On Knowing God

        I have never visibly seen nor audibly heard God, but I know him better than anyone else. Of course, I know my family members and some friends well, but I'll never know all about them because they change and communication with another human being is never candid at all times. Whereas God is love forever, the only one you can fully trust and rely upon, so there's nothing more I need to know. In a way, he is the easiest person to know.

How to Live Satisfied

        The measure with which you measure will in return be measured out to you (Luke 6: 38). Live to satisfy God and he will make you satisfied in life.

Jesus, a Great Joy

        Communion experience. Jesus was such a joy today, a refreshing joy, a liberating joy ~ he's to be greatly enjoyed. Just thinking that I have him was a joy.

Consolation for Sorrow

        In this present age, my experience has been that after experiencing sorrow for the sake of Jesus, I always receive consolation from the Lord in some special way, not to mention eternal life in the age to come.

God Will Never Reject Us

        Today's Gospel at Mass came from Matthew 8. A leper approached Jesus and said, "Lord, if you wish, you can make me clean." Jesus stretched out his hand, touched him, and said, "I will do it. Be made clean." When I heard the reading, I knew that the Lord will never reject us in his heart. We may not get what we ask for, but that's no rejection for he always knows what's best for us. 

The Union Difference

        If you really want God in your life, the best approach is to seek union with him. Why? Because if you are not in him, you'll always have questions, doubts; you could struggle your whole lifetime and not get much closer to him. While if you are in union with God, he teaches you personally and everything in your life falls into place, making perfect sense ~ no more questions or doubts; just communion in peace with the Lord. 

Grateful to God

        Nova has produced an excellent episode titled "Earth From Space." A spectacular space-based vision of our planet is revealed. Nova transforms the data from earth-observing satellites into visual sequences, each one exposing the intricate web of forces that sustains life on earth. We see how dust from the Sahara fertilizes the Amazon; how a vast submarine "waterfall" off Antarctica helps drive ocean currents around the world; and how the sun's heating up of the southern Atlantic gives birth to a powerful hurricane. All this knowledge makes me realize that God has hand-created this planet in the vast universe with the right atmosphere, temperature, environment, natural resources, etc., so that we may survive. For this I am grateful. But most of all, I am grateful that he has revealed his love for me through his own Son in my short lifetime here.

Making a Pact with God

        Today's Communion experience. When I received the Body of Christ, I was making a pact with the Lord for him to be my Lord and my God and for me to love and serve him forever.

The Approval of Gay Marriage

       The big newspaper in my area headlined "Gay marriage is on a roll" after the latest Supreme Court rulings. It's interesting that a June 10 article in BBC Magazine reports that some gay people are against gay marriage. Here are some of the reasons given by them. "It's demonstrably not the same as heterosexual marriage ~ the religious and social significance of a gay wedding ceremony simply isn't the same." "We're not going to procreate as a couple and while the desire to demonstrate commitment might be laudable, the religious traditions that have accommodated same-sex couples have had to do some fairly major contortions." "Until the federal government recognizes and codifies the same rights for same-sex couples as straight ones, equality is the goal so why get hung up on a word?" Another gay person strongly believes that civil partnerships to give same-sex couples equal legal rights are enough. 

        I suppose the approval of gay marriage is expected after legalization of abortion and the acceptance of unmarried couples living together. We live in a basically secular society and judges are so legalistic that they no longer have any moral concerns. (It is interesting that so far gay marriage has been allowed mostly in the more affluent countries of the West.) What next? 

       The scene from Luke 23 comes to my mind. As Jesus was led away, carrying his own cross, a large crowd of people followed him, including many women who mourned and lamented him. 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!'" 

God Makes Us Holy!

        During consecration of the bread and the wine at Mass, I realized that receiving the Lord in the Holy Eucharist is no casual affair, for the Lord God enters me and I become holy because he dwells within me. How awesome the holiness of God! How exciting for us to be holy too! Yes, our bodies are truly temples of the Holy Spirit.

On Being Thrown into Fire

        In the Gospel reading from Matthew 7 at Mass, Jesus wanted his disciples to bear good fruit, for he said, "Every tree that does not bear good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire." I got thinking: what if the fruit we bear is not that good, but not bad either? The answer that came to me was that the fire would then be the fire of purgatory.

God to Be Experienced

        God does not wish us to just study and read about him ~ he wants to be one with us so that we may experience his love and mercy. This calls for surrendering ourselves completely to him. Once we have experienced him, we'll never want to leave again, for he fulfills all our needs and then some.

