The Love of Jesus

        At Communion time, I sensed the infinite love of Jesus for us.  This is the most beautiful thing in the world ever, yet the world ignores it ~ how blind, deaf, and heartless can you be! 

Accepting God's Ways

        God's thoughts and ways are different from ours.  For example, the Jewish people had expected a totally different kind of Messiah when Jesus came to us.  Since we don't know God's ways for sure (otherwise, we'd be all-knowing like him), we are to pray, trust, and wait.  A true disciple does not complain to God for any reason either because he knows that the Lord knows better.  

Clear & Direct from Christ

        After watching a program on Tibetan Buddhism on PBS, I came to appreciate my faith in Christ so much more because the message from Christ is totally clear with no ambiguity and we get to know God directly.  Clear and direct as revelations from God should be.  It's true that there are many mysteries about God that we don't understand yet, but what God has allowed us to know is sufficient for our salvation ~ this is all we need to know now.  All the rest will be clear when we see the Lord face to face.  All Christians are truly blessed.      

What's Life All About?

        This post is for those who are not yet believers in Christ or still in the early stages of their faith journey.  I remember myself in those early days.  Just like most others, my goal was to get ahead in life, preferably ahead of all those who knew me.  The way to do it was to learn from friends or books on the subject; believe me, most friends were eager to impart their "wisdom" on survival or dealing with others, and the books were many out there, each touting its effective approaches to reach your goal or achieve happiness in life.  Of course, almost none of these sources ever mentioned God ~ you were really on your own.  

        My question to you: if this is also your present thinking or goal, is this what life is all about?  There is really so much more to it, after I have come to know Christ well.  Concentrating on this life will never bring us true happiness ~ many nonbelievers have found out in time and believers know because they have tasted Christ, the source of true joy and peace.  Basically, God made us this way out of love.  Whether you believe what I've just said is true or not, believe in Christ to find out for yourself.         

Only True Joy for Us

        Christ the Lord, for now and ever.

To the Spiritually Sick:

        When the scribes and Pharisees brought the woman who had been caught in adultery to Jesus, they tried to trap him by asking what he had to say about the case, knowing well that in the law Moses ordered such woman to be stoned.  Jesus paused and then said, "Let the man among you who has no sin be the first to cast a stone at her." 

        People today push away or reject the Lord.  What came to my mind is the line: "Let any among you who are not spiritually sick be the first to push away the Lord." 

We Are the Rebels!

        This message and the next one I'm going to post are inspired by the letters of Elizabeth of Schonau I just read from the book of her works.

        Everything in heaven and on the earth serves God except us.  We have the free will and we rebel, disrupting the harmony of the universe.  This came to me as shocking truth.  Are you helping to restore this harmony before the day the Lord is forced to do it?    

God Most Satisfying

        It is our human nature to search for things that satisfy us better all the time.  For example, we look for better tools, upgrade our computers, find the latest gadgetry, build more comfortable houses, etc.  So, why not go straight to God first, who can provide the most satisfaction?  This is what Jesus talked about: "Drink the living water given by him and you'll never thirst again."  Start at the top end to get the most out of life.  Smart move. 

Jesus Is the Lord of All

        In today's Gospel from Matthew 12, Jesus proclaims to the Pharisees that he is the Lord of the sabbath.  Of course, Jesus is the Lord of everything!  Being meek and humble is his way too.  He has the final say in all things.  We think that we are free to do what we want to do, but we end up before him at the Final Judgment.  We are always at his mercy, as it should be. 

No Time to Lose

        I am feeling the urgency of serving God in this life.  The time of a life is short or in many cases, really short.  Whatever you sow in this life affects what you reap in the next.  The condition of the present world definitely adds to the urgency.  There are still things I do, such as reading certain magazines, that are not harmful spiritually; but nevertheless, use up time that might be better spent in prayer or serving the Lord.   

