Signs of Secularization

        I  briefly saw a TV news clip on a "Star Wars" wedding. It seems that "Star Wars" has become a popular theme for weddings. At this particular wedding, the couple managed to get a photo showing the bridal party getting chased by three AT-AT walkers, four-legged assault vehicles used in some of the Star Wars movies. A quick search on Google shows that another newly-wed couple had actors dressed up as "Stars Wars" Storm Troopers greeting guests at the reception. While all these things may be considered cool, I can't help thinking that they are rather frivolous, reflecting the secularization of our society.

The Free Will Test

        Whether your free will can free you or not depends upon what you do with it. As long as you hold onto your free will as your own, you cannot be free. But if you offer your free will up to God to let his will alone prevail in you, then you become free! It seems that the Lord gave us the free will to test us. Give it back to him and you pass.

Fear of Surrendering to God

        Surrender to God means surrender to God completely. This is not easy because one fears that if he surrenders to God, the Lord is going to make him do all kinds of things not palatable to him (essentially, he's still holding onto his own will). But it doesn't work out like that. First of all, God would never want to instill fear in you. If he does, that would defeat his purpose of drawing you to him. Therefore, such fears are all self-imposed. Once you surrender and get to know the Lord, all fear begins to dissipate or vanish as your will begins to conform to his. And you realize how baseless your apprehension or worry has been.

In a Secure Dwelling

       The Communion antiphon from Psalm 18 reads: The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer; my God is my saving strength. This was exactly how I felt after receiving Holy Communion. Evildoers stumble and fall because they are not in the light. By contrast, with the Lord dwelling in me, I knew I was dwelling most securely in him. 

Power of the Incredible

        Seeing how incredible the love of God for you is will help you believe in him.

No Shrinking from Suffering

        To want to avoid suffering is a human instinct, but in today's godless world sins have caused so much suffering among so many. As Christians, we must look to Jesus as our example and likewise accept any suffering that comes our way. And we should even rejoice when we suffer persecution for the sake of the Lord! Remember that the crown we receive for following Jesus at any cost is the Lord himself.

Hypocritical Catholic?

      Jesus criticized repeatedly the hypocrisy of the Pharisees and the Scribes. Hypocrisy is the difference between what one appears to be and what he actually believes in or practices. Therefore, a Catholic who outwardly goes to Mass faithfully, but does not believe in or practice some of the teachings of the Church, is being hypocritical. It is just as displeasing to the Lord as being lukewarm, if not more so. 

Praying for "Equality"

        Today is the Memorial of St. Anthony of Padua. He is the saint of finding things and lost people. In my experience, I have always found things lost after I ask him to intercede. After receiving Holy Communion today, I felt so blessed and began to see the disparity or divide between those who have possessed or belong to the Lord and those who have rejected or are not interested in him. It is my fervent prayer that the latter will come to know the joy and peace of following Christ. The love of God wants to embrace all!

Satisfied with God

        Today's Communion experience. I have the most extraordinary God. He is the greatest find, surprise, revelation, fulfillment, joy, and treasure of my life. I am more than completely satisfied. 

Empty Motions

        I saw a Rick Steve travel video on PBS, showing changing of the guard at the palace in Monaco with tourists lining up on all three sides to watch the ceremony. It struck me that the guardsmen are just going through empty motions and watching empty motions is empty too. I don't mean to spoil people's fun; besides, you could argue that I was doing something empty by watching the video. What I really want to say is that we'd be so much better off if we all spend more time on storing up treasures in heaven as Jesus has taught.

Eliminating Spiritual Warfare

        I see the spiritual warfare we're engaged in as a tug-of-war between God and Satan with us choosing the side we want to be on. If you choose right, there will be two winners and one loser; and if you choose wrongly, there will be one winner and two losers. (Note that if God wins, you win, and if he loses, you lose; while if Satan wins, you lose, and if he loses, you win ~ all this showing that God is always with us and Satan, always against us.)  This contest exists only because we haven't made our choices yet ~ much like the undecided voters being sought after in an election. The smart thing to do is to choose God and stick with him at the outset, then there won't be any tug-of-war to be concerned about. When you are safe with God, as in union, you are beyond Satan's reach.

