If you want to get intimate with God, you must acknowledge your utter helplessness without him. If you choose to manage all things on your own, then you're essentially saying to the Lord that you do not need him. On the other hand, to seek union with the Lord is to express your desire to be inseparable from him.
Thursday, April 23, 2015
Don't Pass Up God's Mercy!
So many lose their lives under tragic circumstances. Recently, an overloaded boat of Mediterranean migrants capsized and hundreds died. In today's news, a CIA drone strike against al-Qaeda in the border region of Afghanistan and Pakistan also killed the two hostages held, an American and an Italian. Not to mention those killed by terrorist suicide bombers. The point is that we are here now, but maybe gone the next moment. Therefore, it is imperative that we go to God, repent and make amends for our sins while we are still alive, for this window may close when you least expect it. To not do so is to reject God's greatest gift for us, his mercy!
Wednesday, April 22, 2015
The World in Coma
This is the world that does not see the light of Christ, thus not realizing that it's drowning in sin and heading toward condemnation. When you do not know Christ, you are in darkness and thereby do not see the severity of your sinful state. It's in the light of Christ that your true spiritual condition is revealed.
Unique Christian Joy
Today's Gospel acclamation at Mass, John 6.40, reads: Everyone who believes in the Son has eternal life, and I shall raise him on the last day, says the Lord. This is enough to make the Christian feel joyful. Many Christians don't realize that God wants to give us his joy! He wants us to be happy! If we live for Christ, this joy becomes our strength, overcoming all our sorrows. This gift from God is pure; it frees us, wipes out all self-pity and self-centeredness, and makes us compassionate toward others. After all, the Lord himself is our greatest joy. Enjoy him and we'll be joyful.
Tuesday, April 21, 2015
The Die-and-Live Sequence
Today's Communion antiphon, Romans 6.8, reads: If we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Christ. First, Christ died for our sins, then he rose from the dead and lived again. Next, in response to his love, we died with him and lived in him. Later, we shall die and live with him forever. In sum, Jesus died once so that we may live forever!
Unique Christianity
The unique revelation of Christianity has to be what the Apostle John wrote in 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." Essentially, a doomed sinner can believe in Christ and end up being adopted by God as a son or daughter. Furthermore, through receiving the body and blood of Christ, one can even attain union with God in this life. Such is God's amazing transforming power.
Monday, April 20, 2015
Hastening the Lord's Coming
Jesus is Lord! Do we live up to what we proclaim? If everyone is meek, humble, willing to serve, and full of compassion like the Lord, no question we'll have instant peace on earth. And there would be no point for him to delay his Second Coming anymore. Let's start making him truly our Lord in our life to hasten his coming.
Receiving Is Giving
Is it always better to give than to receive? Today the Lord made me see that the best way for us to give to him is to remain open and passive so that we may receive all that he has to give us. What he has for us are his word, teachings, graces, and a desire to be one with him ~ all for making us holy and perfect. It is lopsided love!
Simple Reasoning & Solution
The Resurrection of Jesus shows that there has to be life after death for us. It follows that there have to be heaven and hell for the soul to go to. And it only makes sense if heaven and hell are for all eternity. Then how can we have eternal life with God? Today's Gospel reading from John 6 at morning Mass provided an answer: Jesus told the crowd to work for the food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man would give them, by believing in him, the one God sent.
Sunday, April 19, 2015
God's Plan Unfolding
In today's Gospel reading from Luke 24 at Mass, the resurrected Lord appeared to his disciples and told them that everything written about him in the law of Moses and in the prophets and psalms must be fulfilled. And he said to them, "Thus it is written that the Christ would suffer and rise from the dead on the third day." Jesus came and fulfilled the numerous prophecies concerning the promised Messiah. It is clear that God's plan can take millennia to unfold. But we can be certain that the unfolding is continuing and Jesus' Second Coming will be here in time.
Handling Sorrows
A Christian shares the same joys and the same sorrows with Christ. The sorrows all have to do with sin ~ he is sorry that both he and the world offend Christ. If someone offends him out of malice, he sees that person basically offending Christ. United with the Lord in his suffering, he offers all his sorrows up to him.
