We Have Hope!

        On NPR this morning, I heard the sad story of Jeremiah, a 14 year old high school kid who took his own life because he couldn't take the bulling he received at his school anymore (http://www.npr.org/2014/01/31/268996343/when-jeremiah-couldnt-take-more-bullying-he-took-his-life). I've been pondering over the subject of suicide lately. If you take someone's life, you are still alive and have the chance to repent and confess to God and be forgiven. But if you take your own life, that chance is gone forever. In the case of Jeremiah, I don't believe he understood the seriousness of his act yet at his age. Besides, he might not even know Jesus. The Lord surely knew all the circumstances and could still easily forgive him.    

        How I wish I can let every single person in the world know that no one ever needs to feel hopeless, for Christ is our bright everlasting hope! This morning at Mass I saw that God is our only hope against evil. God is love, and without love we become defenseless. Sin takes over and we turn cruel against each other, heading toward eternal death. I am not being pessimistic, only truthful and realistic. Yes, even if your life is like living in hell, Jesus can change that hell into heaven as he is our only and true hope.   

Another Christian Benefit

        A Christian follows the will of God. When what God wants him to do is clear, he does it. When unclear, he does not get anxious, but prays and waits in peace. In this sense, a Christian always knows what to do. He's never feels lost ~ that's right.

Not Letting God Go

        Once we believe in God, we are safe and secure in his hands and need only rest in him and enjoy his presence. But sometimes I feel like holding onto him so tight as if I'm going to lose him. Then I realize that this is not due to any insecurity, but because I love and yearn for him so much. I call this "not letting go in God."          

Does Faith Need Works?

        Protestants believe that faith alone is sufficient for salvation, while Catholics quote from James 2 to claim that faith without works is dead. This is how I see it. If you truly believe in God and follow him, you will "automatically" be prompted by the Holy Spirit to do good works to serve and glorify God. Therefore, whether faith needs works or not becomes a nonissue. It also follows that if no good works come forth from someone who says that he has faith, then he is a liar.    

Reality Stories We Need to Hear

        Here are two Journey Home programs with terrific messages. The first is an interview with Kelly Nieto who was a new age atheist. What she has to say perfectly describes the state of our sick society today. 

        

        This second interview is with Leah Darrow. What she experienced was typical of what many of today's young men and women face. Every teenager would benefit from listening to her story. 

Guessing The Unforgivable Sin

        In today's Gospel reading at morning Mass from Mark 3, Jesus said to the scribes, "Amen, I say to you, all sins and all blasphemies that people utter will be forgiven them. But whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never have forgiveness, but is guilty of an everlasting sin." I had wondered what this unforgivable sin could be. I venture to make a guess here. In the Gospel, the scribes said earlier of Jesus, "He is possessed by Beelzebul [an unclean spirit]," and "By the prince of demons he drives out demons." It seems that the unforgivable sin must be calling the Holy Spirit an unclean spirit, which is the same as calling the Holy God the devil ~ God forbid!

Taking Advantage of God

        The presence of Jesus I am aware of has become overwhelming to the point I could no longer not think about him even for a moment ~ he is more real to me than anything else! God is just so beautiful and lovely, that's all I can say. I took advantage of this intimacy and shared with him a couple of my urgent wishes and knew that he heard me and would grant them in time. Let the Lord do whatever he wishes with you and he'll fill you with great joy by coming to dwell within you.  

Being a Christian

        A Christian does only the will of God. If his action benefits others, he expects no reward or gratitude, for he receives his reward and joy from God alone. A Christian never compares himself with anyone who is more popular, more powerful, more talented, or richer, for he prefers to remain peaceful through humility. A Christian cares about God first, others second, and himself last.     

Answering God's Call

        Today's Gospel reading came from Matthew 4 ~ Jesus began preaching and called his first disciples. If you are not happy with your spiritual state and wish to progress, what should you do? Here's my obvious answer: Like Peter, Andrew, James, and John who left everything at once to follow Jesus after he called them in the Gospel reading, you too should leave for the Lord immediately, for he has called you. The sinful state is a state of emergency and immediate action is required.

