Pray as God Wished

        Today's Gospel Acclamation at Mass, based upon Ezekiel 33.11: I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked man, says the Lord, but rather in his conversion, that he may live. Therefore, when we pray for the Lord's protection against attacks from an enemy, we must not judge him, but pray for his conversation. 

Joy of Learning

        Today's Response to Psalm 86 at morning Mass: Teach me your way, O Lord, that I may walk in your truth. If you love the Lord, you would find his teaching a joy and want him to teach you every moment of your life.

Promise of Paradise

        Today's Communion experience. I felt as if I had heard what Jesus said to one of the two criminals who were crucified along with him, the one who realized that he had been condemned justly for his crime and asked Jesus to remember him when he comes into his kingdom: Amen, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise (Luke 23.43). 

Only Way to Live:

To live in Christ by surrendering to him, letting everything else go (if you want to be happy and free).        

Most Pleasing to God

        A contrite and humbled heart. (Today's response to Psalm 51 at Mass: A heart contrite and humbled, O God, you will not spurn.)

Living, a Process

        We are always going through a process. When we build a house, we get busy with construction. After it's done, we start to maintain or improve it ~ always something. In a way, things in life do not end; they merely change. Today's Gospel acclamation at Mass, Amos 5.14, reads: Seek good and not evil so that you may live, and the Lord will be with you. As we move along in the process, is God with us? This is the key question. Our process will lead us nowhere if we do not have God with us. 

Ignorant Living

        I woke up before 5 a.m. Got out of bed and looked out the bedroom window ~ it's still quite dark, but I could make out the trees and rocks with no problem. I knew that soon it would be daybreak. I saw clearly the passing of time and everything else. I would be gone too. Recently, a huge pine on the north side of my house toppled during a storm and badly damaged three other smaller pines as well on its way down. The scenery keeps changing. The last time I went back to the town where I attended college, I could hardly recognize that it's the same town. With wars and fighting going on in the Mideast and Ukraine, people and buildings are being erased from the surface of the earth daily. Yet so many people still go on behaving and acting as if they are going to live forever. Without realizing how transient everything is, especially the human life, they are far from realizing that they are sinners and need God for salvation.

A Union Experience

        Today's Communion experience. The Lord entered me. We melted into each other and melded into one.

Going Beyond Good Personal Relationship

        Of course, it feels good that you and the Lord are on good terms, but God is such a treasure, prize, and joy that you should go way beyond maintaining a good personal relationship with him. Enter his depth, explore to discover his beauty and perfection, and become one with him, then he'll be your most beloved for you to enjoy to your heart's content.  

Going Beyond Being Clear and Pure

        Of course, our conscience needs to be clear and our heart pure, but let's not stop short. We must diligently pray and help those in need and actively love everyone to spread the good news. If you surrender yourself to Christ, he will give you joy and zeal in living for him.     

Secret of Pleasing God

        In today's Gospel reading from Matthew 6, Jesus makes it clear that we are not to perform righteous deeds in order that people may see them. Otherwise, we would be hypocrites! In other words, we shine as light for Christ, but hide ourselves in him. It is in aiming to please God alone that we please him.

Ash Wednesday Thoughts

        Today Ash Wednesday is the beginning of Lent. In the first reading from Joel at Mass, we heard the Lord asking us to return to him with our whole heart, with fasting, weeping, and mourning. Then I saw how various government leaders around the world in order to remain in power had made decisions causing the death, injury, and displacement of millions of people. Closer to home, I lament that an old man is suing someone who had helped him much in the past purely out of jealousy. All these poor souls do not know God. We need to fast, weep, and mourn for ourselves, but let's not forget to do the same for all the foolish ones who seem not to know that they do not live forever and will face God after they die.  

How God Speaks to Us

        God would rather we remain in union with him and be holy so that we'll always know and do his will than expect him to tell us every little thing we need to do. He doesn't want us to be his puppets. He wants to shape and form us so that when we listen to our conscience, we'll hear him speaking.