An Obedience Test

        In God's presence, before the tabernacle at church or in the dark of a quiet night, think of someone you have difficulty forgiving. Be totally open and not holding back anything, ask God to show you clearly the problem. If you were partly at fault, admit it. Putting all pride aside, ask God for the courage to bring about reconciliation. Then follow up! In the case you cannot contact the person anymore, at least pray for God's blessings on the person and forgive him or her from the bottom of your heart for the glory of God. If you experience great freedom and peace afterwards, then you'll know that you have passed this test of obedience. Rejoice because you have overcome yourself and greatly pleased God. 

No Greater Mercy

        The other day I heard on NPR an interview with a girl in Ireland who had an abortion. She felt so guilty about it and became afraid to face God. She's also worried that her fellow parishioners would harshly judge her should they find out. As a result, she stopped attending Mass altogether. It's such a sad story that I wish I could tell her that God's mercy is infinite. Today I've been made especially aware of this great mercy. God has indeed reached his limit, for there can be nothing greater than infinity. Our Heavenly Father is ready to forgive us, take us back, no matter how sinful we are, at any time! The door is wide open for us our whole lifetime. He is making it as easy as possible for us to return to him ~ any difficulty we have has to be placed there by us. It would be disastrous for us if God were just a tad less merciful. He has died in our place and is just waiting for us to accept him. I am not telling you anything new; I just want you to really think about it until you see it. 

Beauty and Power of God

        There are many videos by Fr. Barron posted on YouTube. You can also go on his website wordonfire.org to find lots more. After watching the five videos I just posted and a few others, Jesus became more "true" and awesome than ever. At morning Mass when I heard the Gospel read, it's like hearing the Lord speak in person to me. Then later I received Holy Communion and his loveliness so overwhelmed me that I simply wanted to serve him with all of me and that my soul was ready to ascend to him. Such is the beauty and power of God. 

Key to Joy

Again, I am letting Fr. Barron tell you about detachment.

The Real Presence

Christ is present in the Holy Eucharist ~ all Christians should watch and listen to this video.

Who Is Jesus?

Fr. Barron says so much better what I have more or less said. These are great comments.

The Problem of Evil

Here's Fr. Barron's insightful observation of God, the tsunami, and the problem of evil.

Fr. Barron on Abortion

Many of you probably know about Father Robert Barron, the creator of the groundbreaking 10-part documentary Catholicism. He is a gifted speaker, knowledgeable, logical, and clear-thinking. I like his comments on various topics on YouTube. Here is one video on "Abortion: Shocking Numbers out of New York."

Surrender Deepens Peace

        Today's Communion experience. After I received the Lord, I knew that the more I surrender to him, the deeper my peace will be.

The Yearning Process

        When you start to yearn for the Lord, you are getting closer to him. It's interesting that when you are in union with him, your yearning becomes so great that you miss him terribly. 

We Affect God

        Everything we do affects the world. I wave my hand and the movement sets the surrounding air molecules into motion, causing them to collide with other neighboring molecules. In theory the whole universe is affected, although in this case the effect becomes infinitesimal moving a few feet away from the source of disturbance. Everything we do affects God too ~ he will feel either joy or sorrow. And whatever we've done will remain on the record until Judgment Day.   

Continued Praying

        Even though we follow Christ in peace, we still have the various crosses and burdens to carry. In fact, we feel them acutely because they are the crosses and burdens of Christ. However, with trust in the Lord, they no longer bother me. When people offend me, I don't take it personally either, as everything one does, one does it to the Lord. We are to continue praying for those who offend him, even after we get into heaven, as the saints are doing.

Following Christ in Peace

        Followers of Christ are easily satisfied: they follow his will, trust in him, and leave it at that, knowing that the outcome is in his hands.

Heart Makes the Difference

        Those whose hearts are pure are delighted by the Lord dwelling in them, while those whose hearts are unclean feel the misery because the Lord could not enter them.

Surrender Is the Word

        Seeking union with God is what the Lord wants from us, so surrendering to him is called for. If you haven't done it yet, you'll always find yourself struggling to be holy. Good intentions alone are not enough because you have not let the Lord in to do the work for you yet. This is the message the Lord wants me to spread, the objective of this blog. Surrendering to the Lord opens up the gate to let all his grace through so that the exhilarating journey may begin. Get on the fast track and experience his love in this life. If this sounds like a commercial, it's because this good news is true and urgent.   

