The Love of God

        This is Palm Sunday, the day the Lord rode triumphantly into Jerusalem atop an ass, only to be crucified on a cross.  I would like to extol the love of God.        

        (1) The love of God is the most beautiful thing in this world.

        (2) The love of God is the only thing that can transform us into beautiful sons and daughters of God, our heavenly Father. 

        (3) The love of God is the only thing that can give us true peace of the mind and freedom of the heart.

        (4) Only the love of God makes it possible for us to have eternal life.

        The real good news is that you don't need to go search for this love; it is always there and is yours when you open your heart to Jesus. 

True Liberation

        Watched a documentary on a once world-famous painter.  Here's an extremely talented, young artist, totally immersed in the world, creating amazing works, and became great in the eyes of the world.    He continued to seek more respect and success in the art world.  In the end unhappiness drove him to taking drugs and he died young and lonely.  I am lead to think that how infinitely better it would be to immerse oneself in God, be content to remain unknown, and do works to please the Lord alone.  This is true liberation. 

Jesus Is the Truth

        In today's Gospel reading from John 10, some Jews were ready to stone Jesus.  Since Jesus is the light of the world, those in darkness did not like him, hated him, and even killed him at the end.  It is no different today.  They now hide and run away from him, ignore him, mock him, or even attack outright his Church and followers.  He brings division and discomfort to many in this sinful world,  precisely because he is the truth, and truth matters.   

Wish Fulfilled by God

        I have posted before about the immense universe we live in and how amazing it is that God loves us on this earth not even the size of a dust particle in its surroundings.  I had no say when I came into this world.  All this and more made me feel small and helpless on my own ~ I just needed my creator, my God.  Then Jesus came and made everything clear.  My wish was fulfilled.  I am grateful and have now the peace that the Lord has intended for me as his child. 

Only the Heart Matters

        God looks at the heart only ~ I have mentioned this at various times in the past.  Today it got my attention again.  My throat felt slightly sore last night and as I was to receive the Lord in Holy Communion at morning Mass, I knew that I must have a lot of bacteria on me and physically, I wasn't too clean either.  I realized that the only thing that matters to the Lord is whether my heart is clean or not.  If it is and is filled with the love of Christ, then it's ready for him.  The spiritual life is really about purifying the heart so that we may approach God with freedom.  When a soul with a pure heart embraces the Most Holy God, it is pure joy!

Jesus Sets Us Free!

        In today's Gospel reading from John 8, Jesus said to those Jews who believed in him, “If you remain in my word, you will truly be my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”  I can personally testify that Jesus did set me free ~ my heart tells me so.  Jesus cleanses and refreshes me by freeing me from the shackles of sin.  Anytime a sinful thought surfaces, it's as if I feel the taste of something awful in my mouth and want to spit it right out.  After tasting the sweetness and joy of the Lord, sin has become loathsome.  Yes, Jesus is the truth!

Staying with the Lord

        As I was getting ready this morning to visit some homebound folks, as soon as I got a little elated about sharing some of my good thoughts with them, I sensed that I was leading the Lord again.  So I banished them right away and expected to lean upon him for total support and guidance.  I have learned that it pleases him the most if we stay with him, neither rushing ahead nor lagging behind.  

For Those Who Do Not Believe

        The idea for this post came from today's 1st reading, Numbers 21:4-9. 

        Take a good look at Jesus.  If you believe, then you shall live.  If you don't, then only you are the cause, for the Lord is ready at any time to welcome and embrace you. He has done his part: he came to us, preached the good news and worked miracles, died for us and rose again.  Just what else do you expect to see?  To reject the Lord is to reject love, eternal life, and yourself.  Jesus is the life.  Choose life and you shall have life.  Take a good look at him again.   

Encounter with Love

        The love of Christ is beautiful, sweet, and purifying.  It can burn, but never hurts the heart.  In fact, it cleanses and soothes it.  This love is what love is all about, because it touches the soul and the whole being.  It renews us, transforms us, places us on a higher plane of existence, and draws us into union with him.  When I received Christ in Holy Communion this morning, I encountered this love. 

Go Deep into God

        God's depth is unfathomable in his love, mercy, patience, wisdom, understanding, and more.  Therefore, we can go as deep as we wish to discover more of his wonders, receive more of his riches, and be transformed more to be like Jesus.  This adventure is all ours to embark on.

