Chance of a Lifetime

        Adam and Eve disobeyed God and were banished from Paradise. Then God sent his only Son into the world to prepare the way for our return to the Father. All the necessary work for our salvation had been done. Now we're given another chance to obey God and be restored to the state of grace. It's all quite simple and logical. Do not miss this chance of a lifetime.

Give God Your Heart

        It's not always easy for us to exercise our God-given free will to choose to do God's will, but we can let him have our heart first. Once the Lord possesses our heart, he will cleanse it until it's all pure. With a pure heart, all our thoughts become pure, and our words and deeds become pure as well. So, give God a precious gift, your heart, and he will reward you amply. 

Union with God

        It seems that relationship with God is what I've been led to talk about. We saw the Lord first as our center and then as our shepherd. The closest relationship with him is, of course, union. Here's a quick recap. In union, God and us dwell in each other and we become inseparably one. His love is the binding agent. It's through the Holy Eucharist that this is made possible. The Lord is free to transform us in any way he wishes. Let's again realize that we are not in union with just someone, but with GOD, who is Love, the one who died for our sins! When you are in union with God, you are already in heaven!

A Special Relationship

        Today's Gospel Acclamation, John 10:27: "My sheep hear my voice, says the Lord. I knew them, and they follow me." In Reading 1 from 1 Samuel 3, when God called Samuel, Samuel learned to say, "Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening." I see this relationship between God and us. The Lord knows us. When he calls, we hear him, and we listen and follow. There is an intimacy and a oneness here, which make the relationship so special and beautiful.

Jesus the Center

        The center is a most important point, the pivot around which things revolve or the focus of what surrounds it.  It is a point of stability or a source of influence. This morning before Mass, I was thinking how blessed we were to have Jesus as our center. He draws us toward him with love, guides us along the way with his teachings, fills the void of our lives, and we become safe and secure in him. After receiving him in the Holy Eucharist, he becomes the center within us as well. 

How Death Affects Us

        For those who know God, death presents no fear, for they see it as a turning point in the life of the everlasting soul and look forward to going on the better part of their journey beyond death. For those who do not know the Lord, death could be a problem for they are heading into the unknown, although they may still be saved through God's mercy if they were good people while living. But for those who choose not to believe or reject God outright, death will bring the greatest shock of their lives.

Created for Obedience

        The Gospel reading at Mass was taken from Mark 1. An unclean spirit in a man came out of him after Jesus commanded him to do so. When I heard that part read, it just became so clear to me that we were created to obey God; therefore, to disobey him is a sin, something horrible. In fact, rebellion against God is sure to doom oneself! Let's steer our free will in the right direction always.  

The True Free Spirit

        A true free spirit is not someone who does whatever he feels like doing. In fact, such a person is a slave to himself, for he just follows himself who may altogether be lost. A true free spirit is one who follows the Holy Spirit, who is Truth. It's by following the truth that one is lead to freedom.

On Preserving Internal Peace

        Peace is what God wants us to have. Those who do not obey God do not have internal peace and as a result cause the world to lose its external peace. Those who obey the Lord have internal peace despite the lack of external peace around them. Internal peace is to be protected and cherished.

        Here are some tips on keeping internal peace. Avoid participating in any sinful activities or indulging in sinful pleasures. There will be a big price to pay later for a few moments of such enjoyment ~ it's just not worth it! In fact, detach from all things of the world even if they're not harmful, for all things pass. Aim for eternity. Basically, if your thoughts are peaceful, you will have peace. So it all goes back to loving and living in the Lord. If God truly dwells in you, then you'll have peace. 

         

Be like Martha or Mary?

        We are all familiar with the story of Martha and Mary. (If you are not, read Luke 10:38-42.) This morning I heard two men discussing the football game they watched on TV yesterday. I could tell that both were enthusiastic fans by the way they shared what they saw in the game. I realized that I had changed because I felt that I'd rather sit at the feet of the Lord and listen to him talk ~ in other words, I wanted to be like Mary. Of course, at times we need to be like Martha too. Then is it better for us to be more Marylike and less Marthalike? Finally, I realized that I can be like Mary even when I am busy like Martha. I'll simply offer the many things I need to do up as prayers to God for the love of him. 

Spiritual Journey Dissected

        I posted before about the turning point of the spiritual journey ~ that is the point at which you surrender yourself totally to God. So you basically can view your entire journey as two segments that are joined at that point of surrender. The first part is very much an uphill journey that involves constant struggle. You have the good intention to grow spiritually, but you may also find that old sins are hard to shake loose and fundamental changes do not come easily. Then you surrender to God and things begin to happen because now the Lord is taking full charge of your life and the journey is becoming more like coasting downhill with him sitting next to you. Since we'll never be as perfect as the Lord, there will be some rough bumps along the way; but the momentum of the ride will carry you right over them. 

Fighting Temptation

        We live in a world in which we face temptation every waking hour of our life. Just watch some entertainment on TV and you'll see what I mean. The smart way is to avoid doing anything that might lead you into temptation. The basic recipe for overcoming temptation is to remain humble. And the only way to remain humble is to surrender to God. Therefore, turn to God the moment you sense temptation coming on to submit yourself to him for protection. God is our safe refuge against all evil. Absolutely true.  

Reasons for Being a Catholic

        I am truly happy about being a Catholic because the Catholic Church is the original church established by Christ, her teachings are true and complete, and through receiving the Holy Eucharist I am able to achieve the closest possible union with God in this life.

God Is Life!

         This past week I learned of a couple of suicides committed by people whom I only knew indirectly. And I had posted about the surging high suicide rate among the veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan. It's just so sad, so sad. How I wish that all the victims had known Jesus the Lord! God is Life and the creator of life. He grants eternal life and gives us the zest for living the present life. He is our bright hope. Death is the opposite of life and despair. What's why knowing Jesus can turn one around completely. With him you'll never die, as he had promised! It sounds good and is true at the same time. This is what the Good News is all about!

Sharing Padre Pio's Thoughts

        It turned out that I have quite a few books on Padre Pio, now St. Pio. I am more interested in his meditations, counsels, and spiritual wisdom than his story. I've started reading his Meditation Prayer on Mary Immaculate, a little booklet, and would like to share a couple of things he said and add my two cents.

        (1) He wished to acquire a love of God that is continually renewed ~ I thought of how I get my love of God renewed every time I receive the Holy Eucharist. 

        (2) Padre Pio considered the Immaculate Virgin Mary the greatest of all the masterpieces created by God's hands. Realize that all of us, who were not conceived without the original sin like Mary, are nevertheless, still amazing masterpieces created by God.  

Jesus Worth Knowing

        We all have people we know ~ family members, relatives and friends, our pastor, fellow parishioners, business associates, classmates, et al. Some we know well and some not. Some we like and some not. 

        In today's Gospel from John 2, the disciples of Jesus saw how the Lord turned water into the best wine at the wedding at Cana and began to believe in him. Later, after following him longer and witnessing more miracles, they were convinced that Jesus is the Messiah. So I am thinking that if you'll just get to know Jesus, you shall also come to believe in him. I can testify to you that you'll find him to be the most beautiful, trustworthy, and understanding person you'll ever encounter and fall in love with him in time. There is just absolutely nothing worth knowing more than Jesus!

Formula for Spiritual Success

        This morning during meditation before Mass, I saw any of us as a small plant, possibly weak or even diseased, before God. As long as we remain open and passive and let the sunshine of the Father, the water of the Son, and the food of the Holy Spirit heal, nurture, and feed us, we will become healthy, strong, big, and bear much fruit. This is a sure formula for spiritual success.

Greatest Human Accomplishment

        Life gives one the chance to practice being holy continuously. Since practice makes perfect, in time one will be living a holy life, pure and pleasing to God. In God's eyes, there is no greater human accomplishment.        

Touching Jesus

        When I was receiving Holy Communion today, I realized that, the Lord being present in the Holy Eucharist, I was actually touching him. More than that, the Most Holy One came to dwell within me ~ something for me to think about!

Two Joys

        At morning Mass, Reading 1 continued from 1 John. From chapter 5, we read, "God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.  Whoever possesses the Son has life; whoever does not possess the Son does not possess life."  Therefore, it was Jesus whom I want to listen to and obey, and I felt great joy in that.

        Next, I saw darkness hovering over the world and infiltrating most of God's children.  Then I saw the light that's the bright, ever-present hope of God, and I felt great joy again.

Proving Our Love

        The Apostle John has some harsh words for us from 1 John 3. In yesterday's reading, he said, "Whoever sins belongs to the Devil." In today's, he said, "Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer." Although the messages could have been conveyed in a less harsh way, they are basically correct. Later, John finally advised, "Let us love not in word or speech but in deed and truth." This reminds me of what James said that faith without works is dead. Jesus really demonstrated his love by choosing the cross, so let's also prove our love in deed and truth.    

Be Holy at Every Moment

        Today is the Memorial of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton. My single thought: Every moment we have is precious because it provides a chance for us to love God. I posted about the importance of living the present moment. Life is just a series of continuous moments. If we can be holy every single moment, then we can be holy all our lives. Jesus wants us to be perfect as our heavenly Father is perfect (Matthew 5:48) ~ obviously, with the help of God we can do it. 

What to Do with Life

        As I was driving home from church after Mass, I looked again at the many granite boulders on both sides of the road and knew that they wouldn't be around forever. The dinosaurs had disappeared. Geologists had shown that drylands were once land under water and vice versa. A large meteoroid hitting the earth can instantly change its landscape. Then I thought of the billions of celestial bodies in space and as far as we know, we are the only creatures living on this planet of earth with perfect conditions for sustaining our lives. And amazingly, we also happen to understand good and evil.  At this instant, I was sure of the existence of God our creator. Then I knew that mankind as a whole wouldn't be around forever either. In the first place, the size of earth is limited. Our survival so far is just a chapter in the book that has not come to its end yet. Now, I was certain that there would be the Second Coming of Jesus to end the present world as we know it. 

        With these realizations, it's clear that we must make maximum good use of the time we have. All acts not motivated by love for God would be simply wasted. It's good to know exactly what we are doing.      

The Good News Forever

        In today's Gospel reading from John 1, John the Baptist saw Jesus coming toward him and started out saying "Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world." It's the Holy Spirit who revealed this to him. Of course, only God can take away sin and John testified at the end referring to Jesus, "He is the Son of God." Today, after knowing Jesus for so many years, I am still amazed to hear that he can take away all sins, yours and mine. This is indeed good news forever.

What God Asks of Us

        On the way to Mass, I was thinking how I should live today. I thought of all the mammoth or even horrendous problems around the world and near home, but I was so limited in my ability to solve any of them. Then I heard the Lord clearly say that all I needed to do was to please him as much as I could in what I do. Of course, he was right. If everyone in the world would do this, we will have peace.

Let God Heal Your Soul

        I looked forward to receiving the Lord again at morning Mass because I knew that he was going to refresh me again. This freshening goes beyond getting a bodily massage and shower or acquiring some exciting, new mental knowledge, for God heals the soul. When the soul is healed, the mind and heart are healed too and you are ready on your way to union with him. This is the easy way. Note: Everything becomes easy when you let God do it for you. 

Before Going Before God...

to worship or pray to him, it's proper and best that we set my hearts right by removing any hatred, resentment, anger, or even displeasure against anyone. God's justice is perfect and it's not our business to judge anyone in any way. Pray for mercy on all and let God alone reward or punish them in the end. We cannot hold grudges against our neighbors and expect God to listen to us. There'll be no peace in us as long as we do not forgive others. In fact, we should regard ourselves as the least holy ones among all. This will greatly please the Lord and keep us from judging others.

New Year's Message

        As the new year begins, let God make you into a new Christlike person. Every one of us is a unique, special creature before God. We were made in his image in the first place and we have the potential to become holy after him. We may not be called to be another Moses or St. Paul; but nevertheless, he has a plan for each of us. You can be sure that he wants us all to serve him, to love him, and to follow him; only the specific details in each case are different. The reason for it is that he wants us to have eternal happiness. Make union with him your lifelong goal and you will be amply rewarded and surprised. It is an absolute delight to let God do the work to transform you into a new, beautiful creature!        

Year-End Prayer

        To experience Jesus, you must get inside of him. You may be a believer, but as long as you stand on the periphery, no matter how much you read the Scripture, how often you hear the gospel preached, or how many prayers you say, you are still an outsider and you'll feel it. To become an insider, you must open your heart wide and ask the Lord to come in. Yes, prepare him a good supper in advance for him. Don't hesitate to show your love for him and he won't be able to resist you because you are whom he loves. Once you get inside of him (rather he's inside of you), then everything will begin to change ~ all he has ever said will make sense to you, the pieces of the puzzle of your life will come together, and you'll begin to experience the freedom of the heart. 

        It's my prayer for all of you out there who read this blog that Christ our Lord will shower great blessings on you and your families, fulfill all your holy desires, and grant you his peace and joy all the days of your lives. 

Unsurpassable Joy

        At Mass this morning, I felt that Jesus is truly the ultimate. If I comb through the whole universe, I may find things that point to his glory, but I won't find him. Then I look within the deep interior of my heart and lo, he is there. What joy I felt when I found him! This is a joy that surpasses all understanding. 

Celebrating the New

        New Year is just around the corner. Why do we call the year new? In asking this question, I see that only God can make things truly new. The new year will become old again long before it's over, but when we become a new creature in Christ, we are in him forever ~ this is worth our celebration.      

True Progress

        I am thinking that if we can all wear a pair of glasses that enables us to see sins, we would see an ugly and filthy world with only God standing out, pure and beautiful. Since we don't have such a pair of glasses, we can only realize the miserable, sinful states we are in. To seek our way out, we must look upon God, for he alone has the power to deal with sins. Only he can free us by making us holy and pure. Now, this is what I call true progress.  

"Keep God Waiting"

        Some people have told me that they cannot embrace the holy life because they are still in this world dealing with real problems and being holy would put them at a disadvantage. Another somewhat different point of view is that those who are old and retired and those who live in monasteries and convents have it easy because they are no longer active in the real (what they mean is secular) world and so can afford to pray much and live spiritually.  Do these people have a point of view? Yes, but invalid. If you agree with them, then you are saying that God is not needed at all times, that he cannot help them with their problems, that he can get in their way, that he doesn't understand the real world, and that he is to wait for them and not the other way around. This thinking goes directly against the first commandment of the Lord about how we should love God. I believe that they are basically giving excuses for not wanting to believe in God yet, if not rejecting him. "Keep God waiting" seems to be the popular game to play.  

Transforming Power of the Eucharist

        After I received Holy Communion this morning, the consecrated host started melting slowly in my mouth and I knew that the Lord was again starting to transform me. To maintain your personal computer in top condition, you need to delete old files, run virus checks, update the browser, and so forth on a regular basis. Similarly, to maintain our spiritual well-being, we resort to frequent reception of the Holy Eucharist.    

Great Stillness

        Today is the Feast of the Holy Family. Before Mass during prayer, I felt that the Lord was at the center of my soul and he was "collecting" my whole being ~ body, soul, and spirit ~ into him and a great stillness came over me. How beautiful it is to be still in the Lord! Later, the Gospel Acclamation from Colossians 3 echoed my feeling: "Let the peace of Christ control your hearts." This peace alone is reason enough to seek out the Lord. 

Beauty of the Christian Faith

        Is the prodigal son a bad boy or a good boy? He was really bad, then he became extremely good. All it took to bring about the transformation was his repentance, and the father took him right back with great joy. The example of the son is inspiring and the mercy of the father, comforting. 

        Here's the beauty of the Christian faith ~ our heavenly Father is always ready to take us back the moment we repent ~ truly the mark of a loving God. 

Best Loving Advice

        This morning while I was exercising on a bike machine, my nose started to itch. Since my hands were on the handle bar to keep the machine reading my heartbeats, I just hoped that the itch would go away soon. But it didn't and I had to let go of the handle bar and use one of my hands to rub my nose hard to stop the itch. And this thought popped into my mind. Since I couldn't even endure an itch for even a few seconds, I would never, never be able to stand eternal separation from God. Would you be able to stand it? Let me say emphatically: Make sure that you will never have to experience it! So, by all means do not let go of your loving God. If you want to be by his side later for all eternity, start loving him now. This is the most loving advice I could ever give you and you should take it.    

Ready to Go in Peace?

        Today's Gospel reading is from Luke 2 on the presentation of the child Jesus in Jerusalem. The Holy Spirit had revealed to righteous and devout Simeon that he should not see death before he had seen the Christ of the Lord. After he saw the child Jesus at the temple, he's ready to go in peace. Now, any of us who has Christ dwelling in us should certainly be ready to go in peace too. We already have the Lord in us ~ what else in this world would you still need?      