The Three L's

        God should be your Lord, your Life, and your Love.

Ultimate Rest

        Communion experience. I received the Lord and felt that I was enjoying the ultimate rest in him.

Why We Should Live

        Journey to the Center of the Earth, the classic science fiction by Jules Vernes had been made into a movie several times. I saw the first 1959 version and remember the film to be quite exciting to watch. For me now, seeking union with God may be considered Journey to the Center of God, exciting in a different way. As we explore God in his infinite depth, the discovery is endless. To be in union with him is to be in paradise. He is the very reason we should live. 

All or Nothing

        God is ever present, so you may speak to him or hear him speak to you at any time. Seeing it this way, we have plenty of time. On the other hand, life is brief and it's easy to go through life without ever thinking about God. Looking at it thus, we don't have much time at all. It comes down to this: those who care about God will find and know him and those who do not, will miss and lose him entirely. As Jesus said, "To the one who has, more will be given; from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away."

Mighty Declaration

        Today's Gospel acclamation, John 14.6: I am the way and the truth and the life; no one comes to the Father except through me. What a bold statement! How fitting it is for God to declare this!

Joy of Finding Christ

        I still remember the time I almost "lost" my wife in Merida, Mexico. It's night time and we were driving around looking for a place to stay for the night. She looked in a travel guide, spotted a recommended hotel, followed the map (no GPS then) and guided me there as I drove. We got there, and since there's no parking allowed on the street, I told her to go check out the place while I drove around the block before returning. Well, driving to make four right turns in a row to get back didn't turn out to be simple, even though the blocks were all rectangular. I saw one-way streets I could not enter and back alleys I should skip. Finally, I right turned onto what appeared to be a decent street. Little did I expect that the street lead me to a huge market square filled with people. By the time I slowly emerged from the square after "plowing" through the crowds, I had no idea how far I had drifted from the hotel site. Now I didn't know how far I should drive after making each right turn and just kept spiraling away in rectangles. A last-ditch plan jumped into my mind ~ I would comb each street one by one horizontally and if necessary, vertically too, to cover the entire downtown area, even if it should take all night. Naturally, I started to pray. Then I saw the map on the vacant passenger seat next to me, picked it up and noticed a tiny pencil dot at one spot ~ could that be the mark my wife had made? I parked the car in front of a store still open even though I wasn't supposed to stop, jumped out the car, ran into the store with my map and kept pointing at that dot on the map in front of a store person, as I did not speak Spanish. After a while he understood my intention. He then located his store on the map and traced out the route on the map for me to take. The next hurdle was that the street signs were all in Spanish and difficult to see at night, so I made a list of symbols for myself. For example, R3 means that I turn right for 3 blocks, L5, left for 5 blocks, and so on. Following the list, driving and counting, the hotel finally came into view. You can imagine the joy I felt seeing my wife again who had been waiting on the dark side of the street for almost an hour! I am sharing this because the joy of finding Christ is even sweeter, for it delights the soul continually day after day.

God's Deep Peace

        From Psalm 31.3-4, today's entrance antiphon at Mass: Be my protector, O God, a mighty stronghold to save me. For you are my rock, my stronghold! This is why one in deep union with God always retains peace within the innermost core of the heart, despite ripples caused by any storm on its surface.

With and Without God

        Without God, a person does his best to find happiness on his own and finds none; he has lived an empty life. On the contrary, one who knows God finds joy and peace in the Lord. He understands that life comes with trials and troubles, but he knows that God will see him through all adversities. Here's one living a fulfilled life realistically, with the best yet to come!

Progressive Seeing

        The more one knows God, the more he is horrified by the sins he sees in the world. He wonders how anyone can possibly be saved. Then God shows him that his mercy is greater than what any of us can possibly comprehend. We must trust in him.

