Praying like Jesus

        We pray often on God's behalf. For example, I pray that the whole world will come to know Christ. We pray for the Lord's will to be done. Does he really need our help? I see now that he wants us to pray thus to deepen our union with him. When our will becomes all his, all our prayers will be all his too. Then we'll be like Jesus praying to the Father.

God's Modest Request

        The Lord does not call everyone to undergo physical death to prove that we love him. For most of us, he asks us to accept our daily cross to show that we have died with him. 

All Done by God

        Today is the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. The Gospel reading contains John 3.16: For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life. God has created us, has come to save us, has called us, makes our journey home easy (see my last post), has loved us first and will love us forever. We only need to let him do what he wants with us and remain grateful.

Taking the Road to Heaven

        In Matthew 7, Jesus said, "How narrow the gate and constricted the road that leads to life. And those who find it are few." The thing to do first is to enter that gate and get on that road. This is accomplished by finding Jesus and being willing to follow him. How constricted the road is will depend upon how well you "follow the directions" and "obey the signs" along the way. Again, seeking union with God will put you on the fast track with the road straightened and flattened out by the Lord!     

A Simple Process

        Becoming holy starts with the desire to change. The change begins when you let God take over to do the work ~ now, the sky's the limit.

"Smart" Living

        Get rid of your ego and you'll live in peace, for without an ego, no one can hurt your feelings anymore.        

Our Biggest Problem

        Of all our problems, which one is the biggest? You needn't look far ~ it's our ego, because it keeps us from knowing God.

Designed to Be Holy

        When you do something well, you feel good. For example, if you can play a piece of music on the piano beautifully, you feel good. This is normal human reaction, not pride. In the same way, when you are holy with a clear conscience, you feel peace in your heart ~ in this case, the thing you do well happens to be you. So we can say that God has so made us that we do not have peace until we are holy.  

Centering on Self First

        In today's Gospel reading at Mass from Luke 6, Jesus asked his disciples, "Why do you notice the splinter in your brother's eye, but do not perceive the wooden beam in your own?" Our business before God is to perfect ourselves first before trying to perfect others. In fact, I should have said to perfect ourselves only, because even after we become perfect, we're not supposed to judge others. Therefore, center upon ourselves before the Lord and seek union with him ~ our only duty and business, and let our examples inspire others to perfect themselves. 

One Great Catholic Joy

        I was watching online part of the replay of Pope Francis' visit last month to Korea. He was meeting the youths that came from all over Asia in Daejean. The tremendous enthusiasm shown by the young people and the joy of the Holy Father in greeting them moved me to tears. I realized that one of the great joys of being a faithful Catholic is the sense of belonging, knowing that you are in communion with the Lord God and all other Catholics, in heaven or on earth. Belonging to the Church is belonging to the body of Christ, with all the faithful sharing the body and blood of the Lord.  

How to Love Someone

        While praying the last decade of the sorrowful mysteries of the Holy Rosary on the Crucifixion of the Lord, I could hear the pounding of the nails into his hands. I heard the Lord say: To love someone, you must be willing to suffer for that person.

What Do You Want to Be?

        When I was a little kid, I was often asked by adults, "What do you want to be when you grow up?" I didn't really know, but my various answers revealed my ambitions and dreams. Now that I have grown up, I just want to be what God wants me to be. I may sound resigned or submissive; but in a way, more ambitious than ever. And this is one "dream" that will become reality too.  

Attachment & Detachment

        Being attached to someone is not loving that someone. On the other hand, being detached to someone is not unloving that person. In other words, attachment and love are not the same thing. Detachment may seem cold, but it's so much more beautiful than attachment because it's letting go in God. I'll always remember the time my wife and I took her mother to a company celebration ~ that was the company where my wife worked many years ago. Helium-filled balloons were passed out to everyone. And everyone held onto their balloon, intending to take it home afterwards (and watch it shrink under the bedroom ceiling daily). Then my mother-in-law decided to let hers go. My wife and I watched her balloon soaring quickly into the blue sky and finally disappearing ~ a beautiful sight, but we also marveled at Mother's equally beautiful detachment.   

