The Ultimate Ignoramus

        Today's distressing world news includes a celebrity trying to explain away a crime he has obviously committed and another celebrity openly performing irreverent, offensive acts. I know that we are all sinners, but there is a difference. Most people end up sinning not because they want to sin, but because they are not strong enough to resist the temptation (they fail the test, so to speak). This is not the same as someone with a huge ego who deliberately ignores God, premeditates his sinful act, and never plans to repent. Ignoring the Lord makes him the ultimate ignoramus.   

The Governing Relationship

        It is common knowledge that if we are not happy in our personal life, we can't be happy at work either. If we are not getting along with others, it's just not possible to feel at peace with God either. In fact, Jesus wants us to reconcile with our brother who has anything against us before offering our gift at the altar (Matthew 5:24). Conversely, it follows that if we are at peace with God, then automatically we'll be at peace with all others. This was how I felt this morning before Mass began ~ there was zero rebelliousness in me against God and I felt absolutely nothing against anyone. It must be that when we get along with God, we receive the grace from him for us to get along with everybody else.

Growing Holy Is like Weeding

        I hand-weeded in my front yard a little bit this afternoon. A week ago, I pulled up pretty much every single weed, but today there were quite a bit of new weeds that had since germinated. I realized that it was a never-ending job and that I must be patient and keep doing what I can if I want to make the yard look neat. I see the similarity in living a spiritual life, as growing holier is also a never ending "job" and I must remain patient by trusting in God and doing my best always. The journey is not a short sprint but an endurance race. If we aim to win, we shall win our imperishable crown at the end (1 Corinthians 9:24-25).

On How We Live This Life

        In this life, we have the free will to choose good or evil. The crossing over to the other side can be instant. In the next life, we either end up with or without God and the chasm between two worlds is unbridgeable for all eternity ~ think about it! By not choosing God in this life, you might say that we burn our bridges forever. Seen this way, it's clear that how we live this life is critically important to how we shall live our next life.

No Pain, but Big Gain

        Communion experience. After receiving the Lord in the Holy Eucharist, I wished to be totally slain in the Lord. I realized that all I needed to do is to surrender to him by remaining passive. It struck me that the motto "No pain, no gain" does not work here ~ with God, it's "No pain, big gain." Another way of saying it: "The more we let go in God, the more we receive from him."

On Praying for Enemies

        In today's Gospel reading from Matthew 5 at morning Mass, Jesus commanded his disciples to love their enemies and pray for those who persecute them. Sometimes I pray for my enemies with the hope that they will not give me trouble anymore, but I hear the Lord say that I must pray exclusively for their well-being. 

On Converting Souls

        You cannot win souls for Christ by pressuring or arguing with those you wish to convert. The only effective way is to live your own life by example. Then each word you say and each deed you perform will have the effect of sowing a little seed in those you come into contact. And the Lord will make those seeds grow in time. It is great teamwork as you sow and God reaps. 

Way of the Cross

        Today being Friday, the Way of the Cross was prayed after Mass in church. Many parts of the reading were truly beautiful that I wished I could stop and meditate on them, but with a large group we just went through all fourteen stations nonstop. I researched and found that the book Benedict XVI: Way of Cross had been considered by many to be the finest and most beautiful book on the subject. I am looking forward to embarking on this new exciting trip by praying the Way on my own so that I can take as much time as needed. I say "exciting" because the Holy Spirit is going to lead me and I'll be walking with Christ the whole time.

Why Is God Attractive?

        This morning before Mass, I saw God as the most refreshing, sweetest nectar for the soul to drink. Well, the secular world surely provides copious attractions, yet why am I drawn more to the invisible God? What special power does the Lord possess? I venture to say that the following contrasts may provide the answer.

         (1) God is eternal, while the world passes.

         (2) God is love, while the world is emptiness.

         (3) God is true, while the world lies.

         (4) God challenges us, while the world tolerates us.

      Here's an imperfect analogy using musical examples to show how God and the world attract in their different ways. God is to the world as Brahms's symphonies or Beethoven's last piano sonatas are to heavy metal.

Pathway to Freedom

        Today I see Jesus as the Savior who can get us out of any trouble ~ he is our gateway to freedom. The biggest trouble we can be in has to be our soul remaining in a state of serious sin. The only good thing I can say about sin is that it gets the Lord's attention and can get ours too. In Matthew 9, to show that he has authority to forgive the sins of the paralytic lying on a stretcher, Jesus ordered him to rise, pick up the stretcher, and go home. And rise and go home he did. So, first, get our sins forgiven by the Lord; then let him help us carry the rest of our burdens; and finally, freedom!

