Ready to Go in Peace

        Today's Communion Experience. The Lord is all holy and he can make anyone holy. He has saved me, entered my soul, and drawn me to union with him through the Holy Eucharist. Like St. Simeon after seeing the Infant Jesus at the Presentation, I am ready to go in peace. 

Our Calling Today

        Mark 6 provides the Gospel reading for today's Mass. We heard that Jesus sent the Twelve two by two out to preach repentance. At the beginning the Twelve were called by the Lord to be fishers of men. Even after the Resurrection, he appeared to them telling them to go into the whole world to proclaim the good news to all creation and making disciples of all the nations. This is still our calling today! If you love the Lord, let nothing get in the way of following this call. Salvation of souls must be the sole purpose of our life because that was the reason Jesus came into the world.

Looking into Life-After-Death

        In church this morning while waiting for Mass to begin, I became acutely aware of the brevity of life. We all know that we are going to die sooner or later, then why so many of us do not take the time to look into life-after-death? Of course, the very young are too busy making discoveries in and learning about the new world. The next older generation may be busy attending college, concerned about how to make a living on their own, etc., and death still seems far-off. Then there are the less fortunate folks whose main concern is how to make ends meet ~ life after death is just not a pressing concern yet. We now come to those who have succeeded in business or gotten rich or famous some other way ~ they are so absorbed in their worldly successes, enjoying their wealth and/or fame, that they no longer feel the need for God. This is the period in which they become fools in God's eyes. Success in the world is now a curse, not a blessing. Finally, in old age, almost everyone starts to look into life-after-death.  

How to Log In to God

        I have brought up the many paradoxical truths in past postings. For example, the more we surrender ourselves to God, the freer we become. Another one: The more we acknowledge our weakness before the Lord, the stronger he makes us. In general, we decrease to let God increase. So the "secret" is, you might say, "Don't even try hard." When we remain passive (open), we show trust in the Lord and he fulfills our desire by doing the work. To be passive is to get out of the way of the Lord who eagerly wants to bring us into union with him. "Passive" then is password for logging in to God.  

Jesus Our Greatest Consolation

        Today's Gospel at Mass was read from Mark 6. Jesus came to his native place and began to teach in the synagogue. Many who heard him were astonished, but they took offense at him. Jesus said to them, "A prophet is not without honor except in his native place and among his own kin and in his own house." I think many of you readers probably would agree with me that it's not easy to tell our own family members and friends about Jesus because they know us and have seen all our faults and imperfections. (In Jesus' case, his kin probably had not seen anything extraordinary about him yet.) Anyway, I turn and see the Lord, who always appreciates us and will listen to us at any time. He is truly our greatest consolation!

One Short Step Away from Heaven

        Adam and Eve had a perfect relationship with God at the beginning. Then they committed the original sin and we now all carry it. God, out of love, has sent Jesus to us to clear the way for us to get back to him. Stained with original sin, we can still attain the highest spiritual state by letting the Lord draw us into full union with him through the Holy Eucharist. Then we are just one short step away from having our perfect relationship with God restored fully in heaven.   

A Good Question

        Today this question popped up in my mind: How dare I ever think that everything should revolve around me when the Lord is ever present?

On Former Catholics

        There is a mega nondenominational church nearby and a great many of its members are former Catholics. While I don't have the figures, I know that the number of former Catholics nationwide is huge. Is there something wrong with the Catholic Church? I think that the reason so many dropped out is because to be a true Catholic, you have to truly give yourself to the Lord. Truth is never easy to accept, otherwise Jesus wouldn't have been crucified. There are so many other Christian churches around that are easy to join or leave. The stringent requirements of being a Catholic are just not there. As a Protestant, you can shop around for a church you like. Normally, the pastor is the big attraction. So it's natural that those who want to keep more of their own freedom leave the Catholic faith and those who prefer freedom in the Lord remain behind. On the other hand, many Protestant ministers seriously seeking the whole truth have been steadily coming home to the Catholic Church.