"Pray for Me"

        When I made the penitential act at morning Mass, acknowledging having greatly sinned and asking all the angles and saints and my brothers and sisters to pray for me, I sensed that the request "Pray for me" is a beautiful one. Praying to God, if you truly believe in him, is already a beautiful expression of your faith. When you say "Pray for me," it shows your need for the Lord's mercy and the prayer is now made even more personal and beautiful.

Holding onto Yourself or God

        Here's another mental picture. Imagine that you are a pole. If you have not surrendered to God yet, you naturally hold onto that pole, which is yourself. But there is no true security ~ when you sink, you sink. Once you have surrendered to God, he is now the pole you hold onto and you become absolutely secure, for he is the pillar that never sinks. You actually experience this when you made the switch.

How We Should Love

        Since Jesus loves all of us, we are to love all equally too, regardless of whether the person is attractive or not, interesting or boring, rich or poor, young or old, healthy or handicapped, friend or foe... In other words, we are to love unconditionally like Jesus. This is a tall order, but nothing is impossible with God.    

Dual Aspect of God

        God as revealed through Jesus the Son is not only to be worshiped, adored, and praised, but is amazingly also our friend, brother, and servant. This dual aspect is possible only because our God is truly love. 

Christ Cannot Be Ignored

        Jesus said that he himself would be a cause of division on earth. See how John the Baptist got beheaded, followed by so many Christians being martyred to this day. To me, the existence of division, which even sets members of the same household against each other as Jesus had foretold, only proves that he cannot be ignored, that there is good vs. evil. And the fact that he cannot be ignored only proves that he is the true God. Ignoring Christ is being as ignorant as believing that you do not exist.

Our Present Mission

        Today is the Solemnity of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist. The Gospel Acclamation, Luke 1:76, quotes what John's father Zachariah prophesied: "You, child, will be called prophet of the Most High, for you will go before the Lord to prepare his way." It was of John that the prophet Isaiah had also spoken when he said: "A voice of one crying out in the desert, 'Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths.'" I see that we are now the prophets to prepare the way for the Lord's Second Coming by making straight his paths. Our specific mission will be to make this world as pleasing to Christ as possible before he comes again by becoming as holy as possible ourselves and bringing as many others to him as possible.

Recipe for Life

        Today's Gospel reading from Luke 9 concluded with these two verses: "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." 

          Listen up! Here's Jesus speaking as the true God, giving us the recipe for life.

Who Is Jesus to You?

        In today's Gospel reading from Luke 9 at Mass, Jesus asked his disciples, "Who do the crowds say that I am?" After he got some answers, he asked the disciples this time, "Who do you say that I am?" It matters who you say that he is! Obviously, my reply would be "God" since I know a lot more about Jesus than the disciples at the time when Jesus had not yet gone through his Passion and Resurrection. May I add that my less specific but more descriptive answer would be "The one who satisfies all my needs."

Thirst for Learning

        Coupled with the yearning for Christ the Lord is the thirst for learning from him. I want the Lord to teach me, teach me, and teach me. I want to know all about him, to get inside of him, to become part of him. I believe he had given me these desires because I heard him say to his disciples at the Last Supper: "Remain in me, as I remain in you.... I am the vine, you are the branches...without me you can do nothing" (John 15).

What I Seek

       As I was watching Rick Steve's travel video Croatia: Adriatic Delights on PBS, showing the mountains, the forests, the sea, and other scenic sights, I got this new feeling that this finite earth was not big enough for me. The earth's gravitational pull on me was another restraint. I know now that I seek not only what lasts forever, but also what is infinite and can make me feel free. The Lord is then my answer. Maybe it's because I have tasted him that I feel this way. 

More on Our Spiritual State

        Here's another observation. We came into the world, grew up learning how to survive and get ahead. We were encouraged to go for whatever we want to do. We became convinced that if we don't give up, we shall succeed. The end result is that we take charge and follow our own wishes, good or bad. Especially in a country like the United States here where there is freedom of speech, no one likes to be told what to do. Humility can easily be perceived as being weak. All these things make it difficult for us to surrender to God and obey him, and we remain rebels. 

The Current Spiritual State

        In general, people living in our disordered secular world know deep down that they need God. Finding it hard to face God, they enter the escape mode by ignoring him, despite their continuing lack of inner peace. I am speaking of true inner peace, not merely feeling OK. We need to wake up to the reality of God, who alone can bring order to the world, peace to our hearts, and save us. 

Best Investment!

