God Looking at Us

        I see God looking down on one of us. God's heart is filled with compassion, yet this creature has no idea. There is no joy or peace in him ~ he simply goes through the motion of living, performing trivial things aimlessly as if in a dream. The Father pities him even more. How he wish that this child of his would know that he is loved and be joyful! All he needs to do is turn to the Father and ask for mercy and help. Once he sees God to be the truth, everything becomes purposeful and real. 

Better Request

        It is better and more beneficial to ask God for courage and strength to endure the trials and tribulations of life than to ask him to spare you those tests. 

God Our Only Hope

        Only the true God can fundamentally change us on the inside because he's the one who created us. We can resolve to become a better person, but will not succeed well on our own. The change must be initiated at the spiritual level, affecting the soul. Without God, there would be no great saints. If you want to change the world, let him change you first. [Note: "True God" is the God who has revealed himself to be love.]

Vision Comes First

        Not many realize that vision is indispensable for survival. We must look beyond this life in order to survive in the next. Once that's settled, then we can settle down to live in the present in peace. 

God in Full Charge

        Today is the Memorial of St. Dominic. The Psalm response came from Deuteronomy 32.39: It is I who deals with death and give life. Indeed, we didn't plan our own birth and don't know when we'll die. Our life is only a brief interval between birth and death, so how can we say that we are in control of our life? God is and should be in charge all the way. In today's Gospel reading from Matthew 16, Jesus said to his disciples, "Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me." This is precisely the counsel we need.      

Stopping Short

        People claim they believe in God, but when it comes to forgiving someone, they often won't do it and would even take revenge. In other words, they stop following Christ if someone crosses a line they've drawn. This is disbelieving that God can change you. Limiting God's love, mercy, and ability to accomplish anything is being rebellious, showing the lack of faith and trust in him. No lines should ever be drawn between you and God. 

Hearing God Speak

        God wants to speak to us, but we must be ready and willing to listen for his voice. Today's busy and hectic life prevents us from hearing God's gentle and quiet voice. We need to turn inward to hear him, for he speaks to the heart. If you'll remain still and open, you will find messages placed in your heart. Patience is required as God follows his own timetables, but waiting only makes hearing from him all the more sweeter.     

Worst Burden of Life

        Once you are in union with Christ, carrying any cross for him is no longer a heavy burden. But if you commit a sin, you would feel like your heart is being tortured and the burden can become crushing. 

Who's Naive?

         Those who don't know God think that we who have faith in God are naive for easily believing in some God to make ourselves feel secure. On the contrary, I think nonbelievers are naive because they unknowingly look for God here and there, hoping that they would run into something to make them permanently happy. 

Love Wonderful

       From us, God desires mercy, not sacrifice (Hosea 6.6; Matthew 9.13, 12.7). Let love motivate all that you say, think, and do, sacrifice included. Love is to be our power source, so that we can be like God. It's wonderful that God being love sets a kind of standard for the whole universe, making it clear that everything is to exist by love. I just can't think of a more perfect standard to uphold. Our God is just wonderful.

Delightful and Sweet

        Communion experience. Wisdom 16.20, today's Communion antiphon: You have given us, O Lord, bread from heaven, endowed with all delights and sweetness in every taste. Indeed, the Lord was delightful and tasted most sweet, and I felt complete contentment.

No Greater Loss

        During Eucharistic Prayer at Mass this morning, I knew that Jesus is my answer. Sadly, I thought of those who do not look for him, for there is no greater loss than missing him forever. Have him now and you'll have him forever.

Casting the Holy Spirit Aside

        Worrying is an ugly form of nosiness. It pessimistically projects things that have not happened yet. Therefore, when you worry, you're casting the Holy Spirit aside. Optimistic projection of things that have not happened, while not as bad as worrying, is nevertheless also being out of sync with the Holy Spirit. The one who's with the Spirit does not project into the future; he simply trusts in God every moment in peace.

Humility Called For

        After watching the documentary Space: Unraveling the Cosmos showing the vastness of space, it reinforced my feeling that God is infinite and that what we know is only what God has allowed us to know. If we could see the entire universe through God's eyes, we would realize what we know is practically zero. Let humility open our eyes to the grandeur of God and accept the good news Jesus has proclaimed, which happens to be God's most important revelation for us.

Hanging by a Thread

        When I was a high schooler, I fainted once for whatever reason. As an old adult, there had been times when I felt dizzy and was on the verge of slipping into unconsciousness. We know that our life on earth is brief, but it's also just hanging by a thread. The only sensible thing left for us to do while we're still conscious is to put our faith in Jesus; then even if the thread snaps, we shall remain secure in God as he had promised.  

Why Choose God?