Carefree in Christ

        John 1.3: "All things came to be through him, and without him nothing came to be." So I came into being through Jesus ~ I owe him my existence. I now belong to him; so it follows that my heart, my mind, and my soul all belong to him ~ I can't be more carefree!

Trust Begets Faith

        Today is the Memorial of St. Agatha. Gospel reading at Mass comes from Mark 5. A woman afflicted with hemorrhages for twelve years came up behind Jesus in the crowd and touched his cloak. She said, "If I but touch his clothes, I shall be cured." And she was immediately healed. 

       I start to think about faith and prayer again. I see faith as a gift from God because I cannot in any way make my faith stronger by will, but I could trust in him more. It's clear that if I don't trust in God, I have no faith. Therefore, by trusting in God, I should receive faith from him. 

       I also believe that if I trust in God, he will show me how to pray in each situation. If I pray for a miracle and no miracle happens, it doesn't necessarily mean that my faith is weak ~ it could be that I am praying against God's wish.             

      Examples and lessons. (1) This woman in the Gospel really wanted to be healed and believed that Jesus could heal her, so she was healed. Her trust generated the strong faith the Lord placed in her. (2) When I catch an ordinary cold, I pray that I get well. I trust in the Lord, but he normally does not place a desire in me to want to be healed immediately and no miracle happens. (3) I've already shared the time my son was almost dying from a virus attack ~ I prayed for his recovery by his bedside without hesitation as if I was giving a command and he got well in a matter of days. Again, God spontaneously directed me ~ it's not that all of a sudden my faith increased. (4) Most of us probably are praying for some loved ones who no longer practice their faith. I believe that if we truly care and persist in praying for them, the Lord will have no choice but to answer our prayers. Again, let him direct us in how we pray.

     In conclusion, I'll trust in God and he'll take care of my faith, and I'll pray as he directs.

Doing God's Will in the Present

        I have posted about living in the present, since the past is gone and the future is still unknown. If we live every present moment joyfully for love of God, then naturally we'll be joyful our entire life. I bring this up now because I see that if we do God's will also for every present moment and follow him moment by moment as he leads us, we'll have no anxiety but peace.   

Spiritual Vision Needed

        If you believe that life is basically fighting a spiritual battle, then you should try to envision what Jesus would see if he comes into our world today. Would he be interested in seeing New York's skyscrapers, Florida's luxurious beach resorts, Las Vegas casinos and shows...I really don't think so. What I am sure is that he would notice the poverty, suffering, inequality, corruption, hypocrisy, oppression, materialism, the evil of drugs, robbery, prostitution, murder, abortion, etc., in our society. We need to develop such a spiritual vision so that we may also see what the Lord sees. 

No Freedom Without God

        Without God, we can not be free. On our own, we naturally seek our own security and happiness; that is, we become our own god. Since the world we live in is full of such little gods, conflicts and war are inevitable and our goal of finding happiness is doomed from the very beginning. 

       Now, if we live for God and not ourselves, we are no longer involved in seeking our own happiness ~ it is what pleases God that matters. When we and God are one, whatever pleases him pleases us, hence we are free! There will be no more fighting other little gods. This is absolutely true. 

Sin Is Destructive!

        Sin is the cause of man's fall, but this morning at Mass, I became acutely aware of the destructiveness of sin. If sin is not taken seriously, checked, examined, reined in, stopped, or purged, it could lead the soul straight to hell (this is the first time I use this word on this blog; I normally say eternal separation from God which means the same thing). When I was a Protestant way back, I was lead to believe that once saved, you are saved forever. This gave me tremendous relief, but I now know that the belief is incorrect ~ too casual and simplistic. There have been too many who start out as Christians and turn into horrible sinners. St. Paul in Hebrews 12 urges us to rid ourselves of every burden and sin that clings to us and persevere in running the race that lies before us ~ there is great urgency here. Also, the Lord said, "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven." (Matthew 7.21 ~ look up and read the next two verses as well). The bottom line is that we need God and need to do his will always to ensure salvation.

