Clear-Cut Assignments

        Jesus said (to the Pharisees and Herodians), "Repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God." He said (to a would-be follower), "Let the dead bury the dead. But you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God." In a similar way, I could hear Jesus telling us: "Leave the things of the world to the world and remain in union with me where you belong." 

The Not Quite Unobtrusive I

        It is so easy to want to do what I like to do or to make things happen the way I like to see happen and forget all about giving God glory. The "I" looming large in front of us, though not in any obtrusive way, still shows the lack of perfect humility. It points to the need to consult the Lord always before proceeding. 

Dealing with Division

        In today's Gospel reading from Luke 12, Jesus said to his disciples, "Do you think that I have come to establish peace on the earth? No, I tell you, but rather division. From now on a household of five will be divided, three against two and two against three..." As long as sin exists on earth, being his disciples will unavoidably receive skepticism, criticism, misunderstanding, ridicule, or even persecution from others ~ sin and God just do not mix. All you need to do is look at the Lord himself. If he could not even escape harm from division, who are we to run away from it? He was not even honored in his hometown, as we sometimes are not understood among our own kin.  As long as we remain in union with the Lord, we need not let division disturb our peace, as the cause of it is sin, not us.

God Amazing

        Here's a link that shows how talented God can make us: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-20036511. After watching this 7-year-old, also watch the video up next about the 9-year-old who is an amazing painter. If God can create such prodigies, imagine how infinitely amazing God himself must be! 

Waging War Against God

        Basically, we all want to be gods, so we disobey the only true God by shoving him aside or ignoring him (as we don't have the guts to confront him directly). An onlooker on the side would see the scene of billions of battles being waged by each psuedo-god against the true God. I feel sorry for the psuedo-ones because they are basically fighting a losing battle. And I feel sorry for the Lord because it's billions-against-one and these battles do hurt him because the wounds are inflicted upon him by his own whom he loves.

A Gift in Waiting

        If you do not know God through Jesus, you'll never know if he is the true God or not. Once you believe in Jesus and come to know God more and more, this Lord will let you know without a doubt that he indeed is the true God. This is his gift for those who love him. Now you are well on your way to freedom.   

God Makes Us See Right

        Once you know the Lord, you begin to see the world by his standards, and the world falls far short ~ you see that it is in such a sorry, pitiful state and is dull, boring, and even nauseating in God's presence. Know the Lord and his glorious light will reveal the true worth of everything to you. 

To Be Rich in Heaven

        In today's Gospel reading from Luke 12 at Mass, Jesus told the parable of the rich fool. In it, God said to the rich man, "You fool, this night your life will be demanded of you; and the things you have prepared, to whom will they belong? Thus will it be for the one who stores up treasure for himself but is not rich in what matters to God." Let me add that in Matthew 6, Jesus said, "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, but store up treasures in heaven. For where your treasure is, there also will your heart be." So we need to set our hearts on eternity. Store up treasures in heaven starting right now by doing everything that matters to God and you will be rich in heaven. 

Living in Each Other

        Today's Communion experience. Jesus comes to live in me and there is no need for me to live on my own anymore, for I now live in him. 

A Blissful State

        Be perfectly in tune with the Holy Spirit so that he fills all of you so that you no longer are aware of your own existence so that he guides you in everything to glorify God.        

Destined to Belong to God

        The Response to Psalm 100 at this morning's Mass: "The Lord made us, we belong to him." If he did make us, then what did he intend to do with us? To discard us? To leave us alone? To enslave us? I don't think so. Jesus told us that God even takes good care of the birds and flowers. To love us has to be the answer. That's why he reached out to save us when we went astray ~ he wants us to belong to him. 

God, Creator of Our Universe

        This is October, the month in which 30,000 to 100,000 people witnessed the miracle of the sun near Fatima, Portugal, in 1917. The extraordinary solar activity, lasting approximately ten minutes, occurred after Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to the three young shepherd children at noon. Here I quote from Wikipedia: "According to many witnesses, after a period of rain, the dark clouds broke and the sun appeared as an opaque, spinning disc in the sky. It was said to be significantly duller than normal, and to cast multicolored lights across the landscape, the shadows on the landscape, the people, and the surrounding clouds. The sun was then reported to have careened towards the earth in a zigzag pattern, frightening those who thought it a sign of the end of the world." 

         This just made me realize that whoever can move the sun easily like that had to be the creator of our universe.

How to Experience the Holy Spirit

        Children in my parish are preparing to receive confirmation, so I think of the Holy Spirit. If you read my old postings, you might remember that I questioned the Lord at one time how I might know that the Holy Spirit was dwelling in me. Now I fully understand that if we do not surrender to the Holy Spirit, we will not experience his presence in us, for he is most gentle. How much his power is felt by us depends upon the extent to which we surrender to him ~ you can say that we are in the driver's seat. To go at full speed, surrender fully to receive full power.