I Finally Understood

        Yesterday I talked about the world appearing unreal to me because I had changed.  Now I remember the first time I read about Mother Teresa in the newspaper decades ago.  My first reaction was that it was unbelievable that someone would give up the pleasures of the world and go serve the poor and the dying in India ~ this was being extreme.  The news in a way "shocked" my conscience and I eagerly shared it with others.  I admit that deep down that I felt a great respect for her.  Also, I used to think that monks who live in secluded monasteries were not being productive, as they did not do anything constructive to benefit the society.  I now know better.  Mother Teresa was doing the most noble thing ~ loving God by serving others as Jesus had commanded.  And the monks prayed and strove to be holy ~ practicing their faith and doing what most pleased God.  I am truly thankful that by the grace of God, I had come a long way.  

The Unreal World

        I caught a show on TV showing how you can do all kinds of exercises at home to shape your body.  While this is a good show, somehow it was unreal to me.  Then I thought of all the normal activities most people engaged in ~ playing electronic games, watching entertaining TV shows, shopping for fun, etc.  Now the whole world looked unreal ~ it's the real world looking unreal.  I think it's because after you get to know Christ, you find out what truth is and what real living is all about.  Anything you do that does not advance you spiritually seems to be more or less a waste of time.  This is where that "unreal" feeling came from. 

God Be Our Only Focus

        To love God, we must focus upon him alone and not get sidetracked by or become attached to anything along the way.  As St. John of the Cross said, if a beautiful statue or image draws us to the Lord, we must never become attracted to it and lose sight of the Lord it represents.  On a pilgrimage, even if I witness a miracle, I should not let it distract me from my concentration on the Lord.  We are to zero in on him alone, the Lord of all.    

Conflicting Feelings

        When I was about to receive Holy Communion this morning, I felt that it was just too overwhelming to receive the Lord daily for a wretched sinner like me, then I also felt that he would not mind entering me again because of my love and yearning for him.  He won out.      

To Die in Christ

        When you love the Lord, it becomes natural for you to want to die in him. What I mean is that you want the old you to die so that he may make you anew.

Communion of Saints

        Today I see that the Communion of Saints we believe in is a beautiful thing.  All members of the Church, living or dead, in heaven or in purgatory, are in spiritual union, forming part of the Mystical Body of Christ.  When I pray, it is a comfort to know that the angels and saints can intercede for me.  They are my family and my support.  We've all heard stories of people who died and came back.  After the soul left the body, they could see what took place around the dead body.  This reinforced my belief that all angels and saints,through the power of God, can know everything about us.  We are not alone; we belong to the big family of God.  

Knowing God

        Naturally, the first thing is that you desire to know him; that is, you are open to him.  Then he will start drawing you.  This is the beginning.  The process is gradual, but may accelerate at some points depending upon your disposition.  You may not feel much that he is drawing you, then one day you look back and will see that the Lord is a lot closer to you than before.  You reach the point at which you are aware of his holy presence at every moment, day and night.  This is a great blessing, as it helps you stay holy. 

Union, Fulfillment

        When I received the Lord this morning in the Holy Eucharist, the bread of heaven entered me and I realized that Christ is now part of me.  I, a little branch, am now totally grafted onto him, the vine.  He feeds me to keep me living and I become part of him.  This is union, fulfillment.  I now lack nothing.

God Is Joy

        This morning when I was feeling content and peaceful in the Lord after Mass, all the past unhappy, painful experiences of life seemed to have receded and faded away.  This verse from Revelation came to my mind: "God will wipe away every tear from their eyes."

Humility Effected by Union

        Thoughts this morning before Mass.  To be safe from fall, humility is absolutely necessary.  A humble soul is one that dwells securely in the Lord.  To become humble, one must want to be like Jesus, our perfect model of humility.  And this brings us right back to union with the Lord.

        When I received Holy Communion this morning, I saw again that I could not just regard this reception as taking any kind of food.  This reception must effect a deep union with the Lord, ultimately if not instantly.  This is what the Lord desires and how the soul finds perfect rest.     