        God is all holy and we with the original sin innate in us are inclined to sin. Once we see this, we can understand why without God's illumination, our thoughts are not his thoughts and our ways, not his ways. Then would you rather trust the thoughts and ways of a holy God or those of a sinner? The answer is clear. Logical action to take: abandon ourselves and follow God.

Secret of Detachment

        Communion insight. No one can serve two masters. No mind can think two thoughts at the same time. If I hold onto Christ alone, then automatically everything else will be let go. Here's the secret of detaching yourself from the world.

No Small Matter

        At Mass today during breaking of the bread, I was quite astounded to say and hear the familiar "you take away the sins of the world" following addressing the Lord as "Lamb of God." Taking away the sins of the world is no small matter! I must be aware of its power, scope, and effect on mankind, and understand its purpose, meaning, and what my proper response to it should be.

We Should Be Holy

        God, being all holy, can make us all holy! In fact, he wants us to be holy because he knows it's best for us. Being our loving Father, naturally he also wants us to be holy so that we may be like him. You might say that asking God to make us holy is right up his alley.           

Foolish Reponses

        This question asked by Jesus came to me: What profit is there for one to gain the whole world and forfeit his life? The correct answer is obvious, yet most people do not take it seriously. I think it's because they still think they have time and don't want to deal with such serious stuff yet. Here a wise question gets a whole bunch of foolish responses.

God Our Cleanser

        Jesus taught that it's what comes out from within what defiles a person. Union with God ensures that your interior will have been cleansed by him.  

Intimate Communication

        If you are aware that God dwells within you, you will pray inwardly to him in your heart and clearly know his will.

Intention Matters

        Today is the Memorial of St. Alphonsus Liguori. A long time ago, I read something I never forgot, which I believe was said by this saint, although I cannot be totally sure. Anyway, a saint said that if we truly yearn for God, the soul may even skip purgatory and go directly to him after death. To me, God looks at our heart and takes our intention or desire into consideration. If I intend to glorify God in some way and fails, he still values my attempt because the intention was there. This is totally better than succeeding without any good intention.   

An Insecure State

        If you have not yet totally surrendered to God, you are in an unsettled, suspended state. Unsettled, because you cannot totally relax yet. Suspended, because you can be dropped and get hurt badly. 

Two Links to God

        Communion thoughts. I am proud of the Apostolic succession within the Catholic Church. Starting with my parish priest, I can trace all the way back to St. Peter and the Lord. When I received the Holy Eucharist today, the Lord directly connected with me. How good it is to have these two lines linked to God! 

It Is the Lord

        It is in Jesus that we enjoy our freedom.

        It is for Jesus that we rejoice in living and dying. 

        It is with Jesus that we become bold and unafraid.

        It is from Jesus that we receive peace and joy.

        It is about Jesus that we are not ashamed of bragging.

        It is to Jesus that we can turn when we are troubled.

        It is because of Jesus that we shall live forever.

        It is to him that we owe all our gratitude.

Declaration of Love

        Communion experience. As the Lord was changing the bread and wine into his own body and blood, he was declaring his everlasting love for us!

Be Renewed by God

        God can make all things new. Therefore, let him renew you by casting away your old fixed thinking, old foolish beliefs, old bad habits, old stubborn attitudes, old silly attachments, and most of all, your old ego. Then you'll have new freedom in the Lord. 

Greater Agony

        Today's Gospel came from Matthew 13. Jesus continued to preached the kingdom of heaven, using parables. It struck me that his greater agony than what he experienced during his Passion might be the sorrow so many caused him by rejecting the good news he preached. Sadly, this has continued to this day.   

Life Puzzle Solved

        My life was like a giant jigsaw puzzle that needed to be solved. Then Jesus came along and put all the pieces together for me. The picture that emerged was beautiful beyond my highest expectations.        

Seeing Ourselves

        Today I see that each one of us exists alone in the universe and God through his love and mercy sustains us and everything else in the universe. And there is absolutely no barrier to prevent us from slipping into our next life in the spiritual world. This makes all the more important that we return to God and not be lost forever.

Dislike Yourself?

        If you don't like yourself as a person, you haven't completely let God love you yet.

Enjoy and Skip

        I loved good music. Listening to Beethoven's great piano sonatas was an almost spiritual experience as the music revealed the depths of the composer's soul, raising my thoughts to God. Now that I know the Lord intimately well, the music no longer draws me as he is infinitely greater and more beautiful than any great music. May all the good things you encounter in the world serve as stepping stones along the way as you journey toward God. 

Purifying Our "Love"

        God is our standard. His love, selfless and pure, defines love. Unfortunately, we use the same word for our self-centered and impure feelings. Following God is the process of getting our "love" purified by his love.