Irresistible Love

        Communion experience. Pure love hit me and I was rendered totally helpless. The only choice left is this blessed state is to surrender and be annihilated by this love. God does more than healing the soul!  

A Reminder

        Since God knows everything about us, be aware of how everything we do affects him.

Challenged to Serve

        In today's Gospel reading from Mark 10 at Sunday Mass, Jesus said to his disciples, "Whoever wishes to be great among you will be your servant; whoever wishes to be first among you will be the slave of all. For the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many." Again, the Lord challenges us and he knew exactly what his mission was. We must absolutely pay attention to these sayings of his, for neglecting them risks not entering his kingdom of heaven. Let's believe that he did come to give his life to save us and ask him to empower us to be meek and humble in order to serve.  

Differing Desires

        I see that all my past desires for things of the world are self-centered because I wanted them to satisfy myself. But the desire for God is different ~ when he draws you, you are touched and moved by his love and the desire for him is given to you by him. Therefore, this desire is basically self-giving. Self-centered desires always enslave one, while the self-giving desire for God makes you feel even freer.

Permanent Resting Place

        Today's Communion experience. After receiving Holy Communion, I knew that I had found the place of rest, the Lord. For the time being, things are never settled. Then one day I'll be resting in God's permanent peace. 

Expect to Receive More

        Jesus said to his disciples, "To the one who has, more will be given; from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away." Another way of saying this truth could go: "Expect more and you will receive more; expect nothing and you will have nothing."  

The Evil of Entertainment

        I want to talk about the business of entertainment in this country. It is a huge business that sucks in practically everyone. Television, radio, stage shows, concerts, gambling casinos, magazines, websites, YouTube broadcasts, i-pads, background music, even advertisements and commercials...all aim at entertaining you. We become so addicted that we have to listen to music while exercising or doing homework, watch a TV show when we are cooking or balancing checkbooks. The big names in the entertainment business have egos to match, their admiring fans following them everywhere. Entertainment has a place in our society, but when it starts to "dominate" my lives, the balance is lost. It robs us of prayer time, keeps God away from us and even leads us into sin when it's impure. In short, too much entertainment definitely endangers our soul.

Believe Now and Question Later

        St. Teresa in her Meditations on the Song of Songs writes that we are not to dwell upon the many mysteries of our faith and what we do not understand in the Holy Scripture. I agree that as long as the message of salvation is crystal clear and we are certain that God loves us, it's sufficient for us to submit to him with all our heart. "Believe now and question later" is not a bad idea.

What the Holy Eucharist Signifies

        The Lord showed me that the institution of the Holy Eucharist is an invitation to union with him, signifying that this union is possible. When we receive the Holy Eucharist, it should signify that we are committed to seeking union with him. 

Two Ways of Seeing

        There are two sides to each coin. A glass can be seen as half full or half empty. There's the story about two shoe salesmen who visit a village where no resident wears shoes. One comes back and says that there is no point in going there to sell shoes, while the other sees the opportunity to sell shoes to every single villager. One sees believing in God as a way of avoiding going to hell, while another sees it as a way of going to heaven. We yearns for God ~ it could be that we are tired of living or that we are in love with God. Attending Mass every Sunday is fulfilling an obligation for some and a chance to unite with God again for others. In each case, both ways of seeing can be valid, but one is usually superior to the other. When it comes to making spiritual progress, seeing it as seeking union with God is definitely superior to seeing it as struggling to become holier on you own.

A Mind-Challenging Problem

        In my last post, I said that our mind is limited, but it can still have considerable power. I thought it would be fun to give you problem to solve at this point in the middle of all the serious talks. So here we go.

        There are ten identical containers with each holding ten identical pills. Nine of the containers hold pills weighing 10 mg each and one container holds ten pills weighing 9 mg each. All pills look exactly alike. There is an electronic scale available for your use. The problem is that the batteries in the scale are so weak that there is only one weighing left. So, how would you weigh the pills just once and identify the container holding the 9 mg pills?

        The solution is not that obvious. Some people have solved the problem in a couple of hours, but others in a couple of weeks. Try your best, but don't lose any sleep over it. 

Power of the Responding Heart

        Our physical strength is clearly limited. Our mind too ~ when I use mine to solve a problem, I can only go so far. When I want to praise God, I run out of words to say. Now, when it comes to our heart, it knows no such bounds as it responds to the Lord directly. He can make us love him and others as much as he wants to with no cutoffs. If I yearn for God, he can increase that desire as much as he wishes. It's all up to him. A heart responding to God unites us to God, giving us unlimited power to change ourselves and the world.

