A Time to Cast Away

        Ecclesiastes 3.1: There is an appointed time for everything, and a time for every affair under the heavens. But the right time to cast away anything that keeps us from approaching God is ever present. They include addictions, bad habits, and attachments to worldly things. Once you experience the new freedom and peace, you'll be glad that you've severed the tie. 

What We Must Realize

            I am away from home, so I won't be able to blog regularly for the next two weeks or so. These thoughts came to me three days ago. 

       Only God the creator is infinite. Even though his creative power is limitless, whatever he creates has to be finite, for there can only be one God, one creator. We cannot created anything ~ we simply discover, figure out, make use or take advantage of what has already been created by God. We can never be God and should never try to be him ~ this is what we must realize.  

God Will Let You Know

        Once you belong to God, he shapes, molds, nudges, and illuminates you to his heart's content continuously ~ you just know it and feel great joy.

Transcendental Living

        Jesus chooses us out of the world so that we no longer belong to the world. If you belong to the world, you'll always have that sinking feeling because the world is sinking. When we respond to God's call, he lifts us out of the world to live in freedom. This is transcendental living, for we have triumphed over the world.   

Jesus Is Peace

        Jesus is the way, the life, and the truth. He is also the light of the world. In essence, he is love. Then he is also our only hope and true joy. "Peace be with you" is what he said often to his disciples. Today at morning Mass, I realized that since he had given me so much peace, he is peace as well.  

Urgent Reminder

        Life is all about dealing with sins. We are living in a world drowning in sins ~ shocking daily news, family members not getting along, Christians being unforgiving . . . the list goes on and on. Since only God can forgive sins and make us holy, all the more we need to cling to him for life. If you do no feel the urgency, then you should wake up because your eternal survival is at stake.    

We Are Also Responsible

        If we are not 100% holy, then we are also partially responsible for all the evil existing in the world.

On Loving Our Enemies

        This image came to my mind during Mass. All of us were created by God the Father, so we are all siblings to each other in a big family. If there are those who have stepped out of line and become our enemies, we must not hate them but pray for them as our siblings.

Jesus' Challenging Claim

        In today's Gospel reading from John 6, what Jesus said to the crowds included this statement: "For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in him may have eternal life, and I shall raise him on the last day." He was making a huge claim. This saying challenges each of us to the core to believe that he either spoke the truth or didn't know what he's talking about. You decide.

Selfless Serving

        Sometimes I wonder if I have done anything important for God, then I realize that this thinking cannot have come from the Lord because it's still self-centered. What matters only is what's important to God, and whatever we do following his will is all he asks of us.

To Know God Is True

        Instead of looking at the many positive, wonderful things about Jesus and how he has changed so many lives for the better, nonbelievers, not knowing any truth, aim to discredit or dismiss him as if they know more than God. To know God, you must surrender to him first, then he'll let you know that he is true in every way. This is almost impossible for me to convey to anyone, but is the best witness I can possibly give.

Union the Straight Path

        In today's Gospel reading from John 6 at Mass, after Jesus had fed the five thousand men, the disciples saw him walking on the sea. The next day, the crowd went looking for Jesus and found him across the sea. Jesus said to them, "You are looking for me not because you saw signs but because you ate the loaves and were filled. Do not work for food that perishes but for the food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you." Jesus teaches us to seek the kingdom of God first and all other things will be given us besides (Matthew 6.33). To put all this into practice, seek union with him first, then everything of life will assume its proper importance. Union takes one straight to God, bypassing all the obstacles and pitfalls of the ordinary spiritual journey.

Relating to the Father

        Today's is the Feast of Saints Philip and James, Apostles. In the Gospel reading from John 14, Jesus said to Thomas, "If you know me, then you will also know my Father. From now on you do know him and have seen him." Philip said to him, "Master, show us the Father, and that will be enough for us." Jesus said to them, "Have I been with you for so long a time and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, 'Show me the Father'?" Like Philip, we also want to know more, see more, and be assured more. The fact is that the Father is our creator ~ without him, we wouldn't be breathing now. Furthermore, nothing can happen without his permission and everything that happens to us is a calling from him to go closer to him. Therefore, never for a moment should we forget the Father's presence nor forget to relate ourselves, everything that happens to us, everything we do, to his love for us.

Fast Track to Holiness

        To improve our physical condition, we need to eat right and exercise. To improve our knowledge, we must study, read, and learn. To grow holier is a different matter because it involves God's doing. We initiate by prayer, reading the Gospel, doing penance, etc., but real changes can only be effected by God. In fact, the less we "struggle," the more God takes over. Hence, surrender and trust is the fastest way to holiness. 

Putting Free Will to Rest

        God gave us our free will to choose between good and evil, between obeying him and disobeying him. Once we decide to surrender to God, we put our free will to its best use. Now God's will and ours become one and we no longer need to exercise our free will anymore.

Superior Journey

        There are many seminars, workshops, conferences, etc., featuring upbeat, dynamic speakers who can encourage and inspire you or even set your heart on fire for God temporarily. This is all good, but nothing coming from outside of you can compare with what comes from within yourself. The superior journey is to seek union with God, then God will change you from the inside permanently with no more need for any outside boost.  