In a Precarious Position

          I am thinking that in heaven, we have the fallen angels rebelling against God. On earth, we are doing the same thing, except that we are given a chance to be reconciled to God. See this clearly so that you can take advantage of this opportunity to get out of your precarious position as your eternal destiny hinges on your decision.

God Is Wide Open

        Today's great Gospel reading came from Matthew 7. In it Jesus said to his disciples: "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you." This means that God is wide open to us. We should ask to know him, to experience him, to be filled with his love, to be healed, to be saved, and for joy, peace, freedom, union with him in this life and heavenly dwelling with him for all eternity in the next. Actually, all these things are already ours. Claim them while there is still time.

So Much Love!

        God is love, but it's easy to deny that when you are not happy. Find out first why you are not happy as it is impossible to know God and not be happy. Read the Gospels and you'll see love written all over Jesus ~ so many invitations, so many promises, so much mercy shown in the kind deeds he performed and so much suffering on his part for our sake. For me, a believer, I get to touch him and be united with him everyday in receiving the Holy Eucharist. That love is ours for the asking.       

Facing Each Day

        If we are unhappy in life, we normally don't feel good about getting out of bed to face another day each morning. I once was like that when I didn't like my job and nothing else "exciting" was happening in my life. But now, because I do have interior peace and the external world no longer has anything exciting for me, I actually look forward to waking up early to start the day with Mass. Today the thought came to me that if we are ready to die for Christ, then certainly we would welcome each new day and be ready for anything coming our way. 

True, Beautiful Living

        Jesus taught us to do good in secret, to pray in secret, so that only the Father sees us. Likewise, we should carry our cross in secret to show our willingness to follow him. Living a hidden life in Christ is true, beautiful living! 

In a Life-and-Death Struggle

        The International Pilgrim Statue of Our Lady of Fatima is traveling through our area this month. At Fatima, the Blessed Mother warned that if people did not stop offending God, there would be wars, famines, persecution of the Church and annihilation of nations. All had come true. The big war was World War II. It seems that historically, God's warnings usually went unheeded. Why? It must be that people are too steeped in sin and/or they don't know the true God yet. What the world most urgently needs to do is to repent if it wishes to be saved. And it's just as urgent for those who know God to spread the good news. All of us are involved in a life-and-death struggle.

The Perfect Perfectionist

        Some people are very fussy and particular ~ they want everything they do come out right or perfect, or they would feel terrible. Others keep their material possessions in top shape, such as making sure that their cars are scratch-free and spotless. I had a friend once who kept all the original boxes the things he bought came in and placed all things exactly where he thought they should be ~ I was afraid to touch or move anything in his house. I really think all these people so afflicted are in fact imperfect. The perfect perfectionist is one who wants to be as perfect as possible before God and is not discouraged or disturbed if he turns to be not quite perfect ~ he or she simply accepts the fact and tries to do better.

Resting in God

        Communion experience. I am absolutely dependent upon God's love and mercy which will never vanish. Therefore, all I need to do is to rest in them in peace.

Glad God Knows What I need

        In today's Gospel reading from Matthew 6 at Mass, Jesus, before teaching his disciples how they were to pray, said, "Your Father knows what you need before you ask him." I am so happy that God reads our mind and our heart that I don't need to hide anything from him anymore, that he knows my needs, and that he will let me know what he wishes me to do, now that I have signed up as one of his followers.   

Measuring Our Love for God

        The more we realize how great God's love is, the more we forget that we have enemies. Therefore, how much we forgive our enemies measures how much we love God. 

Letting God Work on Us

        I feel that when we read or pray the psalm or other prayers devoutly, God listens to us and at the same time shapes and forms us. When we petition God for various needs sincerely, again he hears us and at the same time checks out what's in our hearts. Turning to the God is to let him work on us.

I Have the Lord!

        Communion experience. I have the Lord ~ so I have everything. There is nothing else I desire. I am full, complete, and content. I am at peace.

Revelation + Incredible Invitation

        Today's Communion antiphon at Mass, Matthew 25.40, 34: "Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did it for me, says the Lord. Come, you who are blessed by my Father. Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world."

