Jesus Our Supreme Guide

        Today's Gospel Acclamation (Mark 10.45): "The Son of Man came to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many." Jesus is the supreme example! Without him, there is no reliable guide to follow. Among all the spiritual teachers and gurus, none can possibly compare with him. His great(est) love no one can possibly match. His authoritative teaching is simple, courageous, and challenging. He lived up to what he taught by example. And by the way, most of all he is God! 

God Is for Ever

        Today's Entrance Song at Mass: "I am the salvation of the people, says the Lord. Should they cry to me in any distress, I will hear them, and I will be their Lord for ever." What I love about our Lord is the "for ever" part ~ he lives and loves us for ever, his mercy endures for ever, he is with and waits for us for ever, and he forgives us, if we repent, for ever. This is the God we must spend our eternal life with for ever. 

Enjoying Now or Later

        I've been watching people I more or less know. Some are very much occupied with building a material empire of their own, you might say, and others want to take in as many worldly pleasures as possible ~ we all need recreation, but it's easy to go overboard. How much beneficial it will be to our souls if we all devote just, say 10% of our waking hours to prayer and doing charitable work for God. This probably would reduce at least 10% of the time we'll be spending in purgatory. Anyhow, it's either "enjoy now and worry later" or "'worry' now and enjoy later." I prefer the latter simply because whatever we enjoy later will be a lot more enjoyable than anything we enjoy now.

Grow the Easy Way

        Here is promoting the same message in a slightly different way. We are like helpless infants before God. We try to be good, to be more loving, to feel happy...on my own, but it is always a struggle with slow or no progress. The secret of success is let God do it for us. Then we must let him in first and put our trust in him and it will work like a miracle (I almost used the word "magic"). This is something God loves to do and it's right up his alley too. 

Vanity Is Illusory

        Today is the Memorial of St. Vincent de Paul. Reading 1 at Mass came from Ecclesiastes 1, which starts off with the familiar verse "Vanity of vanities! All things are vanities!" This got me thinking about our ego. If we are so concerned about ourselves that we want people to notice, praise, admire, or look up to us, does that actually make us a better person? Is humility not a virtue anymore? The good feeling we yearn to get, if you can call it good, is basically illusory, not true happiness, as deep down we all know. Only how we appear to God, definitely not vanity, matters. 

Sins Are Obvious

        St. Teresa also said that sins are not hidden because God is rightly aware of them since they take place squarely in the presence of the Majesty and we act so disrespectfully in front of him! 

        This is absolutely true and a great picture for us to keep in mind.

Where to Seek God

        I just finished reading St. Teresa's Life. For recollected persons, she learned from the Lord to consider him as very deep within the soul rather than thinking of him as outside oneself. She pointed out that St. Augustine also found God when he sought him within himself, so it is not necessary to go to heaven or further than our own selves. I already mentioned in past postings that when we are in union with the Lord, we become one with him and just know that he dwells within us. God cannot be any closer. 

Comparing Ourselves to God

        Being all sinners before God, we are not qualified to judge each other and there is no profit in comparing ourselves with others. The only one we should look up to is the Lord, who alone is perfect, sees our sins, knows what we lack spiritually, and can make us holy. Compare ourselves to him for great profit.

Desire for Union

        The Communion Song at today's Mass, Romans 8.38-39: "Neither death nor life nor any created thing will be able to separate us from the love of Christ." Believing that this is true, I received the Lord in Holy Communion, acknowledging and accepting his love and expressing my desire for union with him. I pictured two panes of wet glass stuck together, united as one and inseparable.

Receiving More than We Think

        St. Teresa also told that when she approached to receive Communion, the Lord let her behold the extraordinary majesty present in the Blessed Sacrament and her hair stood on end, the whole experience seeming to annihilate her. She marveled at God's wonderful wisdom to conceal such great majesty in something so small as the host. If he did not hide such grandeur, no one would have the courage and strength to approach this union. So let's realize that when we receive the Lord in the Holy Eucharist, we receive all of him, a lot, lot more than we think! 

Heaven Is Worth Awaiting

        St. Teresa in her Life described that the glory, delight, and consolation God gave her in a vision or rapture was go great that it seemed impossible that there could be anything more to desire here below. Imagine how we would feel in heaven! I have no doubt that anyone who can feel what heaven is like for just 5 seconds or less would want to be with God forever. So let's keep up the faith. Believe in Christ and you won't be disappointed ~ this is putting it very mildly.

