Communion experience. When the bread and wine were changing into the body and blood of Christ during consecration, it seemed that all else happening in the world became relatively insignificant.
Saturday, May 16, 2015
Jesus Not to Be Dismissed
I attended a local church nearby for morning Mass. The Gospel acclamation, John 16.28, read: I came from the Father and have come into the world; now I am leaving the world and going back to the Father. The Communion verse, John 17.24, read: Father, I wish that where I am, those you gave me may also be with me, that they may also see the glory that you gave me. I found these two sayings of Jesus impossible to dismiss; we must believe that Jesus knew absolutely what he was saying or not at all. I love the Lord for speaking definitively always, not allowing us to take the middle ground.
Friday, May 15, 2015
At God's Mercy
Due to the inferior vision in my left eye, if I do not watch my steps, I am liable to trip over some obstacle and fall. This has happened on the average about once a year in the last five years or so. Once my chest landed on the armrest of a sofa after I missed a step upon entering a darkened living room in someone's house. It took eight weeks to recover from the fall. The day before yesterday again I tripped on the street unexpectedly, bruising and/or scraping both knees, my left wrist and my chin. The concussion caused a momentary loss of the memory, but examination showed that there's no internal bleeding in the brain; so I know I should be all right in a few weeks. Yesterday I got the news that a friend was informed by her doctor that she now has an inoperable brain tumor just weeks after learning that her lung cancer had been brought under control. My stark realization is that everything that happens to us is at the mercy of God. The important thing is when some misfortune or mishap happens whether we will have God with us or not. Without God, we would feel depressed or even devastated; but with God, we can offer up my sufferings and be relieved, consoled or even healed.
Wednesday, May 13, 2015
God Omnipotent
For the next three weeks or so, I'll be on the road quite a bit, so I might not be able to blog daily. Anyway, on a flight yesterday, the plane encountered turbulence during its descent that I got airsick. It struck me that our earth rotates around its axis once a day so that anyone on the equator would be traveling through space at over 10,000 miles per hour, plus the earth also revolves around the sun once a year in an elliptical orbit; yet the combined motion is so smooth that we do not even feel it. And this probably has been going on for billions of years. I couldn't help but marvel at God's omnipotence.
Making Jesus No. 1
If you make Jesus #1 in your life, you will have eternal life ~ can you do it? Imagine that you are standing on the edge of a cliff and God asks you to jump off. You obey and try to jump off, and find your feet stuck to the ground ~ you are completely safe. This is exactly what happened to Abraham when God commanded him to offer his son Isaac up as a burnt offering (Genesis 22). As Abraham was about to slaughter Isaac, the angel of the Lord stopped him, for he passed the test. Likewise, when you go ahead to make Jesus #1 in your life, you will be completely safe.
Monday, May 11, 2015
Grateful to God
Today's Communion experience. After receiving the Lord, I was so grateful and asked him, "How could you?" He answered, "Because I am who I am." And I knew that he is love.
God You Can Count On
Romans 6.9, today's entrance antiphon at Mass: Christ, having risen from the dead, dies now no more; death will no longer have dominion over him, alleluia. Jesus died once and took care of our sins. When God does something, it's final. We can count on all the promises Jesus has given us in the Gospels, for he is trustworthy.
Amazing God
Jesus is meek and humble, selfless, gentle, inspiring, most loving. At the same time, since he holds all the keys to the kingdom of heaven and will judge every one of us, he commands our greatest respect. He is our creator, our Lord and also our brother and our servant. What stands out the most is his love, so overwhelming as to make us fall in love with him. We have a most amazing multifaceted God ~ praise be to him forever!
Most Horrible Feeling
I am sure that we all know that terrible guilty feeling we get after we did something wrong, which can be crushing, depending upon how serious the sin was. Rejecting God in one form or another is, of course, a most serious sin. I can (can't) imagine how terrible it would be for a soul in hell to feel its guilt intensely for all eternity! May all souls be saved for the glory of God.
Uptight Living
This is living without God. When you don't have God, everything that happens to you affects you, often disturbingly so. But if you have God with you, you'll be able to remain calm and composed through all things. Shall we say that you now have "relaxed living"?