        We first see that Jesus identified himself with every one of us. Serving others is serving him. The way to endear ourselves to the Lord is made clear here ~ it is a great revelation. Then I heard the second part read and I was virtually shaken ~ it was definitely an incredible, wow moment. To me, in extending such an invitation, the Lord truly showed his infinite mercy.

Holy Spirit the Guide We Need

        It is by the power of the Holy Spirit that Christ rose from the dead, that his Apostles and disciples were emboldened to spread the good news to the four corners of the world, and that sinners are transformed into saints. So surrender to this most gentle, loving spirit and he will lead you, inspire you, protect you, mold you, and draw you into full union with the glorious Holy Trinity. He is the guide we all need.   

Meant for Perfect Union

        At Mass today, I was drawn to the Holy Spirit. When I was involved in the Catholic Charismatic Renewal in the 70s, I simply asked the Holy Spirit to baptize me, and zap me he did. He made everything easy for me so that I progressed rapidly in a relatively short time. You could say that he carried me all the way. Eventually, the "honeymoon" ended. Today I have already surrendered to God the Holy Spirit, so I expect even greater things to happen. After receiving Communion, I submitted myself once again to the Holy Spirit and experienced his sweetness. Man and God are just meant for perfect union!   

God the Sole Soul Healer

        The morning's Gospel message at Mass came from Luke 5. Levi, the tax collector, gave a great banquet for Jesus in his house, and a large crowd of tax collectors and others were at table with them. The Pharisees and their scribes complained that Jesus eats and drinks with tax collectors and sinners. Jesus replied, "Those who are healthy do not need a physician, but the sick do. I have not come to call the righteous to repentance but sinners." As I received the Lord in the Holy Eucharist, I knew that he came to me, a sinner, to restore the health of my soul. In fact, he is the only one who can get this done! For this, I am most grateful.

No Ordinary Food

        Today's Communion experience. I am receiving true food from God. This is no ordinary food which feeds the stomach for a few hours ~ this is the body and blood of my Lord that spiritually nourishes my soul resulting in union with him, my eternal God ~ the food to live by forever! 

Words of Wisdom

        Dr. Benjamin Carson, famed Baltimore neurosurgeon, showed both courage and wisdom in addressing the National Prayer Breakfast just a week ago on Feb. 7 in Washington, D.C. 

Living in Delusion

       It is in today's news that a meteor has crashed in Russia, injuring at least 950 people. A much bigger asteroid is now passing the earth in its own orbit around the sun, but there is no risk of impact or collision with our earth. Since God is in control of everything, nothing can be accidental. The meteor could be a warning to us this time. Even Russian President Putin said he thanked God that no big fragments had fallen in populated areas. God is always calling us, teaching us, and warning us if we are in danger of losing our souls, but we don't listen. Here is why.

          God has given us the free will. We start to rebel against him, thinking that we have the power to do whatever we wish. As a result, we are deluded into believing that God is no longer in control, thereby dismissing all messages coming from him. Therefore, we basically live in delusion.       

Jesus the Whole Truth

        In today's Gospel reading at Mass from Luke 9, Jesus told his disciples that he must suffer greatly, be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed and on the third day be raised. 

         Then he said to all, "If anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it. What profit is there for one to gain the whole world yet lose or forfeit himself?" These three verses provide our complete guide to living. To summarize: Forget about saving your own life ~ follow him and you will not lose it. This is the whole truth in a nutshell. 

         Jesus' teaching has been consistent throughout. He came and showed us how much God loves us. He opened the door to light, hope, and all we need to know for our salvation. If all this is not good enough for you, then... (I'll let you draw your own conclusion).

Most Personal God

        Communion experience. Our God knows every single one of us. He loves every single one of us by dying for every single one of us. After consecration of the bread and wine, he is ready to enter each one of us, you, me, and everyone else at Mass. When I receive him, he enters my soul ~ it's even more intimate than touching him, holding his hands, embracing him (although I'd like to do all that too). Yes, God focuses upon each one of us with his full attention! Unbelievably personal! This is our God, the God through Christ.

Jesus' Good News

        As the priest marked the forehead of each of us at Mass with black ashes in the sign of the cross, he said, "Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return." This is true of my physical body. But now I am already God's child and to the heavenly Father I shall return. I am most grateful for this good news Jesus had brought me. 

Our Role

        Today is Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent. At morning Mass, I saw the simple role of Jesus and that of us this way. He is here to teach us how to love and we are here to learn how to love from him. If we do well, then we'll have answered his call, fulfilled our duty, and accomplished the mission given us.