Why I Feel Peaceful

        Some of the reasons I feel peaceful in my God: (1) He has called me, (2) His love for me is forever, (3) I feel secure in his hands, for nothing can take me away, (4) I belong to him forever, (5) I shall be with him in heaven forever, (6) He has made my will his will, setting me free, (7) He shields me from all evil, (8) He has healed my soul, (9) He is with me at all times. 

No Freedom Without Truth

        Jesus said in John 8 that "the truth will set you free" ~ I've found this to be true. In my opinion, any religion that does not make you feel free cannot possibly be true. Experiencing freedom in your God proves that he is love and the true One. There are also those who do not believe in God and think that they are free, but this is only pseudo-freedom felt when you think you have escaped from facing God. Such feelings are short-lived when you realize that you are a slave to the world and to your ego.

Unconditional Love for All

        Today is Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus. In Reading 2 from Romans 5, Paul points out that God proves his love for us in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us. God's unconditional love teaches us to love all others in the world without discrimination, as he loves all sinners without discrimination.

God to Be Take Seriously

        This is how Jesus taught on judging others: "As you judge, so will you be judged, and the measure with which you measure will be measured out to you" (Matthew 7:2). In the Lord's Prayer, he also taught us to say, "Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us." It follows that if we don't take God seriously, he won't take us seriously either.

Most Beautiful Things

        Anticipating the Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus tomorrow, EWTN showed a film on St. Margaret Mary Alacoque who received the revelations of the Sacred Heart. In some scenes, you see the saint prostrating herself in front of the Lord on the altar ~ it is such a beautiful scene! And I saw that it's proper ~ so right ~ for us to surrender to the Lord, to abandon ourselves to him, to trust in him, to rest in him, and to serve him. It struck me that all these things are most beautiful. 

Falling in Love with God

        Meditate upon the love of Christ and you fall in love with this love. Now you have fallen in love with God.

Greatest Commandments Linked

        In today's Gospel reading taken from Mark 12, Jesus gave the first of all the commandments: You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. Then the second: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. These two greatest commandments are intimately linked together. Following the second commandment faithfully fulfills the first one. Following the first commandment gives us the power and strength to fulfill the second one. 

The Lord In Me

        At morning Mass, I did feel that Jesus was sitting on the throne in my heart instead of being outside of me. I was elated that he was with me. He's still in me now.

Consider Eternal Life

        I ask the Lord to let me evangelize to as many people as possible, and the opportunities often come up, and the right moment to say something follows too. People commonly talk about their worldly problems. At the appropriate moment, I would let my listeners know outright that what I am going to say to them, most likely they won't hear from another person. I tell them that my main concern for them are not worldly problems but eternal life, which must be considered foremost. Then I present Jesus as our answer. My listeners always seem to understand my intention and that I speak it out of love. So a seed is sown and may bear fruit one day.  

The Human Plight

        Here's my simple view of the human situation. Since Adam and Eve disobeyed God, we ended up carrying the original sin and got banished as far from him as possible. Then because he loves us so much, he sent Jesus his own Son into the world to die in our place to redeem us. Now, we can believe in Christ and be adopted by God the Father as his children again, or ignore or reject Christ and remain banished. 

         A footnote. Because God has created us in his own image, he loves us and we can understand his love.  

Taking the Holy Eucharist Seriously

        Receiving the Holy Eucharist is not a casual affair. In 1 Corinthians 11:27, Paul wrote that "whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord unworthily will have to answer for the body and blood of the Lord." Before we receive the Sacrament, we should make sure that we are in as pure a state as possible spiritually. Then we ask the Lord to bestow on us whatever we need to be drawn close to him. We must become more like him, even for a tiny bit, after each reception.

Do not Neglect Loving

         Do not forget to visit your loved ones or any needy folks as often as possible ~ this is loving your neighbor. To follow the commandment of honoring your father and your mother, don't forget to keep in touch with them if they live away from you. If there is any animosity between you and your parents or any other family members, seek reconciliation, ask for forgiveness, before you face God ~ this is absolutely urgent, first-priority business. You must cast aside all pride and let humility rule!
       I've been visiting the homebound for quite some time and I am so happy that I'd made special visits to some of them and regret that I didn't go see some others more often before they passed away. One I saw a month ago was a laughing, talking person; two weeks ago, he lost all his energy, stopped eating, and had trouble breathing. Last week, he's gone. Let your loved ones know that you love them and you care for them before they or you leave the world. Show that you truly love God.   