Sunday, May 10, 2015
Union for Love
God has loved us with the greatest possible love. It's up to us to love him back as much as possible. This becomes possible with the help of his love and we get maximum help when we are in union with him. Therefore, seeking union with God is expressing our greatest desire to love him.
Love and Suffering
Father M gave a beautiful homily at Mass. He talked about love, suffering, and joy. Naturally, I cannot express what he had presented as well. Basically, he showed that love cannot be separated from suffering or pain, and it's for love that we become willing to suffer. Clearly, Jesus is our supreme example. And at the end of our experience, joy is born. This message makes life worth living.
Enjoying My Joy
In Philippians 4.7, Paul mentioned the peace of God that surpasses all understanding. The indescribably sweet joy of God is also in that category. At Mass this morning, I desired to enter deep into the Lord to enjoy my joy.
Saturday, May 9, 2015
All for Jesus
I have advocated doing everything for Jesus, that is, in his name. Everything means everything. It could be large or small, significant or trivial, noble or lowly, pleasant or nauseating, enjoyable or painful, asked or unasked, for yourself or for others. This is following the Spirit of Jesus, the Holy Spirit, freely, with yourself no longer in the way. I've found it especially helpful in going through trials and tribulations.
No Envy, Only Pity
I no longer envy anyone who drives a fancy, fast sports car. If my next door neighbor wins the billion-dollar lottery (assuming that there is such a one), I would be happy for him and hope that he would put the money to good use. Since I already have Jesus, all other attractions have paled. He has replaced envy with pity in me. Feeling how peaceful it is to know Jesus, it's now easy for me to feel sorry for those who do not know him yet. Jesus does make the difference.
The God Difference
When we were young, it's easy to think that we were going to live a beautiful life. As we age, we begin to realize that surviving is not always easy and can at times feel like struggling to stay afloat while sinking. Without God, we cope with problems on our own and seek escapes whenever possible. With God, it's not so much that bad things do longer happen as that God actually changes our attitude and outlook. Trust in the Lord now replaces our struggle and his support removes all that sinking feeling. So it's either sinking on our own or rising with God.
Friday, May 8, 2015
Communication Essential
Since God knows everything about us, the stupid thing to do is live as if he does not even exist. The smart thing is to open up to him to let him help you see everything about you and in you for him to make you clean and holy. Open communication is always a good thing, but communicating with the Lord is essential for living the eternal life.
Love Draws
Communion thought. I am a sinner on his way to heaven ~ such is the drawing power of Christ!
Jesus More than We Need
John 15.12-17 was today's Gospel reading at Mass. Jesus told his disciples that no one has greater love than to lay down one's life for one's friends and they were his friends because he had told them everything he had heard from his Father, and that it was he who chose them and appointed them to go bear fruit so that whatever they ask the Father in his name he may give them.
As Jesus' disciples, we now know that he has shown the greatest love for us by dying on the cross for us. Also, we are his friends knowing all we need to know from the Father and his chosen ones who will bear fruit so that we'll receive whatever we ask the Father in Jesus' name. This is fantastic to say the least! Truly, "there is nothing I lack" and "my cup overflows" (Psalm 23).
Practicing Abandonment
Every time you address God as "Lord," pray the Our Father and say "your will be done," or petition "Lord, have mercy" at Mass and really mean it, you practice abandoning yourself to God and will find rest in him.
Thursday, May 7, 2015
Tremendous Responsibility
Communion thought. Since God has entered me, I bear the tremendous responsibility to make sure that his dwelling within me be comfortable and enjoyable.
Humbling Love
In today's Gospel reading from John 15, Jesus said to his disciples, "As the Father loves me, so I love you. Remain in my love. I have told you this so that your joy might be complete." Jesus actually telling us that he loves us! ~ this should bring us great joy. When other humans tell me that they love me, I would feel that I am in demand and get a big boost in my self-esteem. But when the Lord tells me that he loves me, I actually feel humbled because we have the Mighty One loving a weakling or the Holy One loving a sinner.
No Escape from God
Since God has created all things, and we are nothing without him, we might as well put our trust in him in all things from start to finish. This is being plain sensible and realistic.