Difficult Loving

        Today's Gospel reading at Mass continued from Luke 6. Verses 27-38 are all about "love your enemies," "turn the other cheek," "stop judging," and "forgive." According to Jesus, this is showing your love. From the practical point of view, it makes sense too because if you are not bothered by others in any way, you have inner peace. Furthermore, if everyone followed Jesus' advice, the world would definitely be peaceful ~ proof that he was right. Then what if you are now in Iraq or Syria where Christians are getting slaughtered? All I can say is that if you believe and love the Lord, he will never put you in a situation where you will not pass the test.

A More Serious Sin

        In the 1st reading from 1 Corinthians 8 at morning Mass, Paul wrote: "If food causes my brother to sin, I will never eat meat again, so that I may not cause my brother to sin." Paul is saying that even what you do is not a sin per se, it becomes sinful if it wounds others' consciences when they copy you. In most cases, what we do is sinful, and if that causes others to sin also, we have committed a much more serious sin. A common example would be parents who behave badly causing their children to behave in a similar way. It is basically keeping others away from God! 

Shaking Off the World

        We can be attached to the world so much that it becomes like a piece of chewed gum stuck in our hair. The most effective way to shake the world off you is to be in union with God because only his holiness can overcome the world that has succumbed to a great extent to the evil one. Yes, be a saint to become detached from the world. 

Beatitude Living

        Today the Gospel read at Mass was the Sermon on the Mount from Luke 6. Jesus gave us the Beatitudes in which he (1) blessed those who are poor, hungry, weeping, and hated, excluded, insulted, and denounced as evil on account of him, and (2) grieved for those who are rich, filled, laughing, and spoken well of by all. In sum, the Lord wants us to live for him and not for the world, and our reward, as he promised those he blessed, will be great in heaven.    

To Hope in God Is...

to trust in God.

To Die in Christ Is...

to live in Christ forever.

God Our Healer

        God is a great healer. Listening to his word is healing. Saying the Lord's Prayer is healing. Being called to union is healing. Receiving Holy Communion is most healing. God's wants to heals us to make us whole and wholesome.  

Thought of the Day

        If some of horrible things happening around us look so evil to us already, image how much more so they would to God who loves us and is holy! 

God Comes to Us!

        Today is the Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Through her, God came into the world. What better position could we possibly be in? We were sick and God came to us in person to heal us. Now, daily he comes to me again in the sacrament of the Holy Eucharist. When I was ill in a hospital, meals and medication were all given to me to make me well. We should realize and appreciate that God is serving us what we need in exactly the same way.

Mutual Dissolving

        Communion experience. As the consecrated host dissolves in my mouth, I feel myself being dissolved by Christ in his love. This mutual dissolving brings me into oneness with the Lord. I am now aware of him as much as I am aware of myself.

A Heavy Cross

        I have a number of Catholic friends whose spouses are strongly anti-Catholic. One would not even allow the wife to attend Mass. For each believing spouse, this is a heavy cross to carry. Why does such hostility or even hatred exist toward the Church Christ has established? It has to do with misunderstanding, for Satan is a master liar. Whoever spreads false information about the Church must bear the greater responsibility for causing such suffering.

Holy Eucharist Power

        Communion time thought. If you only realize how holy the Lord is, whom you are about to receive, it is impossible that you would not be changed for the holier after he has entered you.

In Praise of Mary

        When we do God's will, the Blessed Mother is our best partner. She guides us every step of the way and protects us under her care. She is Mom most kind and most helpful. If you ever feel the need for a mother, go to her. If you are not ready to approach the Lord God yet, go to her first and she will go with you to present you to him.

Safeguarding Your Union

        Let nothing take your eyes off Jesus. Pay no attention to what religious order you belong to, what miracles you've witnessed, what mystical experiences you've had, what great gifts God has given you, or what great works you are doing for him. Be single-minded and your union with him will be secure.    

