**Benefits of Prayer

        Pray the Rosary is not that easy for some, for you are supposed to meditate upon the mysteries as you recite the words. I believe that when you have the Lord in your thoughts, he is present with you already. And when he is present, no evil can possibly approach you. That's why praying unceasingly is so beneficial.

***True Freedom Meaning**

         In my last post, I talked about freedom. So what is true freedom? Certainly being able to do whatever we want is not it. Freedom can only mean that we no longer sin! Think about it carefully and you'll see that I am right. Should sin does not exist, we'd never wonder whether we have freedom or not. It is sin that causes us to lose our freedom. I can also say that when one is no longer on the way to heaven, he has lost his freedom.

****Obey God and Be Free

        How can you obey God and still be free? Let me explain. If you don't obey God, then you are free to do whatever you want to do. Invariably, you end up sinning, becoming enslaved by your own sins, and losing all your freedom. On the other hand, God never forces us to obey him, so it's by our own free will that we choose to follow him. Now we serve the Lord freely, and we stop sinning or at least get all our sins forgiven at all times. As a result, we are truly free. In sum, only God can set a sinner free.

****Be Proud of Loving God

        If you love the Lord and feel prompted by the Holy Spirit to declare your love for him openly and have no problem yelling out "I love you, Lord" at the top of your voice, you are ready for total abandonment to him. Many Christians love God but remain quiet, either their hearts are not on fire yet or they stifle the Spirit. Openly expressing your true feeling allows the Holy Spirit to reign free within your heart, thus setting you free. Don't be a closet Christian. Be a bold, proud, and fearless follower of the Lord instead.

***Understanding God's Love for Us (Living the Most Wonderful Life)

        God loves us so much that if we can actually feel that love, we would break down, cry, and beg for his mercy. If you love someone, it's natural that you would want that person to love you back. God's love for us is so great that he's not satisfied if we just love him back 10%, 50%, or even 99%. So when we love him back 100%, union with him takes place and we start living the most wonderful life!

***Freedom from Knowing Christ

        If you do not know Jesus well, you simply live for the world. You seek pleasure and find enjoyment in food, music, art, collecting objects, various hobbies, leisure time, your environment, etc. When someone dear to you passes away, you look back and go over old memories trying to find some answer. In sum, people dwell upon the present life or reminisce. I treasure the freedom that comes from knowing Christ. I am now free from the world and the past and know exactly where I am going. This makes all the difference to one's outlook and disposition. I no longer need to struggle to figure out what I should do to find happiness in this life, and the past is no longer relevant. I am still in the world, but I have a comprehensive overall understanding of it and beyond. Thanks to Christ, I am no longer bonded to this world and this life.

***Most Beautiful Life

        Today at Mass, when I heard the priest say the words of the Lord during consecration of the bread: TAKE THIS, ALL OF YOU, AND EAT OF IT: FOR THIS IS MY BODY WHICH WILL BE GIVEN UP FOR YOU, the Lord readily changed the the bread into his body without reservation. It struck me that I should receive him into me without reservation too. When we want to be united with him as eagerly as he wants to be with us, the most beautiful life begins.

**Learning from the World and God

        Reading today's psalm 19 prompts me to share the following thoughts. In my many decades of existence on earth, I have learned a lot about engineering, mathematics, music, photography, etc., but none can compare with what I've learned from the Lord in the last decade and a quarter. While the world gave me knowledge, the Lord gave me wisdom. The world taxed my mind, but the Lord refreshed my soul. The teachings of the world can be drudgery, but God's revelations are always delightful to the heart. The world is often vague, but God always clear. God's words are Spirit and life.

