God, Kind to the Humble

        Today is the solemnity of Most Sacred Heart of Jesus. In reading 1 from Deuteronomy 7, Moses says to the people that God repays with destruction a person who hates him; he does not dally with such a one, but makes them personally pay for it. Strong words, but hating God is disbelieving in his great mercy. The response to Psalm 103 is its verse 17: The Lord's kindnesses is everlasting to those who fear him. So the condition to avoid God's condemnation is to fear him. In other words, humble yourself before the Lord and he'll be most kind to you.

**Starting Out Living Right

        On our own, we do whatever we want or feel like doing and inevitably end up deeply mired in the world. It is absolutely important that we get to know Christ first to let him become our guiding light. Get to know the Lord to the point of falling in love in him or attaining union with him, you will then develop a razor-sharp conscience and know exactly what you should or should not do and become free from the world and yourself. Jesus said in John 8.31, "If you remain in my word, you will truly be my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." This is exactly what happens. Knowing the Lord is like hitting that reset button—you get restored to the condition he wants you to be in. Then you are ready to overcome the world and march triumphantly toward eternity.

**Asking for What We Need

        In today's Gospel reading from Matthew 6, Jesus said to his disciples, "Your Father knows what you need before you ask him." This is comforting to know. In Mark 11.24, Jesus also said, "I tell you, all that you ask for in prayer, believe that you will receive it and it shall be yours." This is even more comforting to know. Basically, the Lord wants us to tell him what we need, trust in him, and remain in peace. 

**God Eagerly Wants to Adopt Us

        Romans 8.15BC, today's Alleluia: You have received a spirit of adoption as sons through which we cry: Abba! Father! (No doubt sons meant daughters too.) If you can truly call out "Father!" from your very hearts, the Lord has already adopted you as sons or daughters. It just show how easy it is to let him draw you close to him. Cry "Abba! Father!" unceasingly and you'll attain union with him too.  

*Our Judgment Inevitable*

        Know that the Lord God, being a just God, must administer justice. Therefore, our judgment will surely come. Be ready for it.

*Worst-Case and Best-Case Scenarios

Scenario 1
We were born into the world carrying the original sin.
The world is full of attractions and distractions.
The Son of God had come and made his plan for our salvation crystal clear to us.
But we are fully occupied with seeking happiness in the world.
Soon as we are dying, we may realize that we need to repent our sins to God.
But for some, it's already too late.

Scenaro 2
We were born into the world carrying the original sin.
Th world in full of attractions and distractions.
The Son of God had come and made his plan for our salvation crystal clear to us.
We feel the emptiness of life and the burden of sin and decide to follow God's plan.
Soon life may be over, but we look forward to meeting the Lord with great joy.
Eternal life awaits.

**Making the Right Choices

        Many choices are mutually exclusive. You cannot serve both God and mammon. You follow either God or the world (Satan). You end up in either heaven or hell. Today's Gospel reading from Matthew 6 offers more such choices. We can perform righteous deeds, pray, or fast openly for all to see or in secret so that only God knows. That is, we choose to be either genuine or hypocritical. The Gospel also shows that you either receive your reward in the open or are repaid by God in secret. Life is all about making the right choices.

***Cool Faith, God No Longer Amazing!

        In today's reading 1 from 2 Kings 2, the Lord sent a flaming chariot with flaming horses to take Elijah up to heaven in a whirlwind. Nothing is impossible for God and we should know that. After all, he created the whole universe and all of us. We should not be surprised by anything he can do, and that's the way we should live and believe in him. He has sent his only Son to die for us to save us. Cool, believe in that totally. He loves us and wants to take us to heaven in a way perhaps not as dramatic as or even more dramatic than the way he took Elijah. Cool, no surprise there either. So let the Lord do whatever he wishes and we just believe. If you are still surprised that God can do amazing things, then you don't know him well enough yet.

**Having Nothing to Regret Best

        In my younger days, I learned this piece of advice: Never do anything that will make you regret having done it afterwards. If "afterwards" also covers the time after you die, it makes even more sense. Then after death, regretting anything won't do you any good anymore. This advice is to be followed when you are still living. For Christians, if you do not follow the Lord at all times, you'll have much to regret later. Let the Lord make you holy and you can forget about this rule.