Simplifying Your Life

        Seek only God. Once you have found him, stay with, attach to, focus upon, and trust in him alone, letting everything else go. Then interiorly, you'll have freedom, peace, and joy. 

Doing Whatever You Want

        When can you do whatever you want? It's not meant to be a trick question. The simple answer: when you are in union with God. That's because in that state, all you want to do is God's will. 

No Comparing with Others

        If you are physically more endowed, intellectually more astute, verbally more skillful, artistically more talented, spiritually holier, better educated, more famous or wealthier than others, never compare yourself with them because all that you possess do not belong to you ~ they came from God. Furthermore, remind yourself that you are also inferior in so many ways to others. Your first priority is to please the Lord, and being humble would surely do it.

No Time for Sin

        We sin and we lose interior peace. By contrast, when we are in union with God, sin becomes repulsive. Besides, we'll be so absorbed in God that there is no time left to even think of sin. Now we have peace.    

All About Union with God

        Today is the Memorial of St. Ignatius. The Entrance Song from Galatians 2 starts out: "I am crucified with Christ, yet I live; no longer I, but Christ lives in me." This is such a simple but profound statement. It's all about union with God. It reveals the secret of perfect living and is a recipe for attaining freedom of the spirit.

Islam and Christianity

        I started reading a little bit about what Muslims believe. I learned that they believe that God is in one Person only, so this wipes out the Christian belief in the Holy Trinity. They believe in angels and the prophets of the Old Testament, but Jesus was just a prophet, not divine ~ this wipes out the Christian message of salvation through Christ, and I wonder why he even got crucified. (Later I read that they believe that someone else took the place of Jesus on the cross.) Muslims believe that Muhammad was the prophet with the last word on God's revelation to us. If that were true, then Jesus cannot possibly be a true prophet. They also maintain that messages and revelations from God previous to Muhammad's appearance on the scene had been partially changed or corrupted over time, so what can you say? At any rate, Islam and Christianity are fundamentally different. One can only believe in one, not both. 

Sleepwalking Through Life

        While exercising on a treadmill this morning at a nearby gym, you could hear the background music coming through the constant noises made by people working out on various types of machines. It was rock with a persistent beat and "sung" in indistinguishable words ~ rather annoying. The thought of the world sleepwalking through life, not being aware of the love and mercy of God and the bright hope of salvation there is for us, came to my mind. It's indeed easy to live on and not think about our ultimate destiny with time passing and gone forever. God has sent prophets to his people through the centuries and finally his own Son to all of us, yet so many of us now still sleepwalk through life. What do they truly want? I suppose that when you are sleepwalking, you can't really think about what you want.

Christ Our Best Guide

        Jesus shows us how to think right, to see right, to hear right, to speak right, to feel right, to love right, and to live right. Among all the gurus and spiritual teachers of the world, he is the standard and most trustworthy one because he alone has shown the greatest possible love for us. Besides, he is God!

Feeling Free in the Lord

        During Mass, it just hit me that there is no mystery about Christianity at all. The message of salvation is plain, clear, logical, and based entirely upon God's love. Receiving Holy Communion was a monumental moment for me. I felt deeply anchored in the Lord. I was completely in him, yet feeling completely free ~ another paradoxical fact of Christianity.  

What to Do About Our Future

        When I was shaving in front of the mirror this morning, the thought flashed into my mind that one day I wouldn't see myself like this anymore. Our future in this life is never certain, so what should we do? The best we could do to be guided by we already know to be the true way. John 21:18-22 come to my mind. 

        Jesus said to Peter, "Amen, amen, I say to you, when you were younger, you used to dress yourself and go where you wanted; but when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go." He said this signifying by what kind of death he would glorify God. And when he had said this, he said to him, "Follow me." Then Peter turned and saw the disciple following whom Jesus loved. When Peter saw him, he said to Jesus, "Lord, what about him?" Jesus said to him, "What if I want him to remain until I come? What concern is it of yours? You follow me."

        What we can learn here is that we are not to be concerned about what's going to happen to us in the future ~ we are to just follow Jesus.

Seek Love from God Alone

        When God makes you long for him, he's letting you know that he loves you! Do not seek human love, for human love comes and goes and cannot give peace to the soul. Seek love from God alone, for only his love is pure and everlasting.  

Squaring Ourselves with God

        If we love God, we will love all others. If we reconcile with God, we will be able to reconcile with all others too. If we do not offend God, we won't offend others either. Work on our relationship with God and all our relationships with others will straighten out. 

Longing for God

        Today is the Feast of St. Teresa of Avila. The Entrance Song at Mass consists of Psalm 42:2-3: "As the deer longs for streams of water, so my soul longs for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, the living God." I've been talking about how God plants such longing in our soul. Today he lets me know that he does it so that he can fully satisfy us one day.

