**Freedom from Fear of Death

        Today is the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord. In the second reading from Hebrews 2, Paul wrote that the Devil has the power of death, but Jesus can free those who through fear of death had been subject to slavery all their life. It makes me see that if you fear death, you are not free, and the resurrected Lord is precisely the one who can remove the fear of death from us to set us free by granting us eternal life.

**God Exceeding Our Expectations

       This we can be certain of. When we start to consider God's beauty, mercy, faithfulness, sanctity . . . all the good qualities, the reality has to exceed our highest expectations, as it is impossible for us finite beings to comprehend fully the infinite God.

***When God Honors Us . . .

he never inflates our ego. Instead he humbles us and fills us with great joy! And our soul is refreshed! (I love my Lord.)

***How we are judged

         God judges us solely by how obedient we are to him.

*****The One We Must Face*

        Christ or the God of Christ is the only one everyone must face now or later. There is not another one like him, for he is our creator, our final judge, and our God. In John 1, the Apostle speaks about Christ: "He was in the beginning with God. All things came to be through him, and without him nothing came to be." Again in John 14:6, Jesus said to Thomas, "I am the way and the the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." His Crucifixion proves that he loves us and his Resurrection and Ascension prove that he is indeed the Lord God. Since facing him is unavoidable, it'd be wise to face him now, not later. If you don't believe all I've said here, then you are living in an imaginary world.

*Big Realization*

        In this life, unpredictable things happen to us our whole life. Blessed is the one who finally realizes that he cannot possibly be happy without the God of Christ, turns and gives himself to him, and finds meaning in life and peace in his heart. Now he can finally say what David proclaimed to God in Psalm 86: "You are my God." The has to be the big realization that cheers up the whole heaven.

**Expediting Attaining Union with God

        Every time we pray or do anything, we can act to surrender ourselves to God from the heart. This is most appropriate and should speed up our process of attaining union with God.   

**Where to Experience God

        Just saw this video featuring the Prahran House in Melbourne, Australia. It's a luxurious home beautifully designed with expensive art works filling the whole house. It seems that everything about the house was specially designed and the overall picture you see is quite impressive. Then I do feel that one would not feel free living in such a home, for everything has to be in place and safeguarded. The bottom line is that we cannot be spiritually free if we must serve our own material treasures. In fact, it is in suffering that we find it easy to unite ourselves with the Lord God. (To see and read about this house, you can go here.) 

**God Screens Us

        When we hire someone to do a certain job, we screen the candidate carefully to make sure that he or she is the best person for that job. Now, to determine whether we are to go to heaven or hell is so much more important that whether we are qualified for filling some job vacancy. The Lord has to be sure that we are holy enough. That's why we need to do everything according to God's will. For every thought, word, and deed of ours he knows and matters.

***One Thing We Must Know***

        There are zillions of things we don't need to know in our lifetime, and it doesn't matter. But we cannot afford not to know whether Jesus is truly our God and Savior, for it could be absolutely disastrous for us if we find out after we die that he indeed is. 

***Irresistible Lord

        Communion experience. As the bread and wine were transformed into the body and blood of the Lord, his light shined upon me. I was not worthy to receive him, yet I had no choice but to submit myself completely to him. I received the Holy Eucharist, for the Lord is irresistible, and he healed my soul.

Appreciating God

        At Mass this morning, I saw myself, a most wretched sinner, before the Most Holy One, yet he understands me perfectly with great love. How could I not be moved and grateful! 

** Prayer Coverage

        We can just pray that God's will be done, not asking for anything in particular. This is a prayer that that's comprehensive and should please the Lord greatly, for it calls for our total obedience and abandonment to God. Then in Matthew 7, Jesus says, "Ask and it will be given to you." In Luke 18 in telling the parable of the persistent widow, he teaches us to ask for our rights with persistence. I thought about it and saw that we should pray both ways. We need to pray for our total abandonment to God always and our specific needs with persistence. 

**Trusting in God ≠ Doing Nothing

         When I say that I trust in God and do not worry about any problem that might come up, believing that God will always take care of it, people often misunderstand me and tell me that you can't just sit home, do nothing, and expect God to do everything for you. They are right and they are wrong. Of course, I would do what I can, but if I can't possibly solve my problem on my own, then I am confident that God will step in to help me do it. After all, nothing is impossible for him. In fact, as soon as a problem comes up, I hand it over to him and do my part, knowing that he'll be with me doing his part.

***To Be a Saint

        For most people today, to be a saint couldn't be further from their mind. It's easy to think that saints belonged to the past and are totally out of fashion now. The fact is that fashions of our world come and go, while achieving sainthood puts you ahead of all the fashions and you remain in fashion forever! And by the way, there's nothing more exciting and satisfying than being in union with God as a saint.

**Be Mary First

        In Luke 10, we read that a woman whose name was Martha welcomed Jesus. She had a sister named Mary who sat beside the Lord at his feel listening to him speak. Martha, burdened with much serving, came to him and said, "Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me by myself to do the serving? Tell her to help me." The Lord said to her in reply, "Martha, Martha, you are anxious and worried about many things. There is need of only one thing. Many has chosen the better part and it will not be taken from her." We have to be Martha sometimes and Mary at other times, but we must be Mary first always. When we are Martha, we must be a Martha who does not get anxious nor worry about things. In my own case, prayers, blogging, and other spiritual works must take priority over all other necessary tasks. And I can certainly do all things in Jesus' name and for his sake.

**Clear Choices for Us

        Here are our only two choices.  (1) We have the God of Christ. He is all holy and loves us. If we follow him, We are set free from sin and gain peace in this life and eternal life afterwards. (2) We have Satan who is all evil and hates us. If you follow him, you may get to enjoy all the worldly pleasures, fulfilling your temporal desires, but then you'll suffer hellfire for all eternity afterwards. 

***God Perfect for Us

        Of course, God is almighty so that nothing is impossible for him. And through Christ we know that he absolutely loves us. It is clear that he is exactly the one we need, the one perfect for us. Submit ourselves to the God of Christ and we are loved and protected for all eternity. Our life is now completely fulfilled!