Hope Ever Present
Since a Christian can always have his sins forgiven when he repents to Christ, hope is ever present for him.
Ultimate Rest
Yesterday's Communion experience. I savored my ultimate rest in Jesus, my refuge, from whom I hold back nothing and to whom I let go of everything. How I wish that everyone would experience this rest.
Reason Christ Not Accepted
Jesus has redeemed us by his blood so that we might be delivered from sin and have eternal life. I don't recall hearing people directly objecting to this message, because I believe that they basically know that they are sinners. If they haven't accepted the message yet, it's because they are not ready to give up their sins yet.
Friday, April 17, 2015
Know Your Blessings
Everything that draws you closer to God, no matter how painful or distasteful, is a blessing from God. Cherish it.
God's Time
Everything is God's. So is time. Every second you spend is his time. Therefore, don't waste any of it and spend it for his glory, and your life will be beautiful in his sight.
Be Bold in God
We need to be bold in God and with God. After all, he is our loving Father. If you need help, ask him with all your heart. If you love him, don't hesitate to shout it out. Pussyfooting around him is just as bad as hiding from him.
Crying to Mary
The prayer Hail Holy Queen we say in concluding the Rosary contains these two lines: "To thee do we cry, poor banished children of Eve. To thee do we send up our sighs, mourning and weeping in this valley of tears!" The other day after reading all the tragic news happening around the world, I finally felt those two lines as I cried to my Mother from my heart.
Jesus Beautifies
Communion time thought. We mind our physical appearance; but if we want our soul to look beautiful, Jesus is the one to go to.
Most Special Death
People die. Some die and we say "So what?" because we don't know a thing about them. Some we feel sorry for even if we don't know them. And we are grateful to those who have died for our country. Then Jesus has also died, moving many of us to the point of even willing to die for him in return! Apparently, his death has awakened us to God's love for us and our need for salvation. Therefore, the death of Jesus is unique, most special, earthshaking, even celebratory, because it greatly glorifies God.
For the Sake of His Name
In today's 1st reading from Acts 5 at morning Mass, a Pharisee in the Sanhedrin had the Apostles flogged, ordered them to stop speaking in the name of Jesus, and dismissed them. The Apostles rejoiced that they had been found worthy to suffer dishonor for the sake of the name. To suffer dishonor and feel worthy and even rejoice . . . I don't think any cause other than for the sake of the name of Jesus could possibly have made it happen. It only shows that God can truly win our heart and our soul.
Highest State for Us
The best state for us to exist in is to be one with Christ. If you love the Lord and want to be holy, this must be your goal, your end. Aiming for anything less is not good enough for him or even for you. Go directly to him to tell of this desire for rapid progress. I'd like to recommend the spiritual classic He and I by Gabrielle Bossis again in case you did not read about it in my posts of 2013. The book reveals intimately how God desires to be one with us.
Thursday, April 16, 2015
Jesus Most Satisfying
Communion experience. I felt the intense, burning love of Christ. Nothing else could possibly have made me feel so peaceful and content. I was grateful, but right off couldn't think of something special I'd like to offer him, so I continued enjoying him.
Viewing Your Enemies
If your enemies have sinned against you, do not view them as evildoers but as ones who do not know the Lord yet. Therefore, feel sorry for them and pray for their conversion.
Jesus Challenges
Matthew, Mark, and Luke all recorded this statement of Jesus: "Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away." He again challenges us ~ are we to take him seriously or not? He does not force us nor does he leave us alone ~ he cares about us by challenging us. This is why I believe in him. To ignore him is to ignore the one who created us! To reject him is to reject the one who loves us!
Wednesday, April 15, 2015
A Chance to Get Happy
I had a moment in which I was aware that my life was getting briefer than ever. If you have such a moment, I hope you would decide to live every moment for God from that moment on so that you'll be happy the rest of your life.
Learning Directly from God
A conference is coming up in my area with a good theme and renowned speakers. I had attended quite a number of such conferences in the past, and I must say that no matter how inspiring the messages might have been, nothing could come near learning from the Lord directly. When you surrender to God with the goal of attaining union with him, he starts to shape your heart, mind, and spirit for you to see, hear, and understand the truth. The lessons are delivered directly to your heart by the Holy Spirit. It's like receiving a college education without having to go through any regular schools.