Guideline on Discerning God's Will

        Doing God's will is easily said than done. If you see clearly that there is a chance to help someone or bring the person closer to the Lord, then it's no problem. But if there is an opportunity, say, for you to make some money, it might be difficult to discern whether you should take advantage of it or not because the attachment to money and material things can easily surface and cloud your mind. My guideline runs like this. If what you are thinking of doing is going to affect your prayer life, your present work in serving God such as what you do through your church ministries, and/or any evangelization your engage in on your own, you should not do it no matter how strong the temptation. Our union or personal relationship with God must be preserved. It should only grow stronger, not weaker.

Thy Will Be Done

        We say these words every time we say the Lord's Prayer. Since I have control only over my own free will, the most I could do is "I do God's will." In other words, doing God's will must start with each individual. Naturally, if everyone does it, we will have heaven on earth.

Jesus My Rock

        At Mass this morning I saw Jesus not as a rock to lean upon, but as a rock within me, holding me securely in him. He shields me from all external forces and influences that try to distance me from him. 

Warped Conscience

        Two pieces of interesting news I read on BBC this morning. Sergei Filin, the artistic director of Russian's Bolshoi Ballet suffered an acid attack last month and is undergoing operations in Germany for his badly damaged eyes. In his interview with BBC, he says he is certain he knows who is behind the attack. And his response to the last question asked him: "You know, I invited a priest to the hospital to talk about this very subject. He took my confession. I told him that I forgive everyone connected to this terrifying crime. And I sincerely want them to understand that I have forgiven them. Because the Lord will judge them." I think he is going to be all right.

        The others news is so much sadder. Chris Kyle, known as the deadliest sniper in US history, has been shot dead on a Texas shooting range. He was only 38. He wrote last year's bestseller "American Sniper" in which he said that he had killed more than 250 people. In an interview with BBC last year, he said, "Every person I killed I strongly believe that they were bad. When I go face God there is going to be lots of things I will have to account for, but killing any of those people is not one of them." I shuddered as I read this.

       Nations in conflict today all think that God is on their side. In this country, hate groups quote Scriptures to bolster their position. It's as if the Lord has never said "You shall not kill," "Do not judge others," "Love your enemies," "Forgive your brother seventy-seven times,"... Where is humility? A conscience full of pride is a warped conscience indeed. 

World's Sad Ignorance

        Communion experience. Since it is sad that people of the world do not know that God loves them, my experience of receiving the Lord in the Holy Eucharist today was particularly poignant. 

Our Lost World

        Since God is our judge, he sets the standard. To know him is to know good from evil, right from wrong. Since the world does not know God, it has already lost its way.

More Godlessness

         Today is a sad day. Just four days ago, I posted Cause of All Evil about the large demonstration held in France against legalization of same-sex marriage. Today I read that the French parliament has approved the article of a bill to legalize it. The vote was 249-97 in favor of redefining marriage as being an agreement between any two people. Decades ago, when I traveled in France, I noticed that Sunday Mass attendance at all the churches I went to was sparse and absent of young people, so it's not surprising that this day has come. Most politicians nowadays want to be politically correct ~ they fear man, not God! Ignoring God is utter foolishness. Will the days of France get better?

       I recall what Jesus said in the following scene from Luke 23. A large crowd of people followed Jesus, including many women who mourned and lamented him as he carried the cross on his way to the place to be crucified. Jesus turned to them and said, "Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me; weep instead for yourselves and for your children, for indeed, the days are coming when people will say, 'Blessed are the barren, the wombs that never bore and the breasts that never nursed.' At that time people will say to the mountains, 'Fall upon us!' and to the hills, 'Cover us!'..." 

Our Blind & Deaf Generation

        I exercised on a treadmill early this morning at the gym. Since it's Saturday, only two other members were present, but all ten TV's had already been turned on. By the way, four treadmills even have a small TV screen on them. This made me think that this generation is so overwhelmed with worldly things to satiate the eye and the ear that it has become completely blind and deaf to God's existence. When Jesus was on earth, he healed the blind and the deaf. How we need him now to heal the spiritually blind and the spiritually deaf! 