Most Common Addiction

        Attachment to material goods is the most common addiction in the world. This spiritual failing makes you forget God, thus pleasing Satan greatly. The only remedy for it is to attach yourself to God.  

Living Our Only Day

        You've heard that we should live every day like it's our last. To add urgency to it, I'd suggest that we live every day like it's our only day. This should motivate us to pack as much loving God into one day as possible.

The World Is Our Stage

        It came to my mind this morning that "the world is like a stage." Then an online search showed that "All the world's a stage" is the phrase that begins a monologue in William Shakespeare's play "As You Like It." The speech compares the world to a stage and life to a play. Here's the beginning of that monologue: 

           All the world's a stage;

           And all the men and women merely players:

           They have their exits and their entrances;

           And one man in his time plays many parts .... 

This was exactly what I had in mind. In addition, each of us is free to play any character of our choice in our role on stage. And if God is chosen to be our director, he works mainly behind the scenes. After we exit at the end, our performance will be judged and that judge is God. I suggest that you ask God to direct you in the play. Get to know him well and he'll most likely judge you more leniently.

No Better Feeling!

        Communion experience today. By receiving the Lord with great reverence, love, and firm belief that he is the bread of life from heaven, my place in heaven is assured. There is no better feeling than knowing that we are in union with the Lord and heaven bound!

Same Division Today

       Today is the Memorial of St. Charles Lwanga and Companions, Martyrs. The Gospel comes from Mark 12. Jesus addressed a parable to the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders. In speaking he quoted this Scripture passage: The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; by the Lord has this been done, and it is wonderful in our eyes. He was speaking of himself whom his listeners were seeking to arrest.

          It's same today. Those who have accepted the Lord know that it is wonderful in the Lord's eyes and those who have rejected him out of pride don't know what they're doing.

The Holy Eucharist Fulfills Us

        Communion experience. It's extra special to receive the Holy Eucharist on this Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ. With Psalm 23:1 in mind, I could sum up my feeling by saying that "the Lord is in me; there is nothing I lack."

Power of the Holy Eucharist

        Today is the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ. The message I picked up during the homily: By receiving this Most Blessed Sacrament, which is Christ, we can become like him. Of course, if we receive it every Sunday at Mass just out of obligation, we shall remain the same. I've seen some who regularly receive the sacrament, yet still feel miserable most of the time. The power is there and will enter only those in a state of grace, open, and desirous of becoming holy.

Ultimate Freedom

        In John 8:32, Jesus said, "The truth will set you free." Since Jesus is the truth, I have come to realize that when I am completely filled with Christ, I attain ultimate freedom. 

A Wow Awakening

        "God loved us so much that he died for us so that we might have eternal life" ~ we've heard it so many times that we hardly pay any attention anymore. Indeed, familiarity breeds contempt. Today at Mass I paid attention to it and the Lord made me see that the saying reveals the ultimate expression of love, an act as momentous as the creation, a powerful display of God's perfection, and the greatest favor he could have bestowed upon us. It definitely was a wow awakening moment for me!        

A Fundamental, Good Feeling

        I've been posting about how God has made us. Here's one more observation. People are good at being in denial about their sinfulness and they lose inner peace. When you do something wrong, no matter how hard you try to deny it, you'll always get that uneasiness ~ this is how God has made us.  I've said in the past that there's no better feeling than knowing you and God are on good terms. Today I am seeing it from a specific point of view: When your heart is clean, it's a most wonderful feeling because you know you have nothing to hide and you welcome the Lord to dwell within you. Once you've experienced this, you'll never want or need to be in denial about anything anymore.

Awesome God

        I was attending a special Mass tonight for the Feast of St. Joseph Marello. When I let the Lord know that I was going to trust in him, he let me know that he's going to trust in me. It's pretty awesome to hear that and it's something I'd better remember always.

Amazing God

        I am still amazed that my God loves me so much that he died for me and that he and I can become one! I defy you to find a more amazing god.