Be Weak to Be Strong
The world teaches us to be strong by believing in ourselves, taking control of our own destiny, and always going for it. But to be truly strong is to be weak in God. The more we acknowledge our helplessness without him, the more he reaches down to help us. Complete trust and abandonment in God results in his doing the tough part of the work for us. It is faith that moves the heart of God our Father. Recall what Jesus said in Mark 11 to the disciples, "Amen, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, 'Be lifted up and thrown into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will happen, it shall be done for him." This is our recipe for strength.
Tuesday, April 14, 2015
Reality of Life
Let's face it. The earth is no heaven. We have covered it with our sins, causing us to suffer and struggle with unfulfilled dreams till the day we die. It sounds sad, but it's reality. That's why I set my sight on God and heaven, which go together. This supports me through life with peace, freedom, and joy. Be detached from the passing earthly life and embrace the eternal one in God. Let Jesus be your beginning and end.
God Sets the Purpose
Today's Gospel acclamation at Mass, John 3.14-15: "The Son of Man must be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life." The Communion antiphon, based upon Luke 24.46, 26: "The Christ had to suffer and rise from the dead, and so enter his glory, alleluia." I italicized "must" and "had to" in these two statements because I realize that I must or have to go through the various experiences and trials in life so as to accomplish the purpose God has set before me. I may not understand it fully, but one thing is sure: the Lord is drawing me ever closer to him (increasing my faith).
Saturday, April 11, 2015
Why We Need God
Watched on YouTube Oscar Peterson and Oliver Jones playing together at the 2004 International Jazz Festival of Montreal. The performances were amazing ~ you see two genius pianists playing virtually as one ~ there's a deep communion between them. Then I saw that we and God could form a deep spiritual communion too. In fact, it was this beautiful union that made me see that we need God.
Most Beautiful Love
For a brief moment this morning, I sensed the infinite beauty of Christ, beautiful beyond words. Immediately, I saw that anyone who sees this beauty would realize how ugly his own life is. I also saw that an awareness of this great beauty can change many lives and bring peace to our world. Yet the world continued inflicting wounds on the Lord. I asked him why he must continue to suffer like that. His clear answer: "I am love."
To Continue Trusting or Not
There are times when we need to trust in God completely, but being weak we find it hard to let ourselves go completely ~ so what are we to do? There are just two choices ~ we either quit trusting in God or believe in him even more. It seems that the second choice has to be right. It's because we are weak that we need to trust in God even more. And he loves to help his children who are weak, for it's an opportunity for him to draw them even closer to him.
Friday, April 10, 2015
Let the Cross Draw You
The Cross of Jesus draws us to him. We can let our own smaller crosses draw us closer to him too. By bearing them patiently with great trust, we can grow stronger in faith and become more united with the Lord. The process is much like going through purgatory ~ we suffer, but emerge purified. May each cross be a blessing to you.
Heavenly Intimacy
Communion experience. When the Lord entered me through the Holy Eucharist, the feeling was that the Father just swooped me up to his bosom. This is fusion with Love.
Self-Driven or God-Driven
Imagine that you are an engine. If you run it yourself, one day you'll be worn out, out of fuel, or possibly suffer a complete breakdown, as your resource and reserve are limited. If you let God be your driver, you receive all power and guidance from an all-knowing, inexhaustible source and whatever you do is now his doing. It can be seen that you are just going along with the Lord for the ride ~ this is the smart, superior way.
Thursday, April 9, 2015
Journey to Union with God
It's all up to you. Then you make the key decision to surrender yourself to God. From this point on, it's all up to God.
Union with God Reexamined
If God is holy and pure, and we are sinful and soiled, how can we possibly become one with him? Well, God is light and we are in darkness if we reject him. Do not see union as the blending of the pure and the impure; rather, see it as light wiping out darkness. Our sins cannot stain God, but in the presence of his light, darkness can no longer exist. Therefore, let the light of Jesus take away all your sins, including the sin of not surrendering to him, and you are in union with him.