Unity Above All

      It is Jesus' express wish that his disciples, his church, remain as one always. This serves as my guide in interacting with all others, whether they are members of my parish or not.  Anything I do that would weaken that unity I must abandon.

No Humility, No God

        I see people who get impatient or angry, using swear words to express their feelings. Impatience and anger may be difficult to manage, but surely swearing can be controlled if one is serious enough about it. Basically, they hurt themselves. Not only does their blood pressure rise, they also sentence themselves to undergoing more severe purification in purgatory should they be bound for heaven. We must realize that every time we sin, we actually hurt the Lord! Then there are some who in following their own will would use the excuse that they cannot help it because God made them that way. If they truly believe in that, then it's blaming God for keeping them the way they are and worse yet, believing that he cannot help them. At any rate, the cause in both above cases is lack of humility. Be filled with pride and you easily keep the Lord away.

Why Life Is Precious

           Here are some reasons:

           (1) It is a God-given gift.

          (2) While you have life, you get the opportunity to love God so that you may have eternal life.

     (3) Everything that happens to you, including suffering and any unpleasant experience, provides you with the opportunity to become humble and love the Lord even more.

       (4) Life is so brief, making the time we have for loving and serving God most precious.  

Our Choice

        To hide in the darkness of sin or to bask in the eternal light of Our Lord (based upon the words of Fr. Groeschel in Chapter 7 of his book Healing the Original Wound).

Logical Sequences

        The caterpillar undergoes metamorphosis to become a butterfly. A human must die physically before entering heaven. The old self must die in Christ if it is to be renewed and live. And surrendering to the Lord is required if we ever want to experience his sweet love.

How Jesus Touches Us

        The Gospel Acclamation at Mass this morning was Matthew 4.23: "I preached the Gospel of the Kingdom and cured every disease among the people." When I heard that read, my heart leapt for joy. Then later after I received Holy Communion, I felt complete peace. 

Avoid Burdening Yourself

        I have learned to play the piano. Even though I don't play very well, I know quite a bit about playing the piano properly. Some players show a lot of facial expressions, sway their upper body, raising the shoulders, and/or exaggerate their hand gestures when they play. While the recognized, accepted way is to remain relaxed and not indulge in any extra, wasted motions so that you may concentrate fully on expressing yourself through the music. I bring this up because I often have urgent things to pray for and I so want the Lord to answer my prayers that I no longer feel relaxed. I see that the proper way here is to channel all that energy into trusting in the Lord and let go at that. To sum up, burdening ourselves is futile, while trusting in the Lord is fruitful. This is also putting God first.

Life's Only Tragedy

        In the same book by Fr. Groeschel, he quotes the French writer Leon Bloy: "Life holds only one tragedy, ultimately not to have been a saint." To make the meaning equally clear, I could state: "Life holds only one tragedy, ultimately not to have loved God enough." 

Putting God First

        To achieve the greatest happiness, we must put God first in our lives. Take a married couple. If the husband and wife love each other, but put each other ahead of God, they cannot always be happy. They may get along most of the time, but there will be conflicts. If they both can put God first, then they will experience the closest possible union between a man and a woman on earth. As Fr. Groeschel says in his book Healing the Original Wound, the biggest and most persistent enemy is always self ~ you can never escape yourself; you can only change yourself. By letting God be first in your life, the problem no longer exists.

God Makes Life Beautiful

        In today's Gospel reading from Luke 5, Jesus taught the crowds on shore from a boat that belonged to Simon. After he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, "Put out into deep water and lower your nets for a catch." Simon said in reply, "Master, we have worked hard all night and have caught nothing, but at your command I will lower the nets." When they had done this, they caught a great number of fish and their nets were tearing. [The willingness to follow Jesus' command paid off. To me, to do exactly what Jesus tells us to do is always the right thing to do. Following his will is walking the most beautiful path of our life.]

        They signaled to their partners in the other boat to come to help them. They came and filled both boats so that the boats were in danger of sinking. When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at the knees of Jesus and said, "Depart from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man." For astonishment at the catch of fish seized him and all those with him. [When we see how perfect, awesome, great, and marvelous God truly is, we see how imperfect, puny, small, and sinful, we are. This is the moment we realize that we need God and we need salvation. This is a joyful moment!]  

