Holiness to Be Thorough

        In Luke 16:10, Jesus said to his disciples, "The person who is trustworthy in very small matters is also trustworthy in great ones." As I continue reading the biography of St. Gemma Galgani, I am impressed by her holiness in every little situation. This should inspire us to be holy in performing all our little acts.

The Blessing Illusion

          In John 20:29, after Thomas finally saw the resurrected Lord and believed, Jesus said to him, "Blesses are those who have not seen and have believed" ~ so having seen is not necessarily a blessing.

        In Matthew 19:24, Jesus said to his disciples, "It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for one who is rich to enter the kingdom of heaven" ~ so being rich is not necessarily a blessing either. 

         It is a fact that it's easy for one in prison or a foxhole to pray to God and for one who lives quite comfortably not to even think of God ~ so having an easy life is not necessarily a blessing either.

Jesus Is Joy!

        Before I received the Lord at Mass today, I saw Jesus as my joy. Sure enough, after I received the Holy Eucharist, great joy flooded my soul ~ jubilation time!

Wanting to Be in God's Presence

        The Gospel reading at Mass today from Luke 5 was about the healing of a paralytic. Some men brought on a stretcher a paralytic to where Jesus was teaching. Finding no way to bring him in because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and lowered him on the stretcher through the tiles into the middle in front of Jesus. Impressed by their faith, Jesus not only forgave the paralytic's sins, but also healed him.

       What impressed me was the faith expressed in eagerly wanting to be in the Lord's presence. Today we can express the same desire by attending Mass or Eucharistic Adoration. Best yet, seek union with the Lord and you'll know his presence within you at all times!

A Short Exhortation

        Enter deep into Christ to discover and enjoy his breathtaking beauty.

Finding Our Own Spirituality

        We are all called to be holy. But since we are also individuals with different personalities and talents, God's plans for us are all different too. He draws us to him via various avenues. There are many saints we can learn about and it's good to find one whose life experiences and spirituality appeal to you, then you can follow his or her ways. I've already mentioned St. Therese of Lisieux as my model because I admire her total abandonment to God and love her simple Little Way. 

Loss of Inner Peace

        The loss of inner peace stems from our disobedience to God. Obey the Lord and inner peace is restored ~ a simple and direct cure. Besides being love, God is also the source of our joy and peace.       

Everything in Its Right Place

        I'll always remember many years ago in a music composition course I took, the professor said that Beethoven's symphonies are great because every note is in its right place. Not long ago, I needed a black cord for a small crucifix to wear around my neck, but I could only find a reel of white nylon cord around the house. So I took about 30 inches of it and started coloring it with a black permanent marker on top of a large rectangular sheet of white paper to keep the ink from staining the desktop. It took a while and I got it done ~ the dried cord came out perfect. Later I noticed that the pen strokes left on that piece of background paper formed a beautiful abstract image ~ there's something cosmic about it, reminding me of a galaxy perhaps. What I like about it is that every line and every dot seem to be in the right place. [When an art gallery curator asked me to submit a work for a group show as a former founding member of the gallery, I submitted that image.] 

         I now look at my own life in Jesus and also see that everything under his watch and care is happening at the right time, that is, falling in the right place. This indicates that my life in the Lord is going to be perfect too.  

Loneliness and Self-Pity Banished

        Speaking of fringe benefits of being employed by the Lord (see my last post), I can mention two probably many millions of people in the world now desperately need. (1) When God becomes your Lord and friend and begins to use you to serve him, loneliness vanishes. No human companionship can possibly compare with his. (2) You know that God loves you and will lighten any burden that's too much for you to bear alone, so you don't ever feel sorry for yourself anymore. Both loneliness and self-pity are exiled forever.     

Being Employed by God

        Recently, an event triggered some old memories which I thought would be interesting to share with the family members involved. I did not get a chance and at the same time the Lord made me see that there's really no point in looking back or reminiscing about the past because I belong to him now. As my own man, I can do whatever I feel like doing. As a follower and servant of Christ, I am now his "employee" and must do whatever he wants me to do. May I add that since the pay, the rewards and fringe benefits are out of this world (pun intended), I am more than happy to follow his orders.