        Storing up treasures in heaven was what Jesus taught in today's Gospel reading from Matthew 6. I see this as the best investment we can possibly make in this life, for it is absolutely safe and the return is truly out of this world (pun intended) ~ gaining entry into heaven. Begin investing by seeking union with God.

Conversion by God

        Today's Reading 1 at Mass came from 1 Corinthians 11. As you know, Paul used to be one of the terrible persecutors of the followers of Jesus and was converted by the Lord himself. In this epistle, he "boasts" of his great labors; imprisonments; beatings; being stoned; numerous brushes with death; getting shipwrecked; facing dangers from rivers, robbers, Jews, gentiles; going through sleepless nights, hunger and thirst, cold and exposure ~ all for the sake of preaching the gospel of God. We must also let God bring about a fundamental change in us, for we cannot do it by ourselves but for the grace of God.  

On Killing Others

        It's sad that you hear about suicide bombing happening almost every day in various parts of the world. To sacrifice oneself for some cause may be regarded by some as worthy or even noble, but if it involves killing other innocent people, even children, then it has to be misguided and wrong. God has clearly commanded us not to kill, so carrying out such attacks has to be a selfish act. (Abortion is in the same category.) By the way, if you terminate someone's life before that person has had a chance to repent before God, then you are also responsible for the possible loss of that soul! 

Best Spiritual Journey

        It should be obvious to all that once you are in paradise, with the Father wiping away every tear in your eyes, you will no longer remember your past. Therefore, the best spiritual journey would be one in which you never look back on the past, but focus only upon living for the Lord, making every present moment the beginning of your journey. Remember our journey can make us look good or bad before the Father, so travel the best one.

Most Incredible Father

        God loves all of us. He sacrificed his own Son so that we may return to him to dwell with him in heaven forever. I knew all that, but this morning I particularly saw this love as being very special, that I was so favored by him, and that I belong exclusively to him. This is how he can make all of us feel. It's time to proclaim that we have a most incredible heavenly Father, worthy for us to worship, adore, praise, love, and obey! 

Letting Go in Christ

        Today's Communion experience. I wanted to abandon myself in the light of Christ ~ a totally letting go. He is to be trusted.      

Living the Secret Life in God

        In today's Gospel from Matthew 6, Jesus taught his disciples to do all righteous deeds, to give alms, to pray, to fast, ... never with the intention to be seen or known by others. Indeed, I see living a secret, hidden life in God as the most beautiful way of living. It shows that your faith is genuine, that you are humble and want to glorify God alone, and that you abandon yourself to him. The reward is interior peace. 

Jesus, the Light We Need

        Burglars shy away from bright lights. In general, sinners feel more comfortable in darkness when they are not seen. If something you do in darkness you wouldn't do in broad daylight, it must be sinful. But if you have Jesus as the light of your life, his light will shine upon you at all times and you'll remain holy night and day. 

A Major Concern

        Went by a large cemetery yesterday. I immediately saw that every single one of us is just passing through, so our major concern should be where we're heading after this life. And this is precisely the Lord's major concern too. With us sharing the same concern, it can certainly be resolved through cooperation.

Stop Hurting the Lord

        Yesterday's Communion experience. I saw how sinning hurts and repulses the Lord and we shouldn't sin, not even for a nanosecond. Seek refuge in the Lord and you'll be shielded from all evil and protected from all temptations.

God Asks for Perfection

        In yesterday's Gospel reading from Matthew 5, Jesus really raised the bar ~ he commanded his disciples to love their enemies so as to be perfect. The Lord always challenges us and is ready to lift us up to his level, the highest possible level. Yes, he asks us to become one with him, so that we may be perfect.  

Union Recommended Again

        Accepting and believing in Christ is just the beginning. To truly get to know the Lord, you must get inside of him, and seeking union is the way to that discovery and fulfillment. 

We Do Need Christ

        Before morning Mass began yesterday, I was reminded in prayer that we are all dust, and we are at the mercy of God as dust is at the mercy of the wind. Like all things of the world, we are here today and gone tomorrow. Since both we and the world are passing, there is no point in talking about security in this life. However, dust or no dust, passing or permanent, the one who has entrusted himself entirely to Christ already has his eternal life anchored in God.

God Proved Himself

        Yesterday I prayed the Sorrowful Mysteries of the Holy Rosary. As you know, the mysteries are Agony in the Garden, Scourging, Crowning with Thorns, Carrying the Cross, and Crucifixion. The fact that Jesus, an innocent man, went through his life and these extreme sorrows without any complaint and still forgiving everyone, his persecutors included, to the very end is inhuman, as no ordinary human can achieve that. This further proves to me that Jesus is indeed our loving God.