Clear-Cut Choices

       (1) Do you believe that Jesus actually lived in this world once or that he is just a fictitious character?

        (2) If he actually did live among us in the past, then do you believe that he is divine, the Son of God, our Savior as he claimed he was or that he was totally crazy or false, lying or trying to trick people (in other words, the Gospel stories were mostly likely all made up)?

       (3) If he is indeed our Savior, then do you think that we should totally, partially, or not at all believe in him?  
        It's clear that with God, it must be all or nothing.

Jesus Forever Beautiful

        I did not make Mass yesterday, so today I was most happy going back to receive the Lord. I felt that Christ was truly my refuge. After Communion, I was overwhelmed by his beauty and wanted to give him my heart once more. 

Banishing Anxiety

        Anxiety is always caused by our own will. Once we follow God's will in all things, anxiety vanishes. It is that simple.

Take God Seriously, Please

        Yesterday, I experienced some dizziness while driving; I pulled my car to the roadside, parked, and waited until I recovered. In just those few moments, I saw how life can easily slip away from us. This was a good experience for me ~ it's the kind of wake-up call we all need. Various saints and mystics have been shown hell by God and they are never the same again after that. On this blog, you can check out the account by Fr. Steven Scheier in the video A Judgment Experience. People are dying right and left everyday. For Catholics, please go to confession regularly and often. The first order of business is to take care of your soul. Take God's love and justice seriously!

Common Downfalls

        (1) Our health fails. (2) Our mind fails and we become forgetful, demential, or even insane. (3) Last, the most detrimental of all ~ we sin and stain our soul.
        The precariousness of life calls for the saving power of God.   

Jesus Our Greatest Consolation

        We are always happy when we meet someone who shares the same interests or holds the same views as ours. With the right people, communication is a joy. On the other hand, two people who have suffered the same illness or gone through similar painful experiences find consolation when they find out that they are not alone. Kindred spirits, soul mates, whatever you want to call it, bond easily with each other. Well, Jesus can be all that to us! When we love him, he becomes our best friend and most intimate, constant companion. Our wills coincide and we see eye to eye on all things. In union with us, he becomes our greatest consolation and joy.

Holding Up & Basking in God's Light

         In today's Gospel reading from Luke 6 for Mass, Jesus said to the crowd, "No one who lights a lamp conceals it with a vessel or set it under a bed; rather, he places it on a lampstand so that those who enter may see the light." The whole purpose of the light is for all to be able to see. Jesus is our bright light and our role is to show him so that all may see him through us. Therefore, let every move be as the Lord wants us to make.

      Jesus continued, "For there is nothing that will not become visible, and nothing secret that will not be known and come to light." This is true because he knows everything about us already. Face this truth and lay ourselves completely open before him so that he may enter to transform us into the most desirable creature to him.  

Muddy Thinking Is Dangerous

        The German Catholic Church is in the news. Catholics make up about  30% of the population, but the number of congregants leaving the church rose to over 180,000 in 2010, with the increase blamed on revelations of sexual abuse by German priests. The question Jesus asked the Twelve after all his other disciples were shocked by his bread of life discourse and left him comes to my mind: "Do you also want to leave?" (John 6.67). To leave the Church because of the imperfections of her members is muddy thinking ~ mixing the perfect Lord up with all the sinners. If imperfection is that important to one, then shouldn't he look at his own imperfections first? For one who has true faith in Jesus, that faith will not be shaken the slightest bit, in fact, will even increase, even if every other Catholic in the world, including the Pope, becomes evil! The Church is the Body of Christ. Leaving her is cutting your own lifeline to Christ! Seek union with Christ so that you may always have clear thinking.

True Humility

        Yesterday I saw that if one has true humility, then he must be willing to accept any suffering the Lord sends his way. Jesus' Passion makes this clear, a point I really never looked at this way before. In any case, to be truly humble is willingly accepting anything the Lord sends you. 