A Bold Exhortation to All

        When we were born, we were pure, innocent babies. Then we grew up in our morally corrupt societies and became morally corrupt beings. Life is short. How much time do you have left? In the time you still have, I exhort you to turn to God, ask for the forgiveness of all your sins, and start seeking union with him so that you may be transformed into a saint ~ yes, a saint. Make this bold move and you'll lose nothing and gain all of God! Love him with all your heart and live the greatest life the rest of the way until you are welcomed into the kingdom of your heavenly Father. This has to be the most sane, logical, wise, and profitable decision you'll ever make!   

Communion of Saints

        During today's Mass, I also felt that I knew the Blessed Mother and all the other saints in heaven intimately. It is the love of God that breaks down all the barriers and unites all those who love him into one family, one body. Before them, I am comfortable in being who I really am ~ nothing for me to pretend or hide anymore.  And I know that they will intercede for me whenever I ask for their help. We are all in spiritual communion with God.   

God Is Good!

        Today is the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary.  At Mass, I felt being so blessed by God ~ there's the most satisfying, wholesome feeling in living in the Lord. The Gospel from Luke 1 was read and we heard the account of the Annunciation. Mary's final response to the angel Gabriel ~ "Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word" ~ showed precisely how we should respond to the Lord each time. During Communion I felt in my untroubled heart great gratitude for the unbelievable amount of grace he had poured upon me. God is good! 

Most Sensible Act

        The first commandment Jesus gave us is to love God first. If we truly love God, we shall love all our neighbors too. And if someone we love offends God, the pain we feel is doubled because the Lord is hurt and the offender's soul could be in jeopardy. To love God and avoid offending him, all we need do is surrender to his love. This surrendering brings us home, back to where we came from ~ it is reconciliation, reunion, restoration of order and harmony, fulfilling God's will. There is absolutely nothing more sensible for us to do than surrendering to Love.

Speeding up Spiritual Union

        Today is the Memorial of St. Ambrose, bishop and doctor of the Church. After receiving Holy Communion at Mass, I realized that it is truly the food that feeds the soul. Earlier almost two years ago, I first saw receiving the Holy Eucharist as a physical union with the Lord that "triggers" the spiritual union to follow. This is still true, but today the Lord made me see that the Holy Eucharist also expedites the spiritual union as much as we wish! When we are ready to be God's, he is ready to be ours.     

Thought Checking

        WWJD to many stands for What Would Jesus Do. It is a good question to ask if you are not sure about what to do in a situation. I think it is also good to ask yourself when a questionable thought enters your mind: What Would Jesus Say? It's WWJS to keep our thoughts pure.

The Biggest Miracle

        It is Jesus coming down to earth to give his own life so that all of us (now numbering over seven billion) may have eternal life.

All We Need to Know

       God is all-knowing. To me it means that a clear, overall plan for all things is in existence always. From Scripture reading, we could safely say that God knew the plan of salvation before the world began and that he knew each one of us before we were born. I don't believe that every little thing is rigidly predetermined because God still has to deal with our free will. As we sin, rebel, repent, return to him, start praying harder...God must accommodate all these variations in his overall scheme. 

        We are not all-knowing, but we have the good fortune that the Lord has already revealed to us all we need to know, that is, the good news that he so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

Inappropriate Thought

        Any thought that makes us want to be noticed by others does not come from the Lord. Entertaining such thoughts prevents us from ever experiencing inner peace.

St. Gemma Galgani

        For me, reading the writings of past saints and servants of God has been most inspiring and rewarding spiritually. One of the very earliest books I read was St. Therese's The Story of a Soul which affected me a great deal. Over the years, I've read more of her writings as well as many other books about her ~ I consider her to be my spiritual director. Yesterday I discovered St. Gemma Galgani whom I didn't know on www.mysticsofthechurch.com, a site maintained by Glenn Dallaire of Connecticut. I became immediately attracted to her extraordinary love for Jesus, so I am going to read up on her. (Late last night I was pleasantly surprised to be informed by a fellow parishioner that the relic at the altar of our church is St. Gemma's.) 