We Are Vulnerable!

        When we live in a solidly-built house, we normally feel pretty safe. Then every time I look down on the earth from an airplane, I see how vulnerable everyone down below is with no overhead protection whatsoever should, for example, a meteor hit the earth. Of course, we've seen how earthquakes, hurricanes, and other natural disasters easily destroy human lives. Today's satellite shots taken from space show even more clearly our bare earth floating in space alone. This leads me to thinking what God sees when he looks down upon us. He would see billions of sinful souls all around the globe in danger of being lost forever, showing how vulnerable we are to evil influences. I hope that this picturization shows how important for us it is to believe in the Lord so that he may keep our souls safe.  

Christianity Most Amazing

        Today is Friday and I prayed the sorrowful mysteries of the Holy Rosary. The Passion of Christ is well-known, but if you do not stop to think about it, it's just one sad story. Imagine the agony Christ felt in the garden when he knew what he would have to go through. There was no fear, just pure agony. Then he was whipped, beaten, mocked, insulted, with thorns pushed into his head, yet he did not complain because he was carrying out the Father's will. What's even worse followed. First, carrying the very cross he was going to be nailed to! Next, the final crucifixion on the cross ~ it would be difficult to imagine the prolonged pains he suffered. He came to show his love and those whom he loved turned against him.  Even from the cross, he prayed, "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do," showing his infinite mercy. Even then, the rulers sneered at him, the soldiers jeered at him, and those passing reviled him. What a contrast between the loving Christ and the heartless sinners! Before Jesus breathed his last, he cried out aloud, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?", fully revealing his human side. The fact that the loving Lord so willingly suffered to such an extreme so that we whom he loves may be saved is just incredible ~ I tend to ask if this can possibly be true. I believe it is true because only an infinite, loving God can think up such a plan to carry out. Christianity is just too amazing to be untrue. 

To Be embedded in God

        In today's Gospel reading from Mark 4 during Mass, Jesus used parables to talk about the kingdom of God. In one he likened it to a mustard seed that, when it is sown in the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on the earth. But once it is sown, it springs up and becomes the largest of plants and puts forth large branches, so that the birds of the sky can dwell in its shade. So I picture myself as that mustard seed embedded in the soil that is God. With him nurturing me, I can only grow spiritually and bear fruit. I remain totally content in my embedment and am not concerned about the fruit produced, whether visible or invisible. This is an ideal setup. Later, when I received the Holy Eucharist, I embedded myself in Christ.  

Jesus Came for Us

        God did not just pop into our world to force us to believe in him. In Luke 5.32, Jesus said, "I have not come to call the righteous to repentance but sinners." If you know that you are a sinner, it should be obvious that you would not be able to save your own soul on your own. This is where Jesus comes in. This is why we must listen to him. He came just for us, for you.      

On Following Jesus

        Communion antiphon was taken from John 8.12: "Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life, says the Lord." Through my experience, I know that I no longer walk in darkness. Through my simple eyes, I see that following Jesus will lead me straight to heaven. I defy anyone to show me that following Jesus is wrong, if you are not the problem. 

Healing of the Soul

        Communion experience this morning. I always remember the story of the woman afflicted with hemorrhages for twelve years came up behind Jesus, with great faith touched the tassel on his cloak, and was immediately healed (read Luke 8). As I received the Holy Eucharist, I knew that the Lord was going to immediately heal my soul too. A healed soul is a spiritually-healthy soul, even more desirable than having a healthy body.  