Freedom of Speech

        Recently, an anti-Muslim film came out, causing worldwide protests and the loss of many lives. Is freedom of speech a good thing? It must not mean that you can say anything you want. For the average person, this freedom must be guided by good common sense. For disciples of Jesus, freedom of speech is a nonissue, for they follow the Holy Spirit in what they say; that is, they let love dictate what they say. (Read James 3 to learn how to tame our tongue.)  

Certainty About Jesus

         Early his morning the sky looked striking. It was filled with soft, fluffy, white clouds in hues of grey and pink, produced by the rays of the early sun. The sky was more cyan than blue. Anyhow, each color complemented the others perfectly ~ I knew that I was seeing a beautiful sight. If someone told me that what I saw was really ugly or that the scene was in black and white only or that it was really an illusion, I would instantly knew that he was wrong. 

        Then I thought of Jesus. I know that he is divine, he loves us, he is truly beautiful, and he is our Lord and God; but there are plenty people who do not believe in God or cast doubts upon him and discredit or even ridicule Jesus. We hear about the prehistoric man, our evolution from the monkeys, whether Jesus ever existed, the de Vinci code story, and just in the news the discovery announced by Karen King, a professor at Harvard Divinity School, that Jesus might be married, based upon what's written on a tiny scrap of papyrus she had (King is the author of The Gospel of Mary of Magdala, What is Gnosticism?, The Secret Revelation of John and other books on what's considered to be heretical literature). Just as I was certain about the beautiful sky I saw this morning, I am certain about what I believe about Jesus. Therefore, anything else said about him becomes totally inconsequential.        

A Most Private Moment

        Today's Communion experience. After receiving Christ in the Holy Eucharist, I felt that I was having the most private moment of my life. If I were all by myself, that would only be a most lonely moment, not a private one. But being totally with the Lord alone ~ that is private.

Impure Motivation & False Humility

        I've been advocating letting God enter us to take away our struggle in making spiritual progress. Of course, this does not mean that we don't do anything besides opening ourselves up to God. A couple of things I've recently sensed and would like to share: (1) Pure motivation is something we have to work on. It's easy to respond and say to others the way we normally do, but they are times I still detect that my response is motivated by some self-centeredness. (2) False humility is sometimes more difficult to discern. If God has a message for us to share, we should do it for his glory. If we are concerned that we might draw attention to ourselves, that could be false humility. Basically, we do what the Lord wants us to do and not be concerned about whether people are going to praise or criticize us.   

Thinking About Jesus Alone

        People think about the past, not because they enjoy doing it, but because unhappy events and experiences haunt them, keeping them unhappy. People also think about the future with worry or hope. Since the future is never certain, always an unknown, they feel unsettled. So what should we think about? Jesus, of course, for the Lord is an eternal joy! Dwell on or in him and we'll have interior peace.

Living for God Alone

        People do not know us as God knows us. If we are concerned about what people think of us, we can't help being dishonest or hypocritical at times. Therefore, we should be concerned about what God thinks of us only, he who knows everything about us already. By living for him alone, we remain honest and genuine at all times. 

Rejoicing in Being Called

        Today's Gospel reading from Matthew 9 records how Jesus called Matthew to follow him. Of course, Matthew didn't know what's really in store for him yet, but we now know that when God calls us, it's because he loves us, the Father has chosen us, and he is ready to bestow upon us the greatest honor of our life. It is a time appropriate for great rejoicing ~ jumping up and down and shouting for joy are not out of place.

God Can Make Us Holy

        Continuing reading St. Teresa's Life has convinced me further that when God grants us a favor, it's impossible for us to resist. Without his help, we'd be struggling all our lives trying to be holy; but when God lends a hand, it's done for us! In today's first reading at Mass from Ephesians, Paul urged all to be humble and gentle with patience, to bear with one another through love, and to strive to preserve the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. His advice is good, but to be able to follow it is another matter. Of course, there has to be the faith in Christ to start out with. Then help from the Lord is absolutely necessary to guarantee success. Again, seeking union with God will satisfy all requirements.

Yearning for God

        Today is the Feast of St. Matthew, Apostle. Before Mass started, I felt that the Lord was asking me, "What do you want of me?" (I felt like asking him the exact, same question?) What I want of God is all of him to satisfy my yearning for him. A little bit of him is just not enough because he is just too beautiful! If you call that greed, then it is a holy greed, a good greed. God is someone you can never get tired of having more and more of. 

