**To Be Happy with Self

        One is happy with himself when he realizes that God truly loves him; he accepts this love and finally is at peace with himself. Now he is ready to let the Lord make him holy. If you do not like yourself, you still have your ego and are not truly free yet. 

*God Most Amazing*

        The sun is so familiar to us and we don't think much about it unless you are an astronomer or scientist. I watched History Channel's documentary The Secrets of the Sun and was amazed by its power and its uniqueness in the universe. I learned that it's been burning for billions of years and probably still has billions of more years to go. The distance between the sun and the earth is just right so that we get the right temperature for life to survive. The moon is just smaller and closer to the earth enough for a total eclipse to happen. In the past, solar storms had amazingly reached the earth in about 16 hours, covering 93 millions miles. In one Marian apparition, it was revealed that fire would fall from the sky one day–could it be a severe solar storm hitting the earth? The sun is amazing and powerful, but the Lord is its creator. At Fatima, he made the sun spin and fall from in the sky. Everything in the universe obeys the Lord except us. Let us be amazed by him and become obedient too.

Forgiving the Evildoers

        There are many evil people today who are easy for us to hate. Then I remember that Jesus even prayed for those who put him to death: "Father, forgive them, they know not what they do" (Luke 23.34). So I truly feel sorry for all the evildoers too, for they know not what they do and what they would face if they do not change their ways. We must be merciful as our Lord is merciful.

To Be Prepared Always

        Jesus wants us to be prepared always, for he will come at an hour we do not expect. Just in case he does not appear in our lifetime, we must also be ready for our own death. And since many today suffer dementia as they age, we ought be watchful for that too. If all this is too much, just trust and follow the Lord faithfully and he shall take care of you. 

***Food for Immortality

        Communion experience. Yesterday, as I received the Holy Eucharist, I realized that this was the true food that would make me immortal, for Jesus promised in John 6 that "whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood will live forever."

***Most Important Statement

        Christ is our Savior because he is the only one who can free us from ourselves and everything else! (That is why I want to belong to him alone.)

New Freedom in Heaven

        In today's Gospel reading from Luke 20, Jesus made it clear to the Sadducees that once we are in heaven, the family relationships we had on earth will no longer exist. We all become God's children, and like the angels we cannot die. It indicates to me that in heaven we'll experience a new freedom, becoming attached to God the Father alone. I surely look forward to that day.

How God Settle Things

        Hearing the phrase "forever and ever" can bring great joy to those who will be with the Lord or cause great fear in those who will be separated from him after they die. In today's reading from Psalm 9, verse 6 reads: You rebuked the nations and destroyed the wicked; their name you blotted out forever and ever. With God, everything will be settled once and all for good. 

Smart Living

        Most people seek happiness in this life first and fail to find true peace and joy in the end. The smart ones secure their eternity through Christ first and experience freedom, peace, and joy in this life as well. The contrarian wins here. I am one who can testify to you that this is true.

***Requisites for Receiving the Eucharist

        To get the most out of receiving the Lord in the Holy Eucharist, we must (1) be in a state of grace, (2) be open to him, and (3) desire union with him. This is the way to holiness. Missing (1), you would be offending the Lord. Missing (2), you would receive no benefit, wasting your and God's time. Missing (3), you would not become a saint. 

**Wondrous God

        Communion thoughts. Let us see that God accomplishes everything effortlessly and miraculously. During the liturgy of the Eucharist, the Lord so transformed the bread and wine into his own body and blood. Our God is a wondrous God.

Great Stumbling Block

        Many people do no believe in Jesus, but there is really no good reason for that. I believe they do not accept him because their pride is too great, for to accept him is to make him their Lord! This is the stumbling block. 

**God Always with Us

        As I age, I realize many things I never thought about before. I can say that I am now much wiser, thanks to God. When we were young, we dreamed about our future on earth. Since we were in good shape physically, we pretty much thought that we could try anything we wanted. As we age, we start to see things differently. Of course, there are always some who die young unexpectedly, but most of us live to an older age. Then one day we realize that we are getting weaker physically. Our joints are now stiffer and even getting out of bed becomes hard. Any bruise mark we get doesn't go away for weeks or months and recovering from a serious injury seems to take forever. When an old person suffers a bad fall, it could end his or her life. Recently, a number of my old (age-wise) friends lost their driver's license. In this country, if you can't drive, you have to depend much on others. And we know that no one on earth can help our deteriorating condition and all of us will be left with God alone. This has been the reality ever since our birth, but we are only now aware of it. Yes, only God is always with us.  

Moment of Exaltation

        Communion experience. This was the moment God exalted us for yielding ourselves to him.

*Day of Chastisement

        Today is Memorial of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary. In today's Gospel reading from Luke 19, Jesus drew near Jerusalem, saw the city and wept, for he foresaw the coming onslaught on and destruction of the city. We do not take God seriously enough to realize that if we do not turn to God, our day of chastisement will surely arrive. Any cause will produce its effect. May we wake up to this fact before it's too late. 

**Most Profound Celebration

        Communion experience. It's the Lord completing my joy. Mass is the most profound celebration of all celebrations. We celebrate the Lord coming to us, giving us himself to consume in the Holy Eucharist so that we might have eternal life.

Controlling the Ego

          Serving the Lord without an ego is not easy. There are times we have an amusing thought and want to share it. It's OK if the motive is not to want others to notice you. But sharing it while serving Mass is usually never appropriate. It boils down to whatever you do, it must not be centered on yourself. And believe me, it's easily said than done. 

Saluting Fellow Brothers and Sisters

        At my church, I see many of my brothers and sisters in Christ who serve the Lord faithfully. They form the core of the parish, for they perform many duties faithfully, including cleaning the church every Friday, despite facing severe family and/or health problems in some cases. I praise our Lord for them and know that he will reward them greatly.