On Living Quietly

        As I was praying the Joyful Mysteries of the Holy Rosary this morning, I saw that the Lord lived his life "quietly." After he made a leper clean, he told him not to tell anyone. After he was gloriously transfigured before Peter, James, and John, he did not ask them to publicize what they saw. Jesus did all his deeds quietly without fanfare or any self-promotion, although the Resurrection and Ascension speak loud enough by themselves. This is how we should live. If God be so humble, who are we to be otherwise? Let's imitate the Lord by living quietly in his shadow so that his glory alone may shine among us. 

God Alone Is Trustworthy

        I have learned that anytime I put my trust in people, I am taking a chance. Sometimes they become completely different persons. My conclusion is that when an opportunity arises for them to take advantage of you, they turn against you. So love all sinners, but be careful not to trust to them too much. God alone is worthy to be trusted, for he will never fail us.

A Sweet Cross

        I have mentioned that after you have fallen in love with the Lord, he gives you a great yearning for him ~ you feel that you won't be satisfied until you are with him in heaven. This is a cross you have to bear, but it is a sweet one.

Selfless Loving Called For

        Christ died in our place ~ God always gives all of himself to us. His love being boundless, he becomes completely selfless. That's why Jesus rightfully commanded us to love the Lord, our God, with all our heart, with all our soul, and with all our mind.   

We Mess God Up

        If we leave God alone (imagine that we are not even around), everything will turn our fine. But we love to interfere with his will! We rebel and offend him nonstop ~ no wonder that the world is in disorder. In other words, we mess God up. The only solution is for us to be as perfect as God is, then his will will be done. Again, to quote what Jesus said in Matthew 5.48: "So be perfect, just as your Heavenly Father is perfect." 

Jesus Brings Joy

        I saw the TV program The Family Hearth on EWTN, featuring Br. Fishman telling the story of Elisha and the healing of Naaman the Syrian. Since Br. Fishman is a Jew, I thought how especially satisfying he must have felt when he realized that Jesus, his Savior, was a fellow Jew. This had to be an extra joy on top of the joy of finding the Messiah the Jewish people had been long expecting. 

Not Knowing We Are Finite

        God made all kinds of creatures with intelligence at different levels. God alone is infinite and all creatures are finite with some more finite than others. A dog is certainly more finite than a human being. You feed the dog and he eats the food, not knowing where the food came from. You give him a ride in your car and he joins you, not understanding anything about the car. You take him to the vet when he is sick and he goes along with trust. So the dog does not question, knowing that you are his loving master.

        God is obviously infinitely more knowing than we are and he had come to tell us that he wanted to save us if only we would believe in him. Then, being finite as we are, why do we keep questioning him and not want to trust in him? If we can't do better than a dog, then our ego must have grossly overestimated our intelligence. 

Latching onto Jesus

        Today's after-Communion thoughts. I was passing through this life and saw nothing worth latching onto. Then I saw Jesus, latched onto him and found out that he is worthy and I was able to let everything else go. Life is no longer a riddle. 

"Conquering" God

        Man wants to conquer Mt. Everest. The climbers spend a lot of money and years of training in preparation for the risky venture ~ risky because over 200 climbers have perished so far on the mount. I suppose that people want to do it because they feel good and proud if they can accomplish something so challenging. I have no desire to challenge myself like that. I brought this up because by contrast I see that I can "conquer" almighty God, to me the highest peak we can possibly reach, without even trying hard ~ all I need to do is to trust and let go in him and he lifts me right up to him. Not only the view from up there is beautiful, there is also absolute security.    

A Crucial Settlement to Make

        There is only one thing we need to settle before we die ~ to make our peace with God. This is of critical or crucial importance. Without such a settlement, we shall not have peace for all eternity! We know that we are to leave everything behind when we die, but don't forget to include unconfessed sins! The wise have already made their peace with God, but the foolish think that there will always be a tomorrow and tomorrow may bring the biggest shock of their life.

We Are Always Welcome

        Today's Gospel reading at Mass came from Luke 11. Jesus emphatically told his disciples: "Ask and you will receive; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you." Obviously, the Lord wants us to feel free to approach him, let him know of our needs, and be persistent about it. It is a great consolation to know that God is always ready for us and we are welcome despite our sinfulness. Any hesitancy to go to him can only come from us. (We are always our own obstacles!)

A Logical Progression

        You give myself completely to God ~ he starts to transform you ~ gradually you become like Christ ~ finally, realizing that you and he are alike, you yearn to become one with him ~ you fall deeply in love with God and your deepest desire is fulfilled.