The Full Truth
Some people say that all religions are the same. This at best is a vague statement, appealing only to those who do not seek the full truth. If it means that all religions can lead you to God, then it's false, for many religions have different conceptions of God or even worship many gods. What I can agree to is that most religions have something good about them. One thing I am sure of: there is only one truth, for God would not give us many different belief systems to confuse us. For me personally, the full truth resides in Catholicism in which Jesus is uniquely not only our teacher, but also my creator and redeemer.
Settling Our Future Abode
The best place to be: heaven. The worst: hell. Love Jesus as much as you can and only heaven will be there for you.
Be Honest with Yourself
In my last post, I mentioned that Jesus' messages could make a lot of people feel uneasy, for they are challenging. If that's the case with you, turning away from him would be a big mistake. Instead you should face the challenge and look inward to find out why you felt that way ~ this is being honest with yourself. If you hide yourself, you'll never be free! Knowing yourself is the key to personal freedom, for it can lead to letting God transform you into a new being.
Wednesday, April 8, 2015
Why Jesus Not Accepted Readily
Story #1. Let's assume that you don't know anything about astronomy and I tell you that the earth we live on is a round sphere and the sun is also a sphere but so much bigger that 960,000 balls each of the size of an earth can fit inside the sun, and that there are other planets even larger than the earth all orbiting around the sun, and that the solar system is just a tiny part of a galaxy containing billions of stars, and that there are billions of galaxies out there . . . this would be so mind-boggling that you probably wouldn't believe in anything I've said.
Story #2. I tell you about a man named Jesus who came to us about 2,000 years ago. He cured the sick, performed many other miracles, and was crucified so that we might be saved from condemnation. Then he was raised from the dead by God and ascended into heaven. You probably would believe in this story more readily than in the first.
Of course, the reverse is true today. What has happened? I think people believe in the first story now because that see the stars and have learned about the many scientific discoveries, while Jesus they do not visually see and his story is an old one. To the intelligent person, this shouldn't make any difference. But the main reason people do not readily accept Jesus, I believe, is that his challenging messages touch a nerve in all sinners, causing discomfort in them ~ not a good reason, but real.
Standard for Living
You've heard the saying that we should live each day as if it's our last. To be more precise: we should live to be ready for God's judgment at any time.
The Time Is Now
The Gospel reading from Luke 24 at Mass was about the appearance of Jesus after his Resurrection on the road to Emmaus. The two disciples of Jesus' felt their hearts burning within them while the Lord spoke to them on their way to the village. Ask the Holy Spirit to set your heart on fire too right now. The time to follow Jesus is now. The time to choose to inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world (Matthew 25.34) is now. Start journeying toward heaven right now.
Diametric Ways of Drawing
This morning after Mass ended at church, an elderly parishioner on her way out, stopped momentarily by me to ask me how my Easter was. That's just a small, kind gesture, but it contrasted sharply with all the evil deeds committed against humanity worldwide. Both God and Satan are drawing people, but their ways are diametrically different. God inspires and uplifts us, while Satan lures and tempts us. God wants to free us, while Satan, to enslave us. God aims to make us selfless, while Satan wants us to be self-centered. God makes us feel clean, while Satan robs us of inner peace. To let God draw us, we remain open and passive; to let Satan draw us, we focus upon fulfilling our own desires. Know clearly who's drawing you and react accordingly. In both Matthew 16 and Luke 9, Jesus has summarized for us: "Whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it."
Tuesday, April 7, 2015
Going Home Happily
This morning's Gospel reading at Mass came from John 20. Mary Magdalene was weeping at the empty tomb, thinking that someone had taken the Lord away. Then Jesus appeared, and said to her, "Stop holding on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go to my brothers and tell them, 'I am going to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.'" Jesus is only Son of God, yet we have the same Father and the same God! Knowing this should make us eagerly look forward to going home to our Father and our God.
Monday, April 6, 2015
Enlightened Living
Once you see the hand of God in all things, that he is guiding and molding you every step of the way, you do not mind whatever you are going through anymore.
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