How God Responds to Us

        When we look for some kind of response or sign from God, we usually look externally. The better way is to search deep within your inner heart and you'll often find messages which the Lord has already quietly placed there for you. 

God Needs a Chance

        Why do so many Catholics say that nothing is impossible with God, yet ruling out the possibility that they can become saints? Do they think that they are not good enough material, that is, God did not do a good enough job in making them? Or do they think that God does not wish them to become so holy? Search the heart and find the true reason. And if that reason is self-planted or unjustified, then ask the Lord to remove it so you can be on your way to becoming a saint for his great glory. All the Lord needs is to be given a chance to show you how truly he can work miracles in you.

Most Exciting Journey

        At morning Mass today, the Lord made me see the following:

        (1) When a soul no longer minds suffering for Christ's sake, he or she is free.

      (2) Following Christ every step of the way to the summit is the most exciting and rewarding journey you can ever make.  

Living in the Kingdom of God

        (1) FAITH: One of the most dramatic early cures that took place at Lourdes was that of Justin Bouhort who was not yet two years old. He was on the point of death when his mother said a prayer and plunged him into the icy water at the grotto for what seemed like a terribly long time, while the shocked onlookers screamed in protest. The child recovered within days. He lived long enough to attend Bernadette's canonization in Rome on December 8, 1933. What's so beautiful was the mother's faith, so abandoned to God that it seemed even reckless. Of course, the Lord did not let her down. Such spontaneous faith, not contrived, works miracles.

         (2) OBEDIENCE: This was exemplified by St. John of the Cross. When one obeys God, all else, great sufferings included, no longer matter. Pleasing God became St. John's sole wish and what heavenly joy it was!

     (3) ABANDONMENT: Abandonment in God leads to total freedom of the spirit. Nothing in the world can now perturb the peace and tranquility the soul experiences in the Lord. St. Therese of Lisieux comes to my mind.   

All God Asks of Us

        I like to picture myself as an empty receptacle completely open before the Lord, ready for him to deposit whatever he wished to give me in it. Again, it illustrates a passive state of our total dependence upon him. This is all God asks of us ~ obedience and trust ~ all for our eternal happiness.

Settling Our Dwelling

        Creations always have a beginning. We were all created at one time or another, but our souls will last forever because God created us in his image and out of love. Our physical lives on earth will end one day, so where the soul is going to dwell afterwards the rest of the time, which happens to be eternal, should be of pressing concern to all. But for those of us who have been baptized and become temples of the Holy Spirit, God is already dwelling in us, and this union assures that we'll continue to live with him for all eternity.    

No More Mysteries!

        For things to exist, there must be beginnings. In fact, since nothing can possibly pop out of nothing to exist as something, there has to be the existence of something or someone who has always existed, for whom there is no beginning ~ and that is God our creator. If God has no beginning, then there will be no end for him either ~ so he is everlasting. In John 8:58, Jesus said, "Amen, amen, I say to you, before Abraham came to be, I AM" ~ he said it all. Therefore, there are no longer any mysteries about the universe and us. Furthermore, the greatest mystery, the Lord himself, has been revealed to us through the Old Testament prophets and in particular, his own beloved Son Jesus. 

Be Prepared Now

        Advent began yesterday ~ another opportunity for us to start preparing our hearts and minds for the Lord's coming. The preparation must be full and thorough, not partial or careless, since we do not know the day or the hour of his coming. Don't be like the five foolish virgins who failed to take enough oil for their lamps to meet the bridegroom ~ they didn't get into the wedding banquet in time and the door was already shut (Matthew 25:1-13). Be prepared and live expectantly.

