***Secret of Possessing God

        Let the Lord God inspired you to want to be humble for his sake. Don't even think about that he will exalt whoever humbles himself. We must decrease to zero so that God may fill all of us. Voilà, when we become nothing, God is all ours!

***Exciting, Purposeful Living

        Jesus wants us to live a life known to him only, that is, living a secret life in him for him. At the same time, once we taste his sweetness and witness his magnificence, we cannot possibly contain our joy anymore – we just want to proclaim his love and mercy to everyone everywhere! So it's remaining hidden in God, while proclaiming him openly to all. This is living the exciting, purposeful life.

**So Much to Learn from God

        Sometimes I feel frustrated and lose patience when people don't seem to want to understand me. At Communion time, I realized that I was still being self-centered. Didn't I tell myself not to care about what people think of me? It's what God thinks alone that matters. I looked at the Lord. When people did not listen to him, he felt sorry for them, but never showed frustration, for he understood them perfectly. His great selfless love motivated everything he did, enabling him to be infinitely patient. We fall so short of God's perfection that we have no better choice than following him even more closely.

God's Awesome Love

        If we are willing to die in someone's place, we may be able to save that person's life on earth. Here we have Christ who died for all of us to save us forever! Be awed by his pure, selfless, magnanimous love to let it change your present life as well.

***Repentance Absolutely Required

        It was clear from today's Gospel reading from Luke 24 that the primary mission Jesus gave to his disciples was to preach repentance for the forgiveness of sins to all the nations in his name. And we are to continue doing so. Repentance is absolutely the key to entering God's kingdom – we must get our sins removed to be saved! Repent to God if you care about your soul. His mercy does not expire, but our lifetime will. God has yielded to his love for us, now it's our turn to do the same. 

*Serious Transgression

        If you truly believe that Jesus is God, you would want to believe in him. Therefore, if you do not believe in him, you are saying that he is not God. This has to be a most serious transgression affecting your eternal existence, if it turns out that you were wrong. 

Be Free to Meet God

        I look around and see the many things I have in my house. There are my piano, CD collection, various objects on shelves picked up over the years, my books, family memorabilia, car, all the tools stored in the garage, my computer, smartphone, the many personal photographs enlarged and hung on the various walls, etc. They have been useful or given me pleasure over the past. Then I see one day, I'll be gone. All these things will be taken by others, sold, given away, or thrown away. So it's clear that all things on earth do not belong to us at all – they are on loan from God for a brief time, you could say. It would be extremely foolish to hold onto all these things and care about how they should be taken care or disposed of after you leave. Again, get attached to God to get detached from everything else. Let God free you before meeting him. 

**Wise Choice*

        Since I have a finite mind and am not able to comprehend Almighty God completely ever, I choose to believe in him without question like a child.

***Smart Approach to God

        Struggling on your own to love God is always hard and ineffective, for it's like trying to pull yourself up by your own bootstraps. Surrendering to God is the smart way to go, for it unlocks the power of God to make everything easy. Think outside the box to be successful.  

Holy Desire

        It is true that God gives us living water so that whoever drinks it will never thirst again (John 4.14), for when you have the Lord, your life is fulfilled. Then this creates a new longing as you discover that the Lord is so lovely and beautiful that you long to be with him in heaven. Unlike the first thirst, this is a happy, holy desire letting you know that God is in union with you.

*Beautiful to God

        We stop sinning and become beautiful to God. And loving God is the most beautiful act we can perform.

*Jesus' Special Love

         When you let Jesus love you, he makes you selfless to want to love all others for his sake. Here is love that melts hearts and transforms lives.

*Before Changing Other

        To those who love to judge others: Do you ever see yourself the way you see others? As a matter of fact, the only way to find and connect with God is to look deep within yourself first, for connecting with God involves the heart. Look inward to ask God to change you first before expecting others to change.

The Lost Attracting the Lost

        This is a generation of lost souls. I see films, literature, fine arts, song writers, etc., often produce works that are ambiguous, aimless, without a clear message. They can be intriguing and fascinating, but never satisfying. They resonate with a large audience precisely because the audience is largely lost too. To me, all these souls are unknowingly looking for God, only in the wrong places. All they need to do first is to open up to Christ to let themselves be found.

Time to Appreciate Mary More

Notre Dame Cathedral Fire

        A timely message from Fr. Mark Goring.

Be True to God and Yourself

        Always be true to Christ and yourself. Let love, never ego, motivate all your thoughts, words, and actions. How others will receive you is not of your concern. You'll know you are being true if your heart remains at peace, as the Lord grants peace always to those who obey him.

**Self-Preservation First

        The Cathedral of Notre Dame of Paris caught fire a few day ago. The fire damaged the church so badly the spire collapsed. Various treasures within the church were damaged or destroyed too. The news shocked people worldwide. – it was sad news for all. Then I realize that any church is basically a building that can never last forever. The Temple in Jerusalem was destroyed by the Romans in the first century. Most people who visit Notre Dame are tourists, not pilgrims. Do people feel sad about the dwindling church attendance in France? Of course, I'd like to see all great cathedrals and basilicas preserved. But I also see that God would much prefer that we keep our souls safe and unblemished. Therefore, be concerned about your spiritual condition first before all other concerns about things material.