Looking at Life

        It's not how long you live that's important; it's knowing where you'll go after you die that matters.

False Joy

        On an NBC TV show this morning, I caught a glimpse of the regular reporters on the street of New York (Time Square? ~ I guess since I don't follow NBC at all) with a group of attractively clad dancers dancing in the background. Later, the reporters joined in; all seemed to have a good time. I realized that many people, especially public figures, are used to hiding behind a false facade, since presenting a good, happy image is so important. TV shows, the commercials, all present a world clad in false joy. If we cannot live to be truthful to ourselves, how can we live to be truthful to God? 

Enjoying God

        Our lifetime is limited, so I want to spend my time enjoying God and not the world, for God himself is a permanent joy while the world imparts only passing pleasures.

Looking Outside the Box

        If you are a perfectionist, do you ever consider your own imperfections?

        If you are the decisive type, do you ever decide how much you should love God?

        If you think you are tough, are you tough on yourself own shortcomings?

        If you consider yourself a doer, do you do unselfish things?

        If you are an inquisitive person, do you look into the meaning of life? 

        If you believe you have vision, do you ever look beyond this life?         

        If you are a good speaker, is your heart in the right place when you speak?
        If you want to find God, do you let God in first to find you?
        If you are rich and wealthy, why do you still worry so much?
        If you think about living a long life, shouldn't you think about death too?

Body and Soul

        We have our body and our soul. The body deteriorates every moment and will be completely worn-out one day ~ nothing we can do about that. Since the soul lives on forever, we should take the greatest care of it when we can by nourishing it and safeguarding it to keep it pure. Any imbalance should favor the soul and not the body.

The Superior Way

        After morning Mass I stayed for adoration of the Blessed Sacrament at church, as today is the first Friday of the month. What I saw was that although the road to heaven is narrow and steep, the gate of heaven at the top is wide open, since Christ has redeemed us. The question is how best to reach the top. Making the arduous climb on your own is the obvious way, but seeking union with God to let him take over is much superior. Once you are in union, you are outside the gate. A tram will beat two legs anytime.  

Sinner Advantage

        Communion thoughts. I rejoice that I am a sinner because Jesus loves sinners! He would transform sinners into saints so that they may live in heaven while on earth.  

Beautiful Realization

        In today's Gospel reading from Luke 5 at morning Mass, Jesus got into one of the two boats, the one belonging to Simon (Peter), alongside the lake. He asked him to put out a short distance from the shore. Later, he asked Simon to put out into deep water and lower his nets for a catch. Simon and his fellow fishermen had worked hard all night and caught nothing, but lowered the nets anyway. They caught a great number of fish and their nets were tearing so that their partners in the other boat had to come to help them. Simon Peter fell at the knees of Jesus and said, "Depart from me, for I am a sinful man." That was one life-changing moment for Peter. How beautiful such a moment is when a soul receives the light of Christ in his heart and realizes what he truly is before the Lord!

Most Enjoyable Living Is...

loving God intensely with passion. 

Enjoy the World Rightly

        Enjoy the world the wrong way and you can lose your life forever. Enjoy God first while you are in the world, then you are safe and secure to enjoy the world the right way.

Reward You Can Count On

        Nothing can escape the Lord our God. The good news is that you will be rewarded richly for everything you do for his glory, in this life or in the next, or both. 

Anything Is Fine

        Today's Communion experience. I yearned for the Lord, so anything coming from him would be welcome. I decided to ask him to transform me to his heart's content, knowing that he could make me the happiest person on earth. 

No Personal Preferences

        I have greater affection for certain saints over others. Then I realize that when it comes to glorifying God, pleasing him should completely override my personal preferences. I should willingly and gladly do whatever is necessary, enjoyable or not, to glorify God.    