The Way to Live

        Things in this life never always go our way, but we can still be happy about it if we live for God and see all things that happen to us as willed by him for good reasons. At Lourdes, the Blessed Mother said to Bernadette in her 3rd apparition, "I cannot promise you happiness in this world but only in the next." This is reality. Whether it's enjoying a good meal or suffering from a head cold, all experiences will be forgotten when we are with God in our next life. Therefore, live for him now.        

God's Exclusive Invitation

        During Communion rite at morning Mass, the priest held up the consecrated bread and wine said, "Behold the Lamb of God, behold him who takes away the sins of the world. Blessed are those called to the supper of the Lamb." I felt this invitation to Holy Communion to be most exclusive ~ exclusive in the sense that it is special, privileged, and most intimate to the one who is invited. It is being reminded that you've been chosen to be God's child!

Triple Assurance

        God the Father ~ he is the one in whom I can completely trust, for he takes me under his personal care.

         God the Son ~ he is the one to whom I'll always be grateful, for he has done all the hard work for my salvation and brought peace and contentment to my heart.

        God the Holy Spirit ~ he is the one who guides me, teaches me, and shields me from all evil, fulfilling the Son's promise that he is with us always, until the end of the age. 

Dealing with God

        In the world of technology, you constantly hear about new exciting breakthroughs and achievements. Even in piano performance, by finding out more about the composer and the composition, improving playing techniques, listening to other interpretations, and talking to other musicians, the pianist learns to play better. So I start thinking about discovering new ways of loving God more. And I realize that unlike all other areas, loving God more does not involve labor-intensive work nor superior brainpower ~ all we need to do is to surrender to and rest in him more. Dealing with the Lord is always straight and simple. 

Become Free Now!

        I watched on YouTube an interview with Valerie Tryon, the British-born classical pianist who resides in Canada now. She said that she's playing the piano less and less because there are other things she wants to attend to and she does not want to play the piano in her coffin. I thought that was a wise statement which we could benefit from. If we are attached to many things in this life, it's time to start detaching them so that it'll be easier for us to go when the time inevitably arrives. There is nothing we can take with us ~ everything in the entire universe belongs to God anyway. The sooner we let go, the sooner we become free. Doing it the last minute will be nigh impossible after living a whole life in slavery.  

Preconditions for Eucharist Reception

        Communion time thoughts. Where God's light shines, sin cannot survive. We should not let God and our sins cohabit in us. Before we receive the Holy Eucharist, we must first be free of mortal sin and secondly, desire to be purged of all our venial sins through reception of this Most Holy Sacrament. 

God's Great Mercy

        Jesus is the Messiah. He came into the world not to condemn sinners, but to save them. The message was made crystal clear to all ~ anyone who confesses that Jesus is Lord and believes in his heart that God raised him from the dead will be saved (Romans 10). The gate of mercy is wide open. Therefore, anyone who does not make it through that gate has only himself to blame. 

Most Welcome Infiltration

        Communion experience. The Lord infiltrated my entire soul.

Our Perfect Act

        It has been a grey, wet, windy day. The leaves on many deciduous trees got blown off their branches overnight. I went to Mass and rain water was leaking through the roof of the church. Nevertheless, I experienced warm joy in my heart. I already mentioned the joy of hearing the Lord calling, of following him, and of feeling the freedom of the heart in the last two posts. Today's Communion Song from John 1: Andrew told his brother Simon, "We have found the Messiah, the Christ," and he brought him to Jesus. Here is the joy of finding the Anointed and of bringing another to him. When we are willing to leave all to follow the Lord, it is a perfect act on our part, beautiful beyond words.

Freedom of the Heart

        When you are in union with Christ, your heart is in union with his Most Sacred Heart, and then you can do whatever you want to your heart's content.

A Beautiful Way of Living

        I did not post anything the previous two days not because I did not have time or was sick or anything like that ~ it was because the Holy Spirit did not trigger any thought suitable for posting in me. This blog will come to an end someday. When it first got going, I didn't know where it's heading until after what God had made me experience revealed it to me that the goal was to draw all to union with him through the Holy Eucharist. When there is nothing more to post, then he's ready for me to go onto the next thing which will be made clear to me again. This is how he leads us ~ we wait, he calls, we follow, and he makes it clear. Today is the Feast of St. Andrew, Apostle and brother of Peter. When Jesus first called him, he left everything and followed. This is how ready we should be at all times. What an exalted honor to be called by the Lord! What a beautiful way of living ~ to anticipate his call and be ready to follow the moment we hear his voice! 

