Nosiness and Contentment

        Of these two, one is undesirable and the other desirable. The definition of nosiness is undue interest in the affairs of others; prying. The motivation here is not pure, so we must avoid wasting time being nosey about the affairs of others lest God is displeased. Contentment is feeling that you no longer lack anything after you already possess God. If you are still not happy with yourself or life, you are not happy with the Lord yet. 

God Makes the Big Difference

        Today I realize that Christ Jesus has made everything in life significant and meaningful for me; for this I am most grateful, not to mention a host of other much greater benefits or blessings. 

**Intention Over Execution

        Communion experience. I knew that my execution to be perfect was imperfect, but my intention to be perfect was good enough for the Lord and saved my day.

**A Question We Must Respond To

        We are all sinners and only God our creator can take away (forgive) our sins to make us clean again. Do we want to remain in sin and die with sins unforgiven or take care of them before we die? We must respond to this simple but critical and no-nonsense question before we die, the sooner the better.

***Complete Abandonment to God!

        The desire to be a saint or a martyr can originate from the ego too. The intention sounds good, but is it pure? If you wish to be a saint because you love God, that would be fine. On the other hand, if you want to be a martyr, God may wish you to live a long life instead! Therefore, the best attitude to assume is to desire the Lord's will only – you just trust in him and accept whatever he wishes you to do or be. This is total obedience and abandonment, the perfect Christian way, simple and most beautiful.  

*To Be Restored to Perfection

        We may not be addicted to something as bad as gamboling or narcotic drugs, but we can be addicted to things such as cussing, getting impatient, fishing, golf, video games, etc. In general, I do believe that we are all addicted to my own ego and acquiring material goods. In other words, we are all shackled or enslaved to various degrees, one way or another. Here's where we need God to enter our life (heart) to free us from all our shackles. We need to be restored to the way we should be as God's perfect children. Since nothing is impossible with God, it's up to us to make it happen.

*Most Incredible Mercy

        Again, today is Friday and I prayed the Sorrowful Mysteries of the Rosary. I thought about Jesus who came into the world and got himself killed. Those who did it not just killed another human being, but unknowingly killed one who is the Lord God, our beloved creator! Jesus knew that this was going to happen to him, as he carried out the Father's plan of salvation for us. On the cross, he even prayed for those who put him to death – "Father, forgive them, they know not what they do." If they had repented, they would have been saved too. The mercy of our God is truly incredible!

*Bearing False Witness*

        In today's Gospel reading from Luke 11, Jesus drove out a demon that was mute and the mute man started to speak. Some in the the crowds falsely believed that it's by the power of Beelzebul, the prince of demons, that the Lord drove out demons. This reminds me of today's leftist main stream media and politicians who knowingly ignore the facts and keep on accusing falsely those on the right they do not tolerate. This is a clear violation of God's 8th Commandment: You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. I pity those who keep on doing this relentlessly without repentance, for they doom themselves. 

**Our Big Folly*

        Communion time thoughts. Here's our living, eternal, holy God who is our creator and knows all about us. Here are also all of us, finite and sinful, who think that we'll do just fine on our own. Don't you see the utter folly of our posture? We are no better than those who crucified the Lord for whom he prayed on the cross, "Father, forgiven them, they know not what they do." We are a big bunch who does not know what we do either. (Note: Not all of us are like that – I am just trying to make my point.)

*How to Love Properly

        We all have concerns that place heavy burdens on our heart. Our most urgent prayers are usually said for family members who are dear to us. Then when I place my trust fully in the Lord, I see that he is truly the one to take care of everything, way beyond the people I pray for. In this way, I become detached from them. Of course, I still love them, but this love is now transferred onto the Lord God in charge. As a result, I feel peaceful with no unnecessary concerns anymore. I see that loving properly is to love with faith and in peace.

***Going the Only Way***

        In Deuteronomy 6.5: Moses tells the Israelites: "You shall love the LORD, your God, with your whole heart, and with your whole being, and with your whole strength. In Mark 12.30: Jesus says: "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength." The only way for us to accomplish this is to surrender ourselves completely to God to become one with him. There is not another way! Once you've done it, you would be so happy that you did it, for now the Lord communicates directly with your heart. Without such a breakthrough, your spiritual progress will always be restrained.

***How to Be Free and Happy*

        Surrender yourself to God and do his will. This is the only way. And this is the simple truth. (This is how he has made us.)

Best Lenten Offering

        During this Lent, giving up something like eating chocolate cookies is good, but it's infinitely better to give up yourself to God so as to attain union with him. This positive approach will result in your becoming a saint for the rest of your life. With God, always go as far as you can for maximum security and enjoyment.

***Perfect Submission to God

        Communion experience. It should be a time of experiencing peace, but I felt that it's also a good time to let the Lord shake us up. Whatever God does to us can only be good for us. Therefore, remain completely passive to let him do whatever he wishes with you. 

***Living the Perfect Life

        Let the love of God reign in your heart so that everything you do will be motivated by him who is love. This happens when you let God increase to 100% and yourself decrease to zero. Then guess what, the Lord increases you to 100% in him! This is how he rewards us!

***Our Most Beloved Father

        Today's Gospel reading from Luke 15 was the well-known Parable of the Lost Son. All of us are sons and daughters of our heavenly Father. When we accept Jesus as our Savior, we are officially adopted by God. Can't you hear the Father calling each one of us "My son" or "My daughter"? How endearing he is to us! At the same time, we must realize how much we can hurt him if we sin against him, for he loves us so much.

*To Rein in Our Speeches

        We speak freely on our own most of the time, and when we are inspired by the Holy Spirit, we speak what the Lord prompts us to say. When speaking on our own, if we are not discerning enough, what comes out can be critical of others or even start an argument. This happened to me recently at a small group sharing. In responding to something someone said, I expressed my point of view and sounded as if I was criticizing the person. If Jesus were at this meeting, he probably wouldn't have minded at all. Afterwards, I realized that I still did not have enough humility in me. From now on, I want to say only what Jesus wants me to say or whatever meets his approval. Humility must rule and the ego never surface. More submission to the Lord is in order.

*Ultimate Spiritual Action

        God alone is more than sufficient for us. Once you have him, you can let everything else go. Therefore, the ultimate spiritual action to take is to dive deep into the Lord to remain in union with him. You fulfill all your desire and receive continual graces from him. This is living in the Lord, not just surviving on your own.