Doing God's Will

        Jesus went through the horrible sufferings and death no human would want to undergo. He did it because it is the will of the Father. It shows that we must let the will of God override all other considerations. This makes discerning God's will all the more important.

**In Proper Perspective

        Putting things in perspective. If you know that you are going to heaven to remain there forever, whatever pains, sufferings, sorrows, agonies, miseries ... you go through and experience in this short life on earth becomes practically nothing. On the other hand, if you know that your going to be separated from God for all eternity after you die, all the riches, wealth, prestige, power, fame ... you enjoy now becomes absolutely nothing.

Fulfilled Promise

        Today's Communion antiphon based upon Jesus' words from John14 and 16: I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you again, and your heart will rejoice. To those who know the Lord well or are in union with him, they know that he has not only come, but is dwelling in their very heart. 

Role of the Christian

        Today's entrance antiphon based upon the words of Jesus to his disciples in Acts 1: You will receive the power of the Holy Spirit coming upon you, and you will be my witnesses, even to the ends of the earth. I see that the role of the Christian is to let the Holy Spirit empower him to become the best possible effective witness of Christ.

*God's Understanding Matters

        We who believe and trust in God are not to seek human understanding on earth, but to know and follow God's will coming from heaven. Without faith in God, human beings simply learn from and influence each other, and can never rise above themselves. In seeking to do the will of God, we enjoy private communication and spiritual communion with him. All God desires is that we follow his will in peace and he'll understand us perfectly.

Jesus' Descension

        Communion thought. Even after Jesus' Ascension, he still descends to us to sustain, nurture, console, guide, and uplift us through the Holy Eucharist.

**Urgent Notice

        Either Jesus will come in our lifetime or we'll see him right after we die. So the time is definitely short. This makes knowing him now all the more urgent.

*Reason for Wanting to Going to Heaven*

        The primary reason you want to go to heaven should be that you love God. To love him is to want to follow him and be where he is. To love him is also to want to please him, as his ardent wish is to give you eternal life. 

As Sure as Ascension

        Today's entrance antiphon, Acts 1.11: Men of Galilee, why gaze in wonder at the heavens? This Jesus whom you saw ascending into heaven will return as you saw him go. This was said by two men dressed in white garments who suddenly appeared beside the disciples who were looking intently at the sky after seeing Jesus being lifted up and taken from their sight by a cloud. This account of the Ascension as witnessed by many is undeniable. It's also inevitable that he who has ascended will return again.

Pleasing God Most Pleasing

        Today is Ascension of the Lord. Before Mass began at church, I felt good that I was where God wants me to be – there is nothing that makes one happier than knowing that he lives to please God. I saw that this is how God has made us.

Strong Messages, Weak Messages

        A message is weak if we say what we want to say, even with my best effort. It becomes strong only when we say what the Lord inspires us to say. Ego or self-centeredness has no place in spreading the good news of Christ. In fact, it has no place in anything we do. Only by entering the Lord deeply can we be freed from our ego completely. 

*All and Forever

         When God decided to save us, he gave all of himself. When he gives life, he makes it eternal. His love for us is forever. The joy he gives stays with us too. When he forgives us, we are all clean. Because he loves us, he wants all (not part) of us to be his forever. We are blessed that He is most thorough.

God Is Fair and Just

        Sad headline news from Egypt: ISIS opened fire on a bus carrying Coptic Christians on their way to a monastery, killing at least 29, including many children. This was only the most recent in a wave of attacks on these Christians and their Church. What are we to think? Jesus' parable of the rich man and Lazarus came to my mind. Lazarus was the poor man, covered with sores, who would gladly have eaten his fill of the scraps that fell from the rich man's table. When the poor man died, he was carried away by angels to the bosom of Abraham. (The rich man also died, but he went to the netherworld and suffered torment.) I have no doubt that God would take care of the souls of these children of his who were tragically slaughtered, for he knows our hearts, thoughts, words, and deeds. All of us shall be judged by him and receive exactly what we deserve in the end. We need to trust in our God no matter what happens.

*Call to Yield to God

        God's message for salvation is straight forward and simple to understand – you do not need to explain it like rocket science, yet people do not accept it readily. So it's not the mind, but the heart that gets in the way. To overcome this barrier, we must become like a child as Jesus had indicated. What we need is humility. Without it, we won't find God, let alone know him. The most humble Christ is our example and clue. God has already yielded himself to love. It's time for us to yield to him!

**Best Place to Be (Surefire Formula)

        Today's Communion antiphon, John 15: As the Father loves me, so I also love you. Remain in my love. To remain in Jesus' love to to remain in him, for he is love. There is no better place to be. In fact, this is part of the simple surefire formula for getting into heaven: Remain in Jesus and let God take care of the rest.

*Joy Over Pain

        In today's Gospel reading from John 16, Jesus, with his departure from the world and succeeding Resurrection in mind, said to the disciples, "Amen, amen, I say to you, you will weep and mourn, while the world rejoices; you will grieve, but your grief will become joy. When a woman is in labor, she is in anguish because her hour has arrived; but when she has given birth to a child, she no longer remembers the pain because of her joy that a child has been born into the world. So you also are now in anguish. But I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy away from you." Jesus was right, for we know that once we get to heaven, our joy will make us forget all the pains and anguish we suffered on earth. Start rejoicing now if you know you are heaven bound. Do not forget that the daily Mass is a celebration of the Lord's sacrifice resulting in our salvation. [A footnote. No one will take your joy away from you: the joy God gives is a joy that stays with you forever.]

**Way to Union (Winning Feeling)*

        When you let God transform you and the transformation takes place, you are amazed and can get quite excited, for something you've tried to change on your own without success God now does it effortlessly. Even though the Lord did the work, you can't help feeling that you have won! Now your relationship with him is more intimate than ever. As you continue to let God perfect you, the same thing happens again and again. You are on your way to union with him.

Looking Beyond This Life

        The most recent terrible tragedy is the terrorist attack in Manchester, England, which killed 22 and injured many more. One lesson we can learn from this is that all the more we need to look beyond this life and make settling our eternal destination our first priority. Most people do not think about it for various reasons. Only the ones who have put themselves completely in God's hands know that they will be fine no matter what happens to them.