        I had a dream last night.  I had a kit of some sort of electronic parts to assemble.  The many parts were contained in a box of decent size.  I was anxious to build the assembly, so I walked into a room, started to take the parts out of the box to spread on a table.  Then soon many others came and started doing the same thing, each with his own kind of kit.  Before I realized, the parts from the other kits had joined mine on the table and some parts, in fact, had fallen off the table.  Right then, I knew that it wouldn't be possible to complete my assembly anymore because I didn't even know what parts were mine and whether some had already fallen off the table ~ I (and the others in the room) had all wasted time on our unprofitable undertakings.  This dream confirms my feeling of urgency.   

Be Meek and Humble First

        In today's Gospel reading from Matthew 11, Jesus refers to himself as being meek and humble of heart.  Of course, his whole life bore witness to that.  So, if we are to imitate the Lord and become like him, we must learn to be meek and humble ~ it's absolutely required.  What's most necessary also happens to be most difficult to acquire.  Then again, the Holy Spirit can make it easy for us.  Where we fall short, God can achieve.  What an opportunity for us to place our trust in God here! 

The Lord Watches over Us

        I started reading the works of Elizabeth of Schonau, a German Benedictine nun of the 12th century.  She received many divine visions of heaven.  I am now increasingly aware that we here on earth can only see and feel to the extent what our physical senses reveal to us.  It's as if there is a one-way mirror around us ~ we cannot see what's on the other side, but God and all other creatures in heaven can clearly see us, blessing us, protecting us, or answering our prayers.  The Holy Spirit is always in action.  Our faith should include this awareness.  We are well watched over by our loving Lord.     

The Secret of Entering God

        In today's Gospel reading from Matthew 11, Jesus tells how the Father has revealed things hidden from the wise and the learned to the childlike.  I've always noticed that there are usually more women than men at Mass in churches all around the world ~ perhaps men are less likely to become childlike?  Anyway, before the Lord this is the attitude to assume.  You may already be wise and learned, but you can still be childlike.  Realize that when we go before the Lord, all our intelligence and knowledge don't count at all ~ we must start over by becoming empty and receptive like a child.  This is the secret of entering God.

Most Rewarding Job

        Jesus wants us to accumulate treasure in heaven, not on this earth.  Every will of the Lord is a treasure.  By doing it we are being obedient.  Every thought, every word, every intention, every move, every gesture... makes a difference because the Lord sees everything.  Loving and serving him at all times is the most rewarding job you can have in this life. 

The Greatness of God

        God is so loving, so merciful, so understanding, and so good.  At the same time, he is all-powerful, all-wise, all-knowing... ~ indeed, nothing is impossible with him.  When I realize such infinite greatness, I can only throw up my hands and surrender, believe, worship, and follow with all my heart, all my mind, all my strength, and all my soul.  Asking any questions is totally out of place. 

The Lord Renews

        One thing I love about the Lord is that no matter what kind of condition I may be in, he can renew me.  When I let him, he constantly makes me into a new (better) person.  The hope is always there, so goodbye to despair and grief.  Every time I receive Holy Communion, the Holy Spirit transforms me into a person more like the Lord.   

All or Nothing with God

        I've been "accused" of being not easygoing because it's usually all or nothing with me.  There are Catholics who are not like that and believe in or accept only those teachings they think are true.  The problem is that if they are right, they would be believing in a Church that's not 100% correct.  Either way, they end up wrong.

        For an all-or-nothing person like me, I don't have this problem.  At least if I am right, then I am right. 

Jesus Restores Happiness

        I saw myself in a mirror this morning.  When you look at yourself, it's good to ask if you see a person that is truly happy.  If not, then you probably have been shaped too much by the world and need Jesus to lift you up.  As St. Bonaventure explains: "Happiness is nothing other than the enjoyment of the highest good.  Since the highest good is above, no one can be made happy unless he rises above himself.  But we cannot rise above ourselves unless a higher power lifts us up.  Divine aid is needed, and is available to those who seek it from their hearts humbly and devoutly through prayer."   

Preparing to Bear Fruit

        Today's Gospel reading is from Matthew 13, the parable of the sower, given by the Lord describing how various people receive or react to the word of the kingdom.  My own reaction is to open myself completely to him, to be receptive to his word, letting him sow or pluck whatever he wishes in my heart.  The soil must be properly prepared before it can bear fruit and yield manyfold.