Truth Experienced

        Today everything I experienced during Mass was meaningful because I was experiencing the truth. Receiving the Holy Eucharist is receiving the invitation to dwell in heaven with the Beloved Lord himself after this life.

God's Love vs. Ours

        God's love is pure. Our love is something else. When God loves us, we don't mind that he loves all others. And when we love him, we are glad if others also love him. But when we love another one with our love, we tend to possess that person and do not welcome others to love the object of our affection. And it that person loves others, we get jealous. The world will have peace only if we love as God loves because only his love can set us free. 

Most Beautiful Promise

        Today's Gospel Acclamation at Mass, Revelation 2.10c: "Remain faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life." This is a most beautiful promise for those who are faithful. There cannot be a better reward than the crown of life! Living faithfully is not even a price to pay ~ it is a joy to cherish!  

A Simplified Spiritual Game

        Christ and the Devil are engaged in a tug of war and you are left with choosing the side you want to help. If you help Christ, then he wins and you win too. But if you help the Devil, he wins and you lose.

The Magic of God's Love

        Loving God feels just as good as being loved by him.

Treating God Right

        Some Christians treat God as someone who happens to tag along or even like an afterthought. Whereas he should be No. 1 in our lives; the Lord and King to us; the one whom we live and die for; and the only one we praise, worship, and adore. Making him any less exalted is insulting. This may sound harsh, but can you think of any way getting around it?

Life Meaningless Without God

        In today's Gospel reading from Luke 21 at morning Mass, while some people were speaking about how the temple was adorned with costly stones and votive offerings, Jesus said, "All that you see here ~ the days will come when there will not left a stone upon another stone that will not be thrown down." Indeed, nothing on earth lasts forever. Even the galaxies are not stable as old stars disappear and new ones are born constantly. Moreover, our earth has only limited inhabitable space and thereby cannot accommodate an unlimited number of inhabitants ~ it should be clear that God did not mean the earth to be our permanent residence. 

       Since everything passes, our life can only be made meaningful by including God who is everlasting. Even if I perform the most memorable deeds so that the whole world will know me and praise me, one day I'll be totally forgotten. We admire and look up to a lot of heroes of the past, the souls of some of whom might not even be in heaven ~ this is even worse! The point is that if we live for the glory of God alone, then our lives will become meaningful, and my souls will get to live forever with the one who is everlasting as well. 

Loving God More

        There are things and feelings deep in my heart that no living person can fully understand even if I try my best to explain them. Then Jesus sees and understands everything perfectly ~ that's why I love him so much. Also, when I feel compassion for my own family and others, I know that God's love is the source and cause. And I love him even more. The Lord is my greatest consolation. 

Most Serious to Catholics

        After watching Leah Darrow's coming home story as a revert on EWTN, these thoughts come up in my mind. We consider many serious things in life that affect our well-being. For example, what career should we choose, for whom we should vote to lead our country, etc. But the most serious of all, what really matters to us Catholics, is how seriously do we take Jesus as our Lord and Savior. Thinking that we are OK to receive Holy Communion when we are in mortal sin is most serious. Thinking that we are going to be let off easy while we do not live a pure life is serious. Not following all the teachings of the Church is serious. Living for ourselves and not for the glory of God is serious. To risk losing our eternal life is deadly serious. To all Catholics: God is to be taken most seriously; wake up before it's too late.

Yearning for God

        When you yearn for the Lord, it's not because he hasn't come to you yet. On the contrary, it's because he already dwells in you.        

God's Absolute Perfection

        Communion experience. I sense the absolute perfection of the Lord, making me want to banish even the most minute sins and imperfections. Sweet peace permeated my heart.