On Praying for Others

        We pray for loved ones who have died. If they are in purgatory, prayer and Mass offered can surely help. But the best time to pray for others is when they are still alive ~ taking preventive measure is always better than having to do the rescue later, if it's not already too late. Therefore, pray for your loved ones and all God's loved ones daily without ceasing for the greatest good.     

Easily Overlooked Warning

        This morning's Gospel reading at Mass came from John 3. He wrote: "For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him will not be condemned, but whoever does not believe has already been condemned, because he has not believed in the name of the only-begotten Son of God." I was struck by the last verse which I have italicized. It seems that not believing in Jesus as the Son of God is a serious sin, serious enough to be condemned. I can think of many who believe that they are basically good people, but do not take Jesus seriously and think nothing of it. They'd better read this verse and reconsider their position. 

Having God's Conscience

        I don't want to say that the Holy Spirit is God's conscience, for I may be treading on theological ground. But this I know: when one is filled with the Holy Spirit, God's conscience becomes his conscience.

All I Know

        In John 9, we read that Jesus opened the eyes of the man born blind. The Pharisees, disbelieving that he was blind, told him that Jesus was a sinner and kept questioning him. He then relied, "If he is a sinner, I do not know. One thing I do know is that I was blind and now I see." I like his response. Like the Pharisees the majority of the world do not believe in Christ and many even attack him and question his existence, but they do not affect me. All I know is that Jesus has set me free, filled my life with meaning, quenched my thirst, given me hope, joy, and peace, and shown me his love, beauty, and majesty! This is more than enough. To all those who disbelieve or discredit him: let Jesus open your eyes too.

Union Turns Life "Upside Down"

        Ordinarily, we find it difficult to remain holy as it's just too easy to sin. When you attain union with Christ, the reverse becomes true: remaining holy is now no work as God removes your desire to sin. 

God Our Transformer

        Today's the Memorial of St. Catherine of Siena. After receiving the Holy Eucharist, I saw positively that the Lord could cleanse and purify us, transforming us into temples of the Holy Spirit. It was a glorious feeling. St. Catherine, pray for us.

Who Christ Is to the World

        A lot of bad news made headlines today. For example, "Syria blasts kill dozens in Homs," "Seized Nigerian girls 'taken abroad,'" "Severe weather threatens eastern US." But to me one sad piece of news came from Palermo, Italy. A two-meter tall statue of Christ of the Abyss will be placed underwater off the coast of Sicily to attract divers. The mayor of Palermo hopes that the attraction will stimulate tourism and signal a "new step forward" for the city's growth. Using Christ as a bait to attract tourists so that the city can earn more money? If that's the sole motive, then the idea borders on being sacrilegious!  

Finding Happiness Anyway

        At Lourdes, the Blesses Mother promised Bernadette happiness not in this world, but in the other. It is true that Jesus never promised that if we followed him, we would become rich, famous, and have an easy life. On the contrary, we're to deny ourselves and take up the cross. But while still in the world we can always find freedom, peace, and joy in God by seeking union with him.   

To Be Your Own God Is...

to be your own slave.

Onward to Freedom!

        Here's another mental picture that came to my mind. The soul wants to rise to God, but it's weighed down by so many things like tethered weights, with serious addictions more like anchors. All such burdens are attachments. Anytime you cut one attachment, you feel a bit more freedom. If you surrender your all to God, you break through to the other side by cutting all your attachments to the world and the soul soars to God in complete freedom. Once you experience that, you'll never want to go back again. 

       Jesus had said more than once, "Whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it." This is what it's all about.

God's Clear Intention

        When I received the Holy Eucharist at Mass this morning, it's again the perfect time to renew my surrender to the Lord. I asked him what he's going to do with me now. His answer was that he's going to lead me straight to heaven. It's obvious that this is his intention for all his children, but surrendering just make his job so much easier and you would be rewarded for that.        

Guarding the Lord

        As Christians, we must do our utmost to prevent anyone (ourselves included) from offending the Lord. In this sense, we become his guards. This duty of ours is a great heavenly privilege to be treasured. 

Joy, Peace, Freedom

        What are these three in the world? Joy ~ we do feel happy temporarily when things go our way. Peace ~ we can find some relief from stress by breaking away from our regular routine. Naturally, peace is impossible to experience in the many countries that are in turmoil. Freedom ~ even in a most democratic country, freedom can still be limited. Anyhow, true joy, peace, and freedom must be deep-rooted and permanent and can come only from God, for whatever God gives always touches the soul, a foretaste of heaven.    

Smart Living

        We separate the temporary from the permanent. Our body is temporary, for it gets older and weaker every moment and we can't do anything about it. Our soul is permanent, for it lives on forever. When it becomes unclean, we turn to God for help and purity is restored. Bottomline advice: take good care of the soul and don't get too attached to the body.

So Good to Hear!