         

How Not to Judge Others

        Jesus tells us not to judge others.  Can we form opinions about them?  Can we criticize them constructively?  Can we correct our brothers and sisters for their own good?  I believe that the answer is yes to all these questions if we do it without diminishing our love for them.  If someone bothers or disturbs us and we look down on or even feel less compassion for the person, then that's judging.  It follows that if we don't judge, we retain our inner peace.  This, I believe, is the way the Lord intends.  

All About Love

        After finishing reading Julian of Norwich Showings, I have become extra aware that Jesus came into the world to reveal to us that God is love.  That is, all of God is love.  This is the central message.  This is basically the definition of God.  He created everything out of love.  He loves us.  He loves us so much that he wants us to love him back, and he provides us with this love to do it.  Love leads us to eternal happiness.  Love is the answer to peace on this earth.  To love is to do God's will.  To love is to be free.  It's all so clear now!  Let's follow love, our God, to complete both his joy and ours.   

Ideal Hiding Place

        Hide in Jesus so that when others see you, they'll see the Lord.

Jesus, Our Joy

        This morning at Mass, I particularly felt that "Jesus is my joy."  We are both awaiting the day when we'll meet face to face.  

The Lord Deserves Our Best

        You may want to save money by not getting the best things for yourself or just do minimum to patch things up to get by, but when it comes to do something for the Lord, you must absolutely do your best to give him the very best  because he deserves it.  After all, all good things come from him.  Even when you do a little thing like washing some dishes for love of him, do it with total dedication and love and you'll be rewarded with peace and joy.    

On Doing God's Will

        If you picture God's will as water flowing downstream in a river, then not doing his will is like struggling in the water trying to go upstream ~ you'll either end up exhausted going nowhere or loose your footing and be swept helplessly downstream.  The one who does God's will flows downstream with the water effortlessly and even has time to enjoy the sceneries along the way.  Once you go along with the Lord, you'll be surprised to find that you are really a natural because he does it all for you.  Surrender to God and find out for yourself.

Consecration to the Sacred Heart

        To die in Christ in this life is to live with him in the next.  I saw this truth at morning Mass.  After the celebration was over, I did the Act of Consecration to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus (St. Margaret Mary Alacoque's version).  I now anticipate that the Lord is going to make my already-beautiful spiritual journey even more beautiful. 

On Desiring Eternal Life

        Is desiring eternal life being selfish?  It seems so, but God wants us to have eternal life!  Therefore, desiring it actually conforms to his will.  It is wrong only if you desire it more than you desire God.  The right approach is to desire (love) God alone, then you'll get eternal life at the end as well. 

God's Everlasting Love

        God loves us with a constant love that never changes.  When we sin, we just sadden him ~ his love remains the same.  When we do his will, we make him happy ~ his love still remains the same.  In other words, he cannot possibly love us any more or less.  Being aware of this should give us both consolation and confidence.

Union Leads to Strength

        Jesus said, "Every kingdom divided against itself will be laid waste, and no town or house divided against itself will stand."  In other words, unity produces strength.  And we all know that.  So if we are in union with the Lord, then we'll have maximum strength since the Lord stands forever.

God Is Fair and Just

        This morning as I was having some dry cereal for breakfast, I thought of all the plants that provided the ingredients and the labor involved in making the cereal.  And I saw that God provides everything we need to live in this world, but they don't just fall into our lap from the sky ~ we must hunt to get the meat, plant to get the veggies, and work for everything else.  This is all fair and just.  

        Now, when it comes to eternal life, there's nothing we could do on our own to get that.  God knows it and this time he provides everything.  All we need to do is to accept what he has provided us, his Son Jesus.  Again, fair and just.       

Pray and Trust

        I pray hard for a number of people I know and care about.  Sometimes I get discouraged because nothing seems to happen.  Again, reading Julian of Norwich, I learned that it is the Lord's who made us pray ~ he initiated our prayers and shall answer them in due time.  It's true that my prayers are all for his glory.  In other words, we should pray wholeheartedly and trust wholeheartedly too.  

