On Feb. 1, I mentioned that I probably would not be able to blog until after Feb. 10. Well, things have turned out differently – I am back and blogging. Here's what has happened. I was asked to see three people south of here in Los Angeles, Temecula, and the San Diego area. My wife was already in Los Angles. I did not get a strong call to go until I heard that the friend in the San Diego area who recently lost her husband was feeling somewhat down, so I thought it would be a good time to lift her spirit by telling her about the Lord who can fill us with so much joy and hope. Yesterday I took the short flight in the morning. It had been raining hard all along the coast. At times in flight, the turbulence was so bad that the plane shook and jerked you thought it might break apart. Anyway, after a little over an hour, the flight continued past the arrival time for about 20+ minutes in grey and murky layers of clouds with horrible visibility. The time was before noon, but it looked so dark outside that you thought it was almost evening. Finally, the pilot announced that the plane was going to return to where we started, for he could not locate the airport landing strip and did not want to waste more fuel. It was all very dramatic. We finally got back, all passengers cheered. Clearly, the Lord did not want me to complete this trip for reason not clear to me yet. I also suffered from motion sickness, feeling dizzy and nauseous. Slept all afternoon and all night, feeling almost normal now. I thought of the suffering in hell again. It would be so much worse than feeling motion-sick and, worst of all, suffering for all eternity! I truly wish that no one would ever end up there. Do not commit any mortal sin. If you already have, go to confession and get it absolved. Salvation means saving your own soul too and first! This may be one of the reasons I did not complete this trip.
Sunday, February 3, 2019
Friday, February 1, 2019
Absolutely Sensible Advice
In Matthew 6.33, Jesus said, "Seek the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things [the pagans seek] will be given you besides." He is saying that we should choose God and heaven first, and not worry about everything else. [Note. I probably won't be able to post anything until after the 10th of this month. Meanwhile, God's blessings on all of you who visit my blog.]
Letting the Kingdom of God Grow
In today's Gospel reading from Mark 4, Jesus said to the crowds, "The kingdom of God is like a mustard seed that, when it is sown in the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on the earth. But once it is sown, it springs up and becomes the largest of plants and puts forth large branches, so that the birds of the sky can dwell in its shade." This is a beautiful picture. We should be the soil for the Lord to make rich so that the seed he plants in us can grow to its fullest potential. Know that what we produce may not be impressive or even visible to us, but it would be great in the eyes of the Lord.
Safe in God's Light
I see the Lord, the only one radiant in the darkness all around me, and I know that I am safe in his light which dispels all evil.
Thursday, January 31, 2019
*How to Stop Hiding!
It is easy for us to hide things from others, things that would make us look bad. But it is impossible to hide anything from God. Therefore, if you can completely open yourself to God, letting him take away everything that shouldn't be in your heart, then there'll be nothing you need to hide from others anymore. You are now liberated and free!
**Unequal but Fair
In today's Gospel reading from Mark 4, Jesus told the parable of the lamp and ended by saying, "To the one who has, more will be given; from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away." How does this make sense? Think of yourself as a receptacle. If you leave it uncovered, wide open, God would fill it with all he wants to give you, so you receive more and more. If you leave your cover on, then pretty soon whatever you had would either rot, so you have to throw it away, or be used up, leaving you empty with nothing. Lesson: never close your door on God.
Wednesday, January 30, 2019
**Right Way to Approach God
Martha Argerich is unquestionably one of the top pianists in the world. I watched this old video on YouTube when she was rehearsing the Schumann piano concerto and liked what she said about how she approached music. You can watch the video by clicking here. To find out what she said that resonated with me, read below.
"You must try to achieve directness with music. You know, like with a person. If you figure you know how you'll act with someone, it' a fiasco. That's not how it works. You have to be in tune to how that person is at that given moment, not to the idea you have of him."
We should approach God this way too. That is, we go directly to him, remain open and spontaneous (no preconceived ideas), and tune in to him. And great benefits will come through to us.