Serving God Big

        Most of us don't get the opportunity to do anything big for the Lord ~ that's OK. What we can do is to do every little thing perfectly with humility and joy for the love of God, then he would be greatly pleased. This is a sure way of building up our treasure in heaven. In fact, this is a sure way to sainthood for anyone (read about the little way of St. Therese, the Little Flower).  

Peter, the First Pope

        Paul referred to Peter as Cephas (see last post). Cephas is the name given to Peter by Jesus (John 1:42) ~ it is a Syriac name meaning "rock." Later, Jesus said to Peter, "I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church." To me, it is clear that Peter was made the head of the Church by Jesus. 

Evidence for Resurrection

        Today's first reading at Mass came from 1 Corinthians 15. Paul told that Jesus, after he was raised, appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve, and then to more than five hundred at once, most of whom still living at the time Paul wrote his letter. Next, Jesus appeared to James, then to all the Apostles again. Last, he appeared to Paul. All these appearances point irrefutably to the Resurrection of the Lord. 

God amid the Self-Destructive World

        Yesterday, I saw that judging or not forgiving others is destructive. We not only hurt our own health, but also go against the will of God. Today I see that the whole world is heading for self-destruction. Without knowing the love of Christ, it has gone mad or insane beyond mere foolishness. Scanning the news any day and you'll see how sad the state we are in. One bright item today on BBC News is worth a look because these astronomy photographs show how small we are and how stunning and great God is. They also tell us that our earth cannot last forever. Here is the link ~ http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-19637073. 

Enjoying the Lord

        Today's Communion experience: I simply let my heart, spirit, and soul enjoy their union with the Lord through the Holy Eucharist.

Letting Jesus Raise Us

         In today's Gospel reading from Luke 7, outside the gate of the city Nain Jesus saw that a man who had died was being carried out, the only son of his mother, a widow. The Lord was moved with pity for her and said to her, "Do not weep." He then stepped forward and touched the coffin; at this the bearers halted, and he said, "Young man, I tell you, arise!" The dead man sat up and began to speak, and Jesus gave him to his mother.  

       If Jesus can raise the dead like that, then we can also "play dead" by setting our own will aside and letting him raise us to a new life. In John 11:25-26, Jesus aid, "I am the resurrection and the life; whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die." So, to believe is to be raised, and we shall live.

Our Rightful Position Before God

        This morning before Mass, I knelt before the Lord and begged for his mercy on my soul. I felt so comfortable because I sensed that this was the most natural, rightful position for me as a creature to be in before my creator ~ we were just made that way! The most comfortable zone for us is to be submissive and obedient to God ~ in perfect harmony with his will.  

Jesus Is the Draw

        People do not want to go to hell after they realize what a horrible place it is. On the other hand, they will want to go to heaven if they realize what a blissful place it is. After receiving Holy Communion this morning, I experienced the beauty and loveliness of Jesus so much that it would be impossible for me to not want to be with him forever. I know that everyone else would feel the same when he or she gets to know him. There is absolutely no point in looking elsewhere.     

A Simple Relationship

        Before Mass started this morning, I realized that I cannot do anything without God. Even though the world is in a horrible mess, all he requires of me is to serve him faithfully, nothing more. So I'll do just that and ask for nothing more from him either. I do my little part and he takes care of the rest, including the world. What I love about God is how he keeps everything simple for us to understand and to perform. This simple relationship with him is based upon our trust, our obedience,  and his love, no more. The Lord is the easiest person to deal with.

Much Ado About Nothing

        I am using the title of Shakespeare's comedy to describe what the people of the world are doing much of the time. I caught a snippet of a TV documentary film on a past famous opera singer. Either her father or someone was remembered to have been painted as a character in a painting by a famous artist. Another person was remembered because his tomb was designed by another famous artist. My question is: what good is it to be remembered this way? Most people, especially those in more affluent societies, waste so much of their time doing things of no benefit to them spiritually whatsoever. Doing these things keeps them even further away from God. It is certainly a tragedy that people are not aware of their own spiritual status, resulting in much ado about nothing or worse. 