Belong to God?

        If you are still attached to the world, then basically you still belong to the world.

Fit to Serve God?

        As long as ego still exists in you, you are not in the best shape to serve God.       

God, an Endearing Equal

        Today is the Memorial of St. Martha. In the Gospel reading from Luke 10, Martha came to Jesus and complained, "Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me by myself to do the serving? Tell her to help me." To me, the fact that we can address the Lord as an endearing equal is due to the fact that he did come into the world as one of us, making a direct connection with us. 

God Prepares Us

        As I look back, I see that all my past experiences, good and bad, have made me more fit to serve God. The best experiences were, of course, receiving the Holy Eucharist daily. The bad experiences truly put my faith to the test. God has his timetable for each of us who follow him. He prepares us step by step for the task he wants us to perform at the time of his choosing.

Intuitive Knowledge

        We easily forget that we are intuitive. What if we don't know love? Definitely, the world would be in total chaos. The fact that we can conceive love, not necessarily practicing it successfully, must have kept the world in partial order. And this is because we have a Creator who is love. It's all very clear to me today.

Is Big Deal

        Offending God is a big deal because it keeps you on the road to self-annihilation.

What God Can Do

        In today's Gospel reading from Matthew 13, Jesus spoke of the kingdom of heaven as a mustard seed that a person took and sowed. The smallest of all the seeds when full-grown became the largest of plants. The kingdom of heaven is also like yeast a woman took and mixed with three measures of wheat flour until the whole batch was leavened. One thing is clear: God can change us, transform us. 

On Self-Centered Thinking

        Our thoughts determine our inner peace. If we think only to please or satiate ourselves, we will never have inner peace ~ an absolute certainty. God measures us by how much good we do to others. Self-centered thinking accomplishes nothing and is pleasing only to Satan. How so? Because God has made us so.    

A Wonderful Principle

        Hypnotism works because the subject is put in a relaxed state and becomes open to suggestions made by the hypnotist. The same principle is at work when we open ourselves to God and he wonderfully transforms us.        

True Liberation

        Today is the Memorial of Saints Joachim and Anne, parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary. At Communion time, I had these thoughts. Imagine a soul, pure and untainted, dwelling in God's house. Whoever possesses such a soul is still in the world, but attached to God alone. This is true liberation because the soul is free! [Always take care of the soul first, before the body.]  

Amazing God

        Today is the Feast of St. James, Apostle. The Communion antiphon at Mass: They drank the chalice of the Lord, and became the friends of God. I can't help thinking that our Lord and God treats us virtually as equals ~ we are his sons, daughters, and friends. He never looks down on us because he treasures us. We truly have an amazing God and Father! 

How God Communicates

        In 1 Kings 19, we read that when the Lord passed by, he was not in the strong and violent wind, nor in the earthquake or fire, but spoke through a light, silent sound. I feel this is how he speaks to me: he either quietly implants a thought in my heart or flashes a quick one through my mind, all at a time of his choice.

Two Urgent Messages

         To all Catholics (and those considering to become Catholic): Your journey does not end with entering the Church and attending weekly Sunday Mass ~ this is just the beginning. There is unlimited room for spiritual growth that your journey (life) gets more and more exciting as you seek union with the Lord. It's always the best is yet to come (and you'll know it). 

        To all those who haven't turn to God yet (and nominal Catholics): Do not wait to turn to God until you are old and realize that you days on earth are numbered. They are numbered from the moment you're born. If you wait, you simply waste more precious time on earth. Delaying turning to God is absolutely being foolish. Unless you are a true atheist, turn to Christ right this moment to ensure your salvation.

Ego Ever Present

        In today's Gospel reading from Matthew 13 at Mass, Jesus spoke to the crowd in parables, because they look but do not see and hear but do not listen or understand, fulfilling Isaiah's prophecy. Should we blame them? I thought of how blind and deaf we are to the presence of our ego. We enjoy being praised; we like to be noticed for anything nice we've done; we care about what people think of us; we want to be life of the party; we don't like to be told what to do even though the adviser means well; we are turned off by anyone who is not attractive to us in some way; we judge others; we can not forgive those who have offended us.... Why? All because of the presence of ego.     

A Beautiful Thing

        Today I see seeking and following the will of God as a most beautiful thing! It gives living a clear purpose, making life meaningful, and brings you into harmony with God, filling the heart with peace and satisfaction.

Inspired Love

        God's love for us is pure; he simply loves us to the point of dying for us ~ that is his nature. Our love for him is a little different. We love him because we are amazed and awed by his great love and mercy, his perfection, his beauty ~ perhaps less so by his power. That we are able to love him also came from him in the first place. He loved us first and this love inspires us to love him back.