***Decision Time for All of Us***

        Watch this video to learn about the parallel wars that are raging both within and without the Church, instigated by the same evil spirit. With God we shall win. Without him, we will perish. Time to choose sides. 

***How to Be Perfect

        In today's Gospel reading from Matthew 5, Jesus said to his disciples, "Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your heavenly Father. So be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect." Jesus is revealing to us what the Father is like. He loves all sinners and wishes them to be saved. If we can be like him, then we are perfect.

**Our Fundamental Problem*

        Our most fundamental problem is that we sin against God. If we do not solve this problem, then we are doomed. Follow Christ and the problem is fundamentally solved. Think about it! 

**Pitying the Liars

        Last Saturday, I blogged about how the Lord wants us to be honest and genuine always under the post How to Behave Ourselves. To be fake is to be evil. Satan spreads lies by telling people to lie. I look at the world and see that politicians and fake news media lie conspicuously nonstop. They feel no shame whatsoever. I pity all liars, for they know not that they are losing their souls. Smart people do not lie. The smartest ones are those who put all their faith in God. The Lord is infinitely patient, but to push him without limit is just about the dumbest thing you can possibly do.     

***Perfecting Our Existence

       The God of Christ is precisely whom we need to perfect our existence. He can take away our sins. Then he can fill us with the Holy Spirit. Finally, we and God can become one. I use the auxiliary verb "can" because each stage requires our full cooperation. Of course, we can expedite the whole process by surrendering ourselves completely to God right from the beginning, but this doesn't happen to most of us chronic sinners. Once you attain union with the Lord, you know that your existence is perfected. Physically, you are still here on earth; but spiritually, you are now with God. When you dwell in the truth, all truths become known to you.

***Words of Eternal Life

        Today is the Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ. In reading 1 from Deuteronomy 8, Moses reminded the people that one does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes forth from the mouth of God. Bread sustains only our physical life. To have life for all eternity, we need to live by every word that comes from the Lord. What Jesus said in today's Gospel reading from John 6 is especially important: "I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread I will give is my flesh for the life of the world. Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day. For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me an I in him. Just as the living Father sent me and I have life because of the Father, so also the one who feeds on me will have life because of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven. Unlike your ancestors who ate and still died, whoever eats this bread will live forever." After hearing these words, if you take eternal life seriously, you'd never take receiving the Holy Eucharist lightly anymore.

***Christ Completely Alters Outlook

        If you do not know Christ or your faith is feeble in Christ, you have nothing much to look forward to. So you naturally try to hold onto yourself and what you can find in the world that gives you some comfort or happiness. Soon, life is almost over and you don't know what awaits you. To me your whole life is rather bleak. By contrast, one who has allowed Christ to make his faith strong knows that the Lord is caring for him, guarding him, and leading him to eternal life. He still enjoys the good things of life, but never become attached to them, knowing that he'll experience far greater joy after he leaves this world. He is free, for he knows where he is now and what his future will be like. This is living the fulfilled, confident life full of bright hope. 

***How to Dispose of the Evil One*

        Know that the Evil One is already doomed. One day he'll be stripped of all power. Meanwhile, the correct and effective way to disable him is to love and obey God. If we had done so all along, the world wouldn't be so godless as it's today. So love and obey Christ in all things and you effectively shut the Evil One out—you put him out of business, you could say. You now fully belong to the loving Father and nothing can possibly take you away from him. What a blessed and glorious state! Rejoicing in the God never stops.

**How to Behave Ourselves

        Today is the memorial of St. Anthony of Padua. In the Gospel reading from Matthew 5, Jesus said to his disciples, "Do not swear at all. Let your 'Yes' mean 'Yes,' and your 'No' mean 'No. Anything more is from the Evil One." To me, Jesus is telling us to always remain cool and be honest with him and with all others. In short, be genuine always. To be fake is to be evil. Today, to see much of what's coming from the Evil One, you only need to watch or listen to what most news media report daily.