Longevity Not My Concern

        BBC News has an article online this morning on the science of long life. Almost everyone wishes to remain eternally young if possible. We think that a stress-free existence should prolong life, then one study done by the University of California at Riverside shows that the opposite is true. In fact, it says that a little worry is a good thing! Go figure. A Dr. Gary Small, director of the University of California Longevity Center in Los Angeles, concludes that the idea is to stay engaged, to stay involved, to enjoy your life, but when your time comes, to accept that and not be afraid of it. This seems like sensible advice, although that last part may be easier said than done if you don't have any faith in God. At any rate, I feel blessed because how long I live concerns the Lord and not me; in the meantime I live in peace, stress- and worry-free.  

Book Idea

        After posting more than 2,500 times, perhaps I should write a book summarizing what the Lord has taught me. This thought did surface in my mind, but it must get a clear go-ahead from him. If I do get going, the book could be titled How to Achieve Union with God (not creative enough), God Wants You! (remember those Uncle-Sam-Wants-You posters? ~ but it doesn't seem quite appropriate here), What God Can Do for Us, or something else. So far that last title is closest to what I want to tell. We can do a lot of things on our own, but that is not good enough. We let God fully into our lives and he starts making living a holy life easy. He finally takes away all our struggles, completing our transformation in him. Only he can draw us into full union with him, thereby obtaining his own request "So be perfect, just as your Heavenly Father is perfect." In the whole process, the Holy Eucharist plays the essential role.

God and the World in Contrast

        Communion experience. Receiving the Lord in the Holy Eucharist is such a great honor that no honor of the world can compare with it. It means that I have been specifically chosen by God. I can receive what is deemed by the whole world to be the greatest possible honor and it will only serve to boost my own ego. But receiving Christ in the Most Holy Sacrament makes me forget all about myself and appreciate only his love. Again, the contrast between what the Lord gives and what the world gives makes the right choice crystal clear.

Forgetful Lovers

        First reading at Mass came from Hebrews 10. Paul quoted from Jeremiah what the Lord said in making the new covenant with the house of Israel: "Their sins and their evildoing I will remember no more." When we are in love with God, the journey of following him becomes extremely beautiful because in the presence of our beloved, we forget all our troubles, problems, and even our sins. It is true that lovers in love with each other become mutually forgetful of everything else.

God and Satan in Contrast

        When Jesus draws us, we feel his love and his peace. We experience complete freedom because he is always gentle with us, never holding us against our will. On the other hand, when Satan lures us and succeeds in trapping us, we will experience great emotional turmoil and feel chained and shackled. If it's a deep sin we fall into, it would be virtually impossible to free ourselves without asking for God's help. Both God and Satan can be attractive, but their intentions couldn't be further apart from each other. Stick with God always, for he loves you always.

About Doing God's Will

        Today's readings at Mass were all about doing God's will. In the Gospel reading from Mark 3, Jesus told the crowd, "Whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister..." I believe that people do not like to hear about doing God's will because they have many misconceptions such as "doing God's will is for saints only," "doing God's will is not fun," "doing God's will must be boring," "doing God's will restricts my freedom." The fact is that doing God's will is a beautiful feeling; it brings you peace and freedom of the heart; it brings you close to God; and now you know, you become brother or sister to Jesus.  

Cause of All Evil

        Two weeks ago, French opponents of gay marriage and adoption staged one of the biggest demonstrations the country had seen in years. Some 340,000 people, according to police, marched through central Paris to oppose a government bill that's going to go before the National Assembly. The spokeswoman of this broad-based "citizens" movement states that her arguments are not directed at gay people, but at the proposed law, as framed. She says, "If what was on offer were a law that further enshrined rights for gay couples, that enriched their unions, and got rid of the discrimination and injustices that undoubtedly still exist ~ then I would support it." However, the opponents of gay marriage are aware that their chances of blocking France's law are small at best. Both "Catholic" countries Spain and Portugal have recently adopted gay marriage.

        If we do believe that marriage is the exclusive union between a man and a woman and that it is instituted by God, then how do we fare as a nation? In the last half century or so, thanks much to the celebrities, living together as an unmarried couple has become so common and widespread that it's now an accepted lifestyle ~ marriage is already mocked! Most people look upon marriage as an experiment that has nothing to do with God. As for married couples, the statement "50% of all marriages in America end in divorce" is roughly correct. (In reality, the divorce rates all across the globe have been rising rapidly.) If morally we are in such bad shape, how effective can we be in telling others that same-sex marriage is wrong?