        In today's Gospel reading taken from John 20, Jesus, who had not yet ascended to the Father, appeared to Mary Magdalene outside the empty tomb. His final words to her were to tell his brothers, the disciples, "I am going to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God." How good it is to hear that Jesus and we share the same Father, the same God! Believe and our future in heaven is assured. 

Our Passing Life

        I came home during rush hour and was trailing a vast number of cars moving at a slower than normal pace. I visioned that over thousands of years millions and millions of people have continually traveled through this world trailing others who had gone before them ~ it's a mass, ongoing process. We all make a brief appearance on earth, not even stopping for a instant. It becomes all the more imperative to check out Jesus to see if he can truly save us. As far as I am concerned, there is no God other than the Christian God, who has completely settled my future, removing all fears of the unknown.

Weep and Rejoice

        Happy Easter to all! During Lent, it was appropriate and comforting to weep along with Jesus. Now that Easter is here, it is appropriate and gratifying to rejoice along with Jesus. 

On Taking up the Cross

        Jesus said, "Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me." I believe that many do not wish to hear it because they do not wish to take up any cross. What they fail to see is that whether you follow Jesus or not, you will have your cross to bear. Jesus only showed us the way to lighten our load. You can deal with your cross on your own as most of the world is doing and fare worse, even ending up losing your soul. Perhaps denying yourself is the hard part to accept. Nevertheless, Christ himself is the supreme example of denying himself and taking up his Cross, following the will of the Father. To not follow this example is to distance ourselves far from him.  

How Should We Petition?

        Sometimes we pray unceasingly for a favor we need. Then we also learn that we only need to ask, confidently believing that God will answer us, and relax. Should we strike a balance between these two approaches? I think of St. Monica petitioning persistently for the conversion of her son Augustine, the prayer of total abandonment to God of St. Therese, and the Lord's own earnest request during his agony in the garden. So I believe that how we ask depends upon what we ask for and our own spiritual state. Let the Holy Spirit be our sole guide. What's essential is that the petition come from the heart with the greatest possible faith. 

God Is Hope

        It is Holy Saturday. After Jesus had been crucified, his disheartened disciples and followers scattered despite having seen all the wonders he had performed when he was alive. What hope was there now? Then Resurrection took place and everything changed. This is the greatest example showing that God never lets us down in the end, for he is our hope. Let us trust in him always in all things.

A Wake-Up Call

        In Luke 23, we read that as Jesus was carrying his cross on the way to be crucified, many women among the large crowd of people following Jesus 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!'" This was indeed a wake-up call given by Jesus out of love even as he is about to be killed. We must be aware foremost if we are offending the Lord. 

Christ's Great Sorrow

        If someone you love not only does not appreciate you, but turns around to inflict injury on you, you would feel hurt more by his ungratefulness than by the injury suffered. Today is Good Friday. As a man, there's no doubt that Christ experienced great agony for the suffering he went through, but his greater sorrow had to be over those he loved who rejected him and put him to death. May he be glorified for ever!

How We Truly Exist

        I see myself stripped down to the bare soul, with no physical body and not one thing around me, so it's just my soul and the Lord God. This is essentially how we should see ourselves, for the material world and everything else are not part of us. Now you can see clearly how good or bad you look to God. Yes, in the final analysis, it's just you and God. 

Road to Perishment

        As I reread the messages of Fatima warning us what would happen to the world if we are not penitent, seeing even so few Catholics pay attention to the requests and promises of Our Lady of Fatima, I see the world heading rapidly in the wrong direction. By ignoring God and thinking that we can manage all things by ourselves, we are well on the road to perishment.

God's Protection

        In prayer this morning at Mass, the Lord showed me that he would always protect those who love him spiritually, but not necessarily their possessions. This is good enough for me.

Tragedy of the World

        Our downfall is that we like to be in control of everything ~ the ego again. We even handle sin by ourselves, though sin is completely under God's jurisdiction. 

Created by God

        It just hit me that even if scientists can make something exactly like a human being, they still won't be able to give it a conscience. It just shows that God did create us.     

Only Obstacle to Freedom

        At Mass this morning, in an instant it was clear to me that what drags us down are ourselves ~ it's our ego that keeps us from soaring to God. If we are no longer self-concerned, we'll be carefree and free in the Lord. [Union with God makes you forget yourself and focus upon God only.]

God Has Created Us!

        God is love and his act of dying for our sins to redeem us is just incredible. It seems rather mysterious that I should feel it this way. Then intuitively I know that had there been no God and I somehow came into existence, I never would've been able to relate to such love. I know now that God exists and has made me this way so that I may love him.  

How to Feel Good

        When you know that Christ already dwells in you, let him be your only joy. Do not care about how good you look; care only about how good he looks in you to others. When he looks good, he will give you joy to make you feel good.  

Concerning God Again

        God is for going deep into, so dive into him with your all.

God Wins

        Communion feeling this morning. God has won me over. Before, I was stubborn, but now I'm in paradise.

Concerning God

        The right way: letting go in him. The wrong way: struggling before him.

Death Has Lost

        Yearning for the Lord works wonders ~ it banishes any fear of death. Basically, death has lost all its power over the Christian.