Our Move
God has offered us salvation. Christ came and died in our place, so the work had been done. The next move is ours. We must be willing to accept the good news and believe in it. And the Lord is waiting. The correct use of our free will is to choose eternal life for the glory of our creator. It's that simple.
Wednesday, May 6, 2015
The Lord Seeking Union
Two verses of the Gospel reading from John 15 formed today's Gospel acclamation: Remain in me, as I remain in you, says the Lord, whoever remains in me will bear much fruit. Jesus invites us to remain in him. As if this is not beautiful enough, he wants to remain in us! To be in each other is to be one, so the Lord is seeking union with us here. Naturally, in union much fruit will be produced.
Jesus, Our Only Hope
Look around the world. In the Mideast, it's more like everyone fighting for everyone else, with almost all the Arab nations getting into action. Europe and America will certainly get themselves more involved, once terrorists step up their attack within those countries. And there are a host of African and Asian nations, Mexico, Ukraine . . . each engaging in its own war. Already millions of homeless refugees have been created worldwide, not to mention the vast number of casualties. We are truly facing a monumental humanitarian crisis, while committing moral suicide! The present chaos is in a way messier that the World Wars of the past, for it can potentially spread across the entire globe. At a time like this, Jesus messages stand out: "Do not judge," "Love your enemies," "Be humble" ~ these are just the few that came first to my mind. It's absolutely clear that following his words will bring us peace, but what are the chances that people will listen? Evil is real and judgment, unavoidable. I hope that the worst in some will bring out the best in others. It's time to pray, pray, and pray hard.
Tuesday, May 5, 2015
Perfect Union
Do everything for the sake of attaining union with God; then in union, God does whatever he wishes through you.
Banishing the Ego
God wants us to mind our own business, that is, we are to do our part in serving God as best as we could and not be concerned about the outcome or what people think of us. This is the way to keep our mind uncluttered and our heart in peace.
Getting off the Hook
Communion thoughts. When we received the Holy Eucharist and abandon ourselves to God, we feel free. That's because abandonment gets us off the hook, you might say, as we now simply follow God, not having to decide where to go anymore. We must know that God is trustworthy and wants to make things easy for us always.
Banishing Our Worst Fear
The human fear we should fear the most has to be that of losing our soul. The good news is that our soul is most precious to God our Father. So when we surrender to him, we become his children and no evil can possibly take our souls away from him anymore. The best deals we can only get from God.
The Good News!
In today's first reading from Acts 14, Paul and Barnabas proclaimed the good news to the city of Derbe. This good news has to be the best news we can ever have: that we can get our sins forgiven and enjoy eternal life with our Father in heaven! It remains fresh, for truth does not change ~ but we must also be aware that we have only this lifetime to make the good news good for us.
The Numbing of Conscience
This morning on BBC News, it was somewhat of a shock to read this report on the Syria conflict: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-32581007. Next I saw and read this news story on the Met Ball and got almost another shock because it contrasted so sharply to the first report: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-32586993.
Monday, May 4, 2015
God Has Set the Standard
Jesus has commanded us to love even our enemies, showing God's greatest love by dying on the cross himself for all of us. Therefore, any religion that teaches otherwise or falls short of this standard could not have been originated by God.
The Spirit of Harmony
When we let the Holy Spirit fill us, we become obedient to God. Our heart hears him speaking to us and we follow what he prompts us to do. We are in perfect harmony with God. The Holy Spirit makes this ideal state real for us.
Sunday, May 3, 2015
Thought Discernment
Any thought of yours that inflates your ego cannot possibly have come from the Holy Spirit.
Self Comes First
Before attempting to convert he world, convert yourself first. That is, be holy yourself first. Then let your own family or community be your testing ground. If you are a saint to them, you are ready to convert the world for the Lord. Take care of yourself and you take care of the world.
No Substitute for Christ
When I was young, I had many dreams I wanted to realize. I was full of hope, believing that I could make everything happen. At an advanced age, I can now look back and get a good look at the past. There had been happy times and sad times, but the best thing that has ever happened to me is without a doubt knowing Christ. Whether my past was happy or not becomes irrelevant, since I already have the very best of all things. Living for anything else is only a temporary crutch, useful for those who do not know the true God. If you have not begun with Christ yet, you must consider ending with him.