***Joy of a Christian

       In today's first reading from Nehemiah 8, Ezra the scribe read the laws of Moses to the people. He told them not to be saddened on this day holy to the Lord, for rejoicing in the Lord must be their strength. Come to think of it, joy is a Christian strength. The joy of Christ's Resurrection alone is enough to overcome all sorrows. A Christian who experiences no joy in his heart is not a bona fide Christian. Even being persecuted for the sake of Christ or suffering for him becomes a joy. We have another distinguishing mark of Christianity here. This is a good time to watch the video Infectious Joy in Jesus I posted on October 17, 2010.

**Why Spread the Gospel?

         There are those around the globe who do not know Christ through no fault of their own, but are good people—they may still be saved through God's mercy. Then why do we still need to spread the gospel? We do it for these reasons. (1) Before his Ascension, Christ commanded his Apostles to go into the whole world and proclaim the gospel to every creature. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved. (2) Truth deserves to be made known to all. (3) Even though those who do not know the gospel may be saved, they do not have the assurance. Knowing and believing in it makes it certain that you will have eternal life in heaven. This is the crowning trademark of Christianity.

**Dealing with Temptation*

        If we pray the Our Father and ask him not to lead us into temptation, we must learn to turn away from temptation the instant we sense its presence. As starving the ego is the best way to eradicate the ego, escaping from temptation is the best way to overcome temptation. It is to be nipped in the bud fast. If you have a pretty good conscience, a one-second delay can cost you many days without inner peace. Temptation is worse than quicksand or plague, for it can lead to spiritual death. 

***Our Only Business

        We need to see all others as our loving Father sees them. He loves them all and wishes them to be saved from eternal damnation. If we go against his will, then we really do not love him, and we become no different from those we dislike, despise, or hate. Our only business is to learn to be like our merciful Father.

*Price Christ's Disciples Pay

       Today is the Day of Prayer for the Legal Protection for Unborn Children. Legalizing abortion is the greatest sin of this nation. We need to repent and try to correct this grave wrong before asking for God's blessings. Allowing the murder of the defenseless, innocent unborn shows the extent to which evil has entrapped this country. We are in an emergency right now.
        The Gospel reading today from Mark 3 consists of only two verses: Jesus came home with his disciples. Again the crowd gathered, making it impossible for them to eat. When his relatives heard of this they set out to seize him, for they said, "He is out of his mind." For any of us who are zealous in following Christ, be prepared that others, often our relatives, may think that we are out of our mind. For we are not of the world anymore. This is the price we pay as his disciples, and what we gain is great joy now and forever.

**Two Truths We Face*

        Today I see these truths. (1) Since we have inherited the original sin, we are somewhat like wild animals that need to be tamed; and to let God love us is exactly what we need and can transform us. (2) We wonder what life is all about: Christ turns out to be our test. Whether life is meaningful or not depends entirely upon whether we accept him as our Savior or not.

**Sane View on End of the World

         Ralph Martin of Renewal Ministries is a spirit-filled person who loves the Lord, not one of those self-proclaimed prophets. And I value his views. Here's an interview with him on the end of the world. After I watched it, I rejoiced that I actually know Christ the Lord God and creator of the universe personally and most intimately. The incredible is now totally credible!

**What's Truly Impressive

        Here is a video showing the new art museum named M+ Museum which just opened in Hong Kong last November. It took 10 years to build and is spectacular and most impressive. For many, it'd be an exciting place to visit. But I doubt if a project like this would draw people closer to God or help them get to heaven. I thought of Mother Teresa of Calcutta (now Saint Teresa) who went to India to care for the poorest and the dying. Her work impresses me more than any mega-project the world has built. All that glitters is usually empty.

**Praying Properly*

         Since God always looks into the heart, we should love him with all our heart and pray to him with all our heart too. We can rush through a prayer to fulfill our obligation, say it lukewarmly, or take our time and pray with utmost sincerity, meaning every word we say. I believe that the last way mentioned is most proper and will work wonders. Surely God is to be taken seriously, and you reap what you sow.

***Baptism of Jesus Christ

        I love the first Luminous Mystery of the Holy Rosary, Baptism of the Lord. Here is a cool new video to watch: