Justifying Turning the Other Cheek

        In today's Gospel reading from Matthew 5 at morning Mass, we heard the Lord's hard teaching on turning the other cheek. Can we really accept that? We can if we see it from God's point of view. First of all, God loves everyone. And he has shown his greatest love by dying for us sinners. Secondly, judging is God's role, not our business. Turning the other cheek is not to strike back, to retaliate or revenge. It offers the only hope to peace. The world still follows An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth ~ look what kind of condition it's in now. If we trust in God and leave everything up to him, turning the other cheek becomes our only logical choice. Another way of looking at it ~ if everyone practices it, we'll have a peaceful world. (Admittedly, practicing this teaching before the world is perfect is risking sacrifice on our part, but we must see that it's the right thing to do, for God cannot tell us otherwise.)   

Healthiest Outlook on Life

        I watched the 1988 Italian film Cinema Paradiso. The story was interesting, but the characters like most of us dwelt a little too much on the past. The past, whether happy or sad, is gone forever. Dwelling upon it can really impede one's spiritual progress. When I am enjoying the joy of knowing Jesus, the past becomes irrelevant. Jesus said it right: "No one who sets a hand to the plow and looks to what was left behind is fit for the kingdom of God." With Jesus, it's plowing ahead (following the Master) joyfully all the way. It's the healthiest outlook on life we can ever have. 

Catholicism under Attack

        Catholicism is being attacked more than any other religion in the world. (Does anyone dare to say anything negative about the other religions?) Our government, the media, the press, the liberals, the atheists, some Protestant churches, and even certain rebellious elements within are all unfriendly to the mother church. To me, this is the sign that the Catholic Church is the true church of Christ. This is the church that's practicing "love your enemies." It has survived two thousand years and will survive till the end of the world, as Christ had assured us. By contrast, no one attacks a church that does not hold onto any rigid standards, lets everybody in, and tries to keep all members happy by not looking deeply into any of the Christian truths that might stir up controversy.

God Initiates All Good Things

        God is the source of all good things. He first loved me and I accepted his love and was able to love him back. Then he entered me through the Holy Eucharist and made me feel his presence, and I in turn was able to enter him so that we are now in each other.

Lovely Mary

        Today is the Memorial of the Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary. What comes to my mind first when I think of the Blessed Mother is her loveliness. She is lovely because she is pure (immaculate) and is obedient to the Lord. She is the perfect model for us to imitate.  

Serious Business

        Loving God is serious business. Take the people who play the stock market. They attend workshops, subscribe to newsletters, read the bulletin boards, keep up with market analyses, make sure that they have the latest technical tools, and watch the market like a hawk. West Coast players even get up extra early in the morning just to wait for the market to open. Isn't loving and serving God at the least just as important? Seriously, we really should love God as if our life is at stake. As a matter of fact, our eternal life does depend upon our effort! The stock traders or investors lose most of the time despite their diligence and acumen, but those who love God seriously is assured of great rewards in the end.  

Jesus Is the One

        Today's Gospel reading comes from John 19. We learn that after the Crucifixion of Jesus, the Jews wanted the bodies of Jesus and the two who were crucified with him to be taken down before the sabbath day arrived. The Jews asked Pilate that their legs be broken and they be taken down. The soldiers came and broke the legs of the two crucified with Jesus. When they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead, they did not break his legs, but one soldier thrust his lance into his side and immediately blood and water flowed out. All this happened so that the Scripture passage might be fulfilled: Not a bone of it will be broken. And again another passage says: They will look upon him whom they have pierced. (Earlier, the soldiers took and divided Jesus' clothes among them. But since his tunic was woven in one piece, they cast lots for it. Again, all this happened to fulfill the Scripture passage: They divided my garments among them, and for my vesture they cast lots.) Of course, there are numerous other Scripture passages which Jesus had fulfilled. To me, this is solid basis for believing him to be the Messiah, our Savior, the Son of God.

Learning from the Meek & Humble

        Today is the Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus. The Gospel Acclamation read was Matthew 11.29ab: "Take my yoke upon you, says the Lord; and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart." Would you learn from someone who is meek and humble? The world is full of teachers who are impertinent and proud. They are good at teaching you the ways of the world. But if you're interested in the ways of God, then learn from teachers who are meek and humble.

The Freest Existence Is...

to live as a mere instrument of God.         

Invitation to Union with God

        Is union with God beyond reach for most of us? Is it for saints only? The basic question now boils down to whether we can become saints. The answer is definitely yes, since God can accomplish anything. Therefore, union with God is definitely within our reach. In fact, I believe that the Lord wants all of us to reach that state when he asked his disciples to be perfect, as the heavenly Father is perfect. When you are in perfect union with God, he does not ask for anything more because that's the most we could do for him. The fact that he's letting you receive the Holy Eucharist, his true body and blood, is already telling you that the road to full union is now open. My brothers and sisters, take advantage of this privilege so that you may speed fully ahead to enter the most beautiful state of human existence ~ to be Christlike and one with God!     

The Rebellious Ego

        Right now there is dissent within the Church. Not that long ago, the Church of Ireland made news; right now the Leadership Conference of Women Religious, an organization of American nuns, is in the headlines. All I can say is that a true Catholic must always follow the teachings of the Church. Unfortunately, the religious are no different from the laity ~ they also have egos. If you have an ego, then Jesus can not truly be your Lord ~ it's that simple. Again, seek union with God and your ego will be replaced with humility.   

God Is All-Knowing

        For one period of my life, I enjoyed woodworking and built quite a few pieces of furniture. I would work out the design, purchase the materials, cut and shape them, and finally assemble all the parts together. Then I would paint or stain the piece. Since I made the whole thing, I knew all about each finished piece. Once I cut the material too short and the width of the intended storage cabinet had to be scaled back. Another time a cutting mistake caused the grains of two parts of a tabletop not to match up. In other words, the defects, covered-up or not of each piece, I knew.

        Since God made each one of us, likewise he knows everything about us. In fact, since his mind is infinitely superior to ours, he knows us through and through, and sees all out defects, our sins. So, living as if God exists is not good enough ~ we must live, being aware that he knows everything about us.

No Excuse for Sinning

        I remember that once I sinned and after I overcame it, I became much stronger spiritually. At the time I thought erroneously that God must have permitted me to sin for the good to come out at the end. Now I see that God can draw good out of anything! He'd much prefer to see that I do not sin than to see me sin and have to rescue me.

God of Choice

        Today's Reading 1 on the Memorial of St. Anthony of Padua comes from 1 Kings 18. Although the people of Israel were required to worship exclusively the one Lord, they also got comfortable worshiping Baal, the god of rain and storm. Then Elijah showed them the true power of the Lord. Worship of many gods was virtually universal in the ancient world. Today, looking at all the major religions, I see that only the God of Israel, as revealed through Christ, comes across clear and precise and most of all, personal. That's why I am a Christian. 

Complete Trust in God

        I don't dwell on the past anymore, but sometimes I still wonder about the future like how something is going to turn out. To me, this is also a sign of my lack of complete trust in God. I am looking at Jesus as my example. You might say that not to wonder about the future is inhuman, but I say that we must be superhuman to trust in God and not question him about anything.  

Christ Simplifies Lives

        I've been observing people. These are in general good, decent people, but they all live such "complicated" lives and feel weighed-down. I've come to the conclusion that it's because they are attached to the world, to the past, and are involved with others who lead equally complicated lives. On the other hand, those who know Christ well lead uncluttered, liberated lives because they are not attached to the world or the past and are involved with the Lord only. They love others, but in a detached way.    

Praying to Be Perfect

        When we are not perfect, people cannot see the Lord in us. When we are, then they see him. So my prayer today is asking the Lord to bare my soul and expose all my faults so that I can become more perfect. 

Don't Speak for God

        Yesterday I had the chance to talk to someone about the Catholic faith. As often happens, you can let enthusiasm get in the way. Afterwards, I realized that I should have said some of the things in a different way. Thinking about what had transpired, I learned another lesson.

        When we try to convert someone, the best approach is to listen first. You must not be anxious to lay what we have to say on the other person. Of course, argument must never happen. In other words, we should remain calm and loving, and not get emotional. After all, it's God who does the converting, not us; so we should not speak for him! You could say that we must not meddle in God's business ~ we are merely instruments in his hands. In all things, let only the Spirit prompt us to say what he wants us to say. 

The Inescapable Moment

        This is the moment when we leave this world. You may not think about it now, but it will surely arrive. It could be a painful moment because you must leave all your possessions and loved ones behind. You may have already resigned to the fact that you cannot take anything with you, but leaving the loved ones is harder to deal with. For those who have no faith in God, they are heading into the unknown and I believe that they would feel a mixture of fear and sorrow. How about those who had faith once? They may have even more fear now, but may turn back to God in the last moment. As for those who believe in the Lord with all their heart, the overwhelming joy of meeting their Savior will overwhelm any sorrow they might feel. They want to witness to others to the very end that God is love and that Christ is the way, the truth, and the life.   

No Pain, No Gain

        In the bodybuilding world, the idiom "No pain, no gain" is proven to be true. In the spiritual world, it applies also. If we live an easy, comfortable life with no money or health problems whatsoever and with everything going our way, I doubt that we'll ever make any progress spiritually. On the other hand, as is made clear in today's Gospel reading from Matthew 5, the Sermon on the Mount: God blesses the poor in spirit, those who mourn, the meek, those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, the merciful, the clean of heart, the peacemakers, those who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, and those who are insulted and persecuted and against whom every kind of evil is uttered falsely because of Christ. Their reward will be great in heaven.           

God's Joy vs. World's

        God's joy surpasses any joy of the world. This is because God plants the joy in the heart, rewarding the soul, while the joys of the world remain at the physical or cerebral level, feeding mostly the ego.

God, Good to Us

        At the beginning of Mass this morning, a great calm came over me and the Lord made me see that everything he gives us is good. I accepted that with my whole heart. Matthew 6.26 comes to mind: "Look at the birds in the sky; they do not sow or reap, they gather nothing into barns, yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are not you more important than they?"

Serving God Is Beautiful

        I joined the Walk for Religious Freedom today. It started with the Vigil Mass at the Cathedral of Blessed Sacrament. How appropriate since tomorrow Sunday is the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body & Blood of Christ. The celebrating priests, altar servers, musicians...all made the Mass so beautiful that I clearly saw that serving the Lord is indeed a beautiful thing.

To Make a Long Story Short

        Somehow I came into the world. I didn't know what life was all about. Then Christ called me ~ he turned out to be exactly what I was looking for. I found out that I was not even worthy to touch his sandal, yet he loves me. His love made me cry with joy. He promised me that the best is still to come. I am so happy that I came into this world.

Practice What You Believe

        If you believe that God is our Lord, that he created us and the universe, that he provides for all our needs, and that he loves us, then so live that what you believe is made clear to both God and all others. 

Wonderful Eucharist

        During the Liturgy of the Eucharist, upon hearing that the consecrated bread and wine were referred to as "the bread of life" and "the chalice of salvation," I just knew that what I was about to receive is going to make me well spiritually.

Gospel Examples for Us

        Today's Gospel reading at Mass comes from Mark 12. First, Jesus pointed out how the scribes liked to go around in long robes, accepting greetings in the marketplaces and seats of honor at banquets, devour the houses of widows and, as a pretext, recite lengthy prayers ~ they would receive a very severe condemnation. We are not scribes, but in our own way we might have acted like them too ~ we'd better watch out.

        In the second part of the reading, Jesus gave us an example in contrast to the scribes above. He observed that a poor widow, from her poverty, put two small coins worth a few cents into the temple treasury ~ she contributed all she had, her whole livelihood! Jesus pointed out that this poor widow put in more than all the other contributors to the treasury, who had contributed from their surplus. It's true that the wealthier we are, the harder it is to let go. Such attachment to wealth prevents us from becoming selfless.  

Union with God Is for All

        Now that I realize that seeking union with God is the best way for all Catholics to become holy, I am wondering why we didn't and don't hear much about it. Thinking back, I see that in my early days, I didn't even know what union exactly was. Later I read about saints in union with God and automatically assumed that it's a state only saints enter into. So I believe that we don't consider union as a goal because (1) not everyone aspires after holiness and (2) we assume that it's beyond our reach. Of course, the fact is that union is for everyone. Christ asks us to be perfect, and to be in union with God is to be as perfect as we can be, like the saints. Therefore, have courage and break out any box that might be confining you. Speed toward peace and freedom in God!             

Jesus Our Center

        Be occupied with Jesus at all times and leave all other things on the periphery. Direct all that we do at him. 