Ask the Lord to Make You Well

        In today's Gospel reading from John 5, Jesus saw a man lying by a pool and knew that he had been ill for a long time.  He said to him, "Do you want to be well?"  And because of his helplessness, Jesus cured him. 

        I can't help sensing that at times Jesus asks us this same question too.  If you hear his voice, don't pass up the opportunity to answer yes.  Better yet, ask him to make you well before you hear him ask.

Dealing with Others

         The last line in the poem Do It Anyway attributable to Mother Teresa reads, "In the final analysis, it is between you and God; it was never between you and other people anyway" (see post of 8/27/10). All of us must deal with God in the end. If someone mistreats you, he or she will have to face God. About how we react to that person, we'll have to face God too. Realizing this fact, we can learn to remain cool in dealing with others in all things.

Why Christianity Is Beautiful

        Before Mass I was thinking how beautiful my Catholic faith was.  (I don't even consider Catholicism a religion because to me it's simply the truth.) 

        (1) The message is crystal clear.   God so loved the world that he gave his only Son so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but have eternal life.

        (2) God's relationship to us is made absolutely clear.  He is our loving Father and Jesus not only our God, but also our brother and our servant. 

        (3) God is Love and Mercy.  You cannot find another god like that. 

A Lenten Prayer

        (1) Help me always remember that there is no profit in gaining the whole world and forfeiting my own life.

        (2) Please make every sin loathsome to me so that I may never offend you.

Follow like the Apostles

        I am thinking that the Apostles had Jesus with them all the time, following him around, absorbing all his teachings, and watching him  perform all the miracles.  We don't have the Lord physically with us, but we can also follow him like the Apostles.  We know that the Lord is with us as he had promised.  He'd given us the Holy Spirit, our Paraclete.  Especially when we receive him in the Holy Eucharist, we reaffirm our oneness with him.  In a way, we are more intimate than following him around in person.  As far as his teachings are concerned, the Church has it all.  He is still doing miracles today among all of us.  Yes, we are absolutely close to him.   

The Light of Christ

        This morning's Gospel reading at Mass was taken from John 9.  The story about Jesus opening the eyes of the man blind from birth is just beautiful.  Jesus declared himself to be the light of the world and then made the blind man see.  We can ask the Lord to shine his light on our hearts too to remove any blind spots he sees.
        As Jesus made it clear to the Pharisees later on, true seeing is not seeing with our eyes ~ it's seeing with the heart.  We can have perfect vision and still be blind to the truth.  O Lord, shine your light upon us so that we may be cleansed of our sins.

Heart for God Alone

        Today's First Reading is taken from 1 Samuel 16.  God lets Samuel know that man sees the appearance but he looks into the heart.  Time and again, I have assessed a person based upon his appearance and even his speech and I turn out to be wrong.  Only God knows what is hidden in the heart.  Our hearts are for God alone to see and examine in secret.  You could say that to become holy is basically a process of preparing and purifying the heart so that it becomes presentable to the Lord. 

How a Christian Should Act

        The current horrible news is that violence has spread in Afghanistan, resulting in the loss of innocent lives and more hatred against the United States and the West ~ all triggered by the people's anger over the burning of the Quran by a Florida pastor.  My thoughts are that a Christian should always act out of love for others and never, never do anything that will turn nonbelievers away from Christ.  That particular pastor obviously doesn't know Christ well and has done something foolish.  Anyone without true humility becomes an easy target for Satan to deceive. 

On Loving God

        In yesterday's Gospel reading from Mark 12, Jesus taught that we should love the Lord our God with all our heart, with all our soul, with all our mind, and with all our strength.  When I thought about this, it is really the only logical, sensible way for us to respond or relate to God, for he is our infinite creator, so much greater than us finite creatures.  In addition, he had shown that he loved us so much that he gave his only Son so that we might be saved.  To not love him as we are called to would make us both rebellious and ungrateful. 

Reasons for Loving God

        (1) He is holy.

        (2) He is love.
        (3) He is Jesus.

Doing God's Will Pictured

        I picture doing God's will as riding in a boat with the Lord in it.  The boat may sail smoothly downstream or run into rough water, tossing you about, but you are always safe with the Lord with you.        

Process of Spiritual Growth

        The process of spiritual growth may be depicted in various ways, depending upon what yardstick you use for measurement.  Here's a not-so-precise depiction:         

        (1) You search for God to fill the void in your life.