God Shall Prevail

         The Lord runs the universe, sustaining all lives.  Nothing can happen without his permission.  Even sins provide the chance for us to become victorious over them.  Jesus has completed his work of salvation by dying on the cross for us.  He is still doing wonders today ~ converting us, healing us, warning us, giving us joy...  God shall always prevail and there is nothing you can do about it.  The fact that the world is in such a bad shape is because we mess it up sinning.  The wise should start believing and following the Lord right now.  To do otherwise is to ignore the inevitable reality. 

Ego vs. God

        Ego is something that's easy to live with because it makes you feel important, but at the same time it can make you lose peace or even feel miserable.  If you let ego be your guide, then it's a foregone conclusion that you won't ever find happiness in this world.  I think the person with the ego knows it, but breaking that sticky bond by human power alone is usually hopeless. 

        God, on the other hand, is seemingly not easy to live with and can make you feel uncomfortable too when ego gets in the way.  But once you get to know God, he becomes a pure joy and grants you peace and freedom of the heart.  You are no longer a slave to your ego, for God can purge it as much as you wish.  Again, this is true.

Abandonment to Love

        I am thinking about the tremendous love of Jesus for us, a love so great that we cannot possibly imagine.  This love practically swallows up all our troubles and problems ~ that is, nothing matters anymore under such love.  Let us abandon ourselves to this love. 

Finding Rest in Jesus

        Today's Gospel reading from Matthew 11 was about the yoke of the Lord being easy and his burden light.  We who are disciples share the same sorrows and carry the same burdens as the Lord and find great consolation in that.  The sorrows turn sweet and the burdens are lightened.  In the case that a sorrow is caused by ourselves, the Lord even removes it completely.  He is our rest. 

All Can Love

        Recently, I met a devout Buddhist, a kind person who devotes herself to charity work, including hospice care.  She believes in karma ~ whatever she does in this life will bring upon results, good or bad, in this life or her next reincarnation.  Not to be uncharitable about it, I'd say that the motivation is basically self-centered.  Christians love others because they love God out of gratitude for his love ~ an entirely differently-directed motivation.

        There are lots of unloving people around, but I do see that everyone has the potential of becoming a great lover because God is love.  Anyone who is open to this love will be filled by this love and transformed into a loving (and happy) person.  The absolute truth.

Union Incomplete

        During morning Mass as I looked forward to receiving the Lord in the Holy Eucharist, I detected some self-interest in me.  I wanted the Lord because I'd experience more peace, more inner satisfaction about my life... ~ it's not bad motivation, but not the best.  The best would be to forget all about myself and think about loving and serving the Lord only.  The union is not complete until the Lord has replaced all of the self. 

Jesus, the Compelling Truth

        During Morning Mass today, I heard the Gospel read and recalled all what I'd read about the Lord in the Gospels.  Anyone with an open, objective mind can see that Jesus must be the truth because if not, then all those things he said and did must be all phony and that's just not possible ~ anyone with some common sense can see that.  From the Gospels you find that he was always consistent, knew exactly what he's doing, and loved all others as his children.  I am not even mentioning how he inspired and changed the lives of his disciples who were eyewitnesses.  Jesus is compelling because you are faced with either accepting him as true God or dismissing him as a phony.

Submission, Only Choice

        Yesterday was a First Friday of the month and also the Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, so I attended the evening Eucharistic Adoration at a nearby seminary.  As I knelt before the exposed Blessed Sacrament, I saw Jesus as our Lord, our God, our Creator, our Savior, our Mercy, our Hope, our Source of Grace, our Refuge... ~ I had no choice but to submit myself unconditionally to him, trying to "match" his unconditional love for me. 

All Will Be Well

        Another message that the Lord gave to Julian of Norwich was that just as he created everything from nothing, so he will make well all things which are not well.  This is of great consolation to us who believe in the Lord, although I have no doubt that he will straighten out everything at the end.  Meanwhile there is still time for sinners to repent and believe.       

Most Sacred Heart of Jesus

        Today is the Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus.  I again offered my heart to the Lord, asking him to do whatever he wishes with it.  I have no doubt that his Most Sacred Heart will purify my unclean heart first.  Where the heart goes, the rest of me follows.  I just felt that I was being totally liberated.  