Let Only God Affect You

        If we do not have any quiet time or if we cannot stay calm emotionally, it'd be difficult for us to hear God's voice. I feel very sorry to see that so many Catholics or other Christians let others affect them so much to the point that their own faith starts to weaken. Some actual examples are in order. One woman's best friend was a devout Catholic, but when that friend discovered that she had views leaning toward feminism, the friend dropped her. Of course, that greatly hurt the person and affected her faith. Another person was shocked when a priest came to her home for dinner on a Friday during the days when they're supposed to abstain from eating meat felt like eating meat and dispensed with the obligation. This shook her faith. Another one remembers that she had a most abusive nun as a teacher in school and when the parish priest came and told the whole class that they're lucky to have a most saintly teacher who's going to heaven, all the kids couldn't believe what they heard. Of course, it's possible that the priest really didn't know the truth and saw it that way; but nevertheless, the damage had been done. Most likely everyone has something to tell that has affected their faith. (I shouldn't deny that there are many who have had good experiences that strengthened their faith. My wife became a Catholic mainly because she had a nun who treated her most kindly.)

        Let's realize that we are all sinners, religious or lay. See how perfect Jesus our Lord is because he is God, then we shouldn't be shocked by what all the sinners do any more because they are not God. Therefore, we need to focus upon the Lord alone and not let anyone else affect our faith! If you want to look at sinners, look at ourselves first. Do we also shock others by our behavior? How do we affect the others' faith? In conclusion, let only God affect you. 

A Prayer for Love

        "I love you, Lord; love me." Praying thus, you show your willingness to let God love you.

Only Way to Peace

        At church before Mass started, I saw how amazing God was ~ his creations, his love manifested in so many ways, the example of Jesus... Then I saw that any negative thought or emotion such as anxiety originated with us, not God. The only way to have interior peace is to let God transform us so that we'll be in harmony with his will. And to let him transform us begins with surrendering to him. We may not have what we've wanted before, but we'll have peace. What's amazing is that once we have God, we'll want the same thing he wants for us.

Questioning God's Existence

        Had the chance to watch the 2002 film The Pianist on TV. It shows how the polish pianist Wladyslaw Szilman struggled to survive the onslaught of Nazi tyranny during World War II. The Jewish population were rounded up and treated horribly. In one scene, one family member of the pianist asked in great apprehension if there was a God. It's totally understandable that we question God's existence when things go bad and bleak. My thoughts as a Christian are that if I already know the Lord well, then under no circumstances would I doubt his existence, but I might wonder what the purpose was behind all that had happened.   

Feeding Priorities

        As I was frying some eggs for breakfast this morning, I thought briefly that the soul needs to be fed too. Since the soul is more important than the body, feeding the soul should have priority over feeding the body.

Practice Run for Heaven

        Living a holy life on earth is like making a practice run for living in heaven. If you succeed well now, you'll need little or no adjustment to make later. A good preparation makes the difference.

Free to Serve God

        One is free to serve God when he has fully surrendered to him. If he hasn't yet, then he cannot be totally free to serve God because he still has to serve himself. 

God's Timing

        I did not want to tell others about my blog because it's the message that's important, not the one who posts. But lately, I no longer feel uncomfortable in telling others when there is the opportunity to do so because the Lord has placed a new urgency in me to spread the message (that he wants to draw all to union with him through the Holy Eucharist). What I have learned is that God has a timing for everything and he'll let your heart (not head) know when the right time has arrived. (This simply eliminates all anxieties.)

The Union Joy

        When you surrender yourself to God, he looks down upon you and sees that there are no more obstacles in the way to keep him from shaping and transforming you freely, and he is filled with joy. He works on you until you are fully in union with him and you are filled with joy.

The Holy Spirit as Fire

        The Holy Spirit burns off all the impurities of the heart, heals the soul with his warmth, and sets the heart on flame with zeal for the Lord.

Meekness and Humbleness

        Communion time thoughts this morning. If you were a house and remain meek and humble like our Lord, then you would be like a house that's built solidly upon a rock, which is the Lord himself, strong enough to withstand any assaults from without. Meekness and humbleness are the noblest strengths, not weaknesses.  

A Union Analogy

        We who love God all want to be holy. Striving to become holy is analogous to climbing a high mountain. When we reach the top, we are holy. Normally, we climb one step at a time. This requires discipline and involves a certain amount of struggle. Often we even fall back after some advance has been made. The whole process is slow and arduous and we may not even reach the top in our lifetime. 

        The alternative is to seek union with God first. You could say that there is a helicopter available to fly you directly to the top in a short time. The problem is that you've never flown like that before ~ you are afraid of the unknown and wonder if the flight will be safe at all. Also, even though you know that the view at the top must be fantastic, you look around and see that where you are, the scenery doesn't look that bad. So you decide that the quick ascent is not worth the risk involved, and you continue to struggle. 