        (2) You find Christ, believe in him, and life becomes meaningful.  You still learn more and more about him.

        (3) You finally know the Lord so well that there is no more questioning, doubting.  You fully embrace him and he is no longer mysterious to you.  You happily follow him everywhere at all times. 

Unity Is Strength

        In today's Gospel reading from Luke 11, Jesus drove a demon out of a mute man and the crowds thought that Jesus did it by the power of Beelzebul, the prince of demons.  Jesus then said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself will be laid waste and house will fall against house.  And if Satan is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand?"  Indeed, strength comes from unity.  And our strength is derived from union with the Lord, who is invincible and against whom only fools will go.

We Must Choose Sides

        Today's Entrance verse: "I am the Savior of all people, says the Lord.  Whatever their troubles, I will answer their cry, and I will always be their Lord."  How I wish that every person will believe.  The world is in chaos, and unbelief and sin are the cause, yet people still feel that nothing bad should happen to them, forgetting that by choosing sin, you reject God.  In today's Gospel reading from Luke 11, Jesus said, "Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters."  Yes, we must choose sides. 

Perfect Relationship with God

        I've been thinking about relationships among people.  I dare say that there isn't a single instance in which you feel absolutely close to someone because there are always some differences between any two people.  But with God you can get so close to him that you become one with him.  Basically, I see him as being so great and merciful that we can be totally absorbed by him.  If we repent, any distance between him and us vanishes ~ we're back in the bosom of the Lord like what happened to the prodigal son.  What a great God we have ~ he is all we need!    

The Passion of Christ

        In this Lenten season leading to Easter, we think of the Passion of the Lord ~ how he went through the agony, was scourged and crowned with thorns, etc., ending with Crucifixion.  Then I thought of one excruciating moment: After Jesus had been nailed to the cross, the whole cross had to be lifted up, dropped into the hole, set straight, and compacted to stay in the upright position.  There had to be a lot of violent jerking and shaking of the cross with Christ on it during the process.  Imagine how painful it must have been for him, our most loving Lord!!!  May he be appreciated and glorified forever and more.   

Formula for Freedom

        If you don't care about what others think and do everything only out of love for God, you are truly free.  If you are much attached to the world and concerned about how you appear to others, then you are still imprisoned.  It's all perfectly logical. 

The Body and the Soul

        After Mass during prayer, I became aware of the following.

        God has created this physical universe, but he lives in the spiritual world.  We have our physical body here, but our soul is not to live forever in this physical world.  We are very much aware of the body ~ its weight, the pains and aches, the tiredness, etc.  Even when I pray, I am conscious of the discomfort of the body, distracting me from my concentration.  The body basically is a drag, but we just have to live with it. 

        Then I intuitively see that the soul is a separate entity.  The soul has a life of its own, you might say.  The body and the soul have different demands, each operating in its own world.  In this life, they are merged in one person, but they are so distinct from each other that I see clearly that the soul's home is not in this world.  The body is designed to dwell in this physical universe temporarily and the soul to dwell in the spiritual world for all eternity with God, just as Jesus came into the world and then ascended into heaven.  

        This awareness helps me become even more detached to this world.      

Power of the Holy Eucharist

        Right after receiving Holy Communion this morning, I recalled Jesus proclaiming that he is the light of the world and is also the way, the truth, and the life.  Then I saw the power of the Holy Eucharist: illuminating my soul, leading me all the way to the Father, setting me free, and filling me with new life.     

No Procrastination

        Procrastination is a "bad" word.  To procrastinate doing God's will is even worse ~ it's refusing to do his will temporarily.  The whole purpose of life is to follow God every step of the way so that life becomes meaningful.  When we hear God calling, we must act ~ this is obedience.  It could be as small as responding to someone wanting to talk to us. 

        [I am posting this message for myself to hear too.]

We Are Special!

        Before Mass started this morning, I was thinking that the Israelites were special because they were chosen by God to believe in him from the very beginning.  Then we are special too for being chosen by God to know the Son, Jesus the Savior, and inherit eternal life.

Warfare Continued

        Jesus came to engage the Enemy.  He lost his life, but he won the war.  For us to fight the spiritual war, we must likewise counter hatred with love and pride with humility.  This is God's way and must be our way too.  Utter dependence upon the Lord is called for.      