How to Approach God

        I felt well enough to attend Sunday morning Mass, but remained quiet for fear that using my voice would trigger coughing. Before Mass started, I thought about how we should approach the Lord. The following immediately came to the mind: Be open completely; remain passive and at his disposal; leave all our cares at his feet; ask no questions, only trust; rest in his peace now in his holy presence. This is total abandonment in God. This is enjoying him. This is what "Thy will be done" is all about. 

Becoming Beautiful Again

        In this life, we cannot get beautified, but we can be beautified by God. We were all born pure and innocent, but grow ugly as the sins engulfing the whole world start to stain and disfigure us. But God the Father wants his children to be beautiful always, for he dearly loves them. So, if you don't look very good to yourself and him, open yourself up and ask him to come to restore your beauty. No matter how ugly you are, he can transform you into the most beautiful person possible. In a way, the whole goal of the Christian is to let God make you beautiful. And what a beautiful feeling it is to know that you look beautiful to God.     

Purity, Purity, Purity

        We don't need to be a religious to take formal vows. We can always take our own vows in private. I deem one vow absolutely necessary for the love of God: to remain pure in thoughts, words, and deeds. This is the least God deserves from us, and seeking union with him can definitely help us achieve that.  

How Close Is God to You?

        On National Public Radio this morning, I heard that Latinos in this country is now a driving force in the Charismatic movement of the Church. The Rev. Jim Sheehan, a Charismatic priest and chaplain at Bronx Community College, says traditional Catholicism just isn't connecting with the Latinos, especially recent immigrants who are struggling. "I think that many of us have a distant relationship with a God of the future," says Sheehan. "Charismatics, Latinos expect God to come today ~ hoy dia." By joining the Charismatic movement, Latinos can have intense spiritual experiences without cutting ties with the Catholic Church. 

        This is good news. I feel that all of us Catholics should ask the Holy Spirit to "zap" us so that we may know that he is truly present. We should desire God's constant touch and seek union with him. But if you'd rather keep your distance from the Lord, then "dull Catholic" is a suitable name for you.

The Great Mystery

        I watched the movie Maria di Nazaret (www.maryfilm.com) on Netflix. It's on YouTube too. This film has many beautiful moving moments. John 3.16 comes to my mind: For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life. This is such a great mystery. The meaning is clear, but the truth is just shockingly beautiful beyond belief ~ only God could have come up with such a mystery. I feel so fortunate, so blessed that the Lord has revealed this truth to me, for it has the power to change our lives forever! This great mystery is also our greatest revelation.

Is Life Worth Living?

        My cough seems to have come back, so I am not out the woods yet. At a time like this, we think about life more. I know that when people are feeling miserable, they tend to think that life is not worth living. If this life is not worth living, then the next life is definitely worth living for as there's the possibility of living our eternal life with Jesus in heaven. Naturally, we must go through this life to get to the next; therefore, this life is worth living too no matter how miserable it might feel. In conclusion, life with Christ is always worth living ~ not only does he give us strength, hope, and joy in this life, he can absolutely make our next life blissful.

Letting Jesus Occupy Us

        At Mass today, I saw someone and thought of his known big ego. I didn't care for the music I heard too much either, somewhat distracting ~ not traditional enough. Then I realized that to maintain my inner peace I shouldn't have such negative thoughts. The sure and only way I know of to achieve this is to let Christ occupy me entirely, then his beauty and perfection will overshadow and obliterate all of my negative thoughts and concerns.

Making Jesus No. 1

        In today's Gospel reading from John 1, John the Baptist testified that Jesus is the the Son of God, ranking ahead of him for having existed before him. If Jesus is Lord and God to you also, how important or relevant is he to you? Do you put him first, second, tenth, or perhaps last in your life? How often do you think of him? How often do you talk to him? If you do attend Mass regularly, do you ever ask him to change you to become more like him? Here's how (the only way) to make him No. 1 in your life ~ let him know that this is your foremost desire and then abandon yourself completely to him. 

Hardened Hearts

        After receiving the Holy Eucharist, I thought: here's the Lord God who could solve all our problems and save us ~ yet how many of us had truly accepted him? How foolish and tragic it is to live and die with a hardened heart!