        The truth is that once you put the fear of flying aside, the helicopter will take you quickly and safely to the top of the mountain and you'll have the most magnificent view. Now, you look down and see that you have eliminated all that arduous climbing.

        The helicopter lift is God's arm lifting you up to him. You could say that the Holy Eucharist is already the ticket in your possession for you to board that flight. When you reach the top, you are in union with God. From there, what you see is what God sees. 

The Joe Biden Joke

        Vice President Joe Biden is known to be a Catholic, yet you can never tell by his consistent pro-choice stand. Recently, on "Meet the Press" he expressed that he's absolutely comfortable with granting same-sex couples the same privileges enjoyed by traditional families before President Obama came out later with his public endorsement of gay marriage. Biden credited the TV sitcom "Will and Grace" for changing his view of marriage. So we have a supposedly Catholic who lets secular TV shows shape his views and ignores the clear teachings of the Church. If this is not a joke, then what is it? 

Out of God's Way!

        Earlier today I posted Know Our Place Before God. I could have added this thought to it: "Never try to play God. In fact, we should do our utmost to stay out of the way so that he may accomplish what he wills." (Food for thought: Are we the only obstacles in God's way in this world?)

True Freedom in Jesus

        Jesus is the champion of freedom. In Jesus, you gain courage to do his will, whatever it might be, even at the risk of losing your life ~ that is true freedom! I still recall that over 30 years ago, I happened to visit a Communist country and could feel the oppression in the air ~ no one dared to express his or her true feelings to me, and vice versa. The moment I left the country, I really felt that the air became free again. Freedom is to be treasured. But the spiritual freedom Jesus grants is the best and most satisfying freedom of all! Besides, no one can ever take that away from you.    

Fight Against Suppression

        Our Bishop has requested that all parishioners take action to overturn the Health and Human Services mandate and I am going to do whatever I can to defend our religious liberty. It's horrifying that the government should intrude upon our conscience. This is a dark time in the history of this nation. If you're with me, please pray that God will unite all religious peoples to defeat this mandate and all other oppressive measures.  

That "Chosen" Feeling

        I forgot to mention in my last post that today is the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity. At Mass the Responsorial Psalm was Psalm 33 and our Response was 12b: "Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to be his own." The word "chosen" gave me that great "chosen" feeling, that I was so blessed to have been chosen by God to be his own. 

Let God Sanctify Us!

        At Sunday Mass this morning, I heard the priest say "Let God sanctify you" during one part of the Mass (can't remember exactly when) and it immediately struck me ~ how beautiful it is to let God do that to us, to make us holy, to purify and free us! Only God has that power and we can be the recipient of the benefits that power can bestow if we let God sanctify us. 

What We Should Do Today

        Submit ourselves to God more and more so that we fight less and less on our own. And rest in him more and more so that we struggle less and less on our own. (When we have totally surrendered to God and are able to relax completely in him, we shall have ceased fighting and struggling on our own.)            

Know Our Place Before God

        Early morning I got up and it was a beautiful day. The temperature hadn't heated up yet, the gentle breeze felt good, and I heard birds singing among the trees. I thought of the people who lived thousands of years ago ~ they must have experienced and enjoyed days like this. Then I realized that in those days, people must not live that long, for they didn't have the medical knowledge, technology, doctors and hospitals which we enjoy today. Wikipedia shows that even today, the current life expectancy at birth for people in some of the African nations is only in the range of 30-40 years and the current world average of life expectancy at birth is estimated to be around 67. 

        It's easy for us to get carried away when we believe that science and technology can solve all our problems and that we don't need God anymore. Then look, after thousands of years we've only managed to extend our life expectancy by a few decades ~ we still die at the end ~ is this big enough progress for us to claim that we can replace God who created the whole universe? Aren't we being extremely foolish to think that way? The truth is that we are nothing before God. Our proper role is to remain humble always before him and beg for his mercy before we ever think, speak, or do anything.    

Walking with Christ

        Since Christ is my closest, most intimate companion, who dwells within me, I feel his presence at all times. He enters my mind the moment I wake up in the morning and I enjoy thinking about him when I go to sleep. During the day, I cling to him because everything about me depends upon him. In return, the Lord guides me along a straight path, shielding me from all evil.