Union with God Necessary

        Today's Gospel reading came from Mark 8. Jesus began to teach his disciples that he must suffer greatly and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed... Then Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. At this he turned around and, looking at his disciples, rebuked Peter and said, "Get behind me, Satan. You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do." So, how can we think as God does? The only way is to get to know him fully, and union with him provides the exact answer.

       Later Jesus summoned the crowd with his disciples and said to them, "Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me." To deny oneself is one of the hardest thing to do, yet it is the way to freedom, to save one's own life. God cannot enter us if we are still in our way. Again, union with God provides the solution.

Letting God Fill Us Fully

        Since we are nothing, it is necessary and perfect for us to give all of ourselves ~ heart, life, and soul ~ to God in order to receive his love, grace, and mercy to the fullest. Then we shall be more like him.

God High Above the World

        Once you have tasted the Lord, all things of the world become downright boring and all the world loves to talk about becomes gibberish. Hence, if you are still having a great time enjoying the world, it is an indication that you have not truly known the Lord yet. All the pleasures of the world pale into nothing compared to the joy of knowing God. May all glory and all honor go to him, for he alone is to be worshiped.

Getting Close to God

        Sometimes we think we are being a pretty good person and feel like giving ourselves a pat on the back, but we must realize that no matter how saintly we become, before God we are full of imperfections and sinfulness ~ we are much worse than what we think, for God's standards are indeed lofty. It just shows that we need God more than we think we need him. Then if we truly are humble and acknowledge our wretchedness before God, he lifts us up close to him as if we are already perfect. This is another beautiful paradox with God.  

Ready for Seeking Union with God?

        Inspired by what I read in St. Teresa's Life, these questions popped into my mind:

        (1) Do you believe that Jesus can change a soul completely?

        (2) Do you believe that Jesus can free a soul from the love of things?

        (3) Do you believe that Jesus can make a soul love him?

       If your answer to all three questions is yes, then you are ready for seeking union with God.

The Peace Formula

        The absence of peace in the world can be traced directly to the absence of peace in the human heart. Our self-importance has replaced God. The solution is clearly to humble ourselves so that we may surrender to God. The reward will be peace in our hearts and peace in the world. This is so obviously true, yet so hard to realize! (Simeon's prophecy at the Presentation of the child Jesus that the Lord would be a sign of contradiction comes to my mind.) 

Totally Yours, Lord

        After receiving Holy Communion this morning, I just knew that the secret of happiness is to be totally God's, then all things minor or major other than him no longer matter. I was ashamed that earlier I got a little emotionally perturbed over some trivial matter.

Being Crowned by the Lord

        Today is the Memorial of Our Lady of Sorrows. At the Presentation of the child Jesus in the temple, Simeon prophesied that a sword would pierce Mary's soul. The Gospel Acclamation reads: "Blessed are you, O Virgin; without dying you won the Martyr's Crown beneath the Cross of the Lord." So one can be a martyr without undergoing actual physical death. Anytime we endure suffering for the sake of Christ, we are martyrs and the Lord crowns us ~ what a great honor!

Embracing All of Christ

        Today is the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. My after-Communion thoughts were that I must embrace all of Christ, including his sufferings. But by my nature, I love to just focus upon the love of God and unreservedly place my trust in him ~ this is why St. Therese of Lisieux appeals to me so much, for her approach and ways are simple like that. 

All Gifts Are from God

        By the way, today is the Memorial of St. John Chrysostom. After receiving Holy Communion, I wanted to love God even more, but felt utterly powerless to do so. So I had no choice but to ask him to help me because I realized that all gifts come from him.

What God Wants from Us

         Today's Gospel reading from Luke 6 at Mass was all about loving your enemies and not judging others ~ these teachings of Jesus distinguish Christianity from all other religions. What the Lord said was radical and stunning. Some excerpts: "...love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you... To the person who strikes you on one cheek, offer the other one as well... ...for he himself is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked. Be merciful... Stop judging... Stop condemning... Forgive..." 

       Here's another way of seeing it. We are to realize that every single person is someone God loves to death! And he teaches us this way because he wants us to be free! He wants us to be like him so that we may live with him for all eternity! If we wish to be good children in the Father's eyes, we might as well be good all the way, and we can do that with the aid of his transforming love. The Lord wants us to know only him, to know love, for he is love.