Love, Not Tolerance

        Heard on NPR this morning: Voltaire's 1763 manifesto on religious tolerance, Treatise on Tolerance, has become a bestseller in Paris soon after the Charles Hebdo tragedy.  Personally, I don't think tolerance is good enough. If you want others to tolerate you on what you have to say, you really should ask yourself first if what you have to say shows tolerance of others or not. Then, do you expect others to tolerate you no matter what you say? We need a guideline here. I believe that the fundamental solution is to love as Jesus has shown us. With his selfless love, forgiveness is implicit. Only God who is love can give us true peace in this world.  

Annoying Evil

        Since one is always safe with God, the assaults coming from the evil one are like flies ~ annoying, but incapable of hurting us.

Overwhelming Beauty

        In prayer after morning Mass, I desired to remain in the Lord forever as I sensed his great heavenly beauty! 

Thanks to Our Enemies

        What good is it to have enemies? For one thing, they drive us closer to God. 

Forever One

        Communion experience. Love penetrated my heart and permeated my soul ~ how could I ever let my Lord go?

Power of Prayer

        Go deep into God and he makes you perfect.

Wise Living

        Do everything right yourself before correcting others' wrongs.

Beautiful Journey

        This is following Christ, always moving forward and never looking back.        

The Gift of Suffering

        When you undergo suffering and truly realize how much Christ has suffered for your sake, you are drawn into deep union with him. In such a state, you become totally dependent upon him and acutely aware of good and evil. In the depth of God, all impurities are cleansed from your soul. Since these effects are permanent, accepting sufferings for the sake of Christ can definitely lead one to holiness.    

Uncertainties Are Blessings

        Uncertainty about what is going to happen to us always makes us feel uneasy. If you know that some evil might materialize to crush you, you begin to experience what the Lord must have felt when he went through the agony in the garden. This would be the perfect time to get on your knees and abandon yourself entirely to God until you feel the deep union between you and him. So uncertainties are blessings. And, you know what, God always shields and delivers you from evil and restores your peace at the end. 

Dying Honorably for God

        On January 8, I posted How We Die Matters on the recent mass killing at Charlie Hebdo in Paris. I mentioned that I wouldn't feel comfortable telling the Lord that I got killed for making fun of others. Today I thought I would feel the same if I died of a heart attack because someone made me angry or deliberately hurt me emotionally. Therefore, I would remain forgiving by placing my entire trust in the Lord. Dying as the result of my own sin is not dying for God. 

God's Presence

        As I was taking a morning walk, praying the Luminous Rosary on a beautiful day, I saw that if I were walking behind Jesus, I would be absolutely fearless knowing that he was right with me. Then I asked myself why shouldn't I feel this way, knowing that he was with me in spirit. His spiritual presence, of course, is independent of his physical appearance.

Never Get Discouraged

        In today's Gospel reading from Mark 7 at morning Mass, a Greek woman whose daughter had an unclean spirit came to Jesus and fell at his feet. She begged him to drive the demon out of her daughter. He said to her, "Let the children be fed first. For it is not right to take the fool of the children and throw it to the dogs." She replied and said to him, "Lord, even the dogs under that table eat the children's scraps." Then he said to her, "For saying this, you may go. The demon has gone out of your daughter." Sometimes the Lord just tests us, and we mustn't get discouraged. In fact, we should never be discouraged, for the Lord holds all our hopes in him. 

Most Important Safety Measure

        If we keep our heart clean and pure, evil cannot touch us and our soul is safe. This is our most important protection. Now we can let everything else go and let God take care of our body and mind as well.

Dealing with the Heart

        In today's Gospel reading from Mark 7 at morning Mass, Jesus said, "What comes out of the man, that is what defiles him. From within the man, from his heart, come evil thoughts, unchastity, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, licentiousness, envy, blasphemy, arrogance, folly. All these evils come from within and they defile." We can say that God deals with the heart. We are daily dealing with the heart too. For our own heart, as long as we keep it clean, we should have no fear of evil. To convert anyone, it is the heart we should aim at.  