How to Bring Others to God

        The best way to bring others to God is by your example. To be perfect should be your aim. Jesus is our example ~ look at him for inspiration and imitation. See Christ in everyone and let everyone see him in you. Then pray always and live in peace.

What I Love

        Since I love God, I love all that he has created, which is everything in the universe, including every inanimate objects and every living creature on earth. Since I love all things, there's no room for hatred in the heart anymore.

Back to God/Made for God

        These thoughts came to me while I was taking a shower this morning.

        I am somehow here at this point in this world, but I don't know how I got here. I know that I am a unique creature, possessing all the physical senses, and have learned from Scriptures that I was made in the image of God. And I've found God through Christ and am back to God the Father, who is now waiting for me in my future home. I remember that the science-fiction movie Back to the Future was exciting to watch when I first saw it a quarter of a century ago. Now the back-to-God feeling is simply heavenly! Yes, God has made us for himself.

How to Live Happily

        One will never be happy if he lives just for himself. The only way to be happy in this world is to live for God alone.

Be Ready to Obey

        In today's Gospel reading from Matthew 2, the angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and instructed, "Rise, take the child and his mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I tell you. Herod is going to search for the child to destroy him." It's such a blessed state to be in to listen to the Lord's instructions, obey them, and wait for more. "Be ready to obey" at all times is what the Lord expects of us.

Light and Darkness

        Today is the Feast of Holy Innocents. As you know, Herod the king ordered the massacre of the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity two years old and under in the hope of destroying the infant Jesus. How much more evil can you be? Yet today, way over a million babies are eliminated through abortion every year in the States alone. Evil is real! In Reading 1 from 1 John 1, the Apostle talks about light and darkness. Jesus is our only saving light. As long as we believe and remain in him, we are safe from all evil.

Jesus Still with Us

        Today's Communion Song from John 1: "The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us, and from his fullness we have all received." Today, in the Holy Eucharist, Jesus still comes to us to dwell in us, and we still receive grace from him. He is always with us!

        After I received the Blessed Sacrament, realizing how "ugly" I was and how beautiful and perfect the Lord is, I just wanted to die in him (whatever that means).

Resurrection Is Life!

        Today's Gospel reading, the first eight verses from John 20, was so beautiful that it moved me to tears. Peter and John found the tomb empty. The priest at the morning Mass pointed out that the fact the cloth that covered the head of Jesus was rolled up nicely in its own place signified that the Master would return again. After all, how can the creator of all life possibly die himself? Looking back, we see that his resurrection was inevitable! Now Jesus has given us the hope of living with the Eternal Life himself. Shall we rejoice?  

God Gives Life

        Today is the Feast of St. John, Apostle and evangelist. I might add that John is my favorite Apostle. The Entrance Song reads: "This is John, who reclined on the Lord's breast at supper, the blessed Apostle, to whom celestial secrets were revealed and who spread the words of life through all the world." Words of life are the words from the Lord, since he is the life. When I heard the song read, I sensed life in every word the Lord had spoken. Then when we hear his words, we are filled with life. And life calls for celebration! 

God's Great Sorrow

        I feel hurt if someone offends me, especially if that someone is a person I've always trusted and cared for. I know this because it had happened to me. The amount of sorrow felt has to be directly proportional to the amount of love you had for the offender. Now you can somewhat imagine how much sorrow the Lord must feel when so many of his most beloved children are offending him so much continuously.

The Way to Evangelize

        St. Stephen was stoned to death when he was spreading the gospel. He simply wanted to share the good news, not trying to shove it down others' throat. Contrast this with someone who pussyfoots around, so afraid of "offending" others' feelings ~ it's almost like being ashamed of God. The way to evangelize is to be filled with love for others, follow the Holy Spirit's lead and not let your own will get in the way. Then leave the outcome to God without any concern, not even for your own life.  

To Be Absorbed by God

        After receiving Communion, I keenly sensed that only God is important and I am basically nothing, like a particle of dust. It's entirely fitting for me to become truly nothing before the Lord and be absorbed by him entirely.