**How to Love Right

        To truly show your love for someone is to respect that person's wish and not do to him what you think might make him happy. For example, my son gives me a nice gift on Father's day. I appreciate that. But I would be so much happier if he would watch some videos I sincerely wish he'd watch instead. In other words, you take into consideration of what your loved one desires. It's the same way to love God. We simply obey him, not doing what we think might please him, which, of course, could turn out to be the same thing, but the motivation is different. 

**Important & Not So Important Things

        I was weeding in my yard early this morning when it was still cool. It may still take a few more mornings to finish weeding all around the house. The Lord made me see that weeding wasn't such an important task, for if I die today, leaving it unfinished would be just fine. So what is important? Let me use an example. Suppose you feel that you should forgive someone, but somehow you keep putting it off. Then you are dying and regret that you haven't let that person know of your intent – that is important. Right now I feel called to share some spiritual insights with someone, I know I should do it ASAP (definitely before I die). As for the weeds, one day they might get all wiped out or get to grow madly – who cares? So you see, anything you do for the sake of the Lord then is important.

*One Reason We Need God

       We cannot cleanse ourselves of sins, so we cannot become holy on our own. Only God can take sins away from us, so only he can make us holy. We absolutely need him.

**Your Lord and Your Teacher

        God is our absolute standard. The saints are great, but not perfect. Anyone one, no matter how holy he might be, pales to nothing when measured against the Lord. Therefore, you may bypass all the saints and look up to the Lord only for inspiration and guidance. The Lord is your only master. Let him be your only teacher too.

**True Love, Fake Love

        God loves us with a pure, unconditional love. Whether you are a sinner or saint, an unbeliever or a devout Christian, he loves you just the same. This is loving by will, unaffected by feelings or emotions – the way he wants us to love others. It makes loving the unlovable or our enemies possible. The is true love. As for fake love, the best example is provided by some of today's crooked politicians, not much different from the scribes and Pharisees of the days of Jesus. They promise to fight for you, but after securing your votes, never do anything for you. It's like giving you a rope to hang on, never intending to pull you all the way up. This is fake love, which the hypocrites promise but never intend to deliver.        

***My Pure Joy

        Communion experience. The Lord defends me as his treasure! He is my pure joy!

To Be Unstained by the World

        In today's second reading from James 1, the Apostle advised his readers to keep themselves unstained by the world. I say amen to that because the secular, ungodly world is much like a huge mud pond – it's just so easy to get stained by it. But Christ can keep us pure and clean if we'll abandon ourselves in him. For he is our one and only Savior!

*To Forgive Is Divine Indeed

        A prominent politician has just passed away and had a most prominent funeral service held for him. He had planned it to make sure that some of his political enemies wouldn't be invited to attend his funeral. He had the right to do so, but my thought is that if you are already on your way to meet your Maker, shouldn't you at least make sure that you no longer hold any grudge against anyone anymore?

***God Forever Our Hope

        God is our great hope. With God our Father, you can alway start afresh – no matter what your past is like – it's never too late – the past is gone, let it go – now you can start with God again with a clean slate – he always waits for you – you are now the prodigal son returning home – get ready for the welcome party – rejoice! – he's ready to cleanse you of your sins and make you holy – amen, now you are set to enjoy heaven in your Father's house for all eternity!      

Connecting With God Intimately

         Communion experience. I connected with my God most intimately, at the heart, soul, and spirit levels through the Holy Eucharist.

How do We Serve the Lord?

        The Gospel reading from Matthew 26 today gave us the parable of talents. Three servants all received talents from their master. Two of them traded with their talents and doubled their money, while the third one just buried his one talent in a hole. On the master's return, the two productive servants were given great responsibilities, while the nonproductive one not only had his talent taken away from him, but also got thrown into the darkness outside. For to everyone who has, more will be given and he will grow rich; but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.

         It so happened that early this morning before Mass, the Lord got me thinking about how we serve him at different levels. At the highest level, we do everything for the sake of glorifying him. Then we also do things indirectly to serve him better, such as exercising our body, enjoying certain recreation to get us recharged, etc. Descending lower, we do nothing for the Lord nor anything bad. At the lowest lever, we simply go against him in all things. A productive Christian will grow rich (spiritually), while a lazy Christian will lose everything at the end.

**Free and Content

        Communion experience. I experienced true freedom in the Lord, having been liberated by him in spirit. I was content, having seen his unique beauty with my heart.

***Real Flesh and Blood

        Today's Communion antiphon, John 6.54: Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, says the Lord, and I will raise him up on the last day. If Jesus had said, "Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood, I mean symbolically, of course, would have eternal life . . ." – anyone could have picked up some bread to eat and some wine to drink anywhere anytime and have eternal life.

Being Extremely Foolish or Wise

         Today's Gospel reading from Matthew 25 is on the parable of the ten virgins. The five foolish ones were not ready when the bridegroom showed up, while the five wise ones were all prepared to meet him. So we have the foolish and the wise. We'll all fall into one of the two categories when Christ comes next. 

**Which Possession for You?

        When you are possessed by the devil, you become totally enslaved and can only be delivered by God. On the other hand, when God possesses you, it means that you now belong to him completely. Since God never violates your free will, his gift for you, it means you must have wanted to belong to him, which means you've been liberated from yourself. Of course, you are still free to leave the Lord anytime you wish to, but why would you, now that God also belongs to you?

**Question for Thought

        If Jesus comes right now, what would you like him to find you doing? Watching an R-rated movie? Quarreling with someone? Thinking about taking revenge on someone? Not liking yourself? Feeling down or upset? I hope not.

*Protection of the Soul

        Communion thoughts. The Holy Spirit protects us by purifying our soul. Once the soul is clean and made whole, it is safeguarded for eternity.

*Power of the Spirit of God

        During the liturgy of the Eucharist, the Spirit of the Lord descends upon the bread and wine, transforming them into the Body and Blood of our Lord, Jesus Christ. As we receive the Eucharist, we may ask the same Spirit to descend upon us to transform us into new, clean and undefiled souls.