Saturday, May 2, 2015
On Loving Jesus
Communion experience. After receiving the Lord, I asked him what he wanted me to do ~ he asked me to love him. I now realize that this is all I need to do ~ this should be my sole concern and only goal. Loving Jesus is the purpose and fulfillment of life. It is central, while everything else is at best peripheral. We are made for it so that we might live forever.
What We Can Do Matters
President John F. Kennedy's most famous quote came from his 1961 inaugural address: "Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country." Christians could easily challenge themselves by replacing "your country" with "God" in Kennedy's words. Sadly, as we get older we are more concerned about what we can do to enjoy life more before we die. Taking vacation trips and finding a good retirement home in advance are commonly expressed. It seems that in the increasingly shorter time we have left in life, we should be concerned about how we can love and serve God more, for getting ready to enter heaven to meet God is no casual affair.
Friday, May 1, 2015
Union with the Apostles
Communion impact. I heard the exact words the Apostles heard at the Last Supper and received exactly what they received at the Last Supper ~ I am one with them.
All God or No God
In today's Gospel reading from John 14, Jesus said to his disciples: "In my Father's house there are many dwelling places. If there were not, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back again and take you to myself, so that where I am you also may be. Where I am going you know the way." Thomas said to him, "Master, we do not know where you are going; how can we know the way?" Jesus said to him, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." If these grandiose words were spoken by someone else, I would've instantly dismissed them as coming from someone who didn't know what he's talking about. Then if God had spoken them, every word makes sense and is trustworthy. Again, Jesus is all God or no God.
Give Jesus a Chance
In today's first reading from Acts 13 at morning Mass, Paul came to Antioch and spoke to all in the synagogue: "To us this word of salvation has been sent. The inhabitants of Jerusalem and their leaders failed to recognize him, and by condemning him they fulfilled the oracles of the prophets that are read sabbath after sabbath. For even though they found no grounds for a death sentence, they asked Pilate to have him put to death...." The people of today are exactly the same ~ they hear Jesus mentioned again and again, but they just tune him out. To be open-minded does not mean that you should accept him ~ it merely gives him a chance. And giving him this chance may very well be giving yourself the chance to discover how you can live happily forever!
Thursday, April 30, 2015
Gentle Lord
God is so gentle that when he teaches us, he simply opens our eyes so that we may see the truths for ourselves.
Strength from Union
Communion experience. Receiving the Lord to be one with him gave me great strength because I felt all his pains and that any attack from the evil one on me is an attack on him.
God or Mammon
In both Matthew 6 and Luke 16, Jesus made it clear that we cannot serve both God and mammon. If we do not choose to serve God, then we're surely going to end up serving mammon, as that's the easy way to go. Only in serving God will we find serving mammon distasteful. So the important thing is to decide as soon as possible whom we wish to serve or we'll be drifting through life being slaves of mammon.
Wednesday, April 29, 2015
Jesus Our Comfort
Let's look at our situation. We are bound to a planet of finite size and live only for a limited time. We may be actively looking for happiness or just sit around for happiness to happen. We keep ourselves busy to escape from facing reality. We see that whatever good we do will become history and be forgotten. To make life meaningful, we need is to latch onto something that's permanent and can make us live forever and be happy. This is where Jesus comes in, fulfilling what we desire. He is the one whom the Father has sent, the Perfect One, our Comfort.
*Checking Jesus Out
If you do not know Jesus yet, but are interested in checking him out, I propose that you do it this way. First, empty your mind of all prejudices, preconceived notions ... in fact, everything you have learned about him so that you may remain open-minded and objective. Then shut out all distractions and read any or all of the four Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) as if you are reading it for the very first time. At the end you should be able to conclude either he is the true God or the most remarkable false teacher that had ever existed. But note: If you come to the latter conclusion, you'll also have to conclude that all authors of the books comprising the New Testament had been deceived by Jesus or they simply wrote fiction ~ all in all, even more incredible!
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