An Ideal Rule

        It is so easy for us to get annoyed or irritated by the many things happening around us. Usually they are minor, such as the driver in front of you being too slow in taking off when the traffic signal turns green or someone long-winded talking to you incessantly. I see that if I get bothered by such things, it's because of my lack of humility. I've already found out that if I focus upon the Lord alone, I just don't think about sinning anymore. By the same token, I can forget all about getting annoyed too. So here is my new rule: I shall let the Holy Spirit guide me alone and let nothing else disturb me. St. Teresa's prayer comes to mind: "Let nothing disturb you, let nothing frighten you. All things are passing away: God never changes. Patience obtains all things. Whoever has God lacks nothing; God alone suffices."

One, Holy, Catholic, Apostolic Church

        I am reading Fr. Groeschel's book, Healing the Original Wound. In Chapter 5, Fr. Groeschel tells us that Thomas Babington McCauley, the great British historian who was Protestant, pointed out that the Catholic Church was there when all the governments of the world began and when all the kings were crowned, and has continued to stand while they have all fallen. The church existed long before northern Europe was civilized. When I think about this, it is quite amazing. In the last two thousand years, dynasties, governments, powerful conquerors and rulers have come and gone. Today, the biggest industries, banks and corporations can fall or crumble before your eyes. Yet the church with her billion members of all races and nationalities from all cultures and walks of life ~ still all sinners ~ manages to hold together, despite the constant attacks and persecutions it faces throughout the ages. It is quite remarkable. Fr. Groeschel concludes that the church stays together because Jesus Christ as founder and head of the church himself holds it together. As Jesus said to Peter, "You are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it" (Matthew 16). 

Weeding the Soul

        The day is nice ~ sunny and cool. This is the perfect time to do some weeding because the ground is moist and soft and the weeds still young, most of which have not flowered or produced seed yet. With a hula hoe, you can go pretty fast. As I weeded away, I thought that for me to look clean and neat before the Lord is so much more important than for the garden to look clean and neat before me. I see God as the master gardener watering, fertilizing, and now "weeding" me.

Secret of Peace

        The world is not following God and it has no peace. Conversely, if we do God's will, we shall have peace, both interior and exterior. So the simple secret is: "Be in sync with God." 

How to Change the World

        To change the world, it is not good enough to just meet Christ outside of us ~ we must meet him from within ~ we must let him dwell in our heart and soul! Hence, seek union with him.

Oddball Living

         When God draws one close to him, the person becomes more and more detached to the world and things that are considered fun in the world are no longer of interest to him. Now he doesn't seem to fit in with the world anymore ~ he is seen as an oddball. Let's realize that the fun of our world is the product of a world that's materialistic, self-centered, and secular. So oddball living is actually a lot closer to living in heaven. I don't think up there there will be TV shows to watch, ball games to follow, pubs to visit, nor cruises to take. The many near-death experiences that have been reported and studied show that those who came back all experienced so much peace and freedom on the other side that they became different persons no longer attached to the world. So living as an "oddball" is only odd in the eyes of the world, but wise in the eyes of the Lord.  

Conscience Examined

        In today's Gospel reading from Mark 6 at Mass, we heard the story of how King Herod came to order the beheading of John the Baptist. Herod was the one who had John arrested and bound in prison on account of Herodias, the wife of his brother Philip, whom he had married. John had said to Herod that it's not lawful for him to have his brother's wife, so Herodias harbored a grudge against him and wanted to kill him.

        Herod feared John, knowing him to be a righteous and holy man, and kept him in custody, yet he liked hearing him speak. [Here we see that Herod knew righteousness and holiness, and was even attracted to John. He feared him perhaps because he realized that he was guilty.] 

     On Herod's birthday, he gave a banquet and his own daughter came in and performed a dance. The king was so delighted that he promised to grant her whatever she asks of him. She went out to her mother and asked what she should ask for and her mother said "the head of John the Baptist." The girl hurried back to the king and made her request. Herod was deeply distressed, but because of his oaths and the guests present, he did not wish to break his word to her. This was how John got beheaded. [We see that Herod had his conscience, but he overrode the good voice he heard and followed the evil one in him.]

        We all have a conscience. The good voice comes from God and the evil one from the Evil One. It's easy to ignore or smother the gentle good voice and pay attention only to the disruptive evil voice ~ just like the news: the bad news is pretty much all we get to hear. There is one antidote though ~ the Holy Spirit. As we are drawn closer to the Lord, the Holy Spirit purifies (sharpens) our conscience to the point that it works like a message filter, allowing only the good voice through and blocking the evil one.