Faith Understood

           In Matthew 17.20, Jesus said to his disciples, "Amen, I say to you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you." Again, in Luke 17.6, he said to the apostles, "If you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you would say to this mulberry tree, 'Be uprooted and planted in the sea,' and it would obey you." I've always been intrigued by what the Lord had said here ~ how can I get this faith the size of a mustard seed? 

            Once I actually challenged someone who had lost all his hair to believe in Jesus and assured him that his hair would come back after I prayed for him. Of course, nothing miraculous happened. Then there's the time I prayed for my son when he was near death, and he miraculously recovered. This time the petition just came forth spontaneously without any hesitation. Recall how Peter in his boat saw Jesus walking on the sea and wanted to do the same. Jesus said "come" and Peter got out of the boat and started walking toward Jesus. But he became frightened and began to sink. Immediately Jesus stretched out his hand and caught him, and said to him, "O you of little faith, why did you doubt?"

        My new understanding of faith: (1) I cannot "force" myself to have faith. For example, it'll be utter foolishness to believe that I can go out and heal any sick person I run into. (2) Faith can work miracles only if you are doing God's will. If I get out of a boat on my own, believing that I can walk on water, it won't happen. But if Jesus had actually commanded me to do it, then I would do fine if I believed in him. (3) Conclusion: Do God's will always and trust in him completely while doing it. (4) Last, since faith is a gift from God, seeking union with him will definitely enrich this gift.

It's the Lord

        Communion experience. After I received the Holy Eucharist, I knew it was the Lord who had entered me, the one who spoke with authority, healed the sick miraculously, died on the cross in our place, was raised from the dead on the third day . . . enough.  

Urgent Call

        Through the horrible news we read and hear daily, revealing the ungodliness of our world, God is urgently calling us to greater holiness and to pray harder for all souls, those who sin, those who suffer, and those who seem to have no hope. After we die, it'll be too late. 

How Open Are You?

        If you remain closed to God, you will not experience him. If you surrender to him, he enters into oneness with you. It's clear that you experience God only to the extent you are open to him. Your move next.

Offering Must Be Holy!

        The first request made by Our Lady of Fatima is to sanctify our daily duties. Here is the official My Morning Offering prayer:

      O my God, in union with the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I offer Thee the Precious Blood of Jesus from all the altars throughout the world, joining with it the offering of my every thought, word, and action of this day.

      O my Jesus, I desire today to gain every indulgence and merit I can, and I offer them together with myself to Mary Immaculate ~ that she may best apply them to the interests of Thy most Sacred Heart. Precious Blood of Jesus, save us! Immaculate Heart of Mary, pray for us! Sacred Heart of Jesus, have mercy on us!           

        If we are prepared to offer God our every thought, word, and action of the day, we'd better make sure that every thought, word, and action of ours is good and pure. I see making this morning offering an excellent way to keep us holy. 

Formula for Saving Ourselves

        Jesus' saying "For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it" from my last post is in fact the formula for saving ourselves. It simply points out that living selfcenteredly is bad for you and living for God is the way to go. To live a fulfilled life, live for God ~ that's all there is to it.

Unforgettable Saying

        Jesus said, "For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it." This commanding saying of the Lord, recorded in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke, popped into my mind today. It is so striking that we must take it seriously! Again, it challenges us. Who else but God can say something like that? We must respect the Lord for telling it like it is and believe in him. 

Pinpoint Diagnosis

        Lack of inner peace in a soul is caused by the soul's rebellion against God.

Changing Labor into Joy

        Today is Labor Day in the US, a national holiday. Doing God's will is never labor, even if it involves hard physical or mental work. That's because you no longer do it to please yourself ~ whether you succeed or not is now in God's hands. By the way, this is the way to live a stress-free life, the way God has always intended for you.  

Worth Repeating

        God is always calling us. He is calling you in everything, happy or sad, large or small, that happens to you. See every such thing as an opportunity to be drawn closer to the Lord. Learn from every experience so that you continue to grow holier. Then you'll live a happy, rich, and fulfilled life.