his call to completely embrace his love for you. It is the call for you to reach the highest level of your existence. To turn a deaf ear to this call is to stifle the Holy Spirit, showing the lack of a strong faith. Nothing is impossible with God! This I know, for all of you who are seeking to attain union with God, he will bless you unceasingly. To anyone who has, more will be given and he will grow rich (Matthew 13. 12).

Monday, August 27, 2018

**Root Cause of Restlessness

        Today is the Memorial of Saint Monica. Communion thoughts. We humans are restless when we do not know what life is all about and what's going to happen to us after we die. After receiving the body of Christ in Holy Communion, I experienced deep inner peace because I had reconciled to God my Father and knew that I'd be returning to him soon. Both my destiny and destination are set. All the trials and tribulations I experience on earth are passing, but the bliss in heaven shall never end. Inner peace stems precisely from knowing all this for certain. Without this knowledge, the outcome is restlessness.

Sunday, August 26, 2018

On Saying Prayers

        There is a difference between begging God for favors and offering to do something for God. We hear too many prayers said asking the Lord for this or that, which is fine and proper; but they should be balanced by prayers offering ourselves up to God in some way, as giving is always considered better than begging. Granted, the latter type is better said in private. Nevertheless, whatever prayer we say, the goal must be clearly to glorify God.

**Sign You Are Not Ready for God

        God already knows everything about you – are you happy about that? There is a difference between knowing that he knows everything about you and and being happy that he knows everything about you. If you are not happy about it, you are not ready for him yet. 

*God's Joy

        Communion experience. Today I experienced the joy of total submission to Christ. Like all other joys that come from the Lord, it was so overwhelming and sweet as to make me want to cry. That was truly weeping for joy.

Time for Surrendering to God

        When you can proclaim "My Lord and my God" to Christ truly from your heart as Thomas did, you are ready for surrendering yourself to him. 

**Power of Truth

        Jesus is demanding in the sense that he sets the highest standards for us, yet amazingly he makes us fall deeply in love with him. Such is the power of love and truth!        

You Reap What You Sow

        Make God #1 in your life and you'll be richly rewarded. This not only makes sense and is logical, it is also true as I can amply testify.

**The Discipline of Love*

        To love someone or God is to please the one you love. Therefore, you must will to do what pleases that person or God, not letting your personal feelings get in the way.    

Foolish Living

        When you live as if you know more than God, you risk losing your soul.       

Saturday, August 25, 2018

Power Experience

        Communion experience. The Lord transformed the bread and wine into his body and blood, and we were transformed through healing of the soul by receiving him into union with us. 

Ultimate Trust

        Yesterday was the Feast of Saint Bartholomew, Apostle. Communion thoughts. To give our soul to God goes beyond giving our heart to God. For while we use the heart to communicate with the Lord, the soul is the very essence of our existence. To entrust our soul to God's care is to trust in him ultimately. 

**Start With Yourself

        We must trust God in all things. And it's important to know that all things include yourself! In fact, you should start with yourself. After all, if you cannot put yourself entirely in God's hands, how can you say that you trust him in all things?

**No Limit to Loving God!*

        When it comes to loving God, you cannot remain content, for you can never love him enough. Another reason for seeking to attain union with him.

***Secret to Loving God

        Jesus tells us to love our enemies. How is this possible? When Jesus went on the cross to die for us, it's not exactly a pleasant experience. How was that possible? We see that to love others is to do God's will.  And to accomplish that, we must exercise our own will. Therefore, to love our enemies, we must will to do that, even if it's going to go against the grain. Christ willed to do the Father's will, even if he had to undergo the Passion. So, following God becomes sheer obedience – you sweep aside your natural feelings. This is the secret of success to loving God.         

Tragedy in the Making

        It is lamentable to see someone who does not take God seriously, living as if God doesn't care about him nor will there be any final judgment. This is risking losing the soul, the most precious part of our existence!  

Christ Our Perfect Lord

        Among all the human beings who have ever lived or are still living on this earth, there is only one who lived the most selfless life for love alone. And he happens to be our God and Savior – rejoice!