Not to Shock You

        With the world abounding with evil, unexpected shocking things can happen to anyone. If you cling to the Lord, you'll come through safe. But there is one shock that's absolutely the worst which you'll never get over, but is preventable if you think ahead: that is the shock of finding yourself in hell.  

Drawing the Line

        It's OK to feel sorrowful, but not OK to be bitter.

Suffering, an Opportunity

        When things go hunky-dory, it's easy to trust in God. The test comes when things no longer go well ~ this is the time to trust him even more. No one knows suffering better than the Lord himself and he will pull your through with him.

Going After the Lord

        In today's Gospel reading from Mark 6 at morning Mass, people recognized Jesus and quickly brought in the sick to him. They begged him that they might touch only the tassel on his cloak; and as many as touched it were healed. What's clear to me here is that those people had faith. When we pray for someone for healing, we often do it out of duty without conviction. I see and believe that the Lord wants us to truly desire what we ask for and ask for it with no reservation. It's going after the Lord intensely. When you have faith, you don't even think about it. 

God Is Huge!

        In today's Gospel reading from Mark 1 at Mass, Jesus healed Simon's mother-in-law who was sick with a fever. Later in the evening, he cured many who were sick with various diseases as well as drove many demons out of those who were possessed. Obviously, the Lord can do anything. Without him, there would be nothing. With him, wonders and amazing happenings abound. The following are all huge events: his coming into the world, revealing his love for us, his Resurrection, Ascension . . . we just can't take them for granted. He is Alpha and Omega. As the center of our universe, and he also wants to be your center. If God does not appear huge in your life, then you must be living a pretty mundane life.  

Supernatural Encounter

        Communion experience. Christ lifted me out of this world ~ he changed my spiritual status and set my destiny. There's nothing more I could ask for.

Identifying the Bad Guys

        In today's Gospel reading from Mark 6 at morning Mass, Jesus saw the vast crowd and his heart moved with pity for them, for they were like sheep without a shepherd. Today's world is in the same situation, as vast numbers of its population drift through life not knowing where they are heading. God does not change: he is still moved with pity for us. If there is going to be any hope for our salvation, we must realize that we are the ones stubborn and rebellious, remaining blind and deaf to the Lord. 

Best Friend

        If you agree that how good a friend you have is measured by how well you and your friend know each other, then God absolutely has to be the best possible friend you can ever have, for he knows you through and through and you know that he is forever trustworthy and unchanging in loving you.

Feeling the Need for God

        We do not feel the need for God because we live in a busy world ~ there are the numerous, necessary chores to perform just to stay alive and the myriad material, secular distractions surrounding us, vying for our attention. We even forget that everything is passing. Now, when you have a chance to be in solitude, forget all about the things that keep you busy and distracted and see yourself alone, existing in the vast space of the universe for the time being, which is reality. If you feel that life as such is empty, then you need God, who is ready to house you in a heavenly place for all eternity!

Secret of Peace Stated

        Another insight received during the Holy Hour. The secret of peace can be stated thus: Have no desire of your own; only follow the Lord.       

Intimate Exchange

        While kneeing before the Lord in the Holy Eucharist during the Holy Hour, I saw the perfect time to carry on an exchange with the Lord ~ I told him anything in my heart I felt like sharing and knew that he would tell me anything he would want me to know. We were like equals: I gave all of myself to the Lord while he gave all of himself to me ~ the intimacy wiped out all barriers between us. It was one of the most worthwhile hours you could possibly spend on earth.

*Key to Knowing the Lord

        While walking in solitude to attend an evening Holy Hour at the local seminary, the Lord revealed to me that anyone who is pure will become his most intimate friend. So it's sin that prevents us from knowing him!

Appropriate Utterance

        Today is the Memorial of St. Agatha. The optional Memorial Psalm Response was: Into your hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit from Psalms 31. Before Jesus breathed his last on the cross, he cried out, "Father, into your hands I commend my spirit." After receiving Holy Communion, I felt that this utterance was also most appropriate for us to express our readiness to abandon ourselves to God.