      This brings me to the fundamental point. All disorderliness and moral chaos are caused by godlessness. God is our creator and if we get into trouble because we fall away from him, then he is the one who can restore order and peace if we go to him asking for help. Again, the same conclusion I drew in my post "How to Convert the World" of two days ago applies: "Our only hope is to live a holy life by seeking union with God and be completely obedient to his will, whatever it may be."

To Be Free of the World

         I have started reading the Gospel of John again. Chapter 1, verses 2-4: "The Word was in the beginning with God. All things came to be through him, and without him nothing came to be. What came to be through him was life, and this life was the light of the human race."         

       I am living in this world because my physical body dwells in this physical world. Spiritually, I am living in Jesus. My physical body will die one day, but I shall live on forever in the Lord. While in him, he "insulates" me from the world, shielding me from all evil. In him, I conquer the world, since he has conquered it. This is being free in the world and not of it.

March for Life

        We just had our national March for Life. Today on EWTN, I watched some of the recorded events held in Washington, D.C. I felt great sorrow when I realized that when an unborn child is aborted, you squash all its hope of ever breathing the fresh air, seeing the natural beauties, learning new knowledge, enjoying family life and friends, contributing to making this world a better one... Jesus said clearly that "whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me." Certainly the unborn quality to be the least brothers of the Lord!

        But I experienced joy too in watching the March. I was moved to tears when I heard the message from the Holy Father read publicly. Then I noticed how young the average marcher in the crowd looked ~ the hope is bright for the future. Nothing is impossible with God. 

Jesus More than We Need

        In today's Gospel reading from Luke 1, Jesus, in a synagogue in Nazareth on the sabbath day, stood up to read and was handed a scroll of the prophet Isaiah. He unrolled the scroll and found the passage where it was written:

        The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring glad tidings to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, and to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord.

        Rolling up the scroll, he handed it back to the attendant and sat down, and the eyes of all in the synagogue looked intently at him. He said to them, "Today his Scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing." The whole scene was so live to me that after I received the Holy Eucharist, I knew that Jesus is the Messiah, the living true God and he is all I need. He is not just God...he's a most personal God at that. In him I have complete security, eternal life...whatever my heart desires. He is the one in whom I can totally let myself go.

On Doing God's Will

        You know that you are doing God's will if you feel that doing it is right and natural. If you lose peace, then you have promoted your own will before the Lord.

How to convert the World

         Peter Kreeft, the popular author and writer, once asked: "Why did twelve fishermen convert the world, and why are half a billion Christians unable to repeat the feat?" The answer ~ it is because those twelve were united and willing to die for Christ while present-day Christians are so fractured, so weakened by the secular world, and so unwilling to live faithfully. Without unity and strength, the Christians will have a hard time ahead fighting any battle. Our only hope is to live a holy life by seeking union with God and be completely obedient to his will, whatever it may be.

Everything We Do Affects God

        Today is the Feast of the Conversion of St. Paul, Apostle. As you know, Paul was zealously persecuting the Christians, binding and delivering them to prison. Then on his journey to Damascus to round up even more Christians for punishment, a great light from the sky suddenly shone around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, "Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?" Paul replied, "Who are you, sir?" And the voice said, "I am Jesus the Nazorean whom you are persecuting." We see that Jesus did not ask "Why are you persecuting my Church?" or "Why are you persecuting my followers?" Instead, he asked, "Why are you persecuting me?" 

        What I learn here is that everything we do affects the Lord himself. 

We Needn't Stand Alone

        Today I am especially conscious of the fact that I am a unique being God has created and that I am made aware that I am I. The leads me to seeing that I alone am responsible for what I do and that my sins are all committed through my own fault (as we admit each time reciting the Penitential Act during Mass). Basically, each one of us stands alone in this world through Judgment Day. Then I see that we needn't stand alone because we can totally lean upon our creator, our loving Father, the Lord. Instantly, all the gloom is displaced by joy and peace.   