How to Fight the Enemy

        I personally feel that God and his Church are facing vicious and violent attacks today.  I think many of you will agree.  Just look at the news every day.  People just do what they want to do and say what they want to say.  The closest description would be to say that they all act as if they were god (not God because they are in reality anti-God).  So what are we the believers to do?

        Realizing that the objective of Satan is to alienate us from God, we must all the more cling to the Lord.  We must be ready for martyrdom if necessary.  After all, this is warfare!  Stick with the Lord through thick and thin all the way to eternity and nothing can harm our soul.  We know who our leader is, but our poor enemies don't even know that they are being lead astray ~ they need our prayer.         

Attending Daily Mass

        I have been attending Mass daily for over three year now.  Way back in the past, I did attempt to do the same.  Some of my friends attended daily Mass (this was at a different parish), so I thought it should do me good too.  But it didn't last long ~ I didn't feel I was getting enough out of it and besides, getting up early in those days was hard for me.  I already loved the Lord, but my thinking was more or less self-centered. 

        I am recalling all this because this morning as I drove to Mass, I felt that I had an important appointment with the Lord and was eagerly going there to meet him.  This time, definitely the Lord was drawing me.  What I pray is that even if I don't feel the draw, I will continue to go to him, for he always bless you extra for making the effort to please him and not yourself.           

On Obeying the Lord

        The strong in faith obey the Lord out of love, while the weak in faith obey him out of fear.

Jesus Gives Living Water

        In today's Gospel reading from John 4, Jesus told the the woman of Samaria by the well "whoever drinks the water I shall give will never thirst; the water I shall give will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”  This statement really resonates with me because like the spring water Jesus does refresh my soul, especially when I receive him in the Holy Eucharist, and I do feel the constant surge or welling of the Holy Spirit within me.  As the Lord said, the water he gives indeed quenches the thirst of the soul, but it also intensifies the soul's yearning for him.  This is only natural, as once you have tasted something good, you desire even more of it.

Jesus Is Ours!

        Today's Gospel reading at Mass was the well-known Prodigal Son parable from Luke 15.  It's such a beautiful story depicting God's love for us.  Books have been written based upon this story.  It richly provides so much we could reflect upon.  What struck me this time was what the father said to the older son near the end: "My son, you are here with me always; everything I have is yours."  To those of us who already belong to the Father, even if nothing special happens to us, we know that God's love is ever present and most of all, Jesus is ours.   

Surrender Leads to Union

        "Surrender" is the last thing people want to do.  To surrender is to yield or submit to another person, or to give oneself up.  But surrendering to God actually turns out to be the way to freedom.  God now takes over and starts removing all your worries, fears, and other negative feelings; for he is merciful, gentle, patient, understanding and full of compassion.  He does not boss you around; he even gave you a free will!  If you think otherwise, then you have not known him yet.  The whole goal or wish of God is to free us.  To surrender to him is to surrender to Love.  It's what every human being should do ~ to acknowledge that he is the Lord and to recognize and accept ourselves as his beloved children.  Therefore, surrender leads to union.  What else could you possibly wish for?

        A footnote.  God never forces us to love him, because there cannot be love if it's not genuine.  In the same way, there is no genuine faith if we are forced to believe.

Be Truthful

        To maintain the most intimate relationship with God, I see the absolute necessity of being truthful to him.  By that I mean laying yourself open before him, hiding nothing but revealing everything.  You want the Lord to see everything in your heart, your mind, and your soul to let him help you understand and see so that he may guide and heal you.  If you are closed to him, then he cannot help you.  So, be truthful to God and you'll be truthful to yourself too. 

A Conjecture

        Today's Gospel reading is from Luke 16 ~ the well known story about the poor man Lazarus who died and went to heaven, while the rich man died and landed in the netherworld.  Some people have asked why others seem to have everything in this life while they live a hard life.  Here is a conjecture.  No one is 100% good or 100% bad.  Let's say someone is only 10% good, then he's probably reaping his reward for the good part in this life already.  Someone 10% bad is probably just being "punished" for the bad in this life.  Obviously, the choice to suffer in this life and be rewarded in the next is preferable.