***Be Meek, Not Weak
There is a fundamental difference between being meek and being weak. It takes courage to be meek, which is to remain humble without ego. If you do not have the courage to speak out for the Lord or do what is right, then you are being weak or timid. For me, the Holy Catholic Church was established by Christ who promised that the gates of the netherworld should not prevail against it, so I firmly believe that the Church will always teach and safeguard the truths as she has so far done. Then because of it, all the more Satan wants to ruin her. With evil prevailing over the whole world, the time is so urgent that we follow Christ and be extra strong and active in fighting the battle for him. Sadly, there is a lack of both unity and strong leadership within the Church. At the meeting of the U.S. bishops in Baltimore last November, there was really no progress made in addressing the abuse crisis within the Church. Three days ago, I posted about the New York Catholic Governor Andrew Cuomo signing the horrible pro-abortion bill into law. The response from Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York as to whether Cuomo should be excommunicated as some other bishops had suggested was weak and evasive, showing that he was definitely no warrior or even soldier for Christ. He basic message is that we can go against the teachings of the Holy Church or commit other mortal sins and still receive the Lord in the Holy Eucharist when we feel like it. I also personally wish to hear a clear, strong, decisive voice coming from the Holy Father. This is no time to play nice, for billons of souls are at stake, while Christ is continuing to suffer because of us. The Lord was meek and humble, but he also spoke out without any fear. You can say that he is God and we are not, but aren't we supposed to imitate him?
*Our Best Good News
In the first reading today from Hebrews 10, Paul lets all know that where there is forgiveness of sins, there is no longer offering for sin. Let me just remind all once more that even though we are sinners, God has already resolved the problem! We don't ever need to be burdened or enslaved by sin anymore, for the Lord can make us clean if we repent. This is not just good news; it has to the best possible news we can ever get. For with our sins removed, the way back to our Father in heaven is made all clear.
**Losers and Winners*
We all play little games in life. This is what I mean. We have good and evil in this world and we make sure that we get the best for ourselves. It's figuring out how to make the most money, get the best possible deal, get into the best school, ensure that we have good health, etc. But there are also heaven and hell and one big game we mustn't neglect to play, and that is figuring out how we can get into heaven and not end up in hell. So, we have those who foolishly play and win all the little games, but lose the the big one they forgot about, and those who wisely play and win the big game before "playing" any other games.
Tuesday, January 29, 2019
***You Must Experience God***
God needs to be experienced. We need to get in touch with him, to get connected to him, and if fact, to become one with him. How do we do it? It's quite simple. First, be completely honest with yourself and with God. In a quiet chapel or somewhere you won't be disturbed, open yourself up to God to let him see everything that's in your heart – hiding nothing – this is important. Then he will make you see what shouldn't be there, the true reasons you are unhappy about certain things, why you have no peace in general, etc. You'll be revealed things that you would never see if you hadn't gone before him like this. Once you see all these things, you'll experience relief and new joy. After all, self-understanding is the key to spiritual freedom. If you feel like crying, cry your heart out, for it's the Holy Spirit touching your soul. The joy comes from knowing that God has removed the barrier between you and him. You are now connected directly with him. Yes, we all need to go through a breakdown to be made anew by God. Now, experience and rejoice in him as your most intimate soulmate. Your joy is now complete. (A footnote. If you are a Catholic, the best time for you to open up to the Lord is right after you receive the Holy Eucharist.)
**God Can Be All Yours
In today's Gospel reading from Mark 3, the mother of Jesus and his brothers arrived at the house in which he was speaking to a crowd. When informed that they were waiting outside asking for him, he said, "Who are my mother and my brothers?" Looking around at those seated in the circle he continued, "Here are my mother and my brothers. For whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother." So we can become members of God's immediate family by doing his will, no initiation required! As a matter of fact, if we abandon ourselves in God totally, he immediately becomes all ours!
Invisible Tug-of-War
In John 8.12, Jesus said to the scribes and Pharisees, "I am the life of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." Jesus has always given us the good news, straight and clear, showing his love for us; yet people find him to be a stumbling block. How come? I see a tug-of-war going on. If you are still resisting God, it's because Satan still has a hold on you, preventing you from joining God on the opposing side. You'll be free only if you break all the shackles holding you as a prisoner. This is the time to wield the power of your free will to let God set you free.
Monday, January 28, 2019
*Soul vs. Material Possessions
Communion experience. Our soul is our most precious possession. Compared to the soul, all our material possessions are worth nothing!
Smart Living
Of course, in life we do have things we must get done to meet some deadline, but most things can be left undone for a while. If you are OK with that, you have abandoned yourself to God to some extent. We all are going to die and I am sure on that last day, there will be many things still unfinished or not wrapped up yet, and we'll just have to let go. Since we do not know the day we die, why not let things go starting right this moment? We are just passing through on earth, so don't let anything tie you down. Remain free and enjoy life.
**God Does Not Worry
Jesus told his disciples not to worry about what to say when they face coming persecutions, for the Holy Spirit will teach them what to say. I am happy that I do not have to think about what to blog, for the Holy Spirit tells my heart what to say each time. Worrying should not be any Christian's cup of tea.
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