Unthinkable Without Christ

        I am thinking what I would be doing now had I not found Christ.  I'd definitely try to make more money, pursue my hobbies or looking for other ways to keep myself happy.  I would probably travel more, buy more expensive stuff... all part of enjoying the world as much as I can while I am alive.  In sum, I would be concentrating on things of this world while my health is still holding out.  I may look for some religion to believe in, but I don't believe that I would find anything so satisfactory and fulfilling as Christianity, now that I know what it's all about.  Would I be truly happy then?  Definitely not, now that I've tasted the sweetness of Christ.  There is no "good old days" for me. 

Christian Journey Sweet

        I am not a sentimental nor nostalgic person, but I do want to use the word "sweet" to describe the journey of following Christ.  If it weren't true, there probably wouldn't be any saints, martyrs, monasteries, convents, pilgrims, and much of a Church today. 

Correcting Old Habits

        I mentioned before that I used to love staying up late at night and getting up late the next morning.  Even though I never felt very good in the morning, no matter how many hours I slept the night before because of this habit, I was not able to change it until I started attending daily Mass.  Nowadays, I get up not long after 5 a.m. and go to bed around 10 p.m. and feel great all day.  

        Looking back, I see that the reason I had trouble going to bed early before was because I was not able to let things go.  Whatever I was doing late at night, I wanted to get it done or continue as much as I could, not willing to stop or give it up ~ this was definitely attachment to things of the world.  There is no such thing as finishing doing all the things of this life.  I was not putting doing God's will at the head of the list.  In fact, doing God's will should be the only thing on the list.  I am glad that hindsight is 20/20.

Praying to Please God

        Reading Julian of Norwich further, I see that it's God's will that we pray.  Prayer pleases God and unites the soul to him.  We couldn't please God more than by entreating him, earnestly, wisely, sincerely, to do the thing that is his will.     

How to Know Jesus

        If you do not accept Jesus as God and Savior yet for whatever reason, may I suggest that you read about him, talk to him (yes, talk because you probably don't want to pray to him yet), ask other good believers about their experiences, or read blogs like this one.  Once you find out how lovely and beautiful Jesus really is, you will fall in love with him if you're one of the lucky ones, and all fears and reservations will vanish and wonder why you hadn't done it sooner.  I am speaking the truth here.    

To Be Holy and Happy

        Today is the Solemnity of St. Peter and St. Paul.  As I received the Holy Eucharist, I realized that this was what both saints received and has the power to transform all of us into saints.  After Communion, I was so grateful that out of love, the Lord had revealed himself to me.  When you receive something so beautiful, you no longer question, you no longer want to understand; you simply rejoice and be grateful.  God sure knows how to make people happy. 

Our Response to God's Love

        In view of God's great love for us, we don't need to struggle for it anymore.  All we need to do is be passive and let the Lord love us freely. 

Love Most Astounding

        Julian further revealed how the Lord loves us.  In another vision, Christ said to her, "It is a joy and a bliss and an endless delight to me that ever I suffered my Passion for you, for it I could suffer more, I would."  She added that Jesus has great joy in all the deeds which he has done for salvation, and that we are his bliss, his reward, his honour, and his crown.  We'll never be able to fathom the love he has for us!  You'll have to be made of stone or absolutely dead to not be moved by the Lord's great love for us.       

Sorrows, Sweet or Bitter

        I have started reading Julian of Norwich ~ Showings.  Julian was an anchoress living in England in the late 14th century.  She received 16 revelations of God's love in a series of experienced visions.  I posted "Sweet Sorrows" yesterday.  Let me share something I just read from one of Julian's revelations.  She said: "When Christ was in pain we were in pain, and all creatures able to suffer pain suffered with him.  And for those who do not know him, their pain was that all creation, sun and moon, ceased to serve men, and so they were all abandoned in sorrow at that time.  So those who loved him suffered pain for their love, and those who did not love him suffered pain because the comfort of all creation failed them." 

        All this really made sense to me because we who love Christ share the same sorrows with him and get consoled by him, whereas those who do not know or love the Lord feel sorrow when things don't turn out to serve them ~ it's a big difference.  Sorrow is sweet or bitter, depending upon whether you love Christ or not.