On Finding Our Center

        Today I watched Part 1 of Fr. Robert Barron's DVD on "Blessing, Three Paths to Holiness" at my church. It was on Finding the Center. I totally agreed with and understood what he said. That is, without Christ being our center, life is stormy and directionless and we get pulled in all directions by forces of the world and our own desires. When we have Christ at the center, all is calm because we are in harmony with God. It's the difference between Martha and Mary. It's the contrast between the disciples getting terrified at sea when a violent storm came up and the Lord sleeping calmly in the stern. So many people now are living a disordered life oblivious to God's existence until one day some personal crisis finally wake them up. Here we have crises and suffering manifesting the mercy of God.  

Good Question

     Today's Communion antiphon from Psalm 27.4: There is one thing I ask of the Lord; only this do I seek: to live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life. What is the one thing you would ask of the Lord?

Love Not to Be Held Back

        Today's Gospel reading at Mass, Matthew 5:38-46. Jesus talked about turning the other cheek to the one who strikes you on one cheek; handing your cloak to the person as well who wants to go to law with you over your tunic; going that extra mile if anyone presses you into service for a mile; and not turning your back on one who wants to borrow. The Lord gave these specific instances to teach us that we must not let anything upset us; instead, we must be loving always. Retaliation is out; patience and compassion must reign. Love held back is no love at all.

Loving God Becomes Easy...

when you let God love you.

Lord, Save Us All

        Communion wish. After receiving the Lord, his great love made me want every single soul in this world to be saved! Knowing that nothing is impossible with God, I fervently pray for this. 

God Easy to Please

        Today's Gospel reading from Luke 7 was about the Lord pardoning a sinful woman who showed great love for him. He said to all present, "Her many sins have been forgiven; she has shown great love." It seems that if we concentrate upon loving the Lord, we needn't be too concerned about our sins. You could say that love pleases God so much that he forgets your sins.

What Are You Waiting For?

        God's intention for us is to be back with him in paradise after the fall of Adam and Eve. Jesus had come, died for us, making this amply clear. Ask to return to God and we can be back where we belong. 

My Best Advice (Urgent)

        In Luke 16, Jesus told to his disciples the parable of the rich man and Lazarus. Both men died. Lazarus who used to be poor was carried away to the bosom of Abraham. As the rich man was suffering torment in the netherworld, he saw Abraham far off with Lazarus at his side. He cried out to Abraham for help, but Abraham replied, "My child, remember that you received what was good during your lifetime while Lazarus likewise received what was bad; but now he is comforted here, whereas you are tormented. Moreover, between us and you a great chasm is established to prevent anyone from crossing who might wish to go from our side to yours or from your side to ours." 

        Let's look at the message of this parable. What we receive in this life is nothing compared to what we shall receive after we die. We want to make sure that we receive the good later, not now. The separation between heaven and hell cannot possibly be greater. There is no crossing from either side to the other and the separation is for all eternity! Do not be so concerned about health insurance, life insurance, financial security, your burial plot and all that, but believe in and love the Lord Jesus to get you eternal future settled now. This is absolutely the best advice you can possibly get from anyone.

"Dissolve" Is the Word

        Today's Communion experience. The Lord lets me see that through the Holy Eucharist, he can dissolve everything negative and impure in my soul. I let him do whatever he wants to accomplish.

Accepting Inconveniences

        One of the nose pads on my pair of glasses was gone. This means I must wait until Monday, the day after tomorrow, and go to my optician to get it repaired. No big deal, but still time-consuming. Then I saw that life is a life of inconveniences ~ it's one thing after another to be taken care of. Seeing this as a reality, I no longer feel bothered. Even if I can't get the repair done, it's all right too because life is also a life of unfinished businesses. Let loving God be our primary occupation.

Criticizing or Judging

        Here is the difference between criticizing people and judging them. The test is whether you get angry or not. You can criticize others, often for their own good, and still have compassion for them. But if you get angry, then you have judged them. 

"Live Begins at Conception"

        Another news story about a child triggered these thoughts. "Life begins at conception" ~ this is a truth which should be obvious to anyone with an open mind, whether you are scientific or not. The fact that the conceived child starts growing right from the beginning is proof enough. Yet the pro-abortion people don't want to hear anything of it ~ how blind and dumb can you get! To pretend that you are blind and dumb in this case is even worse.