Darkness Blinds Us

        1 John 2.11 reads: "Whoever hates his brother is in darkness; he walks in darkness and does not know where he is going because the darkness blinded his eyes." What's interesting is that John said that the darkness "blinded" the eyes. I thought about it and saw that he's right. Since God is light, when we have God, we see clearly what is good and what is evil ~ so the light of God is not blinding at all; in fact, it lights our way. As for the one who walks in darkness, he doesn't see good from evil and is therefore like a blind person. When you don't see the light of God, you are indeed blind. 

Facing Suffering

        Communion time thoughts. Jesus enters me and heals my soul. It does not mean that I will not experience any mental or emotional suffering anymore, but it does mean that I should be whole enough to face any such suffering coming my way. 

Doing God's Will

      Today is the Memorial of St. Francis de Sales, Bishop and Doctor of the Church. First part of the Responsorial Psalm (#40) reads: 

        

        Sacrifice or oblation you wished not,

        but ears open to your obedience you gave me.

        Burnt offerings or sin-offerings you sought not; 

        then said I, "Behold, I come."

The Response reads: Here am I, Lord; I come to do your will.

      I do see that to do the Lord's will does not mean that I do not ask for anything for myself anymore. He may even want me to sacrifice in a certain way or offer him certain things. Doing his will simply covers (governs) how I am going to live, pray, and serve him. In short, doing the Lord's will is to do only what he tells me to do, and that could be anything. 

Happiness, Momentary or Unending

        [It you do not believe that there is life after death, you may skip reading the following.] It is true that we in the world seek pleasure, fun, entertainment, recreation...so that we can have a good time, forget our troubles and be happy. The desire is inherent in us. I see that all the temporal happiness we seek are for the moment only. For example, you go on a week's cruise ~ after the week, the enjoyment is just memory. Personally, I don't see how such passing happiness can be truly satisfying. To me, only unending (permanent) happiness is meaningful. If I know in advance that I won't be happy in the next life, then I don't think I can truly feel happy in this life anymore. On the other hand, if I know that I'll be happy for all eternity, then whether I am happy or not in this life becomes rather unimportant. Last, if we are only concerned about being happy in this life, we can easily forget planning for our eternal future ~ this then would be a  huge oversight.

God Is Extreme

        God loves us with the greatest possible love and his mercy is infinite. So it should be easy for us to get to heaven. All we need to do is to obey him. If we follow Jesus' commandment "You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind," we love God to the extreme. With extremists on both sides "working towards" the same goal, success is assured.  

Life Is Frail

        I sound like an old man when I muse on life, but I am old. When you are young and healthy, you don't think about the frailty of life and that is unfortunate. Just a few days ago, we prayed at Mass for one husband who suffered a massive heart attack in his 50's. As you age, you hear more frequently that someone you knew has passed away. Only the Lord knows how long each of us will live. Life is frail also in the sense that it is unpredictable. Holding onto God is only and sure way of securing ourselves for all eternity. It's really a no-brainer.

Best Place to Be

        Communion experience. The union makes me want to put myself totally under his care and direction. There is just no better (more beautiful) place to be than in Christ.

40 Years After Roe vs. Wade

        Today is the Day of Prayer for the Legal Protection of Unborn Children. Forty years ago today, the Roe vs. Wade decision was passed by the US Supreme Court and abortion was ruled a fundamental right. The Knights of Columbus has planted fifty-five crosses on our church lot, symbolizing the fifty-five million abortions that have been performed since the day of that decision. I have posted against abortion in the past a number of times. On this memorial day, I just want to ask: How dare we ask God to bless this nation when we as a nation are still committing this horrendous sin against him? (By the way, Norma McCorvey, the plaintiff Roe in the lawsuit, had turned pro-life in 1994 and been received into the Catholic Church in 1998.)